Payback's a Witch

by Constance Barker

  It felt like too long had passed when I heard them laughing walking towards the house. “I can’t believe you let a bird freak you out,” Dave teased.

  “I didn’t,” Christine protested.

  “How are you going to make it through the Hellman house if you can’t handle a little bird?” Bruno continued to poke fun. I waited until they were almost at the entrance and then swooped in on them. The screech I made was enough to startle them. I used a talon to tear the camera from Bruno’s hands. Swooping right I gripped onto Christine’s hair pulling it enough to hurt but not so much that it ripped out. A small dip left and a little scratch to Dave’s outstretched arms.

  The trio yelled and screamed the entire time I flew at them. It was fun to scare them a bit, but really, I was doing it for their own good. Christine’s blonde hair and blue eyes would have been a death sentence for her. It might have even been one for the other two had they gone inside with her or tried to protect her.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Christine cried as she pulled the boys by their arms to the street.

  “We can come back later,” Dave agreed, scrambling to follow her. Bruno didn’t say anything but had catapulted himself in front of them both. “That bird is crazy.”

  I stood in front of the house pacing, attempting to look like I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Once they were out of sight, I followed them to their van. They piled inside but didn’t drive away. They would try to go back. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be while I was back with Vana.

  Chapter Ten

  It turned out to be incredibly anti-climactic when Peter called the council. Night had fallen already, and in a small town like this everyone was either in their jammies already or eating a late dinner. After making all the phone calls, it was clear no one was about to leave the comfort of their homes tonight. Peter refused to tell us who else was on the council, guarding the secret closely. He only mentioned Sam and himself. The other three members were a mystery. There was little sense in his secrecy, considering that we would meet them all soon, and their names would likely mean little to us. Still, we decided not to press him.

  “I can’t believe people think their family dinners are more important than life and death,” Winnie said astonished. We sat outside of the station waiting for Devon to drive us back to Nan’s. It took a lot of convincing to get Winnie to agree to get back into the car. The promise of a new eye-patch and a week of coffee’s when we got back to Nikatomia was enough.

  “Small towns,” I shrugged with a shake of my head. It was beyond me as well, but it felt like a very small-town thing. They moved slower than the rest of the world. To them, they didn’t see a threat that needed to be dealt with immediately. It could wait until tomorrow. I just hoped that they were right. “I wonder if Alan was able to keep those kids out of the house.” Those kids were probably not much younger than myself or Winnie, or even Devon, but they sure seemed a lot younger to me. Sometimes I felt ancient, like I’d lived more than one lifetime already.

  “I’m sure he was,” Winnie snorted. “He can scare the snot out of anyone if he wants to.” On more than one occasion, Alan hid in small crevasses only to pop out and scare the eye-patch off of Winnie.

  “They could have been prepared for a scare though,” I worried. “They were going to a haunted house after all.”

  “Not a scare like Alan, though.” Winnie crossed her arms. “Where is Devon?” She wondered. The deputy hadn’t come out of the station yet. Peter and Carol had already left, they too wanting to turn in or share dinner with their families. As she spoke, I sensed that Alan was on his way back from the house, hopefully successful.

  “I was worried about you,” he said as he landed between Winnie and I on the bench we were sitting on.

  “No need,” I waved my hand through the air. “I can look after myself.” Winnie let out a small cough. “And, I have Winnie here.”

  “Those idiots in the van are frightened off for now,” he said, instead of responding to my dismissal of his worry. It was a fruitless endeavor anyway. We all worried about one another, even though we were also all capable of taking care of ourselves.

  “I told her you'd be able to scare them away.” Winnie smiled smugly at me.

  “I don’t know how long they’ll stay away,” Alan admitted. He didn’t like leaving a job half done.

  “Don’t worry ‘bout that,” Devon said exiting the station. He was still in his uniform, with his gun holstered around his waist. I’d think this was normal, if the sheriff hadn’t changed into plain clothes and locked his gun up before leaving. Clearly Devon didn’t think it was time to clock out yet. “I’m gonna stay on the road by the house, keep an eye on the place.”

