Haunted

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Jedidiah's heart pounded as his airway started to close and he got light headed. His vision got darker and darker, then the choking stopped but something slashed across his abdomen and he dropped to the ground. He yelled out in pain. He heard a voice, very airy. It sounded almost like a hiss. "The baby witch can't help him now."

"Destroy our coven? We'll destroy you!" another voice chimed in.

Jedidiah couldn't speak, his eyes teared up from the pain as he put his hand to his abdomen and felt the blood gushing out. He clenched his teeth and pressed his hand against the wound to hopefully hinder the bleeding. "CALLIE!" Jedidiah wailed.

There was a sharp pain on his cheek, he got slapped. "Quiet," one of the voices hissed.

Jedidiah bit down on his tongue so hard that it bled. The spirits kept beating on him, kicking him in the gut. He couldn't get a chance to fight back, he couldn't see them. Where was Callie? Why wouldn't the doors open? Why did he take the fucking dare? Callie probably left him behind when she found a way out because she knew he tried to kiss her before. He felt a sudden rush of adrenaline out of rage and the spirits had taken a break, thinking he was too weak to make any moves. He saw the pieces of the books getting picked up, so he made a run for the stairs. He almost made it to the door but then got knocked all the way back down, tumbling and hitting his head on the boiler. He opened his eyes as his vision faded in and out.

Then, just like a miracle, he heard banging on the basement door. "Jedidiah!" Callie screamed. "Can you hear me?"

"Callie," Jedidiah said, unable to yell.

She kept banging and spoke hysterically. "Jedidiah what's happening? Open the door."

Jedidiah's voice cracked as he weakly replied, "I can't."

One of the voices came back. "I told you we should've fed him to the cult while we had a chance."

"We still can, if we keep him," another one added.

"Please," Jedidiah begged. "Let me go, I'm sorry."

"Jedidiah what?" Callie asked.

"I thought it was you! I thought you left me here alone!" Jedidiah explained. "I thought you were in on a prank with Veronica."

"Why on earth would I associate myself with her like that?" Callie sighed.

"Callie help me," Jedidiah groaned.

"The door won't open," Callie sighed. "Sisters! I promise I will fix this all for you!" she called to the spirits. "Is there anything I can do in return if you let my friend go?"

"How old are you?" one asked.

"I'm 17," Callie replied.

The spirits whispered among themselves for a moment, then one responded. "You and your friend will clean this mess up, rebind our books and replace anything damaged that can't be revived. Good luck finding the rare herbs..."

"I will! I have a collection at home. Witches, I promise I will appease you," Callie said, still trying the door knob. Suddenly, the door flew open and Callie ran down the stairs to Jedidiah. "What happened, where are you hurt?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Jedidiah sighed.

"Shut up and stop trying to act tough," Callie snapped.

"Fine," Jedidiah rolled his eyes and took his hand off his stomach wound.

Callie turned red, but not in a blushing way. She was angry and she turned around to the witches. "WAS THAT NECESSARY?" she boomed.

"What," one of the witches hissed.

"You had to cut him?" Callie growled.

"He trashed our things," another one argued.

Callie looked to the smashed shelves of herbs and crystals, the torn books in a pile on the altar, the dented caldron. "You did that?" Callie asked Jedidiah. He shrugged, nodding shamefully. Callie sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Then it was necessary, sorry ladies."

The witches were suddenly visible. There were three, teenagers. One girl, tall with raven hair and piercing blue eyes, another girl with melanin skin and curly hair, and the last was blonde with brown eyes, small. "He needed to learn a lesson for blind rage," the raven haired girl hissed.

"Yes," Callie looked back and Jedidiah, who gazed intently at her. She turned back. "He has a temper..." she remarked.

"You're telling us," the curly haired girl crossed her arms.

Callie shook her head. "You are all too young, I thought the leaders of the coven were adult..."

"We were, but we may appear any way we choose after we have died," the blonde girl spoke quietly.

Callie nodded. "What are your names?" she inquired, sitting on the bottom step to the basement.

"Bridget," the blonde girl smiled.

"Ora," the curly haired girl sighed.

"Freya," the raven haired girl tipped her head to the side. "And we know your names, you scream at each other constantly."

Callie sighed. "Thank you for sparing him, he won't be back down here. Not by himself at least."

Callie got up and turned around, getting Jedidiah up and helping him upstairs to the living room. "I'm sorry," Jedidiah said as she put him down in the armchair.

"No need to apologize to me," Callie shook her head.

"But you have to clean up my mess," he sighed.

"And I will be fine in doing so. You don't know anything about anything down there, I wouldn't trust you to handle it properly," Callie explained. Jedidiah pressed his lips together and gazed at her lovingly. Callie grabbed at a cord she had hanging around her neck and pulled it over her head. There was a crystal dangling from it. She took the necklace and held it in front of her. "This is a protective crystal. I don't need it in this house as much as you do," she explained.

Callie sat on the arm of the chair and put the necklace over Jedidiah's head. She kept one of her hands placed over the left side of his chest. She could feel his heartbeat, steady. He put his hand over hers. "Thank you," he sighed.

Callie stood and tied her hair up suddenly. "Ready to go upstairs?" she asked.

Jedidiah chuckled and stood up weakly, Callie quickly put her arm around his torso to support him. "Yeah," he sighed, putting his arm around her shoulders and trying his best not to bear too much weight on her. They got themselves slowly up to the master bedroom. Callie set Jedidiah on the bed and started the shower, figuring he would need it. She walked back into the room and he was laying down.

"You should try your best to shower," Callie sighed. "I'll be cleaning the basement."

Jedidiah just nodded and laid there as Callie left to the basement.