The Hunt Begins

“There it is.” I whispered. I felt a comforting touch on my leg and looked down. I smiled. “I’m not scared.” I reassured her… I'm just… apprehensive. I mean, what if I actually find something?

“Well,” I said sighing and looking at Artemis, her silver fur was shining in the moonlight. “lets get inside and set up camp, shall we?” Artemis answered with a quick yip and bounded up and down. Her bushy tail flopping behind her.

I started walking up the side path of the house. Artemis dashed out in front of me bounding from bush to bush. Her long, stalky legs were making absolutely no noise in the grass beneath her.

I walked up onto the porch and tried to open the door. “Locked.” I rolled my eyes and Artemis scratched at the bottom of the door.

Suddenly, she turned and jumped onto the window sill that was next to the door. I walked over and tried to lift the window. “It’s locked too, smarty.”

Artemis gave me a look and I swear, if foxes could talk, she’d be cussing at me.

She jumped past me and ran off the porch. She picked up a rock from the pathway in her mouth and bounded back up to the porch and dropped the rock at my feet.

I grabbed it and winced. As if committing a B and E wasn’t enough, I was about to commit vandalism now too. “Ugh,” I reeled my arm back and let the rock fly at the window.

The glass made a loud shattering noise as bits and pieces hit the porch. “Well, if it didn’t already know we were here, it does now.”

Artemis bounded through the window and disappeared in the shadows. I climbed, rather clumsily, into the window.

The room I was in was like a parlor room. I observed my surroundings taking in every possible object that was accessible as a weapon or a potential danger for tripping in case of an emergency. Any detail could help.

I walked a few steps. There was a room to my right and to the left was the living room and the kitchen was behind that. The room to the right was small and nothing was in there.

The stairs were directly in front of me. I pointed to the top of them and nodded. Artemis appeared from the shadows and ran up the stairs.

I walked to the left of the stairs. All that was to the right of them was an open and empty supply closet and a wall. I walked to the couch in the living room and put my stuff on the floor next to it and pushed it underneath so in case I wasn’t alone no one would see it and take it.

Just as I stood up straight I heard a loud bang and wind whipped past the side of my face making me stumble backwards. Oh shit, she’s really here!

My back came in contact with a wall and I screamed when I saw the arrow sticking out of the wall beside my head.

Something that looked like a bear came crashing through a window and I ran towards the stairs. A girl came out from around the corner holding a shotgun in her right hand. She had it pointed right at me. I just kept running towards the stairs which was going to take me dangerously close to the girl with the gun.

Just as I thought I was about to hear the loud shot and feel the pain, Artemis jumped off the banister from upstairs and dug her teeth into the girl’s arm.

Just as I reached the stairs and bolted up them I heard guys voices too. I could hardly breathe and my chest was pounding. Once I got to the top of the staircase I took a right and ran into the first room I came to.

I ran to the window and turned around. I knew Artemis could handle herself but I was still worried about her. I turned to the window just as I heard another gun shot. “Artemis!” I yelled and ran to the door, but remembering the danger I was in, I turned and just as I turned back towards the window Artemis sprang through the door. I pointed at the window, “Jump!” I yelled as we both ran.

Trusting me, Artemis jumped out the window without looking first and I was halfway out the window when something pulled me back. I was reeled around and just as I saw the three people standing there a sharp pain shot through my head and my vision went red. I felt myself falling, but before I hit the ground, everything went black.

*******************************************************

I opened my eyes. Damn my head hurts. I looked up and screamed. A pair of ferocious eyes and menacing teeth were staring at me. The girl that had tried shooting me earlier came around the corner. She laughed. I already hated her.

“How was your nap witch?” she taunted me. She still had that shotgun too. She was about my height with long brown hair.

What the heck is she calling me a witch for?! SHE’S the one who attacked ME!

“Coulda used a few pillows…. And a bed.” I mumbled, still staring at the bear.

“Oh don’t worry, I’m sure the chair will only serve as your bed for a few more minutes. Till Sam gets over himself.” She flicked something off her shoulder and I saw the cuts and gashes that Artemis had caused her.

Artemis… where is she?

“What? Admiring your handy work?” she spat at me.

“What?” I asked. I couldn’t take my eyes off the huge creature thing since it’d gotten closer since I’d woken up.

“These cuts. They better heal without scarring too. If they don’t… too bad you’ll already be dead though and I won’t be able to make you pay for them with your own flesh.”

That got me to look away. I looked at her. “Dead?!”

“You didn’t think we’d just give you a lecture and then let you go right? You may be new
to this, but once a witch like you learns her potential, there’s no stopping her.”

“A witch?!” I’m a witch?

“Uh huh, we’re not stupid, so stop playing the ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about
card’.” The girl was annoyed about something. That much I could tell.

“You’re fucking nuts! Now let me go!” I tried freeing my hands but the bear looking creature that I’m guessing is hers growled and I froze. No way in hell did I want those teeth digging into my face or arm or something.

“She’s awake?” a tall guy who walked in asked her. I looked him up and down. He was loaded with weapons. I’m guessing he was the first one to try to kill me since he had a crossbow hanging off his hip. Asshole.

