Blinded Sight

Chapter Five

"Why are we even out here anyways?" Ethan leaned forward to try and get a better view as the car passed through the narrow path that cut through the thick Witchwood.

"Hannah was acting weird and said that Webby wants us to be here for something," Lex shrugged, glanced back at Hannah who was sitting in the middle of the back seat. "What did Webby say?"

Pausing for a moment to remember Hannah answered quietly. "Danger, need help, silence, witch," She told them, her voice quiet and soft.

"Witch as in witchwoods I'm presuming?" Ethan asked driving slower as they turned a sharp corner onto another identical road through the forest.

Hannah paused for a moment staring at a point far away in her mind. "Webby says yes and no," She answered presumably after the space spider told her.

"Mind asking Webby what the hell that means, Banana?" Ethan continued to stare forward into the almost pitch black forest with the occasional bird or other animal call ringing out. "Because that makes no sense to me."

"Didn't say," She shrugged. "Witch in the Witchwood?"

"Okay, so there is a witch in the Witchwoods who needs our help?" Lex pieced together the fragmented messages. "Where does silence fit in?"

"No clue, maybe the witch doesn't like to talk or something like that," Ethan suggested as the car sped up ever so slightly as they finished turning a corner.

The pair of them continued to theorise about the strange messages all the while Hannah sat in the backseat watching something off in the distance, something only she could see. "Near," Her voice was hardly over a whisper, but Ethan still managed to catch her quick mumble of words. Looking back for the briefest of moments to ask what the young girl had said suddenly a loud thud sounded as something- or someone- ran in front of the car.

Ethan swore as he hit the brakes, a loud squeal erupting from the car.

"Did we just hit someone?" Lex asked breathlessly as if all of the air in her was pushed out. She reached to open the car door, but Ethan stopped her.

"I'll go and check," He told her before quickly pulling a flashlight from the glove box. He opened the door slowly and stepped out onto the dirt road. The headlights of the cars were the only light in the scene because the branches high above them choked out all of the starlight from the moonless sky.

As he looked around the bright beam of the flashlight wavering in Ethan's shaking hand. Clenching his jaw he breathed deeply for a moment before steadying his hand, he wouldn't show his fear in front of his girls. He was stronger than that.

"Hello?" He spoke out as he approached where the person had suddenly appeared, but nothing answered him, not even the animals. The forest was silent other than the quiet hum of the car engine.

He gasped when the light fell onto the person they had hit. They were splayed out along the roots of one of the great looming trees and the darkness seemed to push back against his light trying to claim the young kid.

Suddenly without warning the light of the flashlight began to flicker and burn out. Smacking the light repeatedly he grumbled until the light flicked back on, but they were gone.

"Ethan?" Lex called out as she stepped out of the car. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," His voice seemed to almost die as he tried to talk and his mouth felt like sandpaper. "They- they just went missing."

"Missing?" Lex wandered over to where he was still standing staring at where they had been just a moment before. "What do you mean missing?" Loud footsteps sounded out as small twigs and gravel were crushed underneath her heavy work boots.