Characters of the Story
Paul Marshall - The Prophet
Luci - The Unknown
Lisa - The Young Witch/Ringleader
Amanda - TheYoung Witch no.2
Lara - The Young Witch no.3
Jane - The Young Witch no.4
Emeka - The Geek
Peter - The Geek no.2
Chidinma - The Nerdy Girl
Julius (Caesar) - The Cool Guy
Frank - The Strange Cool Guy
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And Asheevah as the Goddess of Zharavon

The Nightmare

Have you ever dreamt of witches; witches chasing you and finally catching up with you, not ‘cause you’re not running or anything - I mean, trust me, you’re running your legs off, but you just seem to be at one spot, while the witches catch up to you - like you’re on a treadmill or something…

Then, in this surrealistic realm, the witches finally catch up to you, and grab you…but like almost always, you’re fortunate…you wake up…

But have you ever wondered, I mean really wonder, what happens to those who don’t wake up? Have you, really? Well, if you have…you can stop wondering now, ‘cause poor old Luci is about to show us exactly what happens after Witches catch up to you…

“Argh!” Luci shrieked, for the millionth and thirty-third time, but for the millionth and thirty-third time it didn’t do any good. She felt powerless, weakened, as the Three Witches held her; Jane merely moped on, teary-eyed.

“Get over here, Jane and help your Sisters!” Lisa’s voice came booming with fiery authority, her eyes burned scummy purple. Jane came over and held Luci, while Lisa moved towards the pentagram drawn on the floor. Yes, all preparations had been completed. The black and red candles, twenty-one in all surrounded the pentagram; the room furniture had been considerably moved about to create space for the initiation of Luci. Jane had not been able to resist the will of her new Sisters. Rebellion could only mean death, and she wasn’t nearly ready to die. No sir!

The room reeked of evil spirits - Seducing Spirits who had come all the way from Zharavon crawled all about the room, and Luci could see every single one of them. I must be dreaming, she thought, but deep inside she knew it was no dream. She was loosing her consciousness too, the Evil Spirits around her gnarled tastily around her, shrieking delightfully, mimicking her terror and laughing their heads off. Literally - their heads spun like a wheel, whenever they laughed, grossing Luci out and increasing her nightmare experience.

Lisa stood at the top of the pentagram - the Satanic Book of Spells opened up in her hands; she felt like a goddess, an ethereal wind blowing on her hair, tossing it backwards, her face is drawn straight and taut, her lips curved in a pleasurable grin - yes, pleasure so lascivious and so abominable, that she kept it for herself alone, enjoying her secret. Asheevah whispered sweet things to her ears, sending her bliss to crescendos. “Lay her down, my Sisters!” Lisa commanded.

They dragged Luci into the pentagram, as she mustered up every modicum of strength in her to resist them, but it was no use, the Spirits weakened her nerves, she felt drained from within; hopelessly tired. They forced her onto the pentagram, laying her down, and suddenly she couldn’t move. She couldn’t even blink. Only breathe - and even that became serious labour. She was scared senseless. Who would blame her? Try being tied down to a pentagram sign by Four Witches, and having fierce looking Evil Spirits as your audience and see how it feels…Now you get it, huh!

Lisa began the incantations, as the other girls surrounded her;

Aram mak bra
Pentam mak bra
Sak mak bra

Aram mak bra
Pentam mak bra
Asheevah!

They spoke like the whistling pines, voices chilling the room…Jane didn’t know the words, and she was scared beyond words, not just for her best friend, but for herself as well. The whole room seemed to be in a blur, as the Spirits whirled round and round…The force like a wave threw objects flying all around the room.

Aram mak bra
Pentam mak bra
Sak mak bra

Aram mak bra
Pentam mak bra
Asheevah!

Their voices echoed all around, seeming to form a cocoon of realms all about them…frenzied and full of energy. Lisa leers as the lustful pleasure racks through her entire system, she moans and groans provocatively, rolling her head in reckless abandon…the book in her hand sparked off lightening bolts, and produced a bloodied-knife. The knife levitated upwards towards the ceiling, and aligned itself directly above Luci’s chest. She panted heavily, suffocating with terror.

Aram mak bra
Pentam mak bra
Sak mak bra

Aram mak bra
Pentam mak bra
Asheevah!

They were getting to the last parts of the incantation; Luci could literally feel the intense demonic energy coursing through every length and breadth of the room…the demons cheered like mad. In the next few seconds, Luci would become a full-fledged Witch of Zharavon.

Oztis mak bra
Asheevah!
Entik mak bra
Ashee…

BOOM!

A white-blue light encapsulated the entire room, and the power threw the Witches off balance like a bunch of bowling pins, sprawled all over the room. The bloodied-knife disappeared, with the book. The flaming candles touched a bed-spread and it caught fire.

Lisa was the first to recover; she got up, stared wondrously at Luci. She couldn’t understand where the bluish-light came from or why. Then it hit her…No, she said. No, It can’t be. Lisa grabbed Lara and Amanda and disappeared. The Spirits went puff with them.

Luci renewed with fresh vigour - unknown, but fresh, nonetheless, stood up. The fire had grown considerably. She attacked the door, but it wouldn’t open. She screamed, for the millionth and thirty-fourth time, and this time, it helped. She gathered strength. Then she looked around and saw her friend and roommate still lying unconscious. She fumed in anger. Ignoring the unconscious Jane she stormed into the bathroom, suddenly overwhelmed by a mad sense of energy she punched open the glass windows. Her hand is bloodied but she doesn’t feel it.

The fire increases.

Taking a step back, she makes to jump through the window, but then remembers Jane. She pauses, thinking for a second, and then heads back into the room, picks Jane up like a doll-baby, over her shoulder and all, and heads into the bathroom again. She narrows her eyes into the window - which isn’t that wide, even for one person. But Luci seemed to be thinking on a higher frequency here…

She sprinted forward, using her left foot as platform, she blasted herself forth through the glassless window - both her and Jane, smoothly, without even the touching the glassy edges. Don’t ask me how; she just did it!

*******
In Zharavon
The Spirits arrived seconds after. But Asheevah who had been watching all along smiled to herself; “So, she is truly the One.”

*******

The College where Paul, Luci, Lisa, Amanda, Lara, Jane, Emeka, Peter, Chidinma, Julius and Frank attends is somewhat surrounded by hills; little green hills overlooking the Campus.

As Paul Marshall stood on one of those hills, his mind’s eye narrowed towards Luci and Jane’s room.

“And so it begins.” he murmured.

…to be continued