The enormous coyotes kept ramming into the door and snapping at Mike. He struggled to keep the door shut and grab the lock from the ground. Emily watched in horror with her hand covering her mouth.
One of the animals grabbed ahold of his hoodie and ripped a patch of fabric from the shoulder. The barking, growling and ramming continued until Mike positioned his body to put the lock back in place. A ferocious set of fangs tried desperately to get at Mike’s shaking hands.
He carefully slid the master lock into its slot. The click sounded so sweet and he wiped a layer of sweat from his forehead. The animals continued going berserk, almost moving the big cage from the constant bashing.
Mike backed away, grabbed the long strap to the bag and threw it over his shoulder. He stood up and felt the weight of the money bag. Emily led the way up the stairs and down the hallway. Mike suddenly stopped in front of the room where Tucker had died.
“Wait a sec. You don’t want this amulet, do you?” He pulled it out of his pocket. “I think it’s probably cursed. We got our money.” Mike tapped the bag.
“I don’t want it.”
Mike walked up to Tucker and tossed the amulet on his chest. “Hope it was worth dying for, buddy.”
The couple scrambled to get out of the spooky house. Mike threw the duffle bag of cash on the back seat and opened the passenger door. A fuzzy sensation circled around the left side of his chest, surrounding his heart.
He got into the car. “So that’s that. Are you sure the money isn’t counterfeit?”
“We’ll check it out when we get to my house. I need to grab a few things before we head to our new life in Pittsburgh.”
“We need to be very careful. It’s obvious that George got to that guy so he doesn’t seem scared to come after someone outside Houlihan’s Square. Or maybe I’m just being paranoid.”
“No. I think you might be right. We’ll just take a few bills into the house. I’ll grab what I need to get started, and we can go to your house and get whatever you need. We’ll be out of this town in an hour. Tops.”
“I don’t need anything. I only have a bunch of ratty clothes and nothing of value to bring.”
“Don’t you worry. We’ll get you some nice new clothes as soon as we get to the city. This is so exciting. A new life. I feel refreshed.”
They arrived at Emily’s house and parked on the street. Mike grabbed a handful of cash out of the bag and stuffed it into his side pocket. As they walked up to her door, Mike said, “Looks like there is a lot more than ten grand in that bag.”
A candle apple glow came over Emily’s face. “What? Oh. Maybe he was going to pay me out of this, and keep the rest for himself. That’s probably what it is. Doesn’t matter now. It’s all ours.”
She opened the door. Mike spilled some of the cash onto the dining room table.
“You check it out, and I’m going to get what I need so we can get out of here.”
She disappeared into the hallway, and Mike examined the bills. There were new hundred-dollar bills mixed with old ones. He found a few fifties in the stack, and the rest consisted of fives and tens. With no idea how to test the bills, he rubbed a few of them, trying to determine if they were too thin or thick.
Emily re-entered the room with a travel bag in each hand and dropped them on the floor.
“What do you think?”
“Looks real enough to me. I don’t really know what to look for, though.”
“When we get to a hotel, we can use my phone to look up counterfeit bills and compare them. I grabbed my car charger so it will have full juice by the time we get there. I just need a few more things and we can go. Why don’t you take those bags out to the car? Here.” She tossed him the keys and he snatched them out of mid-air.
“Alright.” Mike got up from the table and picked up her bags. He carried them to the front door and looked out the small window to make sure no one was waiting on him. He didn’t find any shady characters so he opened the door.
Mike scurried over to the Jeep and pressed the button to unlock the trunk. He popped the tailgate open and tossed the designer bags next to a spare tire. Before he could walk back to the door, Emily rushed out.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Yeppers. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Emily took a few steps and turned around. She stared at the house for a few moments.
“You alright?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to take a mental snapshot so I don’t forget this part of my life. It wasn’t all bad living here.” She took a deep breath and walked to the Jeep. “Do you want to drive?”
