Page 16 of Hooked on a Witch
“Calm down. I was out last night and slept at a friend’s place. I’m fine. I’m calling because I need a protective spell to ward off zombies. I’m needing it pretty fast.”
“Zombies? That doesn’t sound like you’re doing fine. I’m on my way.”
“No, please don’t. It’s not safe. Maybe I’m not exactly fine right now, but I’m fine from last night. You’re the spells guru. I need your best protective spell. I’ll tell you more in a few minutes once there aren’t zombies.”
“Can’t you use your other powers, like wind to blow them away? I’m worried about you trying a spell. You’re not good at them.”
“I need to try. I don’t trust my abilities. These undead things are the product of black magic or voodoo or something like that.” She shot one of the zombie-type creatures that got too close. It fell backward and didn’t move. Maybe they could be stopped if she aimed for the head. The zombie she’d just shot twitched. Oh, no. It was getting back up.
She put her hand over the phone and asked Chad, “Got more ammo?”
He shook his head.
“None?”
“Didn’t think I’d actually need to shoot anyone. The threat of shooting someone is usually enough to stop them. Merck might have more in his car.” His terrified gaze never left the corpse on the ground whose fingers were still moving.
“What caliber is this gun?”
“8mm.”
“Merck had an ammo container in the backseat. Let’s go. Here, you take the gun and hold them off with the few rounds that’re left.” As she jogged for Merck’s SUV, she asked, “You still there, Jen?”
Shannon balanced the phone between her shoulder and ear while yanking open the back door of the SUV. Score! Ammo can...but no ammo inside. There was a gun, though. She checked and it was loaded.
“Anything?” Chad asked.
She flinched, not realizing he’d moved directly behind her. “Just a gun.”
Chad pushed her aside to grab a discarded tactical vest. He patted pockets and took out a second gun.
Jen yelled in her ear, “Pop away from there. Go to another dimension. Gunfire, zombies…this isnotyou being fine. Get out of there.”
“I can’t leave right now. Will the spell work for two? There’s a guy here with me.”
“It should. Do you have some salt?”
“No. I’m outside a car with a gun and a cell phone. That’s why I’m calling you.”
Chad fired five rounds into a new approaching undead thing. Good for him, hitting the thing this time. Her ears echoed as if everything was now down a long hallway.
“Did you say something? I couldn’t hear you,” Shannon said into the phone. She turned up the phone’s volume.
“I said draw a circle around yourself.”
“Hold on.” She pulled Chad a few feet away from the SUV’s bumper. “Don’t move.” She grabbed a rock and etched a rough circle around her and Chad in the sandy soil. “Okay. Circle drawn.”
“I’ll give you a spell, but when you say it, you have to believe it’ll work. You have to feel it deep in your soul. Say this three times:
Great goddesses of day and night.
Protect us with all your might.
Let all who venture near feel your might’s burn
Until none are left to make us squirm.”
“Squirm? Did I hear you right?” Shannon asked. “Is this a real spell?”
