She rolled over panting from the exertion. Hauling herself to her feet she glanced back at the foreboding tree. She knew where she was now, Boothe’s Hollow, the one place in the whole of the woods that had always been forbidden to her and her friends. How the hell had she gotten so far from her house and how long had she been outside?
Stupid, stupid, she shook her head, backing away from the clearing, her eyes darting nervously about. Someone or something had led her there, and she had followed blindly. She was such a moron, so arrogant and sure nothing could cross the line, she hadn’t considered being manipulated into stepping outside her own protective boundaries. She’d been so focused on trying to protect her home she hadn’t thought to protect her own mind.
A sudden growling behind her kicked her already frantic heartbeat up another notch. She spun around and caught a glimpse of red eyes through the trees. The growl came again and Olivia ran.
She darted back into the woods, running as though her life depended on it. It was close, snapping at her heels as she was once again enveloped by the fog. Whatever the hell that creature was that chased her, it was like no dog or wolf she’d ever heard. It sounded huge, its growl was deep and somehow sounded wetter than it should.
It was too close and it had her scent. There was only one way to lose it. Praying she was right about where she was she veered off and plunged through the tree line towards the shore of the lake.
She was wrong.
She realized she’d miscalculated as she burst through the edge of the woods, hitting a sharp embankment and losing her footing as her ankle twisted sharply and she rolled down the steep incline. Her head cracked sharply, against a protruding rock, and her limp body plunged into the freezing water of the lake.
Theo shot up in bed wrestling with the damp sheets which wrapped around his body like vines. Breathing heavily, with his heart pounding in his ears, he glanced over at the clock which showed 2.47am in blinking red lights. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed he fumbled for the phone. He dragged it out of the pocket of his discarded jeans and scrolled through the menus, the way Olivia had shown him. Praying that he remembered how to use it correctly he found her number and hit connect.
It rang and rang.
His jaw tensed painfully as it went to voice mail. He tried again, and again she didn’t answer. Cursing himself for leaving her in the first place he dragged his jeans on, dressing quickly. He’d had a bad feeling as he left her house earlier that evening, and it had only gotten worse as the hours had passed. Dread churned deep in his gut. He pulled his boots on and yanked a sweater over his head, trying her phone again.
Cursing under his breath he shot out into the hallway and into Jake’s room, hurrying over to the bed to roughly shake him awake.
‘Whattimezit?’ Jake mumbled as he rolled over and looked up through bleary eyes.
‘Jake, Olivia’s in trouble.’
‘What?’ his eyes cleared and he sat up, yanking the covers off.
‘We have to go, NOW!’ Theo hovered impatiently as Jake scooped his clothes off the floor and roughly yanked them on.
‘What happened?’
He hurriedly pulled out his weapon, checked it was fully loaded and tucked it into the back of his jeans.
‘I don’t know,’ Theo breathed heavily. ‘She’s in the woods; something is chasing her.’
‘Are you sure it wasn’t just a dream?’
‘Jake I’m sure,’ he replied agitatedly. ‘I’ve been trying to call her and she’s not picking up.’
Jake nodded as they both headed out.
He tore down the deserted road, breaking every speed limit between his apartment and the Stick House. Theo, unable to sit still, kept trying to call her, growling in frustration when there was no answer.
When they finally pulled up outside Olivia’s house Theo was out of the car before Jake had even put the parking brake on. Throwing open the door, Jake climbed out and headed up the front steps of her porch. Even in the dead of night, and from a distance he could see the front door stood wide open, and the house was in complete darkness. Drawing his weapon Jake edged cautiously up the steps.
Theo glanced briefly at Jake who was approaching the house, but he barely paid attention. He knew she wasn’t there. His gaze instead scanned the tree line at the edge of the woods, where thick greasy smog spilled out between the tree trunks like ghostly tentacles. Not waiting for Jake he took off across the open grass towards the woods, calling out her name in desperation and praying to God they weren’t too late.
