Devils Roses 05 - Death

through the woods.
    "This is where you came last time?" I look at Sam and ask.
    He nods.
    Roland leaps into the air and phases mid air. He is a huge black wolf. Hanna gasps. None of us have ever seen it.
    I look back at Aleks. "I love you." I mouth.
    "Me too." He says softly.
    "Do it now Sarah." Lorri says softly. We can see each other but nothing can see us. Sarah has worked hard at developing the talent and is finally able to make us all invisible.
    I can feel the line when we cross it. The darkness hovers in the air like a black cloud. I instantly feel uncomfortable. The wolves growl softly. Hanna and the doc look savage. He won't change into the beast either. He and her both will be the beast but in control.
    My insides hurt. I just want Ari. I want her so badly. I know Lucas feels the same. He is skin and bone almost and his fur is not glistening like it does. He looks exhausted and lackluster.
    We cross a dirt path. Ben is out front. He walks, sniffing and searching it out.
    We stop when he stops. Lorri looks at little Sarah, "Still good?"
    Sarah nods. She looks like she is concentrating very hard. She is the only one who can control her talents completely. The other kids are still a little nutty when they get scared..
    Her tiny face makes me distracted. I'm scared one of us is going to die protecting her.
    Sam stays close to her.
    I hear them before we can see anything. A man laugh and talking. It's Jonathan. My skin shivers.
    I wink into a tree just above us. There is a small village in the forest. Just some shanty huts with dirt paths between them. The houses are old and decrepit looking. Jonathan is standing outside next to a girl with dark hair. She is tied to a pole in the middle of the path. She has whip marks that look like they're healing. I feel instantly angry and sickened. It's Ari. She is filthy. Her clothing is torn and gross. After everything she has been through, this is too much. Phillip isn’t there. No one else is. It's Jonathan and Ari. He rubs something down her cheeks and then stops. The wind changes. He lifts his face into the air like a dog smelling.
    "Shit." I whisper and wink back to the ground. "He can smell us I think."
    Lorri nods, "Guaranteed. What are you getting Trist?"
    "Bad juju. These witches are bad. They're almost as strong as I am. Phillip is here. I can feel him. The earth might not fight with me here. It's tainted." He puts his hands out, "Ari is sick. We need to hurry." He makes a face.
    "She's tied to a pole in the middle of the road there. It's a dirty little village of sorts. Gross. I saw Jonathan but no one else."
    Lorri flexes her fingers, "Chances are he knows we're here and is ready. Are we ready?"
    We all nod. We have no real plan. Ari always wrecks our plans anyway.
    We creep from the damp forest and into the village. The electricity in the air is too much. I gag from the stench of the humidity and dead animals. To the right carcasses and skins make a pile. In the distance I can see Ari.
    Lorri looks at me and nods, "Aimee you get Ari and Tristan and I will get Jonathan. Sam, you come with me in case he winks. We track him." Her whisper is so silent I almost miss it.
    She holds a hand up with three fingers. She lowers one. My heart races. She lowers two. My palms sweat. She lowers the third and I wink. I touch Ari and am blasted across the dirt yard. Lorri has Jonathan in her hands but he just stands and laughs.
    Tristan blows the pole where Ari is tied up, sending her flailing. I wink and catch her. Lucas is instantly with me, nuzzling her.
    Suddenly they come out of the house. We must be visible because they raise their finger, chanting. They look like regular women but their eyes are black.
    They all point at Tristan.
    His fingers and hands shake.
    "Lorri!" He cries out. Lorri winks to him but is blown across the dirt road. Ben is attacking one of the witches. He kills her on the road. Her body becomes a black blood puddle.
    I look around at the pandemonium.
    Lorri is being held to the ground. Jonathan is still standing laughing. He seems to not be real. Ben leaps at him but he doesn't wound. He doesn’t budge. He laughs. The witches chant. Aleks is flashing and killing but the witches don’t stop. The ones still standing don’t defend themselves. They chant. There are at least twenty of them still standing.
    "He's glamour. Jonathan's not really there." Lorri shouts.
    Hanna and her father are ripping and tearing. Both are covered in blood. It looks savage