✓ 𝐖.𝐈.𝐓.𝐂.𝐇. | ʜᴏᴄᴜꜱ ᴘᴏᴄᴜꜱ

𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿

"ROAST HIM, WINNIE!" Sarah cried, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she watched Max, who was still twitching from the blast.

"No, let me," Sarah protested, stepping forward with a gleam of excitement. "Let me play with him!"

Before anyone could stop her, a bolt of lightning shot from Sarah's fingers, zapping Max with an unnatural crackle. I could only watch in stunned silence, praying that maybe, just maybe, he'd survive. But he was writhing, caught in a constant barrage of electric energy, leaving me unsure if he was still alive or if she was simply toying with his charred body.

Finally, Sarah seemed satisfied. She dragged him across the floor, his body skidding as if he weighed nothing, until he crashed hard against the crates Theo and I were huddled behind. The loud crash of his body against the wood sent me into a near panic.

I gasped, hoping we hadn't been noticed. But of course, Winifred was already glaring at us, her voice sharp and commanding.

"Reveal yourselves!" she shouted, her eyes narrowing as they scanned the dark corners of the room.

Theo squeezed my hand, offering me a quick wink. I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but his calm confidence didn't go unnoticed. He stood up slowly, hands raised in mock surrender, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Okay, you caught me," Theo said, eyes locked on Winifred, his tone smooth. "I'm a big fan, truly."

Sarah burst into delighted giggles, her attention already darting toward Theo like a predatory animal. "Can I play with this one?"

"No!" Winifred snapped, her patience already running thin as she turned her gaze back to Theo, clearly unsure of how to handle him.

Sarah pouted, crossing her arms and stamping her foot like a child who hadn't gotten her way. "You never let me have any fun!"

Winifred sighed in exasperation and gave Mary a brief nod. The witches were preparing to make their next move when Mary suddenly lunged forward, her iron grip tightening around Dani and Theo, pulling them toward her. Despite their struggles, she held them fast, her strength far beyond anything either of them could break free from.

But I couldn't just stand by while my friends—and Max—were being attacked. I had to do something. My eyes darted around the room, looking for anything I could use. It didn't take long to find it: a broom, sitting casually on the wall. I grabbed it with determination and yanked it off its stand with more force than I thought I had.

"Hey, Mary!" I called out, drawing her attention as I swung the broom at her, knocking her to the ground.

Mary let out an angry growl as she tried to stand, but before she could regain her balance, Allison struck her over the head with a frying pan, sending her crashing back down.

"Thanks," Theo muttered, rubbing his arm like I'd just broken him out of shackles.

"Don't mention it," I snapped, still catching my breath. I couldn't help but feel a little proud of the small victory, but that didn't last long. We were still surrounded by dangerous witches.

Max's battered form, still hanging by bolts of lightning, needed help. I was about to suggest we make a move when Dani stepped forward, her expression fierce. She marched right up to Winifred, who was still distracted by the chaos.

"You leave my brother alone!" Dani yelled, swinging a candy bag directly at Winifred's face.

The impact was enough to break the spell. Max fell to the ground with a heavy thud, and I could see the confusion in his eyes. It took him a moment to gather himself, his movements slow and groggy as if his brain were struggling to catch up. But, against all odds, he was on his feet again, blinking like he'd just woken up from a long nap.

Dani grabbed him by the arm, tugging him toward the door. "Max, come on! We need to move!"

We all rushed toward the door, scrambling as the witches regrouped. I could feel their eyes on us, but we were quick, tearing away from the chaos inside. The house loomed behind us as we sprinted toward the woods, my legs pumping as fast as I could manage.

Max was hot on our heels, and to my surprise, the black cat from earlier was following him closely, its eyes gleaming in the dark.

"What's the cat doing here?" Theo gasped between breaths. "And—is that the spell book?"

"Max—are you—crazy?" I whispered, barely able to get the words out through my wheezes. "That's the whole—whole reason—we're in this mess!"

But Max, grinning madly, didn't slow down. "The talking cat says we should keep going!"

I exchanged a glance with Theo, both of us incredulous. "The what?"

"Come on," Max urged, barely winded as he continued. "This is a graveyard."

The cat, somehow still looking completely unbothered, darted through a small hole in the gate and called out to us. "Follow me!"

"Well, this just keeps getting weirder," I muttered, but somehow, following the talking cat seemed like the only logical thing to do.

Allison, not missing a beat, shoved the gate open without hesitation. "What's the worst that could happen now, right?"

We walked in silence along the stone pathways of the ancient cemetery. Some of these graves were hundreds of years old, their inscriptions barely legible in the moonlight. I could only imagine how many of these people were connected to my own family, their names lost in time.

"Over here," the cat called, and we gathered around him. He looked up at us, his gaze almost... knowing.

I wasn't sure if I should trust a talking cat, but after everything that had happened tonight, I was willing to entertain the idea. Maybe he knew something we didn't.

The cat jumped onto a nearby headstone and circled it, as if trying to get our attention.

"Here lies the body of Mr. William Butcherson," he announced with dramatic flair.

Max squinted at the headstone. "William Butcherson? Lost soul?"

The cat nodded, his tone darkening. "Billy Butcherson was Winifred's lover. But when she caught him with her sister Sarah, she poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut with a dull needle, so he could never reveal her secrets—even in death."

"Dang, love in the 1600s was wack, man," Theo muttered under his breath. "I thought it was all about selling your kids for sheep, but these guys were nuts."

The cat narrowed his eyes at Theo, unamused. "Not all love was like that. But that's not the point I'm trying to make..."

"You're Thackery Binx," Theo said suddenly, piecing it together.

The cat froze for a second, then sighed in resignation. "Yes. I am Thackery Binx."

And just like that, the night got even stranger.