by Davis Ashura
“Take your sword,” Isha ordered. “Keep it with you. Protect yourself. You know the rest.”
Serena nodded. Preserve William at all costs, even if the price was her own life.
However, her mind flitted elsewhere. She might have to kill a young man she liked and admired, as well as his friend, another young man she liked and admired. An awful situation all around, and truthfully, Serena didn’t know if she could actually take either of their lives.
In that moment, a large part of Serena wished she’d never met William Wilde, or at least wished she didn’t like him. Then she wouldn’t care what he’d think if he learned the truth about her. She wouldn’t care that he’d end up hating her. It’d be so much simpler to not care.
“Remember to conceal your true nature,” Isha advised, interrupting her thoughts. “Right now William and Jason think you’re a normal girl. Keep it that way. They’ll expect you to be angry over what has happened. Make sure they see it.”
“I am angry.”
“Then you’ll have no trouble maintaining a sense of outrage. Be angry with William for a time before you forgive him.”
“Yes, sir,” Serena said.
“When do you leave?”
“Tonight. We’re meeting at Winton Woods.”
“Why there?” Isha asked with a frown.
“It’s supposed to contain a saha’asra, one I wasn’t aware of until tonight. Mr. Zeus is said to have secreted a number of nomasras and weapons within it or nearby.”
“So be it,” Isha said with a brisk nod. “Stay as safe as you can. Stay alive, if possible.”
“My father would rather have victory than the life of any of his children,” Serena said.
“How are we going to pay for all this?” William asked, gesturing to their overflowing grocery cart.
Jason eyed him in seeming disbelief. “Magic, remember?” Suddenly he held a fistful of twenties.
“Handy trick,” William said. “Wish you’d used it more often when we went to the arcade.”
On the way to check-out they passed the medication aisle, and William held up a hand. “Hold on a sec. I need some cough syrup or something. I think I’m getting a cold.”
“Okay,” Jason said, sounding distracted. A moment later his focus snapped to William. “Wait. What do you mean, you think you’re getting a cold? Since when?”
“Just now. Or maybe on the way back from West Virginia. Why? It’s just a tickle in my throat,” William said.
“When the necrosed grabbed hold of you, did it do anything other than throw you?”
“Well, yeah. The necklace got hot, like it was on fire.” William pulled down his shirt to show a set of raised, red marks around his neck and a scabbed-over cut. “It snapped, and the next thing I knew I was flying through the air.”
“What about your nomasra, the pendant?” Jason demanded. “Did you lose it?”
“No, I found it. After I rolled off Mr. Zeus, it was just a few feet away.”
“But it was off your person?”
“Yeah, but just a few seconds,” William said. His impatience grew at the cryptic nature of Jason’s questions. “Why is this so important?”
“It’s important,” Jason said, “because without that particular nomasra, your lorethasra has come to life. It only takes an instant.” He snapped his fingers. “You’re one of us now.”
“Yeah, but that was the plan all along anyway, right?” William said.
“Yes, but now you need another type of nomasra, one that contains enough lorasra to keep you alive,” Jason said. “This cold you have is going to feel like pneumonia in a few days. After that, it becomes worse and you die.”
William paled. “You never mentioned that.”
“That’s because we never thought you’d be in this situation.”
“Do you have one of those other nomasras?”
“Only mine,” Jason said. His voice and face seemed filled with regret and sorrow.
“What about back at the house?”
“Mr. Zeus had the other one.”
William’s heart sank. “What do we do?”
“What do you think?” Jason asked. He grinned widely.
William silently cursed. He’d been played. “You’ve got another one, don’t you?”
“You should see your face.” Jason laughed.
“Ass-hat. Do you actually have an extra one or not?”
“Of course, I do.” Jason continued to laugh.
“Dickhead.”
Jason kept grinning and passed him another pendant. “Here’s your nomasra. Put it on the chain, and don’t lose it. Keep the other one on you, too.”