“I haven’t driven in a while, so it’s probably best if you handle it for now. Maybe if you get tired.” Mike had never driven a car. Dirt bikes and ATVs, sure, but never a full-sized car on the road. He had wanted to, but no one had taken the time to teach him how to drive.
She tapped the black bag hanging near her hip. “I grabbed some Red Bulls so we can stay alert until we get there. I checked it out, and it should only take a little under two hours to get there.”
“Wow. I didn’t realize it was that close.”
They got out onto the highway, and a strange sensation circulated around Mike’s body. He thought about all the people that George had killed, and all that would suffer the same fate in the future. He kept coming back to the conversation about responsibility Alayna had given him. She had insisted it was Mike’s responsibility to defeat George for his mother and the people of Prince’s Mountain.
His thigh began to sweat, so he took the wad of cash from his side pants pocket and put it back into the duffle bag. A mixture of nervous energy and pure excitement fueled his body. He had long wanted to get out of Prince’s Mountain after his mother’s death, but he also felt a pull toward it.
Why was he given these special powers? Certainly not to run away the first chance he got. To use them for the betterment of society. Mike wanted to defeat George once and for all, but he feared he hadn’t received enough training yet.
He wondered if Alayna would follow him to the city. If she kept training him in the magical arts, he could come back and defeat George someday. Win-win, right?
He nervously chewed on his bottom lip, shredding through the top layers of skin, while his right leg bounced uncontrollably up and down. “Stop. I have to go back to Houlihan’s Circle.”
Chapter 24
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING about? Did you forget something there?” Emily asked.
Mike rocked back and forth in the passenger’s seat. “Sort of. I never told you this, but George killed my mom. You know he killed my best friend, too. I’ve got to stop him. I don’t want more people to lose their mothers and best friends.”
“Mike, I think that is a noble mission, but how are you going to kill George?”
“I don’t exactly know. The gun doesn’t work, we know that. I just know I have to do it or I won’t be able to live with myself.”
Emily turned off the radio and shook her head. “We’re already heading north, and I’m not going to let you kill yourself. If you go back to those woods, you are going to die. You know that, right?”
“I’ve been pretty confused lately, but I’m certain that I need to do this. I might die, who knows? But I have to make an attempt.”
“Mike, where is this coming from? Why do you suddenly feel a responsibility to kill this murderer?”
“It’s not sudden. I’ve wanted to do this since I was ten years old. Ever since my uncle Ernie told me how my mom died.”
“That’s not something a ten-year-old should be hearing.”
Mike sat on his hands to keep them still. “I actually agree with you on that. But what’s done is done and can never be undone. Isn’t that how it goes?”
“I guess. I still think you are being rash. Why don’t you think about it for a few more minutes? There’s an exit in seven miles. If you really have to do this, I’ll take you back, but I think you’ve done enough by just getting out of the Prince. All
we’ve been talking about is leaving so we don’t die in this town. Now you want to go back and die before we even leave.”
“Look. I don’t expect you to understand this. Hell, I don’t even understand it. Everything has been confusing lately, but this is one thing I am sure about. I have to do it.” Mike’s stomach tightened into a knot.
“Well keep thinking. We still have a few minutes to change your mind. I don’t feel right driving you to a certain death.”
Mike’s mind had been made. “I’ll walk back if I have to. I know this all sounds crazy and it is, but I can’t keep running from responsibility. I can’t. I won’t. Ever since I turned eighteen, I’ve been running. I’ve been running away from anything that’s hard to do. I’ve been taking the easy way out for three years. It’s time for me to face the music.”
“You can be responsible in Pittsburgh. We can get a house, and you can get a job. And we were just talking about kids. That’s one hell of a responsibility.” She tried to sound encouraging.
“It’s not the same thing. Every time I look in the kid’s face, I’ll see all the innocent people of Prince Mount that I left here to die. No one is safe with that madman running around. Especially children.”
