The Coven on Cedar Lane James Scobey

Foreword

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Foreword 108 words

Chapter 1: Welcome to Cedar Lane

Moving Day

Claire Parker stood in the driveway of 42 Cedar Lane, sweat trickling down her back as she checked another box labeled "KITCHEN" against her inventory list. Or at least, it was labeled "KITCHEN" now. She'd spent the morning re-labeling boxes after discovering Ethan had marked them all "DEFINITELY NOT PORN" in an act of teenage rebellion that had made their previous neighbors' farewell party unnecessarily awkward.

The moving truck's engine ticked in the August heat, a counterpoint to the rhythmic swish-swish-swish of synchronized sprinklers up and down the street. Too synchronized. She squinted at the nearest lawn, where water droplets caught the afternoon sun in a perfect arc. Four houses down, another sprinkler moved in exact mimicry, then another, and another, a choreographed dance of suburban irrigation that looked like it had been synchronized by someone who'd turned passive-aggressive lawn maintenance into an Olympic sport.

"Isn't it perfect?" D

Chapter 1: Welcome to Cedar Lane 4,730 words

Chapter 2: The HOA Rules

The First HOA Meeting

Claire and David walked across the manicured lawn of the recreation center, the setting sun casting long shadows across the meticulously trimmed grass. They had to cross the central groove of the neighborhood to get to the recreation center where the meeting was being held. As they walked under the well-tended arbors, Clair couldn’t help but admit there was something to the well-organized suburban conformity. The grove was stunning, as you emerged from one of nine rows of arbors the central garden was made up of concentric rings of plantings with an enormous, flat rock in the center. Still, Claire couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in her stomach.

"I don't know about this, David," she said, her hand tightening around his arm. "There's something off about this place. The way everyone smiles, the way the houses all look the same..."

David patted her hand reassuringly. "It's just a neighborhood meeting, honey. It's probably going t

Chapter 2: The HOA Rules 9,031 words

Chapter 3: The Neighborhood BBQ

The BBQ Setup

Claire stood in front of her closet, staring at the rows of practical, slightly wrinkled clothing that made her feel like it screamed "I was very hot ten years ago." Dammit, she was hot, or had thought so until she moved into this nightmare freak show of a neighborhood. She examined her perky breasts in the dressing mirror, then sighed, pulling out a sundress she hadn’t worn since Ethan was in diapers. It was a little snug around her tits, but it would have to do. She wasn’t dressing for Evelyn Whitmore, anyway. She avoided thinking about who, exactly, she was dressing for.

From the bathroom, she could hear David humming. He was in an unusually good mood, which only made Claire more suspicious. Lately, he’d been acting like a golden retriever who’d just been told he was a "good boy" by someone other than his owner.

“I still don’t see why we have to go,” Claire called out, tugging at the dress’s zipper. “I don’t even like BBQs. Or Evelyn. Or people.”

Chapter 3: The Neighborhood BBQ 5,311 words

Chapter 4: The Basement Ritual

After the BBQ

Claire's hands were still shaking as she accepted a glass of wine from Margaret. The black house felt like a sanctuary after fleeing Evelyn's BBQ, its dark wood and chrome skull fixtures a defiant middle finger to Cedar Lane's enforced beige aesthetic.

"So," Margaret said, settling onto her leather couch, "want to tell me why you two came bursting out of Evelyn's house like you'd seen a ghost?" She glanced between Ethan and Lila, who were sprawled on the floor examining her collection of medieval weapons mounted on the wall.

"Is that a real goedendag?" Lila asked, her eyes bright with admiration.

"Focus," Claire said, though she had to admit the weaponry was impressively intimidating. "What exactly did you see in there?"

Ethan and Lila exchanged glances. "You tell her," Lila said. "Your mom already thinks I'm a bad influence."

"I don't think that," Claire protested. She absolutely thought that, but not really in a negative way.

