One Snap

Fingers twitching, eyes rolling underneath the eyelids…

Indistinct laughter echoed inside his head as he continued staring at his high-schooler self, curling like a lost child in the middle of a crowd. Palms pressed against his ears, and lips pursed in fear of letting out a noise…

His eyes flooded with tears as he relived a vile experience, and yet it was all taken lightly by everyone around him. His violent disagreement was taken as a tell-tale sign of cowardice. Montana Mills was so scared of a child's game…

Yet, none of them knew.

No one bothered to ask why.

Lick. Montana was roughly taken away from his dream when the skin on his cheek was roughly pushed up by a tongue. A deathly smell invaded his nose, but he did what he could not to make a reaction. When he opened his eyes, a wet black nose was already blocking his view.

"Good evil boy…" he reached out and petted Caliga before scratching under his chin. "Good morning."

"You were having a nightmare. It's quite very empty if you ask me." Mephisto reached out to help Montana sit up. "Are you hungry? I'll get someone to get us food before leaving."

"What time is it?"

"Four?"

Montana only hummed and rested while he was seated. He didn't even seem to care that they'd be leaving the city in a few minutes.

Mephisto, however, was left to watch him. Of course, he was away when the witch was fast asleep. He didn't know how come this person was able to tolerate them like he had been around demons before. He wasn't even terrified of being licked by Caliga even if that dog almost toasted someone last night.

Soon enough, breakfast came. Montana sipped some hot coffee and started eating his hamburger and fries. While he was eating, he kept on going over the things he needed to accomplish in ten years and making slight adjustments depending on how things might go.

He had been planning his life like this; the only difference was that he wouldn't be thinking about buying a car or getting a promotion.

At five in the morning, Montana rode on Caliga's back and traveled through the waning shadows of the city. The sun was about to spring up the horizon, and people would soon be waking up. Newspapers with his face on the front pages were on the stands, and Montana couldn't even bear to take a look at them.

In a few minutes, he would be reaching the edge of the city. He didn't even dare look back—even once—at the place that had been his home for almost fifteen years.

…

The mountains they threaded were close to the state; Montana knew that he was bound to find people somewhere in it. He had no idea if the news about him had already crossed to other states, but he was hoping he would live in peace now that he was outside the local police's jurisdiction.

Based on what Mephisto said, he had to meet someone somewhere in the northern Appalachia. However, how big were the mountains? How was he supposed to find someone without a map or a clue to their meeting spot?

Worse, Mephisto had gone away again. Montana was stuck with his little brain to figure things out.

"Uhm, should I look for a person and ask if they are... Mephisto's friend?" Montana whispered as he petted the hellhound carrying him on his back. Caliga had been slowly walking around in case he or his master would detect any danger.

"Caliga, can you track a witch?"

The dog sighed inwardly. It really took Montana a few minutes to have a good idea. However, Caliga wouldn't be able to track a witch right off the bat. He should find something that would signify his presence... say the scent of the core power they held.

Caliga whimpered as an answer. He just realized he was useless in this as well.

"Let's try looking around for tracks..." Montana got off of his steed and slowly descended the steep to get to what seemed to be a road paved by walkers. It's probably made for trekkers out here in the mountain.

"Considering the time, the trekkers should still be on top. Sunrise just came..." Montana took in the tranquil yet eerie atmosphere of the mountains when the sun was just rising. He took steps towards going north, hoping to find a used campsite along the way.

Silence deafened the black dog, but he suddenly heard Montana humming a song as he walked. He would even sing some parts as if keeping his head busy and keeping out the dead air. Caliga's eyes flickered before he continued following the man... who was revealing his location to possible predators.

He soon arrived at a lodging camp, but he didn't know if the people there would immediately recognize him as a wanted man. When he saw some hikers and trekkers coming down from another direction, he realized it was quite a perfect opportunity.

This meant that these people were not in the city when everything happened. Maybe… they would be lousy enough not to check the news while up here.

Like him if he was one of them.

"Excuse me…" Montana came into view, and the guides were startled by him. By rights, Montana didn't look like he was here to trek at all. So when they saw him, they grew cautious.

However…

"I… was driving, and my car fell down the cliff. Can someone help me?"

"Oh, my God! Are you okay?" One of the female guides reacted, and the two male guides went to check up on him. He wasn't injured or anything, but he really did look shaken. Perhaps it was because Caliga was running so fast that Montana looked so unpleasant.

He was taken inside the lodging camp. It wasn't really a camp filled with tents but just a big bungalow where hikers, trekkers, guides, and the staff would stay in from time to time. It was akin to a ranger station, but it was designed to help people who were lost.

The people there seemed to be hospitable that Montana felt bad for lying. He was asked a lot of questions which he answered properly. The only matter was that he had no wallet for any identification. He did throw away his wallet and had his few bills tucked inside his shoe.

Montana didn't present himself as himself; he used a different name… Frederick David. He lived in the city just west of the mountains and had a white KIA. Of course, those weren't assumptions. He really did know a Frederick David from the city and had a white car.

It's just that… he was already inside Caliga's belly.

To think about it, he still didn't know why that man came to him that evening. He even tried to rob him of what little he had. That man had his own car and his own house. Was it too much for him to pay for that he would resort to mugging someone he even knew?

Montana didn't even have a lavish lifestyle or anything worth the envy. His life was simple and lazy… and boring…

Yet, he was okay with it. There were a few hitches and snags, but he could generally shut his eyes and live peacefully without caring for anyone else… but his own sanity.

Montana might have been pushed to the edge of boredom and senselessness, but he hated that his life would be ruined by someone else. It wasn't like he was asking to be punished; neither was he popular enough to be targeted. He just happened to be alone when he got on the elevator.

"The phones are working again now. We'll call the police to—"

Bang! The lady speaking with Montana just fell onto the floor. Not just her, but everyone in the lodging camp were like dead flies crashing to the ground. Montana, who was enjoying his soup, felt his body jolt.

A weird presence was coming closer, and even Caliga was alarmed. Soon, an arm of a black woman showed from the corner leading outside the camp. She was holding a thumbs-up sign as if sending a message Montana didn't understand. Then, the woman walked into his view and smiled at him. "You must be Montana Mills."

Her lush curly hair draped until her shoulders, and her eyes were had a distinct combination of black and white. Her lips were orange while her ensemble only consisted of a white fitting shirt and a pair of blue running shorts. The muscles on her legs looked strong and could keep up with a lot of running. One of the most defining feature was her earrings were sparkling diamonds.

If it was the old Montana, he would have fainted.

"You are?" Montana held Caliga down, but his hand was shaking. His grip on Caliga's skin told the dog how frightened he was.

"Oh, the name's Laquisha. Mephisto said you'd be around so here I am. Come on, baby. Clock's ticking."

"What did you do to these people?"

"Hm, don't worry. It's just a simple spell. One snap and—" She snapped her fingers, but nothing happened. The woman only laughed out and walked out of sight.

Montana slowly followed her while eyeing at the people who fainted. He was glad to see that none of them had hit their heads against anything. When he got out, he saw the woman get on a black off-road motorbike. She put on her helmet and tossed another for Montana to catch.

"We're way off the meeting place. Hurry up." She kicked the stand back to its idle position and revved the engine.

"Okay…" Montana glanced at the black dog before putting his helmet on. He got on Laquisha's ride and awkwardly held onto her waist.

"Wrap them around me tightly, or you'll be blown away."

However, before Montana could adjust, Laquisha twisted her accelerator and went 100 MPH in a few seconds. His only saving grace was that Caliga was behind them to catch him if ever.

God, he might be sinful, but please don't let him fall.