Neil Knew they were at the top when the trees began thinning out somewhat. He motioned for Rick to slow it down and extinguish the flashlights. The moon was bright in its fullness, they could see well enough to sneak around the bend.
From there, they should be able to see the flat area leading to the drop off. He hoped to get an idea of what the girls were up to before barging in on them. The closer they had gotten, Neil had heard Lisa’s voice and no other. That made him curious as to whom she was talking to.
He thought she had said something about the moon. On second thought, it sounded as if she were talking to the moon. He knew that she wasn’t a user of any kind of heavy drugs so this had raised his curiosity a bit.
Both men could see the glow of a campfire through the trees. As they moved further up the path, rounding the last bend, Neil saw not one fire, but two. One was a normal size, the other was three times as big. What kept the forest service or the Games Wardens from investigating he had no idea. They had reached the final bit of cover between them and the two women.
Neil pulled Rick behind an uprooted tree, kneeling so as not to be seen. This position allowed a clear view of the clearing. Both men were intrigued and confused as to why the women were completely naked. Lisa was standing close enough to the larger fire to fall in.
He noticed that Becky was standing off to herself. She looked lost and out of place,hands clasp in front of her. He watched as Lisa lowered some kind of cup or container to her bare breast, noticing the changing colors of the flames as she flicked her fingers towards it. The fire changed once again as she poured liquid from a larger bowl into it.
He put his index finger to his lips in the gesture of silence, stopping Rick from rising and walking into plain view. Motioning to his watch, he let him know to wait a few minutes and find out what was happening first. Looking at Neil’s watch he nodded in agreement, noticing the time was Eleven-fifty-seven.
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Lisa motioned for the other woman to bring the remaining ingredients, which were combined to the last half of the mix one at a time. Ginseng, snake skin, wolf hair and the rest of the hex bag in that order. She then added the strands of Kevin’s hair, speaking his full name three times in concession. Each time the tone and inflection changed.
Two Minutes Remain
Becky became more nervous and frightened, if that were possible as Lisa moved a step closer to the fire. She began chanting the locutions once again that would establish a link with the Netherworld that would summon Chivas to this world as once before.
She watched with fascination as the flames expanded and contracted, only to increase in size again. All the while this produced a flow of ever-changing colors, faster and faster with each variation of the phrases. Lisa turned her back on the fire and faced the woods, speaking as if to the mountain itself.
“Mother Nature. We, as a people, and I myself worship the true beauty and majesty of your blessings. The open air to breathe, firm ground to trod upon, and the plants and animals for nourishment.”
“You give us the wind to cool us and the sun to warm us,” she continued. “I humbly beg of you to thrust upon me a taste of your power to aid in raising one of your own, a Spirit Walker. Grant me this aid and I will be forever in your debt.”
For a moment Becky thought she heard someone gasp, dismissing as she stood in awe at the raw power Lisa had just called upon Mother Nature for. The wind had picked up considerably. Jumping in fright as a bolt of lightning was unleashed from the sky to strike at the very heart of the fire, sending sparks high into the air.
It was then that she noticed that the outline of Lisa’s body was surrounded with a glowing aura as she turned back to the flames. The area was suddenly fading in and out of her vision. Her sight was being replaced with blurred images of others moving about. One in particular, was being guided towards the threshold into this world. Her world.
Surrounding the one whom advanced towards her were tall, black shadows, ever-changing in form and posture. Sounds of chains being unbound reached her ears. The smell of rot and decay touched her one moment only to change to a sweet earthly odor the next.
Her world slowed as it came back into full reality. Her voice was non-existent as she tried to tell Lisa of the hell she had seen, tried to warn Lisa to stop. She went numb.
One Minute Remained