  “Alone?” Winnie asked. She sounded both impressed and concerned at the same time. Devon couldn’t help but blush a little before clearing his throat and nodding. No one could resist Winnie’s charm.

  “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. One dead girl is enough,” He shrugged. Instantly I felt guilty, we should be right there with him watching the house too. The last thing I wanted was to stay up all night though. Witch needs her beauty sleep.

  “We can’t let you do that by yourself,” I said reluctantly. “Alan scared the kids off for a while. Before spending the night watching the place, we all need to eat, and I wouldn’t mind changing.”

  “And showering,” Winnie wrinkled her nose as she ran a hand through her hair. It looked nearly perfect to me, but apparently it wasn't to her.

  “I’ll bring you to Nan’s, and go watch the house,” he insisted. “I’ll come get you when you're ready.”

  “We can get there on our own,” I said, not wanting to have to bargain my very soul to get Alan and Winnie back into the car. “You should rest a bit though.”

  “I’ll grab some food on the way and be rested when you show up.” Devon was about as stubborn as I was. It was a fair enough compromise though, and my stomach growled loudly, so I gave in. “I’ll drive slow,” he said to Winnie as she stared at the car with a grimace.

  “Might be better if you drive fast.” She got in gingerly. Alan swooped in and sat on the floor. If he could keep from seeing the outside world it was easier for him. A motion sick bird was the last thing I’d expect, but somehow flying didn’t bother him the way the motion of a car did.

  “I WAS WONDERING WHEN you would be back,” Nan greeted us as we went inside. I felt the same sense of relief and safety as I had when we first got there. It was a comfort, and I realized I had been on edge. It was like I could finally breathe.

  “We’re only here for a bit, unfortunately.” I wished we could stay. Winnie didn’t share my appreciation of Nan’s place. She found it stuffy and claimed it smelled of old person. “Just dinner and a quick change of clothes.”

  “I have some leftovers.” Nan was already back in the kitchen, taking out Tupperware. Before we even reacted, she had it on plates and heating in the microwave. I hadn’t meant for her to make us dinner, but I wasn’t going to complain about it either. In a moment the entire house smelled like onions and garlic. It was some kind of chicken dish with rice, so delicious that I didn’t care what was in it. Nan had the forethought to even make a plate for Alan. Clearly, she had noticed the bird pecking at pizza the other day. Both Winnie and Alan enjoyed the meal as much as I had. A sign of a great meal was the hush that fell over everyone as they ate it.

  “I’m going to shower,” Winnie said after taking a moment to appreciate how full she was. “I suggest you do the same.”

  “Thanks, mom,” I replied.

  “How was your day?” Nan asked. I had the feeling she was more comfortable with me than with Winnie. That or she knew that Winnie wasn’t very comfortable there. “Fighting crime and all that?” She absently stroked Alan while she spoke. I think I heard him purr. Crazy bird.

  “It was long,” I said honestly. There wasn’t much else I could explain to the woman. Nan was sweet, but that didn’t mean I was going to let her in on our secret o
r blurt everything out to her. She understood that no more could be said and didn’t ask any further questions. “I think I’m going to catch a few minutes rest while Winnie is in the shower. It’s going to be a long night too.” Nan smiled understandingly.

  “Pulling overnight duty?” She asked. I wondered if maybe her husband had been a cop. This whole thing seemed so routine to her, maybe she herself was even in law enforcement at one point.

  “Yeah, we’re trying to keep people away from the Hellman house,” I explained...that much I could tell her.

  “It’s not a very nice place,” Nan admitted with a sigh. “I don’t believe in the ghost stories, but I do know that more than one person has been killed in or near that house. I think it brings out the evil in people. As if they feel like it’s okay because Andrew Hellman allowed his evil out into the world. It’s a shame people treat it like a tourist attraction now.”

  “It’s also an active crime scene,” I added. I stood to wash my plate before going to rest. Knowing Winnie and how long she liked her showers, I had a bit of time.

  “Leave that,” Nan said, shooing me away with her hands. I tried to protest but she cut me off. “Leave them, go rest. You need it more than I do.” She winked at me while taking the plate from my hands. Alan seemed happy to stay with her in the kitchen. He had even dozed a bit with her soft petting.

