Dead End: Midnight Hollow

by Penn Cassidy

  I still had that weird feeling from earlier—the feeling of someone nearby. So, I decided to get back to the aunties’ before this rain turned into a downpour.

  Closing the gates behind me, I looked down the road both ways. There was the Hangry Forest to my left, and Midnight Hollow to my right. I shivered, just looking at that dark tree line. I didn’t understand the feeling, but I could have sworn there was something in there with its eyes on me. I needed to get out of here and hoped Jessica somehow found her way back to the aunties’ house.

  I started walking, then full out sprinting as thunder crashed overhead. I had no realistic way of knowing how long I’d been out there, and the others were probably about to send out a search party. I was just passing Farmer Orson’s—or what used to be Farmer Orson’s land—when something shoved me from behind. Tumbling to the asphalt, I caught my fall with my palms, scraping my skin off.

  “What the hell?!” I yelped, flipping over and crawling backwards. My eyes scanned the area, but there was nobody there. “Who’s there?!” I shouted. The rain began to fall harder, and a freezing cold wind washed over my neck, almost painfully sharp. “I said, who’s there?!”

  Scrambling back, I shot to my feet and broke into a run. Just as I picked up speed, the wind did also, bringing with it a heavy rainfall that pelted me in the face and eyes until I was nearly blinded. I was running faster than I’d ever run before when I heard laughter in the wind. The cornfield blurred by as my head whipped left and right, catching on a flash of movement. Something was running really fucking fast through the cornstalks, keeping pace with me. Dread pooled in my stomach as the laughter grew louder. It wasn’t a voice I recognized. It was low and maniacal and all around me, even though I was running.

  Another shove in the back tried to push me down, but I managed to catch my balance and kept going as if my life depended on it, which I had a feeling it did. This time, though, I veered off the road and barreled my way into the cornstalks. I kept running in the same direction, hoping to make it into town. I had to catch my breath so I stopped running, bent over the waist with a stitch in my side.

  I could only hear my breathing, the thunder, and that was it. There was no sound of movement in the cornfield I was standing in, except for the slight breeze of the cornstalks rustling with the wind. It was too eerily quiet, and I felt something staring holes into my back. With my breath stilled in my chest, I looked over my shoulder and let out the loudest scream I’d ever made.

  Baggy, weathered clothing hung off its tall, skinny frame with hay sticking out of his dark brown buttoned jacket, and his face was covered in shadows with his wide brimmed hat obstructing my view.

  “Who are y-you?” I couldn’t even talk, my voice was trembling from cold, stark fear.

  Lightning struck as he lifted his head, a dirty brown fabric like burlap, and stared at me with crossed Xs for eyes made of black stitching and a mouth sewn shut. Its face was held together by more black thread, and I knew it was one of the scarecrows that I’d seen when we were first heading into town the night of the crash.

  He was just standing there motionless with his head tilted to the side. I was terrified to move a muscle, until another strike of lightning lit up the sky and I could see three more scarecrows standing a distance behind him in the cornstalks. All were holding short handled sickles with a reddish brown coloring rusting on the sharp curved end. I was pretty sure they weren’t for cutting down corn.

  I was going to die in a fucking field where no one would ever find me, scattered across it in pieces, perfect picking food for crows. That’s what got me moving. I knew they weren’t here to invite me to tea. It was a run or die moment.

  Cornstalks slapped my face, and the mud was growing thicker as the skies opened up, the floodgates spilling out. Soon, I was covered almost head to toe in it. The laughter kept popping up every few seconds in all different directions, followed by another hard shove to the ground. The scarecrows were attacking, and I was defenseless. I was starting to wish I’d been born a witch like my mother, and not a necromancer. What good did it do to supposedly control the dead when what you really needed was to fight back?

  Not that I’d even mastered how to control anything since bringing my friends back to life. I was floundering, and my vulnerability was coming back to haunt me. I should have known better than to go out on my own when there was still so much about this world we didn’t understand yet. It was risky, unnecessary, and stupid. I wished more than anything right now that I had one of the guys here with me. Norman with his super vampire speed, Freddy with his macho strength, or Jason and Michael with their strange magic. Even Maddie. She was a real witch, while I was just useless.