Ethan sat up,

Chapter 4: The Basement Ritual 3,497 words

Chapter 5: Margaret’s Past

Trapped

Claire threw her shoulder against the basement door for the third time, achieving nothing except what would be a bruise tomorrow. The heavy wood didn't even shudder. Behind her, Margaret was examining the door's edges with the kind of calm that suggested she'd either done this before or was having a very quiet nervous breakdown.

"Well," Margaret said, running her fingers along the frame, "I've got good news and bad news."

Claire rubbed her shoulder, already dreading the answer. "Bad news first."

"This isn't just locked. It's sealed." Margaret knocked on the wood, producing a disturbingly solid thunk. "And the hinges are on the other side. My picks are no good."

"And the good news?"

Margaret's grin flashed in the dim light. "I have a flask of very expensive whiskey in my jacket."

"That's your good news? We're trapped in a basement with..." Claire gestured at their surroundings: the altar, the chains, the disturbing symbols carved into the walls "whatev

Chapter 5: Margaret’s Past 5,649 words

Chapter 6: The Cult’s History

The Library

Claire sat in her car outside the Millbrook Public Library, fifteen miles from Cedar Lane, watching Margaret pull into the parking lot in a blue minivan. Margaret had specifically chosen this branch for their research to minimize the chances they’d be spotted by the HOA. She had to blink twice to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. The leather-clad vampire hunter was driving what looked like a Honda Odyssey with a soccer mom bumper sticker.

"Don't," Margaret said as she approached Claire's window, catching her expression. "Not one word about the van."

"I didn't say anything." Claire got out of her car, grinning. "Just wondering if your street cred can survive being seen in a vehicle with built-in cup holders and probably some Cheerios under the seats."

"The motorcycle's not exactly subtle for surveillance." Margaret adjusted her leather jacket with indignation. "Besides, you'd be amazed how much supernatural investigation equipment you can fit in a min

Chapter 6: The Cult’s History 4,346 words

Chapter 7: Ethan and Lila’s Discovery

Lila’s Spying

Lila waited until Margaret's trotted off down the street, clad in spandex for her morning run, before making her move. She'd been watching the house for three days, noting Margaret’s patterns: morning runs at 6 AM, weapons practice in the backyard at noon, and occasional evening outings that sometimes lasted until dawn. Today was her chance.

Slipping through the backyard, Lila approached the rear door. She'd noticed during her previous reconnaissance that Margaret sometimes left the kitchen window cracked open, something about "clearing negative energy." Today was no exception.

"You'd think she’d have better security," Lila muttered to herself as she jimmied the window open wider and squeezed through. Inside, the house was a study in organized chaos. Weapons mounted on walls in bizarre patterns, books stacked in precarious towers. Lila eyed the stuffed raven and gave the bird a wide berth. Something about its glass eyes made her uneasy, like

Chapter 7: Ethan and Lila’s Discovery 4,817 words

Chapter 8: The Seduction of Power

The Sex Dungeon

David shivered against the ritual altar/ Saint Andrew’s Cross in the rec center basement, the cold stone pressing into his back, his hands suspended in leather wrapped cuffs. The gimp mask with a dildo on it’s forehead had been difficult to breathe in, initially, but he had grown used to it. Candlelight caught the edges of strange symbols carved into the walls, casting shadows that seemed to writhe in time with the distant hum of the building's ancient heating system. In the corner the wood stove burned, too warm for the season, making the room swelter with heat. A metal rod stuck out of the open door.

Evelyn circled him slowly, her heels clicking against the concrete in a measured rhythm. She wore a custom-made red leather, strappy dominatrix outfit with the Cedar Lane HOA logo monogrammed over what little material covered the small of her back. She opened the zipper covering his mouth.

"Pay attention, David," she purred, holding up survei

Chapter 8: The Seduction of Power 1,836 words

Chapter 9: The Falling Out

The Discovery

Claire had just finished showering when her phone rang. She wrapped herself in a towel and answered, expecting Margaret's voice. She’d slept through the day accidentally, and night had fallen.

"Mom?" It was Ethan, sounding agitated.

"Ethan? I thought you were still at Margaret's."

