Witches of Dark Rock

by Tim Miller

  A tear ran down her face as she held Regina’s head in her lap. Black and empty eyes looked up at her. Summer came from behind the truck and knelt down.

  “Oh my God,” Summer said. “No!” she cried.

  Angela knew what she had to do. Ever since she’d met Regina, the girl had been special. It was obvious to her from the moment she’d first walked in to Angela’s store. The basic spells and such she had taught her; Regina was a natural at picking them up. She was a natural because some were born with the gift of magic. Angela had been, but not like Regina. She’s known thousands of witches in her life, some had been naturals and others all taught. But Regina had far more potential than anyone she’d ever met.

  In the time they’d been together, Angela was careful not to teach her too much too soon. With her ability, it could be hard to control. So for now, she hadn’t told her who or what she was. Now she wished she had, and she would. Angela placed the palm of her hand over the tattoo on her chest and placed the other over Regina’s charred rib cage.

  Closing her eyes, Angela repeated a chant she’d heard used many years ago. This spell was one of the oldest in the world, and one of the most dangerous if not used properly. Once she repeated the spell, she felt her chest warm up where the heart tattoo began to throb. It burned hotter and hotter as the burning went into her shoulder, down her arm and into her other hand.

  After a moment, Regina’s chest began to pulsate. Angela took her hand away to see the heart tattoo was now on Regina’s rib cage. It was also no longer on Angela’s body. In an instant, Regina’s body and limbs began to fill with blood and tissue as her cells regenerated. Summer’s eyes widened as she looked to Angela and back to Regina.

  “What’s happening? What did you do?” she asked.

  “I’m saving her,” Angela said.

  Muscle tissue reformed around Regina’s bones as organs and fluids began to fill her body. The last thing, skin began to form, starting at her toes and working evenly and steadily up to her waist, her chest and face. Finally her hair grew out to shoulder length. Her eyes flickered open as she sat up.

  “What happened?” Regina said.

  “Oh my God! It worked!” Summer squealed as she hugged Regina who was looking at herself.

  Angela smiled and watched, as Regina looked at her.

  “Was I dead?” Regina asked.

  “Yes you were. But never again,” Angela said.

  Regina’s eyes went down to Angela’s chest. Her eyes registered when she saw Angela’s tattoo was gone. Looking down at her own chest, she saw the large anatomical heart tattoo glowing bright red.

  “It was always yours,” Angela said. “I was just keeping it for you until you were ready. Now you’re ready. You’ve always been the strong one,” she said before everything went black as she collapsed. Dead.

  Chapter 23

  “Angela? Angela? Wake up!” Regina cried. “What happened?” She looked at Summer whose eyes were filled with tears. Regina was cradling Angela’s head while shaking her. “What just happened?”

  “She gave her life for you.”

  “Why? Why would she do that?”

  “You were dead, Regina. Your body was burned to a crisp. It was awful. She saved you.”

  “I don’t understand. I thought she couldn’t die,” Regina said. Her mind was fuzzy from having been deceased, even for just a few moments. Her brain had literally been fried. All she remembered was the pain getting so intense and then passing out. But she hadn’t passed out, she’d died. Waking up and watching Angela dying was plenty confusing, though it took her a few minutes just to figure out where she was.

  “She gave you her heart,” Summer said pointing at the heart tattoo between Regina’s breasts. Behind Summer, Merle was peering out from behind the truck. She stood and realized she was naked. Walking over to Merle, he turned away from her as she approached.

  “You’re naked,” he said.

  “You’re gay and I’m a girl. Get over it. What are you doing?” she asked as he began to kneel down.

  “I’m praying for the Lord to deliver me from this nightmare. And asking forgiveness for dabbling in the occult. I saw what happened. You were a piece of charcoal. And she brought you back to life like that. That’s not of God! That’s the dev—“ he stopped as she slapped him across the face.