  “Thank you.” I felt guilty but knew I wouldn’t win that battle. I was also bone weary and wanted to sleep a bit. I didn’t even remember my head hitting the pillow before Winnie woke me once she was out of the shower.

  “Better move fast,” she said pulling a brush through her wet hair. It glistened a deep auburn. “We should be out there soon. I don’t want Devon alone for too long.” There was an amount of genuine concern to her voice. She must actually like him a bit. Winnie had a habit of falling in love with people easily, that’s why she flirted with just about everyone.

  “Gee, thanks,” I said getting up, wiping away some water that her hair splattered on me. “Clean up in here, will you?” I asked looking around at the mess of clothes on the floor. None of which were mine, I might add.

  “Sure thing, boss,” Winnie replied cheekily. With a snap of her fingers her clothes were crawling themselves across the floor to her pack. The bedspreads did the same as they made themselves.

  “I’ll only be a few minutes,” I said. I was much more utilitarian than Winnie was and would be ready in a quarter of the time.

  I was eating my words as soon as I turned on the hot water. It felt so good I never wanted to leave. Droplets of water splashed on my face as I stood there, almost drifting back to sleep. I shook my head and gently smacked my own face to wake myself up. With a quick shampoo and body wash I hopped out. I pulled on a new set of clothes, still shades of brown, my usual uniform. Winnie was dressed in head to toe black, even her eye patch was plain for once. Not in her typical tailored trousers and fitted button up with a matching jacket, she looked unlike herself. Too relaxed in cargo pants and a black t-shirt, it took me a moment to realize that she was wearing my clothes.

  “When did I lend you those?” I asked, indignant.

  “You’ve never worn them.” I couldn’t argue the contrary. Even though the all black ensemble was nearly exactly what I was wearing now, I never put it on. I was too comfortable in my brown to switch it up, even a little.

  “Why are you wearing them?”

  “Well, I have to admit, they’re pretty darn comfortable. I can actually move in these things.” She kicked out a leg high into the air to demonstrate.

  “It’s amazing what you can do when your clothes aren’t cut to restrict your movement, isn’t it?” I teased, but instead of taking any offense Winnie nodded her sincere agreement. “Ready?” I asked.

  “Born ready,” she replied with a grin. She seemed ready for action, though I hoped the most we would do is tell some kids to scram.

  Alan was sitting with Nan watching television. Nan was back in her recliner, with Alan perched next to her on the arm rest. Instead of a crappy television show, she was watching the news. “Have you seen this?” She asked us as we entered the living room.

  “Seen what?” I asked, but the news answered my question. An anchor stood in front of a formidable looking brick building – a mental institution. Ticking across the bottom was a report on Adam Hillman. Apparently, he had broken out and was missing. There was a man hunt underway and he was considered dangerous. The institution had kept his disappearance quiet, in fear of being shut down, until the news finally reported on Allison Greenaway. It looked like the council already had their scapegoat in play. “Don’t believe a thing.”

  “I don’t,” Nan shook her head. She looked like she might say something else but thought better of it. “Well, you be careful out there.” It was a gentle dismissal. Alan flew to my shoulder and we headed out. This time we’d fly there, avoid any more nausea.

  “That’s the council's doing?” Winnie asked as we glided through the air.

  “I think so,” I said with a sigh. “They’ll need someone to blame other than themselves or a ghost.” I didn’t even suppose that Adam had actually broken out. He was probably still locked away inside, the victim of a lie and his family tree.

  Chapter Eleven

  Devon was dozing off in his car when we got there. He hadn’t lied about getting food though, wrappers surrounded him as he snored softly.

  “Oh geez!” He shouted after I tapped gently on the window. Winnie giggled silently at him. Recognition crossed his face and he chuckled at himself, opening the door. “I’m glad it’s you and not someone with an ax”

  “Any activity?” I asked getting into the back seat. Winnie had already taken the front. She was much happier to be inside a car when it wasn’t moving.

