Inside the house...
Inside the house, dust floated in the air like ash, heavy silence blanketing the room.
Caroline still had Dr. Hill pinned against the wall, her fingers digging into his throat like steel clamps.
He gasped and struggled, shotgun clattering to the floor.
The sudden roar from outside echoed through the wooden beams of the house.
Everyone turned toward the sound—
The same direction Dr. Hill had come from.
Crrreeaak—
The bookshelf behind him groaned and began to slide open, revealing a narrow passageway cloaked in pitch-black shadow.
Cold air poured from it, carrying the metallic scent of blood and something older… fouler.
Then—
A hand emerged.
Long.
Clawed. Rotted.
"____"
"____"
"____"
With slow, deliberate steps, a massive Wendigo,
Just like the one Ghost Rider had been fighting, stepped out of the darkness.
Its skeletal body twisted unnaturally, its jaw hanging open in a permanent snarl.
It sniffed the air, its empty eye sockets somehow burning with hunger.
GRRRRHHHHHH—
A low, wet growl reverberated through the floorboards.
The group froze.
"____"
Clover gasped.
Nina backed into the nearest wall.
Abel instinctively shielded Megan and Clover.
Even Bonnie looked startled, her fingers twitching as she readied a spell.
Caroline didn't flinch.
She just tightened her grip on Dr. Hill's neck.
"You brought that thing in here?"
She hissed, her eyes glowing with venom.
Dr. Hill smirked despite the chokehold.
Smirk~
"My... perfected... prototype,"
He wheezed.
"And it's... very hungry."
The Wendigo let out another growl—
Then lunged straight toward them.
Caroline's grip didn't loosen, but Dr. Hill's mocking laughter rang out, even as his feet dangled above the ground.
Behind her, Clover and her friends froze, their faces pale as the monstrous Wendigo edged closer with heavy, thudding steps.
Dr. Hill turned his head slowly toward Clover, grinning despite the chokehold, madness dancing in his eyes.
"You know..."
He rasped, spitting blood with a chuckle,
Chuckle~
"You had a chance, girl. You could've walked out. You and your little friends. But no..."
He tilted his head toward the Wendigo,
Which now crouched low and snarled, ready to pounce.
"You wasted it."
Clover's breath hitched.
"You were my perfect bait. So easy to manipulate. So desperate to find your sister that you'd fall for anything."
He sneered.
"That voice you heard? That wasn't your sister. That was me. A beautifully designed audio, mixed from her real cries. Pulled from the archives."
"All it took was a little scream, a little bang on the door, and you opened it like a lamb walking to slaughter."
Clover's legs buckled slightly.
Abel looked like he was about to charge at the man—
Until the Wendigo's deep snarl made him stop cold.
Dr. Hill let out another breathless laugh.
"And now… now I have what I really wanted."
He turned his eyes—
Wild and hungry—
To Jojo's flaming spectre, seen dimly through the window, cutting down Wendigos like paper dolls.
"That thing outside... the burning monster... I've never seen anything like it. Bones on fire, eyes like a furnace, and a soul made of wrath. He's beautiful."
Then he grinned widely, maniacally.
"My plan is simple: capture one of you—preferably you, dear girl—and let him come running to save you. Then I'll unleash my new creation... and bring the demon down."
Clover trembled.
Bonnie clenched her jaw.
"You're insane."
"No,"
Dr. Hill whispered,
"I'm pursuing evolving."
The Wendigo hissed, its claws scraping against the wood floor, poised to strike.
Dr. Hill let out a low, sharp whistle.
Whistle~
The Wendigo reacted instantly, its limbs tensing like coiled springs.
With a feral snarl, it launched forward, claws gleaming, aimed straight for Clover.
"CLOVER, MOVE!"
Elena shouted—
—and she yanked Clover aside just in time.
CRASH!
The Wendigo slammed into the spot Clover had just been, ripping into the floorboards with bone-snapping force.
Bonnie threw up her hands, murmuring a spell with urgency, her eyes glowing.
A blast of telekinetic force struck the creature mid-lunge—
—But the Wendigo only staggered slightly, resisting the brunt of her spell.
"What?!"