  “Shut up already! We still have work to do. You can either stay here or go run off, but the way this is going you won’t have anywhere to run to.”

  “I’m sorry. I...”

  “Just go. The sentinel is here. I’ll face him. You’ll just be in the way. But give me your jacket.”

  “My what?”

  “Your jacket that you’re wearing from your suit. I’m going to cover Angela’s body with it.”

  “This is a six hundred dollar jacket!”

  “Merle!”

  He jumped when she shouted his name, took a step back and stripped the jacket off and handed it to her.

  Merle climbed into the pickup and backed away, turned around and drove off. Regina turned and watched as Zachary repeatedly fired fireballs at the sentinel who just batted them away like they were nothing. Each time, the fire ball would fly into another building or vehicle. Zachary was backpedalling becoming visibly shaken as nothing he fired at the sentinel would work.

  The large creature crept toward Zachary. The thing appeared to be toying with him. There was nothing stopping him from charging Zachary and ripping him in half. It almost seemed to be laughing at him each time Zachary tried some new attack.

  “What are you gonna do?” Summer asked.

  “I’m going to see what happens. Maybe they’ll destroy each other.”

  “It doesn’t look like it. Looks like the sentinel can’t be hurt.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of,” Regina said.

  The sentinel must have gotten bored as it charged Zachary who turned and began running finally. They were almost a hundred feet from the girls when Zachary tripped and fell. The sentinel picked him up as if he were a rag doll. Zachary kicked and flailed but the beast ripped one of his arms off and flung it aside. Blood sprayed out of the opening as Zachary screamed.

  The creature tore his other arm off and waved it around as Zachary continued to scream and kick. The sentinel threw him to the ground and Zachary fell flat on his face. He looked up at the girls, pleading for help with his eyes. Regina wasn’t about to help that asshole. She watched as the sentinel walked up behind him and stomped on his head, busting Zachary’s skull open like a melon. Blood and brains spilled onto the road.

  The sentinel stood over the body and knelt down. With its large hands, it scooped up a handful of brains and stuffed it into its mouth. Regina looked on with shock and horror as she watched the large thing eat Zachary’s brains as if he were eating a bowl of ice cream. Once he finished, he stood, looked at the girls and let out a roar and began moving toward them.

  “Regina, it’s coming this way,” Summer said.

  “I know.”

  “What do we do?”

  “I’m not sure,” Regina said. The tattoo on her chest began to feel warm and pulsate. She looked down and saw that it was glowing red.

  “What does that mean?” Summer asked. “Angela used to do that too.”

  “I know. I don’t know what it is. I’m not doing anything; it’s just doing it.”

  “That thing is getting closer,” Summer said.

  “I know. May as well just go after it.”

  “What?”

  “Stay here,” Regina ordered.

  Without replying, Regina began walking toward the creature. Even though Regina was inexperienced herself, she knew Angela had just equipped her to fight this monster. Summer was in no way ready for such a thing. She was the youngest both by age and experience. Regina would have to face this thing herself. The tattoo heated up even warmer as she got closer. From behind she heard Summer calling to her.

  “Regina! You’re naked!”

  Regina was
fully aware she had no clothes on, but somehow it seemed fitting. She had just been burned away and reborn in a matter of speaking. Not only that, but she was about to face off using magic against an ancient and supernatural creature. Somehow being naked in such a battle seemed appropriate. Before now, she had always been self-conscious of her body. She wasn’t shy, but wasn’t an exhibitionist either.

  As it came closer, the beast was much larger than it appeared from a distance. It towered over Regina, but she tried to remain strong. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath. The heat from the tattoo intensified. She could feel it all the way through her chest and even on her real heart. As she opened her eyes, the creature was only a few feet in front of her, looking at her curiously. Looking away from the creature and down at her chest, the tattoo was now glowing white hot. She was ready.

