“Makwa’s quiet,” I said, looking at Ava. She was quiet too. None of us had really talked much. Was she okay?
“He is,” was all she said, eyes cast down to watch where she stepped. For once, I felt like I hadn’t the slightest clue what Ava was feeling or thinking. Was she okay? The thought kept circling my mind on repeat. Howcouldshe be okay? I swallowed thickly. I wasn’t good with emotions.
We heard a gun click, then a loud bang. Someone had been hiding next to the cult’s cabins. I looked at Ava in shock as she held up her hand—a hole was shot cleanly right through the middle of her palm. Curiously there was no blood, just a black fringe around the edge and I could see the forest through the hole. Before I could even freak out, the hole began to close, black sludge filling it in before her skin grew back.
My eyes widened, my mouth hanging open as it healed completely. Her face transformed from a brief surprise to a righteous anger.
Mothman already had his gun out and pulled the trigger with a loud bang, sending the person sprawling to the ground. Ava stomped toward the stray cult member. I grabbed her but she ripped her arm from my clutch. I ran ahead of her and kicked the gun away. She ignored me, a look of rage on her face as she stopped barefoot next to the man as he lay clutching his chest as his life leaked away as his blood pooled beneath him.
She watched him draw one final ragged breath. Her look of outrage gave way to trepidation then she shook her head and bent down over the body.
“Mmmhmm, yes please," Mothman said softly as her bare ass peeked out from beneath her shirt as she leaned over. I shot him a look and he shrugged then went back to leering with an appreciative smile. She leaned herself over the dead man.
“What are you doing?” I asked. She opened her mouth and inhaled. A thick black vapor appeared and briefly hovered over the body before swirling up and into her mouth.
“Makwa?” I asked but when she looked at me, it was her brown eyes staring back as she sucked the soul down. The ghost flickered into my view as it happened, though I couldn't hear what sounds it made. All I saw was its face, mouth wide open in pain. They must have been screaming as she ate them.
I looked over at Mothman and Brandon. They stood there silently, eyes latched on to her in surprise. Seemed none of us knew what to say or what this meant. She climbed back to her feet and looked off in the distance blankly.
“There,” she said and then started walking again.
“Ava?” I asked, running beside her, grabbing her hand. I rubbed at the wound that had been there. “What did you just do?”
“I ate a soul.”
“Why?” I asked. “Did Makwa make you?”
“No. It was for him. I… nearly killed him,” she said.
“What?” I asked and she sighed.
“I used his power and it drained him. I hurt him. He’s better now. Still weaker than before but he’ll be fine.”
“You can use his power?” I asked.
“I won’t ever do it again,” she said and then we were all silent, walking down the mountain quietly, worrying we might run across more cult members hiding in the trees still chasing us.
We eventually came across a house. There were no cars in the driveway and the place was locked up and dark. It was getting close to dusk again and we were all exhausted. I felt like I was running on fumes.
Mothman climbed up the porch and tugged a few things from one of his pockets before crouching down.
“Of course he picks locks,” I sighed, looking around at the forest. There were no main roads that could be seen, just a long gravel road in front of the house that stretched into trees. Brandon flopped down with wide legs on a chair and scrubbed his face. He had zero concern for his nudity, leaning back in the chair and lounging, looking dead on his feet.
“Staring at my cock won’t make it fall off,” he grumbled and my eyes jerked up to his. He gave me a blank look and I ground my teeth. We kept glaring at each other and I felt a fight prickling between us. Then Mothman flung the door open and stood back up, waving his arm to welcome us in the house.
I grabbed Ava and pulled her in. Wood panel walls and burgundy shag greeted us. It didn’t look as if there had been anyone home anytime recently, a thin but pervasive layer of dust on everything. The electricity was still on though. We’d got lucky, for once.
I flipped on the heater, trying to drive away the cold still emanating from Brandon. It had begun to warm back up after he fucked Ava but it was still chilly in the house. Somehow his mood, or whatever, seemed to be controlling the temperature of the entire damned mountain. There were still clothes in the closets from the previous inhabitants. We found various sweatpants and tee shirts and changed into old but clean clothes.
Mine was a worn Nirvana 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' concert tee and Ava wore a faded pink 'Daddy's little princess'. We looked at each other and just laughed. As fucked up as things were, it somehow took the edge off. Mothman just gave his leather a good shake and dabbed at the bloodstains.
Brandon picked up the phone, found a dial tone, and proceeded to called the police. Apparently, they’d come out around the area he’d called before, seen nothing, and left. I opened the kitchen drawers until I found some old bills and shoved them at him. He rattled off the address and then explained where the camp with cabins was in relation to us before hanging up.
He immediately picked the phone back up and dialed someone else. Whoever it was didn’t pick up and he slammed the phone down, grinding his teeth.
“Are you okay?” Ava asked him, pressing a hand to his back.
“My sister isn’t answering,” he said. Ava tried calling her family next. Again no one answered. We called the band manager and my dad and met the same results.
