The Witch's Hunt

Kate turned back to Edward just as he dropped the belt from his hands, his eyes completely locked on the women in the pool. Luke was caught in the lure as well, and Savannah immediately grabbed hold of his arm to keep him from jumping in behind Winston. Kate lunged for Edward, just barely grabbing on to his hips as he began to move toward the water. Both were big men, and despite the girls' efforts, they wouldn't be able to hold them for long. Meanwhile, Winston continued to swim to his death, and they were powerless to stop it. All, except for Alice.

"Alice! We can't hold them much longer! You have to get Winston!" Kate shouted, having to drop her axe in order to hold Edward with both hands. He was practically dragging her along now, and Savannah appeared to be having no better luck. They would be in the water within seconds.

Alice trembled behind them, frozen in place as the scene unfolded before her. She heard the shouts for help, but instinct was a powerful thing. Nothing in the world could get her to go into that water.

"Alice! You have to help! He's going to die!" Savannah shouted, desperately clinging to Luke's sleeves.

Something stirred in Alice in that moment. She would have loved to pretend it was courage, but she knew in her heart it was guilt. She was terrified, and had no clue how she would ever save Winston even if she jumped in. But she also knew it wouldn't matter if they found all the items and somehow made it back to their world without him. She would never forgive herself if he died and she could have done something to prevent it.

She took a step forward, telling herself to take one more, and then another. Her legs shivered in protest and her tail twitched wildly behind her, but she refused to stop moving. She stepped past Savannah and Luke, both now on the ground as she held tight to his ankle for dear life. His hand was wrapped around the brick edge of the pond and pulling himself forward, but the other hand still held tight to his head, so he wasn't strong enough to keep going, at least for now. But a hundred pound girl could only subdue a two-hundred pound man for so long.

Alice took a deep breath, wondering briefly if she should do a countdown. She decided against it, gathering her courage and taking the plunge while there was still time. The water was icy cold around her body, though the fur on her legs offered a welcome measure of warmth. She wanted nothing more than to climb back out and run for dry cover, but Winston was halfway across now, and the sirens were beckoning him forward with their hands. She shouted for him to stop, but he barely turned his head, giving her a moments glance before continuing on his path. Their spell was too strong, but Alice paddled ahead as fast as she could, determined to catch up.

"Winston!" she shouted, struggling to keep afloat. This time he didn't even bother to turn his head, focused straight ahead at the three temptresses. Alice could see them better now that she was closer, could see the blackness of their eyes and the sharpness of their teeth. The closer she swam, the more menacing they became, and she realized it was all part of the lure. Their song wouldn't work on her because she was a girl, but the boys would see them as nothing short of divine. It didn't help that they all had nice, perky...

The idea formed quickly in Alice's mind, and immediately she knew it was probably her only chance of saving her pirate friend. Words and reason would not break the spell, but something else just might. She paddled faster, closing the distance as fast as she could, the shouts of her friends still urging her to help.

She finally reached him, fear blocking out the chill of the water as she grabbed hold of Winston and tried to pull him back. They were wading in the deep and unable to touch the bottom, but even with only one good hand he was still able to pull her tiny frame with him, his feet kicking wildly as he swam forward with the sexy kitty on his back. But Alice had one last trick in mind.

She pulled herself in front of him, trying to block his view of the women just a few meters ahead. Then, in full view of everyone, she reached up and pulled her corset down and over her breasts, letting them float in the chilly water for Winston to take in. He stopped moving forward.

"That's it! Forget about those pruney bitches!" Alice shouted, determined to get Winston's attention. Behind her, the sirens were growing angry, though she didn't turn to witness. Their song grew louder, more desperate, and for a brief moment Winston seemed determined to swim forward once more. Alice acted quickly.

Pulling herself up with arms around his head, she shoved Winston's face between her tits, her nipples hard and erect in the cold liquid. His head went partially underwater, but she held him there while he struggled to stay afloat, determined not to let go until the spell was broken. She silently prayed that her breasts were enticing enough to do the job.

