Chapter 10: A sister reunion

Julie glanced nervously at the digital clock and saw it was almost two. She needed to hurry if she was going to pick up May and Carol in time to catch the train.

She pressed down on the brake as she drove over the bridge. The wood beams creaked as the car wheels went over it.

Julie wondered how secure the bridge was and slowed down even more. Teddy said they would have it replaced with something newer but for now it would be safe enough to drive on. Just another thing to put on the list of things to repair or replace.

They had both spent a lot money into converting their aunt's house into a hotel. She hoped that it would pay off in the end but even if it didn't, she had a lot of fun doing this. She loved the theme of the hotel and the ideas for it that she, Teddy, and Lizzy had come up with. It was also great seeing her siblings again. It had started to become rare for them all to get to together, with everyone being busy with college and pursuing their own careers. But their aunt's death had brought them together once again just like when they were kids.

Julie sniffed slightly remembering her aunt. She had been like a second mother to them all. Lizzy used to say that Aunt Patulip was more of a real mother to them then their actual one. Maybe that was because of when their parents had divorced, they had split up their kids. Teddy and Lizzy had ended up with their father and Julie with her mother. Julie had been sure she would not see Teddy or Lizzy again, despite her parent's reassurance that would not happen. That turned out to be a lie, but it had been their aunt that made sure they did not lose contact with each other. She would make sure they would all come over to visit her or would have them over to spend summer vacation together at her home in New York. That was before she bought the Burgen's house. Or wrote her book.

This hotel that they were attempting to create was their thanks to her for keeping them together.

Julie smiled to herself knowing that her aunt would get such a laugh at what they were doing to her house but after she was done laughing, Julie knew she would roll up her sleeves and help them build it.

Her cell phone rang, and Julie pressed the on button on her Bluetooth.

"Julie?" Teddy's voice came screeching through the piece.

"Ah!" Julie cried.

"What's wrong?"

"Don't talk!" she cried fumbling with the volume. "Okay sorry. The volume was too high."

She heard Teddy saying something, but it sounded like he was whispering in her ear.

"One moment, now it's too low."

Julie glanced at her reflection in the rear-view mirror to make sure she was pressing the right button.

"Okay, now try it."

"Can you hear me now?" Teddy asked exasperated.

"Yes, finally," Julie laughed. "What did you need?"

"I'm just checking to see if you bought those paint buckets."

"Yep, I have them in the trunk."

"Good."

There was a loud cracking sound as Teddy breathed into his phone. Julie grimaced, annoyed. She hated when people did that.

"Is Carol there?" she asked.

"You mean as in the same room as me?"

"Yeah."

"No, I'm on the roof."

Julie laughed, "what are you doing up there?"

"I was covering the holes before it started raining but now, I'm sort of, um-"

"Writing?" Julie guessed.

"Yeah," Teddy said almost apologetically. "I have been really inspired lately. I have this story that is practically writing itself out. I just need to put word to paper."

"What is it about?"

"Not really sure yet. I think it's going to be a romance novel set in some earlier times."

"How early?

"I'm not sure about that either."

Julie reached over to the passenger side to keep the folder of legal papers from sliding off the chair as she drove down the hill.

"When you have enough figured out, let me know. I'll help you spell check."

Teddy laughed, "I don't think you will be much help there."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Then I will tell you if it's good or not."

"Fine, I'll let you read it then," Teddy promised. "Did you want something from Carol?"

"No, I just wanted to know if she was okay. She seems to be down about something."

"Right," Teddy said sounding awkward. "It could be from seeing David. It might have brought up bad memories."

"Why didn't you tell me he was working for us?" Julie asked.

"I didn't see a need to."

"Really? There wasn't a need?" Julie said angrily. "I'm friends with the girl he tried to murder."

"Come on Julie, you know it wasn't entirely his fault."

"He was the one hitting her so how wasn't it his fault?" Julie said still angry.

She realized she was going too fast and quickly slowed to 30.

