The Writer's Escape

15. The Monsters

"This is it," Patrick said, standing in front of a set of giant wooden doors. He pushed open, and the doors gave, with no rattle of chains or the resistance of a lock.

"That's strange," Serena murmured. "Why wouldn't they keep their prisoners locked up?" She exchanged an uneasy glance with Patrick. 

Berry didn't seem to care. "Outta my way." She pushed past them and barged through the doors.

Cyprus, Esther, and Jayla were standing in the center of the room, chanting— raising something, with one of the library books that floated in the circle between them.

Serena's breath caught when she saw them, and she watched them in awe. The protagonists of her story. Now, at last, they had a chance.

"Jayla!" Berry shouted. "Cyprus, Esther!"

The witches kept chanting, but Jayla broke off from the group. The first thing Serena noticed was her reddish-purple hair, the same color as Berry's, though hers was cut short.

The second thing Serena noticed was her red eyes.

"Jayla?" Berry's voice was barely a whisper.

Jayla smiled. "Hi there, sister. What are you doing here?"

"We came to save you," Berry said, sounding stunned. "What happened to you?"

"I was freed." Jayla's gaze wandered between the three of them standing there, and some strange dark shape flickered and shifted in her red eyes.

"Esther?" Patrick called out.

Esther and Cyprus didn't move, still chanting their strange spell. Something was crawling out of the floor, a skeletal hand hooking on the azure library carpet. 

"Don't distract her, boy," Jayla snapped. Her eyes passed over Serena and then she addressed Berry: "Come help us, sister. Together we can conquer the desert and reshape it in our image."

"Jayla, please. Stop this." Berry's voice was shaky. 

"If you won't help us, then leave." The thing that the witches had summoned had fully crawled out of the carpet now. A spirit, twisted and corrupted, with a hollowed-out face and cloaked in murky shadows that trailed off of it like a cape.

Jayla flicked her hand, and the demon hurtled towards them.

"Kill it!" Serena yelled at Patrick. He yelped, throwing up his hands, which were glowing again.

Then more and more demons started crawling from all corners of the library, out of their hiding places in the shadows. As if they'd been hidden in every crevice and hollow, they spilled out, taking shape, and red eyes swiveled to the trio.

"Get them," said Jayla, sounding bored, flicking her hand at Berry. Then she turned and joined Cyprus and Esther again in another spell.

Berry tried to run after her, but Serena pulled her back. "Later!" A dozen demons pulled out swords and started walking towards them.

The group turned and sprinted out of the library. They ran down the hallways, the demons chasing close after them with a cacophony of hissing and clattering and rasping breath. Serena could feel the icy draft of their corrupted magic prick her neck. She followed Patrick as he dashed down the hall. 

"Over here!" he shouted, fingers scrabbling at a window-pane. He yanked it open and leapt out the window. Berry lunged after him.

Glancing backward to see the demons charging after them, Serena ducked through the window. She pulled the window-pane shut before falling off the ledge.