Cheater's Paradise

by Keith Trimm

  “I hope whoever this is, is close by because I seem to be stuck in this shit hole.”

  “My bonds are held by you,” Jack said.

  “What?”

  “I was brought here to hold you here, you are the reason I am trapped, and you are the only one who can let me go.”

  “Go then,” Bob said.

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “Then spill it, I don’t have all day!”

  “The Witch who cast the spell must end the spell, then we are both free to go.”

  “What’s the chances of that happening?” Bob asked.

  “You know her better than I do,” Jack said.

  “Not by much.”

  Chapter 28

  Feast

  That evening, the group sat at the table for a feast. It had been a good day; Aaron had killed a deer allowing everyone a good meal. The cabin was cramped, but there was enough room for the family and guests. At the head of the table sat the leader and Witch Anne. Around the table sat Aaron, Bob, Sandra, Jack and Cindy.

  Bob spoke up first, “So isn’t this awkward?”

  Anne replied. “What do you mean?”

  Bob looked over to Sandra and asked, “Have you met Jack?”

  Sandra looked at Jack and smiled. She replied, “No, not yet.”

  Bob then looked to Anne, “Don’t you think you should introduce them to each other?”

  “What do you mean?” Anne asked.

  “Jack and I had a little chat today, let me in on a little secret.”

  Concerned, Sandra spoke up, “What’s going on?”

  “Ask your mother about Jack here.” Bob said.

  Sandra looked at her mother and didn’t ask anything, but her eyes did.

  “I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Anne said pushing her plate near the deer steak.

  Bob shook his head in disgust. “Tell Sandra where you dug up Jack.”

  “He came from the woods, looking for food and shelter.”

  “Uh huh, ”Bob said. “Is that true Jack?” Bob asked Jack.

  Jack stuffed his face with deer and acted like he didn’t hear the question.

  Sandra was very confused and became angry. “What is going on here?”

  Bob took a sip of water and without missing a beat replied, “Sandra, meet your son.”

  The room went silent as Sandra looked at Jack, then at Anne. “Mother, what is he talking about?”

  Anne ignored her daughter and cut the meat on her plate.

  “Mother!” Sandra yelled.

  “Yes! He is your son!” Anne snapped back spitting deer meat across the table.

  Sandra stood and stepped back from the table. “How can this be?” she asked.

  “I took him from you, I needed a soul now that your father is gone,” Anne replied.

  “But how did you put his soul into this man’s body?” Sandra asked.

  “Once I captured the soul, the elements put the body together, I had nothing to do with that. The spell takes care of the details,” Anne replied.

  Sandra looked to Jack who was looking back up at her cowering back in his chair. “Do you know me?”

  “No, I don’t, I wasn’t yet born, when I came to be in this body, it was like I was born with knowledge, yet not the knowledge of you. I could speak, and walk, and do other things, but it was like I was lost and just found. I wasn’t in control of myself, it was as if I was being guided by another, and still am to some extent.”

  “So you are my son?” Sandra asked.

  “Yes, I think so,” Jack replied.

  Sandra took off towards her mother and reached across the table. She was able to grab her by the sleeve of her dress and drag her back across the table. She shouted at her mother as she pounded on her head and pulled her hair. “You bitch! You evil demon witch!” Sandra yelled. Nobody tried to stop her.

  “Get her off me!” Anne yelled.

  Sandra continued to pound on her mother’s head and pull her hair. She stopped briefly to pick up a knife which she used to stab her mother repeatedly in the back. Blood flowed onto the table and after a few minutes of multiple sticks, Anne slowed down. She lay flat and relaxed on the table spread out in a pool of her own blood. She continued to breath, and she coughed and hacked as the blood filled her lungs. It was like she couldn’t die.

  Bob leaned back in his chair and said, “That was fucking intense. I never want to piss you off.”

  “Is she dead?” Jack asked.

  Bob could see blood snot bubbles coming out of her nose. “No, she’s still hanging on.”