  Chapter 24

  Merle pulled up to his house and ran inside. Gladys was passed out on the couch and snoring as he ran into the bedroom and grabbed a suitcase and stuffed it full of clothes as fast as he could. Gladys stirred from the other room calling out to him.

  “Merle? Is that you?”

  “Yeah. I’m packing a bag.”

  “For what?”

  He closed the suitcase and ran into the living room where Gladys was sitting on the couch with her house coat on.

  “It’s not safe here. We have to leave town.”

  “I don’t understand. What about the church? What’s not safe?”

  “Will you shut up and get dressed! We are leaving! Now!” he screamed.

  She jumped up and scurried into the bedroom. After a few minutes she came back wearing a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Her hair was unkempt, sticking out in different directions. She didn’t seem to notice or care. He walked to the door and they headed to her Mercedes. He threw the case into the trunk and they drove off.

  As he drove, he could see the fires in his rearview mirror.

  “What’s burning?” Gladys asked.

  “Everything.” He sped out of town toward the city limits. Gladys continued to talk asking all sorts of questions. He ignored her as he tried to think of exactly where they were going. Just before they reached the city limit sign, the car began to sputter and shake before stalling out in the middle of the road.

  “What the hell?” he said, looking at the fuel gauge.

  “Are we out of gas?”

  “No. The tank is full. Shit.”

  He got out of the car, ran to the trunk and grabbed the suitcase. His chest tightened as panic began to set in. The car dying had to be mechanical failure. It couldn’t be anything else. That couldn’t be possible. Though he’d summoned a freaking demon earlier, he hadn’t thought that possible. But that had to be it. That monster had to be the result of his earlier actions.

  “Merle? What’s going on?” Gladys said from the car.

  “I don’t know. Come on. We have to go.”

  “Go where? You’re acting crazy. You just want me to walk?”

  “Just come on!” he shouted. She was really getting on his nerves. Part of him wondered why he didn’t just leave her. Chances are she wasn’t in any actual danger herself. At least she was only in danger because she was with him. Part of him just didn’t want to be alone, even if it meant both of their deaths.

  She slowly climbed out of the car and stumbled toward him. Before she could reach him, the ground began shaking beneath their feet. Merle stumbled backward as Gladys fell flat on her ass.

  “Is that an earthquake? I didn’t know we got earthquakes!” Gladys asked.

  “I don’t know. It feels like one.” He tried to prop himself up on the suitcase, but still fell over. As he pulled himself to his feet, the ground began to split open and separate. The paved road broke away like a piece of paper being ripped in two

  The crack opened almost ten feet wide as Merle jumped out of the way just in time. Gladys wasn’t nearly as quick. In her half drunk, hung-over state, the fissure opened wide, swallowing her into the earth before she ever knew what was happening. Merle lunged for her but was too late. She screamed as she vanished into the chasm.

  “Gladys!” Merle called out, but she was gone. He leaned over the edge to look but it seemed to go on forever. There was just a pit of blackness at the center of the opening. He sat back and looked around as something rumbled beneath the surface. This time a white hot flame burst out of the opening. He jumped back as the fire formed around him and began to take shape. Merle was shaking from head to toe. The last time something took shape, it was the smoke forming into the sentinel. This time the fire took the shape of a man, but remained in flames.

  “Merle Bannerman,” the voice said. The flaming man towered over Merle who sat upright on the ground, terrified to move.

  “Y-y-es?” Merle answered.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Um. I was afraid. I was leaving. I didn’t think it would be safe.”

  “You’re right. It’s not safe as your poor wife just learned,” the thing said.

  “Where is she? Is she dead?”

  “Worse. She’s in Hell, where she’ll remain. Her suffering will now be our pleasure.”

  “No! Please! She hasn’t hurt anyone. Let me take her place please? I deserve it.”

  “Oh. Now the honorable one are we?”

  “Please? You’re going to take me to Hell anyway aren’t you?”

  “Perhaps. You owe us. You summoned us my taking the oath. You made a pact and sealed it in your own blood.”

