Baby I wasn't there

Ring

"So? How was he?" Maxine asked as I walked back into the store. Alastor had just left after I finished a reading for him.

"Maxine really, it wasn't a big deal." I say, before she sighs, laying across the counter.

"Y/n! You're no fun." She says, before fixing herself to stand again.

"Maybe your just too persistent." I say, before she shrugs.

"I don't know, but he is one fine man." She says, before looking at me hopefully. " Think you can do a love spell on him for me?" She asks hopefully before I shake my head.

"No Maxine, we will not do that." I say, before she frowns.

"Fine. I'll just do it myself." She says crossing her arms. I grab my cane off the wall before walking back through the curtain, grabbing my purse. I decide I'll take my lunch early today, too drained from the reading.

"I'm taking my lunch, look after the shop." I say, before Maxine can protest, a customer walks in.

"Hello, I heard this store was for voodoo. Can you help me?" A young man asked, staring at Maxine and I desperately. I stopped curious, before leaning on my cane.

"Must be serious if your coming to women for help." I say, before he nods, digging through his pocket. His pants are dirty, and have small holes in them. His shirt, also dirty, grass and mud over it. He has dirt patches on his neck and cheeks as well. He pulls out a lump of money, before walking towards Maxine and placing it on the counter.

"This is all I have. I just need help, please." He said before Maxine stared at me.

"This is more you're thing..." She said trailing off, before I sighed, walking behind the counter and placing my purse and cane down.

"Let's count this first." I say, going through his cash. By the end it all comes out to ten dollars and ninety seven cents. " You have exactly ten dollars and ninety seven cents." I say, before he frowns, scrambling through his pockets for more, pulling out two more quarters, placing them on the counter. " That now makes eleven dollars and forty seven cents." Again, the boy looks deflated. I pile the money together before digging through the register, pulling out twenty more dollars. It's basically all we've earned today.

"What are you doing?" Maxine whispers, as I place the money in his pile.

"Now, we have thirty one dollars and forty seven cents. What seems to be your problem?" I ask, before he smiles brightly and pulls out a ring from his pocket.

"I think this thing cursed me." He says, before I look at Maxine. She laughs hysterically before I roll my eyes. "I-I, I can't sleep, I keep having these nightmares about people dying and fire, and it's just so draining, I got fired today because I couldn't stay awake." He said quickly.

"Let me have a look." I say, before taking the ring from him. Immediately there's a shiver that runs up my spine, and I feel the dark energy from the ring. In minutes the boy in front of me changes, an angry look appearing on his face.

"Well? Are you done?" He asked annoyed, now trying to snatch the ring from him. But something was different.

"Almost. Let me try something." I said, before I reached under the counter to grab a bottle of sage and a handful of salt.

"What is that? What are you going to do?" He asked, his eyes frantic. Maxine placed her hand on the counter.

"Relax, she knows what she's doing." Maxine said, before I nodded.

" I do." I say, before coating my hand in sage, before grabbing the ring again. I coat my other hand in sage as well before holding the ring in my palms. The boy in front of me begins to scratch his arm, almost trying to rip his skin off.

"Are you alright?" Maxine asks worried. She reaches toward her purse to grab a medicine bottle, placing it before him. "This could help." She said with a smile. The boy didn't answer, instead taking the medicine bottle and opening it, chugging the entire thing down. I take the salt and pour some out onto the counter before placing the ring in the center. The boy in front of me slams the medicine bottle onto the counter.

"Stop that." He said, his glare strong. I keep going, pouring some sage in the middle of the ring. I stare at him before continuing.

"You're awfully pale." I say, before tapping my chin. "I believe you need a stronger remedy than this." I say, before he scowls at me. Maxine grabs onto my arm, looking at him and then me,

"Are you sure he's alright? His veins are popping out..." Maxine said before I peel her off, stepping out from behind the counter.

"Follow me." I say to the boy, and he does. I take him through several aisles, and finally bring him to our book section, the bible's specifically. I round the corner and get to the crosses, and I turn around to see him standing on the far end of the aisle.

"I can't go there." He said quietly, staring at me. His eyes seemed empty, and dark. His veins were popping everywhere, and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides.

"Why is that?" I ask, before he doesn't speak. "I'm not a dunce you know." I say, picking up a cross off of the wall. It's wooden, with metal in the middle. The top is wrapped with twine, and I thank my past self for wrapping them all beforehand.

"You are a l-lie." He said, before his head snapped to the left.

"What's a lie?" I ask, before his head snaps to the right. Then back.

"You." He says, before his back bends, and the candles in the store go out. Thankfully, the sun is out today. The aisles beside us being to shake, things falling off them. I hear Maxine scream, and before I know it I'm on the ground, and the person who used to be a man is on top of me, face almost deformed, screaming at me.

"What do I do?!" Maxine yelled, panicking. From what I could see, it seemed as though she was down the aisle, watching everything happen. I grab the cross beside me and bash the bottom onto the floor with my left hand, my right pushing against it's face.

"Grab the ring!" I yell to her, and she runs back to the counter. At that, whatever this thing was, turns to watch Maxine run off, before slowly turning back to me.

"Give." It says, spitting at me. I shake my head before tightening my grip on the cross, before lunging forward to bash it into it's head. It screams and smoke begins to emit from its new wound, and I continue to hit it, trying my hardest to knock this thing out.

"I got it!" Maxine yelled, before it turns around quickly, before lunging at her. She quickly turned around beginning to run. I stand quickly, before reaching into my pocket to pull out my necklace, which has a bottle attached to it. Thankfully, there was just enough sage in it to tame this thing. I run after them, clutching the bottle tightly in my fist, noticing how her screams only seem to get louder.

"Maxine?!" I ask, and begin to hear aisles crash and fall. I look around, some aisles still standing while others lay on the floor destroyed. In the mist of it all, I see Maxine, standing still.

"Y/n help me-"

word count: 1291