Witch Out of Time

The call came in around 11 pm. A concerned neighbor thought they saw a naked woman or a ghost floating through Bramble Hills Cemetery. It was the night before Halloween, and a full moon. A perfect combination for a lot of crazy people to come out of the woodwork and do bizarre shit. I was the youngest deputy at the Bramble County Sheriff's Office. Want to guess who they sent to investigate all the craziness in town? Yep, me. Some of it was fun, and some of it was just insane. Bramble County wasn't that big, and the small city of Rutland rarely made the news, but we were far from boring. Last Halloween, I was the first deputy on the scene to witness the aftermath of a drug-fueled costume party that turned into an orgy. Someone had spiked some candy with hallucinogens, leading to one wild, sticky, and confusing night. We never found the culprit. After that Halloween, my opinion of our sleepy town changed.

Bramble Hills Cemetery was old, heavily wooded, and a magnet for mischief. Being a small town, I knew all of the trouble-making addicts that frequented the area. I was expecting to find Maurine Smith having a bad trip for the third time that year. Bless her heart. Some people just consistently made poor choices when they had extra cash. I didn't see any activity on Third Hill, the newest part of the cemetery that faced the road, so I parked my truck in the main lot and grabbed a flashlight. There were a few hills and woods I would have to check on foot before calling it a false alarm. As I hurried up the main path between the acres of headstones, a sense of unease hit me, causing me to shiver. I blamed it on the chilly air and kept moving. The moon was full and turning my breath into gray mist as I stopped on top of Second Hill, an older, more heavily wooded area. A slow scan with my flashlight didn't reveal anything abnormal, so I took a deep breath and headed toward First Hill, the oldest and creepiest part of the cemetery. Most of the headstones in that area were hundreds of years old. Ancient trees had grown over some of them or shoved them out of their resting spots over the centuries, making me wonder if the roots did the same thing to the corpses underneath. That was a bad train of thought that I quickly tried to forget.

The trees opened into a clearing where a collection of tall, human-shaped monuments seemed to ward off the invading forest. Over the long years of exposure, the sculptures had lost most of their features, making them exceptionally creepy in the dark. Suddenly, my radio loudly chirped and hissed with static and pops, scaring me half to death. I cursed and turned it off, thinking the boys at the office were being shitheads again. My heart thumped faster as I continued my inspection. I needed to check the little valley behind the monuments before turning back. My flashlight flickered and threatened to go off as I passed through the center of the dark, faceless statues, doubling my unease and my heart rate. I'm not gonna lie. I wasn't feeling very brave at that moment. An armed robbery would be more comforting because I knew how to handle that.

My flashlight failed as I stepped into the clearing beyond the monuments, but I wasn't left in the dark. The moon seemed to glow brighter there. I peeked down into the little grassy valley between First Hill and the woods, and I caught my breath at what I saw. A beautiful naked woman was lying in the tall grass. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. She had long dark hair that rested on her shoulders like inky waves. Her breasts were distractingly round and perfect. Her full lips were dark red even in the pale light. It definitely wasn't Maurine. I grabbed my radio and turned it on to call for help, but the damn thing hissed and popped across every channel. I turned it off and pulled my phone out of my pocket to discover it was dead. It was full two hours earlier. I cursed and hurried down the embankment to see if the woman was breathing. As I drew closer, the unease tripled, making my hair stand on end. The air felt electric, and I understood why the area appeared brighter. The woman's skin was glowing in the moonlight, or my eyes were playing tricks on me. She was perfectly still, definitely not breathing. Kneeling beside her, I reached for her wrist to find a pulse. The instant our skin touched, a bolt of static jumped between us. It hurt like a hornet sting. I cursed and jerked my hand back as the woman gasped. Her large blue eyes flew open as her chest swelled with breath. She sat straight up with her hand over her heart. She looked confused as she turned her big eyes on me.

"Glen?" she whispered and reached a trembling hand toward my face.

Her eyelids drooped as she started to collapse. I grabbed her shoulder and let her head lean against my chest. My God, she smelled good. She groaned with exhaustion, and her trembling doubled from the strain of staying upright.

"I'm not Glen, ma'am. I'm Deputy Gregory Higgins. Are you hurt? Why are you out here?"

"Deputy?" she whispered in confusion. "Are you part of Rutland's constabulary?"

