72. The Plan

The thing still had her son in its grips when Betsy made it back up the stairs, panting. It was murmuring to her son. Allen lifted his leg, almost as though he were stepping onto something. The creature lifted him higher.

“Haunted house, my ass!” Betsy squirted the black figure with lighter fluid, lit a match, and threw it. As it burst into flames, Betsy grabbed her son, tackling him and putting out errant flames that had formed on his pajama sleeves.

73. Burn

They watched it burn. The thing let out an awful, ear-piercing screaming noise, and Betsy could hear other harrowing cries emanating from the depths of the forest. Flames danced with malevolence, licking at the trees, igniting a hellish blaze in the woods.

Amidst the chaos, the malevolent entity attempted to extinguish itself, its form twisting and writhing, howling in agony as its fiery eyes flickered. With a single strong arm, it reached out and enveloped the malevolent figure, a haunting display of spectral intervention, bringing an end to the nightmare that had tormented her family for generations.

74. It’s All Up In Smoke

The spectral figure held the malevolent entity tightly in its grip, its bright blue eye winking at Betsy, as if to assure her that everything would be alright.  “I think she’s gone,” Allen muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. Betsy nodded and stood up wearily. When she looked outside, a horrifying sight met her gaze— the forest was burning, consumed by flames.

Sirens wailed in the distance, a cacophony that filled the air, echoing the urgency of the situation. She and Allen watched in a trance-like state as the trees were consumed by the roaring inferno, the cleansing flames of destruction that would, perhaps, bring an end to the malevolent forces that had haunted their family for generations.

75. The End

Though Betsy and Allen had considered leaving the house, they ended up choosing to stay. This was their land, and they weren’t leaving. Allen returned back to school the next week, restarting his friendships and getting his grades back up.

Betsy spent her mornings staring at the burnt-out forest, thinking that, despite the husks, it was beautiful in its own way. The thin, burnt out trees had no leaves to block the sun, so they always let the light in.