A Collection of Short Stories

The Music Witch

Drake watched from the audience the next performer to play in the competition. The concert was packed with people, ranging from students to professors from famous universities all over the world, enthusiastic for the finals and muttering to each other about who is going to win the competition. Drake had no interest in joining their chatter, he had another thing to do.

But his objective today, is to kill a witch.

Despite being a professor of music, he was also a witch killer. The witch would not know that he was hidden in the audience, so he had the element of surprise with him. He also knew in the audience, there was his partner in finishing the job.

So before he went in the concert hall, he called an unknown number. The caller picked up the phone after 3 dials.

" Yes? Prepared for it? " the caller answered.

" Yeah. I'm sensing a witch in the room. " Drake calmly patted his pants. He looked at the clock above him, it was almost time for the finals.

" Tell me when it is by showing the hand gesture I showed you yesterday. " the caller said.

" Ok." Drake nodded, " Meet you later."

The caller then hung up. Drake hurried through the backstage corridor towards the concert hall, which the guards were calling him to faster. He stepped into the hall, took his plushy seat and waited for the finals started.

Drake's hand was shaking every single second. He fought the queasiness in his stomach, threatening to throw up his breakfast, which was unpleasant because it was rushed. Drake couldn't focused on the music that the performer is playing, his pen dangling on the paper but there was no words on the paper. The other two judges were writing furiously, their pens scratching loudly. After 3 performers finished their performance, there was nothing on his paper. The judge next to him looked at him with curiously and shook him, but Drake didn't move, except to stare at the next performer coming on the stage.

Suddenly, Drake was shaken up by a wake of a power. Drake fell off his chair in the process, surprising other judges to help him up. Drake stood up by himself, patted his pants and stretched his hands, etching a symbol of the letter W with both hands. He sat down, and looked at the next performer.

The performer was stunningly beautiful. She wore a white dress made of the finest silk and glowed from the stage as the light shined on her. Her eyes were a dazzling maroon red, her lips a bright red. Her hair was candy red, catching the eyes of young boys, who stare at her with mouth agape. She nodded to her accompanist with the slightest nod.

Wait... Eyes that are maroon red? That means she's the witch? Drake thought for a long time, but he wasn't sure. So he channeled his own energy to catch the witch's attention. He exhaled a sigh that is soft but the rosemary smell is unmistakable. The witch's eyes turned towards him, with huge maroon eyes. With her stare at him, she started to play on the violin. The violin was beautiful, its touch expressively soft, the sound delicate but encouraging. The judges start to write furiously, scratching so loudly that it distracted him.

Drake broke his stare off her. She was trying to hypothesize him with her playing, but he can't fall into her trap. He stood up abruptly, startling the other judges and the performer. Drake slowly walked towards the stage, the audience watched him with absolute astonishment. One student in the crowd was sniffing, her tears stream down her cheek like droplets, as she wiped her tears with her sleeve. Drake continued to walk towards them when one unknown student shifts on his seat, which he recognized. He calmly reached the stage and took her hand. She gasped in surprise as she saw his face. He gripped her hand like a stone, pulsing heat towards it, burning her disguise away. The girl starts to scream, her high pitch turned into a shriek, before launching to a cackle.

Everyone looked at the stage at horror: the girl, as beautiful as she is, has now transformed into a witch. Her eyes were a murky grey, her hands had no skin but only bones. Drake watched with cold eyes, the transformation. The witch, enraged and transformed, pushed Drake's hand off her with such force that he was thrown off the stage. His back landed on the ground, grimacing the searing pain as a sharp thing pierced his spine. He couldn't move, couldn't scream as the witch sulked to him, her nails extending to long claws, ready to ripped into pieces. Everyone was rushing to the exits, guarded by security guards, which are now frantically talking into their walkie-talkies for reinforcements.

Suddenly, the one from the crowd jumped at the witch and they both fell on the floor with a loud thud. The witch snarled at her attacker and slashed at him, but her attacker jumped out of the way. The attacker aimed a side kick on her face, which struck her face with such force that she fell on the floor, sprawled. Before she could stand, the attacker stood over her and dangled a silver sword on her neck. The attacker removed his hood and smiled at the witch, which earns him a snarl and a recognition shone in the witch eyes.

"Miss me? " Jake grinned. 

All the security guards gasp in surprise. Ah, Jake. He was an outcast, a deadly assassin and had 23 crimes that put him guilty. He had tousled black hair, with dark green eyes that shows the lush forests in the parks where Drake used to exercise. He was muscular-built with lean arms and legs. He wore a white collared shirt and blue jeans. 

The witch screamed at him, the chandelier above them turned into ravens of the darkest black, which simultaneously attacked Jake. Jake held out his arms for protection, while the raven cut his arms. Blood seeped out of his arms from the deep cuts. Jake gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. The witch suddenly stopped, ravens crumbling into black dust. Jake looked at her, violence danced along his eyes, as he charged forward, raising his silver sword. The witch smiled at him, and ran at him with claws extended. They clashed into each other, the witch scaring Jake's cheeks, while his silver sword, slashed through the air, beheading the poor witch. 

The witch was finally dead, with Jake standing over his body. 

But Drake, however, was dead as one of the raven poked its beak into his heart. And Jake never saw and heard from him again.