Teddy had been silent as she adjusted her speed but then spoke up again, "Lizzy was the one that hired him. She didn't lose contact with David when he went to the asylum. She told me about some of her visits. It bothered her a lot to see how much he had changed. How damage he was. But when David got well again, she wanted to help him get back on his feet."

"Well you know, Carol tried once to visit him at the asylum too," Julie reminded him, "you know what David tried to do? He tried to kill her again."

"So, what are you saying? You want me to fire him?" Teddy asked her.

"No, just-" Julie paused for a moment then sighed. "Look, David is, or more like was, a second brother to me. We all grew up together. Even May and Carol are like my sisters. But don't you remember what David was like when he first moved into the neighborhood? He terrified me."

"I remember." Teddy said quietly.

"Well I thought that side of him was gone but then it returned and hurt one of my best friends."

Teddy was silent for a moment. "Julie, you are right," he sighed. "David is like a brother to us. And Lizzy was right to try to help him. We can't just abandon him when he needs us the most."

"I know that," Julie said quickly. "It's just-I'm scared Teddy. What if David loses it again? What if he just snaps one day and takes a knife and murders us all in our beds?"

"I don't think we need to worry about that."

"I don't know. We don't even know what set him off last time except for some reason he suddenly had the want to kill his girlfriend. And even when he was getting help, he still tried to kill her. And now she is in the same house as he is and... Teddy, I'm scared!"

"I think you are overreacting," Teddy told her. He sounded fuzzy as the wind made it hard to hear.

"I can't hear you," Julie told him.

"I know, give me a moment to get off the roof. The wind is getting stronger."

Julie listened to him climb down the ladder. She thought she could hear thunder but realized it wasn't coming from her cell but above her. It looks like the rain might be coming sooner than they had thought.

At one-point Teddy dropped the phone and Julie heard a clanging sound as it hit two of the ladder's metal steps.

"Sorry about that," Teddy said picking the phone up.

"Ouch," Julie groaned, her ears ringing. "Did your phone break?"

"No, it's still in one piece."

"Lucky."

"Yep," he laughed then grew serious. "Julie, I don't think you have anything to be afraid about David. I get why you are but he has been working here for about two months now and has been fine. He's still holding it together even with Carol being here too." Teddy stopped talking and Julie heard Tess in the background asking if he could call someone to fix the sink in the bathroom.

"It's on the list," Teddy told her, then to Julie, "Besides, you all are leaving today, so you don't have anything to worry about.

"I guess so," Julie sighed. "Except Carol. There's something bothering her. I can tell. She's normally more cheerful and not this closed off. And did you see how much she is pulling on her fingers? She's practically ripping them out of their sockets."

"Wait, is she still doing that?" Teddy laughed.

Julie smiled too at her friend's odd habit.

"Are you sure it's Carol you need to be concerned about?" Teddy asked. "I mean, that is a lot of black May is wearing."

"I know. Augh! I hate black."

"And is she in a cult?"

"Not anymore but she's still into witchcraft for some reason."

"I guess she took her mom's death harder than I thought."

"Wait, her mother died?" Julie said shocked. "How?"

"I don't know, Dad heard it from a friend of the family but couldn't get too much details. Apparently, it was rather gruesome and something about May seeing it. May and her father refused to talk about it when Dad was visiting them."

"I thought we were the friends of the family," Julie muttered, angry at not being informed about something so tragic.

Julie slowed to a halt as a deer and her fawn cross in front of her.

"I should ask her about that," Julie said as she waited for the animals to go by. "and see how she is doing."

"Just use tact," Teddy told her.

"What are you implying?"

She pressed the horn twice to scare the deer but all she got was blank stares

"That you like to state things at the wrong moment and in the worst place," Teddy explained.

"I do not!"

"Ask Lizzy, she'll back me up on this."

"By the way, have you heard anything from Lizzy?" Julie asked.

"No, I haven't. You?"

"No."

