Witch Way: The New Ashton Chronicles

by F. R. Southerland

  A pair of slitted golden eyes stared at her. The thing had to be roughly the size of a large dog but stood on two legs. It had a smashed-in face—something like a cross between a pug and a bat. It was an ugly kind of creature, with a head far too big for its stout body. Fine hair, which shimmered as the eyes did—in colors of gold and silver and black—covered its entire body. Its teeth were sharp and the claws at the ends of its hands were too. It looked like no animal or demon she had ever seen before.

  When its mouth opened, there were more rows of teeth than she’d thought anything could ever have. This time, Casey was ready. She had her hands over her ears before the scream hit. Shrill and sharp—even suppressed, she thought her eardrums might burst.

  Some demons possessed humans. They came from hell or whatever place they called hell, to wreak havoc on the masses. Some had horns and scales, hideous claws and teeth, and all manner of unnatural appendages. She’d handled possessed ones before but this—

  The creature lunged. Its screech vibrated the air. She tried to scramble back, but it moved too damn fast. As she rolled, she reached for her belt—the closest of her weapons—and drew out the blade. The creature’s breath huffed hot and foul against the side of her face, teeth sharp and close and snapping. Her knife was sharp too, and she plunged it into the demon’s side.

  Its shrieking cut out into a whine.

  She stabbed it again. And again. With a final stab, she pushed it away. The hilt of her small knife and her hands were slick with warm blood, but she held tight as she crawled away. When it came to fight or flight, she chose flight. The thing was at least three times her size and her little blades were of no use, not against those deadly claws.

  Run. Regroup. Return to fight again. No shame in doing that. She learned that from her dad.

  She ran through the brush, hopping over logs and tearing down loose limbs in her way. The road wasn’t far. Almost there. If she could reach it, it would give her open ground to move.

  Casey had never been a particularly fast runner, but she ran enough and kept her own. The demon gave chase, but she didn’t look back, only heard it crashing through the trees behind her.

  When she hit the steep ditch, she lost her footing and tumbled. Wet muck splashed upon her jeans. Her hand tightened around the knife.

  The demon growled low and Casey risked a glance back. There it stood at the precipice of the ditch, staring down at her with its shining eyes.

  She scrambled up the embankment, thankful when her hands touched the graveled shoulder. She half-crawled, half-stumbled until she was on her feet. The road gleamed slick and black as she crossed.

  A bright light blinded her. Tires screeched on the pavement. Breath caught in her chest, but she rolled back, out of the way of the oncoming car. She heard a sickening crunch and a high-pitched shriek.

  Casey looked up, panting. The demon limped from the middle of the road. Blood dripped onto the dark pavement as it stumbled away, whimpering all the while. It even moved fast when injured and within a second, it disappeared back into the woods.

  She stared after it, the knife still clutched in her hand. She could pursue it, finish it off. It was wounded. Then again, she thought, wounded animals—and demons—were unpredictable. She wasn’t ready to take it on.

  The car had stopped in the middle of the road, blocking both lanes—a blue nondescript four-door sedan. The lights cut through the darkness, illuminating the shoulder and a patch of woods beyond it. The driver stepped out—a tall woman, with bright red hair in a high ponytail.

  Casey fumbled for her belt, sheathing her knife. The blood on her hands—well, wiping them on her jeans wouldn’t help much but she did it anyway.

  “Are you okay?” The woman stepped around to have a look at the front bumper. She frowned at the discovery of a sizable dent near the headlight with a smear of blood above it.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. You didn’t hit me. This blood—”

  The redhead set her blue eyes on her and something in them made Casey shut up. There was a legitimate concern in them, but something else too. Judgment? Confusion? She couldn’t tell.

  “You came out of nowhere—I thought—” The redhead turned toward the woods, eyes narrowing as she peered. Her gaze fell on the blood that trailed across the road and disappeared into the grass.

  “A dog,” Casey answered fast. “A wild dog. It was chasing me. I don’t think it’s dead, but it might come back.”

