by Martha Woods
“Just keep walking back.” Sara struggled to get away, hindered by the pain where her finger used to be and the deafening sound of Stuart's screams.
“I'm coming.” The light cast a blue glow on the floor around her and eventually stood out enough for her to make out the shape of a golden chain. She followed it as best she could until she reached Caleb who had a chain around his foot.
“Thank God.” He struggled to get up from where he'd collapsed on the floor. He was pale and sweating. “Get rid of the fire.”
She used it to eat through his chains then let it flow into the ground.
“Let's go home, Caleb.”
“Come on.” He picked her up and stopped at his brother's glowing form. “I'm sorry, Stuart, but you did this to yourself.” Stuart was too busy screaming to even notice that Caleb said anything. Caleb ducked down and picked up her finger laying on the concrete.
“Can it be reattached?”
“Yes.” He started running back to the house.
Chapter 21
Margaret was sitting at the edge of the barrier with her grimoire with puffy red eyes when Caleb stopped, holding Sara close in his arms.
“Oh, my god. Is she OK?”
“I'm alright.” Caleb let her down gently. She was trying to ignore the pain in her finger, but the air tore at it while they ran.
“What's that?” Margaret pointed to Sara's finger.
Caleb took his wrist and cut it open. Then he spread drops blood on the inside of the finger. “Give me your hand.”
Sara gave it to him. He pressed the finger back in place and with a maddening itch it reattached immediately. Sara breathed a sigh of relief. The pain was fading every second.
“Grandma, let him in.” Sara said.
“What happened?” She asked skeptically.
“He's burning up in blue fire, but he's still alive. Let him in please.”
Margaret looked to Caleb then back at Sara. “Fine.” She closed her eyes and whispered something. Then she made the motion of opening a gate and something whipped past at light speed and tackled her to the ground. Caleb jolted forward, stopped in front of her and reached down so he could throw Stuart away from her.
Stuart fell to the ground sending a circle of dust flying around him like a mushroom cloud.
“Here,” Caleb helped her up. Then he ran to Sara, and she crashed onto the porch when he threw her down so he could rush to Margaret's side.
“Malleus.” The air got cold.
“I'm sorry Stuart.” Tears were flying down his face.
“Malleus.” Everything seemed to freeze.
Stuart stood up and ran as fast as he could towards Margaret. “AAH!”
Caleb jumped forward and threw him close directly into the scythe's path in front of Margaret. “Why did you do this? You could've lived forever Stuart.”
“Malleus.” Sara pulled back from the shadow, and that took up half the porch.
“Don't.” Stuart was trembling and crying. “Caleb...” He faced with brother, apparently desperate to find a way to live.
“No, Stuart. You did this to yourself.”
“Malleus.” The shadow transformed itself into the shape of a scythe. Sara had never felt so cold in her entire life. She could get into its path. She panicked and jumped off the porch just in time for it to reach Stuart. Caleb collapsed at his side.
Sara moved fast, knelt down and held him while he beat on his brother's body screaming at the top of his lungs. “Why?” He sobbed. “Why did you have to do this, Stuart?”
“It's OK, Caleb.” She pulled him in, and he sobbed into her chest. They finally got him inside after about an hour and let him sit at the table crying.
Sara turned to her Grandmother. “He loves me. I need you to accept that.”
Margaret hugged Sara and said, “I do.”
