Into The Woods

Chapter 19

     "Malachi?" Tatum called out.
     There was no answer at first but a few seconds later they heard a voice.
     "Malachi? Is that you?" Vanessa said silently.
     The kettle on the gas stove started whistling, louder than if someone were to scream at the top of their lungs right into your ear. They all plugged their ears painfully and squinted their eyes.
     "Someone take it off!" Charlie whimpered as this noise just added to his pain. In fact, it made his wound feel tingly, he imagined it as what T.V static would feel like.
     "Charlie, your gash!" Vincent warned from behind Charlie.
     They all looked down at Charlie's gash in his lower leg. It was bleeding profusely and was starting to bubble. It reminded them of boiling water. Like the water that would be boiling in the kettle.
     "Tatum! Take the kettle off!" Serena yelled seeing that he was closest to the stove.
     Tatum ran towards the kettle and immediately removed it from the heat. The whistling stopped, and as they still stood, starring at Charlie's injury, the blood started boiling slower. It's like the kettle noises triggered something in the wound, or like Charlie's blood was acting like the water that should be in the kettle.
     "What the-" Vincent said confusingly.
     "Why did it do that? Did it hurt, Char?" Tatum asked in an amused but also frightened way.
     "I could just feel a tingly sensation. Plus, it already hurt so I don't think it could get much worse" Charlie sighed.
     Someone suddenly flew through one of the open doorways, crashing onto the floor beside the sofa.
     "What was that!" Vanessa yelled almost losing her balance.
     "Close the doors. Close the windows. Lock everything" Malachi instructed rather angrily.
     "Malachi? W-what's going on? Serena whimpered.
     "Just lock all the entries and I'll explain everything" Malachi suggested.
     They all got up (besides Charlie and Vincent) and started slamming the windows and doors shut, then snapping the multiple locks shut. Malachi started closing all the curtains and blinds making the room almost pitch black.
     "Is that all of them? Tatum questioned in hope.
     "I think so" Serena added confidently.
     "S-so what happened out there?" Charlie asked cautiously.
     "So I went to the van, and as I was sliding the door open, I felt this force. It was almost like a wind current or a-a-a, shoot what is it called? Oh, a rush of water over my head. I turned around and there wasn't anything there, so I continued grabbing all the water bottles and something slammed me against the car. I don't know what it was but it sure hurt" Malachi explained casually.
     "I-I'm confused. All this happened but there was nothing there?" Serena asked in a gaze.
     "Correct. Whatever it is, it's trying to hurt us. Maybe even kill us" Malachi proposed.
     "What about Irene and Uriah? They're still out there somewhere" Vanessa mentioned again.
     "For now, we should stay here. Just for a while. It's for the best. Plus, Uriah and Irene have each other so it's not like they're alone" Vincent reminded them.
     "That's true. If they're still together. But I'm sure they're f-fine" Charlie quivered.
     "Did you guys feel that?" Tatum asked.
     "Y-yeah" the others replied.
     A sudden rush of cool air went through them. It felt like their souls had be lifted from their bodies. Malachi explained that the cool wind feeling was similar to the one he had felt outside.
     "There it is again!" Serena whispered in a high pitched voice.
     "I have your friends. Leave this room, and they will be sentenced to doom..." an eerie voice whispered.