  “I hit a wild dog,” the woman stated, incredulity in her voice.

  “Yeah. It was trying to bite me or something. Chased me.” Casey sucked in her breath. “Wild animal. Not a stray, so like… we ain’t gotta go look for it or nothing.”

  The woman glanced at the woods again, then once more to her car. She eyed the dent. Casey hesitated before she followed, keeping a mindful distance from the woman. She’d already encountered a demon; she wouldn’t be fooled again.

  “It don’t look that bad,” she said. The headlight wasn’t busted at least.

  “No. But my mom’s still gonna be pissed.”

  She wanted to say sorry, but the demon wasn’t her fault—though it had been chasing her. “That sucks,” Casey offered instead.

  “Sure you’re okay?” she asked. “You’ve got blood on you.”

  “Yeah, well… I tripped a few times. And the branches and shit scratched me.” A lame excuse, she knew, but the lie served better than the truth. It was too much blood to account for a few scratches, but Casey hoped the woman wouldn’t look that closely.

  She didn’t, but she did give a glance back to the trees. “What the hell were you doing in the woods?”

  A valid question. Casey faltered for another lie.

  “Well, shit,” the woman went on, sparing Casey the need for an excuse. “I don’t know about you, but I’m freezing my tits off.” She nodded her head toward the car. “Get in. I’ll drive you to town.”

  “You’re going back? Weren’t you just—”

  “Yeah, looks like I have to go back.” And then she smiled, brilliant and dazzling, showing all her teeth. “Car’s just about totaled. It wouldn’t be safe to drive too far from home now, would it?”

  Huh? What? The car was fine, still safe to drive. Casey opened her mouth to protest, but the woman climbed into the driver’s seat and that was that. A joke? She hesitated and took one look back at the trees. Leaves rustled. Branches moved. With her mind made up, she rushed to the passenger’s side.

  The car smelled of something strong, but sweet—like flowers or incense. Fast-paced music played softly from the CD player. Bon Jovi. Casey settled into the seat and pulled her backpack into her lap. The heater’s warmth enveloped her.

  “I’m Andy,” the woman said as she put the car in reverse and backed up. Within a minute, they were on the road, heading toward the lights in the distance.

  “Casey.”

  “Well, Casey, you’re lucky I came along.”

  She said nothing and kept her eyes focused on the window. Trees rolled by. She thought she saw something moving within them—dark shapes chasing after them. She hadn’t made it into the town and already there were demons. She had no reason to guess now why her father had scribbled New Ashton’s location into his book. He would’ve come here to hunt them, to stop the demons from hurting others. Only, maybe they’d hurt him in the process. Maybe a demon had killed him.

  She didn’t want to think about it either, but the thoughts wouldn’t leave her. Casey sighed. “Yeah. Lucky,” she murmured. “I could’ve been dog chow.”

  Andy laughed. “Yeah. More like demon chow.”

  She turned quickly to gape at her, jarred out of her thoughts. Did she just—? Shit, did she just read her damn mind?

  The redhead’s smile only widened. “I thought that might shock you. A shock’s good, once in a while.” She laughed again. “Yeah. I know demons. You better buckle up. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us.”

  Casey

  What the fuck? What the actual f
uck?

  She stared at Andy, but she’d already looked away, the smile still on her lips. She drove with casual nonchalance. Demons, no big deal, her actions seemed to say. We get them all the time.

  Casey didn’t know what to say. She’d never come across someone who came right out with it. Most hunters she knew—and a scant few at that—were more cautious when it came to other people. Not everyone believed monsters were real. They’d just stare like she’d gone loony or something.

  But not this woman. She breezed right through it. That was confidence. Or stupidity. Casey hadn’t quite figured that out yet.

  “So you know demons,” she said. “Okay.”

  “Unfortunately.”

  “How do you know demons?”

  Andy turned her blue eyes to her for a second then back to the road. “Well, they’re sort of around sometimes.” She looked at her again, eyebrow arched, an amused smile touching her lips. “How do you know demons?”