They both grew quiet. Their worry of their older sister stretched between them. Teddy had told her that Lizzy had left the hotel because it was creeping her out and she wanted to take some time away from it. But then she just left one day without even taking her stuff. She had sent a text later that evening asking Teddy to forward her clothes to her apartment but that was the last any of them heard from her.

The deer finally realized Julie was waiting for them to get out of the way and ran back into the woods.

"Do you think she is alright?" Julie finally asked as she pushed down on the gas pedal.

"Yeah I do," Teddy told her.

She could almost see him nodding as he said it.

"I think it was more of her breakup with Bennie then the house, that was bothering her," Teddy was saying.

"That guy is a jerk," Julie muttered darkly. "I can't believe he cheated on her. You did fire him, right?"

"I did," Teddy said, his voice reflecting Julie's own anger.

"I told Liz she deserves better," Julie sighed. "Why does she always date jerks?"

Julie turned at the corner and drove right into a mass of gray fog waiting for her.

"Oh no," she sighed, slowing down to a crawl.

"What's wrong?" Teddy asked.

"I am in a fog," Julie said flipping on the fog lights and bit her lip nervously.

She hated fog; it was worse than driving at night. Her last wreck had happened when she was driving through a patch of fog just like this one. It had shaken her up badly and she couldn't help but flashback to when the red sedan literally had appeared out of nowhere.

"I'm going to hang up now," Julie told him. "Bye."

"Bye."

Julie turned off the phone. She gripped the steering wheel tighter, trying hard not to blink as she crawled forward.

Sometimes she thought she saw something moving in the grayness. Dark figures as wispy as the fog.

She was now sitting on the edge of her seat. There were a lot of deer in the woods and she prayed none of them would attempt to cross the road.

At last, she exited the fog and could see where she was going.

"Finally," she relaxed, leaning back into the cushion of her seat.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw something moving making her turn her head to look at the forest.

Just a foot from her car was her sister, Lizzy.

The two sisters looked at each other. One was completely shocked but the other just blinked and kept walking into the forest.

Julie slammed the button to roll down the car window.?

"Lizzy?" she called out.

Lizzy kept walking deeper into the woods, too far away for Julie's car to follow.

"Lizzy where are you going?"

Julie pulled over and nearly sprinted out of the car. Her heels sank into the dirt, tripping her.

She cried out in pain as she fell into the mud. The wet dirt oozed between her fingers and soaked into her skirt. Julie stared down at the mud in disgust as she pushed herself up.

At first, she could not find Lizzy but then spotted her. She was still walking away from Julie almost out of sight.

"Lizzy! Stop!" Julie called.

Julie kicked off the heels and grabbed a pair of saddles that Tess kept under the driver's seat.

Quickly, she slipped them on while trying to run after Lizzy at the same time. She nearly tripped again but managed to regain her balance.

She couldn't see Lizzy anymore, but Julie ran in the direction she thought her sister went.

Birds sang loudly as she ran past their trees. Their song was occupant with the chirping of the insects. Suddenly it all became quiet as the forest creatures realized there was a stranger in their woods.

"Lizzy!" Julie called out.

A flock of sparrows flew out of one the trees, their angry cries directed at Julie.

She stopped running and looked around.

"Lizzy!"

There was no sign of her sister anywhere.

"Lizzy, where are you?"

Julie started walking, continuing to call out for her sister. The trees clustered together; their branches entwined with each other in attempt to prevent the sunlight from coming through. Only small patches of light made it through.

Julie spied another dirt path behind a dying pine tree whose trunk was rotten through and was tilting ominously to the side.

The path twisted and weaved like a snake around the ever-present trees. Soft imprints of footsteps in the dirt told her which way Lizzy had went.

"Lizzy!" she called out as she ran down the path.

Her sandals were covered in mud, freezing her toes.

She shivered as the temperature seemed to drop the deeper, she went. She could feel the eyes of dozens of invisible animals silently watching her from the brush.