Winston suddenly gasped for air, and Alice peered down into his eyes. Eyes that were looking only at her now. He blinked, seemingly lost and confused by the situation. "Alice? What are you doing?"

She smiled back, but they didn't have long to celebrate. There was a splash at the edge of the pool, and Alice turned to see that Kate had lost her fight to keep Edward on dry land. He was nearly twice her size, so it had always been a losing battle. Now, he too was wading in the pool, swimming directly toward the singing demons. But the singing didn't last much longer.

Realizing their prey was no longer under their control, the melody transformed into enraged shrieking. Alice turned, and the sight behind her was truly terrifying. The women were no longer the beautiful vixens they'd seen before, and were now completely covered in obsidian scales from head to waist, and likely underneath as well. Their black eyes were full of rage as one by one they disappeared beneath the water's surface, leaving no trace of their presence. They were angry, and on the hunt.

"We have to get out of the water," said Winston, already pulling Alice away from where the sirens had once stood and to the relative safety of the edge. She helped him swim, holding him by his hook arm while his free hand paddled. They only made it a few yards before the water around them erupted.

Winston was pulled under so quickly Alice barely had time to scream, the hook scratching her arm as it slipped from her grasp. She felt something claw at her feet, but she managed to swim away, arms flailing wildly until she made it to the edge. She climbed up and held her bleeding arm, but her focus was on the water. Winston was nowhere to be seen.

"Winston!" she called, but Alice saw no sign of movement in the water. Tears began to form in her eyes, the thought of losing him now after being so close to safety...

Something moved beneath the surface, and Alice froze and stared at what she thought was the glint of metal beneath the glass. Then, like a shark surging upward to snatch its prey, the raven-haired siren burst from the depths with Winston in her arms, shrieking in pain and anger as Winston continued to drive his sword forcefully into her chest. Then, just as quickly, they were submerged once more, and Alice could see no sign of them.

Seconds passed, and the only sounds were those of Kate and Savannah heaving Edward out of the water, the spell no longer pulling him to his doom. He made it to dry land, but there was still no sign of Winston. Alice waited, her heart pounding in her ears, until finally she saw bubbles rising to the surface. Suddenly a hand shot out of the water, and Winston gasped for air as he clawed at the brick. Alice grabbed on immediately, certain if she didn't pull him out quickly he would be dragged under once more, and she knew he wouldn't resurface a second time. Somehow she managed to pull him free, collapsing under his weight as he made it to the safety of the shore.

"Thanks for saving me," Winston panted, still coughing as water left his lungs.

"No problem," Alice replied, climbing to her feet.

"Not that I'm complaining," he continued, "but you may want to..." He pointed at her chest, still uncovered in the glowing moonlight. Alice laughed, but just as she pulled the corset back in place, Winston screamed in pain. She peered around to find a long scaly arm grabbing hold of his ankle, the limb disappearing beneath the water as a siren made one last effort to seize her prey.

Alice was closest to the sword, grabbing it and slicing wildly at her foe. The blade caught the siren's hand, and there was another shriek as she let go, but she didn't sink back into the water until a gunshot rang through the night. As the figure made its hasty retreat beneath the surface, Alice and Winston turned to find Edward had run to their aid, his gun aimed high as he fired another shot to scare away any further attacks.

"Are you guys alright?" he shouted, Kate close on his heels.

"I'm okay," Alice replied, but Winston began to laugh.

Looking at his confused saviors, he held up his hooked hand for them to see. There, pierced through the tip, was a single obsidian scale. "I'm better than alright. Thanks to you," he added, turning to Alice.

Luke and Savannah joined them now, helping to pull their friends to their feet and away from the water. There was no sign of life beneath its surface, but there was no telling how long that might last.

"We have what we came for," said Winston. "We should get the fuck out of here before those things come back."

"And go where?" asked Luke. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we have the scale, but where do we go from here?"

"We need to find the next clue," suggested Kate, already looking around. "Maybe another spider web?"

They all began to search around them, figuring the clue couldn't be far. Only Alice refused to join the search, her eyes still locked on the mirrored surface of the pond, in case the sirens returned. There was nothing there, nothing at all, except the glowing reflection of the moon above. She watched the water closely, seeing nothing but the images of the sky above. Then, she noticed something odd.