The drive from the grocery store to Winton Woods only took a few minutes, and William made the final turnoff for the location where Serena should have been waiting alone for them. Instead, in this quiet, middle of nowhere portion of the park, music blared, car headlights blazed, and people they recognized from school—their classmates—stood around drinking what looked like beer. Rather than a secluded spot to pick Serena up, it looked like they’d chosen a place where someone had decided to have a party.
“Shit,” Jason muttered. “What the hell is going on?”
“There’s Jake Ridley,” William said, pointing out his longtime nemesis. “I see Sonya Bowyer and Steve Aldo, too. Looks like a party.”
Jason grimaced. “Great.”
“It doesn’t matter. There’s Serena.” William gestured. “Let’s find Mr. Zeus’ stash and get gone.”
“Where’s the necrosed?”
“Still in West Virginia,” William said, pulling the Scout into an empty parking spot.
“You made it,” Serena said when they exited the vehicle. She hefted a large bag.
William took it from her, and noticed the hilt of a sword and what felt like a bow and quiver of arrows. He shot her a questioning glance before deciding it wasn’t important. She could explain it later.
“Is that a sword?” Sonya Bowyer asked Serena, sounding both scornful and curious. “Can I see it?”
“Yeah, but not now,” Serena said.
Jason entered the darkened woods with a flashlight in hand. “Come on,” he called. “Let’s get this done.”
“What? Are you like She-Ra or something?” Jake asked Serena. His question elicited a laugh from the others.
“Something like that,” she answered, never slowing as she followed Jason into the woods.
“Hey! Where are you guys going?” Steve Aldo shouted.
“We dropped something in the woods,” William replied.
“You’re going to get lost if you go in there this late at night,” Steve advised. “Better hold off ‘til morning.”
“It can’t wait,” William said. “We have to find it now.”
He missed whatever response Steve might have given when he stepped into the dark woods. Only a few muffled shouts and peals of high-pitched laughter penetrated the trees, and soon even those sounds faded away. Jason and Serena were yards farther down the trail, and William hustled to catch up with them.
“Where’s this stuff that we’re supposed to get?” Serena asked.
“Down a little ways. Not far,” Jason said.
They pressed deeper into the forest, and Jason led them off the path they had been following. A wind moaned, setting bare branches clacking as they pushed through the underbrush, moving slowly and carefully. Even with their flashlights they could trip on unseen limbs or stumble over loose stones.
The woods contained a dark, eerie, quiet, and William didn’t like it. Something felt off about Winton Woods tonight, something menacing. He shivered.
“There,” Jason said, sounding satisfied. He stood next to a stream. “Look for three rocks leaning against each other. That’s where Mr. Zeus left his emergency supplies.”
Serena and Jason bent low, searching for the rocks. William was about to join them when he felt a strange tingling in the back of his mind. He couldn’t shake it, and it took him a moment to und
erstand what he sensed. He gasped.
“Oh no!” Serena whispered at the same time.
“Found it,” Jason said. He cast aside the rock formation, and buried a few inches under it lay a long, narrow satchel. From within it, he drew out a knife and a few gems.
“Kohl’s here,” William said.
Jason shoved everything back into the satchel as terror flashed across his face. “Where?”
“Close. In the woods. Nearby.”
“We have to go!” Serena said.
“Follow me.” Jason stood and darted back toward the path.
A ragged whisper came to William. “Run, little asrasins. Run fast.”
William glanced back. A hulking shape hunkered on the far side of the stream. From it came a hideous laugh, low-throated and cackling.
William’s mouth went dry, and he raced away, following after the others. His heart thudded. Adrenaline surged and fear coursed through his veins, urging him to run faster. Branches cracked and snapped as he raced by.
Where was Kohl? He’d only been yards away, on the other side of the stream.
A rock cracked against a tree, inches from where William’s head had been.