“No, she’s sleeping with her eyes open and yelling at me in her damn sleep.” The girl answered him back and stepped away from him.

“Yo Sammy!” the guy called out behind him. He turned to me. “Word to the wise, I’d stay away from her if I were you,” he said, pointing to the girl, “you’d have more chance of getting your arm bit off by her than you would with him.” He said pointing the bear.

“You mean the bear?” he must have seen me staring at it…

“I told you your brute of a dog looked like a damn bear.” He mumbled just as the guy I’m assuming was Sammy walked in.

He didn’t have any weapons on him that I could see at least and he was the only one not looking at me like I was a slug. He had a book in his hand and was reading something.

“Can’t we just get it over with?” the girl asked, clearly annoyed that she wasn’t calling the shots.

“I don’t think she’s a witch.” Sammy said.

“What?” the girl asked. “That’s stupid, the spell led us here, she was the only one here.”

“Witches don’t even exist you fruitcake!” I yelled at her. I just wanted out of here to find Artemis.

“I’m going to fu..”

“Alisha! Seriously, I don’t think she’s a witch.” Sammy cut her off.

“Dude, you’re letting her mind tricks get to you.” The other guy said, keeping Alisha from talking still.

“She has to be. Why else would it have sent us here?” Alisha said to Sammy.

“You said so yourself that you didn’t have the spell perfected.” Sammy said to her.

“It still wouldn’t just lead us to some random place! There’s some paranormal shit here somewhere and I think it’s her.” She fought back.

“It’s not the girl.” Sammy said.

“Dude guys, do either of you find it weird that she can hold that form for so long if she’s new at this?” the other guy put in.

“So what, she’s skilled in that section. She controlled a damn fox and got it to attack me! I think that counts!” Alisha cocked the shotgun.

“I didn’t control that fox!” I yelled before I could stop myself.

“Oh really. So a fox just decided it was going to attack me for no reason?” She sneered at me.

“She was protecting me! She’s my pet. I’ve had her for about 11 months now. I can’t control her. That’s impossible.” I rolled my eyes.

Dude, either these people are serious nut jobs, or they’re like some weird kind of paranormal investigators and they think they’ve actually ran across these things before… do witches really exist? Could I be one?

“If she’s your pet then get her in here.” Alisha said.

“Oh, so you can shoot her? Over my dead body.”

“That can be arranged witch.”

“What’s your name?” Sammy asked me. He was the only who hadn’t given me a reason to hate him. He was actually my savior at the moment. Be as nice as you can to him.

“Bekka. I’m just here because I was looking for a place to bed down for the night.” Ok, not completely honest, but if they kill things like witches, then I’m so not telling them the truth…

“Ok, hi Bekka, this is Dean, Alisha and I’m Sam.” Just then the dog whined. “And that’s Samael.”

I just looked at him… does he seriously think I’m going to say hi and act like nothing is happening? Ha, right.

“So where are you from?”

“Around here. I’m nineteen and I’m homeless. Is that what you want to hear?” I rolled my eyes.

“Who’s your family?”

“Don’t know. Been in foster care my whole life.”

“Guys seriously?” and with that Sam walked forward and cut me loose from the chair. Immediately Dean and Alisha pulled their weapons up and pointed them at me. I flinched, but stayed where I was.

“Ok, well, we’re sorry.” Sam said. Alisha snickered quietly, and Samael got up and sat next to her.

Oh my god… Sam and Dean Winchester… the boys the police have been after! Why didn’t I notice before? They’re always found around weird stuff and like dead people…

“Come on you guys, we need sleep. We can try again tomorrow to locate it.” Dean said, he looked bored.

“I was wondering how long it would take till your stomach started talking for you.” Alisha snorted.

“My stomach has no say in the matter.” Dean countered.

“Oh, and the fact that the hotel we’re staying at has an all you can eat buffet has nothing to do with you being in a hurry to leave?” she raised an eyebrow and shifted her weight.

“Take me with you.” I said before I could stop myself.

“As if, girl scout.” Alisha said. She sounded like she couldn’t believe I had just said that.

“If you don’t, I can tell the police exactly where you guys are staying and they’ll be there in less than a minute since the station is about 40 seconds away from your hotel Sam and Dean Winchester.” I couldn’t believe what I was doing but I wasn’t backing out now.

“You can’t be serious right now.” Dean said.

If they really do deal with this stuff, and it’s real, I might be able to figure out more about what I might be…

“Can’t we just leave?” Alisha asked.

“No. We’re meeting Billy in the morning and Dean has his phone.” Sam said. Ha, no ways to cancel then huh? “Alright, you can come I guess.” Sam said.

“What? Can’t we just kill her?” Alisha said.

“We only kill evil. You know that.” Sam said, rolling his eyes.

“She sounds pretty evil to me.” Alisha mumbled.

“Just no funny business or the bear gets you for his dinner.” Dean warned me. I nodded.

I called for Artemis and she came running to me. I hugged her close, grabbed my stuff and followed them out the door.