They found themselves back at the entrance to the house in no time.

“Gods, am I glad to see that door,” Cat remarked.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Amanda reminded her.

“How could I forget.” Cat rolled her eyes.

Amanda ignored the snarky comment. They were all tired. She looked at all the faces of the people with her. Yes, they were definitely all tired. Even Indi, although wide-eyed and fidgety, had lost some of the spark for adventure in her eyes. And now here they were, at a crossroads. Who could she send out to safety and who did she need? The only one who didn’t look tired, was Coal. Somehow he always looked like he was about to head out for a night at the theatre or something. Yes, his clothes were a little worse for wear but his posture made it look more like an intentional fashion statement than an unfortunate fairy incident.

"Now what?" Zephyr asked, his eyes looking longingly at the front door.

"Now you, Wolf, and Indi go out to the car. Maybe drive Wolf to a hospital," Amanda told them. She wasn't about to let Coal out of her sight, and she would need Cat for this.

Wolf shook his head. "No way."

"You can barely walk. And you definitely can't run."

"I was running before."

"In the dreamworld," Cat reminded him.

“We need to move fast Wolf.” Amanda looked him dead in the eye.

He sighed. “Fine.”

“But...” Indi started to object.

“Come on Ind.” He tugged her toward the door.

“Good luck,” Zephyr told the remainders as he left through the door after them.

Amanda gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

As half of the group filed outside into the sun, Amanda called after them from the door, “What’s the time?”

Zephyr checked his watch. “4:15.”

“Is it ticking?”

He glanced at it again and then nodded.

“Alright, if we’re not back in an hour, go get help.”

“From whom?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Just somebody competent, but don’t come back in, got it.”

Zephyr nodded.

Amanda disappeared back inside the house and shut the door.

Indi looked up at the blue sky. “It’s so weird. Coal thought that maybe there was a luminary spell and something making the clocks not work, but now we’re outside, it’s like no time passed at all while we were in there, so that must be like a pocket dimension or something right?”

“We’re still on the grounds.” Wolf shifted his weight uncomfortably next to her.

Indi noticed. “Oh, sorry, do you want to sit down?” She looked around the driveway, to find an ideal spot. “We could go around the back into the garden,” she suggested finally.

“Let’s not,” Zephyr replied with a glance at the intimidating house, with it’s stone exterior and ivy covered face. He felt like it was watching him. “We need to take Wolf to a hospital.”

“Well, Wolf and I came in Cat’s car so...” Indi nodded in the direction of Zephyr’s car.

“Ah right.” Zephyr fished in his pocket for his keys.

“I’m not bloody fucking going anywhere until they’re all out here,” Wolf replied in a tone that said it wasn’t up for debate.

Indi pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Well let’s sit in the car for now then anyway. It’ll be comfier than the ground.”

Wolf agreed with that at least and so she helped him into the Zephyr’s backseat.

As Indi helped Wolf, Zephyr stood by the driver’s door, looking back at the house once more. This time his eyes focused on the door. He thought of Amanda and Cat in that creepy house, with only Coal for comfort. He imagined the worst. They needed to move fast. That’s what Amanda had said. Well no one moved faster than Zephyr. What if they needed him? He didn’t really want to go back into the house but he felt awfully guilty just waiting for them out here. Wolf would still have Indi after all. They didn’t both need to be here.

He handed the keys to Indi, who took them with a surprised look on her face. “I’m going back in,” was all he said. Then his disappeared in a gust of wind, using his super speed to return to the house and find the people he’d left behind.

Indi stood stock still for a moment, just staring after Zephyr. Finally she looked at the keys in her hand and then at Wolf. “I’m taking you to a hospital.” She reached forward to close the door.

Wolf put his foot in the way. “You bloody well won’t.” He nodded at the house. “Not until they’re out.”

“You’re being silly,” she remarked, but her gaze was fixed back on the house. Well if Wolf didn’t want to go to the hospital, then she wasn’t much use out here. Zephyr had gone back in. And now that she was standing back out in the sun again she felt a lot braver, envious even that she might be missing something. Also what if they needed her? Her shield was useful and she had helped Wolf out.

“Don’t even think about,” Wolf told her, guessing at her thoughts.

Well, there was nothing like being told not to do something, to make you want to do it. But she couldn’t just leave Wolf all alone. He didn’t even have a phone on him. She had her phone though. She handed it to him. He took it instinctively.

“The pin is 5926. If you get in trouble phone Kass,...” she trailed off, realising that might not be the best option since she wasn’t sure if Kass was okay, “Or Zephyr, I called him earlier, so the number should still be in there...” she trailed off again as she remembered that none of the phones had worked earlier. Well maybe it was different from outside. He could always call for help if he needed anyway.

“Indi...”

“I’ll be quick, I’ll just check how they’re going.” Before he could object again, she turned and jogged back to the house.

“Indi!” Wolf called after her, but it was no use.