  “You’ve got a little something,” Winnie said pointing to the corner of Devon’s mouth. A spot of mustard was stuck there. He blushed and took a napkin, wiping it. Still just waking up, he looked around for the first time, seeing the mess of wrappers. Hastily he tidied them, up the blush on his face deepening as he did so.

  “Nothin’,” Devon shook his head, answering my question. “Either people are seeing the car and backing off, or this is a waste of time.” He looked chagrined about this too. As though he had convinced or forced us to watch the house over night for nothing.

  “Not a waste of time,” Winnie assured him. “If it might keep someone alive.” Devon gave her a quick smile. I settled in for a long night. If no one was coming, that was a good thing, but it would make for an entirely uninteresting night. Alan had opted not to get into the car and was hopping around outside. He’d rather have the freedom of movement the outside gave him. Probably wanted to stretch his wings a bit.

  “Alan will act as an early alarm system,” I explained to Devon. Sleep was beckoning all of us, even Winnie. “If anything comes our way, he’ll make sure we’re awake in time to stop it.” Alan didn’t need much sleep, the nap he’d taken at Nan’s was more than enough rest for him. I was never sure if this was a part of his training, or if that was just natural for ravens. Either way it was useful.

  “You’re sure?” Devon asked. He was accepting of Alan’s ability to speak, but not his intelligence. No matter how sharp I thought Devon was, Alan was probably smarter. On a bad day, Alan was likely smarter than me and Winnie.

  “I’m sure,” I nodded. “We should just rest until we can’t anymore.” I was leaning back in my seat with my eyes closed. If I wasn’t mistaken Winnie’s snores were softly drifting already. Devon seemed reluctant, but with Winnie and I falling asleep I doubted he would stay up for long.

  “CAW!” ALAN’S VOICE came down like glass shattering. I jumped up to see him banging against the window with his beak repeatedly cawing at me and my companions. I scooted to the door opening it. Alan flew in quickly. “Close it,” he ordered.

  “What’s goin’ on?” Devon asked as I slammed the door shut.

  “There’s someone out there,” Alan
said. His eyes were wide with fear, I pulled him close and stroked his feathers to try and calm him. He shook me off. “It’s definitely not those kids, either.”

  “So what is it?” I asked a little offended he hadn’t accepted my comfort.

  “I think it’s Andrew Hellman,” he said, which explained the terror on his beck face. Animals had instincts that humans didn’t, they could sense the unnatural. Being witches, Winnie and I could also sense the unnatural, but not as acutely as an animal could.

  “We should try,” Winnie said seriously. “If we get him now, we can bypass all this council stuff and get out of here. Sure, we’d have to hold him for a bit and lay low until the full moon, but we could do it.” It was like she forgot that Devon was sitting in the car with us. Hopefully, it sounded like nonsense to him.

  “What do you mean?” He asked, looking between the two of us.

  “Let’s go,” I agreed. We only wanted to do the ritual to bring the spirit forward, if that was already done then we could move on. A quick but effective binding spell would do the trick, and then we could put him in a vessel until it was time to go back to Nikatomia.

  “What’s going on?” Devon asked. Winnie and I had already clamored out of the car and walked towards the house. The deputy followed us, nothing short of physically holding him back or magic would keep him from going with us. I didn’t mind, we might be able to use him as a distraction.

  “I wished we were more prepared,” Winnie worried as we got closer to the house. Deep wails permeated the silent night air. They were coming from inside. Each wail sent a shiver down my spine.

  “We can do this,” I assured her. “This is our job, this is why we’re here.” As the boss, it was my job to make sure my words were actually true.

  Alan flew with us, though he seemed like he’d rather stay in the car. It was unlike him to be so frightened. Usually he laughed in the face of terror. That wasn’t the case today, which was setting my teeth on edge. It made me worry that maybe we weren’t prepared for what awaited us inside. The wails grew stronger as we got closer. They didn’t sound otherworldly, or even angry as I would have expected. They sounded profoundly sad, like the sobs of a lost man who knew they’d never be found. A complete departure from everything we knew to be true about Andrew Hellman.