Witch: A Horror Novel (The Cursed Manuscripts) Read online

  Ricky was standing in the farmhouse’s front room, staring at the fireplace. When he saw Jude and Ashley enter, he flinched. His expression was grim, and even in the shadowy interior it was clear he’d lost some of his colour. He shook his head at them and said, “You two weren’t lying. Who the hell did that to her? They put… they put the chains right through her hands.”

  Ashley didn’t answer. She looked past Ricky and into the next room. Through the open doorway, she saw Lily standing with her hands on her hips while Rose knelt inside the triangle a few feet away. Rose seemed to be muttering something, but it was unclear what. The smell inside the farmhouse was rotten. Jude covered his nose, but Ashley breathed the odour in. She’d spent so much time doubting herself in the last twenty-four hours, and she didn’t want to dull a single sense. This situation was real. What she was seeing and smelling was real.

  But something about the situation felt off.

  Why wasn’t Rose screaming? Whenever Jude and Ashley had interacted with her, she’d been like a wild animal, and had only calmed down when she’d been alone with Ashley. Now there were four people in the farmhouse and she was totally calm.

  What is she muttering to Lily?

  Lily turned around to face the front room, and for a moment she almost seemed surprised to see them all standing there. “The fuck have you two been doing in here?” she said. “You’re sick. This is some messed-up shit.”

  “We didn’t do this,” Jude protested. “We found her like this.”

  “What are you talking about? There’s no one here. You’re both full of shit.” Lily looked back into the other room and shook her head, making a sound of disgust. “All of these dead animals… You two need locking up. This is serial killer shit.”

  Ashley stepped forward. “What are you doing, Lily? Rose is right there in front of you, so stop screwing around.”

  Rose remained on her knees, sitting calmly and looking up at Lily, who was about three feet away from her, just outside the triangle. She was still mumbling something, but it was still too quiet to make out. Every now and then, she lifted her hands and rattled her chains.

  Ricky moved away from the fireplace. He still looked ill, and his glances around the room were furtive, like he didn’t want to focus on any one thing for too long, but he stood up straight as he spoke. “Lily? What are you playing at? They were telling the truth. We need to help this woman. Look at the state of her.”

  Lily scrunched up her face, making her ugly face even less pleasant. She still had her flick knife, but it was hanging loosely by her side. “There’s nothing in this room except a bunch of dead animals. Are you all fucking crazy?” She put her forearm under her nose. “Fuck, it stinks in here. Ricky, sort your head out before I give you a slap.”

  Ashley stared at Jude, but he seemed as confused as she was. She took a step towards Lily, trying to understand how the other girl could appear so genuine about something so obviously false. “Do you really not see her, Lily? She’s right there. Just… look!”

  For once, Lily did as she was told. She turned around and stepped into the room, only an inch away from the edge of the painted triangle. She didn’t see Rose at all. In fact, she reacted only to the dead animals littering the room.

  “Do you see the symbols?” Jude asked from the other room. “On the floor.”

  Lily glanced back through the doorway at him. She was clearly confused, but she overrode it with aggression. “What fucking symbols? Seriously, what the hell is this?”

  Ricky ran both hands through his short, spiky hair. “This is messed up, yo. Lily, let’s just go.”

  Lily glared at him suspiciously. “Ricky? Why are you acting weird? Do you really see something? You believe these freaks? There’s a woman in this room?”

  Ricky shrugged and attempted a chuckle, but it sounded false. “Nah, I don’t believe shit. It just stinks in here, innit? I wanna get out of here so we can spark up a joint.”

  Lily continued glaring, but something seemed to gradually dawn on her. “You do see something, don’t you? You’re as crazy as these two, mate.”

  “I just wanna go, Lil.”

  Ashley moved towards Lily, putting her hands up to show that she didn’t want a fight. “It doesn’t matter if you believe us or not, Lily. Just get out of here.”

  Lily stepped out of the room and approached Ashley. “You don’t tell me what to do, slag.” She pulled out her knife, waving it back and forth in front of her face. “You want me to fucking cut you again?”