"Just keep your eyes on the path," she whispered to herself. "Just follow the footsteps. Don't think about how creepy the woods are. Or how insane your sister is behaving. And definitely don't think about that big white wolf that tried to kill Teddy and is living in these woods."

The path came to an end and Julie stared down where the dirt turned to grass.

When she lifted her head up to see where the path had taken her, she had to step back in surprise to see a church standing a few feet from her.

A graveyard stood in front of the church nearly lost in the overgrowth. Every window was broken and one of the church's walls had fallen in. The steeple was still standing but when the wind blew it would sway just enough to make Julie step back.

"I didn't know this was here," Julie said, keeping a wary eye on the steeple.

She turned, planning on going back to car. She would go back home and get Teddy and Billy to come back with her. Maybe the three of them could find Lizzy. Carol and May would come too. Oh yeah, David was also staying at the house, he would come to. She would then have a decent search party to help her find her sister.

She had only taken a few steps when Lizzy appeared out of the woods and walked across the path. Julie stopped shocked as Lizzy looked at her blankly.

"Lizzy?" Julie said softly, afraid Lizzy would run away again. "What are you doing here? I thought you had gone back to your apartment. And are you still in your pajamas? Hey! Where are you going?"

Lizzy had stepped off the path and was walking back into the woods.

"Wait up," Julie called running after her.

She accidentally stepped on the hem of her skirt and fell back into the dirt.

"Ow," she groaned.

Lizzy did not even look over her shoulder to see if Julie was okay but kept on walking.

"Lizzy, stop!" Julie called scrambling to her feet.

Instead of stopping, Lizzy broke into a run.

"Why are you running?" Julie cried in exhaustion as she had to start chasing after Lizzy once more.

Lizzy was fast and Julie was struggling to keep her in sight.

The pine trees disappeared and became a grove of apple trees. Julie paused lost in the sudden dark redness of the apples that were hanging heavy on their branches.

She bent over and grasped her knees, fighting to catch her breath.

"Lizzy!" Julie puffed, "you know...I hate...running!"

But Lizzy did not stop.

"You're not on drugs, are you?" Julie yelled at her.

She watched Lizzy until she was out of sight. She shook her head, deeply worried about her sister's lack of response.

Maybe she really was on something.

Julie forced herself to start moving again and resumed the chase.

The trees began to thin out and she could see the roof of the Burgen's house in the distance.

Her legs burned but Julie forced herself to keep going, heading in the direction Lizzy had been going.

She was too busy staring ahead of her, desperate to see Lizzy again, that she didn't see the small rabbit sniffing the edge of a hole. The poor creature scrambled back before it was kicked in the face. It kicked at the dirt trying to get its feet under it so it could run away.

Julie watched the rabbit run then looked down at the hole. It was large enough for at least two people to fall in at the same time.

She lowered herself to her knees staring into the empty blackness, trying to see the bottom.

"Hello?" she called hearing her words echo back to her.

She could see a faint glow of light down there. Maybe it was a flashlight.

"Lizzy?"

No answer, but Lizzy had refused to speak to her this whole time so why would she answer now?

Julie sighed. "Are you going to make me go down there? You do know I'm wearing a skirt?"

Apparently, Lizzy did not care because she still refused to answer.

Julie pulled out her phone but was not surprised to see no bars. The service up here was awful.

Should she go back and get Teddy?

But Lizzy could be in trouble.

Scratch that, Lizzy was in trouble. And if she left, Lizzy might hurt herself or disappear.

Julie clenched her fist and decided she would go in. Skirt or no skirt.

She lowered herself into the hole falling just a few inches before hitting the ground.

It was too dark to see but Julie could see a glowing yellow light in the distant. She walked to the light, running a hand along the wall to guide her.

Something slimy crawled over her fingers making her cry out in disgust.

"Ew, ew, ew," she squealed over and over shaking her hand.

Whatever the slimy thing was fell to the ground and crawled away.

"I hate caves," Julie whined and wiped the back of her hand on her shirt as she preceded on toward the light.