  “If she dies without lifting the spell, I would be able to let you leave here,” Jack said. “In other words, I wouldn’t let her die.”

  Bob’s eyes opened wide. “I’m no fucking surgeon! She’s full of holes! What am I supposed to do? She’s in no condition to be lifting any spells!”

  “I’m just saying,” Jack said.

  “Is there any other way? Any loopholes?” Bob asked. “Can I smear her blood on the wall and cast my own spell?”

  “You can try, but it would be pretty weak, you have to be a Witch or Warlock to really perform spells right.”

  “Is anyone else here a Witch? Sandra?” Bob asked.

  Regaining her breath, Sandra shook her head no.

  Bob stood up and grabbed Anne by the shoulders. He flipped her over onto her back and began to shake her like she had been choking on a grape. “Anne, Anne, are you ok?” he yelled. Only gurgles. “We need to start cpr! Who knows cpr?”

  “What’s cpr?” Aaron asked.

  Now covered in blood, Bob sat back down and watched his one chance at getting out fade away. Slowly, Anne stopped breathing and the blood stopped flowing from her wounds. It was over. “Fuck, now I’m trapped.” he said under his breath. After a moment of reflection, he added, “You know? Since I came here, three people have died. That’s probably more than have died here in the last twenty five years. I must be really bad luck.”

  Jack spoke up, “Actually, it’s only two, and I’m still here.”

  “Yeah, but there’s a baby’s body buried out here somewhere,”

  “But I’m the soul from that baby,” Jack said.

  “That’s what you say, who knows if you’re fucking with me,” Bob said. “Actually, I don’t really see any way you can keep me here, just because you said you can, doesn’t mean you can.” With that thought in mind, Bob picked up a steak knife and pointed it towards Jack. “Maybe now is a good time to take off and get the fuck out of here.”

  “I can’t let you go,” ‘Jack said.

  “Why not? She’s dead, who cares now?” Bob asked.

  “A spell is a spell, dead or not, I can’t escape it.”

  “Let me help you try,” Bob said taking a swing at Jacks face with the knife. Jack backed up when the knife swept by. “Why did you do that?” Bob asked.

  “Do what?” Jack asked.

  “Move back? If you have the ability to stop me from leaving here, then you should be immune from me stopping you.”

  “Make sense man!”

  “If you’re scared of my knife, then I must have the ability to kill you, or at least harm you enough to get away. If you were all that, you’d just reach out and grab the knife from me. You are not some immortal soul, you are as human as I am!” Bob said. “And that means I can leave. You’re playing a con game with me!”

  “Maybe so, but where would you go?” Jack asked. “You’re on the run, you have nowhere to go! This place is your best option.”

  “I’ll admit I don’t have a lot out there, but staying here isn’t going to help me much in the long run. Out there I can hide and survive, here, I’m not so sure,” Bob replied.

  “I don’t want to stop you, I have no choice,” Jack said.

  “I have a question, why do they burn Witches?” Bob asked.

  “That’s the only way to be sure a Witch is dead,” Sandra replied.

  “So until Anne is burned at the stake, she
may come back?” Bob asked.

  “Possible, but unlikely,” Sandra said. “I’m pretty sure she’s dead.”

  “Is there a spell that can bring her back?” Bob asked.

  “I’m sure there is, but I don’t know what it is or where to find it, she kept her Witchcraft to herself.” Sandra said.

  “She must have a book of spells somewhere around here,” Bob said.

  “Good luck finding it,” Sandra said. “Why would you want to bring her back anyway? She’s full of holes.”

  “I only need her alive long enough to take the spell off me.”

  “Why would she?” Sandra asked. “What does she have to lose she hasn’t already lost?”

  “You’re right, sorry Jack, I got to take you out, and it’s the only way.”

  “You’re not fighting me, you’re fighting the spell. You could chop me into bits, but I have a feeling my bits would crawl after you and reform in order to stop you either way,” Jack said. “You’re trapped.”