  Ashley felt her anger rise merely from looking at Lily’s face. She wanted to reach out and shove her thumbs into the girl’s eyes and pop them like gooey zits. But, despite the rage building up inside of her, Ashley kept quiet. She just wanted Lily to go. A fight wasn’t going to help anyone.

  “I asked you a question, slag. Do you want me to cut you again?”

  Ashley felt her heart beat faster. “No, I just want you to go.”

  Lily smirked. She put the knife down by her side and shrugged. “Okay, I’ll go.”

  In the corner of Ashley’s eye, Ricky and Jude let out relieved sighs.

  Lily made a move as though she was about to walk away, but then she stopped and smirked right in Ashley’s face. “Get down on your knees and kiss my feet.”

  Ashley swallowed. “What?”

  Lily glanced down at her trainers, then back up at Ashley. “Get down on your knees, kiss my feet, and I’ll leave you alone. Or…” She raised the knife and held it between them. “I’ll slice your ugly fucking face again, and this time I’ll leave a scar, I promise.”

  Ricky moved away from the fireplace. “Come on, Lily. It isn’t worth it.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Ricky. You’re acting like a pussy and you’re pissing me off.”

  Ricky folded his arms and backed off. He began tapping his foot nervously and didn’t seem at all like the tough guy he usually appeared to be. Lily, however, was committed to being a monster. She glared at Ashley, waiting for an answer.

  “I’m not kissing your feet, Lily. Just go.”

  “Knife it is then.” Lily grabbed the back of Ashley’s head and pressed the knife against her cheek.

  The leash broke on Ashley’s anger. She swung an arm and clobbered Lily around the side of the head. “Here’s your receipt, bitch!”

  Lily staggered backwards, taken by surprise. The punch had landed well, but it didn’t knock her down. Ashley’s hand was throbbing. She shook it and spat a stream of curse words.

  Lily launched herself forward and headbutted Ashley right in the middle of the nose. As quickly as the fight had started, it ended, as blood gushed from her face and she suddenly found herself blinded by her own tears. She could only just make out the blurry shape of Lily standing in front of her.

  “Now I’m going to make a real mess of your face. Hold still, bitch.”

  “Leave her the fuck alone!”

  Ashley wiped away her tears in time to see Jude launch himself across the room and tackle Lily. Perhaps it was asking too much to expect him to throw a punch, but it was still surprising to witness him show any kind of aggression. With both hands, he shoved Lily hard in the chest. She flew backwards, staggering on her heels, and toppled right through the doorway and into the next room.

  Rose scooted aside to avoid being landed on. Lily crashed against the stone floor, right in the centre of the painted triangle.

  Ricky, Ashley, and Jude stood in the other room, frozen. Nobody spoke. They all watched silently as Lily lay on her side in a pained heap. “Fuck!” she said in a moan and clutching her elbow. “You’re going to pay for that. Believe me, you are going to fucking pay for that.” She pushed herself up into a sitting position and pointed a finger. “Grab the little fucker, Ricky.”

  But Ricky didn’t move. He stared at Rose, who had risen to her feet as Lily rose to hers. It was now abundantly obvious that Lily really didn’t see the woman. She showed zero recognition of there being anybody in the room except for her. It made
no sense.

  Why can’t she see Rose when the rest of us can?

  Lily glared at Ricky. “I said, grab him. What the hell is wrong with—”

  Rose moved like somebody had pressed the fast-forward button on reality. One instant, she was standing beside Lily, completely unmoving; the next, she was standing behind her, mouth open wide and screaming. She moved again in a blink, yanking at her chains until the fragile bones in her hands shattered and the flesh of her palms split apart. Then, like a ravenous tiger, she bit into Lily’s neck with brown, rotting teeth.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lily’s eyes stretched wide a half-second before her mouth did, then she was wailing at the top of her lungs. She made a screeching sound Jude likened to a motorway pileup, and she slashed the air with the knife which she’d somehow kept hold of. Rose moved in sync with her victim, continuing to bite into Lily’s pale flesh as she tried to get away. Blood spurted into her pale, freckled face.