The narrow passage split into two more. One was well lit with lights stringed along the wall.

She must be in the catacombs but how close to the house was she? Was that why Lizzy was here? Was she trying to get back to the house?

"Lizzy?" she called somehow, she still had hope there would be a response.

Lizzy still refused to give one.

Julie sighed and followed the lights. At least she was close enough to the house to get help if she did not find Lizzy.

Something squeaked above her, and Julie shuddered. She refused to look up, knowing it was going to be a bat.

"Lizzy, where are you?" she called.

Then to herself she whispered, "please don't be dead."

The squeaking became louder and in more numbers. The lights flickered in and out of darkness as dozens of bats filled the narrow space, desperate to escape.

Julie screamed but it was lost in the screams of the bat.

She ran, her hands above her head, feeling the tiny claws of the bats as they flew by her.

Julie kept screaming and kept running.

The tunnels opened into multiple directions of a maze of tunnels.

Julie ran down one tunnel and the bats went down another. The line of lights stopped as Julie entered darkness.

She stopped, panting hard. Tears running down her face. She leaned against the wall, crying into her hands.

"I hate bats. I hate them so much," she sobbed into her hands.

Her ears perked as she heard soft footsteps. Lizzy was there again, standing next to the last light bulb.

"Lizzy!" Julie cried out in joy.

She ran to her sister and grabbed her arm to keep her from running away.

"Finally, you stopped running! I was so scared! I thought you were-"

Her grateful words were suddenly cut off as Lizzy's hand closed around her throat.

Julie's eyes popped open in shock and fear.

"Li..zz," she gagged.

Lizzy's hand tightened with unnatural strength, forcing Julie's air pipes to close. Her vacant eyes stared into Julie's wide, disbelieving eyes. She felt her sister's tears against her fingers. The tiny drops of water running down her hand, turning red as it washed specks of the blood that stained her hand.

Julie was not fighting her. She was too much in shock by what her sister was doing to realize she need to fight.

One of her hands clutched Lizzy's shoulder and the other on her wrist in the beginning moves of drawing someone into a hug.

Her hands slid off and fell limp to her side. Her legs bent so she was only standing because of Lizzy's hand was around her throat, keeping her up.

Lizzy released her hold and grabbed Julie by the arm before she fell. She pulled her up and over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

In the distance the bats were still squealing.

Lizzy continued down the tunnel and into the dark, carrying Julie with her into the darkness.

She took several turns. Going right then left and then right again. She entered one of the tunnels lit up with the light bulbs that she had helped Teddy and David install.

There was someone coming towards her. Lizzy quickly retreated into the darkness before she was seen.

"Hello?" Carol called.

She looked around unsure. "Hello?" she repeated.

She stood there listening for a moment then sighed.

"I'm losing it. I'm starting to hear voices," she said to herself.

Something glinted in her hand. Catching the light and then twirling it around in a thin strip of golden yellow. It was the ring that Carol had found earlier in the tunnels.

Lizzy flinched and nearly dropping Julie.

She quickly readjusted her grip on her sister while watching Carol walk away. Though, her eyes were not fogged over with emptiness but alive and intense with the colors of red and gold.

Carol paused and looked back at the tunnel Lizzy was hiding in.

"Hello?" she said uneasily. "Is someone there?"

She pointed her flashlight at the tunnel and Lizzy quickly retreated even further back before Carol flipped the switch.

Carol swung the light back and forth. The light was not very strong and only let her see a few inches.

"Still hearing things," she muttered to herself but continued watching where Lizzy was hiding.

Carol turned off the light and walked back into the tunnel of light.

Lizzy waited a moment then stepped out of the dark. Her eyes returned to its normal fogginess. She went down a different tunnel then the one Carol took.

The path turned upwards but she took a turn and was heading right back down. Further and further down until she reached a dead end. Lizzy did not stop but walked right through the wall and into a large circular room.

