A Witch to Live

by Glenn Bullion

  Another scent touched her nose. There was rustling in the trees, beyond the cemetery fence.

  The hair stood up on the back of Victoria's neck as she heard a low growling.

  The werewolf jumped over the fence easily. It landed not too far from Victoria and Kevin, its eyes glowing red. It crouched low to the ground, ready to lunge at anything. It sized them both up as it looked back and forth between the vampire and witch. The creature was massive, easily three feet tall at the shoulder.

  It sat on its hind legs and howled at the moon.

  The fear was written all over Kevin's face.

  Victoria could finally feel her shoulder starting to heal. If she knew she'd have to fight a werewolf and a witch, she would have brought blood.

  “This could get interesting,” she said.

  The werewolf lunged at her. A vampire had quick reflexes, but a werewolf was just as fast. She managed to get her arm up in front of her face before the werewolf was on top of her. They fell to the ground together.

  She gritted her teeth as the werewolf clamped down with its powerful jaws, penetrating flesh and bone. Lashing out with her free claw, she caught the beast on the side of the head. The werewolf barely loosened its grip.

  The larger creature tried to pin Victoria down with its paws. She grabbed the closest leg she could, reared her fangs back, and clamped down as hard as she could. The wolf howled and tried to back away, but she wouldn't let go. Victoria tried not to gag as the wolf's disgusting blood trickled into her mouth.

  There was movement above the wolf, and the moonlight caught a piece of the knife as Kevin slammed it down into the creature's back. The wolf bucked wildly, throwing Kevin back into another tombstone, and nearly dislocating Victoria's jaw.

  The wolf growled, and shifted its attention to Kevin. It charged at the witch, who was in an awkward position on the ground, wiping blood from his forehead.

  She thought the young witch's life was over.

  Kevin barely held up the chunk of tombstone in time.

  The wolf ran into Kevin's outstretched arm and collapsed, like it had run straight into a wall. It yelped and backed away a few feet.

  Kevin downed the last swallow of water and dropped the bottle to the ground. He pulled out a flashlight and covered the beam slightly, like he did before. He shined it first at the wolf, who growled and trotted away, then at Victoria. The vampire winced and could do nothing but turn her back to the light. She was still trying to clear the spots from her vision when she felt a pain in her back.

  Kevin had stabbed her.

  She whirled around and grabbed him by the neck with both hands. His eyes grew wide as he struggled to breathe.

  Her limited patience had finally run out.

  His neck snapped easily.

  She dropped his lifeless body to the ground, his eyes still looking up at her, and scanned the cemetery for the werewolf.

  It was gone.

  Victoria cursed and slammed her fist down on the tombstone next to her. The wolf's scent was already fading.

  Sighing, she slowly pulled the knife from her back and dropped it to the ground next to Kevin.

  “Way to go, kid,” she said.

  She was irritated, but tried to think of the bright side. The werewolf was still on the loose, but she had disposed of the bigger problem, the most dangerous supernatural creature alive.

  Even if it was only a boy.

  The guilt clawed as her, but she pushed it aside. She had killed witches before.

  Kevin's dead eyes still looked up at her. For all their power, witches were just as mortal as any other creature.

  “Stop looking at me like that.”

  Kevin's power surprised her. Very potent, especially for one so young. Witches were always known for their power, even when they ridiculously chanted by a cauldron. Magic literally flowed from their fingers. Her hand still tingled from breaking it on the boy's magic shield.

  A small smile touched her face as she looked at the graves surrounding her. She couldn't have picked a better spot to kill a witch.

  Chapter 18

  Kevin sucked in a breath as he opened his eyes. He tried to sit up, and slammed his head against something hard and wooden. Wincing, he put a hand to his forehead. His backpack rested on his stomach.

  Darkness surrounded him. A sense of claustrophobia immediately overwhelmed him. He reached in front of and above him, and only felt wooden walls. The smell of pine and earth was all around him.

  He was in a coffin.

  Closing his eyes, he forced himself to stay calm. His neck still hurt from when the redheaded model-looking woman broke it with her bare hands. He didn't need to study his spell-book to know she was a vampire.

  Whatever it was she had against him, he had no idea.

  Despite his predicament, he allowed himself a small smile. He listened to his instincts, like Martha told him, and he was still alive. He had no idea he could make some kind of shield out of a rock, or touch a beam of light and make it blind someone.

  He also didn't know he could mix grave dirt with his water to delay the healing it provided.

  That last trick saved his life

  He clutched his backpack and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. That's what he did with the werewolf and the vampire. Recipes flowed into his head during the fight, like Martha said it would. He only hoped he could use one to get out of the coffin he was in.

  Nothing was coming to him.

  “Uh oh.”

  He felt around in his backpack. Reading glasses, a set of keys, some sugar. Nothing useful for an escape attempt.

  His fingers found his magic marker, and his flashlight next to him. He turned the flashlight on, but that only made him feel more confined. It would have been better not to see the walls of the coffin he was in.

  He drew a large circle around the edge of the coffin, but stopped short of turning it into a portal.

  What if he created a portal, but it didn't stretch beyond the coffin? Six feet of dirt would pour on top of him.

