Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? [Complete!]

Chapter 25: Last Chance

Chapter 25, Last Chance

The portal spat Jessica and Matt out into a valley, deep within in the forest. Jessica jumped up, and looked around wildly.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show," a cruel voice whispered.

Jessica whirled around, coming face to face with their intruder. Blackdeath smiled, but his eyes remained cruel, and cold.

"I take it you brought the pendant with you?"

"Yes. Where's John?"

Blackdeath turned, and pointed a long twisted finger towards a wolf, surrounded by a pool of blood. He was unconscious, and whimpering softly. A wicked-looking arrow protruded from his chest, inches from his heart.

"Alright..."

"Now, give me the necklace, or the boy dies."

Jessica slowly reached around her neck, and removed the pendant. She caught Matt's eye, and nodded to him. Matt's eyes met hers, and a small spark danced across his forefinger.

Blackdeath quickly snatched the pendant from her.

"You foolish girl! You could have saved this entire world, and your wolf! But you were too cowardly, too stupid to realize-"

"Now!" Jessica yelled, pushing Blackdeath to the ground while Matt shot a blast of fire at him.

Blackdeath jumped up, and countered, grabbing his stone and yelling foreign words Jessica didn't understand. Matt and Blackdeath were locked in a brawl of purple and red sparks. Jessica ran over to John, putting on her necklace in the process. A strange word fleeted into her mind, and she muttered it without second thought. John sighed unconsciously, and his wounds began to heal. It was as though the necklace could read her intentions, and then provided her with the incantations to make them a reality. Jessica focused her attention back on Blackdeath, waiting for her opening to grab the stone. Matt muttered something, and a shower of sparks cascaded from the sky, just as he launched three fire balls. Jessica went for it, as Blackdeath began blocking and countering Matt's ruthless attack. Jessica signaled for Matt to shoot Blackdeath's hand, and he sent a fresh wave of fire. Blackdeath muttered something inaudible and Matt was thrown back abruptly.

"Matt!" Jessica yelled, before immediately covering her mouth. She'd given her self away.

Blackdeath shot a wave of angry purple sparks at Matt, who just barley managed to roll out of the way. Blackdeath wheeled on Jessica, grabbing the end of her long hair before she could sprint away. His eyes fleeted to her neck, and he saw the necklace.

"You-!"

They were both suddenly knocked off their feet as the ground began to shake. Matt yelped and ran to John, pulling him out of the way as a huge tremor split the Earth in two. A fissure began to open up, revealing the bones of a thousand dead warriors. The sight of their skeletal fingers and the glint of their blades was enough to make Jessica's skin crawl. Blackdeath got to his feet, and yelled across the fissure to Jessica, who had managed to scamper over to Matt and John, "It seems I didn't need your pendant after all!"

Blackdeath raised his stone, and slowly the dead began to stir, answering to the call of their new master.

"Come forth, and finish what you started nearly a thousand years ago! Kill them all!"

The cries of a thousand dead warriors answered, and they began climbing out of their Earthly prison.

"Those are the same warriors he used last time," Matt whispered softly, and then swore, "This is why he led us out here, this is the battle ground... this is where the portal appeared when he last tried to take over the world!"