"I was," he explained hurriedly. "But I couldn't sleep after you left. I went back to watch the Roberts' house."

Claire closed her eyes, torn between frustration and understanding. "Ethan—"

"Nothing happened there," he continued. "They've sealed the place completely. But on my way back, I passed by Margaret's house, and there's something weird going on."

"What do you mean?" Claire felt a chill that had nothing to do with her damp skin.

"There are were people going in and out of her house. Strangers."

Claire's stomach dropped. "Where are you now?"

"Watching from Mrs. Peterson's azalea bushes. Mom, I think something bad is going on at Margaret's house."

Chapter 9: The Falling Out 2,251 words

Chapter 10: Evelyn Gets the Codex

Evelyn's Chamber

Evelyn Whitmore paced her basement ritual space, her Louboutins clicking against the stone floor in perfect rhythm with the synchronized sprinklers above. Everything was immaculate. The chalice collection was arranged by height and blood capacity, the ceremonial daggers were polished to gleaming, the chains were freshly oiled. Even the dark stains on the altar had been scrubbed into aesthetically pleasing geometric patterns.

"It's all falling apart," she muttered to the sterling silver Tiffany & Co. candle holders. "Decades of planning, ruined by a horny ghost hunter and a family of suburban anarchists." She stopped, straightening a candle that had dared to lean three degrees off center. The Parkers. Of course it would be people named Parker. So... boring. So vanilla. They probably still play Monopoly without flipping the board or using it as a metaphor for the crushing futility of existence.

She moved to her planning wall, where photographs and

Chapter 10: Evelyn Gets the Codex 5,079 words

Chapter 11: Reluctant Alliances

The Morning After

Claire woke with a start, her neck stiff from the guest room's unfamiliar mattress. Sunlight sliced through blinds she hadn't properly closed, creating harsh stripes across the rumpled bedding. For a blissful moment, her mind was blank, then everything crashed back with sickening clarity: Ethan's panicked call about Lila, Margaret with Thomas, David's betrayal.

She reached for her phone, squinting at the screen. 6:17 AM. No missed calls, no texts. No word from David, who hadn't come home at all.

Her bare feet hit the cold hardwood as she stood, wrapping herself in the fraying robe she'd grabbed from the master bedroom during her hasty relocation. The house felt unnaturally quiet, lacking the usual morning sounds of David's coffee ritual or Ethan's music bleeding through walls. Claire listened for a moment, then heard a faint clinking from the kitchen.

"Ethan?" she called, voice still rough with sleep.

No answer.

She padded down the hallwa

Chapter 11: Reluctant Alliances 4,107 words

Chapter 12: The Greater Design

The Evictions

The Morgensterns of 17 Cedar Lane had lived in their blue colonial for eighteen years. They'd raised three children there, hosted countless barbecues, and diligently maintained their property according to HOA standards. Which is why Richard Morgenstern looked at David as if he'd sprouted a second head when he finished reading the eviction notice.

"This is absurd," Richard said, waving the paper. "You can't just evict us because our house 'disrupts community flow patterns.' That's not even a real thing!"

David shifted uncomfortably on their perfectly maintained porch. "The HOA bylaws are clear about—"

"I've memorized those bylaws," Richard interrupted. His face had gone from confused to angry. "Nothing in there allows for immediate eviction for... what was it? 'Geometric disruption to neighborhood harmony'?"

"Section 87, Paragraph C," David recited woodenly. Evelyn had made him memorize it. "'The Association reserves the right to terminate occupanc

Chapter 12: The Greater Design 5,420 words

Chapter 13: Failed Rescue

The Infiltration

The moon, half-hidden behind scattered clouds, cast shifting shadows across Cedar Lane as Claire, Margaret, and Ethan crept through interconnected backyards. They moved in silence, keeping to the darkness between perfectly aligned sprinkler patterns and meticulously maintained hedgerows. The synchronized porch lights had switched off at exactly 11 PM as dictated by HOA regulations, leaving the neighborhood in an eerie twilight broken only by occasional streetlamps.