  “Lily!” Ricky broke free of his fear and raced to help his friend. Without hesitation, he launched himself into the next room and grabbed Lily’s desperately grasping hands. He pulled her away from Rose, but the woman didn’t give her up willingly. Her teeth tore away a massive chunk of Lily’s neck, opening up a gigantic, bloody hole beneath her jaw. Lily’s knees failed her, and Rose embraced her as she slumped to the ground.

  Lily gasped in horror as she finally saw Rose.

  She reached out a hand again to Ricky and tried to push Rose away with the other. Her fingers tangled in Rose’s necklace and the locket broke free.

  Lily went limp. Her eyes fluttered halfway between dead and alive.

  With a roar of effort, Ricky heaved on Lily’s outstretched arm with both hands and tried to pull her towards the open doorway. He sobbed and wailed, determined to get his friend out of there, but Rose held her in place inside the triangle, seemingly without effort. She glared at Ricky, chuckling quietly to herself, then bit into Lily again, this time on her stomach. Lily was barely conscious, but she shuddered in pain as great torrents of blood gushed from her neck and abdomen. Her eyes glazed over like she was dreaming with them open. She blew bubbles between her bloodstained lips. Ricky still had his hands wrapped around her arm, but slowly his blood-slicked fingers slipped and lost their grip.

  Rose dragged Lily’s body into the centre of the room, guarding her prize like a cat with a mouse.

  The whole time, Jude stood and watched in utter horror. Everyone was there because of him. He had decided to come back to the farmhouse, imagining himself as a hero, but instead he had got Lily killed.

  What have I done?

  Knowing they needed to get the hell out of there, he leapt forward and grabbed Ricky around the waist. He was in shock too, watching in silence while Rose chewed on his best friend like a slab of steak. “Ricky, we have to go.”

  Ricky fought Jude away. “No, I have to help her.” He started to move. “I need to—”

  “Stop!” Ashley shouted. She was standing in the other room and threw up an arm. “Ricky, don’t step inside the triangle. That’s what Lily did and she… Just… get back.”

  Ricky stopped and froze. He peered down at his feet and took a step backwards. His trainer had been only two inches from the triangle’s brownish outline. Rose stopped her feasting and smiled at him with a mouth dripping blood. “You have something of mine, boy.”

  Jude grabbed Ricky around the waist again. This time there was no fighting. Both hurried into the other room to join Ashley.

  “We need to get the fuck out of here,” said Ashley. “Right now.”

  “D’ya think?” said Jude. He took one last look at the carnage in the other room. Then the three of them sprinted out of the farmhouse and raced across the clearing.

  Ricky was sobbing.

  Ashley swore repeatedly, a sure sign that she was okay.

  They reached the bushes and stopped to catch their breath, looking at each other and panting. Jude couldn’t bear the silence, so he spoke. “You were right, Ashley. Rose can’t leave the triangle. It’s some sort of trap to hold her in place.”

  Ashley nodded. “The farmhouse is a fucking prison.”

  Ricky shook his head, staring blindly at the trees ahead of them. “She tore Lily apart. She… she was eating her like an animal.”

  “Lily couldn’t see Rose,” said Ashley. “That’s why she wandered inside the triangle. It makes no sense; why couldn’t she see her?”

  There was a bloodcurdling scream from the house.

  “Don’t worry,” said Jude, hands shaking at his sides. “She can’t leave the triangle. We’re safe.”

  Providing a punchline to a horrifyingly grim joke, Rose appeared in the farmhouse’s doorway. She descended the crooked stone steps and peered in their direction. Lily’s blood covered her naked body. Her blonde hair had turned jet black, as had a wiry patch between her legs.

  His theory about Rose being trapped in the triangle was clearly incorrect.

  The three of them screamed in terror and fought one another to get through the gap in the bushes. Jude let them go first. He dared to look back one last time at the monster he had let out of its cage.

  What the hell is she?

  A demon?

  A witch?

  Rose lifted a ruined hand into the air and, with a smile, she waved at Jude.

  Jude hurried into the gap, another scream escaping his lips.

