"Maria, you look stunning tonight—especially with that unique hat. It's so… one-of-a-kind. Gotta say, you've got your own vibe going," Lily said, leaning against the car door after picking up Ellen.
"Thanks, Lily. I think so too," Ellen replied.
There wasn't a hint of embarrassment on Ellen's face. She reached up to touch the little scarecrow perched on her cowboy hat, seemingly unbothered by the fact that the quirky accessory totally clashed with her outfit.
She was cool with it.
"I guess I haven't been paying enough attention to you lately. I didn't realize you'd switched from bears to scarecrows. Now I know what to get you for your birthday," Lily said, stealing another glance at the scarecrow. For a split second, she could've sworn it blinked.
"Whoa!" Lily gasped, rubbing her eyes. When she looked again, nothing had changed—the scarecrow was still just sitting there, motionless.
"What's up, Lily?" Ellen asked.
"Nothing. Hop in."
The soft top of the Porsche convertible slid back. Behind the wheel of her brand-new sports car, Lily's confidence was through the roof.
The scared, shrinking version of herself from this morning's school bus was long gone. She couldn't help but show off a little as she asked Ellen, "So, what do you think of the car?"
"The car? It's nice. Feels… open," Ellen said.
Ellen leaned back in her seat, tilting her head to soak in the cool breeze whipping past. The chilly wind was intoxicating, freeing.
It wasn't just Maria who'd been feeling trapped for so long—Ellen had been too. If anything, Ellen's sense of being weighed down was even heavier than Maria's.
"Open? That's it?" Lily asked, a little annoyed.
Come on, girl, I'm showing off my new ride, taking you out for a spin, and that's all you've got?
Being besties was getting harder by the day.
Back in the day, Maria might've been quiet, but at least she'd throw out a compliment or two. Now? Total brush-off.
"This is a turbocharged Porsche 911. My dad got it last week…" Lily started, but trailed off, suddenly awkward.
"My dad's planning to get me a fully loaded Maybach," Ellen said casually, her face showing no trace of sadness or joy—just a complete absence of the old self-consciousness.
The weak, insecure Maria was gone. In her place was a confident, ice-cool version.
Lily felt a shiver run through her. In that moment, she realized a sad, thick wall had grown between them.
She couldn't stand rich people—especially ones richer than her.
The car's speakers were still blasting the latest pop hits, but no matter how upbeat the music, Lily's heart wasn't in it. All she felt was a quiet sadness.
The car cruised farther from the city, the roads growing wider and emptier.
As the mood set in, Lily couldn't help but press down on the gas, letting the clutch go. The Porsche surged forward, picking up speed.
Her driving skills were on point.
Go! Go! Go!
The engine's roar grew louder, and Ellen felt the rush of acceleration pushing her back into the seat. The scarecrow on her hat—Barry—felt it too.
Snowflakes started falling from the sky, the icy wind and snow stinging their faces.
It hurt a little, but more than that, it was exhilarating—a thrilling sense of breaking free, with adrenaline pumping hard.
Ellen's pale, freezing face broke into a wide, joyful grin.
Hearing her laughter, Lily couldn't help but smile too. For the first time, it felt like they were finally on the same wavelength.
She realized she'd been wrong about Maria again. The old Maria would never have enjoyed the dangerous thrill of speeding like this.
Caught up in the moment, Lily joined Ellen, screaming and cheering along with the music.
This was shaping up to be an awesome night.
Unless something went wrong.
"Lily, your car's got the top-tier insurance, right?" Ellen said out of nowhere.
"What? Shit—!" Lily's heart stopped. She slammed on the brakes and yanked the wheel hard.
The headlights caught a tall, dark figure standing in the middle of the road.
Who the hell treats a highway like their living room?
No time to curse. Lily did everything she could to swerve.
But the Porsche, flying at full speed, couldn't stop in time.
BOOM!
A massive crash echoed through the night.
The Porsche skidded across the snowy road, leaving twisted, charred marks. The windshield shattered into a spiderweb of cracks, and the figure they hit was thrown several feet into the air.
With a sickening thud, the body crashed down, head first, followed by the rest of it. A sharp crack of breaking bones rang out.
Inside the car, things weren't much better.
Ellen's cowboy hat flew into the airbag first. Barry reacted fast, extending countless straws to form a makeshift cushion.
Lily's head slammed into the airbag, hitting the half-formed cushion before bouncing back, knocked out cold in her seat.
By the time Ellen's body lurched forward, the cushion was fully formed, softening the impact significantly.
"Ow! That hurts," Ellen groaned, blood trickling from her forehead. Her vision was blurry, like a pixelated mess.
"Barry, where are you? Did you save me?"
The sudden crash had rattled Ellen, who was still just a kid. Panicked, she instinctively called out for Barry, desperate for that sense of safety.
"Goddamn it! Drive like that, and you'll make your family cry!" Barry's voice came from the airbag, shaken but relieved.
If he hadn't acted so fast, who knows how bad things would've been for the two of them.
"Don't panic, Ellen. Call—"
The cracked windshield suddenly shattered completely. A swift black shadow shot toward them, piercing straight through Barry's oversized head.
Shunk!
A glint of silver flashed, cold and deadly.
The straws making up Barry's body were sliced clean through, like harvested wheat, leaving a smooth, flat cut.
One slash, and he was done.
His chibi-style head rolled into Ellen's lap, bits of straw fluttering down like snowflakes.
Ellen screamed, her face white as a sheet.
The flying machete embedded itself in the car seat, still trembling from the impact. Its sharp blade sliced off a lock of Ellen's hair.
If it had been just an inch off, it wouldn't have been the seat—it would've been her neck.
What the hell was happening?
Ellen grabbed Barry's head in shock, staring into his lifeless, wide-open eyes, her mind a tangled mess.
"Barry! Barry!"
She called his name over and over, frantic, but got no response. It was like she was holding nothing more than an ordinary scarecrow head.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps approached.
A thick, ominous feeling welled up inside her, hammering at her nerves.
Run! Get out of here!
He's coming…
Don't just stand there—run as fast as you can!
For the first time, Ellen felt an overwhelming sense of malice and danger.
The moment she looked up, she saw a white hockey mask with a red upside-down triangle painted on the forehead.
The mask belonged to a tall, muscular man in a black jacket, striding toward her with deadly intent.
Without a second thought, Ellen flung open the car door, clutching Barry's remains, and sprinted into the nearby woods.
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