It Lives In The Woods

Chapter 10

-2008-

The group was gathered at the pizza parlour in the back room where the tables were large enough to sit their group of nine. All eyes were on Andy who was a sickly pale, sweat beads dripping from his temples as he told the story of the night before, the night of David's brutal "animal" attack. Norah narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "I don't believe you." She snapped, turning her nose up to him snobbishly. Bee, who was rubbing Andy's back in comfort, glared up at Norah with a look that could wilt an entire rain forest. "Norah you have been such a bitch lately! Why would he lie ?! What reason would he have to make up something as horrible as this ?!" The table went quiet as they all watched in fear, it was like watching a cold front meet a hot one, or fire meet gasoline, the tensions building up in the girls friendship these past few weeks was finally erupting. "I don't know! But Blue would never do something like that!" Norah cried, a desperate look entering her eyes. "I think, I think he is doing these things because he believes he's helping us." Stacy said, clenching Jamie's hand for support. Norah and Bee both turned on her with icy glares. "What are you talking about?!" Norah snapped. Stacy took a deep breath, meeting Norah's hard gaze. "He pushed my mom down the stairs because she was having a-an episode. He gave mouse's bully a fucking seizure, and he sent one of his hounds to mawl David, who was harassing Andy."

"It's like his weird way of being a good friend. Friends protect friends." Tanner added as Bee nodded thoughtfully. Norah turned to Ava with a desperate tone in her voice, "But we can still go see him right? Right Avs ?" Ava looked away, her red eyes fluttering shut. "I don't think it's such a good idea Norah, I feel like he's just going to escalate from here. I don't want to be at the center of it, I don't want any of us to be." Norah stammered, "I-I...fine. Fine, fine, fine! It's not like I care anyways! I'll go see him my fucking self!" Norah cried, standing up from the table and slamming out of her chair. "Norah wait! Sorry guys, I'll see you guys Monday." Noah said, rushing after his sister.

***

That night Bee was awoken by a series of soft taps at her window, like a little bird's beak.

Tap

Tap

Tap

With a pounding heart Bee slowly got up, and peeked out the window into the darkness, fearing the worst. "Noah?" Bee whispered, opening her window with a gasp at his battered face. Blood dripped from his swollen nose, and his left cheekbone was turning purple from where a fist had made contact with his cheek. "Hey superstar." He muttered, climbing through the open window with a groan of pain. Bee's eyes watered with anger as she tilted Noah's face up with the tip of her finger. "What the hell happened this time ?!" She growled. Noah jerked his face away with a look of shame. "Norah came home crying and told them we were all bullying her, and blaming things on her. Dad was on me before she even closed her bedroom door. He locked her in so she couldn't help me like she usually does." He explained, falling into her bed. "I just had to get out of there." Bee nodded, sitting down her head beside him, smiling sadly as he wiggled over and put his head in her lap. "You can't keep living like this Noah, it's not healthy." She advised as she ran her hands through his black curls. Noah closed his eyes, basking in a comforting touch for once. "I know. But I can't leave Norah there. She's already starting to act like them. I can't let it get any worse."

"Well first things first is to get her away from Blue." Noah sighed, eyelids getting heavy with exhaustion as Bee wipes the blood off his face with a tissue. "Agreed."