“Next time, I’ll pulp your brains,” Kohl promised, and again came that horrible laugh.
William ducked low and kept on running.
A crackling of broken branches and a chuckle that made William’s blood run cold arose behind them. “Faster, little asrasins. Make it interesting for me, and I promise to kill you quickly.”
“He’s toying with us,” Serena panted.
“Just run,” Jason ordered.
“Your lorethasra. Succulent as blood.”
The beams of their flashlights bobbed as they pumped their arms. William panted with effort and terror. The smell of moldy leaves mixed with a rank stench of decay came to him.
Kohl.
They hit the path back to the Scout and picked up speed.
“Where is he?” Jason demanded.
“Still there. Still coming,” William answered.
Another rock smashed into a tree, this time next to Jason’s head.
A thud fell directly behind them and vibrated the ground. William chanced a glance back. Kohl stood on the path. Even shrouded in dark, William sensed the monster smiling.
“I see you,” the necrosed taunted. He charged, his wide shoulders shoving trees aside. Branches broke. The ground shook with his heavy steps. Kohl raced toward them. He chewed up the distance.
“He’s on us!” William shouted.
“Go! I can see the edge of the clearing,” Jason said. He slowed, and William passed him by.
“What are you doing?” William exclaimed.
“Slowing him down. Just keep going.”
A banshee wail rose. William peered back. A wall of fire had sprung from Jason’s hands.
The necrosed never had a chance to evade. He lit up like a bonfire and roared in pain. “Then a slow, painful death shall be your future. I promise to make it so!”
The necrosed had paused. The fire engulfing him slowly died. Embers littered the ground at his feet, casting a glow about him. Kohl waved his hands and the forest went dark.
The monster howled, “Go on, then. Your fear will make the feast all the sweeter.”
“We’re almost out,” Serena shouted.
“Don’t slow down,” Jason ordered.
“We have to warn Jake and his friends,” William said. “We can’t just leave them on their own.”
As they burst from the woods, Jake Ridley ran towards them. “What the hell is going on in there?” His face wore a look of anger and worry.
“Something bad is coming! You need to get out of here!” William said.
“What the hell are you talking about, Wilde? What was that scream?” Jake persisted.
William gritted his teeth. Why couldn’t Jake just do what he was told?
Jason arrived. “Why are you still here? Kohl disappeared, but you can bet your ass he’ll be on us if we stand around like a bunch of numbnuts.”
“Who’s coming?” Sonya Bowyer asked, starting to look spooked.
A noise from farther away than expected spun William around. There. A hundred yards away or so, a shadowed figure pushed out of the woods. Kohl. His gait was jerky, but swift, and in seconds, he’d moved to stand beneath a distant streetlight, effectively blocking the only exit from the park.
“He’s here,” William whispered, his eyes wide with fear.
“Who’s here? That guy?” Jake asked. “That’s what’s got you girls so scared?
“That’s not some guy. We all have to go. Now,” William said.
“It’s probably just Officer Wilson,” Jake scoffed. “He’s nothing. He’ll give us a speech about littering and underage drinking, but so what. He’s just a rent-a-slob.”
“I don’t know,” Steve said, sounding doubtful. “That dude doesn’t look like Officer Wilson.”
The horrible laugh echoed again, clicking and clacking.
“That doesn’t sound like Officer Wilson, either,” Steve said. He backed away. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“We’re too late,” Serena said, stepping up and handing William and Jason their swords. She drew a jian, a Chinese longsword. “He’s blocked our exit. We have to fight our way past.”
“What are you guys doing with those swords?” Jake asked. Worry finally tinged his voice.
FLEE
William didn’t answer Jake’s question. He waited, sword ready, with Serena and Jason on either side of him, trying to control his terror. All the while, the necrosed stalked toward them, deliberate and unhurried.
“Guess we know how fast a necrosed can move,” Jason muttered.