"Uh, yeah. Sheriff deputies have city, county, and state-wide jurisdiction, but we mostly stay in Bramble County. Do you need help? Can I call someone for you?"

"I need energy. Can I kiss you?"

"Excuse me?"

She sighed and tiredly pushed away from me so she could see my face. Her eyes were the most haunting, deep blue I had ever seen, and she was trembling like she was about to collapse again.

"Deputy Gregory Higgins, are you married?"

"No."

"Are you in a serious relationship?"

"Not anymore."

"Then, for the sake of Rutland, may I kiss you?"

"Uh..."

My good sense wavered as she held me in her gaze. My body was telling me this beautiful woman could do no wrong while my mind told me to run. It didn't make any sense. Before I realized it, I nodded. An instant later, her soft lips were against mine, and her fingers were in my hair. She pulled me close and kissed me like a lover. And holy shit, she tasted like blackberry cobbler. That wasn't normal. What the hell was I doing kissing a strange yet gorgeous naked woman in a creepy ass cemetery? My concerns faded as her tongue caressed mine, and the delicious taste of her mouth turned my thoughts to dribble. Was she stealing my strength? I think she was, and I didn't care. I was putty in her hands at that point. Well, not all of me was putty. What the hell was she doing to me? I was suddenly feverishly aroused and losing my strength. I needed to pull my thoughts out of the gutter and take charge of the situation. My arms were shaking as I quickly pushed her away. We both gasped and stared at each other in the moonlight.

"What... what the hell just happened? What drugs are you on?" I asked.

My skin crawled with arousal as my muscles ached with fatigue. I hoped she didn't lip-share fentanyl with me. The boys would never let me live that down.

"Sorry. I can barely see straight. I can't control what little power I have left. I took some of your energy, but it didn't clear my head. If I take any more, I might kill you. I need to rest."

She groaned as she curled up in the grass and shivered. My heart pounded as I stared at her beautiful face. She was the most unearthly addict I had ever met. I needed answers before I took her to the hospital or the station.

"Ma'am, this is a terrible place to sleep. Do you need medical care? Did you take something that made you sick?"

"No. I'm not sick. I'm exhausted. It was a long journey. Please, just let me rest. I'm not disturbing the dead."

I sighed and checked her pulse again. It was strong and steady, and she was speaking clearly even if I didn't know what she was talking about. She had no signs of injury or immediate signs of a drug overdose. Maybe she was just having a mental health crisis.

"I'm really sorry, ma'am. I can't leave you naked in a cemetery. That's a misdemeanor waiting to happen. If you want to avoid a jail cell, you need to go home or go to the hospital. What will it be?"

She let out a tired sigh and looked at me from under her long lashes. Suddenly, she reached up, grabbed my shirt collar, and jerked my face close to hers. Holy shit, where did that strength come from?

"Deputy Higgins, you obviously have no idea who you're dealing with. I am the highest authority when it comes to protecting Rutland. The citizens are in danger, and I have twenty-four hours to save them. If you want to help, take me somewhere safe to rest. If you want to lose your job and everything you hold dear, then please continue threatening me."

Her sapphire eyes and dire warning hit me right in the gut. She wasn't lying. How did I know that? A second later, her eyelids drooped, and she released my collar. She had fallen asleep in the grass. I straightened up with my heart pounding. My gut was telling me to help her while my mind raced to understand what in God's green earth was happening. That's when I remembered what my cousin Cody told me about being a good deputy. Sometimes, you have to go with your gut, and this was one of those times. I cursed, quickly gathered her soft body in my arms, and carried her back to the truck. She was surprisingly light, but her grip on my collar earlier was anything but delicate. I carefully placed her on the bench in the back of the cab and retrieved my emergency blanket. She moaned in relief as I wrapped it around her. I stared at her for a moment, wondering what I had gotten myself into. Whatever it was, I needed to finish my shift and keep it a secret. I plugged my phone in to charge and checked the radio. It was working again. I called the ghost sighting in as a false alarm and continued my rounds with a naked woman sleeping in my back seat. That wasn't strange at all.