  Terror clawed at me as I frantically parted the cornstalks, but an ice cold tingle slipped up my fingers and arms. Glancing down as I ran, I yelped as I watched each and every cornstalk I touched wither and die, turning to little black dust particles.

  Holy shit, holy shit! Turn it off!

  I was shoved hard again when I came to the edge of the cornfield. The shove sent me flying forward, tumbling to the muddy ground, and all I could do was roll. My body was covered in cuts and bruises, and I was getting bone tired as my energy drained fast.

  There was a small road that cut through town, avoiding Main Street. It would bring me to the aunties’ house quicker than going through the usual way. Besides, I’d just create a spectacle if someone saw me like this. I didn’t know why the scarecrows weren’t really attacking me. I had a feeling they were only trying to spook me, and they were doing a bang up job. I felt like I was the star of Jeepers Creepers and it was only a matter of time before one of the scarecrows stopped messing around and cut me into little pieces, eating my eyeballs for dinner.

  There were tall flickering lanterns lining the streets as it turned into neighborhoods. I ran for my life down the tree covered street, in between houses and small shops. Street after street, I tripped and wheezed and cried, until finally, the aunties’ manor was in sight. I cried out, screaming for help. I hadn’t meant to do it, it just came out when I realized safety was so close. My scream echoed down the street, and I watched as every light in the manor flickered on.

  I fell to the ground, my legs collapsing under me as my strength to stand completely fled. My knees scraped against the asphalt and I tried to stifle the whimper that wanted to escape, but it was so painful that it couldn’t be helped. On my hands and knees, I crawled desperately towards the manor. I heard the sound of a wooden door clapping against a doorframe and the sudden stampede of feet. People were shouting, but they sounded so far away through the downpour.

  “October!” came a familiar, deep voice. I looked up to see Freedy barreling towards me. “October, what the fuck happened?!” He dropped to a squat, hooking his hands under my arms and hauling me up. “Talk to me, what happened?”

  Norman came up behind Freddy, eyes as black as the night sky, with veins of inky darkness slithering under his skin. His fangs were elongated, but at the sight of my blood, he seemed to be fighting a rage rather than hunger. Jason, Michael, and Maddie rushed up behind the two of them, circling me and blocking out the rain.

  I looked up at Freddy, who held me in his arms tightly. “Scarecrows—” I choked, trying to suppress a gag. The adrenaline was beginning to fade. “Scarecrows from the fields attacked me…don’t know why…didn’t hang around to find out,” I breathed in a rush.

  “I’m going to kill…fucker…” Freddy’s dark thoughts whispered through my mind. I smiled weakly at the venom in his protective tone.

  “What were you doing at the cemetery by yourself?” Norman seethed. “Are you stupid?!” Hurt and surprise lanced through me.

  Jason suddenly shoved Norman to the side. “Not the right time, dumbass. Can’t you see she’s fucking hurt?” He looked at me, and his gaze softened. “How bad is it?”

  Surprised by the tenderness in his voice, I let myself relax in Freddy’s arms. “It hurts. I think my finger is broken, but I’ll
be okay.”

  Freddy started shaking. His arms were vibrating under my back, and I looked up, my eyes widening as his skin seemed to undulate. Something sharp poked me in the side, and I yelped. Jason was there in an instant, scooping me from Freddy’s arms in less than a heartbeat.

  “Dude, get ahold of yourself,” Michael muttered, placing a hand on Freddy’s shoulder, but Freddy yanked his arm away and literally growled at Michael like a wild beast. His face was twisted up in a snarl, and his eyes flickered to a bright yellow that reflected the moons, the whites fading completely.

  The clacking of heels ran up on us. “Move aside!” urged Auntie Pip. She shoved everyone out of the way with a snap of her fingers. Her orange curls were wild, and her robes slapped against her legs in sopping wet layers, the colorful shimmer of the rainbow reflecting off her robes from the moonlight with each step she took. Just seeing her face had me breathing easier. Clicking her tongue down at me, she said, “Oh, dear, we need to get some tonic in you.”