  She didn’t answer right away. She didn’t know how. The truth would be too much and she didn’t know this woman or trust her. A lie wouldn’t work either. Casey took a deep breath and went with “It’s a long story.”

  “We have a long drive. I’d love to hear it.”

  Casey said nothing and kept her eyes fixed on the window. The trees thinned out, giving way to fences and rolling hills, dark mountains too far off to really make out. “Ain’t a story I wanna share,” she said and hoped that would be enough.

  Andy didn’t ask anything else.

  For a little while, the only sound was Bon Jovi singing along with electric guitars. That suited her fine. Music helped her think. Could it be possible this woman was a hunter too? She didn’t fit the profile, not really. She looked too well off, not that money indicated much. But the hunters she knew? None of them looked so well put together. It wasn’t just Andy’s designer jacket and her expensive-looking jeans, but the way she carried herself.

  It was confidence, after all, Casey realized. This woman wore confidence like a second skin. She probably wasn’t afraid of anything—not even demons. A woman who probably knew shit.

  That still didn’t mean she should trust her.

  “Where to?” Andy’s voice with its faint drawl brought Casey back to the present.

  “Huh?”

  “I’m driving you into town—where are you headed?”

  “Oh, uh. A hotel? Motel—whatever’s cheaper.” That was the first step. She needed a place to stay while in town. A bed, sleep—God, she needed sleep, even just for an hour. But she wouldn’t stay at a place that booked by the hour. She’d rather pay full price than stay at a skeevy joint like that. “Uh, cheap but nice.”

  Andy nodded. “I can do that. I know a place. Very minimal cockroaches. And they change the sheets about once a month.” When Casey looked at her, horrified, she laughed. “I’m joking. It’s a good place. They don’t charge much. No roaches. Very clean.”

  “Oh.” What a relief. She shifted in her seat and looked back out the window. Buildings came into view—a residential area. Suburbs. Andy turned off the highway and made her way down a narrow little street. The houses all looked alike.

  “Will you be in town long?” Andy asked, slowing at a stop sign. The blinker made a loud click-clock click-clock over the music.

  She didn’t answer that either because she didn’t know and no lie came to her. Finally, she offered half a shrug. “Dunno. Guess that depends on this whole demon thing.” Or her findings.

  “Demon thing,” Andy repeated with a quiet laugh in her voice. “You should be all right, just as long as you don’t go looking for them. And stay away from the Otherside.”

  That didn’t exactly make Casey feel any better. What the hell kind of town was this anyway? “The other side of what?”

  “Of the city. We call it the Otherside, or the Underground.”

  “It’s underground?”

  The smile on Andy’s face turned amused again. “Not exactly. It’s just the sort of place most people avoid.”

  “Because of the demons.” And if there were demons, Casey thought, there were other things. And that was probably the exact place her father would go hunting. She blinked and glanced out the window. “Where is this… Otherside?”

  Andy exhaled and flexed her hands on the steering wheel. “You’ll know it when you see it. We’re nowhere near it. The Old Oak Inn is as far from it as you can get, so you’ll be fine there.” She gave her a brief look. “Are you visiting folks?”

  “No. Not really.” She saw a well-lit sign advertising the motel and twisted around in her seat. “Just passing through, I guess.”

  Andy slowed the car as she pulled into the lot and parked in a space near the office. It wasn’t much of a place. There were few other cars and the rooms looked dark. The only light she saw came from the office window in front of them. It illuminated the inside of the car. Her jeans were streaked with mud and smeared with the demon’s dried blood. Her hands didn’t look much better, fingernails crusted with grime.

  Shower, Casey decided, then bed.

  Andy shifted the gear into park but left the engine running. “And here we are. One motel—cheap but nice.”

  “Thanks.” Casey hesitated, staring at the office door. She wrapped her arm around her backpack and fumbled for the zipper. “I got some gas money…”

  “No, don’t worry about it.”

  “Are you sure?” In her experience, people always wanted something. Payment of some kind. She looked over to Andy, both confused and suspicious. “Then what do you want?”

