by LJ Swallow
“Please.”
“Oh for f—” he begins to mutter then corrects himself before awkwardly leveraging Kailey onto his shoulders. He protests as she grips onto his unruly hair.
As we start the brisk walk back to the house, I can't help but laugh at the scene. Kailey is as much her mother's daughter as Elyssia. The only difference is, Kailey can make the boys do what she wants.
7
XANDER
“I'm not taking a risk and waiting. I have a bad feeling about this.”
Joss's car boot contains our standard weapon collection—knives in various sizes and metals, torches, and more. “What kind of supes hang out by crop fields?” I ask as I rummage through for the most suitable weapon. Joss's encyclopaedic knowledge from our experiences and from studying books makes him the best companion right now. But he doesn't know everything.
“I don't know. Anything or anybody could live here. How do we know this isn’t a human?”
“Maybe, but I want to be prepared.”
Joss huffs. “Dunno. Maybe corn demons if it's a Halloween opportunist.”
I pull out two torches. “Elaborate.”
“Feldgeist. There's a variety—some are shifters, others straightforward demons. Hang on.”
Joss whips out his phone, and his fingers work quickly across the screen. “Okay. Roggenmuhme or Kornmaid are common. They’re human looking female demons.” He keeps scrolling. “Shit. The Roggenmuhme demons steal children and replace them with changelings.”
A familiar dread washes through my veins, and I straighten. “Okay. We go. Now. No knives. I want to end this quickly using my strength and your skills. Come on.”
As I slam the boot closed, headlights blind me from a motorbike heading down the lane in our direction. Ewan's bike pulls up next to the car, and he kills the engine. He has Vee with him?
Ewan climbs off and helps Vee. She's covered herself with his jacket which stretches halfway down her thighs, but seriously, how the hell did she ride on his bike dressed like that?
“I'm not being funny, but Vee isn't dressed for this. You should've left her with Heath,” I say.
I don't admit another reason—Vee's revealing dress fulfils my daily fantasies and throws me off my game. Okay, I shouldn't objectify the girl, but it's bloody difficult when half the night I could practically see her ass.
“You know Vee, if she wants to come, then she will. Where do we go?” Ewan points at the field. “That way?”
Vee pulls Ewan’s bike helmet from her head. The red wig has gone. “Stop talking about me as if I'm not here,” she retorts.
“Vee, wait here with Ewan,” I say.
“Why?” she asks.
I gesture at her equally impractical, heeled shoes. “If we need to run, you won't keep up.”
Vee stalks to Joss's car door and pulls open the door. She ducks in and rummages in the footwell, then reappears holding a pair of sneakers in her hand. “You're not the only ones who carry things in the cars to prepare yourself, Xander.”
Joss barks out a laugh. “Practical Vee.”
“Takes more than knives and holy water to be prepared,” she says with a sly smile and sets about changing her footwear.
“Man, your face,” Joss says to me.
Me and Vee stare at each other. There’s a lot I love about this girl, even though I deny this to myself and her. She's not lost and delicate; she meets challenges head-on, including me. Vee: smart, beautiful and funny. The girl who holds all of our hearts to match the ones on her dress.
Vee walks past me towards Joss. “I thought we were in a hurry.”
Pulling myself out of my musing, I take several strides to catch up and then walk on ahead, calling back Joss's information to Ewan.
“I'm coming too,” he says.
“You realise how suited he is to this, right?” says Joss with a chuckle.
Ewan catches up to me, and we clamber over the low gate which squeaks under our weight.
“He's Pestilence,” puts in Vee. “I'm pretty sure he'll be the best against corn demons.”
“Very funny,” retorts Ewan.
I shake my head and pass Ewan a torch. “Fine. Ewan and Joss go on ahead, and we'll catch up. See what you can find.”
They cut a path through the cropped field. I'm annoyed there's no cover apart from the darkness. Vee easily matches my stride.
“Great evening, huh?” she says with a small laugh.