Olivia breached the surface, coughing as she dragged in a deep lungful of air. Her body began to shake and it was becoming hard to control her limbs. They felt as if they were made of lead. She knew she didn’t have long. She couldn’t stay in the water; at this temperature she only had minutes before hypothermia set in. She clawed and scrambled her way back towards the bank with none of her usual finesse. She had been the star of the swim team in high school and college, but her body temperature was too low, she was exhausted and hurt, and the thing that was chasing her still prowled the banks somewhere.
The jagged roots of a tree overhung the bank and she grasped on with numb fingers, unable to feel anything as the bark dug into her already torn palms. Resting her throbbing head against her hands she held on. She was so tired, barely able to feel her body, and all she wanted to do was close her eyes.
Knowing she had to keep moving she fought the drowsiness, forcing herself to lift her head and reach for the bank. It was like trying to swim through clay as she clawed her way towards solid ground. Taking a chance and letting go of the roots, she made a grab for the bank and dug in. Hauling her battered body out of the icy water was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. Her nails dug into the soil as she crawled slowly and painfully up the bank, back towards the woods.
She shakily pushed herself to her hands and knees, but as she took a breath and tried to stand she collapsed in a heap. Her ankle wouldn’t take her weight and her body was too heavy. Dragging herself inch by painful inch towards the nearest tree she rolled over, her breath expelling from her lips as a fine mist. She could barely feel anything now. Her eyes drifted closed, leaving her unaware of the filthy fog draping itself over her body in the grotesque parody of a lover’s caress. She vaguely thought she heard someone in the distance calling her name, and then the darkness claimed her.
‘OLIVIA!’ Theo shouted again, and again; panic gripped him by the throat now. He could barely see a foot in front of him. He was aware Jake had followed him into the woods, and was behind him somewhere, but he couldn’t see him either.
He stumbled blindly onward; she was here somewhere, he could feel her. Stopping for a moment he strained to hear a sound, any sound which might give away her location but there was nothing but an eerie silence, shrouded by thick greasy fog.
Suddenly out the corner of his eye he caught a flutter of light, but as he turned towards it, it disappeared into the mist. It came again, a faint red glow hovering in the air, before a roll of fog covered it once again. Quickening his pace he moved toward the strange light. This time when the mist parted he saw it was moving towards him. He skidded to a halt, and watched as it buzzed back and forth through the fog weaving on the air current. Suddenly it shot towards him, pausing barely two feet in front of him. He sucked in a sharp breath at the wonder before him.
It hung in the air hovering. It looked like a huge dragonfly, but was composed entirely of flames. Its gossamer wings blurred with sparks of gold and yellow and flecks of red.
It was her. It was her magic, and it was reaching out to him.
‘Take me to her,’ he whispered urgently.
The dragonfly shivered in delight and circled him madly twice, before shooting off into the woods. He took off after it, racing to keep up, dodging trees and branches.
Suddenly it stopped and plummeted to the ground. At first he wasn’t sure what he was looking at, all he could see was a pale, dir
ty, crumpled heap splayed out on the cold damp ground. But as the dragonfly dived, the heap twitched. Theo’s stomach turned over in horror as he realized just what he was looking at.
Olivia’s spine arched sharply as the dragonfly plunged into her chest, glowing beneath her ribs as it was reabsorbed into her body. Then she slumped lifelessly back to the ground. Her nightgown was soaked through and plastered to her skin, covered in mud and blood. Her hair hung in thick wet ropes against her pale skin. Blood trailed the side of her face from a cut at her temple and her lips were turning blue.
‘No!’ He rushed forward and dropped to his knees. Pulling off his jacket he tightly wrapped her up in it. Her skin was like ice, he needed to get her inside quickly.
‘Jake,’ he called out into the fog.
‘I’m coming,’ the muffled voice replied.
‘Olivia,’ Theo stroked her face, grasping her chin and shaking her gently. ‘Olivia, open your eyes.’
Slowly she stirred, her eyes rolling back in her head as she tried to focus.
