The Lipstick Stain (Cindy Berman x oc)

☀︎︎ Chapter Twelve ☀︎︎

"Hey, someone's been down here!" Alice called. She looked at the nib of a candle, feeling it. "Like, recently."

I could tell that Cindy was nervous because every five seconds she would squeeze my hand tighter. Not that I was complaining.

All over the cave were candles, books and weird structures.

"Look at all this witchy shit," Alice said, shining her torch everywhere.

We walked deeper into the cave, not entirely knowing what any of it was.

Finally, the two us entered an even smaller part of the cave. I noticed that Tommy stayed behind, I just guessed he was still feeling sick from the attack.

Cindy pulled my hand, pulling me under the archway and into a weird sacrifice room.

On the floor was what I remembered was the witch's mark, but what looked like black blood flowed through the engravings, making me wrinkle up my nose.

Alice and Arnie started messing around on one side of the cave.

"It's the witch's mark," I announced.

Alice leaned away from Arnie, turning to me with a confused look.

"The what?"

Cindy opened the book, showing the replica of the engraving on the floor.

"'A deal was made with the Devil. Sarah Fier cut off her wicked hand on Satan's stone in exchange for eternal life, scarring the soil beneath with the witch's mark, bringing Darkness upon the land.'"

"That's it!" Arnie called out, suddenly.

We all looked to him, utterly confused by his sudden outburst.

"It's acetaminophen."

"Arnie, what are you talking about?" Alice asked.

"L484. It just hit me. It's fucking Tylenol. It's nothing."

"Are you sure?" Cindy questioned.

I looked to her, knowing that meant it wasn't drugs that made Nurse Lane act the way she did.

"Positive. Come on, Alice. Let's get out of here. Pretty sure Joan might still have some weed if we pay her."

Arnie ducked under the archway, as I went over to Cindy who was kneeling down looking at the drug capsule.

Alice didn't seem to be listening to her boyfriend, and carried on looking at a wall of the cave, while me and Cindy found another exit behind a shelf.

Cindy pulled a book off of it, trying to make it less heavy. A gap opened up and the cave seemed to go on for ages.

"There's more. It goes on for ages," I said, shining the torch through the gap.

Suddenly, Alice grabbed mine and Cindy's shoulders, getting our attention.

"I need to show you both something."

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Alice showed us the wall of the cave, pointing her torch to engravings all over them.

"Cyrus Miller. Billy Barker. Ruby Lane."

"Mary's daughter," Cindy stated.

"Yeah. Isaac Milton, Harry Rooker. You don't have to go to fucking class to know those names."

"The Shadyside Killers," I whispered.

"Yeah. Except one." Alice pointed her torch at one name. One they all knew. Her brother's. Thomas Slater.

"Tommy? Alice, this isn't funny," Cindy said, unamused.

"I don't think Alice put that there, Cindy," I replied, nervously.

"Yeah, you think I carved your boyfriend or brother's name into solid stone with my fingernails?" Alice antagonised. "Someone else did this."

We looked to the name, again. I turned my head back towards the entrance of the cave, scared for my brother. I met Cindy's gaze and we rushed back out towards the entrance.

All three of us climbed out from the cave, I lifted my flashlight up to my brother as he grabbed an axe from the side of the cave wall.

"Tommy?" I called, shakily.

Arnie turned around from the entrance of the tunnel, smiling, thinking it was a joke.
"What the hell are you doing, man? Tommy..."

I watched as my brother lifted the axe and swung it into Arnie's face. I was frozen.

"Oh my God! No, no, Tommy! Stop!" Cindy screamed from next to me.

But Tommy didn't stop, he sent another blow to Arnie's already dead body.

I watched in horror as my sweet brother turned into a monster.

He turned towards us, my flashlight shaking on his face. He started making his way towards us, axe ready.

I pushed everyone back, Cindy and Alice screaming.

"Fucking go! Go!" I shouted.

The three of us rushed through the cave, through the archway into the sacrifice room.

"There!" Cindy called, pointing to the other exit we had found earlier.

She tried to pull on the bookshelf, but didn't have the strength.

I rushed over, pulling it over in one yank.

Tommy then emerged from the archway, glaring at us.

"Everybody, go!" I shouted.

Alice rushed in, then Cindy and I went in last, taking one last look at my brother.

I wriggled my way in, but suddenly got pulled back by my brother's bloody hand.

I started yelling, Cindy and Alice grabbing onto me, trying to pull me back.

"Tommy, it's me!" I tried to yell through choked back sobs. "Tommy! Stop, please! It's me!"

He had no emotion towards me and it broke my heart, but then he seemed to stop. His hand let go, almost like he became himself, again. But as soon as he let go, he tried to grab on again and the moment ended. I struggled backwards, watching him crawling forward, axe dragging across the floor. I silently apologised and punched him in the face, making his head fly backwards and into the wall.

The roof of the cave began to shake, rocks quickly falling on top of me.

I luckily got pulled back by Cindy and Alice, making me fall back and onto Cindy's lap.

The rocks fell, creating a wall between us and Tommy.

There was silence and I heard Cindy start to cry behind me. I leant up from her lap and wrapped my arm around her back. She leaned into my touch and leant her head on my chest.

Although, it didn't last long. From behind the rock wall, we heard distant heavy breathing that didn't belong to any of us.

"Do you hear that?" Alice asked, panting.

The heavy breathing carried on, followed by harsh footsteps that got quieter and quieter.

"He's still alive?" Cindy croaked from next to me.

"He can't... He can't get us."

"I don't think it's us we should be worried about," I replied, darkly.

We all leant back against the cave walls, getting our breath back. Cindy leant on my shoulder, her breath hitting my neck.
But all I could think was that the brother I knew was gone. And now he was under the witch's curse.