Page 18 of Witch Please
The whispering continued, loud yet barely audible, a haunting sound that made it harder for me to think straight as they inched closer. With all of my energy I tried to remember what I had learned about these creatures, but my mind felt like mush from the panic, the words stuck in my throat like glue when I tried to talk Sissily through our next move.
“Are those Adlet demons?” Sissily pressed her back to mine so we could defend an attack from all sides.
“Yeah, they look like an Adlet.” Flicking my hand, I sent a stream of magic at the closest few, and with a hiss they flinched back a few steps. “I can’t remember for the life of me what worked against them. Do you?”
“Ummm,” she fried a couple that got too close to her before she answered. “I’m not one hundred percent sure but I think the way to get rid of them was something to do with vibration.” Another string of fire burst from her fingertips before she turned her back to mine. “Just don’t take my word for it. Remember what happened with the Mazzikin?”
“How can I ever forget. That was my idea too though I can’t blame just you for it.” I trembled from the memory of the screeching Mazzikin. “It’s worth the try though. Be ready to go snatch River if it doesn’t work.”
“Got it.” She followed it with a groan.
That’s when it clicked. Adlet demons spoke using whispers instead of words which meant they were only able to influence humans who heard their call— supernaturals like us who can’t be easily affected by verbal powers could defend against them with loud sound. Sissily was right, as always. Without wasting another second, I grabbed my best friend’s arm and pulled her toward River while keeping an eye on the demons around us ready for anything else they might throw at us.
That’s when Sissily stepped on my big toe again and I couldn’t prevent the shout of pain that ripped out of me. My scream bounced off the walls and echoed in the vast chamber sending all the Adlet demons scattering like roaches when the light comes on. It hurt like a mother, and my foot was developing a separate heartbeat as it throbbed but at least we confirmed our theory.
We reached Blackman just before any demons did, which gave us enough time to blast his chains using our magic before bolting for the darkness outside where we were sure there would be no more Adlet demons waiting for us this time. If any strays stayed behind all I had to do was return the favor and stomp on Sissily’s foot. She’ll make any soprano opera singer proud if my recollection of previous incidents serves me right.
That girl can scream.
We stumbled out of the chamber with River in tow, both of us putting as much strength as we could muster into our escape. The hallway was eerily empty, and the air felt pregnant with tension, the only sound being our panting breaths and thudding feet. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something or someone wanted us to go there and get River out. As if this was some game, they played, and we were the pawns they moved wherever they felt like on the board. Glancing at Sissily told me she found the situation suspicious as well.
We had to get out of this place as soon as possible and had no time to dwell on things, so I started running, dragging River and Sissily behind me, my heart beating wildly in my chest. Everything seemed to be going smoothly which should’ve told us we were screwed, until we reached a dead-end down the cursed hallway of doom. There was no way forward but there was also no way back either; the door we came through had disappeared into thin air like it never existed in the first place, leaving the walls smooth and empty.
Even the tapestry abandoned us.
Panic surged through me as I desperately searched for an escape route; white noise thudding in my ears, but all I could find was more stone and the musty stench of wet, molded stone filled my nostrils and I gagged from it. Pulling the t-shirt up over my nose and mouth I turned to see Sissily doing the same with her tank top. We were stuck and had no clue what to do to get out of the place.
The disgusting odor amplified the longer we stood there and in a last-ditch effort to show my fury, I threw my arms forward and released all the pent-up frustration at the wall, screaming from the top of my lungs. Sissily and River slid down to the ground since I no longer supported Blackman’s weight and he took my bestie down with him. Panic clawed at me that he was still unconscious, too.
My voice sounded like the cry of a wounded animal, bouncing off the stone walls and traveling deeper through the hallway in the direction we came from. It created an eerie, sad picture of what my life had come too. And I managed to take those I care about down with me too. Disappointment had my blood boiling through my veins. I'd be damned if I go down this way. In the irritation, I slammed both my palms on the wall making it crack and tremble. Covering my head with both arms I ducked and rushed toward Sissily and River, sure that I had just buried us alive in Hell of all places.
How’s that for a kick in the proverbial nuts?
Instead of dying slowly and fighting for a breath under a ton of rock and rubble, a door formed right across from where we were crouched in a pile of limbs with Sissily and I holding River between us. I wanted to cry from relief.
Sissily rushed ahead of me and pulled open a red door while I yanked Blackman up and practically draped him over me. Wobbling on my boots, I dragged him across the hallway. The entrance was leading us into an old dark room filled with cobwebs and dust, another reminder that we were definitely not in Cleveland, Ohio anymore. I never thought I’d miss the place but yet again I stand corrected.
The space stunk of decay, and I gave it a cursory glance in search of dead bodies which were thankfully absent. There were no demons waiting for us beyond this door at least, so I blew out a sigh, puffing my cheeks out like a chipmunk. We searched around trying to find another exit but came up short handed until my eyes widened upon spotting a small window set high up on one wall.
“Look!” I pointed at the path to freedom excitedly; and not waiting another second, made a dash for it.
It was either that or fully pass out from the horrible odors.
CHAPTER11
“Ishould’ve known this would not be as easy as it looked.” I threw over my shoulder at Sissily as we trotted down yet another musty passage. This one was narrow, with a low enough ceiling that I had to hunch my shoulders and duck my head to fit in it.
We carried River between us, me holding his legs and her gripping under his arms. You'd never guess the male was as heavy as an elephant. He looked so lean. Concern gnawed at my gut that he wasn’t waking up, but I had to figure out a way out of here before I could start stressing about that. The important thing was that we had him with us. His aura was giving me more apprehension too the longer I had skin contact with his body. There was something off about it, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. As things stood, I would have to agonize about it later.
The air was getting thicker and harder to breathe with every step we took. I tried to keep up a steady pace, but it was getting increasingly difficult as River's weight threatened to drag me down. We had no idea how much further the exit remained or if we are going to find one at all. Hopefully there were no more traps or demons waiting for us, but I pushed that thought aside so it didn't make me panic and we kept going.
When we reached the end of the corridor I laughed and cried with sheer joy.
There right in front of me was a damn door. I've never seen anything more beautiful in my life.
"Girl, look." Twisting my body sideways, I glanced back at my friend. "This better lead to fresh air or I’m about to lose my shit."
"You're not kidding." Sissily huffed and pushed harder on River guiding me toward our salvation. "Don't just stand there staring it at it. Move!"
