The Season Of The Witch

Chapter 8: LIVING DEAD

The maid slammed the door and backed away, rambling." It's too late now, even to light the bonfires of protection. All hell has opened up on our doorstep."

"What are you even talking about?" I asked confused.

Queenie came down from upstairs, "You guys, did you get a load of what's going on outside?"

I looked out the window and saw an army of the dead, this was from my vision a couple nights ago. Zoe, Nan, Queenie, and I were the only witches here. They couldn't have resurrected this many, and I haven't messed with magic all day.

"What are they?" Zoe asked.

"They're dead. I can't hear them."

Zoe turned to me, "Circe, they can't actually be-" Her words trailed off as she saw the dead advancing.

"Zoe, there's more than one way to bring back the dead. This is some high level necromancy though, a regular witch wouldn't be able to raise this many."

"Everyone get away from the windows." Zoe commanded. "Come on! And kill the lights."

"Um, I think they know we're home." Queenie said

Zoe ignored her, "Close the drapes. We need Fiona." Zoe went to call Fiona before asking me to do the same.

"You guys, it's a prank." The boy from next door spoke up. "They're not even doing anything."

Zoe groaned, "It's her voice mail. Circe?"

"Yeah, she's not answering my texts. My mom's not getting back to me either."

Zoe stood for a moment, thinking. "I don't know. Maybe we should call the cops."

"Fiona wouldn't like it, and I'd be more scared of her than those things outside." Said Queenie.

Queenie was right, I spoke, "Zoe, Queenie has a point. Plus the cops wouldn't know how to deal with magic."

Everybody was freaking out, until boy spoke up again, "This is crazy, I can handle a bunch of neighborhood kids." Then he went out the door and into the undead army.

He was out there talking to the dead, he thought all of it wasn't real. That idiot. Something must have spooked him, because he turned around and sprinted back towards the house before falling on his face.

"Luke! We got to help Luke!" Nan exclaimed, while Zoe pulled her away from the window and shut it.

"The front door's no good. We're completely surrounded." Queenie reported.

"If we can't go out, then we'll go up. We have to get away from all these windows." Zoe said. She yelled for Spalding, but got no response.

I turned my attention to the shuffling of feet behind me to see the maid opening the door. I ran up, slammed the door shut, and locked it. "Seriously! Are you trying to get us all killed?"

"My daughters are out there." She cried.

"You're daughters?" I studied her face for a second, then realized why she looked familiar. "LaLaurie. Does nothing stay dead?" I mumbled to myself. "Come on." I pushed her toward the stairs as Spalding came down.

"Queenie, do you think you can make it up to the attic?" Zoe asked, "Spalding's room. We can barricade ourselves inside."

Spalding shook his head 'no' violently.

"Fine. Then pick a room!" Zoe shouted. "Just get upstairs! Go!" Zoe looked around for a minute "Nan?" "Circe, where's Nan?"

I turned to the door and sure enough, it was open.

"Shit." Zoe said as she ran out the door.

"Zoe!" I yelled after her, but I didn't dare move. What was she thinking? Someone has to help her, someone. Fiona and my mom were gone, Queenie's injured. I took a step toward the door. But what could I do against an army of the undead? But who else was there to help her? I ripped off the black halo from my head before sprinting out the door.

The yard was literally filled with the undead. Where was Zoe? I got my answer when I heard the load roar of a chainsaw. I quickly followed the noise to see Zoe, covered in blood, sawing through the dead left and right. Damn, maybe she didn't need my help after all. Then, the chainsaw died, and the undead man advanced on her until she tripped on another dead body, and fell backwards.

"Zoe!" I ran as fast as my feet could take me, turned the dead man around by his arm, and placed my hands a few inches from his head, letting my magic enter him. If this was voodoo, to cast a spell of this size and keep it stable, someone had to be connected to them. I felt the magical ties that binded the magic, I had to sever them.

"That's enough now." I commanded, "Get out."

The dead dropped to the ground, returning to the lifeless things they once were.

"Zoe, are you ok?" I dropped down beside her and scanned her body for injuries.

"I'm fine Circe, really, I'm fine." She got up to her feet. "Let's just get back inside before anything else attacks us."

When Fiona got back, we explained to her what had happened. Zoe, Nan, and LaLaurie, went and burned the remaining dead. I changed my clothes and immediately headed to the hospital, after Fiona pulled me aside and told me that mom had been attacked with acid and lost her sight. She was awake, when I got there, but weak.

"Mom?" I could barely suppress my tears when I saw her. I remembered my dream from the night before, the stinging sensation in my eyes. I saw that this would happen. I explained this to her, tears sliding down my cheeks.

"Sweetheart, did you actually see me get attacked in your vision?"

"Well, I... no."

"Then you couldn't have known that this would happen to me."

"But, I saw the attack on the academy too!"

"The attack?"

I quickly told her of the dead army that invaded the academy last night and the part of my dream that foretold it.

"Circe, none of this is your fault. So, don't blame yourself for it. Ok?"

I nodded my head, wiping my tears away.

"Go back to the academy and help the others, I'll be ok. I just need my rest."

"But, mom-"

"Circe, go."

I left the hospital reluctantly, but as soon as I got home, the others were starting to leave. I caught up to Zoe.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?"

"They're burning Myrtle at the stake, she blinded your mom with acid."

I felt like I couldn't breathe, "But, that can't be right. Aunt Myrtle would never-"

"Circe? Circe, breathe." Zoe said worriedly

Fiona walked by, "Circe, good, you're home. Get in the car, all academy witches need to be present for the burning."

I quietly got into the car, Zoe sat beside me. We eventually arrived at a deserted place that had nothing but a few green shrubs. All that stood in emptiness was a small hill of packed dirt, a tall wooden pole on top of it.

Aunt Myrtle climbed up the hill, and one of the men tied her to the pole. The other splashed gasoline on her. Fiona walked up to the hill,

"Any last words?" She asked.

"You're all a bunch of little toads in a pot that Fiona is slowly bringing to a boil. You won't even feel it until it's too late. I'd rather burn than boil."

Fiona took that as her cue and threw the cigarette she was smoking at Aunt Myrtle, lighting her on fire. I don't think that I'll ever be able to get her screams of pain out of my head. Tears ran down my face once again.