Page 11 of Stalked

The puddled liquid at the base of the tree turned from red to black, swirling clockwise and becoming thicker and thicker like molten lava, making it harder for me to walk as it closed tightly around my legs.

I looked ahead, and there stood a mausoleum in the center of a cemetery. I freed my legs from the thick, black lava and moved forward. As I approached the entryway, my legs inexplicably gave way, causing me to stumble through the door. I stood up and brushed the remaining thick liquid off my pants. I saw a black onyx coffin that sat at the center of the room and approached cautiously. The lid was opened slightly, and I peered inside, expecting to see a rotting corpse.

Instead, I saw a secret passageway that led down into a dark and mysterious tunnel. Wrought iron stairs were hooked to the top of the opening, but I couldn’t see how far down they went. I pushed the lid further open and lifted myself up to look deeper inside. Before I could peer all the way in, I felt a force grab me by the neck and push my body forward and into the coffin. I was nearing the bottom of the tunnel when my eyes shot open to the light coming in from my bedroom window.

“Holy shit!”

What the hell was that?

CHAPTER 4

WHILE SLOWLY SIPPINGmy coffee, my eyes honed in on the necklace dangling between my fingers and the note Lily had left me on my nightstand.

Mercy,

Happy early birthday! This gem is a family heirloom passed down to each firstborn female in our bloodline. The stone belonged to your mother. She had planned to give it to you right before your eighteenth birthday. I found it recently going through her storage. Please don’t be upset. It’s from me, not her.

The stone itself is called a jet stone, and the pentagram engraved on it is our family crest.

We are descendants of Salem witches, after all.

The pentagram is more than just a symbol of witchcraft. I know you don’t believe in all this, but I do, so giving it to you will mean the world to me. It also meant something to our family back then. They believed it had the power to protect them from evil as each point of the pentagram represented a different universal element: earth, air, water, fire, and spirit. Some history books spoke of the witches of Salem being able to harness powers drawn from those elements. Without those elements, magic would cease to exist.

Okay. I know what you’re thinking. Magic isn’t real. I get it. But the necklace is still a part of who we are. Whoyouare.

We all should believe in something, shouldn’t we? Wear it if not for you, then for me.

I love you,

Lily

I latched the necklace around my neck, then placed the gem against my chest, feeling the engraving between my fingers.

Maybe Lily just ran out of ideas on what to get me for my birthday.

Honestly, a case of beer would have been perfect.

Fresh out of the shower, I put on light makeup, pulled my thick hair into a wet ponytail, and headed downstairs to go into town.

The wind had picked up, causing the wooden deck to shake as I stepped outside.

A storm is coming.

As I walked under the oak tree next to our front yard fence, a leaf fell in front of my eyes, and for a moment, it drew me back to last night’s dream, wondering what it all meant.

Once I got into my car and secured my seatbelt, I turned on the radio, settling for the local rock station. I let the music drown out my thoughts about the tree from my dream as I pulled out of the driveway and onto the street.

I focused on the road straight ahead, narrowing my eyes to the white lines in the center of the two lanes. My mind zoned out, counting each line as I drove past them as if I were on autopilot. It didn’t feel as if I had an entire night’s sleep.

Moments before turning on Howland Drive, an animal dashed in front of my car so fast that I couldn’t quite make out what it was, but the distraction was enough that I swerved into the left lane and slammed on my brakes.

Fuck!

The wheels turned sharply to the right, but this only caused my car to spin around in circles.

I was going to crash!

My body was thrown hard into the steering wheel and then up against the window, smashing my head violently against the glass. Then, blackness.

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