W.I.T.C.H.: Cries from the Woods

Part 8 Family History

"I have to agree with Danny. There is no way to Sunday that any of us are related to that!" said Irma and pointed out the window at Janet, who had dropped now limp creature into the snow and had turned to return to the cabin. As she walked, her limbs began to contract, as did her snout-like jaw, and her teeth began to pull back into her gums; by the time she reached the porch steps, she again looked like Janet. The only evidence that she was involved in a fight with that creature, was the dark stains on her face, hands, and sweater. Inside the living room, the group watched in silent horror as the girl approached the cabin. Hay-Lyn and Taranee held each other like frightened siblings; Irma had a hand on Danny, who was keeping an eye on both Janet and Sheela while trying to understand what she had just seen; Phobos held both his wife and his sister, all three of them were hurt and exhausted. Will was shaking from what she had witnessed and wondered what that creature was; how had that thing managed to repel their magic like water? Elyon, too, was shaking and tried not to cough from her lungs adapting to the warm air of the cabin; she was just glad that she could hold onto her brother like he was a large stuffed animal that hugged back.

"You two are right in some regards. We are not related by blood to Janet, but she is related to us." Replied Sheela and went to open the door for the young girl, who was gently knocking on the door, demanding to be let in. When Sheela walked past the living room doorway, she was on her way to the downstairs bathroom to get Janet cleaned up, she looked in and said. "I will explain later after I get Janet cleaned up. Now, Danny and you, young man," she meant Phobos, "go outside and take that thing into the basement. There is a metal door behind the stairs that is unlocked; take that thing and place it on the metal table in that room for me. I am too old to carry it on my own. Please to that now, before someone shows up and sees it."

With that, she had left to attend to Janet, leaving Danny to stare over her shoulder at Phobos; they wondered if they should do what Sheela ordered them to. They wondered if they even had the nerve to go outside and get near that thing, but Sheela had a point; they couldn't let someone come across that thing and ask questions no one could answer. Gathering their nerve, they pried themselves loose from their friends and family and headed out into the snow. The creature stunk like a rotting dumpster and was starting to grow stiff from the cold. Despite how thin that thing was, it weighs more than 300lbs. Working together, Danny and Phobos barely managed to lift the thing from the ground; they ended up carrying the thing, so its butt scrapped along the ground. The progress was slow, and it was difficult to carry the thing down the basement stairs in a way that wouldn't cause Danny to fall down the stairs, as she was the one going backward. As expected, there was a rust-colored, metal, door hidden in the shadows behind the stairs. Opening the door, the two of them found a freezing cold room that was dimly light by a single lightbulb; it contained a metal table in the center, a sink in the far corner, and a shelf with several glass containers holding things suspended in some sort of liquid.

This was a small laboratory.

Exerting what was left of their strength, the two hoisted the thing onto the metal table. The moment it lay on the table, its muscles relaxed and the air that was trapped in its lungs escaped, causing the syrupy blood in its shredded throat to bubble and gurgle. This was too much for Danny, she felt her stomach churn and her vision blur, all color drained from her face and she had to rush to the sink where she threw up what little remained of her breakfast. Phobos didn't like the situation any more than Danny but managed to keep his composure; there were similar creatures in Meridian that he had come across. However, on those creatures, magic worked and defending oneself was easy; this thing was something different. Finally, after rinsing out her mouth with water, Danny managed to form words. "I knew my family was fucked up, but this is bonkers!"

"Your family is relatively normal," Phobos said absentmindedly, which made Danny chuckle despite the situation.

"I seriously doubt that." With that, the two of them quickly left the room, making sure to close the door behind them, and left the basement; they didn't have any desire to return. When they returned to the living room, Sheela was, just now, coming out of the downstairs bathroom with a cleaned up Janet. Furthermore, she was carrying, what looked like a thick binder under her arm. In the living room, Janet immediately hopped up to her cubbyhole above the door and curled into a ball, lazily watching the group who were all seated now. Sheela sat at the gaming table across from Danny but spoke loud enough for all to hear.