Burn the Witch

To Hunt or To be Hunted

I was still contemplating what Mr. Walker had said when Alex entered the shop. He had a set of keys in hand and he was dressed in camo pants, a simple tight-fitting shirt, and what seemed to be a utility jacket carelessly slung over his left shoulder. He had high-ankle boots and his hair was tied in a man-bun.

I didn't even realize that I was gawking until he approached and lifted my chin with his index finger to close my mouth. He gave me a smirk as my face blushed red. The Alex I saw was so different from the usual that I had a problem connecting the two.

I looked down at my clothes and grimaced. I was wearing black leggings, a sports shirt, and a nice comfy hoodie paired with tennis shoes. It was good for actively moving and being cute but offered little protection.

Alex went to the workstation, and I watch his ass- I mean his back, as I thought about a certain odd customer. Should I tell Alex about Mr. Walker? Probably. He would know what to do with a nosy client.

But that conversation had to wait since Alex came back and was now holding a freaking hunting rifle. I immediately moved away from the counter and blocked his path to the exit. Alex simply raised an eyebrow at me.

"You said we're going to gather materials," I said while putting both my hands on my hips.

"Exactly."

"Why would you need a gun, then?!"

Alex sighed while he lowered the gun towards the floor, barrel pointed downwards.

"Perhaps I should leave you here-"

I raised my hand, palm up, to stop Alex and turned around, walking briskly toward the front door. This little fieldwork was starting to look a bit more dangerous already, but to hell with being left behind. I would never let Alex just go on without bringing me with him.

I heard a chuckle as the door closed.

***

Dirt scrunched under our feet as we climbed down from Alex's Jeep Wrangler. He slung the rifle on his shoulder while I heaved the huge bag where we would be storing the plants and herbs that we gathered.

We arrived at the small patch of forest only a short mile away from the city. Our area was already pretty developed, so if it was not housing or business establishments, the land was filled with commercial farms.

"I don't think this forest will give us much materials," I said to Alex, my doubts resurfacing.

"This forest is only a gateway. We will be exploring the lands beyond that," he replied, then started walking towards the densely packed trees. I followed along while trying to survey our surroundings.

"What do you mean by gateway?" I asked.

Alex hacked an errant branch from the barely-there footpath we were walking on. I didn't even notice that he had a machete with him.

"There are multiple gateways scattered around the globe. They are exactly what their name suggests. Once you enter the designated area, the gate will automatically open, and you will be transported to whatever land or realm is connected with that gate," he replied.

"You don't need to do anything? No voodoo dodoo magic etcetera?"

"None at all. You can simply accidentally walk in one and be transported."

I shuddered at that. That would be on the top of my why-you-dont-go-outside list.

Alex stopped before a small clearing. There was a barely visible circle of mushrooms and rocks at its edges. Inside the circle, there was only an empty patch of grass.

"A fairy circle?" I asked, my voice tinged with surprise at the sight of a familiar myth.

"Gateway," Alex repeated. "Step foot in the circle at the same time I do. Beware of your surroundings and always stay close to me."

I stared at Alex as he counted down to three, then I immediately step into the circle once I see him lift his foot.

The moment my foot connected to the ground, I was immediately bombarded with stimuli. It felt cold and hot at the same time, falling and flying, and my skin was raised in goosebumps.

The worst of them were the shadows I could sense clawing at the edges of my mind. There was so much blood, a lot of screaming. A neverending pain. I felt like I was being pinned in place again, and countless drugs being pumped into my body.

A trick of magic?

No, a memory.

The feeling was both so familiar and strange, and the way it overlapped with the memories I had long tried to forget sent my mind in a spin. I didn't know what to do with it.

It felt like forever and I thought I lost consciousness somewhere on that trip, but when I opened my eyes, I saw that Alex was just about to exit the gate as well. The air around us wobbled, ripples appearing like in water, then our bodies fully emerged on the other side. The forest look identical, but the sounds I could hear told me that we were definitely in a different place now.

My knees wobbled when I tried to walk, and I quickly hold onto a nearby tree trunk for support. I slowed down my breathing and schooled my expression, trying to hide my distress.

Alex still noticed, though. "You look pale. Are you alright?"

I simply nodded since I didn't know if my voice wouldn't break when I speak. Alex looked back from where we came from, then he turned to me again. There was a contemplative expression on his face, but he eventually sighed and began moving.

"Try to keep up."