"Stay low," Margaret whispered, her leather jacket blending with the shadows. "Cedar Lane has more surveillance than a maximum-security prison. Every third house has motion sensors disguised as decorative fixtures."

Claire nodded, clutching the pistol Margaret had given her. Its weight felt both foreign and reassuring against her palm. She'd never fired a gun outside of a single trip to a shooting range years ago, but Margaret had given her a crash course on the basics before they left: safety

Chapter 13: Failed Rescue 4,569 words

Chapter 14: The Summoning

Final Preparations

I, David Parker, former marketing executive, current HOA patsy and sex slave, stood in the recreation center basement clutching a ridiculous ceremonial dagger shaped like twisted bones. What a perfect metaphor for my life: holding a weapon I didn't understand while watching my son get strapped to a sacrificial altar. Father of the Year material right here.

Evelyn flitted around the ritual chamber in a crimson robe that somehow managed to show more cleavage than fabric. Her usual perfect composure had cracked, replaced by something manic and electric. One moment she was meticulously adjusting ritual symbols, the next she was practically vibrating with excitement, touching the ancient book, the Codex, with a reverence usually reserved for expensive handbags.

"Isn't it magnificent, David?" She gestured around the chamber, her pupils dilated. "Decades of planning, coming to fruition!" She ran her fingers over the stone altar, a shudder visibly running throu

Chapter 14: The Summoning 3,554 words

Chapter 15: Regrouping

Sanctuary

Margaret's black house stood as a dark island in the chaos that Cedar Lane had become. Through the windows, an unnatural purple glow illuminated the night sky. Fires that shouldn't burn that color spread from house to house across the once-perfect neighborhood. The distant sounds of screams punctuated the eerie silence inside.

Claire slumped against the wall in Margaret's living room, her hands still trembling from firing a gun for the first time in her life. Four people dead. Neighbors. People who'd welcomed them with casseroles and recommendations for local dentists just weeks ago. The weight of it pressed against her chest, making each breath a conscious effort.

Lila lay on the couch, her skin still pale despite the saline drip Margaret had rigged up. She was more alert now, but still stared vacantly at the ceiling, occasionally murmuring something to the empty air beside her. To Beatrice, the ghost only she seemed able to see.

"Mom?" Ethan's voice pulled

Chapter 15: Regrouping 5,175 words

Chapter 16: The Empty Grove

Morning of Devastation

The scream tore through the black house like a physical force, shattering the fragile calm of dawn. Claire bolted upright on the futon in Margaret's office, momentarily disoriented before horror crystallized in her chest. She knew that scream; the raw, primal sound of her child in pain. She was moving before conscious thought, barreling into the hallway where she collided with Margaret, who had emerged from her room in black tank top and boxer shorts, a knife already in hand.

"Guest room," Margaret said tersely, and they ran together, taking the stairs two at a time.

The door to the guest bedroom stood ajar, spilling weak morning light into the hallway. Claire pushed it open and froze at the threshold. The copper smell of blood hit her first, metallic and wrong in the quiet house. Then she saw Ethan, sitting on the bed, cradling Lila's limp body against his chest, his face a mask of incomprehension and rage.

"Mom," he choked out, his voice cra

Chapter 16: The Empty Grove 4,624 words

Chapter 17: Blood and Clay

The Trap

I squeeze my clay ass through the foundation crack, feeling my body reform like Play-Doh pushed through one of those stupid plastic pasta makers. Fucking Evelyn and her stupid errands. "Go check on them, James." "Make sure they found the body, James." Like I'm her goddamn errand boy with nothing better to do.

