Page 24 of The Accidental Witch

Through the snow falling and the litany of sound, Robbie saw everyone racing to her, but with each step they took, they fell back five more.

There was a loud screech, almost as if someone was in agony, and then the ground did the unthinkable—it exploded, sending frozen chunks of dirt everywhere.

From out of nowhere, something tore through the dirt, knocking her to her back and climbing on top of her. The cold soil seeped through her jacket, the feel of whatever sat on her oddly light but heavy at the same time.

Terror raced through her veins, her heart tried to fight its way out of her chest as this…thisthingstared down at her.

What intheeabsolute hell?

Opening her mouth wide, Robbie screamed as she fought to get out from under it. “Ahhhhhhhh!”

But it didn’t appear at all fazed. In fact, it lowered its head as if curious. Its straggly strands of hair brushing over her face like icky cobwebs, the creature’s mouth a black hole, it gazed at her as thoughshewere the one that looked like a character fromThe Walking Dead.

Though, strangely, in the height of her terror, she noted it wore a jaunty ascot around its skeletal neck.

She held her breath as they reenacted a scene straight out ofAlien, where it appeared to sniff her until she felt sweat pool between her breasts.

Then, as if to taunt her, it opened its jaw wide and screamed back at her. A howl so chilling, it jarred her bones.

She stared up at it in horror as it straddled her with the strength of ten men, nothing more than a skull with black sockets for eyes and skeletal hands that gripped her shoulders like steel bands.

Robbie blinked, her chest heaving, her eyes wide in fear as the ground quaked and they bounced.

“Get off me!” she bellowed as she reared her hips upward enough to catch it off guard and jerk the skeleton from her hips. It fell to the side, crumpling into a weird ball of bones.

Robbie took that opportunity to roll away and scramble to her feet. Slipping and sliding, she took off running. Snow plastered her face as she sprinted away from the skeleton, his bones clacking against the icy ground as he took off after her.

Just as it nipped at her heels, their screams in sync, echoing through the night, Robbie heard a loud cry not unlike that of a warrior before the clack of bones crunched and someone let out a loud, “Oomph!”

Out of breath from running, she turned to see Greer, struggling to hold the skeleton down, his muscles straining, his teeth clenched. “Robbie! Say these words: return, dear soul, from whence you came, and blissful peace you shall reclaim!” He gasped as the skeleton wrapped its bony legs around his waist, screeching like a banshee.

They kicked up leaves as they wrestled, dirt and mud smearing Greer’s face, but he held fast to the skeleton. “Hold on, buddy. You’ll be back at peace soon!”

The skeleton howled its discontent, its jaw clacking open wide, terrifying her, but it lit an urgent fire under her feet.

As the wind whipped her hair and the snow pelted her face, her heart thumped hard in her chest as she repeated the words. “Return, dear soul, from whence you came, and blissful peace you shall reclaim!”

She waited a moment, but it didn’t disappear until Tottington bellowed to her, “Point your finger, Miss!Point!”

Jabbing her finger at the ball of bones and living flesh the skeleton and Greer had become, the same thing happened after she’s spoken the last spell. Sparkles of color flickered in the air, dancing in colorful swishes, the world became silent, the ground shifted and poof—he was gone.

Robbie bent forward, putting her palms on her knees as she inhaled gulps of cold air. The sound of the women and Tottington rushing toward her made her straighten and check on Greer, who was pushing himself off the ground with a harsh grunt.

She wrapped her right hand around his muscled arm and helped pull him up, her legs shaking so hard, she thought she’d keel right over. “Are you okay?”

He brushed her mussed hair out of her face with a gentle hand. “I’m okay. I’m more concerned about you. Areyouokay?”

“What…what was that?”

He took her hand and led her over to the headstone, now crumbled and torn asunder. “A dead guy. Um…” He peered at a portion of the stone, which read, “Josiah Bean.”

“What the fuck just happened, buddy?” Nina crowed.

He stared at them all, planting his hands on his hips. “Necromancy. Another power Gwinnifer was incredibly adept at, and now, so is Robbie.”

Robbie’s hand went to her mouth to hide her horrified gasp. “Isn’t necromancy…raising the…thedead?” she squeaked.

“It is,” he confirmed.

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