TreeBoy

Prologue

The boy tried to calm down but his heart was leaping out of his chest. She had finally caught up with them and now she wanted her revenge.

He risked a glance out of the wardrobe he was hiding inside but the room was empty. He slowly opened the door and as quietly as he could landed on the ground. The grandfather clock started to ring loudly. 'twelve o'clock'. The witching hour. He ignored the loud noise and continued out of the room and into the hallway.

Everything was silent but he knew one wrong step and chaos would erupt. His mother's words echoed in his mind.

"If you have the chance, your main objective is to get out of the house. Do you hear me? Out. This house isn't safe any more."

Nowhere was safe anymore.

Treading the ground as if it was lava he headed down the stairs. The front door would be guarded by one of her minions, so he decided to use the back door that lead to the woods. Once he was out of the house, he could find a path through the woods that led to the road and hopefully he could stay at the hotel until she left.

He opened the door and walked out into the cold night and right in the middle of her path. Her eyes were as murderous and malicious as that night a year ago but now he had no protection and she could finally kill him.

"You voluntarily walked into my hands? You're even more stupid than your father. Killing you already won't be much fun. Let's make you suffer a little."

She muttered something under her breath and an electric shock ran through his body. He screamed in agony, falling to the floor, as his body jolted around frantically as if he were struck by lighting.

"You and your stupid family think you can get away with anythi..."

She was cut short by his Dad flinging himself at her from the window over head. Peices of glass followed after him; littering the ground.

With her momentarily handicapped he screamed at his son,

"Run"

The boy got himself up and watched his Dad wrestling her to the ground; with one hand covering her mouth to stop her casting another spell. It was clear he needed help but when the boy approached them the father glared angrily.

"I told you to run" the boy tried to argue but his father looked desperate.

"Please..."

She chose that moment to punch him in the face. He fell backwards and she was free.

"You messed around at the wrong time. All I needed was to complete this small task but now I'm going to kill all of of you"

She whispered another spell and a long metal blade appeared from mid air. She grasped it with her hand while the father dusted himself off.

"And what are you going to do now?" The father asked mockingly.

She threw the knife and it sliced straight through his body.

"Sometimes it's best to remain silent"

She suddenly turned to face the boy. He wiped the tears from his face and ran. He didn't dare turn around but could still hear her laughter behind him

"Run while you can, your fate's in my hand"

He ran deep into the forest, not knowing where on earth he was going. He only had one thought in his head and that was to get as far away as possible. The thump of his feet hitting the ground were the only sounds in the noiseless woods.

After ten minutes of running restlessly he stopped because he had ran out of breath. There was no chance for him to go any further in that state. He rested against the tree hoping he was too far for her to reach.

Then he cried because that's the only thing he could do.

"I'm sorry Dad" He couldn't get the brutal scene out of his head. His father had been killed right before his eyes and he couldn't do anything. And a part of him blamed himself because if he had just listened to his father and ran his Dad wouldn't have been distracted. And maybe just maybe he would have been saved.

What am I going to tell mum? His family had played a dangerous game believing that they'd never be found but revenge drives anyone to great extremes. And all of this was because of him. If only he had saved her in time.

"Crying won't bring him back."

He looked up immediately and saw her, blade in hand.

"Both your sisters are dead, your older brother is dead, your father is dead. Why don't you just join them? Hmm... I'm sure they miss you."

She advanced towards him and he sensed the black magic radiating off her like a deadly perfume. Was she always this evil? Did she not have a single drop of humanity in her?

"I'll make it quick"

The boy closed his eyes ready for the blade to meet him. I'm going to die. And no one is ever going to find me in the woods. He wished he could see his mother before he was killed but it was over.

"Walk away from him now!" The boy's eyes flung open at the sound of his mother's voice. He saw her beside his uncle and aunt.

The witch frowned

"How is this fair? Three against one"

"I told you to leave him alone!"

The boys mother started to cast a spell but the witch left the boy.

"Fine then I won't kill him"

"Now walk away from him."

The witch did as she was told whilst the mother ran to the boy and enveloped him in a hug. Her brother and sister stood guard in case the witch decided to attack but she just grinned at the scene unfolding in front of her.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded in relief but then remembered what the witch said.

"Mom, Dad and..."

"Shhhh. Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay. Greg, Alice lock her up."

They walked towards her with metal chains around their hands to tie her up with. She stared at them in amusement and laughed.
"Killing him wouldn't be much fun would it? Why don't I make it worse. How about a curse?"

His mother turned around in confusion whilst her siblings attempted to stop the women but she created a barrier around herself which they couldn't pass.

"Leaves to rest a top his head
Let the soil be his bed
Roots to trap him to the ground
Cursed forever until he's found
Dead yet alive
Alive yet dead
Until a single touch will he rest
Let his life depend on the tree
If it's cut he'll never be free
This curse will bind him forever to this land
Until a person not of his blood touches his hand"

The witch snapped her finger and the boy was levitated in the air. He looked down as his body lost its solidity under him. A thin branch entwined itself with his hand like a rope keeping him attached to the tree. The witch clapped happily at her handiwork.

"He's as good as dead. Now to deal with you lot."
She removed the barrier and killed both the uncle and aunt, who were not composed enough to even fight back, in two swipes. His mother collapsed on to the ground. Tears rolled down her cheek.

"Why..." but she couldn't speak.

The witch bent down and tilted her watery chin to face her.

"Because I want to see your pain"

And with one single smile she took her blade and stabbed it into his mother's chest.