"Karma?" Maggie scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are you going to do, give us bad luck?"
"Something like that." I smirked, feeling my powers simmering beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed.
"Let's see how you handle this!" Frank snarled, raising his hands and sending a blast of magic toward us. The heat and pressure from the spell pressed against my magic as I instinctively raised my own hands to counter it.
"Seriously? We're having a magical duel now?" I said under my breath. The air around us crackled and sizzled, the scent of ozone filling my nostrils as our powers collided.
"Emma, stay focused," Beth shouted, her own hands raised to help me fend off the assault. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead, the effort of maintaining a shield taxing my strength. This wasn't in my usual wheelhouse. Karma was definitely helping me defend myself.
"Enough." Carol stepped forward and unleashed a torrent of water from her fingertips that doused the entire kitchen, extinguishing the magical energy in an instant. The sudden drenching left us all gasping, with steam rising from the soaked countertops and floor.
As the magical dust settled, water dripped from my soaked clothes, creating a puddle at my feet. The air was thick with tension and the scent of damp clothes and burnt magic.
"Listen," Carol said. "We'll be informing the witch coven about what's going on here. Using zombies in this manner is beyond unethical, and there will be consequences."
The Burns family exchanged panicked glances, their faces pale under the fluorescent kitchen lights. Mr. Burns stepped forward, wringing his hands nervously. "Please, we didn't mean any harm. We were just desperate. Business has been terrible lately, until Deva’s place caught fire, but then we had more customers than we had help, and we couldn’t keep up with it. So, we did this to give us an edge."
"An edge?" I said incredulously. "By using undead labor? What kind of twisted logic is that?"
"Look," Mrs. Burns said. "We swear we'll never do it again. Just please don't tell the coven. They'll ruin us."
I glanced at Beth and Carol, sensing their internal debate. On one hand, we'd managed to put an end to this horrifying practice, but on the other, the Burns family deserved some form of punishment for their actions. Turning them over to the coven could lead to severe repercussions, potentially destroying their livelihood, but wasn't that what they deserved?
The Burns family stood there, drenched and defeated, their expressions pleading for mercy. I could practically taste their desperation mingling with the stale air of the kitchen. Beth's eyes flashed as she took charge.
"Swear it," she said. "Swear upon your magic that you'll never do this again."
"Never," Mr. Burns croaked.
"Swear it," Beth said, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air, casting a binding spell that crackled with energy. Power emanated from her, like an electric current buzzing through the room.
"I swear," Mr. Burns said, followed by the rest of his family, each one swearing off their twisted zombie labor practice. The binding spell settled around them like invisible chains.
"Emma," Beth turned to me, her eyes still blazing. "You know what to do."
"Yeah," My powers settled on my back like a heavy cloak. It was time for some good ol' fashioned karma to work its magic, literally.
I focused on the Burns family and the havoc they had wreaked with their zombie staff, both on themselves and their poor customers. My powers pulsed within me, a living, breathing force just waiting to be unleashed. With a final exhale, I sent the karmic energy coursing through the air, enveloping the Burns family in its grip.
"Done." The family stood there, looking no different than before. But I knew what I'd done, I could feel it, deep in my bones. Karma had been set into motion, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it now.
"Now," Beth said to the Burns family, her VOICE firm but not unkind. "You need to put those zombies to rest and clean up this entire place. Every last bit. Do you understand?"
The Burns family, still reeling from the binding spell and the sudden downpour of sprinkler water, nodded their heads in agreement. Mr. and Mrs. Burns looked at each other, fear and regret in their eyes. Their children, Frank and Maggie, appeared shell-shocked. The reality of their situation had only just begun to sink in.
"Good," Beth said, holding up her pristine white glove. It seemed so out of place amidst the chaos and grime of the kitchen, like a beacon of purity in the midst of filth.
"Let's shake on it, then." Beth extended her gloved hand toward Mr. Burns, who hesitated for only a moment before taking it in his own grease-streaked grip. They shook hands firmly, and then Beth moved on to Mrs. Burns, and finally Frank and Maggie. Each time, the white glove remained spotless. Nothing happened.
Then, we looked toward the zombies and Carol spoke. “Don’t worry, you’ll be put to rest soon.”
“Very soon,” Beth emphasized, glaring at the family.
The family nodded, looking contrite. I wasn’t entirely happy with the deal and us leaving them to follow through with their word, but I knew karma wasn’t done with them yet, so that would have to be enough for me.
As we stepped out of the restaurant and into the bright sunshine, I had an irresistible urge to scrub myself clean from head to toe. The memory of what went on in that kitchen churned uncomfortably in my mind, threatening to make a reappearance in the form of my lunch.
"Ugh," Carol groaned, echoing my thoughts perfectly. "I can't believe we actually ate that food."