  Auntie Fe beside us was staring at Freddy with a pucker between her brows. “It’s the change, dear. Your wolf is coming out. You need to control the anger and let yourselves become one.”

  Freddy’s yellow eyes flickered to Auntie Fe, filled with equal parts fear and anger and confusion. He tried to say something back, but cried out a second later in agony as we all watched in horror. I truly felt helpless at the moment, as rippling pain came over him. His jaw lengthened, and his skin fell off in gruesome chunks of flesh as sprouts of hair seemed to take over his whole body. The sound of bones cracking filled the silent, rainy night, and I shrunk closer to Jason’s chest. I could feel his hands shaking as he watched Freddy morph into something that wasn’t human.

  The entire change happened in less than five seconds, but it felt like a millenia. Where Freddy once stood, there was now a massive creature with a curved, pronounced spine, long, muscled legs, and claw tipped hands that looked sharp enough to kill. It had a wolfish head with bright yellow eyes. He tipped his head back, sniffing the air with a snarl, and whipped around to growl at us. His skin was covered in a greyish black fur that looked coarse to the touch.

  I knew what he was immediately. A werewolf, the very opposite of his vampire twin. I’d done this to him. My necromancy had turned him into a monster. Freddy howled, tipping his head towards the moons, and everyone staggered back a step. I had no idea how much of my Freddy was still inside there or if he was about to attack all of us.

  He looked like he was ready to snap, so Jason carried me a few feet away until I was straining over his shoulder to see Freddy. Auntie Fe said, “Go, Freddy. Your wolf wants to find the danger, and you’ll only turn back if you seek it out. Let it guide you.”

  “We’ll take care of her,” Norman said, meeting his brother’s eyes. Freddy stilled, but I could tell he was itching to run away and find the scarecrows that had attacked me. “Go,” Norman added.

  Freddy howled again and took off in a dead run, dropping to all fours. He sprinted out into the dark, through the rain and wind, until he was disappearing around the corner. My heart lurched, wanting to go find him. It was my fault he was going through this, and it was my fault for going to the cemetery alone. I buried my face in Jason’s chest, trying to keep the tears at bay. Fingers stroked over my wet hair.

  “Let’s get inside before we catch our deaths, so to speak,” Auntie Pip said with a clap of her hands, ushering us all back towards the house.

  I looked up from Jason’s chest and saw Maddie walking beside us. She offered me a small smile, then looked at Jason and back to me again before winking exaggeratedly. In any other situation, I would have rolled my eyes. Trust Maddie to see the benefits of this dire situation.

  We filed into the house, and warmth enveloped me. The aunties bustled off to the kitchen, Fe mumbling something about a tonic, while Jason practically sprinted with me up the stairs and down the hallway towards my bedroom. Norman and Michael tagged along with us, and I was beginning to feel a little nervous with all of their attention suddenly on me.

  The last year had seriously jaded me. I constantly expected them to try and pull some kind of prank, or to say something scathing just to piss me off. But as Jason kicked open my door, Michael rushed to the bed and yanked back my black bed sheets. Norman went to my standing wardrobe, opened one of the drawers inside, and pulled out an oversized T-shirt. I wondered idly how the hell he still knew his way around my room after not having been here for over a year.

  I didn’t want to be set down sopping wet on my duvet. “I need to shower, just let me… Just for a little bit,” I whispered to Jason, hoping he would understand I needed a few moments alone.

  He was reluctant to set me down, but Michael went ahead and started the shower for me until steam filled the room. I watched him walk out of the bathroom, pushing back his silver hair with a small smile. His eyes averted and he cleared his throat awkwardly, probably feeling just as weird as me right now. Everything felt awkward. There were so many unspoken things between us. In the end, I finally convinced Jason to let me bathe myself.

  I didn’t know if they left or not, but as soon as I stood under the spray, I let out the world’s longest sigh. I scrubbed at my hair and skin, but winced because I was pretty sure my finger was indeed broken. I must have bent it wrong while falling to the asphalt one too many times. The shock had completely worn off so I was beginning to feel each and every cut and bruise on my body, and I still shivered from the cold, even though the water ran piping hot.

