Bonny felt as if she floated in nothingness, imprisoned in endless darkness. No sound, no light. She could not even see herself or hear her own voice.
Their attempt to kidnap the daughter of a vampire clan had obviously failed, that terrible and dark army rushing through them like a flood had put a stop to it.
She wondered whether the cruel bitch of a high priestess of their circle had survived... She hoped not.
The woman was sadistic and mean tempered. If it hadn’t been for the spell binding them to each other and then to her, Bonny would have tried to kill her years ago.
She paused in her thoughts as she felt a tug on her consciousness, like waking up from a dream or falling through the air.
She let out a massive gasp of air and sat up in a hospital bed. Her surroundings were dark. What little she could see of them was naturally occurring stone.
“See, easy.” A man’s voice said from ahead of her.
“Yeah, but now you have thirteen conscious witches.” A woman’s voice replied uneasily.
Bonny didn’t care who they were. All that mattered was making an opening so that she could escape.
She started reciting a spell of excruciating pain to restrain them until she could get her bearings.
She chanted out the words as quickly as she could, her eyes adjusting to the low light just in time to see the woman move to stop her, but the man simply gestured for her to wait.
The Why didn’t matter, Bonny would-
She gritted her teeth so hard they might’ve shattered as her mind was jolted, like someone had electrocuted her, pain coursing through her veins, and by the sound of it, many of her sisters had tried something similar to herself, their screams echoing out.
The ones who hadn’t attempted an attack soon did, seeing, but not understanding the reason behind the agony the others went through, until they experienced it themselves.
The stubborn or stupid among them tried twice, even thrice, before changing tactics.
But Bonny didn’t rise to the rank of head acolyte through hard work alone.
She rolled off the gurney, landing painfully on the cool stone floor before setting off.
In her haste she didn’t register the gradually amping pain before her third step, and by then it had become a debilitating migraine the likes of which almost made her pass out.
Instinctually she scrambled back, the pain slowly receding.
Some had chosen her method and suffered the same results, some had hesitated long enough to learn from the mistakes of others and simply stayed on the gurney from which they awoke.
Bonny turned to look at the man sitting in a wheelchair ahead of them, his eyes crimson red orbs like the image of a demon.
“Are you done?” He asked, as if admonishing children.
Getting no response except fearful looks, he shook his head ruefully.
“Of course you aren’t... That’s fine, you’ll learn in time.” He said, almost mimicking the cruel tone of their high priestess.
“The head of your circle has died from injuries inflicted by me. The one who followed her was executed shortly after. You are all that remains, and you now carry a debt-” He told them.
“Please, we were forced, she made us-“ Her sister let out an ear-piercing scream of torment before collapsing into a panting heap.
“You weren’t, that much I’m sure of. But even if you were, it wouldn’t change much.” The man in front of them replied.
It was true.
Their circle was one without an aversion to the darker arts.
It was the reason each of them had sought it out to begin with, dreams and desires which could not be accomplished under the oppressive rules of their previous circles.
Bonny had been hunted for her addiction to flight, and the sacrifices required to accomplish such a spell.
Many cradles had lied empty because of her, but it was a small price to pay for the weightless joy of soaring through the dark skies at night.
“These people are sick.” The woman behind the man in the wheelchair spat in disgust.
“So your moral objections to my plans have been eased?” The man asked.
“No, now I think we should just kill them all and be done with. It’s far better than they deserve.” The woman held a hand to her head, looking pale. “Aleks... I need to leave before I kill one of these fucking monsters.” The woman left her face twisted in disgust and rage.
“Guess that solves that.” The man Bonny now knew as Aleks muttered.
“Well, I guess we better get started.” He continued enthusiastically as a dark suit of armor rose behind him and wheeled him around and out the empty doorway into what looked like a hallway.
“I’d like to remind you all what happens if you stray too far from me.” Aleks’ voice echoed back to the room, their eyes widening in fear before stumbling forward to catch up.
Moving down the dark corridor made it seem as if they’d arrived in hell, the shadows slithering by them and squirming in every corner, making it even more likely.
“You will each share a room with another... Hmm, you’re an odd number. Guess we should trim down the count a bit.” The man wondered aloud. Another armored figure stepping out of a shadows before crushing one of her sister’s head against the wall, her skull buckling like a piece of rotten fruit.
“There, that’s better.” The man said simply.
Bonny’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt cold perspiration cover her skin as she stood mere inches from the one randomly and casually executed.