"Hey guys, look at this."

They all turned to follow her gaze, staring out at the water and expecting to find danger. When nothing happened, Luke spoke up. "What are we looking for?"

"The reflection, of the clouds," Alice answered, and the eyes all returned to the water, this time checking the reflection on its surface. The clouds above were not the ones reflected back at them. In fact, the clouds in the water barely seemed to be clouds at all.

"I think it's forming words," said Savannah, and her friends agreed. Despite their hesitation to be closer to the water, they all leaned forward to read the riddle now clearly visible before them, a message that could only be seen on the water and not in the actual sky above. Winston read it aloud.

One task complete, but time is short

Silent, you should tread

A Vampire's Fang among the stacks

Could leave you all quite...

"Dead," Edward finished, when Winston's hesitance became unbearable.

"A vampire's fang. How the fuck are we going to get one of those?" Savannah asked. Nobody had an answer.

"Okay, first thing's first. We need to figure out where to find it," said Alice.

"Well that's obvious, isn't it?" replied Kate. When multiple eyes turned to her, she sighed. "It clearly said 'among the stacks' in the riddle. So where would we find stacks on a college campus?"

Again, no answers, just a handful of confused glances and shrugs. Impatiently she continued, determined to get them away from the pond. "For fucks sake...library stacks! You know, books?"

"No offense, Kate," said Luke, "but the only things I've done in the library are sleep during group projects, and get blowjobs in the basement."

The girls rolled their eyes, though Savannah did so more for show. She'd done plenty of the same, which Kate knew.

"Well, that's easy enough then," Edward continued. Just on the other side of the pond was a concrete bridge, the campus library soaring two stories above with three more underneath, two being the basement stacks. It was as short a walk they could ask for.

"Well what the fuck are we waiting for," asked Alice, surprising everyone by taking the lead down the concrete path. Truthfully, she was anxious to get away from the water, her feline instincts once again in full control. The idea of finding a living vampire at the end of the path didn't seem as concerning, given the scene she was leaving behind.

The journey took just a few minutes, the library being so close at hand. They were all silently thankful, now that they had a moment to reflect on their time limit. The sound of a snapping tree branch stopped them in their tracks, but five pairs of eyes turned to find it was just Luke, prying a sturdy limb from a nearby oak.

"Winston, hand me your sword," he asked. He sighed as Winston hesitates. "I'm going to give it back, jackass. I just want to sharpen this into a stake. I'm the only guy here unarmed. Even Kate has an ax."

Kate brushed off the slightly sexist remark, having no desire to lead the charge into what could very well be a vampire's lair. Luke made short work of the makeshift weapon, sharpening it into a capable point before handing the sword back to his friend. Savannah and Alice remain unarmed, but it's clear they have no intention of getting into a fight if they can help it, so they made no complaint.

They're standing at the glass doors soon enough, backs turned to the pond behind them. The sound of splashing caused them to turn in fear, but the ripples racing across it's surface are the only sight to be found. Cautiously, they opened the door, the hinge squeaking much louder than any of them remembered.

"Is it just me, or does this place look different?" asked Luke.

"Doesn't sound like you've been in here enough to know what it should look like to begin with," replied Winston. But Luke was right, and they all knew it. They could barely see by the moonlight shining through the broken windows, but the shelves to their left and right had clearly been rearranged.

"It looks like a maze," whispered Savannah, her voice still carrying in the silence. She wasn't wrong. The shelves were only a few feet tall in some places, and the path was easy enough to see even in the dim light.

"Do you think we have to go through there?" asked Luke.

"No, the riddle said the vampire would be in the stacks. These are just reference shelves. The actual stacks are down in the lower levels."

"Great. The fucking basement," said Alice. Her ears twitched slightly in the darkness as she turned toward the stairs in front of them, the pathway clear. "I think I hear something."

"Hear what?" asked Edward.

Alice shrugged. "I can't tell exactly, but it sounds like music."

