Under A Blue Moon | #ONC2022

Chapter 12

Elaine was in the other room making some calls. Apparently, the council wasn't as easy to contact as one might hope. Unless of course, you violate one of their rules. Then you can never get rid of them. At least that's Penny's opinion of them. Clearly, she isn't a fan of them.

Addie had left to help at the main house and send word about the new development.

Necromancy.

If you had told me yesterday morning that I would be battling the walking dead, wolf-less and alongside a witch whose family has been secretly part of this town for decades, I would have laughed and thought you belonged in a looney bin. I mean, these are the kind of things that you see in movies or hear in legends.

I looked out the window and watched as a couple of wolves – unknown to me, bound through the trees chasing a corpse. Envy reared its ugly head at the sight. Suddenly, I became very aware of the empty feeling swirling inside ready to bring me to my knees.

Minus the undead situation, tonight would have been a perfect run. Weaving in and out of the trees. Basking under the light of the blue moon. Even with the potential for death, I would have gladly gone out hunting and fighting until they killed me.

Light footsteps sounded behind me drawing me from my thoughts. Without turning, I asked, "Anything?"

With a sigh, Penny stood beside me watching as the moon began its ascent above the clouds. "No. You would think that a necromancer bringing the dead to life to terrorise a town would be enough to get direct communication, but no." Her words dripped with bitterness.

"Why do you hate them so much?" I asked curiously.

"Because they're useless and never do anything to actually better the witch community." Her arms were crossed. Venom coating her words.

I raised a brow at her tone. She sighed. "My family hasn't had the best...experience with the council." At my confusion, she continued, "I spent most of my childhood with my dad's family in America. They were constantly fighting with the council. But even then, the council never really helped witches. Ironic I know given my aunt works closely with the council."

"Well, Elaine says they're the only way to help," I said cautiously. Penny stood quietly. The silence saying what she wasn't.

"Elaine believes they're good and they're what protects us from the bad. And maybe some are. But that's not what I've experienced."

"But they're the only ones who can help...right?"

She looked at me and under the light of the moon, her brown eyes held a slight iridescent glow. She dropped her voice before replying, "The council will stop the necromancer, that is without question. The question is whether they will stop them before your pack ends up dead."

Dread filled my stomach. The only chance we had was the council. I hoped Penny was wrong.  

The wind was cool against my skin. A stench of death hung in the air. My back was pressed up against the brick exterior of the house as I scanned the trees. There was no sight of movement and nothing but the soft howling of the wind to fill the night.

Nero shifted his weight on my shoulder before taking flight. His wings beat against the wind as he flew over the grounds and towards the trees. It took a few moments before he looped back giving me a single caw.

I moved towards my car with speed, relying on my senses to alert me of incoming danger. With my keys in my hand, I move to the boot of my car and unlock it. Piled in the back was a few bags of bird food that I may have forgotten to take out. Not that Nero would have eaten it anyway. Picky creature.

To the side was a pile of jackets and books. Moving the items, I unlocked the padlock to the small compartment. In most cars, this is where you keep your spare tire or tools. Not mine. No, I had guns, knives and boxes of ammunition. I may have also picked up a few grenades. Grabbing one of the bags, I filled it with all my weapons.

Heading back, I reached the bottom step when the wind changed direction. A strong overpowering scent of decay hit me in the nose. I jumped backwards just as a large, rotted hand reaches for me. In front of me stood a large corpse with half his head peeling off to reveal the cream bone.

I flipped onto my feet and dodged its advance. Despite its size, it moved fast. Almost too fast for me to dodge. With each missed strike the creature growled. Which was an anomaly given its lack of throat.

I feign to the right and when the creature followed, I step towards its left and threw an uppercut. My fist connected with the underside of its skull and cracked the bone. Fleshy pieces fly off revealing even more of its hideous underneath. Pain spiders down my hand and I fear that I may have broken my knuckles. But I moved on.

It stabled itself and launched towards me. I planted my feet and when it got within the vicinity, I dipped and twisted my body. I kicked my foot up and pushed all my strength into my thighs, kicking its skull clean off.

Another corpse broke through the tree line and sprinted toward me. Nero dived from the sky and latched his talons onto its skull. I scurried to my bag and pulled out the shotgun, loading it before taking aim.

"Nero!" Nero released the thrashing corpse only for me to pull the trigger. The bullet splintered and tore its skull into different pieces.

I grabbed the bag and bolted into the house, closing it when Nero flew in.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked.

I gave a short nod and dropped the bag onto the table. "Please tell me you have good news."

"Elaine said the council has sent someone." I groaned in relief. Finally, this will all be over.

"How long until they're here?"

She hesitated. "Tomorrow."

"What?" I yelled. "There's like ten hours until sunrise. We can't wait that long!"

"She's trying to get them to come sooner but the witches that deal with this kind of thing are busy. The closest one can only get here in the morning."

Busy. They're busy.

Anger surfaced and without thinking I grabbed the edge of the coffee table and turned it over sending my bag full of weapons crashing into the wall. Bending to my knees, I held my face and tried to calm the rage coursing through my veins.

We would barely survive this night.

My breathing became laboured, and my hands burned to grab anything and release the pent up violence.

"Your pack will survive this night. They're strong," Penny consoled. "But I won't lie to you. Even if the witch comes, it could take a little bit before they can detain the necromancer."

I lifted my head and watched as the witch picked up a handgun that fell out of the bag. Red swam in my vision.

"But there is another option," She turned to me and offered the gun. I waited for her to continue. "We deal with this ourselves. We find the necromancer."

"And then what? We can't do anything until that fucking witch shows up!"

"The dead aren't being raised by a curse. They're being raised by a spell, one that relies on a constant connection to a power source. Given that they appeared before the moon even rose, the witch is drawing from their own power."

"So?"

"So...if the spell relies on the connection to the witch all we would have to do is break the connection." The corners of her lips quirked up. "Kill the witch and the connection breaks. Kill the witch, and we save your pack."