‘Olivia,’ he repeated more forcefully, ‘stay with me.’
Her eyes met his, her gaze slightly unfocused as she tried to speak.
He couldn’t hear her, her voice was barely more than a croaky whisper. Leaning closer he moved his ear closer to her lips.
Before he could puzzle out what she meant, he heard a sharp growl and his head snapped up. That sounded too close and too big to be a stray dog. Sliding his arms around her back and under her knees he lifted her quickly and carefully.
‘Jake!’ he called again urgently.
Jake burst through the fog, his weapon drawn. His eyes widened as they fell on Olivia draped lifelessly in Theo’s arms. He was about to speak when the growl came again, low and menacing. Jake raised his weapon training it on the fog, his eyes sweeping back and forth restlessly as he placed Theo and Olivia protectively behind him. This time when the growl came it was accompanied by an angry snarl.
‘Theo run!’ Jake shouted.
Theo turned and bolted through the trees, cradling Olivia protectively in his arms. He heard Jake fire once, twice, and then take off right behind them, shouting directions as they cut through the fog. It was gaining on them, whatever it was. They broke through the edge of the tree line, breathing heavily. The mist had now spilled out of the woods and across the grassy expanse between them and Olivia’s house.
‘What the hell?’ Jake breathed.
Silver colored rings rose up in the mist, pale and ghostly, surrounding Olivia’s property. They would have been mesmerizing if not for the ominous snapping and snarling coming from behind them. They caught vague glimpses as the fog writhed and shifted. It was hard to get a sense of the creature without actually seeing it, but it was big, almost as tall as a small horse, and its form was black and skeletal.
‘They must be Olivia’s protective wards,’ Theo started toward the silver rings. ‘We need to get her inside the circle.’
Behind him he could hear Jake fire again, as they both ran flat out for the shining silver discs which rose to form a column. The creature was snapping at their heels but they didn’t dare look back.
Theo was breathing hard, his lungs burning as he gripped Olivia tighter. He felt Jake stumble next to him, but just managed to stay upright. They were almost there. With a final burst of speed, and a roar of adrenalin he leapt through the ethereal light, closely followed by Jake. They spun around just in time to see the creature, in all its terrifying glory, leap behind them. It crashed into the silvery light with a sickening impact, and fell to the ground, hissing. It climbed to its feet, its white dead looking eyes glaring at them hatefully, as it paced back and forth growling deep in its throat.
Theo had never seen anything like it. It was huge. Its body was black and corpse-like, with patches of mangy fur hanging off it in filthy looking clumps. Drool hung from its open jaws, revealing rows of tiny needle pointed teeth.
Suddenly it rushed forward, throwing its emaciated body against the silvery shield. It shied away, a large patch of burned flesh smoking at its shoulder, raw and angry. It growled and rushed the shield again and again. Each time it burned and singed its body but the creature didn’t seem to care, it kept on relentlessly.
Olivia stirred in Theo’s arms. One of the protective rings suddenly tore, shredding into thin silvery threads, and as they fell they crashed to the ground like shards of glass. Both Theo and Jake took an involuntary step back as the creature charged the rings again. Its skin was torn at its shoulder and across its muzzle. The wounds oozed sickly blackened blood, revealing bleached white patches of bone, and yet it continued to hack away at the shield, trying to get to Olivia.
‘Theo,’ she croaked weakly, ‘put me down.’
‘No,’ he glanced down at her.
Although she was pale and shaky her eyes had lost that glazed unfocused look and now stared back at him with grim determination. Another ring shattered, and crashed to the ground but he didn’t look. His eyes were focused on her alone.
‘Theo, the wards are not designed for this,’ she breathed. ‘In a few more moments they will fail and I won’t be able to stop it.’
‘You don’t have the strength for this,’ he argued.
‘Put me down Theo.’
Fighting against the deeply rooted need to protect her, he allowed her to slide down his body until her feet touched the ground, but as they did her legs folded under her. He caught her, holding her upright against his body, with one of her arms wrapped around his shoulders.