Emily pulled onto the exit ramp. She followed the signs to get back onto the highway, going south. Mike tried to steel his unruly nerves, to no avail. His swirling stomach felt like he was going to lose the lovely dinner in his belly.
Mike reached into Emily’s bag and pulled out a Red Bull. He opened it and took a big gulp. “Want some?”
“No. I’m good. I can’t believe I am doing this. You know I’m not going in there with you, right?”
“I understand. I wouldn’t expect you to. This is my fight. Time to go it alone.”
Emily let the vehicle veer onto the ‘Wake Up’ rumble strip on the side of the road then quickly jerked the wheel to straighten out the Jeep and continued south. “But when I needed help in my fight, you were there for me. I want to help you, but the only way I can is to convince you to stay out of those woods.”
“Like I said, I don’t expect you or anyone else to understand why I am doing this.”
They passed a sign.
Prince’s Mountain
6 Miles
Mike’s belly tightened, and his bowels threatened to evacuate. He wanted to say something to reassure Emily, but no words came to him. He thought about the only person that understood his burden. Alayna.
He tucked a Five-Hour Energy into his pocket and grabbed the flashlight, hoping that the batteries were fresh. He set the gun on the car seat, knowing it would only piss off George.
Emily drove to the end of the Avalon Avenue, on the outskirts of Houlihan’s Square. Mike stepped out of the car and could already sense a palpable energy in the heavy air. Magic vines.
Emily walked around the car and hugged him. “Are you sure you have to do this? I won’t think any less of you if we get back in that car and just drive away.”
“I have to. I told you I can’t run away anymore. This is my cross to bear, and I am going to bear it alone. I’ve already gotten two people killed for coming into these woods with me. I’m not going to let that happen again.”
“I’ll wait here for you.” She stood on her toes and kissed him. “You’re, like, my guy, and I don’t want to lose you.”
Mike took a deep breath. “If I’m not back in an hour, leave. I hate to sound morbid, but if this doesn’t work out, I’m sorry. I really like you. You’re one of the best things to ever come into my life. I’ll always be scared and running from George unless I do this. I’m not scared anymore.” Mike lied to Emily and himself.
Emily stepped back and opened the door of the car. She reached in and came back to Mike with the gun. “Here. At least take this.”
“I’m not going to need that. Last time I had it in here, I almost shot you anyway. It’s not going to be of help. You remember what happened when you shot George? Nothing.”
“So then how are you planning to defeat that beast?”
“I have a few secrets that I need to keep just that, secret.”
“Bullshit. Why do you want to die? Do you suddenly hate me now that we have the money?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I lo—I really like you, and I’m not going to die. And on that happy note, I’ve got a mission to execute.” He held his hand out, and Emily put her palm in his. Mike pulled her closer for a passionate kiss.
Mike ripped himself away from his lover and headed for the tree line. The warm wind blew a rancid stench of a dirty barn toward him. He knew it would only get worse as he plunged into the darkness.
Mike leaned down and scooped up some dirt. He rubbed the soil between his fingers and took a deep breath, trying to absorb all the surrounding elements. A baritone howl cut through Mike’s concentration. He let the soil dance on his fingers, singing a song of the ancient past, before harmlessly falling back to the ground.
The full-moon’s rays couldn’t break through the camouflage canopy, so Mike flicked on the flashlight. The beam of light bounced around the forest in Mike’s unsteady hand. He swapped the flashlight to his other hand, but it didn’t perform any better.
Undaunted, Mike blazed a direct trail toward the center of the dense forest. He seemed to pick up confidence with each and every step. His heartbeat steadied and his hands straightened out.
A sudden funk permeated the forest. It reminded him of George’s scent, but this particular brand carried a more potent pungency.
Mike’s nostril hairs felt like they were on fire, which would have created a more welcome scent than the current funk. He stopped in his tracks as the flashlight exposed one of the boulders that marked Houlihan’s Circle.