“The best,” I mutter.
“You did well to spot something dangerous, Xander.”
“I could just be paranoid because it's Halloween.” I tramp faster across the ground.
Vee strides to catch up. “Are you pissed off with me for coming here? I thought kids might respond to me better than you guys if they're lost. You know, a woman rather than four scary men.”
“Maybe.”
She laughs at my begrudging tone as we continue through the low crop stubble. “Heath drew the short straw and stayed.”
I grunt with amusement. “Lucky Heath. You should've kept him company.”
“Guys!” calls Joss. “Come and look at this.”
We catch up to Joss and Ewan. Ewan points at the ground. “There’s some sweets here.”
Joss shines a torch around the area revealing the same wrapped candy as they kids left by the tree. “More here.”
Vee takes his torch and shines it at the ground as she walks slowly ahead. “I think we have a Hansel and Gretel situation.”
I look in confusion at Joss. “Fairy tale. I’ll read it to you at bed time if you like,” he says.
“This isn’t funny, Joss,” I retort.
Vee sighs. “Kids are kidnapped by a witch in the book.”
“Fuck!” I stride past her. “Come on. Now.”
A house is located a few hundred metres ahead at the field’s edge and close to some trees. The farmhouse we live in is twice the size of this one and in better condition. The short pathway is overgrown, and a light shines behind a tattered curtain.
I step forward and rap on the door, turning my head to listen, but there's no sound within.
“Maybe we're wasting our time,” says Joss.
My reply is interrupted by the sound of someone unbolting the door. A woman appears in the doorway as the door opens. She's older than we look and has dark brown hair sweeping her shoulders. Dressed simply in jeans and a loose grey shirt, the woman is unremarkable. She eyes us warily through her brown eyes, set in a long face with sharp cheekbones.
“Can I help you?” she asks.
“We're looking for some kids we know. We think they might be lost. Did they pass by here trick or treating?” I ask.
Her brow dips. “I don't get many trick or treaters here. I'm a bit far out of town.”
“You haven't seen anyone?” asks Joss.
The woman sighs and opens the door further. A fire burns in the hearth, giving the small room a cosier feeling than the sparse furniture does. The wall is exposed brick with decoration and two tatty brown armchairs face the fire.
I scout the room further. There's a rough table towards the back and a bookshelf. No TV.
A large dog lies on a rug, rough coated and grey. A wolfhound? He stretches his legs out as he stirs, but doesn't register our arrival. Not much of a guard dog.
“As you can see, I haven't kidnapped children. Look upstairs if you want.”
Her weird defensiveness is followed by a soft laugh as she picks up strange items from an armchair, before sitting. This appears to be human-shaped figures made from corn or wheat, and she places it in her lap. A third is half a figure, and she ignores us to weave more of the body into shape.
Should I take up her offer and walk upstairs?
“Okay. But if you see the boys, can you tell them to go home before their parents worry?” says Vee.
She turns a friendly smile in our direction. “Of course.”
The dog lifts its head to watch us, and she rises. “Happy Halloween. Sorry I don't h
ave any treats for you.” She nods. “Love your costumes though.”
She still holds the strange figures. She extends a hand. “Would you like a doll instead? I have more than enough, and I think I only need two.”
Vee stares and then glances at me. “Um. I'm okay. Thanks.”
“Good night, then.” She closes the door as firmly as her voice sounds.
Vee sucks in a breath as she closes the door.
“Joss?” I ask in a low voice.
“Yes.” Demon. I knew it.
“Do we go back in?” asks Ewan.
“No, we need to step back and think about this. If the woman is suspicious, we need to find the boys somehow. They might not be in the house.”
Vee shivers. “I can feel fear. A lot of fear.”
Joss takes her hand and squeezes and absorbs some of the emotion flooding her system. They don't speak.
“Didn't you see?” she whispers.
“The dog? Or the dolls?” I ask.
“No. There was a colourful plastic bag by the armchair. When the woman sat, she pushed it under the chair with her foot.”
