It Lives In The Woods

Chapter Fifteen

The woods whistled in anticipation as the group of friends split up, Lily and Tanner following the familiar path they had taken as children to reach the Ice Palace, the others trekking through thick brambles of branches and vines to get to the clearing where Blue had tried to claim Jamie's life. "It's so quiet." Stacy whispered, looking behind them expectantly. "Too quiet." Andy muttered, his mechanical leg squeaking the most predominant sound. Bee shivered from the chills that continuously passed through her body, "He's here, somewhere. I can feel him watching us, can't you feel his eyes on us ?" The four of them looked out into the darkness, heading what Bee had said. "Maybe he's waiting to see what we'll do." Andy suggested, "Well don't give it away! Maybe a surprise attack could give us an advantage." Andy's face went ashen pale as the sounds of animalistic howls filled the air. "I don't think we'll be that lucky." He choked out, raising his sharpened pipe he was wielding. "That sounded like it was coming from the south end of the forest." Stacy cried, "The Ice palace, he must know Tanner and Lily are getting close, we have to hurry before they make a meal out of mouse." Ava snapped, jogging ahead of them, the other three following in pursuit. They finally came to the large clearing, moonlight falling on the single tree stump that was spotted with Jamie's dried blood. The five of them took deep breaths as Ava pulled out the spell book and placed it on the stump, "Stacy, Noah be ready, once we start the spell he'll redirect his animals our way, it won't take them long to find us. You two ready?" Ava asked, offering her hands to them. Bee looked down at her chocolate colored hand, and felt a stone settle in her stomach, this was the moment she'd been waiting for. "Ready." She said, loud and confident as she grabbed Ava and Andy's hands, joining them with her own. "Demon within and without," Andy began, closing his eyes in preparation. "Daemon intrinsecus quam extrinsecus," Ava and Bee said in unison, as Ava bowed her head, as if she were in prayer, not needing to read the latin from the page. Stacy and Noah circled them as they heard the howls once again, knowing those howls would soon be getting closer, at the other end of the forest, Tanner and Lily sprinted down the beaten path, the urn bumping against Tanner's back painfully as the sounds of paws pounding the dirt behind them lessened, until only a few remained. "THEY MUST'VE STARTED THE RITUAL!" Tanner yelled, panting, sweat beading down his forehead. ",let none thy wish come true."

"Eveniunt nulla vis."

"Here they come Stac, keep your head up, call me if you're down!" Noah cried, as the sounds of paws pounding the ground got closer. "Remember, don't let them in the circle, only one of them can leave or else it won't work!" Stacy reminded him, swinging the purse full of lead balls and rocks in front of her like a nunchuck. "Let the air suffocate thee every breath,"

"Sit tibi aeris suffocaret omnis spiritus,"

"Oh littleeee mouseeee," Blue whispered through the trees, causing Lily's feet to run even faster, "WE'RE ALMOST TO THE HOUSE!" Tanner yelled, hoisting the urn up his back further as his back threatened to give out. "Shit," Noah whispered as the vine animals jumped out of the trees into the clearing from either side, snarling and gnashing their teeth at them all. Noah and Stacy ran on either side for the attack, Stacy's purse knocking a dogs head off with a satisfying snap of the vines that held it together. ",let the earth reject thy's ungodly presence. We send you back to the depths of hell,"

",et in terra penitus abjeci impii in conspectu tuo. Nos remittimus unde venistis profundis inferni" Bee's voice cracked slightly as she saw one of the dogs clamp into Noah's thigh, his scream of pain ripping through the air, but continued on as she watched Stacy whack the dog in the ribs, right into a tree. ",from whence you came! We banish thee to the pits of hell, we bind thee Blue!"

",nos expellat puteis te inferi ligaveruntque blue!" An angry scream filled the forest as the three of them finished the first round of the enchantment. "KEEP GOING!" Ava yelled, as the wind in the woods picked up rapidly, whipping the three of them in the faces. Tanner and Lily nearly turned back when they came upon The Ice Palace, the place they had not seen since the night Norah died in front of them in that very house, "Put the urn in the doorway like Fiona said, mouse whatever you do, don't go past the doorway!" Tanner insisted, taking the urn out of his strap on his back with a groan and handing it over to Lily who nodded, determination written all across her narrow face. Tanner jabbed an oncoming dog with the pitchfork he wielded, impaling it through the neck, it's vines snapping savagely, yet he did not pause as two more followed.