Bonnie's voice cracked with disbelief.
Dr. Hill, still gripped in Caroline's hold, let out a victorious, deranged laugh.
Hahaha~
"Didn't I mention?"
He hissed.
"This one's special—genetically enhanced with resistance. My masterpiece."
Caroline didn't flinch.
Her blue eyes locked onto him with cold fury.
"You really think I won't kill you?" she asked, her voice deathly calm.
Dr. Hill's expression faltered. He licked his lips, eyes darting around.
"If you do… you'll never find her sister! I swear! I've got her locked up! If I die—"
SPLAT!
He didn't finish.
Caroline's fist shot forward with terrifying speed, burying itself in his face—
And with a sickening crunch, his skull shattered like glass, blood splattering across the floor and bookshelf.
His body went limp and hit the ground with a wet thud.
THUD.
Everyone in the room froze.
"____"
"____"
"____"
Clover stared in shock.
Elena gasped softly.
Even the Wendigo momentarily recoiled.
Caroline shook the blood from her hand, face blank and cold.
"I. Don't. Negotiate."
As the Wendigo sniffed the air, its nostrils flared.
Its gaze landed on the blood-slicked Caroline…
And the pulverised remains of Dr. Hill behind her.
It let out a deep, guttural growl—
Then lunged.
Its claws stretched wide, glinting under the flickering light, aiming to tear through Caroline's chest.
But she was faster.
With vampire speed, Caroline vanished in a blur, reappearing behind the creature,
Her hand snapped toward its neck in a brutal attempt to end it in a single motion.
CRACK—
But the Wendigo twisted violently,
Its body rolling midair with inhuman agility.
It crashed into a table, shattering it on impact, and let out a feral snarl.
"Damn,"
Caroline muttered, eyes narrowing.
"That one fast."
Max, who had been frozen with fear, suddenly grabbed an axe from the wall and, with a cry of desperation, charged.
"Die, you freak—!"
THWACK!
The axe buried itself into the Wendigo's head.
Blood splattered across the room, painting the floor and wall red.
"____"
For a brief second, everyone hoped that was it—
But the Wendigo slowly turned its head, the axe still lodged in its skull, glaring at Max with icy hatred.
With a hiss, it gripped the axe handle, yanked it out with a wet squelch, and tossed it aside like a toy.
Then it turned.
WHAM!
A single, backhanded swipe sent Max flying across the room,
His body slammed into a cabinet with a sickening crunch.
He crumpled to the floor, groaning in pain, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Max!"
Clover screamed, rushing toward him,
But Bonnie pulled her back.
"Stay away! It's not done yet!"
The Wendigo snarled again, lowering its body, ready to leap.
MEANWHILE OUTSIDE...
The night screamed with chaos.
The storm's howl was drowned beneath the cries of the damned as Ghost Rider stood among the burning remains of mutilated Wendigos.
His skull, a furnace of vengeance, glared through the smoke.
Suddenly—
WHOOSH!
An axe spun through the air, its target clear: the back of his flaming skull.
"____"
THUD.
But without even turning, Ghost Rider tilted his head, and SNATCHED the axe midair with one fiery hand.
His burning sockets turned in the direction it came from.
Emerging from the shadows of the trees…
The Masked Killer.
His upper face was still hidden beneath the infamous cracked mask,
But the lower half—
Rotted, grotesque, bearing the same monstrous traits of a Wendigo.
His mouth twitched, stretching unnaturally, eyes gleaming with hatred.
Ghost Rider stared him down.
"____"
"YOU'VE HAD YOUR FUN… NOW BURN."
In one fluid motion, Ghost Rider hurled the axe with hellish force.
It spun like a saw blade through the rain.
THUNK!
The weapon buried itself into the Masked Killer's skull, splitting his mask and revealing the grotesque, snarling remains beneath.
A second later—
FWOOOSH!!!
Hellfire ignited him from within.
The killer's body jerked violently, burning with unnatural fury, before collapsing into ashes, his scream silenced by flames.
Without wasting a second, Ghost Rider turned toward the house.
He stepped into the fire ring he had cast earlier, feeling it swell with his energy, sensing something dark… something stronger.
