The Five Cursed Witches: Volume 3 - Morana, the Witch of Life

Chapter 3 Carelessness

Alejo

-----

I had no idea what made me start following her. It wasn't like I could see much of her even. Partly I was too far away to see her properly, but mainly because she was in front, so all I could see was the back of her. And there was nothing special about that.

She wore blue jeans and a beige, loose jacket, and sneakers. I guessed it was a bit odd that she didn't have a handbag with her. Didn't all women always have one wherever they went?

Her hair wasn't like what I was used to seeing on women either. It was black, but with blonde highlights and a side cut. It really was special compared to the overly smooth hair of the women I usually mingled with.

That was probably it, I concluded to myself. She walked with the confidence that I was used to women having, but there was a casualness in her that made me interested.

I wondered if I should quicken my pace. Get to her side and introduce myself. Maybe even give her my number. Though maybe she had a butt ugly face. Or she was older than she looked from behind. Not that I really should care about that. I myself was seventy-three, though looking twenty-five.

I was still contemplating what to do when she turned to cross the road. There wasn't a crossing, and she seemed to be lost in thought, so she didn't even look up as she stepped onto the road.

I saw it immediately though and without hesitation, I ran towards her. My heart thumped wildly in my chest.

"Watch out!" I yelled as I ran, but I knew it all happened too fast.

At my warning, her head snapped up so that my eyes met hers. I only got to see them for a heartbeat, but the confusion in them was clear. Then she turned her head just in time to see the red monster, the red truck, before it slammed into her.

Her body was swept under the truck, which screeched from the hard brake the driver put it through.

I just stopped, stared at the scene. Chock and terror had rooted me to my place. I couldn't move, or think, or even really see. My whole self was just frozen.

Vaguely, I was aware of the people storming to the truck. Four of them, and they were quickly joined by the driver. I knew they shouted stuff to one another, that they were panicking. But I just couldn't process anything of what they said.

I didn't get why this had me frozen. It wasn't like I hadn't seen people die before and in much more gruesome ways. I hadn't known the woman. I had no reason to mourn her. But all of that somehow made it even worse for me. I couldn't explain it, but something about her had made me certain that I wanted to get to know her. But now I would never have a chance.

What finally made me unfreeze was seeing her crawl out from under the truck and sit down leaning towards it. She breathed heavily and her eyes darted around as people pressed in on her, asking her question after question that she gave no reply to.

That couldn't be true. She should be dead. No human could have survived that. But I could see that she had. More than that, she seemed absolutely fine.

I could see blood and dirt covering her, but the movements she made weren't the movements of someone who was hurt. No flinching of pain, no limp body parts, no more blood spilling out of her. The only thing that seemed wrong with her was that she was disoriented.

It just couldn't be true. No human...

No, I thought to myself, no human would have survived like that.

I finally moved, bent down, and put a hand to the ground. My magic wasn't that strong. With all the prejudices against male witches, I had never been taught properly. The magic I knew mainly came from what I had managed to teach myself. So I knew I wouldn't get a clear view of the magic at play, but I would at least get some sort of idea.