Left alone with only the car for company, Wolf pulled himself to his feet, intent on following them all back to the house. But the pain in his leg only let him get so far before he had to admit if he went back in there he was only going to be a liability. He growled softly to himself and sat back down in the car. Now what?

He glanced at the phone in his hand. Well, he was outside now. He should phone someone at least to let them know what was happening. But who?

The fact that it was Indi’s phone in his hand was probably what gave him the idea. He clicked through the interface until he found recent incoming calls. He scrolled down until he found one for someone not currently in the house, one labelled ‘Falco.’

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

A little while earlier.

Cat, Coal, and Amanda, stood inside the entrance way.

“Which way?” Coal asked.

Cat hesitated. She knew the direction and approximately how far. The problem was, they needed to get to the lower floor. Then a door caught her eye, the one they’d gone through hours ago, or at least what seemed like hours ago. The one that had teleported them. Well it was worth a look right. If it was there they could just try opening and closing the door until they got one that was a floor below.

She walked over to it and opened it. Before her lay a flight of stairs going down. She looked at it, not quite believing what she saw. She hadn’t expected it to be that easy. It was very much in the realms of too easy, so easy that Cat had to wonder if the house wanted them to go down there.

The other two peered over her shoulder.

“How did you know that was there?” Amanda asked.

“I didn’t,” Cat replied, as she decided that it didn’t matter what the house wanted. They still needed to find Kass and Sirius, and if the house was helping for now, well, she’d take what she could get. Cat started down the stairs.

“You didn’t?” Coal asked as he followed.

“It was a different room before,” Cat replied. She might be wary of the house’s intent but she was confident in her own choice.

Amanda glanced at the entrance to the house. She hoped the others were okay. Then she turned and followed Cat and Coal down into darkness, leaving the door behind her hanging open.

At the bottom of the stairs, Cat paused. There was no light down here and the corridor was pitch black. The walls were made of concrete and narrower than the hallways on the floor above. Beside her she heard Coal suck in a deep breath and summon a light.

“After you,” Cat nodded at him to go first.

Coal didn’t like the narrowness of the corridor. It felt claustrophobic and it made the air heavy around him. He pushed forward anyway, trying to ignore the suffocating feeling in his chest. Behind him he could hear the two woman following.

He was less afraid of the house or what might be in it. He trusted Stella somewhat. He did not think she would send him in here to his death, not if there was a high chance of it. He paid her well, gave her whatever she wanted, but then psychics were not infallible. Sometimes believing in them too strongly was what got a person killed. So Coal didn’t drop his guard completely, he didn’t take unreasonable risks, and kept some fear there, just at the edges of his thoughts, a wariness, enough to keep him on his toes. Too much fear could also prove deadly. If only the damn walls weren’t so close.

He turned a corner and placed a foot forward where he thought the floor should be, only to have it drop down lower than he expected with a splash.

He gave a yelp and managed to catch himself by placing a hand out against each wall, but he dropped the light in the process. They were all plunged back into darkness.

“Fuck!” he swore.

A fire materialised behind them. Amanda summoning a flame. “What happened?” she asked, pushing past Cat to see.

Coal had one foot in the water, about step height down. Once he righted himself he felt forward with the other. Yup, there was another edge here. Stairs going under water, who knew how far?

“How deep is it?” Cat asked warily.

“Not sure.” Coal took a step down and then moved his feet out further to see if there was another one. There didn’t seem to be. “I think just this deep.”

Amanda held up her flame. She noticed further down, vines on the walls, and at the end of the hallway there appeared to be a slither of natural light, another room level with this one. Various openings and other hallways branched off to the side.

As they deliberated, another figure appeared behind Cat.

Reacting by instinct she pushed them back against the wall, with her forearm pressing against their throat.

Zephyr raised his hands in surrender. “It’s just me.”

“Jackos Zeph!” Amanda held one hand to her chest. “I told you to stay with the others.”

“Yeah well, Wolf’s got Indi, they don’t need me out there.”

“You think we need you in here?” Cat asked with bite.

“Cat,” Amanda warned.

“What?” She replied with a shrug.

Coal was sick of standing in the tiny hallway, feet in murky water. “Well, he’s here now, let’s keep moving.” He started forwards, carefully placing each foot in case the ground got deeper. He was right to do so, for after about 3 metres the ground fell out below again. He stretched forward until he could feel it beneath his feet. I wasn’t a drop this time, more like a slope, cut up and uneven. He kept moving forward until the slope seemed to settle out. The water was up to his hips now. An open doorway to his left showed a large room, filled with more water, but the light was too far behind him to make it out properly. He turned to check on the others.

They were all still back at the water’s edge. “What are you doing?” he called. He noticed Amanda glance his way and then look back at Cat.