Mike felt like a battle gladiator entering the arena for a death match. His chest heaved, and his heartbeat skyrocketed. He turned off the flashlight and stepped between two boulders to officially enter the Circle. Then he immediately turned the flashlight back on.
The dull moon didn’t provide much illumination despite the opening in the canopy. Mike heard a stomping sound in the distance. He whirled around, and the beam of light coming from the flashlight zig-zagged in the darkness. George was on the way.
He thought about the magic books he had been reading.
Mike dropped to his knees and looked up at the moon. For the first time ever, he tried to draw some power from the stars and moon. He hoped the moon would help the magic currents inside his body. On a powerful inhale, he tried to absorb the heat and might of the stars, and ride the universal wave of magic.
Empowered, Mike jumped up, expecting to see George. Darkness persisted. The stomping persisted. Mike’s pupils dilated, forced to make sense of the darkness.
Nothing but strange sounds and pitch-black gloom.
Intrigued, Mike followed the repetitive sound and exited Houlihan’s Circle. He walked for less than a minute and froze in horror. His ears had betrayed him. The stomping proved to be George digging a huge hole. A deep hole big enough to hold a casket.
Oh, shit.
Chapter 25
MIKE RAN AT GEORGE with reckless abandon. The memory of throwing the broken piece of the amulet on Tucker McSeamus kept replaying in his head. The creaking sound of stubborn wood was followed by a centuries-old smack of putrefaction, which didn’t make sense. The body should have decomposed and only been a skeleton by now.
Mike held his nose and turned away. It didn’t provide much help. He could taste the rotten stench, so he ripped his finger and thumb away from his nose. The immense beast’s head poked out of the top of the hole.
Mike pounced on an easy chance at a cheap shot. There were no rules in murder. Right?
Mike ran up and kicked him in the temple. George released a disturbing growl that shook the forest. In one motion, the beast in a Victorian suit sprung out of the hole, chasing after Mike.
Mike froze. He tried. He tried to move his legs. Nothing. Numbness. No feeling.
A fur-covered fist came do
wn and crushed Mike’s left cheek. He felt that and fell to the ground as assorted colors streaked through his eyes. His body screamed. Stay down. Don’t get up.
George gracefully moved in and booted Mike in the side of his ribcage, immediately knocking the wind out of him. Mike tried to slow his breathing down and play dead.
The beast seemed satisfied with his work and returned to the cracked casket. Mike writhed quietly around on the ground, trying to build his inner strength.
Slowly, carefully, Mike made it to his feet and closed his eyes.
A burning glow centered in his chest. Mike breathed in more heat. He held an open palm in the air, and a concentrated circular mass of blue and green flames appeared in his hand. Acting on instinct, Mike wound up like a baseball pitcher and chucked the flaming ball at George’s head.
Heading straight for the beast’s head with tremendous speed, the legendary killer ducked at the last second to avoid certain death.
Mike hurled another ball directly at George. The killer didn’t duck this time, and Mike watched the glowing orb gain speed.
At the last possible moment, a hairy paw appeared and caught the hurtling mass of flames. The dark warlock redirected the fire ball into a tree.
Angry now, George hopped out of the hole again, threw his head back and howled at the moon. The beast held his hairy hands in the air, and Mike watched a silky white stream rush toward him. The substance wrapped around his hands like ridiculously oversized boxing gloves.
Oh, shit.
It suddenly occurred to Mike that George was drawing in all the spider webs from the surrounding area. He turned and ran, frantically searching for a wide tree trunk to dive behind for protection. He dodged left and right, and suddenly a thin sheet of white fiber surrounded his face and body.
Within moments, a thick cocoon of spider webbing had enveloped Mike’s entire body. Mike took short breaths and wondered what magic he could use to save his life. He nervously flexed his fingers and tore a small gap through the shell, not big enough to make a difference. He tried to bite a hole in the smothering surroundings, but couldn’t fully break through.
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