Prince of Darkness ~ Gotham

~ Chapter Eighteen: Standing Together ~

The usual lively atmosphere of Anders Prep was replaced with silent murmurs and glances of fear. What is going on? Why is everyone so shaken up? Holly wondered as she approached her locker and grabbed her textbooks for first period. "Holly, thank goodness!" Cara sighed with relief as she approached her. "I thought maybe he got you too!" Holly looked confused, "Who are you talking about?" Cara reached into her backpack and pulled out the latest article from Gotham Gazette. "Haven't you heard about The Spirit of the Goat? He's back!" Cara explained.

Holly scanned through the article, shocked to discover that overnight, this killer targeted one of the wealthiest kids in Gotham. To Holly, this all felt like some weird sacrifice. Who calls themselves the Spirit of the Goat anyway? To Holly, this "Goat" and everything involved with him felt like something out of a cult. "Hasn't it been ten years since he last attacked someone?" Holly questioned. "Yeah, but I guess someone decided to be a copycat killer," Cara nodded. "There's a lot of them nowadays," Holly sighed.

Suddenly, the crackling and feedback of the Headmaster's microphone filled the halls, making everyone stop in their tracks and listen. "Attention students and faculty, please gather in the auditorium. There is an urgent matter we must discuss," Headmaster Koch spoke, repeating his instructions a second time before shutting off the intercom. The two girls looked at each other with worrying glances. There had to be more to this Spirit of the Goat situation.

They stayed close together as they entered the large auditorium, the booming chatter of students echoed all over the room. When they took their seats, they watched as the Headmaster walked up the steps to the podium, his face etched with sorrow and anger as he addressed the assembly. "Good morning, students. I'm afraid I have some distressing news," He began. "Last night, one of Anders Prep's alumni, Amanda Hastings, was a victim of the Spirit of the Goat. We don't know the details yet as the police are still investigating, but her death has not only deeply wounded our school but also our community,"

Holly couldn't take her gaze off the nearby portrait of Amanda. She looked so beautiful and barely lived her life. How could somebody be so cruel to take the life of someone so young? "The Spirit of the Goat is still running rampant in Gotham, targeting the top one percent of our city. It is my sincere hope that no other student at Anders Prep will experience a tragedy of this magnitude. That is why I am speaking to you today to ask for everyone's vigilance and cooperation in staying safe,"

Headmaster Koch continued, saying he would issue a warning to everyone's parents and put in place extra security measures, and even suggested that for their own safety, some students leave Gotham until the matter settled. "Do you have somewhere you can go?" Holly whispered to Cara, who grew tense hearing the topic of leaving. "Yeah, my mom has a cottage on the outskirts. I don't think the Goat goes that far out of Gotham, at least from what I've heard," Cara sighed. "It'll be okay, my dad and the GCPD will catch this guy. They always do," Holly assured.

After the speech concluded, the students sat in observance of a moment of silence for Amanda. "Well, at least one of us is safe!" Another voice echoed throughout the auditorium. Holly, Cara, and everyone turned their heads to the back rows, where Tommy stood from his seat. "Mr. Elliot, please sit back down!" Headmaster Koch instructed, but Tommy would not listen as his gaze locked back onto Holly. "With all due respect, Headmaster. You said that the Spirit of the Goat is targeting Gotham's top one percent. Anders Prep is normally home to the top one percent. But if I may ask, what will happen to some of the middle class who find themselves here?" Tommy sneered.