Chapter 104- The Place of the Dead

Billy Hotel.

The early morning sun peered through the window, lighting up Rick and Evelyn’s hotel room with brilliance. Evelyn has been up but Rick isn’t. He’s still fast asleep. Last night was a hell of a night of search with Dean and Jasmine.

Jasmine lost her track on Mary after Lucy stashed the tracking device into Mary’s backpack.

Suddenly, Rick’s cell phone buzzed loudly waking him up from sleep.

He rubs his bleary eyes and searches the table for his phone without even getting up.

“Hello,” he said in an incoherent voice.

All his text messages to Mary has been ignored and his call and that of Evelyn always went straight to voice mail whenever they call Mary.

“Hey, Rick. It’s me, Mia,” Mia said on the other end. “Have you heard?”

“Heard what?” Rick picked interest as he quickly dragged his tiring body up.

“The clandestine wolves,” she said. “They are going after the werewolf bloodlines and killing them one after another.”

“What?” Rick’s face turned pale as he thought to himself for a few seconds before revealing his curiosity. “Why?”

“Because they altered the curse of the moon,” she said. “You know how the clandestine wolves operate. They even forbid magic or werewolves getting involve in witches affairs.”

“Yeah, I know how they operate. Killing the werewolf bloodlines is cool…” He paused and thought to himself for a moment. A shocking look crossed his face. “Oh, no… Mary!” he cried out, jumping of the bed.

Evelyn turned and stared with mix feelings. “What’s the matter, honey?” she queried with haste. Hearing Rick scream their daughter’s name could only mean one thing. She’s desperate to know what has happened.

“Thanks for the heads up, Mia. I will call you back.” He hung up the call and slammed his phone on the table. “Mary might be in trouble,” he said, heading toward the closet.

Evelyn’s face saddened and turned pale. “What trouble?” She focuses her gaze on Rick for answer.

He stopped and turned toward her. “The clandestine wolves are in town and they are killing the werewolf bloodlines,” he said, walking back to his wife. Standing in front of her, he sighed and continued. “I believe our daughter is in trouble because these wolves will stop at nothing until they kill the very person her spell altered the curse of the moon.”

The clandestine wolves are not infamous. They are well known but operate in discrete like secret agents who keep the rest of the werewolves in line.

Rick and his late brother, Daryl have encountered the clandestine wolves centuries ago. They nicknamed the clandestine wolves ‘nightmare,’ because they believe they are the nightmares of werewolves who go against the old tradition of werewolf practice.

Rick slides into his pants and quickly buttons his shirt. He picked up his car key from the table. “Let’s go!” he said to Evelyn.

They both stormed out of their hotel room as they went on their way in search of their daughter.

***

Outside the veil, the world of the dead.

Mary was awakened by the thunderous voice that yelled- “Burn the filthy gypsy! Kill her lowly ass!”

Her head was still reeling in pain as she wondered where she was. The last thing she remembered was dying after a werewolf buried its claws into her abdomen.

The mob of furious creatures dressed in black hooded cloaks continued to chant death unto Mary as they continued to wave flaming torches at her. She was tied to a stake. She taught he was dreaming and perhaps could wake up any seconds from now but the memories of how the claws of the werewolf punctured deep into her abdomen was still fresh in her memory and tells her otherwise.

The firewood beneath her feet was soaked in blood which dripped incessantly from her scarred heels.

Mary’s eyes glazed over the black silhouettes, gleaming with a sense of unspeakable horror.

“You filthy wretched gypsy will burn over and over for your sins!” roared a creature enveloped in a raven black cloak lined with red ribbon. He looks like he’s the one in charge of the other creatures.

Mary was bleeding; she opened her lips to speak, “What have I done? Who are you, people? Where am I?” She couldn’t help but fired questions out of curiosity.

The creature in a linen-lined cloak unsheathed his steel sword, studded with rubies at the hilt, and marched towards Mary. The creature raised his sword threateningly, making the moonlight dance upon the murderous weapon. “This side of the veil belongs to us and you have trespassed into our side. Now you must pay for your crimes and for what you have done while you were alive!”

Confusion crossed Mary’s face as she thought for a moment. ‘I died? Oh, no. I am dead.’ She tried and lifted up her face slightly “Please spare me. I don’t really know what you are talking about but please spare me!” Mary cried out shivering in fear.

“How dare you ask me to spare you? You, gypsies, have no shame! Look how you have altered the curse of the moon and it’s now affecting the veil and the spirit’s world!” The mysterious creature lowered his hood to reveal a pale red face with crisscross of wrinkles and scars. A long brown beard, tied into triple knots, stretched down to the grey belt tied to his waist. His red eyes pierced Mary’s heart, as he cast his burning gaze upon Mary’s face.

Mary still has no idea of what he talked about but continued to beg for her to be spared.

“Please forgive me, great and gracious warlock. Have pity on me. I will never trespass again,” squealed a troll tied to another stake, just beside Mary.

“Silence, you troll! I don’t want to hear a word from you again! You have shown to us you are a traitor and for that you will burn in this stake forever!”

Mary just recalled the tales Dan told her about ancient warlocks and what they look like. The bearded creature has a stricken resemblance of what Dan described.

The ancient warlocks are quite different from the modern day warlocks as some witches claims they are warlocks and needs to be referred as such. She remembered Dan mentioning Dave, Mia’s husband as a witch but claimed to be a warlock. The whole thing isn’t making sense to her especially that she’s dead and her best guess is, she’s in the land of the dead. Unable to make sense of the situation she has found herself in, Mary started twisting violently, trying to free herself from the thorny vines which held her tightly.

The bearded creature laughed repeatedly at what Mary was doing. “So you want to free yourself? Go ahead, twist as you want. I will enjoy watching worms wriggling under my feet.” The bearded creatures smiled at her menacingly. He grabbed a burning torch from another hooded creature beside him and headed straight towards the stake in front of him. “Before I release you from your miserable life, I would like to know your gypsy lineage?”