The Woe We Deserve

Chapter 16

After her conversation with Enid, she stepped outside for a moment to collect herself. She was still grappling with the fact that she'd gone about this situation in the worst way possible, and had no choice but to make it right. As much as she wanted to be a lone wolf, she knew there was no way to do this without her friends. Too much time had already been wasted on a fruitless investigation on Tyler that had ultimately proven nothing. Still, Wednesday had been preparing for the worst. As much as she hated to even think about her vision coming through, they had all turned out to be right in the past. Why should she be so lucky that this time would be any different?

As much as she wanted to be a lone wolf, she knew there was no way to do this without her friends. Too much time had already been wasted on a fruitless investigation on Tyler that had ultimately proven nothing. Still, Wednesday had been preparing for the worst. As much as she hated to even think about her vision coming through, they had all turned out to be right in the past. Why should she be so lucky that this time would be any different?

She returned inside and sat Enid at her desk. "It's time I tell you everything."

"About time!"

"You're going to think I'm crazy..."

"Already do."

Wednesday rolled her eyes. "I think Tyler's back."

"Isn't he supposed to be in jail?"

"Yes. He's supposed to be. But I haven't been able to find any records of him anywhere—and yes, I know what you're going to say, 'He's a minor, that makes matters more complicated', but I even roped Uncle Fester into this, and if he couldn't find anything, then it's because there's nothing to be found."

"Uh... okay. So..." Enid gulped. "That's great. Tyler. The guy who tried to kill us all."

"That's the one."

"Why would he come back here though?"

"I don't know. Revenge? Maybe he has a new master? He's a Hyde; there's a reason they were banned from Nevermore."

"Yeah. I know. I was the one who had to fight him, remember?"

"I'm going to need your help," Wednesday said.

"I doubt he'd be dumb enough to attack during a full moon again."

She placed her hands on Enid's shoulders and looked at her intently. "I need Ajax. Tyler is coming. I can feel it. I don't have time to kick his ass, because if my vision is real, we'll need to help Xavier to the hospital. We can stone Tyler and deal with him later."

"When you say 'deal with him' what exactly do you mean?" Enid asked nervously.

"Why don't you let me worry about that."

"Oh, boy," Enid whined.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Won't be long, Enid. I need you to get Ajax on board. Like right now."

Enid nodded her head vigorously.

"I have to go find Xavier."

Wednesday couldn't be sure if the sinking feeling in her stomach had something to do with her vision, or the fact that she was dreading facing Xavier—she was famous for her terrible apologies.

Still, she walked towards his shed, like a prisoner headed to her execution, shouldering her heavy backpack, which for the last week, had been stuffed with several weapons and a comprehensive first aid kit that she may have stolen from an ambulance in town. For the past week, she had been extra jumpy, the anticipation growing heavier and heavier with each day that Xavier remained vulnerable.

But despite the weight, both physical and emotional, she reached the shed in no time. As soon as she was within eyeshot, she knew they were out of time. The clues jumped out at her like puzzle pieces and arranged themselves into a big, flashing arrow that pointed deeper into the woods.

First, she noticed the lights, still on, door ajar. There was no need to run inside to search for Xavier, because two sets of footprints, still fresh in the mud, pointed her in the opposite direction of the faded structure—the place where many of her most cherished moments with Xavier had transpired, as well as many of her worst.

She fumbled for her phone as she followed the path of footprints deeper into the forest. Once the plan was set in motion, she started to run. No need for a trail, or footprints to guide her, she ran as fast as she could. Over the past week, she had mapped out the quickest way to the cave from her most-frequented spots at Nevermore. Now that she was actually in the middle of everything, she realized what a waste of time that had been. Her body moved through the trees without thinking. She was no longer the pilot, but a passenger, as her limbs carried her to the spot that haunted her nightmares—fueled by a primal need to both save Xavier and rip Tyler's head clean off his body.

She thought of all the ways she would hurt Tyler to keep her mind off of other, far more disturbing images. A ping on her phone broke her train of thought. She slowed down just enough to make out the text from her boyfriend: Tyler's here. It's a trap.

There wasn't even any time to bask in the knowledge that her theory was right. It couldn't slow her down. She was so close. At the pace she was going, it shouldn't be long before she reached the cave, five minutes maybe—which was plenty of time for someone to bleed to death without proper medical intervention. Wednesday ran even faster.

When the cave first popped into view through the trees, she ignored every gut instinct to slow down and asses her surroundings before charging into battle—there was no time for surveillance, no element of surprise. But as she started running towards the entrance, for a moment, she felt like in a dream. Every step felt more difficult than the last, and maybe she had gone too many days without sleeping, but the faint glow of Tyler's lantern appeared to be moving further and further away with every pounding beat of her heart.