  Chapter 29

  6 Months Later

  Bob stopped for a moment to take a look around, it was mid-winter and snow now covered the forest floor. He and Jack had been hunting for hours and the cabin was miles away. Not too far away that Jack couldn’t take Bob back by force if he had too. They formed an arrangement, as long as they were together, they could venture away from the cabin, but the spell still kept Jack from letting Bob escape. Today was very cold, and hunting wasn’t going well.

  “We need to get back,” Jack said. He had grown a full beard, just like Bob and both were dressed in full winter hunting clothes.

  “One more hour,” Bob said. “We can’t go back with nothing.”

  “My feet are freezing,” Jack said.

  Then Bob saw something, hanging from a tree branch. He climbed over some brush and pushed away some branches until he got a clear view. It was a human arm. He stepped through the thick snow to the other side of the tree and to his horror saw the rest of the body it was attached too. “Get over here!” Bob yelled.

  Jack tried as quickly as he could to get through the thick snow to where Bob was standing, when he got there he saw the nude body of a young woman frozen atop a large tree branch. She was frostbitten and starting to turn black. “What the hell?” Jack asked.

  “She was trying to get away from the coyotes,” Bob said. “And froze to death instead.”

  “Where did she come from?” Jack asked.

  “The same place I did, those sick fucks that capture and eat people. She must have got away like we did, only it was winter and she didn’t have any clothes.”

  “How long has she been here?”

  “Who knows? Could be a month, it’s been fucking cold this winter.”

  “How old do you think she is?”

  Bob stepped in closer and looked into her blackened face. He eyes were closed but it was fairly easy to see she was young. “Fifteen maybe?” Bob replied.

  “We should do something about this,” Jack said.

  “I’d love to, but you won’t let me leave the cabin.”

  Jack stood thinking. He was shocked, horrified and livid all at the same time. He knew he was bound by the spell, but also knew something needed to be done. “There must be a way.”

  “When you figure it out let me know, it’s five miles to their place. That’s a long way from the cabin. Is there some sort of spirit you can consult?”

  “No, without a book of spells, I can’t do anything.”

  “Why can’t you make up your own spells? I mean, who wrote those in the first place?” Bob asked. “Who’s granting all this power anyway?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m bound by them.” Jack replied.

  “We searched the cabins forever looking for her spell book and it doesn’t exist, are you telling me you’re going to allow innocent people to continue to be killed because of a technicality?” Bob asked.

  “Technicality? If it weren’t for a spell, I’d be a two month old infant now instead of a full grown man standing out here in the freezing cold debating you.”

  “Ok, ”Bob said getting a headache. “So far we’ve managed to be able to move about a mile from the cabin in order to hunt, I think as long as you and I are together, we might be able to make it to the house where they’re killing people.”

  “I don’t think so,” Jack said. “The further away from the cabin we get the more I feel the need to contain you. I can’t explain it, but this is about my limit.”

  “If I took off running right now, what would you do?” Bob asked.

  “I’d chase you until I got you and haul you back.”

  “But you said your feet are freezing, you must have limitations.”

  Jack stood thinking. He looked down at his feet and tried to curl his toes. They were almost frozen in place. What if Bob took off? What could he do? “Try it.”

  “What?” Bob asked.

  “Try to run.”

  “Are you taunting me?” Bob asked.

  “No, I want you to escape if you can.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Go.”

  Bob stepped away from Jack and watched to see what would happen. He stepped further and Jack stood gritting his teeth in pain. “Are you ok?’ Bob asked.

  “My feet are numb but my toes are burning, it hurts like hell.”

  Bob continued to walk away keeping Jack in his view. For a moment he felt sorry for the man he got to know over the last six months, but also knew this might be his one chance to get away. Get away to what he didn’t know, but the image of the frozen girl enraged him enough to want to take down Momma and her cannibalistic boys. Then Bob stopped in his tracks. He knew he needed help, he couldn’t take them down by himself, there had to be another way.

  “What are you doing?” Jack yelled.

