Authors: Nikki Landis
It was back. The feeling that I was being watched. I was sitting in the living room on the couch. My chin was resting against my knees as I contemplated what I was going to do this afternoon. Another beautiful Sunday, I wanted so badly to go back to my reading spot in the forest. But I couldn’t go anywhere without it, the feeling followed me like a shadow, never leaving.
I sighed. I didn’t feel like doing anything but taking a walk. The house was so empty and boring. After spending the day with Kellen yesterday, today was very quiet and lonely. Even Gran and Gramps were out with friends for the afternoon. I was all alone.
In addition to being bored, I was tired of feeling scared about that whole demon Minotaur fiasco. Part of me was starting to believe it was a figment of my imagination. Of course, my ability to conjure that shimmering glow was real enough to remind me of the truth.
I experimented a couple of times with flying and hovering and it was fun. My balance was still a little tricky. I needed more practice but it was too dangerous to venture into the forest. Strangely enough, I seemed to be a natural at it but I always felt a little weird.
In addition to feeling weird, I had almost gotten caught. I knew the forest was dangerous so I decided to practice behind my house in the little stretch of trees that gathered there, bordering the fence line. I figured it was safe. I was zipping low through the trees and trying to get a sense of balance.
It was exhilarating, the feeling of weightlessness in the air. I practiced hovering, trying to keep my body still. I was pretty decent at that. Then I decided to practice moving fast, as fast as I could go.
I darted through the trees, flying quick and wobbly, when I bumped into a branch and knocked myself to the ground. I landed with a thud, hard, and smacking the packed earth, slamming my left side and moaning. Great. Why was I such a klutz? Did I think having the ability to fly would make me suddenly graceful?
Determined not to give up, I stood up and flew back up quickly. I was doing a fairly good job, proud of myself, when I heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Lowering myself to the ground and reigning in my ability, my feet touched just seconds before Mariah came around the corner. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“What in the world are you doing back here Rhia? I’ve been calling your name. Didn’t you hear me?”
“Oh, sorry, I was just out walking in the fresh air. I needed some peace and quiet. What’s up?” I tried to make my voice sound nonchalant but I knew she could tell I was out of breath.
Mariah looked at me skeptically. “Um ok, I just came by to see if you wanted to go to the mall. I’m totally bored and…” She trailed off looking at my side.
I followed her eyes and glanced down, seeing my dirty clothes and the long scrape on my arm. It was bleeding. Oops. “I fell over a fallen tree back there. I guess I scraped my arm without realizing it,” I tried to be convincing.
She nodded her head. “Well, I guess you don’t feel like the mall, huh?”
“Not really, but why don’t you hang out and we can watch a movie or something? You can stay for dinner if you want. Let’s order a pizza.”
“Sure, let me help you, dork. You look awful.” She laughed lightly.
We walked back to the house and I sighed to myself silently in relief. That was close. There was no way I could have explained that away to Mariah. My secret would have been out and I would have been in big trouble with Gran. Not to mention the repercussions of other people knowing things better left unsaid.
My thoughts came back to the present. I sighed softly. This was going to be a very boring day. I didn’t feel like reading. I didn’t want to go for a drive or to the mall. Even with my new car it was not tempting. I wasn’t into crowds at the moment. I really didn’t feel like anything but sunshine and fresh air. My mind wandered…
I thought about the feeling of being watched again. Something was off and I couldn’t figure it out. Although the nightmare I was having before went away after the whole incident, I started having new ones shortly thereafter. I sighed again.
These new nightmares were just pieces, sketchy parts that I had a hard time figuring out. Brief images, feelings, and uncertainty. I knew it was the forest again which is why I had been avoiding it. These dreams had several attackers at once. There was something else though, something I was missing. I had no idea what it was.
I decided enough was enough. I couldn’t live my life in the house forever, afraid of everything around me. It was no way to live and it was making me miserable. I missed the forest and my nature walks. I missed my freedom.
I needed some blue sky and open air. My mind made up, I hopped up quickly to change into hiking clothes and shoes. I would stay away from the glade just in case, hiking along a secluded path I knew of close to the forest edge. That should be pretty harmless.
Before long, I was following the path and enjoying the view around me. The sky was marvelous today, deep blue and practically cloudless. I saw two squirrels playing with each other and hopping along tree branches, making me laugh. A big raccoon strolled right passed me without a care in the world.
After a mile or so, I came upon a wild rabbit that hopped off the path in a hurry. Intrigued, I walked away from the path to see where it was going. I should have paid attention to my surroundings.
The fearful voice in my head was screaming for my attention, but I decided to ignore it. Stupidly, of course. I suddenly came through a line of trees across an open field and froze.
Right in front of me, about thirty feet away, was the ugliest thing I had ever seen, a tall nasty looking witch. The black shadow hovered, darting all around her body, until I felt the same prickle in my mind as before. The same evil. The same determination.
That precise moment was when I put two and two together. The demon invaded my mind. It searched, lurking, digging, until it found what it needed. What it wanted. A means to terrify me from my own imagination. A vision to conjure to defeat and end me, made of my own design. I shivered. It was clever.
The witch was smug and staring at me like she was expecting me. Like the whole thing was planned. And I’m sure it was. The demon finished conjuring her, the flesh made real, no longer a specter but the hideous culmination of my memory. No longer shadow but reality. It sent shivers straight down my spine.
You’ve got to be kidding,
I thought to myself. What are the stinking odds of that? Come on already, couldn’t I catch a break at all?
If I wasn’t staring directly at her myself I would have thought I was completely hallucinating and insane. Just like my experience with the Minotaur, a deep pervading sense of evil surrounded me, enjoying my reaction. Death. It had come for me again.
