my short stories

You Cannot Escape

A/N — hi !! salem here from the future (2023) lol i wrote this in 2021 and it isn't one of my best works okay but i decided to leave it up because younger me was proud of it. not to get sappy lmao. anyways yeah ignore everything bad about it, the next chapter will probably be this one written by me now cause that would be cool to see the before and after. hm. enough rambling! enjoy whatever this is if you're reading this :>

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The wind picked up the second she stepped outside of her cottage. It sounded like the screaming souls that were trapped in Hell for all eternity, in agonising pain. She didn't mind the sound, she had grown up with the screams, something she had to pretend she didn't hear because it wasn't considered normal in her community.

But it was always worse on one particular day of the year, which just happened to be the day that all young witches like herself would venture outside the safety of their homes and meet together in the heart of the woods for their annual Samhain festivities. All the children that lived in the town, the ones who didn't know that magic existed, called this day Halloween. They would all dress up and run around to get free sweets from everyone. She never liked that tradition, deeming it stupid and disrespectful towards all the spirits, but it kept the children out of the woods for a night, which was best for everyone's safety.
Eyolf surveyed her surroundings, trying to determine whether there was any children lurking around that would follow her into the woods, where they would ultimately meet their demise. Her cottage was on the outskirts of the small village she called home, and it was surrounded by trees that kept her hidden from unwanted visitors. And yet the children always seemed to find it.

After deeming it safe, she closed her door, the wood groaning as it slammed shut. In her right hand she clutched a grimoire, her personal Book of Shadows and the bag that was slung over her shoulder was filled with herbs and different bottles filled with substances that caused different effects. Her hair was a silky black that brushed her collarbone, and her piercing grey eyes were intimidating enough to scare anyone. Even though she was just fresh of 19 years of age, she still was a fully-fledged witch, which was rare for someone of her age.
She stepped forward, moving towards the thicket. Her hand brushed aside the branches as she started walking to the spot where everyone would meet, which changed every year. The trees seemed to whisper to her in warning, and the screams were louder with every step she took.

"Eyolf?"

Her instincts fired up as she whirled around, her hand outstretched, fingers splayed. Her mouth moved quicker than her eyes as she muttered a small spell to send the offender flying back. Her eyes widened in shock though as she recognised the blazing red haired female who had cleverly snuck up on her.

"Oh my Nyx, Juniper! I am so sorry!" She hurried forward to help her best friend up.

"Calm down Eyolf, its fine. You're getting better with your reactions though" Juniper complimented her, causing Eyolf to turn her back on her to hide the scowl. She hated how the witches tested her on the reaction timing, like they expected her to fail, when in reality, they were all jealous on her skill set.

"Are you ready for tonight?" She questioned her friend instead, swiftly changing the subject.

"Yup! Got my offering for Diana" Juniper winked at Eyolf, and linked her pale arm through Eyolf's, continuing down the path.
Each witch chose a god or goddess to give an offering to, who they mainly devoted their time and energy to. Juniper had chosen Diana, goddess of wild animals and The Hunt. Eyolf had chosen Nyx, the goddess of night, after she had a dream one night that she claimed had been Nyx calling her.

They continued on in silence, Eyolf struggling to keep a hold on her grimoire. The sky was dark by the time they reached the clearing, but a fire was burning brightly in the centre, witches already dancing around and others preparing for the ritual that would be done for the true festivities began.

Juniper slipped away from Eyolf with a few words, going to mingle with her other friends. Unlike like every other witch in the clearing, Eyolf was the only one who didn't belong to a coven, which was heavily frowned upon. She didn't care, she preferred being alone anyways.
She scanned the vicinity, taking a mental note of everyone who was here and who she should avoid. Already, she found the bloodthirsty witch, Rowan, who worshipped Osiris, the god of death. Which meant there would inevitably be a sacrifice tonight, one that she would have to enact due to being a powerful witch.
Laughter was everywhere, but the screams that were always around, became clearer and clearer.

"Run! Run!"

Eyolf was startled, glancing behind her even though she knew there was no one behind her. Shaking off the weird vibes she received, Eyolf continued looking around, and started walking away from the tree line. Dread creeped into her as she kept hearing whispers for her to run.

He couldn't have found her again, she had been careful this time when she moved.
Wanting to believe that the spirits were playing a stupid trick on her, she shoved the fear from her mind and the memories of bloodshed and complete horror from the year before.

And the minute she let her guard down, darkness struck. Screams from the spirits and the witches mixed together as Eyolf felt her stomach drop. Swallowing, she knew she should help. But it ended the same every time, no matter what she did. So instead, she blindly retraced her steps, reaching the tree line once again. The screams seemed louder, and she could just make out the distinctive scream of Juniper, before it abruptly stopped. Assuming the worst, she turned on her heel and fled, branches scratching at her and ripping her clothes. Her grimoire was still in her hand, but her bag slipped off, somewhere far behind. The screams still seemed to follow her, no matter how far she ran. Her boots pounded against the ground in an uneven manner, and her breaths were becoming shorter, ragged as she kept her eyes forward. She didn't dare look back to the overwhelming darkness behind her.

She broke through the tree line after what seemed like eternity of running, her cottage a few feet away from her. She gasped as scanned her home, and the grotesque image that would burn in her memory for the rest of her life.
All the village members were strung up around her house by the looming branches all around her. Blood was still dripping and creating small puddles in the dirt, turning it into a blood soaked mud substance. All their faces seemed trapped in eternal agony and screams, and she had to whisper a small prayer to her goddess as she continued running, leaving the adults and the children who scattered around her house behind.

She thought she had finally lost him.
But it seemed no matter where she went, he would always find her.

***
Eyolf sat on her couch, the kettle whistling in the kitchen, signalling that it was done boiling water. She rose steadily from her spot, her eyes flickering away from the newspaper that had been laying in front of her. As she shakily poured her cup of hot water, adding milk and sugar, and stood by the window to look out at her garden, her mind drifted back to the newspaper.

The headline had been about the seventh massacre that killed the entire village and all the witches in a grotesque fashion.
She hummed and glanced at the sky, before walking back to her couch to rest.
Eyolf just hoped she could stay hidden this time.