Phantom Chained

Chapter 2. Black Magic Ritual. POV Human Ingrid.

A barbed branch grasped onto my jeans, thorns digging into the fabric and carrying a clump of natural garbage behind me. I sluggishly made a couple of steps up the slope and just barely managed to stay upright, waggling my hands around like a fool. Consequently my flashlight slipped out of my fingers and disappeared amidst the dry grass. Great.

"Wait for me," I yelled to the couple that outran me a while ago. "I'm stuck, hold up!"

"We are almost there," Johan's voice was calm and indifferent, as per usual. "We'll walk a little slower, try to catch up."

The grasping bush desperately didn't want to let go of its newfound prey and the darkness provided no aid to me either. My eventual freedom cost me a couple of deep scratches on my hands.

'Well, there's your bloody sacrifice, but why me?' I pondered while licking my stinging finger.

What an exciting start for the night. Fortunately, I chose not to wear my skirt, otherwise... But Johan doesn't seem to have the slightest care in the world about what I wear. Just walking along with Sophie, who was completely seething with hatred and itching for revenge. Meanwhile, I've just been lagging behind like a dog's tail this whole evening. And the skirt would've just made me look like a complete dumbass, that's for sure.

'Where's that bloody...' I searched the place where my flashlight had supposedly fallen. 'Aha, there it... wait, this isn't... what is this gross thing? A skull! A real human skull half-sticking out of the dry soil!'

I let out a soft yelp and took off down the slope, completely forgetting about the flashlight. My palm still held the feeling of the skull's round, coarse surface and I desperately tried to erase this sensation.

The memory of my eyes poking into the eye sockets was especially repulsive. Or was it where the mouth used to be? Eww, I am definitely not destined to be a forensic scientist.

"What are you running around like a madman for?" Sophie asked, looking very annoyed when I reached her. "Couldn't you have picked a better time for this?"

"Oh, so it's no biggie that I just stumbled against a human skull?" I complained. "You're the ones with balls of steel, examining corpses' teeth and all, but me on the other hand..."

"Are you bitten?" I couldn't make Johan's face in the dark but I could definitely hear ridicule in his voice.

"Bitten? By whom?"

"The skull. Did the skull bite you?"

"No, why are you spouting such nonsense?"

"Then keep going and be quiet. Too much noise. The situation might only be unpleasant now, but it could turn dangerous later." He then politely added: "Please. Girls, this is a very serious ritual and my warning about a full day of silence wasn't a joke. Alright, we're here."

"Where's your flashlight?" Asked Johan and made a disapproving grunt upon hearing my honest answer. He handed me his own flashlight and ordered to keep the space around him lit up while he was busy setting up the ritual. Sophie was already unzipping her backpack and taking out mysterious objects, all wrapped in black cloth.

"Damn it, are you kidding me?" There were hints of panic in her voice. "Two candles broke! Isn't this like, super bad?"

Johan bitterly confirmed that it was a bad omen.

"Plus," he added, "the ritual needs to be performed during midnight, and now with the candles... this just can't be good! You should've at least brought extra ones, you brain-dead monkey!"

"You said thirteen, so I got thirteen." Snapped Sophie. "And at midnight daddy will give us a ride home in his warm and comfortable police car. Do you prefer that? Does your life lack excitement?"

"Even the lunar phase is wrong." Johan continued. "Maybe when you get turned inside-out then you will stop pretending to be a witch."

"Don't jinx it! Just help me get it done."

As far as I remember, these two have always been arguing with each other. If you listened in to them, you would think they were nemeses, wondering how they haven't killed each other yet. As if. If you said anything even slightly negative about them, they would both instantly try to prove how wrong you are. I once got an earful when I decided to side with Johan during an argument with his sister, so I'm speaking from experience here. Too bad I don't have a brother like that! It must feel nice to count on having backup.

Although, my feelings for Johan are far from that of a sibling. I just fancy him too much. He and his sister nearly look like twins; both are tall and skinny and have their blonde hair tied up in braids that go down to their waist. I have never seen Johan untie his, but it must look gorgeous.

Under moonlight or candlelight... yes, candles are much more romantic. I could easily imagine how the flame flickers, how the shadows dance along on the ceiling, and how his angelic face hovers above mine, covering me from the world with a thick wave of golden hair...

"Inga? Did you fall asleep over there?" Sophie's voice snapped me out of the mysterious dream, and I quickly moved the beam of light onto a circular black cloth that was spread out on the ground. The candles were already set up around it and in the middle stood a clay bowl with a photo of Sophie's ex-boyfriend inside.

And to think I actually fell asleep. It was a good dream too, where Johan was naked, his flowing hair untied. A shame it was only a dream. If only Sophie wasn't here, he could've taken a liking to me... you know, as a woman? Does he like me even a little bit?

I started to feel hot with the flooding thoughts and images. For a moment I imagined that it's by my request that he performs the ritual in an abandoned graveyard, and then we make love right there, on top of the gravestones. This idea turned me on so much that I replayed it more than a couple of times in different variants.

A hot wave of intoxicating pleasure filled my head, then flowed down and spread within my hips, making me lose all my strength. What is happening to me? Is this a side effect of the ritual? But they haven't even started to... Oh!

A new wave. Even stronger, even more pleasant! Frightened, I jumped from the gravestone and made a couple of steps toward Johan.

"You shouldn't come close to the circle," He raised a hand in protest. "You will distort the magical vibrations. Just stay where you are and don't say a word. Don't be afraid."

"Scared? Who, me? No way!" I said, my heart feeling like it might jump out any second. "Got it, won't bother you anymore."

Bullshit. I was spouting some bullshit while the only thing on my mind was Johan's body. Come to think of it, I have never seen him shirtless, even on the beach. He must be gentle, but also capable of taking charge. His personality isn't the easiest despite his politeness.

It didn't matter how he was, I wanted him right now! I wanted for him to fall on me with his full weight, wanted to feel his lips, his tongue, his... Head spinning, getting hard to breathe. 'What the fuck is happening to me?!'