At least this crappy job has perks. Like watching Claire Parker when she doesn't know I'm looking. Hot damn, that woman could make a clay man melt. When I’m not doing Evelyn’s bullshit I’ve been hiding in the bushes outside her window trying to sneak a peek. She likes to walk around with her perky tits hanging out when she doesn’t think anyone’s looking. Such a tease. But I still haven’t gotten to see if there’s carpet or hardwood down below. I also haven’t figured out how jerking off works in this new form. I mean, I’m clay, I can form a dick and beat it for hours. There’s just no ‘main event’ if you know what I mean. Technically, I'm not even alive,

Chapter 17: Blood and Clay 4,657 words

Chapter 18: Into the Darkness

Thomas Explains

The Peterson's backyard, once a showcase of suburban perfection, now lay in ruins. Purple flames had consumed most of the house, leaving only the skeletal structure standing. The birdbath remained untouched. A pristine, cream-colored pedestal with an impossibly smooth basin of water that didn't ripple even in the breeze.

"This is it?" Claire asked, staring skeptically at the ornamental fixture. It looked completely ordinary, if ostentatiously tasteless compared to much of the neighborhood.

Thomas nodded, approaching the birdbath with cautious reverence. "The homunculus wasn't lying about this. I can feel the energy signature." He circled the structure, examining the base. "These markings, they look decorative, but they're actually ancient protection symbols."

Margaret knelt beside him, running her fingers along the rim. "Clever. Hide your gateway to hell in plain sight, camouflaged as tacky garden decor."

"How do we open it?" Ethan asked, his v

Chapter 18: Into the Darkness 4,516 words

Chapter 19: The Sacrifice

Battle in the Chamber

Chaos erupted in the ritual chamber as Margaret's knife split the stone altar. The chalice containing Lila's blood teetered precariously but didn't fall, its contents glowing with unnatural power. Evelyn's scream of rage echoed through the vast space, bouncing off ancient walls that had witnessed centuries of failed rituals.

"Kill them all except David!" she commanded, and her cultists surged forward like a cream-colored tide.

Margaret met them head-on, her twin daggers flashing in the eerie light. She moved with deadly precision, each strike finding its mark as she carved a path toward the altar. Three cultists fell before her, their robes darkening with blood that seemed black in the chamber's strange illumination.

"Claire!" she shouted, ducking under a cultist's wild swing. "The chalice!"

Claire reloaded the crossbow, taking aim at the glowing vessel, but a robed figure tackled her from behind. She hit the stone floor hard, the crossbow ski

Chapter 19: The Sacrifice 3,830 words

Chapter 20: Aftermath

Departure

The motel room was sparse but clean, a temporary refuge while they figured out what came next. A week had passed since the destruction of Cedar Lane, the aftermath already fading into surreal memory. Beatrice floated near the window, her Victorian-era dress unchanged despite the centuries that had passed since her death. She cut a striking figure with her high-necked, corseted black gown, the fabric adorned with delicate lace at the collar and cuffs. Her dark hair was pulled back in an elaborate updo, a few rebellious curls framing her pale face. Though she'd died in her thirties, she maintained a regal bearing, her features fine and aristocratic with high cheekbones and penetrating blue eyes that had seen centuries pass.

Across from her, sitting cross-legged on the nightstand beside Ethan's bed, was Lila. The teenage ghost still wore what she'd died in: ripped black jeans and a faded band t-shirt with "PUTRID MAGGOT APOCALYPSE" emblazoned across the front in dripping

Chapter 20: Aftermath 2,468 words

Epilogue

Six months later, the Portland rain tapped a gentle rhythm against the windows of their apartment. Claire sat at her desk, fingers poised over her laptop keyboard, the cursor blinking at the top of a blank document. Outside, the evergreens swayed in the wind, the untamed wilderness very different from the manicured lawns and geometric precision of Cedar Lane.

She'd been putting this off for months. The therapist she'd started seeing had suggested writing about her experiences might help process the trauma. Until now, Claire hadn't been able to bring herself to revisit those memories.

Across their small living room, a stack of college brochures sat on the coffee table, Reed College's prospectus on top. Ethan had been accepted with a small scholarship, his application essay on "Modern Mythologies and Their Classical Roots" impressing the admissions committee. He'd chosen to focus on mythology and ancient literature; the closest he could get to studying the occult in an academic setting. Cla

Epilogue 730 words