Page 123 of Surrendering Hope (The Hope Legacy)

Zee calls forth his new power and flicks a flame at one skeleton, which ignores the fact that he’s on fire and reaches for Uncle Charlie. Uncle Charlie draws his gun, fast as lightning, and shoots the skull, shattering it into a hundred pieces. We blink at pieces, which, as predicted, roll and glue themselves together. A skeletal hand scoops up the skull and repositions it on his head. Aaden punches a skeleton square on the nose which caves in.

“Is it me or are they slow?” Jed enquires.

I shrug. “My fear isn’t rooted in their speed. It’s the fact they keep coming.”

As if they heard me, had a secret strategy meeting, and decided to up their game, all the undead rush towards us, one skeleton trips over the zombie spiders and collapses in a temporary heap at my feet. The spider meanwhile comes at me with its creepy mouth stretched wide. I boot it in the face and send it smashing into the wall.

“Don’t let them bite you,” I shout.

“Why?” Jed groans.

“That’s how you become one.”

“Right, of course, silly me.”

The guys are battling the rest in a similar way until there is a weird scattering of bones surrounding us, searching for their other parts. “Marsha wouldn’t have given you an enemy you can’t defeat, Natia. We need to think around the problem,” Duncan says as one of his power bolts bashes a skeleton to pieces seconds before the head was going to take position. Huh, that must be frustrating.

“How do you kill something that can’t be killed?” I query as I look down to find a finger under my boot wiggling like a worm. I tilt my head as I release it and watch it roll towards its body. I snap my fingers.

“Take cover, she’s having a lightbulb moment,” Zee chuckles as he stamps on the back of one of the zombie spiders. The bones in every creature breaks apart, scatter to the floor and creep back together. I spin around, study the cave and backtrack towards the entrance.

“Uh, Natia, we’re ready for that solution now,” Uncle Charlie barks.

I spin back around to find the guys inching backwards towards me as the eight skeletons and three zombie spiders connect to make one ultimate, big mean mama zombie spider. “Not today Satan, not today,” I utter, causing Zee and Jed to snort.

“Holy cow,” Aaden utters.

“Everyone out of the cave!” I holler. They rush out towards me as I scoot around the mouth of the cave, drawing out the scariest thing I have ever seen. “This is enough to feed my nightmares for decades,” I mumble as the thing snaps its six-foot jaws at Aaden’s retreating back. I run around the back of the cave. “Follow me,” I shout. “Duncan, stay at the back of the group, and get ready!”

“For what, Locks?” he questions.

I make a sharp circle over the hill and back to the cave’s entrance. The others blink at me, like I’ve gone mad. I point at the cave entrance. “Back inside.” A few annoyed huffs sound before they follow my orders. Duncan brings up the rear as instructed, I back towards the cave entrance with him at my side.

“Plan?” he asks.

We are about eight feet into the cave when the big mama makes her way to the entrance and spies at us with several ugly, half eaten eyeballs. “I’m going to need therapy,” I mutter as she steps into the cave with the sole focus of devouring us. I shout, “Collapse the entrance, Duncan. Now!”

I shoot lightning bolts at the ceiling, whilst he throws powerful balls of blue at the cave. Within seconds the cave’s entrance shifts, lurches, and collapses on top of big mama. An errant bone from one of its legs pokes from underneath some stones, it skitters towards me and bashes the tip of my boots. I reach down, pluck the sucker from the floor and pop it in my pocket. “What’s that for?” Duncan inquires.

“Proof,” I explain. A certain member of Hell has some explaining to do.

“So, how do you kill an unkillable zombie spider?” Jed mumbles.

I pat my pocket, settling the little squiggling bone. “You don’t, you trap the sucker.”

“And us along with it,” groans Uncle Charlie.

I shrug. “Another problem for after we’ve met this witch.”

Duncan puts a hand on my shoulder and pushes me further into the cave. “I wouldn’t worry. Natia passed the test. It will disappear back to wherever it came from now.”

After several minutes of stumbling through the dark cave, a flickering warm light appears in the distance, signaling life. Thank God, I thought this was a journey to the center of the Earth. Duncan’s tall frame blocks out the light before he moves around a corner and out of sight, Zee follows. The light becomes brighter as I reach the opening, a hand darts out from the left in offering. I take it and give Zee a small nod as I jump into the room, which resembles a circus tent. No dark, damp living quarters for this witch. She prefers bold fabrics in primary colors and plush giant cushions scattered on the floor in a circular pattern. A huge, glistening candle harbor takes center place on a low, mirrored silver table. The curtain at the back shifts, I brace myself for the horrid creature. After the zombie spiders, I’m a little apprehensive. A silky toned leg precedes the shift of black, sparkly fabric wrapped around a slim figure with tumbling, flame red hair. Green eyes lock onto mine as red lips curve in welcome.

“Good evening, Pandora,” she breathes. Nobody mentioned the witch was some kind of sex goddess with a voice that belongs in men’s dreams or on the end of a phone line. She glides towards the largest floor cushion and positions herself on it, showing ample leg. I glance at the men, who appear entranced by Marsha. She pats the red cushion to her left and arches an eyebrow.

“Sit, Pandora, so we can discuss your needs.”

“You’re not ugly,” I point out.

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