  “I didn’t mean to. I just didn’t want to like men anymore.”

  “Your intent is irrelevant,” the thing said. Its voice was soft, yet firm. Merle found it incredibly frightening.

  “Are you going to kill me?”

  “You are going to help us. You could be of great use to us.”

  “Why would I help you?”

  “Because you have no choice and because you are weak,” the thing said as it stepped closer. It held out a flaming arm and grabbed Merle’s face. The heat was searing and unbearable. Merle screamed as the flames licked his face, pressing into his nose and eyes. After a minute the thing took its hand away. Merle put his hands to his face, which felt normal.

  “You are not harmed. That is a taste of Hell; the endless heat and pain but no relief. No death and no sleep.”

  “Please don’t take me to Hell,” Merle begged. The fact that he was even in this situation horrified him. All his years of struggling with lusting after men in a sexual way, he was sure that would be his ticket to Hell. Turns out in his efforts to not sin, he’d permanently punched his ticket.

  “Like I said, you have no choice. If you refuse, that is what awaits you.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Merle asked.

  “Something you’re already good at.”

  Chapter 25

  The creature roared at Regina. From such a close distance, its breath reeked of death and rot. Its teeth were long, sharp, and plentiful. The thing had chunks of bone and flesh between its teeth. The mere thought of who or what that had been made her want to throw up. Not wanting to show fear, she stood firm until it struck her, knocking her to the ground. The heart was glowing bright white still. She jumped to her feet and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure what to do, but knew it would come to her; it had to.

  Come on, Angela. Talk to me. Tell me what to do.

  The creature came at her as she opened her eyes, feeling the heat burn through the tattoo as a beam of white light shot out of the tattoo and at the sentinel. The blast of light knocked it off its feet. Regina was surprised as this was more than Zachary had done with fire balls. Angela had told her the heart was the source of life. It was through that she was able to channel and manipulate energy. She felt as if the heart were speaking to her as it pulsated. Adrenaline surged as it coursed through her body. She stood and concentrated again, as the white light shot out of the tattoo, knocking the monster over as it tried to stand.

  With the third blast, th
e creature jumped out of the way and swiped at her, grabbing her by the ankle. It picked her up holding her upside down, squeezing so tightly she thought the bone would shatter. Regina tried not to panic as it reached for her other leg. Panic at this point would mean sure death, and a painful one. It began to pull as if it was about to rip the leg off, but she was able to send off another blast of the white energy. The blast was enough to knock him off balance as he dropped her. She fell to the ground, cracking her head on the pavement. The blow made her woozy as she stood, but she quickly regained her balance.

  She began repeating the spell from earlier, unsure if it would work with just her. As she called it out, the beast stood and charged at her. She completed the spell just as it reached her, swiping at her and hitting her in the face. Lightning shot down, striking the thing in the head. It collapsed and let out a howl that shook the ground.

  Regina retreated and focused her energy again. This time her chest burned, causing severe pain. She screamed as a burst of red energy came from the tattoo, it looked like a thick laser beam. It went straight up in the air, just above the creature’s head. The beam appeared to cut through the sky as a crack began to open. The creature stepped away from the light as the fissure opened in the air. It looked like a large crack with nothing but blackness inside.

  The chasm opened wider as the creature tried moving away, but it was as if the large hole was a big vacuum, sucking him in. The thing struggled against it, but it pulled him closer as it opened wider. The thing looked at her, its eyes pleading like she would actually help it.

  “Go back to Hell mother fucker,” she said.

  Finally the beast vanished within the blackness, letting out one final howl as the crack closed behind it. Regina knelt down and Summer ran up to her with a blanket. She didn’t know where she’d gotten it and didn’t ask.

  “You did it!” Summer said. “I can’t believe it. You’re a fucking bad ass!”

  Regina felt lightheaded and exhausted. She sure didn’t feel like a badass.