Blue Crescent

Hush! Hush!

Maddison

“Hello.” Erin grinned after smashing the door open.

Blood was dripping on the floor as she stepped inside the cabin, making our eyes grow wide in panic.

“Erin?” Andrew uttered in surprise. “W-What happened? Who did this to you?”

“Are you not going to celebrate that I came back alive?” She smiled, looking around.

“Of course, we’re happy. We’ve been looking for you,” Peter said.

“How touching. Well, I only want one person in this room. Maddison,” she said, pointing at me.

“What? No!” I gasped.

“Do not hurt anyone, Erin,” Mrs. Shaw said, facing her. “Whoever did this to you cannot get away with the consequences, but revenge is not the answer. Plus, Maddison was with us the whole time. Let me take care of this.”

“What do you mean she’s with you the whole time? She saw me in the woods with Andrew,” she continued, making Andrew hide his face out of shame. “You need to work on with your radar, old bit**h. Get out of my way, or I’ll kill you first.”

Everyone’s eyes were on me and Andrew while Adrian was secretly shooting daggers at the latter. Terror was evident in their eyes, and some of them even passed out. I was trying to figure out whether what I saw in the woods was real or a dream, but the turn of events didn’t make any sense.

“Did you enjoy what we did in the woods, Andrew? Oops. . . Someone must be really jealous right now but . . . hush hush. Your secret’s safe with me, boy.”

“You are not Erin. Whoever you are, get out of her body,” Mrs. Shaw said.

‘What do you mean I’m not Erin, Mrs. Shaw? Do you know anything about . . . magic? Huh?”

“Get out, now!” Mrs. Shaw said firmly.

Just then an unseen force pushed Erin against the wall. Erin stood up groaning and moving his neck side to side.

“You bit**,” Erin uttered through clenched teeth.

A strong wind rushed towards Mrs. Shaw, throwing her against the other side of the wall with such force that knocked her unconscious. It wasn’t long before the cabin was filled with screaming and crying.

“Erin? What’s happening with you? Where did you get your . . . Is that . . . superpowers?” Arthur exclaimed in amazement.

“Superpowers? I don’t know. Are you gonna date me now, Arthur? Now that I have superpowers?”

“Y-You must be mistaken. I wanted to date you, I do. It’s just that . . .” Arthur answered.

“You like Maddison, don’t you?” she said, making Arthur look at me.

“I told you guys, Maddison did this to her,” Andrew said, approaching me.

“What? Why me? I don’t have superpowers,” I answered back.

“Because I don’t like you. That’s how simple it is,” he said, pulling me up and dragging me towards Erin.

Hannah tried to stop him while everybody did nothing but watched me being treated like sh*t.

“Let her go, Andrew! Let her go!” Hannah said, trying to take me away from Andrew's hold.

Andrew pushed me hard, making me cry in pain as my back hit the floor.

"Maddie!" Hannah gasped as she rushed towards me.

“Good job, Andrew,” Erin said. “Good job.”

Erin stood in front of me. Her nails turned into claws, and her eyes turned black. I was shaking in fear as she raised her hand above me. Hannah hurriedly grabbed me by the hand and dragged me away before Erin could strike with her claws. Everyone screamed, thinking that I was caught. I mean, I was caught—slightly across my face. Mrs. Shaw regained consciousness just in time and stood behind me before throwing Erin on to the floor. I hurriedly crawled towards Hannah and Olivia’s side, bleeding and shaking. The cabin was tossed with a strong wind, but Mrs. Shaw remained standing.

“Excessus,” Mrs. Shaw uttered in a loud voice with an outstretched arm and flying hair.

Erin stood up, stretching her arms and repeatedly slapped Mrs. Shaw's until it was covered with deep cuts and dripping blood before throwing her against the wall. She grabbed Kesha by the neck and raised her into the air before stabbing her with her sharp claws.

“No!” Mrs. Shaw cried, looking at Kesha while everyone was frozen in bewilderment.

Erin looked pleased and took more of the campers, giving them the same fate Kesha had.

“Da mihi potestatem occidere. Da mihi potestatem occidere. Da mihi potestatem occidere.

Da mihi potestatem occidere. Da mihi potestatem occidere. Da mihi potestatem occidere,” Mrs. Shaw uttered, chanting each line louder.

Fire surged around Erin. She was screaming in pain as the chanting went on. The fire around her crept to the cabin walls and burned her slowly.

“Da mihi potestatem occidere. Da mihi potestatem occidere. Da mihi potestatem occidere.

Da mihi potestatem occidere. Da mihi potestatem occidere. Da mihi potestatem occidere,” Mrs. Shaw continued. “Everyone, out!”

Without thinking twice, we rushed out and ran away as we watched the cabin burning in flames.

***

“Honey, could you please call Maddie? I don’t know but I can’t reach her phone. I just don’t have a good feeling,” Mom said.

“She’s a grown up kid, Honey. She’ll be fine,” Dad assured Mom.

“I’ll try again. I’ll never let her join camps and trips anymore. And . . . And the weather is bad, I wonder if she’s okay,” Mom said anxiously, looking at the window.

Dad rushed to her side and kissed her forehead.

“Don’t worry too much, Honey. She’ll be fine,” Dad said, giving her a tight hug.

***

“Take them to the hospital, quick!” A policeman said as the paramedics carried the dead bodies to the ambulance.

“Thank you for responding to our call,” Mrs. Shaw said.

“No problem. What happened there? Do you have any idea who did these brutal murders?” the police asked.

“I honestly don’t know. We just found them dead,” Mrs. Shaw answered.

“Guys, Mrs. Shaw is a witch. Arthur was right,” Olivia whispered, looking at Mrs. Shaw talking to the police.

“I can’t believe it. I’m still shocked,” Hannah replied.

Without blinking, my eyes were on Mrs. Shaw. The night was overwhelming with all the revelation before our very eyes. Erin’s eyes and the beast kept replaying in my head. After witnessing Mrs. Shaw and Erin, I knew that what happened in the woods was real, and it wasn’t a dream.

‘Maddie, are you okay?” Olivia asked. “I mean, I know what happened back there was just unexplainable, and we cannot tell this to anyone. Nobody will believe us.”

“Ah, yeah. I’m fine . . .” I answered.

“I can’t believe the little book was true,” Arthur said. “Mrs. Shaw is a witch. And Erin became a monster!”

“And we can’t believe you've been hiding your feelings for Maddie,” Hannah said. “Finally, everything makes sense now.”

Arthur blushed and stuttered.

“What? Tell her you like her,” Olivia said. ‘Well, she’s listening.”

“Has anyone seen Adrian?” I asked.