  Bob walked back over to Jack and replied, “I don’t know if it’s the spell, but I can’t leave you here to freeze to death. Plus I need help if I’m going to shut down their operation. There must be a book of spells, we just missed it.”

  “Anne is dead, how do we find it? We looked everywhere,” Jack said.

  “She may be dead, but she can still answer a few questions.”

  “What do you mean?” Jack asked.

  “If your spirit was transferred from a baby to a man, a man that didn’t exist, then somehow I can conjure up Anne’s spirit and get her to talk.”

  “She wouldn’t tell you if she were alive, why would she tell you now?” Jack asked.

  “That fucking bitch!” Bob shouted. “You know what? I’m going to make up my own fucking spells, how does that sound?”

  “Desperate.”

  “Maybe so, but what are spells? Just words used to guide spirits.”

  “Helps if you believe in them,” Jack said.

  “I believe in you, good enough for me,” Bob replied.

  “My feet are still freezing,” Jack said.

  “I know, let’s get you back to the cabin.”

  “What about the girl?” Jack asked.

  “Have to leave her for now, can’t bury her in the frozen ground now anyway.”

  Bob and Jack slowly walked through the forest back to the cabin. It took an hour and Jack’s feet were on the verge of frostbite, but they make it back to the warm fireplace and thawed out his toes. Inside the cabin with them were Cindy and Sandra. Aaron was out back cutting firewood.

  After hearing Bob’s idea, Cindy formulated a plan, she asked everyone to sit around the table and work on breaking the binding spell that kept Bob trapped. Aaron joined the group and they all stood in the dark cabin, lit only by the fireplace, waiting for Cindy to speak.

  “Join hands,” Cindy said. Everyone joined hands and looked to Cindy for instructions. “I would like to address the spirits that bind my friends to this cabin,” she said looking up into the rafters. The flickering of the flames from the fireplace made the shadows dance. “I am speaking to the spirits that bind Bob to this cabin, will you respond?” she
asked.

  The heat from the fireplace did little to warm the far ends of the cabin and Cindy began to shiver.

  “Is it the spirits?” Sandra asked.

  “I’m fucking freezing,” Cindy said.

  “Is that a sign?”

  “Aaron, can you put some more wood in the fire?” Cindy asked.

  Aaron broke from the group and put some cut wood on the fire kicking up embers that spat and snapped. He returned to his seat and joined hands again.

  Once again Cindy addressed the spirits, “Are you with me? Do you hear me? Please give me a sign.”

  Everyone was quiet waiting for a reply. All they could hear was the sound of the fire and the whistle of the wind outside. Then a knock at the door.

  “What the hell?” Bob said under his breath.

  “Get the door,” Cindy said. She was shivering more now than before.

  Another knock sounded at the door. Bob stood up and walked over to the door, he unlatched the wood lock pin and slowly opened it. To his shock and horror, standing in the door was his mother.

  “Are you going to let me in?” she asked.

  Bob stepped back and let his mother walking into the cabin, he walked around her and pulled the door shut. “What are you doing here?” Bob asked.

  “You’re looking for a Witch aren’t you?” she replied.

  Bob stood dumbfounded. He didn’t know what to say, but found the words anyway. “How did you get out here?” he asked.

  “It wasn’t hard,” she replied.

  “Why you?”

  “You’re friend requested the spirit that binds you to this cabin, that is me.”

  “You? No, it was Anne, the woman who cast the spell in the first place!”

  “No, you’re not bound by her spell, you’re bound by your hatred of me,” she replied.

  “What do you mean?” Bob asked.

  “You could leave whenever you wanted, you chose to stay because you wanted to disappear, you hated me for what I did to your father and to you.”

  Bob looked over to Jack. “Is that right? Could I have left if I wanted?”

  Jack replied, “You could have left me back in the woods, you chose to stay.”

  Realizing that the spell may have been nothing more than a suggestion that kept him from returning to the real world, Bob now had to reconcile what he was hearing with what he was doing. “Are you real?” Bob asked. “Or am I making you up in my mind right now?”