His burning skull tilted slightly.
"THIS ONE..."
He could feel the presence of an Alpha Wendigo inside the house—
More intelligent, more dangerous than the ones outside.
And so, without hesitation, he marched forward.
With each step, flames erupted around him, the grass burning black beneath his boots.
INSIDE THE HOUSE...
Max, who got hit on the floor by the Wendigo's backhand earlier.
Blood smeared across the wooden floor beneath him.
"MAX!"
Nina shrieked, her voice cracking in fear as the Wendigo turned,
Its glowing white eyes now fixated on him like a starving predator spotting its meal.
"____"
Panicking, Nina grabbed the nearest book from a nearby shelf and hurled it at the monster's face.
It hit, but the beast barely flinched—
More annoyed than hurt.
With a guttural growl, the Wendigo leapt forward, claws outstretched.
Max's eyes widened.
"____"
He was still down, his body refusing to move, completely exposed.
Bonnie raised her hand desperately and cast a binding spell,
but the magic sputtered and didn't work on the Wendigo due to its resistance to the magic.
It wasn't working.
This thing was resisting everything.
The Wendigo's jaws stretched unnaturally wide—
Ready to bite—
CRASH!!!
Suddenly, the windows shattered violently, sending glass flying everywhere.
Through the shattering storm, a flaming chain burst through the broken frame like a serpent, its tip wrapping around the Wendigo's face,
Sealing its mouth shut with molten iron.
Before anyone could react, the chain yanked the beast backwards, dragging it like a hunted animal.
BOOM!!
The front door exploded open, nearly flying off its hinges.
Through the burning smoke stepped the embodiment of death itself—
GHOST RIDER.
FLAMES danced around his skeletal frame, the hellfire in his eyes locking onto the Wendigo like a predator.
The circle of protection outside flared up, incinerating the other Wendigos trying to charge in—
Each one combusting like firecrackers the moment they touched the ring.
SNAP! BOOM! CRACKLE!
Screams became ashes, one by one.
Inside the house, silence fell—
Except for the soft crackle of fire.
The Wendigo bound in chains thrashed wildly, snarling through its sealed jaw, unable to escape the grip of the Ghost Rider's chain.
Ghost Rider turned his flaming skull towards it.
"YOU LOST YOUR HUMANITY."
He stepped closer, voice echoing like the toll of a death bell.
"IF THAT'S THE CASE, GO TO HELL!"
With a violent tug, he lifted the Wendigo by the chain, dragging it out of the house and back into the storm, where its screams were smothered by fire.
Inside, everyone—
Max, Nina, Clover, Abel, Megan, Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena—
just stood frozen, eyes wide, breathing hard.
They had just seen death itself come to their rescue.
The howling wind tore through the trees,
But it was nothing compared to the howls of the Wendigo being dragged across the scorched earth, bound in Ghost Rider's hellfire chain.
The beast thrashed, claws tearing at the dirt, its guttural roars echoing into the night.
Its burnt, blistered face told the story of a creature not used to pain, now consumed by it.
But the Ghost Rider didn't flinch.
He tightened the chain with a single tug,
The molten links slithering like serpents across the Wendigo's body—
From its mouth to its neck, coiling like a noose of fire.
The smell of burning flesh and scorched fur filled the air.
With a heavy, fiery boot, Ghost Rider stepped onto the Wendigo's back, pinning it to the ground with effortless strength.
The monster bucked, its limbs spasming, choking on the smoke of its own burning skin.
"YOU FEED ON FEAR AND FLESH..."
Ghost Rider leaned forward, tightening the grip further,
His flaming skull inches from the beast's twitching body.
"NOW FEED ON YOUR OWN DAMNATION."
With a savage pull,
The chain snapped taut,
CRACK!
A sickening CRACK echoed through the valley as the Wendigo's neck snapped clean, the head tearing from the body in a violent arc.
Both the severed head and body burst into roaring hellfire, their agonised screeches silenced instantly—
Reduced to cinders.
Ash floated gently in the wind, mixing with the storm.
The Ghost Rider stood still, chain sizzling, the embers of vengeance glowing in his sockets.
After Ghost Rider entered the house.