“That could have been me.” Bonny thought to herself with relief that it wasn’t.
“Now, as I was saying, you’ll each share a room. You’ll be supplied with clothes and amenities and be expected to be ready at a moment’s notice. I don’t really care what you do when I have no need of you, but I expect you to keep yourselves healthy. A couple of bruises or cuts won’t mean much, but if you incapacitate another, you will pay for their absence. All of you will.” Aleks said, his voice rumbling in the dark corridor.
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“Here we are.” Aleks said, pointing to three doorways on either side of the hall, nothing but an empty darkness ahead of them.
Aleks was wheeled back the way they came, but stopped and leaned off the side of his chair to look back at them.
“I’d recommend staying in your rooms. If you absolutely must move between them, then best make it quick, things around here don’t really take kindly to your kind of muddled souls, except for the taste of them that is.” He laughed as the armor continued to push his chair forward, the darkness swallowing both of them.
His laughter continued echoing through the hall, distorting until it was unrecognizable. It was then that Bonny realized it was no longer his laughter.
The pulsing light running along the walls like veins of glowing blood began to dim, receding to the six rooms ahead of them.
They all stood still, some confused and others weighing their options for escape, but all of them felt their blood run cold when an unnatural growl rumbled through the corridor.
Ahead of them in the darkness, four burning red eyes stared back at them hungrily, stalking forward.
Bonny pushed one of the others out of the way, tripping her and throwing her to the floor as Bonny sprinted towards the nearest room, others following quickly in this game of musical chairs with very lethal consequences.
***
I found Natasha leaning against the cliff-side outside the tunnel, heaving as if she was gonna be sick.
“You okay?” I asked, concerned.
“I tried diving deeper than the surface thoughts... That was a mistake... They’re fucking evil Aleks. I’m not sure it wouldn’t be better to just kill them all. The world would sure as fuck be a better place without those things in it.”
“I thought you’d fought witches before. You must have run across a circle like theirs at some point.” I questioned, rolling over and placing a comforting hand on her back.
“I did, but only a few were as evil as these monsters. The covens usually keep their people in check.” Natasha said, glaring into the darkness of the tunnel.
“Promise me they’ll never get loose.” Natasha said, turning to me.
“Natasha, this isn’t my first time-” I started to explain, but she interrupted me.
“Promise.” She pushed.
“You have my word. They will not break free.” I said, her pale expression clearing up a little as she sat down on my lap.
“You know, I think this chair was only really designed for one.” I said, wrapping my arms around her.
“Too bad,” she said, kissing my cheek before burrowing her face in my chest. I didn’t need to be a Sentire to sense she was still deeply shaken by what she’d seen. Hell, I could feel her heart pounding through her back.
I willed the armored shadow behind us to wheel the chair towards the house as black flames covered us momentarily, leaving behind a blanket draped around us as it dissipated, Natasha nuzzling up closer.
***
Tessa had to admit, life was pretty good.
Her day, or night, had started out with Sophia hurriedly handing her a credit card, telling her to go nuts before chasing her out of the house.
It probably had something to do with her grandmother’s unannounced drop-in and talks of staying.
Tessa had headed to the lower valley by literal train, she wondered idly at the possibility of it being built solely because an heir had a fascination with them.
“This place is insane,” she’d thought to herself after getting on, amazed by the infrastructure and size of the districts in the valley.
She spent the morning tasting everything the city had to offer in terms of food, amazed by the amounts she was able to wolf down without feeling full.
Mr. Titanos had told her she had a new metabolic system and might notice some changes and cravings.
Among the changes she had noticed were reduced need for sleep. She could still fall asleep at her normal schedule, but she could also stay awake and sharp for almost twenty-four hours.
She spent most of the day tearing through a local cinema, watching everything they had to offer and sleeping off her food coma during a particularly bad rom-com.
The sun had started to set again, and the colorful lights lit up the city as she headed down towards the more bourgeois parts of town, aiming for the shopping district.
“Time to see if this thing’s got a limit.” Tessa thought to herself, spinning the metal card between her fingers with a smirk.
“Tess?” a blonde woman passing her turned and asked.
Tessa turned around, narrowing her eyes at the woman in confusion.
“Who’s asking?” Tessa replied.
“Chastity, your cousin, and I hung out all the time. I thought they said you died.” Chastity said in an obnoxiously gossipy voice.
“Well, I’m not dead.” Tessa responded flatly.
