DEMONitized

Chapter 3

Gwen Warner awoke to the gentle churning of ocean waves, her eyes practically plastered to the starless abyss of the sky above her. She blinked once, then twice, to get her bearings and then rose to a sitting position on the wet sand.

Shaking the bits of sand that entangled her long, blonde hair, she instinctively reached for her phone. It was nowhere to be found. 

How could this have happened? The last thing she remembered was having a bit too much wine to drink, but she didn't recall passing out or anything. In a blink, she'd gone from the countryside to the beach with no reasonable explanation.

"Phillip?" She shouted as she rose to her feet. "Madelyn?"

She hesitated for a bit before calling out, "Bethany?"

The only sounds she received in response were more waves and the cry of an errant seagull.

Rising to her feet, she dusted more sand off her jacket and jogging pants, turning about in all directions for hints. There was something familiar about this beach - but it certainly wasn't Malibu. 

Her sneakers filled with sand, soot, and water as she muddled over to the edge of the shoreline and looked out upon the horizon. No sunrise, no moonset, no stars - no indication of the time of day. Just an eerie sense of familiarity that scraped the edge of her brain and refused to dig in.

When she turned around to judge the scenery behind her, she noticed a slight flicker of orange deep within the lush greenery that appeared to cut her off from whatever lay beyond it. It was the only light, and Gwen felt compelled to follow.

Step by nervous step, she waded through the sand until her feet hit grass. At that point, she'd reached a mess of weeds and trees and vines, which gently scraped her as she passed them but did no actual harm.

The light grew larger until she'd correctly determined it belonged to a bonfire, not unlike the one from the party.

"There you guys are!" Gwen shouted excitedly.

Still, no response. 

She picked up the pace of her steps, hoping upon hope that they couldn't hear her - and that nothing worse befell them. 

Finally, she arrived at the clearing before the mysterious campsite. She heard the licking of flames against wood but also something else... a low, strange hum of sorts. Odd scents wafted through the air that she chalked up to a group of people roasting some kind of animal.

What her eyes met as she peeked over the brush sent a fearful chill down her spine. The people around the fire were not her neighbors and friends but a completely different group. 

They donned black robes that seemed to cover every inch of them, except their hands. And between those hands passed a strange goblet, gifted from one person to the next. Gwen couldn't fully see what they were cooking or other details the robed strangers concealed. She only looked on silently, flipping back and forth between plans to interrupt or stay still.

If only I had my phone on hand, she thought. 

Crouching around the clearing to avoid drawing attention, she tried to get a better vantage point to hear what they were saying. Before she could truly listen in, her foot crushed and snapped a small branch in half, drawing the attention of those around the fire.

"Shit shit shit!" She exclaimed, rising up, prepared to flee. 

The robed figures turned toward her in choreographed unison, but none looked interested in giving chase. 

With a quick "ahem," Gwen composed herself before asking, "Um, hello there! I was just looking for a way to get back onto the highway? Do any of you know where the nearest bus station is?"