Chapter XIV: One's Nightmare, Part I

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

The woods were thick of trees and screams. Samantha and I panted through the darkness to reach the dining center of the estate. But her guidance wasn't even necessary. Crying and shouting came from the path leading to our destination. Hundreds of feet of genuine terror that'd freeze most individuals. Sounds of agony that would have frozen me had my augmented mind ceased working. We trekked uphill hidden next to the path, and the lights of a building became clear. A light illuminated a dual door entrance.

Shrieks, Whispers, and laughter entered the building. Some casually, and some by force. Two figures stood outside to control the flow and, presumably, keep a particular individual out.

Yours truly.

"Stay here with the idol," I told Samantha, but she grabbed the sleeve of my jacket. "I'm—just seeing if we can walk around. Keep the supplies and the journal safe." She reluctantly let go without a word, and I pressed forward.

I moved around the building until I noticed a path leading to the stairs that lead down a steep hill. A bonfire below illuminated the stairs. A clearing that burned brightly. Like the one from my dream.

"Where is his phone and is my phone functional?" I asked my Whisper, Bviz-knutik.

"Are you sure you want to ask me questions?" It growled, but I glared at its spongy mass. It was larger than a wolf attached to my spine, but it stared, obediently.

"Yes," I spoke softly.

"The phone is with Professor Weber and yes, master. It's currently functional."

"Where is Professor Weber?"

"Inside the Dining Hall."

"Ok. With the sacrifices?"

"Some. He is waiting for you, but she is also expecting you."

"What? Well, is she expecting me at the bonfire or the Dining Hall?"

"She—," it paused to look around. "At the bonfire," it sounded a little unsure, but I shrugged it off for fear.

"Perfect. Ok. Can you fight?"

"Yes."

"Can we take them in a fight, in the dining hall?"

"No."

"Damn. Can we take them on long enough to get my phone?" I asked, and its small mouth grinned wildly.

"Maybe. Do you trust me?" It asked.

"Yes." I smiled back.

"Then we move now. Go back to Samantha."

I circulated the building until I reached Samantha. She was staring over her shoulder and turned to me, journal and idol in hand. The rest of the cultists and—offerings were finishing up entering the building. As the last few set foot inside, so did the two guarding the door. Time was running out.

"Do you have a plan?" I asked Samantha who just stared at me, unsure. Unnerved. Uncertain. "It's okay; I have an idea, but—can you complete the spell alone?

"Alone?" Samantha asked, matching me with a gentle tone. "What about we ending this? You know, together?"

"She's expecting me, Samantha. Everyone is."

"So?"

"So, if I draw attention to myself—maybe save a few lives, you can stop the ritual and save more."

"That's your plan? But we—," she stopped as I shot her a glare.

"Do you or do you not need me for the spell?"

"No, but—."

"Then trust me. I had a dream that I went to the bonfire alone, and I was too late. Maybe if I slow them down and you do it, we'll have a chance."

"Liam."

"What?" I snapped, and Samantha looked down, frowning.

"I just have a bad feeling about your plan. Will you be okay?" She asked, and I hesitated.

"Yes," I lied with a grin, but she looked to her side. A warming smile caught me off guard followed by a chuckle. The laugh felt familiar but distant. Like my body, as it decays. Transforms. Moves.

Samantha looked at me, in her eye I could tell she had something she wanted to say, but her trust in me overrode her worries. I regret taking the leadership role. Always listen to your companions... learn from me, please.

"Alright," she sighed. "Let's end this then. I know the way there, just be safe, okay?" She gave me a hug, which I—awkwardly received. A wet kiss on the cheek came after. Which, again, felt intimate. Close. Nearly recognizable. She then moved around the building without a single look or word.

As for me, It was time. At least in my head, to make my move. To limp my stupid ass to the dining hall.

And without thought... I had something to say to my companion.

"Are you fine with what we're doing?" I asked my Whisper. It seemed taken back. "Won't the spell seal you away?" the beast didn't respond with words this time but a feeling. A sensation of entrapment. Slavery. An entire civilization lost to the threads of space and time, never having a chance to come back. "What?" I asked. I was quite confused.

"Our history is gone, master," it finally spoke after a few minutes. "However, gone, in the past, has a different meaning to my Wanderer. Same with Morality. Your kind doesn't understand what we are. What it is. What he is."

"He?"

"The false titan," it shivered, coiling around my neck. "Worry not about us. Inside, more of your kind are dying. If you want to save lives, we need to act now."

"Right," I quietly reached the side of the entrance, peeking through the window of the door.

"Master, you can't be slow. Follow my instructions and act now if you want to save their lives. Go inside and take a right. Pause at the water fountain and continue straight then follow the left. If you do not obey."