The charred scent of ash and brimstone followed Ghost Rider as he descended into the dim, humid passage—
The same secret route that the Wendigo had used earlier.
Each of his footsteps echoed with the low hum of restrained horror.
At the end of the passage, the corridor opened into a crude underground lab,
Lined with rusting medical tools, archaic diagrams, and glowing containment screens.
At the centre of the room stood a reinforced glass chamber,
fogged on the inside from the girl's breath.
Inside stood a young girl—
Barefoot, pale, her lips cracked and dry.
Her skin had taken on a deathly pallor.
Her nails were sharpened, and her teeth were jagged, unnatural—
Midway through the transformation into a Wendigo.
Still human… but not for long.
Her eyes, once innocent, now carried a hollow, hungry look.
She stared straight at Ghost Rider like an animal senses fire.
Then—
"MELANIE!!!"
The sudden scream pierced the tension.
Clover burst into the chamber behind Ghost Rider, tears spilling as she ran forward.
"____"
The girl inside the glass—
Her sister—
Turned at the sound of her name… but there was no recognition in those eyes.
Only the twitch of feral instinct.
"____"
Melanie let out a low growl, her nails tapping against the glass slowly... rhythmically... almost like she was stalking prey.
"No... no, it's me, it's Clover—Mel, please..."
Clover whispered, trembling as she pressed her hand against the glass.
"It's me, your sister..."
But the girl inside only bared her teeth, lips curling as drool mixed with blood dribbled from the corners of her mouth,
Her eyes fixated on Clover like she was some rare, delectable prey.
Behind them, the others arrived—
Bonnie, Caroline, Elena, and Clover's remaining friends—
Horrified and silent.
"____"
"____"
"____"
PUFF.
With a puff of smoke, Jojo turned back to his human form.
Jojo, now back in his human form, stepped beside Clover and rested a hand on her shoulder, grim but calm.
"She's still in there… barely."
He murmured.
"But not for long."
Everyone stood frozen, watching the half-Wendigo girl pace behind the glass.
Jojo stood in front of the glass chamber, his eyes locked onto Melanie's.
The twisted girl inside growled softly, her fingers twitching, her teeth bared in an expression that walked a fine line between a threat and desperation.
He reached for the Angel Flame inside him—
Pure, divine energy that could purify corruption.
But the moment his will began to manifest, his instincts felt.
Something was wrong.
He froze.
"____"
His entire being, honed by countless battles and guided by the spirits of vengeance and mercy alike, told him.
'Not yet.'
If he used the Angel Flame now, he could burn away the curse—
The mutation was forced onto her.
But what would be left?
A body healed, perhaps.
But a soul that switched to inhuman by hunger.
That feral, broken part awakened by trauma, starvation, isolation… all of that would remain, like a scar over a healed wound—
Ready to burst open again.
"____"
His eyes narrowed.
This wasn't just about the body.
This was about the monster inside—
The one that lives in all of them, born from pain, neglect, and loss.
It was unleashed, not created.
Jojo clenched his fist.
He needed to make the girl overpower the monster before he could heal the girl.
{(A/N): I KNOW MOST WOULD FEEL I WAS NERFING ANGLE FIRE. BUT I AM NOT IT COULD HEAL ALL THE WOUNDS, SOULS THAT WERE DAMAGED, PARASTIES AND CURSES OR ANY HARMFUL THINGS BUT THE MONSTER IS MELANIE HERSELF. IT'S ALWAYS PRESENT INSIDE ALL HUMANS. REMEMBER THE QUOTE OF THE VICTIMS OF RUSSIAN SLEEP EXPERIMENT..}
Then his gaze shifted—
From Melanie to Clover.
The tears.
The trembling voice.
The raw, unbroken love.
That's it. Not magic.
Not fire. Not even vengeance.
Connection.
He turned toward Clover, voice calm but urgent.
"Clover. You can save her."
She looked up, startled.
"W-what?"
"She's not gone. She's just lost. I can heal her and her soul, but the monster that awakened might stay. But if she remembers who she is… if she feels something strong enough to fight it..."
Jojo stepped aside and gently nudged her forward.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review and power stone!!!