The Truth

Chapter 11

-Jack-

     The day is a beautiful one as we walk in the general direction of Maryland. My conversation last night with Cindy seems to have had no effect on her, because her attitude towards me hasn't changed in the slightest. As the day goes on, the breeze picks up and the temperature drops. Cindy and Blake start shaking and holding each other while I think it feels amazing. Taking off my jacket, I hand it to Cindy.

     "You aren't c-cold?" she asks, taking it. I shake my head.

     "It feels amazing." I say and she thanks me. After another hour we begin to pass a small neighborhood with average sized houses. As soon as we turn the corner I feel uneasy. Something about this place feels off and I can't place it. Keeping my eye on the end of the street, I begin to slow down.

     Suddenly, a small possum crosses the road in front of us and is blown to pieces. Cindy screams and Blake pulls her back.

     "A land mine." I say, impressed by the camouflage.

     "How are we going to get around?" Cindy cries and I almost roll my eyes at how dramatic she is. I pick up a rock and throw it on the floor a few feet from me. The explosion causes me to stumble back.

     "We could just walk on the front lawns." Blake suggests and I throw another rock on a lawn, watching it explode.

     "Or not." I say smugly. The lady in the house comes out and is disappointed to find nothing was killed.

     "Hello, children." she says sweetly and I immediately don't trust her.

     "What do you want?" Cindy asks.

     "Come in from the cold, my dears." as if in a trance, Blake and Cindy begin walking towards her house.

     "No, don't!" I yell at them and they turn back. Their eyes are glazed over and I realize they are in a trance.

     "You too, dear!" she says to me and I feel my eyelids getting heavy. No, you're stronger than that. I tell myself and shake my head to clear it. Spouting water from my fingertips, I soak Cindy and Blake. They snap out of it and look confused. The lady scowls and I watch in horror as she transforms.

     Her skin turns a sick green color and then beings to shine with scales. Her legs turn into long talons, and she grows a scaly tail. Her eyes turn red and bright red wings come from her back. Her teeth turn to fangs and her hair disappears.

     "You'll never get past this place. All other witches and wizards who have tried have died and I will have dinner tonight." she says in a raspy voice. Cindy screams and runs behind me. I feel a small satisfaction that she trusts me over Blake to protect her. Blake and I begin throwing everything we have at her. Fire, water, electricity, wind. I use telepathy to lift all the rocks in the area and pelt the demon with them. She uses her long claws to block her face, and she swallows everything else. I'm starting to think she's invincible when a sharp rock hits her side and cuts it open. She bleeds green and I begin to accept the fact that only physical contact will kill her. Grabbing a branch off a low tree, I concentrate, imagining it as a long sword. When I look down, that's what it's become.

     "My tree!!!" she wails.

     "Shield her." I tell Blake, and run up to the demon.

     "You silly little wizard. You're powers are no match for mine or anyone else's on this street. Even if you manage to kill me, one of my lovely neighbors will avenge me. You might as well just let me kill you now. I promise I'll make it quick." she says and for a moment her image flickers back to a human, then back to demon. I roll around her as she spits green poison at me. The grass that it hits shrivels and dies, sizzling. She spits again, hitting and melting the sign on the corner. I dodge to avoid her long claws and one nearly hits my eye. Swinging the sword, it contacts the leg, cutting if clean off. She wails and the leg dissolves in a green puff of smoke. While I'm distracted she swings again, slashing a deep wound across my face. The pain doesn't hit me, but blood runs down my neck and my forehead. My vision becomes blurry and my left eyes is completely covered with blood.

     "Jack!" I hear Cindy scream and I quickly get up off the floor. The demon laughs maniacally and flaps her wings, flying over me and towards Cindy and Blake.

     "Jack!" she screams again, and I run towards her, launching myself onto the demon's back. She wails and thrashes, flapping her wings. I gulp, suddenly remembering my fear of heights as she lifts us up, higher and higher. I know she won't stop and I have to decide whether or not to kill her or wait until she get's tired. The pain in my face is growing and the whole left side of my body is completely covered in blood, as well as my shirt.

     "Scared of heights, Jack Call?" she cackles and I'm about to ask her how she knows my name when her body bucks. I grab around her neck and she laughs again. "I know all about you, Jack. And Cindy and that Blake. He's quite the character. I'm not sure why you can't see his act, seeing as how you're so good at reading people. Probably because of your secret love, huh? She's clouding your judgment." she laughs.

     "You don't know anything." I say and choke as my own blood fills my mouth. Looking down, I realize how high we are. I can see downtown in the distance, and Cindy and Blake have disappeared beneath the trees that now look like little broccoli. I take a deep breath, not able to believe that after everything I've been through, a stupid, ugly demon is going to kill me. Driving the knife through her back, she lets out a bloodcurdling shriek before dissolving into green smoke. I concentrate and the sword turns into a stick. I let it go and begin to fall. Closing my eyes, I let the wind wrap around me, and realize this isn't such a bad way to die.