“I can see that, although you might want to be, wearing that.” Chastity mocked, looking down at Tessa’s charred clothes, arrogance and condescension filling her eyes.
“I see you haven’t changed.” Tessa retorted. Chastity’s expression turning stony.
“At least I don’t dress like a meth whore.” Chastity said, looking her up and down haughtily.
Tessa felt something stir inside of her as she looked at the sad little thing in front of her, suddenly looking so small and petty.
Tessa had feared Chastity and her cousin’s bullying in school and at home, but now, after having seen what she’d seen and knowing what she knew, it all just felt so insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
“I bet you still suck dick like one, though.” She said, surprising herself and Chastity.
Tessa was momentarily stunned. It was like she’d heard Mr. Titanos’s voice in the back of her head urging her to say it.
Chastity stared at her in shock, her mouth hanging open as she struggled to form a sentence before choosing to just charge at Tessa in a feral rage, her high heels making her wobble as she tried to claw at Tessa’s eyes.
“Why is she moving so slow...” Tessa wondered. She reflexively formed a fist and turned her hips as she threw a low jab with her artificial arm, mostly hidden under her jacket, removing a little resistance for good measure.
Her fist impacted Chastity’s bulimic ribs, and she felt them crack like dry twigs, wincing internally as soon as it happened.
“Oh, shit.” Tessa thought to herself as her childhood tormenter dropped to her knees, gasping for air, the pain keeping her from even crying out.
Tessa didn’t have time to ponder the situation any further, as someone ahead of them yelled out.
“Hey, stop right there!” Four men in suits came rushing at her and all she could think of was what both Mr. Titanos and Natasha had taught her.
She waited until the first came close enough to reach out for her before changing the air resistance of his body to the consistency of syrup and sidestepping his lunge.
Then she placed a swift sidekick to his kneecap, the thing snapping with the sound of torn paper as he fell to the ground screaming.
The second man to reach her roared and charged her, aiming for a tackle. She increased the friction on the pavement beneath her and stepped out of the way of his charge before removing the friction almost completely.
As he tried to change his path to catch her, his feet instead flew out from under him, Tessa giving him a light body check as his legs went parallel with his body in the air and he hit the ground hard, a crunching sound coming from his shoulder as he landed on it.
The third and forth decided to change tactics and pulled out their sidearms, hidden out of view, and aimed them at Tessa.
She didn’t turn to run, didn’t even flinch, again surprising herself as she just stared down the barrels without even blinking.
This might not feel like such an amazing feat should someone find out she increased the viscosity of the oil used to lubricate every piece of the firearm, including the hammer, to the point it almost became a solid.
That, coupled with increasing the friction of every metallic part, made the firearms practically useless.
“I’ll hand it to you, girly, you’ve got nerves of steel.” A man said, walking forward in an expensive suit.
“Mr. Devos, that ogre bitch just assaulted me!” Even through pained breaths, Chastity didn’t miss the chance to lie or throw insults. Her vengeful glare at Tessa, erasing any regrets Tessa might have had for her actions.
“You’ve made quite the bit of trouble here.” The man said sneering at her.
“Mr. Devos, what’s happening out there” A woman wearing a familiar silvery ring said, stepping out of the nearby corporate building.
Recognition practically hitting her face like lightning when she saw Tessa, her expression further worsening when she noticed the people strewn around her in various states of injury.
“Ms. Thompson, it would seem you have quite the violent-“ the man didn’t get any further as she walked right past him and lowered her head in front of Tessa.
“I apologize and take full responsibility for this. Please do not worry and enjoy the rest of your day, Miss Apprentice.” The woman Tessa recognized, as Clara said.
Chastity looked on in confusion before yelling out “What?! You’re just going to let that giant cow get away with this?!” Her rage overruling any pain she might have felt.
Clara turned to look at the woman kneeling on the ground like she was worse than dirt.
“Be silent.” Clara said in what Tessa recognized as the voice, their weird mind control power.
Clara turned a furious eye to the man referred to as Devos before turning back to Tessa.
“Would you like me to arrange a car to pick you up somewhere?” Clara asked politely.
Tessa thought of the only location in the lower valley she actually knew was close by.
“By the Memorial Plaza.” Tessa said, surprised at the calm dignity in her own voice.
“It’ll be waiting for you. Please take your time and enjoy.” Clara said before turning back to the stunned group behind her, Tessa deciding now was a good time to make her exit.