“I don’t understand,” William said. “He was hours behind us when we left the grocery store, even when we first got here. Then he’s right in front of us. If he could move this fast all along, why didn’t he do it before? Or just kill us in the woods?”
“I told you, he’s toying with us,” Serena answered.
“What’s that smell?” Sonya asked. “It smells like rotten meat. Ugh.” She covered her nose and mouth.
“It’s coming from that big, ugly guy,” Steve said. “I think we should take William’s advice and go.” He edged further toward his car.
“Yeah. Maybe we should,” Jake said. But he and his friends stood unmoving, apparently wanting to see what would happen next.
“I’ll kill you now, boy,” Kohl Obsidian growled in his grating voice. “I’ll kill you and your friends and these others. I’ll eat their flesh while they’re still wriggling.”
The necrosed stopped beneath a streetlamp. He stood a hundred feet away, but even from this distance William could make out the monster’s hideous features. Earlier, in West Virginia, he hadn’t paid much attention to Kohl’s face, but as in his dream, he discerned a horror of melted flesh and misshapen features. The monster’s arms hung low and apelike, past his knees, and claws long as a bear’s tipped his fingers.
“Oh, my God!” Sonya said.
Serena unpacked her bow and nocked an arrow. “Lead him to my right,” she ordered Jason.
A stream of fire roared off Jason’s hands, straight at the necrosed.
Jake and his friends scrambled into motion, shouting and screaming as they raced for their cars.
The creature moved. Kohl’s earlier jerky motion smoothed out. He spun to his right, evading Jason’s fire and ducked beneath Serena’s arrow.
The necrosed howled before calling out again. “You die tonight. All of you!”
William noticed that Jake and the others had finally reached their vehicles. They frantically scrambled into them. Engines roared to life.
“Again!” Serena ordered. “My left this time.”
Another stream of fire burst from Jason’s hands.
William watched helplessly.
An arrow bloomed from Kohl’s shoulder, and the necrosed hissed in fury.
“Yo
u and Serena get in the truck,” Jason called to William. “It’s you he wants. Run him down with the Scout. I’ll be right behind you. We'll try to get away in all the confusion.”
William shot a disbelieving glance at Jason.
“Go. It’ll work,” Jason urged.
William and Serena tossed their swords and Mr. Zeus’ satchel in the back seat and hopped into the Scout.
"Go!" Serena urged.
William keyed the engine to life.
Jake and his friends peeled out, and William followed.
The necrosed swung his arms lazily, as if he was warming up before a game. “You will not escape me this time. I—”
His words cut off. The necrosed danced about. The earth trembled beneath him. Cracks appeared in the pavement.
William didn’t know what Jason had done, but it gave him time to get the Scout rumbling up to speed.
Kohl stepped into the road and threw his arms wide. His bulk blocked further passage. Jake’s Corvette screeched to a halt.
Kohl laughed, but it became a scream of pain as Jason lit him up again. A whirlwind howled, and the necrosed tumbled through the air, flying over treetops. His echoing cry grew distant.
Jake gunned his Corvette and roared away.
William waited on Jason, who jumped into the Scout an instant later.
“That’s not going to stop him for long,” Jason said.
William got the vehicle rolling. The taillights of Jake’s Corvette were far ahead. William followed, swinging the Scout through fast, tight, wheel-screaming turns.
He touched the area of his mind that could sense Kohl. Right now, the necrosed was ramming his way through the trees, seeking to cut them off before they left the confines of the park.
William floored the pedal.
The necrosed took a straight line through the forest.
“Where is he?” Jason asked.
“In the trees,” Serena said. “He’s heading right for us.”
Jason swore.
William gave his entire attention to the narrow, winding road leading them out of Winton Woods.
“There’s the exit!” Serena cried.
A hard left at a stop sign.
William slowed only enough to take the turn without rolling the Scout. A stoplight glowed red at the intersection leading into and out of the park. Cars zipped through it.