***

I bent down to pick another Blue Sorrel. The bag I brought with me was starting to fill up. We've been walking around the forest for several minutes now, only stopping to gather the materials we needed. Alex kept his rifle at the ready, but no animal had ventured near us. I was adamant about the gun at first, but after experiencing what happened at the gateway, I'm grateful that we at least had a way to protect ourselves.

Speaking of which, I needed information before I make head with this dilemma.

"Tell me about the gateways," I said while I straightened up from my crouch.

"What exactly do you want to know?" Alex asked. He took a look around before walking northeast. I had no idea how he knew where we should go, but it seemed he knew the forest like the back of his hand.

"That's the problem. I don't know enough to know what I want to know if that makes sense," I said.

Alex nodded. He climbed over a small fallen tree and pointed at the ground next to it, where I could see a small group of Corydalis. I crouched down again and began picking.

"Let's start with the basics. It's a problem to have humans accidentally entering gateways all the time, so the council designated the job of guarding known ones to each race of occult. This forest, the Tathlem Morge, is under the guardianship of the High Crown Pack," Alex explained while I continue to gather the plants.

"You lost me at the council. What council? The one you're threatening me which will get me executed?"

"Yes, that one. The council is a governing body of some sort. It usually mediates disputes between occult races. It is also tasked with the general welfare of our society, including keeping its existence as a secret, and acting as a barrier from the humans and ignorant."

I stood up after getting half of the Corydalises, letting the remaining thrive and be harvested the next season. We walked again in the forest, and Alex continued his lecture.

"There are several races of occult. We have the vampyres, the witches and warlocks, the shifters, and the elementals, among many others. As a human, you may have heard some myths about us. Not everything is true or on point, but some characteristics are similar."

Alex stopped and pointed up at a tree branch. A few feet from the ground, I could see a small gathering of Goodding Fern. I huffed and began making the short climb.

"Do vampyres sparkle?"

"No."

"So they burn?"

"They get stronger."

I stopped climbing and looked down.

"How the f**k do they get stronger during the day when they're creatures of the night?" I asked Alex. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Who said they, or any of us for that matter, are creatures of the night?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"The media, duh!" I whispered to myself and began climbing again. "How do you even know of this place? Also, have you thought about indoor farming? Like, maybe you can just plant these things inside your shop and I don't know, not climb trees?!"

Alex chuckled from below. "Climbing is good exercise, mind you. And the best materials come from the wild. I can replicate this environment and raise decent plants for standard potions, but the highest quality and most complicated ones will need materials from outside."

I heard Alex's footsteps scrunching the ground while he circled the perimeter of the tree. I finally reached the group of Goodding Ferns and started packing them in the bag.

"As for the place," Alex paused in thought. I could see from up here that he was debating how he would answer me. "I know it from... before," he simply said.

Before I could ask him what that "before" was, he spoke again. "I have spoken to the alpha of the High Crown many years ago to finally have official access to Tothlem Morge. He permitted me to gather my materials here, in exchange for my services."

Once I'm done with the Goodding Fern, I climbed down and meet Alex at the base of the tree. I was about to ask him again regarding his "before", because I'm a nosy apprentice and his distraction wouldn't work when we heard a scratching noise.

Alex immediately pointed his rifle towards the sound, angling his body in front of me and shielding me from whatever that was.

"Stay close to me," Alex whispered, his aim steady.

I suddenly felt that I'm about to find out why Alex brought a rifle in the first place.

"The animals hadn't touched us since we got here. Why now?" I asked, my voice lowered as well.

Alex frowned, his body tense and eyes focused. "I have frequented this forest many times. The animals know my scent and they know to stay away from me. Whatever this is, it is different."

"Can't you just magic them or something?" I asked.

"That is not how this works," Alex replied.

We heard another scratching noise from a different direction. Several feet away, I could barely distinguish numerous sets of yellow eyes between the trees.

The vision from the gateway and my memories began clamoring in my mind again. The onslaught threatened to drown me, and I had to grab the sleeves of Alex's jacket to ground myself. He felt the tug and looked behind him, and that was the only distraction the creatures needed before they pounce.

The moment Alex removed his sight from them, they surged towards us. They were three feet in height, with pointed ears, fangs, and claws. They were similar to what I know as goblins, but instead of being green, their skins were grayish and seemed to have exposed wounded flesh in some places.

Alex managed to shoot several of them, but more kept coming. A group of them finally reached us at arm's length, and then it was chaos.