  Chapter Thirteen

  They climbed Devil’s Ditch without stopping to plant sticks in the ground. The three of them were so terrified they scrambled up the muddy slope on their bellies, clawing and digging with everything they had. Halfway up, Ashley tore off part of a thumbnail and growled in agony, but her fear kept her climbing until she reached the top.

  Jude completed the ascent a full minute slower than she did, but she waited for him. No way was she going to leave him behind. She patted him on the back as he climbed to his feet. “You good?”

  Jude clutched his wounded hand against his chest. It was bleeding badly and was probably what had delayed him. “Yeah… I’m fine. Let’s not stop.”

  “Wait!” Ricky had slid a few feet down the slope and was frantically trying to claw his way back up. “Don’t go without me. Please!”

  Ashley looked at Jude and shrugged. “Fuck him.”

  She turned to leave, but Jude crouched at the edge of the slope.

  Ashley rolled her eyes and waited. Only Jude could stop to help the same arsehole who had been tormenting him for the last three years. In fact, this whole nightmare had started with Ricky punching Jude in the stomach on the overpass.

  Jude’s a better person than I am. I don’t forgive so easily.

  Jude reached out a hand and helped Ricky up onto the flat ground. The bully was a trembling mess, and he clung to Jude like a life jacket. “Shit! I thought you were going to leave me.”

  “We should have,” said Ashley, sneering.

  Ricky actually nodded in agreement. “Maybe.”

  The three of them took off into the woods, Ricky taking the lead now it was once again a flat race. They each knew where they were going, so they dodged the trees and bushes in unison and exited the woods at the same time. Jude lost his footing in the shallow ditch and tripped. Doing something Ashley could barely believe, Ricky stopped to help him back to his feet.

  They were finally on the footpath, the woods behind them.

  No one was around, despite the perfect dog-walking weather. The sun was unobstructed now that they were out from beneath the tree canopy. The sky was cloudy but mostly blue. It felt like there should have been people jogging and taking strolls, but the footpath was deserted. Part of Ashley irrationally feared that the world had disappeared in her absence and that they were the only people left on Earth. Once again, she doubted her own sanity.

  What the hell happened at that farmhouse?

  Is Lily really dead?

  Rose. Who the hell is she?

  What the hell is she?

>   Ricky looked around nervously. “Where do we go now?”

  Ashley snapped out of her paranoia and shrugged. “To get help.”

  “We’ll go to my house,” said Jude. “My mum will listen to us. Maybe.”

  They were all out of breath, so rather than run, they powerwalked until they reached the playground. There, they found the twins. The brothers were sitting on the swings, and they were clearly confused when they spotted Ricky with Jude and Ashley. One of them – Ashley thought Tommy – stood up and came over to the playground’s railing. He leant over the bar and pulled a face. “Ricky, what you doin’ with these two?”

  Ricky stammered, and when he failed to find words, he shrugged.

  Tommy raised an eyebrow, then nodded at Jude. “The fuck happened to your hand, man?”

  Jude looked down at his bloodstained hand and fumbled for an answer. “Glass on the playing fields.”

  “That sucks, man. Little kids play there.”

  Danny came over to join his brother at the railing. He looked at Ricky. “Hey, where’s Lil? She texted earlier saying she was wid you.”

  Ricky swallowed and didn’t do a good job of acting unsuspiciously. “Sh-She, um, pissed off about an hour ago, blud. Think she went to see her brother.”

  Danny nodded, but his eyes narrowed. “A’ight. We’re heading down the newsagent to get some Rizla. You down?”

  Ashley expected Ricky to say no, seeing as they had a murder to report, but he surprised her by saying, “Yeah, I’m down. I need to buy some too, innit?”

  Jude grabbed hold of Ricky’s wrist and protested. “We need you to come to my house.”

  Ricky shoved him aside. “Fuck off, Judy. We ain’t friends.”

  Jude stared at him, clearly trying to convey a message. Ashley nudged Jude and told him not to waste his time. “Like I said earlier. Fuck him.”

  Ricky moved to join the twins, clearly willing to delude himself that everything was normal.

  “Hey, Ricky,” said Tommy, still hanging over the railing. He held up a rolled cigarette. “You got a light, blud?”