The next five hours were surprisingly uneventful. I was tremendously relieved when my shift ended. It was still dark when I parked in front of my townhouse and carefully carried a human-size bundle through the front door. I laid her on the couch to finish her nap before I headed upstairs. Once I was safely locked in my bedroom, I plopped down on the bed to think about my poor choices. If anyone discovered what I did, I would surely lose my job and then my house. Then, I would skin Cody alive for giving me bad advice. I wondered if the Morgan County Sheriff's Office would hire a dishonored deputy to replace him. My head and body ached as I kicked off my boots and grabbed some ibuprofen from the nightstand. I didn't want to fall asleep with a strange woman in the house, but God, I needed it. I felt like I was catching the flu. That was my punishment for letting a strange woman kiss me in a graveyard. I was dead to the world as soon as I hit my pillow.

A noise in my bathroom woke me later that morning. I glanced at the clock to discover it was 9 am. I slept four whole hours. Another noise caused me to sit straight up in bed. The water was running in the bathtub. My bedroom door was standing wide open. I swore I locked it before I crashed. I grabbed my gun off the nightstand and crossed the room. The bathroom door was ajar, allowing me to peek through the crack. My bad choice was leaning over the tub, swirling her hand in the steaming water with her perfect ass pointing at me. Damn. You have to believe me when I say she had a perfect ass, perfect tits, and a perfect face. She was scary-beautiful. It was impossible not to stare. She smiled as she turned off the water and straightened up, tossing her long, dark hair behind her shoulders. Then, she turned and looked at me. Her large eyes and pouting red lips instantly captured me. I suddenly felt like a deer caught in headlights.

"Good morning, Deputy Higgins. I'm feeling a little better now. Thank you for assisting me."

"I... uh... you're welcome," I stammered.

I quickly crossed the room and put my gun in the nightstand drawer, feeling like an idiot. When I turned around, she was standing in the bathroom doorway, watching me curiously.

"Is this your home? It's beautiful," she smiled.

"It is. Thank you," I gulped.

"How do you keep bright fires burning in the glass orbs over the mirror? And how do you get hot water from your pipes? Is it magic?"

My brow furrowed at her questions.

"No... it's electricity. Honestly, I can't explain how it works. It just does."

"Oh, magic then," she nodded.

"Sure... uh, what's your name?"

"I'm Gilda Sprig, the Witch of Rutland."

"A witch? Um... wow. I've never met a witch before. That I know of."

She was definitely having a mental health crisis. Shit. There goes my badge. I should have taken her straight to the hospital.

"Deputy Higgins, you seem unsettled by me."

Her lips curled into a taunting smile as she spoke.

"I am, and please, just call me Greg. My deputy title might be gone soon."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it's not because of me. You did the right thing by helping me last night. My head cleared after some rest. Now, I must regain my strength and begin my investigation."

"What are you investigating?"

"How to stop a demonic catastrophe that will destroy Rutland and begin the enslavement of mankind as we know it."

"Wow, that sounds really bad," I nodded.

I needed to get the poor woman to a hospital ASAP. Her eyes narrowed as that thought crossed my mind. It freaked me out more than I already was.

"Greg, is something wrong?" she asked.

Her tone stirred my emotions like a breeze inside my chest. How the hell did she do that? Focus, idiot.

"No. You just seriously need help, Gilda. I don't think I can help you besides giving you a ride. I can take you home or to the hospital. Which will it be?"

She sighed and shook her head.

"I can't go home until I stop the demonic invasion. The magic channels in this reality are tied in knots throughout the area. It's creating an explosive pressure point, and demons are drawn to the chaos. When the veil is at its thinnest this Halloween night, it will shatter if I don't stop it. I need energy so I can track down the entity making these knots."

"What are you talking about? What's a magic channel? How do you gain energy? Are you talking about cocaine or some other hard substance?"

She frowned and looked at me like I was an idiot.

"How is magic not feared and respected in Rutland?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Magic isn't real, Gilda."

"Damn it. If you only knew, and I don't have the strength to show you after passing through Limbo to get here. Believe it or not, Greg, I don't gain power from substances. Intimacy fuels my magic. Love and sexual pleasure are some of the sharpest energies known to mankind. When used for good, it can save the world. When used for evil, it can destroy it. Share your energy with me, and I'll grant you a powerful favor on top of saving Rutland and all of humanity from enslavement. Tell me, what is your heart's desire?"

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I was in way over my head.

"Honestly, I want you to go away before I lose my job, my reputation, and my house. That's all I have left after my girlfriend dumped me last month. Half of her shit is still hear because I don't have the balls to call her to come get it. I'm not good with women, especially not crazy witches."

