The Elder Witches

by R.E. Packer

  Chapter 16

  At Gwen’s whispered command the freckle faced guard pulled his Taser, and with a quick motion he thrust the flickering electrodes at his partners neck.

  The bigger man, caught off guard as he was, still managed to knock the Taser away. But the younger man’s speed won out as he hit him a second time with 50,000 volts that crumpled the other guard. Then turning the Taser around he electrocuted his own neck until his grip failed and his legs gave out. Both of them lay collapsed in a heap in front of the door.

  Stepping around and over them I hurried through the door pulling Gwen behind me. We entered in time to see painfully thin woman with disheveled hair carrying an armload of papers headed toward another door.

  Seeing Gwen, the woman froze for a split second, not unlike a deer in the headlights. She had a puzzled look on her face as she said, “You’re not the crone— I felt her— but you’re not her.

  I’ve seen her and you’re not her. But you feel like her.”

  Gwen didn’t reply. Her blue eyes absorbed every detail, taking in the lab and the woman who must be Vivian Tutino. Vivian was alone in the lab at the time.

  A row of machine pistols were lined up in a rack on a counter against the wall to our left. In front of the pistols, oiled and ready for use, were green ammo boxes with the words “ORAB - Green virus antidote. Batch 1.0.” 30 round magazines lay on the counter next to them. They weren’t loaded with traditional bullets, not the brass and gunpowder kind. They were clear, showing a liquid inside each casing.

  Vivian took a few steps toward us; something in her eyes wasn’t quite right. She had the fanatical resolve that somebody cornered shouldn’t have.

  “I know what you are crone! You’re evil— pure blackest evil. How else could such hateful creatures come from your blood?” Vivian had started shouted, spittle flying from her lips.

  Gwen extended her hand, taking a step toward Vivian. “Why don’t you come with us and talk about this? Nothing good will come from us fighting.” She looked genuinely concerned for the woman who was apparently trying to kill her.

  “Don’t patronize me,” Vivian said, lips pulled back in a sneer. Her arm snapped out as she turned and locked her eyes on mine. She curled her fingers in a feral clawing motion.

  White hot pain stabbed at my temple, I was on my knees before I realized I was falling but I didn’t care. All that mattered was the pain filling every part of my brain.

  “You’ll do as I say or I’ll tear his mind apart. He has given me so much more, and I know how to use it. I’m probably more powerful than you now— want to find out? You just try something.” She spoke too fast, her words all ran together, or maybe it was just my head right now. I was having trouble thinking.

  Gwen took in a quick short breath, letting it out slowly, not moving. A wicked smile spread on Vivian’s lips. Turing her hand slightly, the blinding pure pain faded to be replaced by a smaller burning sensation in the middle of my head. I watched in horror, like a prisoner in my own head, only able to spectate as my arm moved to the waistband of my pants. Sweat droplets popped out on my forehead and my muscles trembled as I fought to stop my arm from moving.

  My hand that felt like a strangers as it reached into my front pants pocket and pulled out a folded tactical knife. It flicked open and stopped 12 inches from my abdomen.

  “Naughty naughty, that’s against company policy bringing weapons in.

  Unless you want to see me gut him step aside,” Vivian said. She backpedaled toward the door behind her. As she did, the knife turned to toward my stomach.

  Reaching behind her feeling for the biometric scanner on the wall, she slapped at it until the doorway slid open. Beyond the doorway vending machines and tables lined the wall. Four guards who just happened to be taking their break, sat at a table drinking coffee. Two things happened at the same time, Vivian’s strained features got a wicked smile, and I was jerked backward so hard I thought I might have whiplash.

  I felt my knife hand tense and lash out at me, totally helpless to stop Vivian’s mind magic from controlling me.

  A blue light leapt from Gwen’s hand to the knife as it plunged toward me. The blue light had severed the knife blade completely. There was a solid thud and an ‘oof’ as air left my lungs when the knife handle hit my chest. The blade clattered a second later as it hit the floor.

  The last I saw of Vivian was her thin lipped face smiling and winking at me as the door slid closed.

  I sat on the floor panting, feeling light headed. The smell of the cleaning solution they used in the room was making me slightly nauseous. Or at least that’s what I told myself it was.

  “Quit lounging around, Wizard Gordon, it’s time to go,” Gwen said leaning down to give me an amused look.

  Sprinting down the hall she grabbed my hand. My vision shimmered and I felt a tingle over my entire body like I was static charged. I looked at our reflection, or lack thereof, in a polished steel storage locker as we ran past. There was a faint wavy outline of our running figures but nothing more. Thankfully, I could still see Gwen so we weren’t bumbling into each other as we ran. She looked like a ghost in a movie, transparent but visible.

  More guards rounded the corner by the elevators where we entered. We hid by the door of the farthest elevator— which was more us standing still so nobody wouldn’t notice us than hiding— until the door opened again. A squad of six men dressed in black fatigues came out systematically checking each door and corner before moving on.

  I had been trying to jump like Eros had showed me, but I couldn’t seem to do it for some reason. I tried again, to jump us outside, but nothing happened.

  We held our breath, not moving as a combat boot came so close that I thought it would step on my foot. The mans right shoulder had one of the strange rifles against it, his trigger finger pointed straight ahead. His head swiveled left and right. Hard alert eyes swept the room taking small steps that professionals do to keep a clear line of sight while shooting. I would have never noticed his nostrils flaring if we hadn’t been this close. It looked like he was sniffing the air and I was pretty sure I knew why.

  After what seemed like an eternity the last of the guards rounded the corner heading away from us. I let out a sigh of relief and we didn’t waste any time getting in the elevator. When the doors opened at the lobby, we crept near the guard’s desk. The guard was much more alert this time.

  I felt Gwen’s hand on my chest stopping my movement. She was looking at the guard, his hands rested on the desk out of sight from passersby. They were significantly hairier than before and tipped with pointed nails… claws. He was sniffing the air. A low growl rumbled in his chest. Before our eyes his face distorted and elongated to allow for a rows of razor sharp teeth.

  Seeing enough Gwen whipped out her hand sending an invisible ball of force at the guard. It hit him hard enough to knock him out of his chair. The wrap around desk was the only thing that prevented him from being thrown all the way across the room.

  “Come on!” she said grabbing my hand, not that I needed any motivation to get out of there quicker. The locks were only meant to keep people out and the front door opened without hesitation. Risking a glance back I saw the guard already on his feet. He leapt over the desk nimbly landing on his feet but didn’t follow us out of the building.