"Demon within and without, let none thy wish come true."

"Daemon intrinsecus quam extrinsecus eveniunt nulla vis." They started again as Stacy yelped in pain, the teeth of one of the beasts grazing her arm, leaving bloody trails down her bicep, shreds of her white linen shirt falling to the ground. "Let the air suffocate thee every breath, let the earth reject thy's ungodly presence."

"Sit tibi aëris suffocaret omnis spiritus, et in terra penitus abjeci impii in conspectu tuo."

"WATCH OUT!" Noah screamed as he fought off two of the beasts at the same time, watching as one of the remaining, unscathed beasts saw it's chance and raced towards Andy, knocking him out of the circle in a flurry of snarls. "AH!" Andy screamed, punching the monster in the nozzle, kicking his feet right through the creature's stomach, it's green blood pouring all over him.

"We send you back the depths of hell from whence you came," Ava shifted over to english, leaving Bee to the latin as she gripped her friends hand even tighter, not daring to look out into the chaos, though her heart dropped at the idea of Andy out there fighting the same monsters that ripped his leg from his body all those years ago. The air around them tunneled, forming a sort of tornado around the two girls, their hair whipping into the faces and mouths as they yelled over the howl of the wind, "Nos remittimus unde venistis profundis inferni!"

"WE BANISH THEE TO THE PITS OF HELL!"

"NOS EXPELLAT PUTEIS TE INFERI!" Noah looked up from his fight with the last of the three vine monsters to a blood chilling sight, the demon himself, slinking out from amongst the trees, eyes trained on the two woman who would be his downfall. "BEE WATCH OUT!" He yelled, but no matter how loud he shouted, she couldn't hear him over the screaming of the wind, all she could see was the approaching, burn balls of fire. "WE BIND THEE BLUE!" Ava screamed, tossing her head back as a white film coated her eyes, the enchantment searching the depths of her mind for weakness, the spell binding her to the fate of the demon. Bee screamed out in pain as Blue struck through the tornado, grabbing her by the throat, but this time, his grip did not burn, his power was weaning. "STOP THISSSSS ! YOU AREEEE MY FRIENDSSS!" He screamed in her face. Bee's hand struggled, till her fingers finally laced with Ava's. "LIGAVERUNTQUE BLUE!" She choked out, her vision blurring slightly, as the last words of the second, final round of the spell left her lips. The demon howled, as if he'd been stabbed, and tossed Bee to the side, as a white film crossed over her eyes as well, her vision turning white. "BEE!" Stacy yelled, running over to her, cradling the girls head in her lap as the beast screeched, thrashing in the air. Ava opened her eyes, the white film gone, replaced by the red of her contacts, "Burn in hell you bastard!" She spat as Bee weakly sat up, watching as Blue started disappearing, slowly at the end of his shadowy figure first, till the spell had eaten up his entire form.

At the ice palace Tanner and Lily watched in fear and amazement as the urn shook and burned red as the demon's energy was sucked into its new cage, and the vine beasts turned into nothing but piles of vines all over the woods. "We have to make sure it worked, come on!" Ava urged, offering Andy her hand, as Bee stood up, supporting Noah as blood leaked from his leg, leaving crimson trails as he limped with them through the now quiet woods to where Lily and Tanner sat, back to back on the dirt floor of the woods, staring at The Ice Palace. "Did it work?" Stacy asked as Lily jumped up and hugged her tightly. Tanner nodded, "I could feel it, I could feel his energy get sucked up into the urn, it was surreal." Bee laughed, somewhat hysterically, looking around at her friends. "We did it, we really trapped him once and for all." They all joined her in laughing, all hugging each other in pure, undiluted joy. "I don't mean to ruin our celebration, but I think we all need to see a doctor right about now." Noah said with a forced grin, kissing Bee on the side of her temple with a grimace of pain. "Oh shit yeah ! Alright let's get going."