‘Just hold onto me,’ she whispered.
He nodded slowly as she turned her attention to the creature hissing and snarling on the other side.
She reached inside herself, feeling for the heat and light of her magic. Her hands trembled and glowed but a wave of exhaustion swamped her. She tried again but barely managed a few sparks from her fingertips.
Drawing in a deep breath, cold clammy sweat broke out on her forehead. She reached for it once more, but nothing. It was like trying to catch smoke in her bare hands. Every time she reached for it, it simply slipped through her fingers.
Her head slumped against Theo’s chest as she tried to gather what little strength remained, and then the last ring fell, shattering at their feet.
The creature leapt forward, a snarling mass of teeth and claws. Theo yanked Olivia back while Jake leapt in front of them both, firing at the creature. The bullets tore holes and gouged out chunks of its decaying flesh but they didn’t even slow it down. Jake ejected the clip from his gun and reached into his belt for another but it barreled toward him sweeping him aside as if he were no more than an annoyance.
Theo watched as Jake hit the ground with such force, it knocked the breath from his lungs and left him gasping for breath. Knowing there was nothing he could do to help his friend he shoved Olivia behind him as they backed away. His eyes frantically searched the cold hard ground for anything he could use as a weapon but there was nothing.
The creature swiped at Theo catching him across the ribs and leaving deep claw marks in his skin as it threw him aside. He clutched at the earth trying to haul himself to his feet. He had to get to Olivia. He looked up watching in horror as it leapt and knocked her to the ground.
It had her pinned, its jaws snapping inches from her face. She grabbed at its throat trying to hold it back. Its breath was fetid and as it snarled flecks of spittle rained down on her face. Its claws dug and scratched at the earth either side of her head as it tried to get at her. She couldn’t hold it back much longer, it was too strong, and her arms were already weakening. Its dripping muzzle snapping closer and closer to her face.
Suddenly she felt the fury begin to build deep in her gut. Her jaw clenched so hard her teeth almost cracked. She’d had enough, she would not allow it to end like this. Everything crashed in on her, the pain of coming home, the unfairness of her being accused of murder, her father taunting her about her mother, the fact her own aunt hadn�
�t wanted her. With the pain and numbing exhaustion of her injured body, everything coalesced into a hot hard ball of absolute fury.
Her hands suddenly erupted in flames, not her usual warm gold and red fire, these flames burned pure sapphire blue edged in deep jet black. The flames ran all the way up her arms to her elbows, and she felt the addictive whip of power blast straight through her. The magic which gripped her body was like nothing she’d ever felt before. It was vast and carried with it the sense of thousands upon thousands of years. It was an ancient magic, and it was all hers, she could take it. It was as seductive as it was dark, and it curled deep inside her like a lover, calling for her surrender.
The snarls of the creature suddenly turned to whimpers of pain. It struggled now to get away from her, writhing in her vice-like grip.
The hate inside her magnified, she wanted to hurt it, and for one awful moment reveled in its agony. She made the fire burn hotter, brighter.
Smoke began pouring from its mouth and nostrils. It scrambled and snapped, trying to break her grip on its throat, but at that moment nothing could have been enough to pry her death-like grip off it. She wanted its pain, she wanted it to suffer. Beneath the gaping wounds on its thin body she could see patches of blue, where the flames seared beneath its flesh, burning it from the inside out. It howled, a sound of inhuman agony, before it finally burst into white hot flames of blue and black. Dust and ash scattered on the night air, tiny little burning fragments spinning madly on the wind, like cinders blown from an open fire.
She could feel the power rising up inside her like a great tsunami, feeling her whole body thrumming with the arousal of such a vast inescapable power. It was like no high she’d ever experienced as she raised her hands to the sky, toward the burning stars. Heavy gray, moisture laden clouds closed in, bursting wide open. Jagged violent slashes of rain speared to the ground, burning away the oily looking fog, and cleansing the ground.
The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum Page 23
