Hocus Pocus: Rising of a Little Witch

Chapter 28: Flesh and Blood

   I stood there completely frozen, staring ahead at her. She still had on the same clothes she wore to the funeral, making her look somewhat put together from the neck down. However, her face and hair said otherwise. I could plainly see she was on a bender by her pale skin and beat red eyes.
She noticed me at almost the exact same time I noticed her. At first, the look on her face was one of utter disbelief, but it soon twisted into a malicious grin. A grin arguably more evil than I'd ever seen upon Winnie's face.
She began to storm my way, clearly determined to finish what she started on Halloween. I attempted to dodge her and run to the safety of the cottage, but she was too quick and she soon had me pinned to the ground. She breathed hard in my face before chuckling evilly.
"Long time no see Kate." she mocked breathlessly "Where you been, you little bitch?"

When I didn't answer she grabbed a fist full of my hair and yanked it back towards the ground.

"Huh? Where. The fuck. Have. you. Been.?" she asked me again slowly, full of anger.

"Nowhere!" I almost screamed, before socking her in the side of the head. It was my best attempt at trying to get her off me but all it did was anger her more. She regained her grip on me and pushed my shoulders harder into the dirty snow.
She let out another breathy chuckle.
"Did you hear? Your cousin is dead!" she mocked.
"Your precious Mallory, who you loved so much, is dead". She spat on the word dead.
"And what have you been doing?! Running around the woods like a fucking idiot?"

"Fuck you" I replied through gritted teeth, my lip beginning to quiver.

"What was that?" She growled.

"Fuck you" I said again a little louder.

"Huh? Speak up bitch I can't hear you." she mocked.