-2020-

"Do you even think she'll answer?" Tanner whispered as the group crowded around the small, rustic cabin where the author Fiona Maskings lived. Ava looked up at him in annoyance, "We won't know until we try." The seven of them looked at the door, seconds ticking by. "So who's going to do it?" Lily whispered, wide brown eyes looking around at her friends. Needless to say, there were no volunteers. Bee sighed, holding the bridge of her nose, head pounding with stress. "I will, I guess." Bee broke away from the group, and slowly reached up, and layed three tentative knocks on the door. Almost immediately the door flew open to reveal a short, stocky colored woman with grey braids down to the floor, in a crimson nightgown. "Excuse me, we're sorry to disturb you Ms.Maskings but we read your book and-" The woman crossed her arms bitterly at Bee, peeking around her slim shoulders to where the other six hovered like scared children. "Hmph, you must be the stupid children who let that devil out of his cage. I've been waiting twelve years for you to find me. Come on in I suppose." Bee's mouth hung open in surprise, she looked back at the others who reflected her shock. "Don't just stand there with your mouths open you fools, get inside!" At her command the seven of them scurried into the cabin. "Wow..." Ava whispered, red eyes a lit with fascination. Lining the woman's walls all sorts of occult objects, wooden voodoo masks with painted symbols to ward off evil, bones, jars filled to the brim with unspeakable things, and books upon ancient books that smelt of dirt and death. "What are you?" Ava asked, turning to the woman. "Sit down children, and I'll tell you. I knew you'd come one day, or you'd die. I just wasn't sure which one it'd be." Stacy frowned, slowly sitting down as Mouse curled up at her feet like a scared child, her skinny frame pressed against Stacy's calves. "How do you know us?" Andy asked, his protective instinct of his friends flaring up like a flame inside of his chest. The old woman sat down with a deep breath, her back cracking from her full weight as she plopped down in the cushioned chair. "I've been watching the lot of you since you were sixteen, since you," She pointed a gnarled finger at Bee who shrunk under her accusation, "and that red haired girl let that monster out. I felt it in my bones, the second he was free to walk this earth again." Bee swallowed down her guilt, guilt that was lodged in her throat like she'd attempted to dine on a rock. She had had her suspicions, these last twelve years, suspicions that Norah's death was her fault, that all the pain Blue had caused was due to her and Norah's toxic, childlike curiosity. "So you know about Blue? And what he did to my sister?" Fiona nodded, casting Noah a pitiful look, "Yes, I was there, at her funeral. Poor thing didn't know what had hit her until it was too late." They all shifted uncomfortably, sadly, the memories of that day rushing back to them, the sorrow and pain, the lingering absence of Norah Preece. "So," Fiona took a deep breath and folded her hands over her chest. ",how much do you all know?" Ava shrugged, looking around at her friends, "Not much. We know about the cult Pierce Hoffman started, and the demon they rumored to summon. The mass suicide in the woods about fifty years ago, and everything you wrote in your book, it's all true." Fiona nodded, taking in what Ava told her. "So not much. Let me tell you children a story, a story that will clear your eyes, so clear your ears."

The seven of them perked up, feeling like little children about to be read a bedtime story, not twenty eight year olds trying to hunt down a beast.

"You are right about one thing, that ole Pierce Hoffman, being the sneaky bastard he was went behind his father's back and started that cult. The whole lot of them were insane, just downright mad with a hunger for power. It consumed the ones who grew up good christian folk, and turned them into something else, something evil. When Pierce's daughter began expanding the cult to the new settlement of Silver Springs, the residents who still believed in goodness, in what Priest Hoffman preached banded together, a few brave souls to defend the Earth against the demon Pierce and his followers summoned. So they began to train, and train their children, and their children's children. That's what I am, a descendant of the ones brave enough to stand up to the beast and the cult. There was no need for immediate action, until those people were found in the woods, we all knew what had happened, the demon had influenced them to water the earth with their blood. It makes him stronger, the more people he has, the stronger he gets. The demon is like a parasite, it finds a host, and latches on. We lost some of our own in those woods that night, the cult fled Crescent Point, while the remaining of us trapped the demon." Bee's eyebrows shot up, "How?! Could we do it?! Can we trap him?!" Fiona held up her hand to silence the woman. "It's been fifty some years child, I've been searching for that spell for the last twelve years. Since I am the last one, I have no other experienced ones in the occult to help me." Ava's hand shot up eagerly. "I am! I can help! I can translate latin and the ancient texts. This is what I've been training for like-my whole life!" Fiona looked over at Ava with suspicious, scrutinizing eyes. "You? But you're just a child, how do I know you wouldn't just be in the way?" Ava stood up from her chair, hand placed on her stomach protectively. "Maam I may be just a child to you," she glanced down at her womb, where her child was growing, "but I have a child of my own to think about. Blue took away my husband, he did something to him, and I'm scared that if we don't stop the demon, I'll never get him back. I won't stand in your way, because it's my way as well, I'll do whatever it takes to stop that monster and save my family." Fiona's eyes twinkled slightly as she smirked at Ava. "Very well, you can stay here and help me, I'll fix up the couch for you, though I don't think we'll be doing much sleeping. The seven of you coming back to Crescent Point has made him stronger, we've got no time to waste." They all felt a surge of something long forgotten, something foreign, inside them, they felt hope. Genuine hope that filled up their veins and ignited their hearts, hope that this war could be won. "Thank you Ms. Maskings, I can't tell you how thankful we all are for your help. We've felt so alone for so long." Bee confessed. Fiona frowned, "You all were never alone, you had each other. Now go on, get some rest, if your friend and I can find the ritual we need, you'll all need your strength and courage." The friends stood up, giving Ava hugs or pats of encouragement as they all headed towards the door, into the night, where goosebumps ate at their flesh.