  He thought of the portal he created at the library. That portal went through a brick wall. It wasn't thin at all, but it wasn't exactly six feet.

  Was he even six feet underground?

  It was a risk he wasn't willing to take, at least not yet.

  He pulled his rock from his backpack.

  “Uh, Rachel?”

  It was only a few seconds before her voice filled the coffin.

  “Kevin?”

  “Wow. You're not asleep?”

  “I've been up all night worrying about you. Where are you?”

  “Uh, that's a good question. I need your help.”

  “I'm sneaking out my window now.”

  “Thank you. Come to the graveyard around the corner from Lookout Point. And, uh, you might need to bring a shovel.”

  “What?!”

  “I gotta stop talking. Gotta save air.”

  “Kevin? Dammit.”

  He shoved everything in his backpack and closed his eyes, trying his best to relax. Finally, his mind quieted down enough to think about his next move.

  He needed to sit down and read his spell-book, cover to cover. There had to be something on vampires in it.

  Shaking his head, he realized he was jumping to conclusions, and assuming Rachel was a fast driver and good with a shovel.

  There was one thing he was convinced of after the fight.

  He didn't feel out of his league. He had hurt both the werewolf and the beautiful vampire.

  Of course, he was also in a coffin. That wasn't exactly a victory.

  If he fought either one again, he would be prepared. He wouldn't get caught off guard a second time.

  The woman didn't look frightening at all, until she showed those fangs of hers. She looked like she belonged on a magazine cover.

  The werewolf was massive. Martha didn't prepare him for the size of the creature at all. Kevin knew he had to be careful with both of them.

  But he wouldn't le
t fear control him.

  He shifted slightly, and felt something near his feet. Flashing the light near the bottom of the coffin, he saw what looked like human remains.

  He clenched his eyes shut and fought panic. The last thing he needed to do was lose control of his breathing in a coffin.

  “Kevin? Are you there?”

  He lifted his rock to his mouth. “Yeah, haven't gone anywhere.”

  “'I'm at the graveyard. It's empty.”

  “Well, not quite empty.”

  “Are you...buried in here?”

  “Yeah, somewhere.”

  “I can't see anything. There's barely any light.”

  “Just look for a fresh grave.”

  “I'm trying,” she said, stress in her voice.

  Several minutes passed, and Kevin started to feel sick. Whether it was a lack of air, or the remains at his feet, he wasn't sure.

  “Uh, Rachel? How you doing out there?”

  “I think I found it.”

  He couldn't hear her digging.

  That could only mean she was wrong, or he was deep.

  He took a deep breath. There was no way he could stay in the coffin a minute longer.

  “Rach, back up. And be quick with that shovel.”

  He placed his hand on the lid of the coffin. His hand tingled as the wood disappeared and the portal formed.

  The lid of the coffin and three feet of dirt vanished. The dirt above the portal collapsed on him. He heard Rachel shouting and calling his name.

  The soil was heavy, but loose. He thrashed wildly and tried to sit up. Reaching up with his hands, he thought he felt the night air.

  A hand grabbed his arm and pulled.

  “Kevin!”

  He crawled away from the grave while Rachel yanked on his arm. She fell on her rear and hooked Kevin under the arms, pulling him to her, keeping him close.

  The night air blew through his hair. He wiped the soil from his face and looked at the grave he climbed out of. There was a noise as the portal vanished, the coffin and grave once again whole.

  “That was definitely...weird.”

  Rachel let out a sniffle behind him. He tried to stand up, but she held on tight.

  “Rach? Are you okay?”

  “I just pulled you out of a coffin. What do you think?”

  Pulling from her grasp, he turned around and stayed on one knee. She hugged her knees, burying her face. He grabbed her by the shoulders, and got dirt all over her shirt.

  “It's gonna be okay. They got me this time, but that won't happen again. Martha was right. Being a witch...it's pretty wild.”

  “They? Who are they?”

  “It wasn't just a werewolf. There's a vampire here, too.”

  “A vampire. That's just great.”

  She stood up and paced, and he was smart enough to keep his distance.

  “I can do this, Rachel. I really can. I'm not afraid.”

  “Well, I am. I can't believe you're forgetting they put you in a coffin, and buried you.”

  “And I got out.”

  She threw her hands in the air. He stepped forward and grabbed her by the shoulder to stop her. She threw her arms around him, not caring about getting more dirt on her.

  He decided it was best not to tell her the details of the fight.

  “Trust me, Rachel. I'm telling you, it was crazy. Things just started coming to me, things I haven't read about. If I just clear my mind, I can do some pretty neat things.”

  She squeezed him, covering her white shirt and shorts with soil.

  “I just don't want you to get hurt.”

  “I won't. At least, I'll try my best.”

  “That makes me feel so much better.”

  “Have some faith,” he said, laughing.

  She held up her hand, not wanting to fight. “Let's just go back to my house. You can clean up, and I'll wash your clothes.”

  “Uh, your house?”

  She reached for his hand and pulled him away from the graveyard. He grabbed his backpack on the way out.

  “Yeah, my house. You just fought a werewolf and a vampire. I'm sure you can handle my house.”