The room was full of the glow of blue light emitted by runes and symbols decorating the walls and ceiling. More runes were glowing off the floor that had been carved in multiple different spell circles that went around a three-step platform with a coffin resting on top.

Lizzy set Julie down on the first step and knelt in front of her. Her head bowed resting on her chest as if in silent prayer.

Hours went by, creeping by like the worm crawling across Julie's forehead. Lizzy didn't move once. She didn't even breathe.

The sun was slowly setting in the horizon, bathing the ocean yellow when Julie opened her eyes.

Her head was pounding, and her throat felt scraped raw. She grimaced in pain as she lifted a hand to touch her forehead.

"Lizzy?" she said and nearly choked on the word.

She blinked several times as the world remained a blur of shapes and color. Carefully, she turned her head to the right and saw Lizzy kneeling next to her. Her breath came in sharp as she saw her sister.

"Lizzy? What are you doing?" Her voice trembled with fear.

Of course, Lizzy didn't answer.

Julie pushed herself up. Every movement made her head scream in protest. When she finally stood up, she felt like she might faint.

She reached out and found something solid behind her for her to hold herself up with. The burliness was still so bad that she could not see what she was leaning on.

Lizzy stood up when she did.

As her eyesight slowly returned, Julie could see that her big sister was in more trouble than she had first thought.

Lizzy was covered in dry cakes of mud. Beneath the mud, Julie could see she was wearing her pajamas. Her hair was matted with grass and dirt in it and there was something crawling in it. But her left arm was stained red as if she had dipped it into a pot of spaghetti sauce.

"He wants to see you," Lizzy said in an empty voice.

"Who?" Julie asked, her voice echoing off the cave walls.

Before Lizzy could answer, Julie's eyesight cleared enough for her to see she was holding on to a coffin.

"Oh, holy shit!" Julie cried in a cracked yell.

She quickly moved back down the steps. Her foot hit something and a kitchen knife went spinning away.

"He wants to see you," Lizzy repeated.

Julie looked back at the coffin and continued to move away from it. Her eyes darted from Lizzy to the coffin. She kept backing up, Lizzy following her slowly.

"Lizzy what's wrong with you?" she whimpered.

"I don't know, Julie," Lizzy told her.

She kept an even four steps distance between her and Julie.

Julie looked around frantically for a way to leave the cavern but all she saw was wall.

"Lizzy how did you get in here? And how do we get out?"

"I don't know, Julie," Lizzy said somberly.

Sobs overtook Julie once more. "What's wrong with you Lizzy? Why did you try to kill me?"

"I didn't kill you. You had to be alive, but you couldn't run away."

Julie swallowed but it made her want to throw up.

Lizzy waited patiently for her to finish.

Julie wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Lizzy, please let me go," she pleaded.

"He wants to see you," Lizzy simply said for the third time.

She scratched her arm and then looked down at with the vaguest sense of surprise.

"I think I'm dead," she said.

She lifted her arm so Julie could see the deep straight cut across her wrist.

Julie whimpered and started to cry harder.

"Lizzy, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she blubbered through her tears. "I shouldn't have listened to Teddy. I should never have let us come to this place."

"That's okay, I forgive you," Lizzy said as empty as ever.

Julie timidly reached out and touched Lizzy's arm.

"Come on Lizzy, let's leave this place," she encouraged. "Let's go back to the house and get you some help-

"No!" Lizzy cried and for the first time, there was hint of life in her voice. "You have to stay here. He wants you to stay here."

She seized Julie's arm and Julie tried to pull away.

"Stop it Lizzy! What is wrong with you?"

Julie shoved Lizzy away and turned to run away.

"No!" Lizzy screamed like a mad woman and jumped at her.

Julie fell to the floor and Lizzy stood over her shaking her head.

"You can't go. You can't go," she kept repeating frantically.

"Okay! Okay, okay, okay," Julie said quickly, "I will stay, calm down Lizzy. See? I'm staying."

Lizzy relaxed but kept watching her.