“Did you see if anything was printed on the bag?” I ask.
“It looked like pumpkins.”
The same as the bag I found by the tree.
“We need to find those kids,” she says in a firm voice.
“Do you think they're in the house?” Joss asks her.
“Maybe. I'm not sure.”
The breeze picks up, and Vee shivers again. I’m too cold to hang around in fields, something is very wrong here and we can’t leave.
“Two of us go back to her; the other two check the perimeter. See if there's a shed, or anywhere they can hide,” I say.
“Or be hidden,” mutters Ewan. “Me and Vee will go. You head back with Joss.”
8
EWAN
Me and Vee walk around the back of the farmhouse and walk the perimeter. I look at the upstairs windows, but there's no light. As we reach the far end of the house, I kick weeds to one side with my boots. Stones move, but there's nothing to find.
“Ewan.” Vee beckons me over and points to the ground in front of her. “Is that a door?”
I pull overgrown plants to one side and reveal a sloped door. “Coal chute. I bet there hasn't been much coal delivered here recently.”
The door is hinged at the top, and I pull the small handle at the bottom, my nails catching the flaking black paint. It won't budge. Swearing, I pull harder. Vee wraps her arms around herself as she watches me.
“Can you hear anything inside?” she asks.
I shake my head.
A loud snarl interrupts our conversation as a dark shape charges around the corner from the direction we walked and launches itself at me. Huge paws hit my shoulders, and the large dog we saw inside the house sends me sprawling onto my back and onto the stony ground. I grab the dog's head and push back against it to keep the bared teeth away from my face.
I might not have Xander's strength, but I'm strong enough to take on this. Keeping my grip on the dog's head, I twist my body and lift my knees to shove them hard into the creature's chest. The animal falls backwards and yelps as it lands awkwardly on one side. Seconds later, the dog scrambles to its feet.
I jump up to; muscles coiled to attack. Is this a dog? If not, it's unlike any shifter I've come across. Shifters rarely attack us, and never travel alone.
Shit.
“Are there any more?” I call to Vee.
The dog pounces forward again, and is knocked to one side by a cracking blow from Vee; the strength from the War she contains coming through her. This time the yelp becomes a howl of pain and the dog limps backwards. He shakes his head, then flattens his ears. With bared teeth, the dog lowers his belly and faces Vee. Neither move as they size each other up.
Where are the other guys?
I crouch down. Bacteria surrounds me on the ground in the muddied grass; amongst the stones and in the air around. As Vee and the dog continue their standoff, I run my fingers along the dirt and wipe the tips across my palm.
I don't often use my offensive powers, but I'm unsure Vee's strong enough to finish this creature off alone. The invisible disease grows between my fingers and across my skin, spreading along my arms. If I touch anything, they'll become infected, and the decay will take hold at an accelerated rate.
I glance up as in the corner of my eye I see the dog lunge at Vee. She holds out her hands, and the creature bounces off her as if hitting a barrier.
I laugh and the creature turns it's head. Orange eyes glint in the dog's face and, as his chest expands, and legs lengthen, I've no doubt this is a shifter and not a large dog.
I rush at the creature and slam my shoulders into the dog’s side. The stunned animal staggers, and I follow with a punch to the side of its head. “Vee! Hold him down!”
The dog thrashes from side to side as Vee sits across the body, her strength pinning it to the floor.
“Shifter?” she asks, hands dug into its fur.
“The bloody thing wants to rip our throats out; I'd say yes.”
I squeeze my fingers against my palm, as the bacteria morphs into something unseen and deadly, combining with the power emanating from my skin. I lean forward, and teeth gnash at me as the dog's stinking breath heats my hand. Gritting my teeth, I grip it's muzzle together in one hand and hold tight. The creature continues to thrash, but the disease leaves my skin and covers the face in an invisible coating of death.