  *****

  Rachel parked her Mustang in the driveway as quietly as possible and looked over her house. No lights were on, no ghostly parent silhouettes in the windows.

  “Okay, let's go.”

  Kevin followed her around the side of the house, amazed at the sheer size of the place. It was nearly as big as his entire apartment building.

  “This place is huge.”

  She said nothing as she motioned for him to stay near her bedroom window. She left him for a moment to poke her head around back, to make sure her parents weren't having sex in the pool, an activity that had increased as of late.

  “You have a pool?” Kevin asked over her shoulder.

  “I told you to stay back there.”

  “Geez. Sorry.”

  He pulled out his marker as they approached her window.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Making a portal.”

  “You are not drawing a hole on my house. Just climb in the window.”

  “Okay. You first. I'll boost you.”

  He took a moment to admire her figure as he pushed her up to her window, then climbed in after her, trying his best not to get soil everywhere.

  His jaw dropped when he stood up.

  The room was bathed in soft light as she turned on her desk lamp. The bedroom was probably the size of his own living room. A few posters on the walls, a nice computer in the corner, a double-sized bed. There were two doors, one leading to the hallway outside her room, the other to her own private bathroom.

  “Nice room.”

  “Thanks. Take off your clothes.”

  “Huh? What?”

  She smiled. “I'll wash your clothes while you take a shower.”

  “Shower? Like, in your bathroom there?”

  “Kevin, do you want to explain to Kristin how you fought in a graveyard with a werewolf and a vampire? Or do you want to get cleaned up here and go home?”

  He thought for a moment before taking a step in the bathroom. He stripped down and handed over his clothes, making sure to keep his body hidden. She couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face, until she noticed his shirt.

  “Your shirt's all torn up.”

  “Well, it was a fight.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I'll be back in a minute.”

  His nerves were frayed as he quickly rinsed off in Rachel's shower. Another confrontation with the vampire and werewolf were in his future, he was certain. Strangely, he wasn't afraid.

  But the thought of Rachel's parents coming in and seeing him in her room was terrifying.

  He jumped when he heard a voice outside the bathroom.

  “Kevin?”

  “Yeah, I'm in here.”

  His eyes grew wide when he saw her shadow outside the shower curtain. He pressed into the corner and turned around.

  “Rachel? What are you doing?”

  “I have to stay in here. If my parents come in my room and see I'm there, but the shower's running, they'll know something's going on. Don't worry, I won't peek.”

  He smiled. If their places were reversed, he wasn't sure his excuse would be quite as clever. “That's a good one.”

  “Thanks. I just thought of it.”

  “My clothes?”

  “I cleaned them up as best I could, but it'll be forever in the dryer. I grabbed some of my dad's old sweats.”

  “I really appreciate this, Rachel.”

  “No problem. Isn't that what girlfriends do? Help their boyfriends clean up after a fight with vampires and werewolves.”

  He laughed. It was good to hear her making jokes.

  “Tell me about this vampire.”

  “She was very pretty. Bright red hair. Big fangs. She beat the crap out of me. Then the werewolf showed up, and we kind of went at each other.”

  “Why did she
beat you up?”

  “I have no idea. She kept asking about my family, and said I had to die.” He turned the shower off. “Do you have a towel?”

  She thrust the towel inside the curtain, nearly touching his chest.

  He dried off inside the shower and wrapped the towel around his waist. She smiled when he opened the curtain.

  “Yummy.”

  He was impressed when she didn't look away. The shy Rachel was nice, but he definitely didn't have an issue with the confident one.

  “Can I have those sweats?”

  She faked sadness as she handed them over and turned around.

  “So, what's the next move?” she asked.

  “Do you have a map of town?”

  “I think so. Want me to get it?”

  “Please.”

  He took stock of his backpack when she left the bedroom. The fight at the graveyard was taxing, going through every bottle of water and half of his invisibility potion. He needed to be better prepared.

  He needed to study, read his spell-book.

  Rachel tiptoed back into the bedroom with a map. Kevin took it and spread it across her bed.

  He pulled his rock from his backpack.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Watch.”

  He hovered the rock over the map and pointed his hand at the wall. An image of a house appeared, like his palm was a projector. The house was set back on the street, away from the other houses. There was a white dot on the map, hovering in the middle of Jewel Street.

  “How are you doing that?”

  “It's like a magical GPS. I slipped a rock in the vampire's pocket. I can track any of my magical rocks. I just have to concentrate on her.”

  “How do you know this?”

  He laughed, a bit of nervousness in his voice. “I don't know. You wouldn't believe the weird magic stuff popping in my head.”

  “I recognize that house. It's across from Tessa Hayes' house, on Jewel Street. It's the one with the long driveway. What are you gonna do?”

  “After I get some rest, I'm gonna have a talk with her.”

  “And of course, I can't come, right?”

  “Right.”

  They both looked at the door as they heard someone in the hallway.

  Footsteps.

  Rachel panicked, not having any idea how her mother would react if she caught Kevin in her room. She wasn't like other mothers. Mom wanted Rachel to have fun. She was thrilled that Rachel had a boyfriend, and constantly asked when she would bring him over.