Protector | Ambrose Spellman and Nicholas Scratch [1]

21 | the cain pit

twenty-one
the cain pit.

"OKAY, WE CAN start now," Selene breathes, taking a step back and admiring her handiwork. She had made the pentagram herself, and she has to admit that she couldn't of done it any better. She then pulls the Book of the Dead she had stolen from her father's office out of her bag, and smiles at Nick, Sabrina, Prudence, Dorcas, and Agatha. "This should be fun."

Dorcas scoffs at the strawberry blonde before turning to Prudence desperately. "I can't believe you're doing this to Agatha. She's our sister."

"Leave if you want, but if you stay, Dorcas, shut your mouth, or we'll sacrifice you, too," Prudence threatens as Nick rubs Selene's shoulders gently.

"I strongly advise that you recite the text word for word," Nick breathes, trying to calm her down and failing. "The slightest deviation and we could all wind up dead."

"Right. No pressure or anything," Selene remarks, pulling away from him and taking her spot on the pentagram. Everybody else does the same thing, but Agatha is forced to stand in the middle. "Okay, there are three stages to the Rite of Resurrection. First, we have to invoke the hellhounds."

She then looks down at the book, citing it perfectly. "Hounds of Heaven, Hounds of Hell, Hounds of Earth, Guardians of the Door, we summon thee to help us resurrect the fallen son."

The group then chants the next part in unison. "Nos si vocare te. Nos si vocare te. Nos si vocare te. Nos si vocare te."

The group then hears the hellhounds barking, and Nick exhales sharply. "Unholy shit, it's working."

"Now we have to open the door between the land of the living and the land of the dead," Selene states, taking a deep breath before she starts to read the book again. "We bow before the Door that divides the world of the living from the world of the dead. With humble gratitude, we ask that it be opened."

They then chant the spell. "Aperi ianuam. Aperi ianuam. Aperi ianuam. Aperi ianuam."

The fire in the candles surrounding the pentagram then go out, and Nick and Selene exchange knowing glances. "Wait a second."

And sure enough, they hear the sounds of heavy chains unlocking and the gate between the worlds creaking open. "The door's open."

"Now we must go through with the sacrifice," Selene declares, pulling a blade from her jacket pocket.

Agatha begins to sob as Prudence raises an eyebrow. "Who wants to do the honors?"

"I will with pleasure," Sabrina speaks up, taking the knife from Selene. She then kneels down beside Agatha. "Remember, you brought this upon yourself."

Selene frowns at her friend before she begins the spell again. "Unholiest of Spirits, we offer thee a life for a life! O mighty Dark Lord, vita est vita. By whom all is set afire thy power be thy path, thy will my desire. Vita est vita."

Everybody then turns to Sabrina anxiously. But it's Prudence who pauses. "Sabrina, are you sure about this?"

"I have to be," Sabrina nods, letting out a war cry before she slits Agatha's throat ruthlessly. Selene grimaces at the blood spews from Agatha's neck, and the girl falls to the ground, dead.

Sabrina then hands Selene the knife back. Selene takes it, and groans as she slices across her own wrist to seal the spell. "The Hounds invoked. The Door opened. The price paid in blood. Thomas Kinkle, we entreat thee."

"Rise!" Rise!" Rise!"

Once the group is done, Selene slams the book closed and shoves it back in her bag. Prudence then raises an eyebrow. "What now?"

"We wait," Sabrina exclaims. "Thirteen minutes. Time enough for all the traces of the witch's soul to leave the body."

"And then?"

"We bury her."

And that's exactly what they do. Nick and Prudence grab Agatha's body, and carry her to the Spellman's graveyard. Selene, Sabrina, and Dorcas follow them silently, while Sabrina helps Selene clean the fresh cut on her hand.

Once they've cleaned her hand, Sabrina and Selene dig a grave, and once they're done, Prudence and Nick drop Agatha's body in it.

"Why are we burying her here?" Dorcas asks curiously. "Why not just leave her in the woods?"

"Just shut up and dig," Prudence huffs as Nick hands Dorcas a shovel, expecting her to do all of it.

"Selene," Selene hears Ambrose yell as he hurries towards them, clearly taken aback by the scene in front of him.

"Shit," Selene curses, knowing he won't be happy.

"This is the stupidest, the most irresponsible thing you have ever done," Ambrose remarks in utter disbelief. "What would give you the idea to do something like this in the first place? The Monkey's Paw, for Lucifer's sake?"

"Sabrina felt so bad for Harvey," Selene exclaims nervously. "She wanted to help, so I had to help."

"Yes, yes, you've mucked about with the most potent, wicked forces that exist," Ambrose accuses. "Much more powerful than the Dark Lord. I'm talking about death, Selene."

"I followed the incantation exactly."

"Then what are you, Sabrina, and your little friends doing in our Cain Pit?" Ambrose asks.

"The rite demanded a life for a life," Selene breathes guiltily. "Agatha was the one who killed Tommy, so Sabrina thought it was fit for us to use her to get him back. But Sabrina thinks she found a loophole, because the ritual didn't mention anything about the sacrificed staying dead."

"I love how you always put the people you love first," Ambrose admits, taking her hands gently. "But why must you always put everybody first, Selene? The universe does not just grant you and Sabrina special privileges. You two have upset the natural order, okay? You do realize that, don't you? There are rules. There is no cheating fate."

"I just wanted to help-" Selene begins painfully.

"You two have crossed a line this time," Ambrose cuts her off. "No, you've completely erased it."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but as of right now, there's no reason to believe that this won't work," Selene sighs as the duo turn to see Agatha's hand come out of the dirt. "She's right on time."

"You have royally screwed up this time, Selene," Ambrose shakes his head, pulling away from her and marching back towards the house. Selene watches him go sadly, silently praying to the Dark Lord that everything according to plan and in thirteen hours, Tommy comes back to life.

UNEDITED