Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(54)

I couldn’t believe how fast she was. She tore through the forest, easily maneuvering around each obstacle. Unfortunately, she had to pause repeatedly for us to catch up. Often we would watch from a distance, while she climbed trees to lie on a branch.

Griffin and I were exhausted from running through the woods, when Savannah halted. She started circling, which reminded me of a cat chasing its tail. However, the anxiety coming off her in waves was vastly different than the playful attitude of a kitten.

“What’s wrong with her?” Griffin crouched near Savannah, while I searched the surrounding woods. “Ah. Here’s her problem.” I looked back to see Savannah nosing aside some leaves. Griffin lifted a leaf for me to see; droplets of blood smeared the waxy surface.

“Damn.” Savannah’s eyes glowed at me before she turned and sprinted away. We followed until she slowed. Her form began to slink low to the ground like a cat does when stalking prey. A head of us, I could make out the shape of a shed and realized it was the shed Willow and Savannah used to play in as children. My stomach clenched. What if Willow was dead too?

We neared the shed and Savannah sniffed around the edges. I opened the door, but it was empty.

“S, she’s not here.”

She let loose a deafening roar and starting using her paws to dig at the dirt around the shed. I looked closer and saw that there was a large cavern underneath, which the shed had been built on. Savannah was attempting to pull the dirt enough to squeeze through the opening. She wiggled her head through until only her body remained on the outside. That was when we heard the scream. It was loud enough that I thought an animal must be dying, but I could recognize the tone as Willow’s.

Savannah’s efforts increased, while I bent down to help push her through. Griffin and I soon followed. The cavern was a tiny basement to the shed, but large enough for the four of us to fit in. Griffin took out his cell phone to light up the surrounding area.

Willow was against the far wall; trying to shrink into it. Her skin was covered in layers of dirt, while clumps of mud and stray branches peppered her hair. Her nails were red from clawing at the wall behind her. She had left some decent sized abrasions in the wall.

Willow didn’t seem to recognize us. Her head shook back and forth, while her hands tore at her hair and cry’s racked her body. Griffin and I inched away from her, while Savannah moved forward. Willows picked up a rock and threw it at Savannah hitting her in the head.

Savannah whimpered, lowered herself to the ground and slowly inched forward. Her paws were outstretched and Willow watched like a hawk. Rolling onto her back, Savannah began to rock from side to side. She was trying to convey her harmless nature and Willow seemed entranced enough to allow Savannah near. For her last roll, Savannah ended up next to Willow and lifted her head. She moved forward and licked a large gash on Willows arm.

The sound that burst from Willow was one of defeat and acceptance. She pulled Savannah onto her lap and held her. Slowly, Savannah’s body changed until she was naked in Willow’s arms. She then moved to hold Willow and gently rocked her until she quieted.

“Shhh… Willow, everything’s fine. No one is going to hurt you. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

“Me too.” Their heads snapped up at Izzy’s voice and Willow’s eyes held recognition.

Willow looked at each of us in turn and took in Savannah’s naked state. “Why are you naked?” We all laughed.

“When I shift, I don’t get to take my clothes with me. I didn’t think it was a good idea to take the time for clothes, when you obviously needed me.”

“Oh.”

I handed Savannah her clothes, which she quickly put on. Willow allowed me to help her up and out from under the shed. On the way back to the search party, she explained that the demon had been in her head. If was telling her to kill someone and without knowing what else to do, she slammed her head into the porch. Her rationality had fled; she just wanted him out of her head.

Once she injured herself, the demons voice stopped. However, when she turned, she found him standing across the street and ran for the forest. She hid beneath the shed because she knew Savannah would find her.





SAVANNAH

I wanted to tear him limb from limb. I was so furious that I had half a mind to hunt down the demon. However, Willow’s mind was weakened by his onslaught and I couldn’t stand to leave her so soon. We each took a shower and curled on her day bed. She was shivering and kept moving her hand to make sure I was still next to her.

Why did Asmodeus want to take everything from me? Hadn’t he had enough? I ached inside at how terrified Willow had been, and the thought that she suffered through it alone, while I searched for her. Izzy stayed with us, but sat near the window watching the moon. Kit sat next to her. These were my two best friends; my family. I couldn’t allow him destroy my world.

I had spent my childhood being led on a leash through each trial. When I came to live with Maye, I promised myself that I wouldn’t allow my world to be dictated. This was five steps further than dictating my life; he had turned me into a puppet, while he created the stage.

“I can’t let him do this anymore.” I was hardly aware I spoke aloud, but Izzy turned to face me and Willow sat up. “He’s going to keep going until he kills everyone. That’s what the journal said. My parent’s killed all of those people to give me enough power to stand up to him. I think it’s about time I did.”