"Okay," I hesitated, but it growled at me with a seriousness that fought my instincts. I opened the door, and my adrenaline kicked in. A sign stating "Welcome to Summer Camp Kuri's Dining and Admission Hall" mixed with echoing chants and wails stopped me. The majority of the noise was straight ahead. It reverberated along a hallway lined up with lockers and doors to offices or classrooms. But my companion pulled me to the right.

You can't understand unless you lived through it. An aura agony felt real here. Hearing real cries of pain is different than in the movies or your dreams. It's a haunting sound that you can't get rid of. It replays when you don't want it to and never censors itself. If you know someone that's seen someone die or get killed, they can vouch for that.

Otherwise, if you want to remotely understand what I felt as I traversed the halls to the main lobby room, look up recordings of 911 calls where people are dying. Recognize those people are no longer here and they didn't want that to be their fate. I mean, I fucking hate people, but what are we at the end of the day but persons trying to make by in this cruel world?

We took a right at the entrance instead of straight or left and followed a hallway. When I noticed a water fountain tucked away to my left, I froze. Stomping came from an intersection ahead; a person ran past the hall without seeing me. Bvuz-Knutik pulled me forward again to take a left at a three-way intersection. Towards the direction of the stomping, but the hallway was empty when we turned.

This hall had lockers and occasional cases or trophies and corkboards with years old achievements. My Whisper stopped me right before a pair of large doors, with a sign stating Cafeteria above them. Weeping and laughter were behind the metal doors.

"What next?" I asked Bviz-knutik before it started to screech. Its loud, raspy cry of pain led me into a wall. The suffering leaked into my brain, pounding like a horrible migraine.

"The—Witch," it moaned.

"She's inside? I thought she was at the site."

"Must have cast a spell, master. Make it stop. Trap."

"Stop—How?" My ears began to ring louder and louder. It felt like my eardrums would burst.

"Go back. Run." It screeched. I took a step backward, and a strong sense of vertigo had me stumble back into a few lockers.

"Shit. Is there a way you can tell Professor Weber to call Claire?"

"No! It hurts!" it screeched, but the voice sounded distant. The ringing died down, and the vertigo passed. A lacking sensation chilled me.

The feeling of my Whisper was gone.

"Bviz-knutik?" I asked while backtracking to the previous hallway. Peeking around the corner, I saw the two doors open, and two figures with knives stepped out. They looked behind the door and began opening the nearby lockers.

"Bviz-Knutik. Are you there?" I asked quietly again, and then tried in my head, but nothing.

"Ohhh Liam," a voice called from behind the two. "Your Whisper is gone," A voice I wasn't supposed to be hearing. "I sent it back home. Go ahead, try calling for it," she laughed.

The fucking Witch. The hole in my spine felt numb, and no shimmering could be seen over either shoulder. Was she lying?

"It's checkmate," she sung. "Where is my phone and is it functional?" she mocked me, her voice getting louder while the two cultists sounded like they were still searching the lockers. My brain tried to piece together. My plan relied on predicting her behavior. She needed the book, but I'm a threat to it, so if that was the case... it shouldn't be with her, I thought.

"Give me the book," I shouted back at her, slowly lumbering further back in the hall, towards the entrance. I pulled out my gun and held it forward as I slowly backed away.

"It's not here, Liam," she sounded pissed as she confirmed my presumption. As she casually walked down the hall, I smiled. A wicked grin. She fell for the bait. Samantha probably was already almost there by now. "Do you think I'm stupid?" she snapped. "You always did. Now give me the gun. I know what you have in your pocket."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I looked towards the entrance, but several pairs of footsteps echoed from the entry hallway, it'd flank my route. My hand traveled into my pocket touching the deformed bullet.

"Shut the fuck up," the Witch continued. "Weber told me about the idol and the journal. Give it up, or I'll kill my kids," I pulled my hand out and held my gun forward.

"W-what kids? Why would you do that?" I was nearing the intersection near the exit. The footsteps were getting closer; four voices became apparent in the utmost clarity: Professor Weber, Chloe, and two other cultists.

"Because," The Witch paused. "My husband was a cheating coward and ran away, leaving them behind. They stayed. So did you."

"Cheating coward? Who?"

She laughed maniacally. "You really haven't figured it out, have you? Do you lie when you tell people that you're a police consultant? I'll give you a hint. Have you asked Allie on a date yet, Liam?" she asked, and I stopped and remembered. I heard that the other day, but the Witch's voice was much deeper than the woman I had known.

"What?" I asked softly.

She began to name off people she knew. People James knew. People I knew.

"Stop playing these games," I shouted, staying behind the corner, hearing someone murmur something to the group. They maintained their position while the Witch pressed forward.

"I'm not. Let me make this simple for you. My friends lied to my husband. I took advantage of your curiosity. Lastly, I needed you as part of this ritual. The blood of a traitorous friend."

Allie, I remembered her. A name I heard over the phone... from a particular individual. From—

"I. Am. Bridget," The Witch said with the pride. A bitter taste filled my mouth, and everything became clear.

Shit, I thought then. Now. Always.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net