The Contagion

.6.

Never get too attached to anyone unless they also feel the same towards you, because one sided expectations can mentally destroy you.

"Tulip?" She felt someone shaking her.

Tulip moaned in her sleep not wanting to be disturbed. "Hmm...." She said in her dreamy state. Her forehead had frown lines. It was three in the morning and being woken so early wasn't liked by her.

"Tulip, please..." He pleaded

.

She rubbed her eyes and sighed. She squinted her eyes trying to adjust to the dim light from the forest. "What is it?" she asked and yawned.

"It's Talia. She's coming for you and her. You've to hurry." He said worried.

Tulip woke up from and sat in a sitting position. She looked around her trying to fathom how did she land here. She was in a house of bamboo and was lying on a bamboo mat with hay as her bedding. The child beside her was fast asleep, unaware of the conversation going on between the two of them. "How much time do I have?"

"You have thirty minutes to leave from here." He said. She got up from the mat and scooped the baby in her arms. She quickly brushed her teeth and drank some water. In fifteen minutes, she was ready.

"Give the baby to me." Corey said and she handed the baby in his arms. The child stirred in her sleep and babbled incoherently. "Shh shh...... sleep dear. Daddy's here." He cooed in her ears.

Vienna was waiting nervously outside the house along with Myrel and her son Joseph. When the three came out she heaved a sigh of relief. "Good she's woken up. I thought we would've to lift her up and run."

"That wouldn't be an issue." Tulip smirked. "I can teleport in my sleep." She said raising an eyebrow at her.

"Come on, let's go." Vienna urged.

When there was no sign of Talia, the six of them walked slowly in the forest. Samuel would occasionally look around for any sign of danger. "We've to cross the forest immediately," He said. "Being on the main roads would make it difficult for her to search the both of you."

"I feel that this route would be faster." Myrel pointed out to the middle track.

"Okay, let's go." He shrugged.

The forest was dry. The dried leaves on the forest floor made crunching sounds under their feet. "It's almost four in the morning," Vienna said nervously glancing at her watch. "We better walk faster."

Fifteen minutes later, they reached the end of the forest but were stopped by something in front of them.

"Oh my God." Myrel whispered. In front of them was the entire coven assembled in a semicircle. They were completing the circle, with the six of them trapped in the center.