Today of all days would be the time I decide to wander in the forest alone. Great. The hag stared at me with her coal black eyes. They were completely void of anything, including emotion. They reminded me of a doll’s eye. Completely blank. Lifeless. Unseeing. Intelligence was probably lacking too, I thought derisively.
Her skin was wrinkly and actually green. She had a long nose and several large warts on her face. She was wearing a long black dress and a tall black witch’s hat. She held a very tall broom in her hand which she clutched at with her long bony fingers. She was thin, dirty, and very ugly. It was exactly what you would think a witch would look like.
I immediately thought of the old movie The Wizard of Oz. Recently, about a week ago, I had watched it late at night in my room. It was a favorite. Did the evil presence know that? Had it searched my mind for hidden snippets, bits of information to use against me?
She looked just like the wicked witch of the west. I wondered briefly if I could take her out with a bucket of water. I almost laughed. The whole thing would have been very comical except for one thing.
She was real
. To my surprise, I realized very quickly that she was not alone.
Evil had an agenda. Death was sharp, cunning, and sneaky. It sent my darkest fears to confront me. Brought to the forefront of my mind, they were pulled into living and breathing flesh. I felt a chill run down my spine.
Two enormous wolves were crouching behind her. They snarled, revealing their pointed, razor sharp teeth and slimy drool as it dripped from their mouths. One wolf was dark gray, the other a deep brown. Their fur was short, showing the strength of the rippling muscles and sinew underneath.
My eyes widened in response when they raised up on their hind legs, sniffing at the air. Fear. They smelled my terror and it excited them. These were no ordinary wolves. They were
werewolves.
In unison, they crouched down ready to spring. Barely held back they became restless. The werewolves were truly terrifying and coming for
me
.
The witch cackled a high pitched laugh that sent another shiver down my already frightened spine. She raised one hand and waved the werewolves forward. They narrowed their eyes, anticipating the bloodlust. My blood. She lowered her hand and the first wolf came bounding toward me.
I was completely frozen to the ground. Pinned by shock and horrific frightening reality. My eyes opened wide. I was going to die. I was certain of that. There was nothing I could do to stop it. And I couldn’t move.
I gasped in shock as I saw Kellen jump out of the trees in front of me. He slammed right into the first wolf that had lunged for me knocking it right into the trees. It slumped down on the ground and stayed, out cold. The other wolf took advantage of Kellen’s distraction and ran toward me. His arms were outstretched, his claws ready to shred and tear. He opened up his huge muzzle and let out an enormous, earsplitting howl. I quickly covered my ears and screamed, even more terrified if that was possible. I never heard anything so disturbing in my life.
Kellen jumped in front of me quickly to shield me with his body. He swung around an enormous sword, similar to a katana that hit the werewolf in the middle of the chest, cutting into the flesh. It left a wide gaping wound that spurted bright red blood as the animal stumbled back in shock. It yelped an agonizingly loud, screeching howl in pain and ran off. Kellen swung the sword around again in front of him and extended one arm, daring the hag to come forward.
“A Guardian,” she said in her creaky voice, finally speaking. “How nice.”
“Come witch, let’s finish this,” he challenged her. His voice was confident. No fear or uncertainty. And
no surprise.
She blinked and raised her broom. Pointing it at Kellen, she said something I didn’t understand. A huge ball of fire appeared in front of us. Kellen side stepped it easily. He pulled me along with him a few feet away, still standing in front of me. She raised her broom and spoke again, chanting wildly as large balls of fire fell from the sky, down and around us.
Kellen clutched me to his chest and dove out of the way. We landed just out of reach as one singed the ground next to my head. Kellen stood quickly, pulling me with him. He roared angrily at her as he pushed me behind him again.
“Enough. You’ve had your fun demon.”
The witch hopped on her broom and flew toward us with her hand extended. Kellen took off running toward the hag with his long glittering sword in his right hand. Just as she reached him he sliced it through the air, expertly wielding it. I quickly turned my head not wanting to see. I heard the sickening scream of the hag choke off in the air. Then I heard the thud. She was dead, decapitated by the sword. I couldn’t look in that direction at all so I turned the other way.
That’s when I saw it. The other werewolf was getting up. He quietly jumped up in a crouching position, preparing to fight again.
“Kellen!” I screamed. “The other werewolf!”
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion at that instant. It was so clear. I felt like I was watching a movie where each frame had been slowed down to the point of exaggeration. Each movement was precise. I could see every muscle moving as my protector made a dive in my direction. He reached me only moments before the werewolf. He turned his back on the enormous creature to stand in front of me again.
I didn’t have time to think anything except that he was going to get hurt. Just as the wolf was landing, Kellen swung his sword behind him catching the huge monster in the center of its chest. The sound of the sword going through the creature made my stomach turn. It screamed and writhed in agony on the ground. He thrust the sword down again with one swift movement ending the creature’s life. If life it contained at all, because an ugly black oozed from the body onto the ground, then disappeared into shadow.
“Stupid fire witch and werewolves.” He muttered under his breath. “Dumb demons.”
He jumped up suddenly and looked around. Circling the field, he held the sword in front of him. I could only guess that he was wondering about the other werewolf. Had it really gone? It didn’t seem smart to come back here to me. Of course, I knew nothing about the intelligence or stupidity of werewolves…or demons. As I stood there contemplating that I realized that I must be ready to lose my mind. Who cared anyway?
I was trying to remember suddenly how to breathe. I could feel the shock, the emotional drain of the last few minutes building up inside of me. Stiffly, I stood there staring straight ahead. I felt all of the blood drain out of my face. I knew I must be as white as a ghost. I had one fleeting thought, are they real too? I wanted to laugh. Then I knew, I had lost it for sure.