With eyes wide with Fear, Brody took in the person before him. “So, if you are a witch who took over Hallie’s body, then where is Hallie?” he questioned, fearing the answer he would receive.
“Hallie is gone. She is locked away in my unfortunate tomb as will you too,” she stated, placing a cold hand on top of Brody’s shoulder.
Trying to move away, Brody found himself paralyzed by fear and something else. Trembling, Brody became overtaken with fear as the realization struck him like lightning. All these years, he had mocked the stories told to him about the three witches who haunted the local high school. He had dismissed the ideas as nothing more than fantasy stories; but now, he was living out his worst nightmares and the worst part was that he hadn’t believed Hallie.
Brody’s mind was reeling as the woman seemed to have Brody in a trance; a zombie-like state as she began leading him toward the other two graves. “Now, all you need to do is lean over the other grave and let my sister be free too,” she said, her voice piercing through Brody’s soul.
As Brody desperately tried to find a way to fight back, the woman led him over to the graves. Peering down, he realized this woman, this evil being that had stolen Hallie’s body, was going to steal his too. In his mind, through the fear and anger coursing through his body, he began to become curious. What would happen to him? Where would his soul go? Would this be painful?
As his body was forced to kneel down, Brody allowed a single tear to escape his glossy eyes. This was the end now and he knew it. Hallie had led him to his final adventure; a strange and complicated death. He was angry with Hallie for her insane curiosity and determination to bring truth to the horror stories that plagued their small town. He was furious with himself for allowing Hallie to lead him astray, and for the fact that he had not had the courage or will-power to stand up against his feelings for her and follow his gut instincts. But, more than anything, Brody was angry that his death would be at such a young age. There was so much he wanted to do in his life and now, he would never have that opportunity. He quickly thought about his family and friends who would mourn his absence and their faces were now ingrained in his mind. More than anything, leaving his younger sister Sadie would hurt the most. She had always looked up to him, and would need him as she traveled through middle school and into high school.
Now, kneeling over the graves, Brody took in one last deep breath. A dark, crimson blood poured from his mouth and eyes, as the life that held Brody soon diminished into a vacant corpse. The cold air stung his lungs but he didn’t care anymore. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his stomach and down his legs. The world around him began to blur as sights, sounds, and images rapidly disappeared as he was swept into a world of darkness.
Falling limp, the woman in Hallie’s body watched as the metamorphosis took place and Brody was transformed from a young high school boy, to the living being of her sister, Mary. As Brody’s body began to regain strength, he stood and faced Hallie.
An evil smile swept across his face and his eyes were no longer a dark and rich brown color, but they were now gray as stone, as they peered into the face of Hallie.
“It’s been a long time, sister,” Esmeralda spoke through Hallie’s lips.
Looking around at the large trees that surrounded their unmarked graves, Mary only smiled. “Yes it has,” she replied.
“All we have to do now is wait for another lost soul to visit our grave and then our sister Alice will finally be able to join us,” Esmeralda said, as she pulled Hallie’s hair away from her shoulders and began to inspect her new body. “Once we are together again, we will finally be able to get revenge on those that destroyed us,” Esmeralda finished.
“Yes,” Mary agreed, with a hint of evil sparking from her voice. “I think I know just the person we can find,” she hissed.
Together the bodies that once were Brody and Hallie walked away from the small graves and back toward the truck that was sitting alone in the darkened parking lot. As the sisters drove away in the form of Brody and Hallie, they laughed and rejoiced at the pure terror they were about to inflict on the small town of Shady Oaks. With their evil souls now intertwined with those of Hallie and Brody, they knew they could fulfill their demonic desires. With the town coming into view, the residents of Shady Oaks were unaware of the evil that now roamed the streets. The once thought of stories and myths were now walking and talking, living beings that proved true the idea that sometimes the truth can be far more frightening than fiction.
Be patient and just be sure of yourself,” he instructed.
“There’s nothing I am sure of anymore,” I said.
“Well, if there is one thing that you can always be sure of, let it be that I will always protect you,” Ace said, as he moved to the open window.
Before I could respond, Ace jumped out the window and flew away.
What just happened?
Chapter Sixteeen
Wicked Hour
R
aindrops pelted my bedroom window as I got dressed for school. I was used to the rain, seeing as though I was born in Massachusetts, but the heat that accompanied the rain here in the South was an entirely different beast to get used to. After the night filled with horror stories circulating around my new hometown, the eerie morning gloom seemed fitting. Before Ace left last night, we had made a plan to go to Camp Nelson and High Bridge soon. There could be clues to where the necklace was at one of those places. Hopefully.
I dressed in a pair of dark denim jeans, a mustard yellow top, and found my black boots.
Finding my parents already in their respective offices this morning, I greeted them with a good morning and then headed outside to wait for Maylee and Ace to pick me up for school.
I almost felt sorry for my old car sitting in the driveway. Maybe I would take it out for a drive later that evening.
As I sat on the front porch, I watched as a light mist of fog floated across the countryside. In the distance, a barn was very visible through the trees and fog, almost as though it were being concealed from the rest of the world.
Finally, I heard Ace’s car roaring into my driveway and I hated how my heart seemed to flutter with happiness at the thought of seeing him.
As the car came into view, I moved closer to the porch railing, splatters of rain soaking through my tee shirt and jeans.
I jogged out to the car, my body feeling as though I just ran through a heavy shower.
Freezing, I nestled into the back seat as Ace turned up the heater and drove off.
Walking through the halls of East High, I could still feel the dampness on my clothes as I headed for my first hour class. Sawyer found me as I waved bye to Maylee as she headed to her class.
“Hey, I tried calling you this weekend,” Sawyer said.
“Sorry, I was really busy with family stuff,” I lied. “How did it go with Garrett?” I wanted to change the subject so she wouldn’t ask what exactly I was doing.
“After you left with Maylee and Ace, Garrett and Kade took me out for burgers. It was fun, but Kade was clearly upset to be the third wheel. I think he’s really into you,” she winked.
“He barely knows me,” I argued.
“He knows enough to like you, I guess,” Sawyer shrugged her shoulders.
Kade was nice, but if he only knew the supernatural dangers plaguing me, he would run as far away from me as he possibly could. Sawyer, too.