Cursed Blood | ON HOLD

9. Magic and Mayhem

The wind brought with it a foul stench of decay. Silas heard a shrill screech of brakes, and when he stepped outside, Seraphina's car was in the middle of the road. Only two steps off the porch then he realized why she hadn't climbed out to greet him yet.

Mr. Snowberry lurched toward him with fleshy bits of something dangling in his mouth. How he could even devour anything was beyond Silas, who stood on his porch in utter horror as he struggled to force his jelly-like legs to move. Most of his former neighbor's abdomen caved in from whatever had gnawed him to death, but vicious chunks of bloody flesh dangled from the ravaged remains of his bones.

Son of a witch. How in the hell did Mr. Snowberry's rotting corpse find his way back to his house? Did someone curse him with black magic to follow him? Silas snatched his wand from his robe's pocket, inhaling a sharp breath before casting a defensive shield between him and the undead.

Memories bled into the present of when the dead attacked their home during the Harvest Fest only a few months ago. Silas heard his heartbeat roaring over the winds and inhuman snarls of the wizard clawing at his magic shield. He barely noticed Seraphina as she climbed out of her car, probably to assist in putting the guy back where he belonged.

"Silenite!" Silas chanted as he clenched his wand tightly, bracing himself for the raw power that surged around him.

Vines sprouted from the frozen ground, melting the snow around Mr. Snowberry's feet as they wrapped tightly around his ankles. The more he struggled, the more his vines tightened. A shift that resembled a roar of thunder struck as the ground beneath Mr. Snowberry caved and the mud sucked his legs in. Mr. Snowberry flailed and snarled his bloody jowls at Silas until he was only visible from the neck up.

With a sickening plop, the ground devoured him whole, returning Mr. Snowberry to where he belonged. The dead were no longer allowed to walk among them. Even the earth itself sensed that and took no mercy on the undead creature that threatened them.

When he gazed up, he locked eyes with Seraphina. A whirlwind of emotions filled his chest. He hadn't wanted her to witness him perform such wicked magic, but the undead had left him no choice. Silas had learned how to return them to the earth, where their remains would dissolve into the dirt to nothingness so they never took another living soul again.

Seraphina approached with cautious steps, avoiding the patch of mud that had taken Mr. Snowberry. "How did you even do that?" Admiration shone in her eyes. "I've never seen anyone perform necromancy magic like that before."

Silas blushed, not anticipating praise. "I studied up on ways to get rid of them after the dead attacked." he shrugged. "I worried he would hurt you out there."

"It also wouldn't look very good to the Supernatural Council either," Seraphina said. "They've been trying to locate his body all morning."

"They have?" Silas blanched.

She stepped onto the porch beside him. "My dad had me visit the morgue with him earlier, where they discovered the freezer he was in had been broken into. I didn't sense any black magic either. If I had to guess, it was already inside him or someone took the body, then cursed his rotten corpse."

"When they learn what happened to him, they'll consider me a suspect, won't they?" Worry laced his voice.

"Well, they would if they knew about this." With the wave of her hand, Seraphina used her magic to sweep fallen snow over the muddy patch that had swallowed Mr. Snowberry's remains. "Guess it's a mystery we'll never solve." She winked.

"Are you sure?" Silas's throat tightened.

"I'd rather the family believe a creep stole his body instead of him becoming that." Seraphina grimaced as she reached for the door, cracking it open. "Anywho, your offer for supper is still on the table, isn't it?"