  “Nothing.”

  “But I made you dent your car. And drive back to town. You don’t even want a couple of dollars?” That was about all she could spare.

  Andy drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. Casey caught sight of a tattoo on the inside of her wrist—a circle, with a tree. “Nah.”

  Rather than make her feel reassured, it made Casey fidget in her seat. Wow. Kindness. That was a new one. “Okay. Well… Thanks again.” She slipped her hand into the door handle and pulled. The car’s interior light popped on.

  “Oh! Wait—before you go, I’ve got something.” Andy rummaged in the center console for a few minutes. After knocking aside a car charger, some CDs, and receipts, she pulled out a purple and black wallet.

  “I don’t need any money.” Casey did, but she wouldn’t take it.

  “It’s not money.” She unzipped a pocket and pulled out a business card. “Here. In case you run into any more of those demons.”

  She hesitated but took the card after Andy waved it at her. Embossed with raised letters, it read Andy Foster. Then below it Embers & Ashes. An address and phone number followed. “Embers & Ashes? Is that—?”

  “My shop. We specialize in demons—well, more or less.”

  What’s the more part? She stared dubiously at the card. Could Andy be a hunter after all? A hunter or an ally? Something warned her to be cautious either way.

  “You call,” Andy went on, “if you need anything. Day or night.” She paused to study Casey in the light. “Are you sure you’re okay though?”

  She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. “Yeah. I’m fine.” Even she didn’t think it sounded convincing. She slid the card into her jacket pocket and widened the door. Should she thank her again for the dozenth time?

  “And I’m serious about the Otherside. It’s not the sort of place you want to hang out.”

  It might not be, but it could be where she’d find her dad. Demon central? It sounded like it. And that was her dad’s specialty. That, and witches. “I’ll uh try to remember that.”

  The look Andy gave chilled her. Her blue eyes even looked like ice. “Do more than try. Stick to this side of New Ashton, kid.”

  She didn’t like being called a kid and she certainly didn’t like being told what to do. Her eyes narrowed and her breath came out in a huff before she realized it. “Not a kid,” she murmured. The car door slammed like a thunderclap. That was that. Andy l
ooked sort of shocked and Casey took a small bit of satisfaction from that.

  Maybe that would get her off her back. Even so, she needed to make her stay in town a short one. Or as short as possible. Something about this didn’t settle well with her.

  She didn’t look back. She walked fast onto the sidewalk and entered the marked office door. A little bell chimed to greet her.

  Casey watched from the small window, but the car didn’t move. Andy stayed right in sight, the headlights shining bright on the glass. She held her breath.

  The car finally pulled out of the parking space. She watched until she could no longer see taillights. Only then did she relax and finally turn to search her surroundings.

  The office was small and cluttered. To her right, a Coca-Cola cooler buzzed loudly. The shelves within it were bare save for a few cans of the advertised soft drink and a lonely can of Sprite. A near-empty vending machine stood next to the cooler. To her left, a couple of chairs and a battered coffee table made a cozy nook. Stacks of newspapers and magazines crowded it. She edged over and eyed the covers. Months old.

  Andy should redefine ‘nice’. Even so, it was still a far sight better than half the places she’d been before.

  No clerk sat at the desk. A bell advertised ‘ring for service’ so she pressed her palm on it. The shrill bell resonated in the tiny room.

  She didn’t have to wait long. “Coming!” A pleasant female voice called. A stout woman with gray ringlets across her forehead bustled in. She smiled. “Hello, hello. How can I help you?”

  “Uh, I need a room.”

  “For how long?” The woman pushed the clutter from the keyboard of an ancient desktop computer and began to type.

  “A night.”

  They discussed the details for the room and Casey dished out cash for one night and got a keycard in return. She hesitated for a minute, the card digging into her palm. “You’re here a lot, right? Running the desk?”

  The woman gave her a curious glance. “Me or my husband. Sometimes my daughter. Why do you ask?”