"FUCK YOU!" I screamed in her face and struggled wildly to break free.
  She grunted maliciously and violently tried to keep me down while she reached back to get something from her coat pocket.
I tried so hard to concentrate and conjure up whatever magic was within me to get her off, but I still had no idea how to channel it for self defense.
   Just then, she got what she was digging in her pocket for. It was the large razor blade she used for dividing up cocaine. She brought it close to my face. She laughed mercilessly as she fought off my attempts to grab it from her or knock it out of her hand. After she dodged my hand once again, she swiftly dragged it hard across my cheek. I screamed in agony as I felt my skin tear open and blood trickle down my face. I began to thrash and kick like I hadn't before, screaming at her to "get the fuck off me". But I wasn't winning. She had always been so much stronger than me.
Once she regained control, she held the razor up and to the side of her head. She was going to cut my throat. It was over. My mom was going to kill me right there in the woods. I closed my eyes and winced as I prepared to lose my life.
Suddenly, a flash of bright light appeared out of nowhere. She dropped the razor and keeled over on top of me. I immediately wriggled my way from under her and scooted myself back against a tree. I panted and struggled to catch my breath before looking up to see Winnie stood about ten feet away. The hand that struck the lighting was still positioned outward next to her head. She glared at my mother with a look of pure contempt, more intense than I had ever seen from her before.
   My mother laid face down in the snow, breathing heavily. A moment later, she started to try and push herself up and look at her attacker.
"Get to the cottage Kaytrina". Winnie instructed in a low, icy voice. Her eyes never moving from her target.
"Now Kaytrina!" She commanded again after I hesitated for a moment.
   I used all my strength to push myself up using the tree behind me. My mother had now rolled over and was looking at Winnie in sheer terror. I had no idea what Winnie was going to do to her, but I did not want to find out.
  Once I was on my feet, I made a mad dash for the cottage. My mother started screaming for me to come back, but I ignored her and kept on running.
   The cottage was a lot closer than I realized, so the sisters must have heard me screaming. When the cottage was visible, I saw Sarah standing on the front steps and could just barely make out Mary standing behind her in the open doorway. When they saw me, a wave of relief seemed to wash over them.
"Kaytrina!" Sarah called out.
   I picked up my pace and sprinted the rest of the way . Emotion bubbled up inside me as I approached the steps. Sarah met me at the bottom and I practically fell into her. She wrapped me In a hug and I sobbed into her shoulder. I could still hear my mother screaming.
"What happened? What happened?" She asked softly.
I was too upset to explain.
Mary gasped and she ran down from where she stood in the doorway.
"My god" she cried looking at the huge, bleeding gash on my face.
"Come now. Get inside". She said before her and Sarah escorted me up the stairs.
   Obviously, the gaping wound on my face couldn't go untreated, but Sarah's healing salve wasn't an option. Winnie had already seen my bleeding face before I ran off, so there was no way we could explain how it was suddenly gone. They did however have oils and stuff that they used for healing. It wasn't going to magically heal me the same way the salve would, but they were Winnie approved. And it's not like they had Neosporin and band-aids laying around.
After cleaning it, Mary used a rag to dab the oil into the cut, and Jesus, it was painful. Sarah had to hold my head still so I wouldn't jerk away just by reflex.
   I was crying out in pain when Winnie returned. She seemed exhausted. I was tempted to ask her what she did with my mom, but honestly I didn't want to know. I trusted that she wouldn't bother me again and I guess that's all that mattered.
   When she saw me writhing in pain while Sarah held me still and Mary rubbed oil into my wound, she shook her head.
"Just get that healing salve Sarah. I already know thou has it". She groaned.
Mary, Sarah and I looked at her in disbelief.
"I hath known about it since before we were hanged. I just never bothered to say anything." She explained in exasperation.
Sarah then looked at Mary with wide eyes, before silently getting up and walking to the cupboard where she had hidden it. She brought it back to me and I turned my cheek to her so she could apply it. It still smelled disgusting but it was a hell of a lot less painful than the oil. Once she had rubbed it in, I felt my cheek tingle the way my lip did that first night.
   Once it was all healed up, I brought my knees up onto the chair and rested my forehead on them. I let out a shaky breath and I felt Sarah run a comforting hand down my back.
"I sensed an evil and cruelty on thy mother I have never sensed before." Winnie said in a low and calculated tone.
    I looked up to see her standing at the window, staring out at the dwindling daylight. She then turned to face me.
"The way she had thou pinned to the ground, ready to slice thy throat like a pig."
She shook her head.
"We" she motioned to herself and her sisters "are wicked. But she..."
She exhaled.
"She was barbaric".
Sarah and Mary shared looks of horror before looking at me. I hadn't yet been able to explain what happened.
  I closed my eyes and let out another shaky breath before resting my cheek back against my knees. I could feel sobs rising in me once again, but I fought as hard as I could to suppress them.
Had Winnie really sensed an evil on my mother that she didn't even sense on herself or her sisters?
They killed children!
But...would they kill their own child? That must be what Winnie meant. It was one thing to cause harm to those not related to you, and another to take the life of your own flesh and blood.
These thoughts sat in my brain as I pressed my knees closer to my face.
As I closed my eyes, I could hear Winnie's footsteps move toward me. The footsteps stopped and I could sense Winnie in front of me. When I opened them, she was crouched in front of me, her hands on either arm rest for balance.
"Look at me Kaytrina". She commanded softly.
I moved my head so that I was looking her in the eyes. She reached up and held my chin in her fingers.
"If thou can endure her wrath for the entirety of your life." She began, low and determined.
"Then thou can certainly avenge thy cousin."
   I looked at her for a moment and pondered her words. If what she was saying was true, then I must be much stronger than I realized. I had already spent my life defending myself from evil.
   I stared into her eyes for a long moment and felt a burning urge bubble inside me, almost as if the power that has been struggling to come out these past weeks, was bubbling to the surface. I breathed deeply and narrowed my eyes. I could feel my lips turn up into a small smile.

"Lets bury that mother fucker". I said finally, my voice low.
  Winnie looked at her sisters, who were looking at me. Devious smiles were beginning to form on their faces. She then looked back at me, an evil grin forming on her lips.