Julie put her hand to her forehead wincing in terrible pain. Her legs were trembling under her and she tried to watch Lizzy, but her sister kept going in and out of focus. She desperately hoped she was not losing consciousness again.

Julie heard a sound and looked back at the coffin. Her eyesight was clear enough for her to see the coffin lid being pushed back by a hand that could not be human.

Julie slowly stepped back.

"Lizzy...is this the person you want me to meet? Is it in that coffin?" she asked, this time her voice was cracking with fear.

Lizzy didn't answer but stared vacantly at her.

"Lizzy," Julie called more sharply.

She wanted to run.

She could hear the sliding of wood against wood as the occupant of the coffin pushed aside the lid.

Everything in her told her to run.

A skeletal hand with bits of flesh dangling off it, grasped the edge of the coffin.

But her legs would not move.

She looked down at them to make sure they were not nailed to the floor because every ounce of her being was being directed at her legs to move.

There was a thud as the coffin lid hit the floor.

Julie looked up in horror and watched as a monster rose from the coffin.

One red eye rolled about in its socket while the other socket was a black hole.

Half its face vacant of any flesh only pure white bone.

Its lip-less mouth stuck in a wide skeleton grin.

Julie screamed.

The monster stepped over the side of the coffin.

She screamed as the monster came to her, dragging one of its legs, nothing more than bone partially covered with a layer of muscle.

The skeletal hand reached out to her.

She screamed as the monster grabbed her.

Her body still refusing to move.

She screamed as the monster bit into her throat.

All she could do was scream. Scream as she felt the blood rush to her neck and out into the monster's mouth. She shut her eyes tight as she felt her own blood stream down her neck. She did not stop screaming until her throat cracked and her heart stopped.

He let go of Julie, allowing her to fall to the ground with a thud and she rolled down all three steps.

Her blood had restored most of his flesh but little of his powers.

He walked down the three steps and as far as he could go until the first barrier spell stopped him.

The spell glowed brighter, filling the cave with electric blue light.

He easily removed the spell.

It was well cast. Just the right amount of magic to make it last as long as it had. Complicated enough to stop most who practiced in magic. But he was still more skilled than the witch.

But that was only one spell destroyed. Now there was only forty-nine left.

He could disarm some of them, but he was still too weak to do them all and he might need some help with a few of them.

There was someone powerful enough to help him.

He could sense the witch somewhere in the house above him. It would be too difficult now to try and communicate with her just now. Later, when he had drunk more blood.

Witches didn't bury their dead-on holy grounds in case the dead witch had used their magic in a way that aided the devil but close enough in the hopes the angels would notice their lost soul and take pity.

Lizzy had already left the cavern, returning to the surface to fulfill his silent order.

Through her eyes he could see the storm clouds.

The storm was gathered, fueled from both his and Margret's energy.

It was to be expected. Both were very weak with little control over their power that it was leaking out and gathering in the sky.

But Margret was gaining her strength quickly, faster than he was. She would make her move soon and attempt to return him to his coffin as she did when she was alive. He needed to be ready.

He could hear Carol's voice, far away, somewhere deep in the catacombs. It sounded like someone had found her at last.

Her time was growing short. Much faster than even she realized. Or perhaps she did know and that is why she had returned to this house.

But he ignored Carol's voice as he waited for Julie to wake.

As if hearing his thoughts, Julie sat up. She breathed in air like a drowned swimmer who had just been revived.

She gasped and chocked as her body adjusted to being one of the undead.

When she finally got her breathing under control she stood up and looked around the cave as if her eyes had been opened for the first time and she could finally see.

She saw him, still a monstrous sight.

She was as quiet as the other one was and just as empty.

But like Lizzy, she heard her master's unspoken command. She left the cavern and followed Lizzy out of the cave, in search for more victims for him to feast on. More blood to restore his flesh.

He waited until Julie was gone before returning his attention to the spells imprisoning him.

"Now, which of your spells shall I destroy next, Margret?"