Worst Curse: A Ghostwalkers Journey, Book II

Chapter 3

     Guilt tugged at Austesh, pulling him back toward his duties. He had spent a lot of time watching the thief of his thoughts, and he knew he shouldn't stay any longer. During the day, he searched for her cabin, but could never find it. Only during the peak of night could he find her in the darkness. Like an addict, he couldn't help but return to get his fix of watching her. A part of him feared of losing her if he brought her to the attention of his superiors. From what he had observed, he didn't think of her as a threat. He didn't know what to think of her, and his ignorance kept him coming back.

     Standing up from the black surface, he took one last look at her through her window before returning to his post. Just as he went to leave, a noise made him stop in his tracks. Any noise in the spirit realm caused alarm. In all of his time spent in the spirit realm, Austesh had never heard anything; unless it came from his fellow Ghost Walkers. Knowing he shouldn't be in this area during his watch, coming across another Ghost Walker would be trouble for him. Stepping inside a tree, he hid within its dark mass. Slowly, he pushed his face out from his hiding place. He turned in a circle, keeping his face barely exposed from within the tree, while searching for the source of the sound. A period of silence made Austesh feel safe enough to think about moving back. Adrenaline woke up his heart, and he thought about how stupid he had been for staying away from the gate of the city for so long.

     Unknown to Austesh, long, black, pointy fingernails slid down the trees surface, from above. From inside the tree, with him, the owner of the nails floated down to the absent guard. Stopping just above his exposed face, the nails hovered over him without grabbing his attention. Snapping closed, the fist latched onto Austesh's hair, and jerked him out from within the tree. Grabbing onto the hand, and arm, now controlling him, Austesh found himself unable to break free. Unable to get his footing, he slid across the black surface while being pulled toward the cabin. Looking up to who directed his movement, he saw an old woman, in a black dress, pulling him with ease.

     Laughter filled the area around him. His lungs moved at a rapid rate causing them difficulty in serving their purpose. Trying his best to calm himself, he thought about how to escape. Realizing the woman resided in the spirit realm with him, Austesh decided to escape her by returning to the worldly realm. Moving his arms in the ritualistic pattern, drawing in his energy, and concentrating, Austesh swapped planes. Feeling the wet grass below him let him know he succeeded, but the new woman, standing above him, let him know danger still existed.

     A wide eyed, younger woman, in a black dress, reached down, and grabbed him by his vest. He tried to fight back, but noticed her superior strength in an instant. Swapping planes, once again, he tried for another escape, but landed right back in the clutches of the older woman. This time she had company, and both of them grabbed a hold of him. Younger in age than her partner, the other woman bounced around him while he struggled to break free. Switching back and forth through realms, Austesh couldn't escape the women. Each time he changed planes, the hyper woman would follow, to help keep him contained. They eventually led him to the cabin, and took him inside.

     Inside the cabin, they pulled him over to the back wall, and placed his wrist in restraints. With his arms chained to the wall, restricting his movements, he would be unable to ghost walk. Realizing he had been imprisoned, fear sunk in deep, pulling his stomach with it. Collecting his thoughts, he first focused on the fact he could see the women in the spirit realm. Knowing the women weren't strangers to the dark arts made him sweat. He couldn't catch his breath as his lungs competed with his heart on which one could move more violently. Clenching his teeth, inside his dry mouth, he tried to channel his energy in breaking his restraints, but the resistance broke his ego.

     Standing in front of him, the women watched his struggle with smiles on their faces. Movement behind them caught his eye. The young woman, the chauffeur of his thoughts, moved in between them, to bring him into view. She tilted her head, and looked him over. They both studied the person in front of them, trying to figure out the makeup of the other. Lightly, she rubbed the edge of her middle finger nail across the line of her bottom lip, helping her focus her thoughts. When she stopped rubbing, she tapped her nail against her bottom teeth, several times.