He sighed and looked around. The vines on the walls looked similar, like that plant they had seen upstairs. Some of them dipped down underwater and out of sight. And, they appeared to be growing, moving slowly along the walls. It wasn’t obvious unless one was looking directly at them. Coal decided he didn’t want to hang around in the water.

“Come on,” he called back to the rest of the group. Then he started forward toward the day-lit room up ahead, ignoring the darker offshoots into other rooms.

He heard a splash behind him. ‘Finally’ he thought. But when he turned to check he found it wasn’t any of the others who had entered the water. Between him and them was another creature, it’s head shaped like a wolf, it’s arms long and spindly. A wendigo.

“Amanda!” he called at the firestarter.

She had been locked in discussion with Cat and Zephyr, but at Coal’s shout she turned.

The wendigo growled.

Amanda fireballed it.

It was unmissable this time. On both Coal’s left and right, vines grew obviously thicker and longer, reaching out towards Amanda, but still too far away for her to see them. As the fireball died they slowed their movement but they did not stop.

Coal frowned. “No more fire!” he called back.

Amanda gave him a confused expression. She started forward into the water.

Behind her Zephyr offered Cat his back and then said something to Amanda.

Amanda moved aside so they could get past.

Cat leapt up onto Zephyr’s back so her feet were off the ground.

Coal suddenly realised what Zephyr was about to do. “No! NO MAGIC!” he called.

But it was too late. At lightening speed, Zephyr took off with Cat on his back. He couldn’t go as fast as usual, but it was fast enough to make solid use of the surface tension of the water.

Coal backed up almost against the wall. Not too close though. He didn’t want to touch that plant.

Zephyr and Cat flew past, ending up in the room at the far end.

Coal could feel the vines behind him grow. He pulled away. Zephyr had only used a little magic momentarily but it was enough.

Coal turned back to Amanda, who was half way towards him.

“Put out that flame! Quick!” he told her.

She frowned but did as he said.

Then another wendigo sprung from the water. It leaped towards Amanda, but before she could get a chance to fireball it Coal cut it’s head off from behind with a swift slice of his sword. “No magic,” he told her. Then he stepped aside so she could move past him. He watched the water as best he could in the low light, sword ready as he followed her, walking backwards.

She frowned at him, obviously confused, but she did as he said, hearing the obvious urgency in his tone.

They were almost at the other room when a small familiar voice called from the other end, “Guys?”

Beside Coal, Amanda raised a flame, smaller than before. It put out just enough light to see Indi standing at the edge of the water.

“Put it out!” Coal hissed. Then he turned to Indi. “Indi, stay there, I’m coming to get you. Whatever you do, don’t shield.”

“Don’t... what? Okay.” Indi waited, already regretting her return to the house. It was dark and damp down here and she didn’t like the worried tone in Coal’s voice. She hadn’t heard him sound like that before.

Amanda stayed where she was. She didn’t want to move too far from Coal and Indi. She didn’t understand why Coal had said no magic. The water was waist deep on her and ice cold. She shivered, one hand raised ready just in case any of those things came back.

“Hop on.” Coal offered Indi his back, just like Zephyr had with Cat.

Indi looked taken aback for a second but then she did as told, happy not to have to get too wet.

They were half way back when something swam past under water, causing large ripples on the surface.

Coal paused and raised his sword. Ahead of them he saw Amanda watching the water with her hand raised.

“No fire!” he called just as a group of wendigos burst up and out of the water.

Amanda didn’t listen. She burned them all.

Coal rushed forward, Indi still on his back, feeling the heat of the flames on his face as he did, and he sliced at the wendigos as best he could.

As he entered the fray, Amanda pulled her flames back, not wanting to hurt Coal or Indi.

Coal finished them off, Indi holding tight to his back. Then he met up with Amanda with a furious look on his face. “What did I say about no fire?”

Amanda opened her mouth to reply but as she did she felt something wrap around her ankle and tug hard.

She was pulled down into the water with a yelp.

Coal leaped in after her, just managing to grasp a hold of one hand and elbow.

As they crashed down through the surface of the water Indi let go. She came up spluttering, unable to see where Coal or Amanda had gone. She found her feet on the floor, and upon hearing Cat’s voice calling her name, she scrambled quickly in that direction before taking the time to even adjust the position of her now crooked glasses.

Friendly hands helped her out of the water. A moment later Coal and Amanda collapsed on the ground next to her.

Coal still had his sword clutched in one hand. He’d dropped it when he’d first grabbed Amanda but the water hadn’t been too deep, and guessing at what had her he’d picked his sword up and cut her free from it.

Amanda got to her feet and looked around the room. Seeing the masses of vines that lined the room she paused, and suddenly remembering what the plant was, she remarked, “Oh.”

Coal, still puffing and panting on the floor, noticed this, and said, “Recognise the plant now? You see why I said no magic?”

“Shit,” was all Amanda said.

“What?” Cat asked. “What is it?”

Amanda nodded at the plant. “Witch’s Weep.”