Gilda sighed and rubbed her temple like she had a headache. I could relate.

"Fine. I'm sorry, Greg. I hate that you regret helping me. You did a good thing, and I will prove it by saving Rutland. Could you, by chance, put your prejudices aside and make love to me? It will help us both. Then, I will leave you alone forever."

I stared at her in disbelief for a moment. Another bit of advice from Cody came to me at that point. He said, "Don't put your dick in crazy." I figured even he would make an exception for Gilda. She was dangerously beautiful on top of being the craziest person I had ever spoken to. Shit.

"Gilda, I'm flattered by that tempting offer, but I can't. I think you're insane, and I'm not going to take advantage of a crazy person. Besides, I'm still getting over my girlfriend. If we get back together soon, I would have to tell her what I did with you, and I don't think she would take it well. If I tried to keep it a secret, the guilt would eat me alive."

Gilda smiled and shook her head at me.

"You're a diamond in the rough, Greg. You remind me of my lover in every way. I wish he were here now. It would solve my immediate problems and make my mission less daunting."

"Are you talking about Glen?" I asked.

She looked at me in surprise for a moment.

"Yes. How do you know his name?"

"You called me Glen in the cemetery after I woke you up."

"You woke me up? How? What are you talking about?"

"I found your lifeless body in the grass a little before midnight. You weren't breathing. Your skin looked like it was glowing. I touched your wrist to find a pulse, and a bolt of static jumped into my hand. It hurt like hell. Then you woke up."

"Son of a bitch, that's why I'm so fucking weak! I was supposed to wake up at midnight, not before it! My body was absorbing the magic you saw glowing around me. It was part of the portal I used to get here. Your alien touch broke the spell and scared the power back into the nether!"

"Oh shit, sorry. I was just trying to help."

Damn it. Her craziness was starting to get to me.

"I know you were trying to help. I'm trying not to be angry about it. I don't need that kind of energy right now," she huffed.

She put her hands on her hips and glared at me for a moment. I was tempted to make a run for the door and lock her in the bedroom. Then I could call the station and tell them a crazy woman came into my house after I forgot to lock the door. As soon as she started talking about magic and demons, they would happily believe my story over hers. I took a deep breath and glanced at the door, ready to make my move. Gilda didn't miss a beat. Before I could step towards the bed, she threw up her left hand, and the door slammed closed. I stared at it in astonishment for a moment. It closed from the inside, and no one was standing behind it.

"Yes, Greg. I did that with magic. My anger is giving me negative energy right now, just enough to slam a few doors."

She raised her right hand, and the bathroom door slammed behind her, making me flinch.

"Oh shit," I gulped and backed against the wall.

"I'm not trying to scare you, Greg. I'm not a bad witch. A little help from you will get me out of your hair faster and give me more time to save Rutland. If you really can't stomach the thought of making love to me, then I'll have to waste precious time seducing someone else."

"Really? If it's that important, why don't you just take what you need?"

"I told you. I'm not a bad witch. I don't exploit people. Will you help me or not?"

Her madness had gotten to me at that point, or maybe she drugged me while I was asleep. A part of me wanted to believe it was real, and all of me wanted to have sex with the beautiful woman. Shit. No matter what I chose, I had a feeling that Halloween would haunt me for the rest of my life.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but I will help you anyway."

Gilda smiled and sauntered up to me, and my heart started pounding in my chest. Her red lips were like dark rubies up close. Between that and her haunting blue eyes, I barely had a chance to admire her luscious breasts. God, she smelled heavenly. Her scent was like a buttery vanilla pastry fresh out of the oven. How was that possible?

"Thank you, Greg. By the way, I'll be sad if you don't enjoy me."

She pressed her lips to mine again, and my mouth ached as her flavor and scent invaded my senses. Blackberry cobbler had to be the flavor of her lipstick. Yes, I was hungry in a lot of ways at that point, and I knew she sensed it. She pulled away and smiled. I leaned against the wall as she slowly slid down my body and knelt at my feet. She chewed her bottom lip as she ran her long fingers over my bulge. The pressure felt wonderful. I gulped as she unzipped my pants and carefully pulled down the front of my underwear, revealing my tip and half of my shaft. She immediately flicked her hot tongue against the underside of my tip, making me twitch. She chuckled before licking the exposed flesh. My eyelids drooped as she vigorously lapped against the sensitive area, making me extremely hot.