The animal stops moving and whimpers; Vee loosens her grip. The creature stumbles to its feet, not steady enough to attack, and throws back it's huge head. His howl lifts hairs on my neck and pierces through the night with a noise unlike any I've heard before. This isn't a shifter from any Pack I've encountered—this is something else.
The dog collapses to the ground, body jerking as he moves toward death. I sit on my haunches, breath coming in fast bursts. As my adrenaline drops, I'm aware of a pain in my shoulder. I look down at my torn jacket and the blood seeping through.
“Shit,” I mutter.
Vee stands and frowns. “It won't turn you into a werewolf, will it?”
Her words amuse me, despite the shitty situation. “No, Vee.”
“A horse shifter?” she says and snickers.
I scowl at her.
“Sorry, are you okay?” She curls a hand around the back of my head and places soft lips on mine in a brief kiss.
I inhale and draw in her warm scent mingled with the smell of the damp earth on our clothes. Her touch soothes and an imperceptible energy passes between us.
“I’m fine, Vee.”
“If the guys didn't come when the dog attacked, they must be in struggling,” she says. “Let’s get back to the house.”
We rush back along the side of the house; shouting from inside growing louder as we approach the door. We may have defeated the dog, but Xander and Joss need help. I skid on the ground as we round the corner. The house's door is open, and the shouting louder.
Only Xander is in the room, and he's struggling to defend himself against the woman. Apart from she's no longer a woman. This creature revealed its true self – the palest white, now a foot taller than Xander, the angular face has morphed into an inhuman length, and wild black hair surrounds her face. Her eyes match the shifter we injured and hopefully killed.
Amber flames crackle around her fingertips, and each time Xander slams into her, she falls back. But when the fiery fingers touch him, he's knocked back in return. Unable to fully hurt each other, the fight is at stalemate. Xander's stronger physically, but her magic is too great.
She spins in alarm as we step through the door, giving Xander the opportunity to seize her arm. His strength overcomes any enemy eventually, and he spins her around, gripping his arm around her neck until she chokes and the flickering fire dissipates from her hands.
“Where's Joss?” asks Vee.
“Upstairs. Looking for the boys.”
The demon
's eyes change from glowing orange to black as she mutters something beneath her breath, words in a demonic language.
Her skin takes on a red hue, heating, and Xander drops his grip and yells before sinking to the floor. I stare in disbelief. How are demons becoming stronger in recent months?
Vee grabs my coat sleeve and drags me over to where Xander lies on the floor. The demon continues to laugh between muttered words, and a force builds in the room, forcing the blood to pump harder around my body and pressure builds in my head.
Already weak from my battle with the shifter, I sink to the floor, against the wall and struggle against the pain. This is why we use weapons. This is why we can't always use full powers; mine are too weak after my battle outside.
I glance at Xander; he's fought her alone for several minutes and is weakened too.
Vee shouts out to the demon who reaches a flickering hand in her direction. Light pulses from Vee and fills the room, before creating a barrier around us. The woman sways backwards and attempts to cover her eyes, screaming in pain as the power she uses against us reflects back. She drags at her face as it reddens beneath the pressure.
Xander stands and moves, ready to step through the barrier and finish her, but Vee seizes his hand to hold him back. He jolts with her energy, and they stand together, fingers laced in an unbreakable grip. Vee extends her other hand, palm outwards and the Death she carries, her part of Heath, crackles in her palm before launching through the barrier at the cowering demon's chest. The woman crumples lifelessly to the floor.
Heath's death bolts are strong, but Vee connected to Xander's War heightens the power. When the three are together, Vee's power reaches a frightening level. A level I'm sure could injure any of us.
The barrier surrounds us, held by Vee until the demon's body remains prone for a minute. The light drops, and Xander and Vee unlace their fingers. He drags both hands through his hair and draws in panting breaths. Vee remains still, pulled tall and head tipped. The light fades around her, reabsorbed into her body, along with the strength she created with Xander.
Xander glances at me. We both know how that energy will be released tonight if she succumbs and wants one of us.