  There was a knock on my bathroom door, and I went tense, calling out, “Yeah?”

  The door squeaked open. “How are you feeling?” Maddie asked. I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Not gonna lie,” I said, wincing as I tried to shut the water off, “I’ve seen better days.”

  Maddie snorted. “I figured,” she said. “The aunties sent up a tonic that should heal you. I left it on the bedside table.”

  My nose wrinkled as I asked, “Pip didn’t make it, did she?” My mind flickered through the horrendous concoctions I’d been forced to drink over the years.

  Maddie laughed for real this time, saying, “Oh hell no! Trust me, I watched the whole time, this was all Fe. We’re trying to heal you, not kill you.”

  Once the water was off, I grabbed a towel from the hook and tried to dry myself off. “Thanks, Mads.”

  “Don’t thank me. Thank those boys out there lighting candles and shit in your room.”

  I sucked in a horrified breath. “What?!”

  Maddie snorted. “So…yeah, I’m gonna get some shut eye. See ya in the morning!”

  “Maddie don’t you dare leave—”

  She was gone, door shutting with an audible click. I grumbled as I dried myself off, wincing as I tried to wring out my long hair. After changing into a clean Corpse Bride shirt that reached my upper thighs and brushing my hair out, I decided it was time to face the music.

  I crept out of the bathroom, first peeking around the door, but my room was blissfully empty. I let out a breath, walking into my candle-lit bedroom. Maddie wasn’t lying. Someone had lit pretty much every single candle in my bedroom, and I had a lot of them. The room was cast in a warm orange glow and smelled like spiced apple cider. Rain pelted my bedroom window, and the covers of my black duvet were pulled back invitingly.

  I took a moment to look around my familiar bedroom, and my attention settled on my vanity. It was a small, black, clawfoot table with an ornate oval mirror. It belonged to my mother when she was my age, and was passed down to me after she died. On top was a little snow globe. Every year since I was two years old, my dad had given me a snowglobe for my birthday. Most of them played music or lit up in some way. He found them in antique stores, and I always looked forward to adding to my collection. This particular one had a small jack-o'-lantern in the very center of it, modeled after the TV show, Halloween Town, that I used to secretly watch when my parents weren't paying attention.

  I found out one year that
my parents had known the whole time that I was sneaking certain TV shows and spooky movies, and my dad had surprised me with this special snowglobe for my fifteenth birthday. I stared at it now with an ache in my heart. Something hollow sat in my chest the more I watched the little black flecks of confetti sitting idly at the bottom of the globe.

  Picking it up, I turned it upside down, letting the confetti fall towards the top of the glass, and twisted the little golden winding key. Immediately, my quiet bedroom was filled with soft tinkling music. I still couldn’t identify the exact song that it was playing, but it was beautiful, haunting, and kind of spooky, and it calmed me down after the chaos of the night.

  Climbing into bed with the lovely music in the background, I settled back into my pillow, reaching out for the hot mug of steaming tonic next to the bed. I gave it a cautionary sniff and shrugged as I smelled nothing but licorice root and a hint of ginger. In my head, I told myself this was just tea, but after watching the aunties cooking up potions and spells, I was positive it was about to be more potent than any tea I’d ever had.

  Well…as long as it doesn't turn me into a toad or something… Bottoms up.

  I held in a choked gag as I drank deeply. I was right, it was fucking potent. The spice went right up my nostrils, and I fought to swallow every gulp. Trying to breathe, I finished off every last drop and slammed the mug down on the nightstand. The hot tonic burned my throat, but almost immediately, I began to feel its effects. Where my muscles had been screaming before and my cuts stinging, there was only smooth, if a little reddened skin. I felt a jerking motion in my finger and looked down in amazement as my bone righted itself right before my eyes, without the pain to go along with it.

  Shaking my head, I glanced warily at the empty cup, suddenly wondering what other things that tonic had healed. How far did the magic go? If I had a brain tumor I didn’t know about, would it have healed it? Or what about some crazy blood disease…or a pimple… I suddenly needed to know if it could chase away menstrual cramps.