"Somehow that's even more unsettling," said Savannah. Nevertheless, they all made their way toward the dark staircase. Edward used flashlight to light the path once the dim light from the windows was no longer available. He prayed the batteries would last for at least a few hours, knowing they would probably need it.

The descent to the lower floors took no time at all, their eagerness to meet the time limit almost as fervent as their desire to get out of the tight stairwell. They emerged on the second floor and discovered that Alice was right about the music.

"Is that a piano?" asked Alice.

Luke shook his head in his hands. "It's a pipe organ. I know I'm not the best source for this, but I'm pretty sure we never had one of those in our library."

The view ahead was just as mysterious as the sounds coming from beyond. The shelves, which were normally aligned in neat rows with rotating wheels on the side to move them back and forth, now formed a thick wall before them, with a narrow opening about three feet wide straight ahead. It was quite obvious what stood before them, given the scene they had left on the floor above. The library had literally become a labyrinth of knowledge, the book-lined shelves forming a giant maze. Unlike the one above, the shelves here were much taller, at least eight feet high and made of sturdy steel.

"Time's wasting. Let's get going." Edward moved toward the entrance, squeezing his broad frame through the narrow gap. The others followed, Kate close behind their leader. She couldn't help but notice the mass of his shoulders now that he was forced to flex his way ahead of them. She shook her head, trying not to get distracted and holding her ax at the ready. They all knew what lay ahead.

The maze proved to be more of a challenge than expected. They quickly came to a split, with Edward deciding for all of them to turn left. That lead to a dead end. They backtracked to the other path, only to find another split which led to another dead end. They backtracked once more and made some progress, moving slowly toward the sound of the organ in the distance. That progress didn't last long, with their frustration growing as they hit another wall.

"Maybe you can try moving the shelves with the wheel," Alice suggested, pointing to the rotating mechanism on the side. Edward gave it a good effort, but the wheel barely budged. It opened a gap of just a few inches, enough to see ahead but not wide enough to slip through.

"The path this way is open. Fuck, if only there were a way to see above it like we did with the one upstairs," said Alice.

"Yeah, that would be nice."

They all turned to the person who said it. Luke looked back with confusion on his face. A face he literally held in his hands. "What?"

A few seconds later, Luke was peeking above the shelves. None of them were carrying anything remotely capable of strapping his head to the wooden stake he'd sharpened just before entering the library, not even on Edward's impressive belt full of tactical gear. They even tried Savannah's stockings, but the sound of ripping fabric made it clear they wouldn't make a tight enough lashing. Reluctantly, Luke agreed to let them try impaling his head on the sharp end of the stake, unsure of whether or not it would cause him any pain.

While Savannah looked away, pretending to focus on rolling her stocking back up her slender leg, Winston pushed the stake into the decaying flesh of Luke's throat, careful not to stab too keep. Luke opened his eyes and sighed with relief, grateful for the lack of any sensation below his chin.

"We need to go back and take the left turn," he mumbled, the stake in his throat making his voice a little harder to understand. They made their way back and waited as Luke lifted his head once more.

"Can you see anything beyond the maze?" Kate asked.

"Not really, it's almost like a mist or fog. There's light though, really bright, like a fire or a shit load of candles."

"We're wasting time," Edward urged, interrupting the conversation. "Which way do we go?"

Luke rolled his eyes unseen above. "Right, then another right, then left. I'll take another look when we get that far."

They did as instructed, following Luke's directions and using him to scout the path ahead ever few turns, making their way ever closer to the sound of the organ. The music never ceased.

"Anyone got an idea as to how we get the fang once we find this vampire?" asked Savannah.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and find him asleep in his coffin," suggested Alice.

"Not likely," said Kate. "Pipe organs don't usually play themselves."

"Then we take it by force," answered Luke, his hand pointing to the stake serving as an extended neck. "He can't take on all of us at once. We move in quickly and jab him in the heart with my stake or Winston's sword, or Edward can try shooting the damn thing."

"Something tells me it won't be that easy," whispered Edward, but everyone heard. Nobody made further comment.