Burkheart Witch Saga Book 1: Red Snow Read online

  “Ooh, I’m damn near shaking in my boots,” Lou taunted. “If it ain’t silver, it ain’t gonna do you no good. Don’t you ever watch the movies?”

  “Just leave me alone!”

  “Oh, okay then. My bad.”

  The house suddenly went silent, save for the heavy breathing coming from her own mouth. She didn’t trust that he had left, so she carefully placed her ear against the door, listening for any movement. After a few minutes, she knew she would have to make a run for it. Maybe she could drive the jeep a few miles with the flat tire and get away.

  “Keys, keys, keys. Shit. Think,” she said to herself.

  The luggage. Jack kept spare keys in his bag. She picked up the small black duffle and put it on the bed, struggling with the zipper. Once she got the bag open, she dumped the contents out on the cream duvet.

  Her eyes welled with tears when she saw the small black box next to the keys to the jeep. She picked it up with shaking hands and held it to her chest. She didn’t want to open it, but she had to. Her need won out and she pulled the box open.

  Inside was a small silver ring with a single little diamond in the center. A folded piece of paper fell out onto the bed. She picked up the note and unfolded it. Her heart broke.

  I know it isn’t much, but I promise you that every year I will love you more than the year before. I hope I can show you with a bigger ring someday, but for now I hope this will do. Will you be my wife? P.S. – I know you are allergic to gold, so I had them put the diamond on a sterling silver band. Love, Jack

  “Oh God, Jack. I’m so sorry. I love you,” she cried as she looked up, feeling as though she was drowning in grief.

  She put the ring on her finger and wept for him. After a minute, she came to her senses and remembered that she had to get the hell out of the cabin. She took the keys off the bed and walked to the door. She slowly moved the dresser, listening for any signs of the monster outside. When she didn’t hear anything for more than a minute, she carefully unlocked the door and peeked into the hallway.

  No one was there.

  Maybe he left, she thought to herself.

  Jenny tiptoed down the hallway toward the front door. When she rounded the corner, she tried her best not to look at Jack’s crumpled corpse. She reached for the knob, but the door wouldn’t open. To her horror, she realized that Jack was propped against the frame, blocking it from opening. With silent tears, she bent down and pushed his lifeless body over so she could get out.

  “I’m sorry baby.”

  She opened the door and carefully stepped out into the chilly night air. The rain had subsided, but had left the path to the jeep slippery and muddy. She decided to take a chance and ran for the jeep, slipping a few times along the way. She quickly gained her footing, her bare soles aching with every sharp pebble and twig.

  When she got to the vehicle, she fumbled with the keys trying to unlock the driver side door. Finally, she was able to get the key in the lock and jump in. Before she could shut and lock the door, Lou reached in and grabbed hold of her hair. He seemed to be in the middle of transformation. He still had hands, but his snout had formed and his eyes were a burning yellow. His body was covered with fur, but he still stood upright.

  The wolf-man pulled her from the jeep and dropped her on the ground at his feet. He knelt down and finished his transformation as Jenny shook her head, trying to stay conscious. As he turned, his voice changed from a growl to a throaty howl.

  “I was going to treat you so good. Now I’m going to rip your limbs off and eat them while you watch.”

  The oversized wolf snapped its jaws at her as she struggled to get to her feet. She put her hand out, trying to ward him off. She felt teeth close on her fingers. As she closed her eyes and looked away, she heard a loud yelp.

  The wolf had chomped down on her engagement ring, and apparently the silver had burned its mouth. Jenny took the opportunity to get up and run away, smiling to herself.

  She ran along the path around the lake, looking for anyone that might be able to help her. She heard the wolf behind her, gaining ground, but she dared not look. She saw a white Cadillac parked up ahead, and a woman stood next to the open trunk, loading a duffle bag. She found a burst of energy and ran even faster toward the woman.

  “Help me,” Jenny called out. “Please help me. There’s a monster after me.”

  She ran up to the women and took hold of her arms.

  “What is it, dearie? My lord, what is the matter?” The woman asked.

  “Please, there’s a monster chasing me. We have to go,” she begged.

  “Slow down now, honey. Tell me what is after you?”

  “A wolf,” she cried, not wanting to tell the woman that it was a werewolf chasing her for fear the lady might leave her there.

  “Oh child, that is nonsense. There are no wolves out here!”

  “Listen to me, lady. There is a wolf. It killed my boyfriend and it tried to kill me. Please!”

  “Oh you poor child. That isn’t a wolf after you. That’s my sweet baby boy,” she smiled as she clamped her hands down on Jenny’s wrists, holding her in place.

  Jenny screamed, “Let me go, you crazy bitch!”

  “I can’t do that, my boy is hungry. And I’m a witch, not a bitch,” the woman turned her around and pushed her toward the waiting animal that immediately clamped its jaws around her throat, pulling her flesh away in a large wet clump.

  He turned and stood up, his flesh moving and changing. He stood naked in his human form over the dead body of the young girl.

  “I’m disappointed, son. It’s a good thing I forgot my other bag and had to come back. She might have gotten away if I hadn’t.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mama,” he said, tears streaming down his bloody face.

  “Don’t cry, sweet boy,” she said, wiping away his tears. “It was just a fluke. You’ll be ready to take her on in time for the next cycle. Just make sure you learned from your mistakes.”

  “Yes, Mama. I’ll do better when it comes time to get her.”

  “Well, the time is coming soon. For now, let’s get this mess cleaned up. You can eat your dinner, and by the next full moon, you’ll be on the road.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he said as he grabbed the girl by the arm and dragged her dead body up the stairs behind him. “I’ll go back for the boy later.”

  “I need to get back on the road, son. Enjoy your meal. She looks quite tasty,” she smiled. “You’ll need all of your strength when the time comes, or else she might be able to take us all down.”

  “I won’t let her do that,” Lou said, puffing his chest.

  “She’s a more powerful witch than even she knows. You’ll have to be stronger and smarter, and hopefully luckier.”

  “I swear, I’ll get her out of the way.”

  “I hope so, Lou,” she said as she got into her car. “Just remember though, she is my daughter so she’s no wilting flower.”

  “Don’t you worry, Mama, Kayla won’t stand a chance.”

  Chapter 1

  "Carry on…hmm hmm hmm...Don't you cry no more!" Kayla sang along as Kansas belted its signature tune. She played air drum on the steering wheel while she drove down the California highway, bobbing her head to the music.

  She couldn't believe this was such a desolate stretch of road. California had always looked so lush and beautiful in the brochures. Great big trees, beautiful beaches, majestic mountains. The brochures never pictured stretches of highway running through the desert, surrounded by nothing at all.

  The gas station in Barstow had provided much needed sustenance of microwave burritos, beef jerky, Pepsi Cola, and Ho-Hos for dessert. "Dinner of champions," she had told the young clerk standing behind the counter, looking like he would rather be boiling in lava than working at the Barstow Gas-N-Go. He didn't laugh. With dinner paid for and eaten, she went back out to the car.

  As she buckled herself into the seat, she caught a glimpse of the 1967 Impala parked across the lot. Its blac
k paint gleamed in the warm desert sun. Just above the grill, a chrome skull with shining red eyes was mounted. It looked to be about the size of an actual skull, not one of those tiny replicas sold at the AutoZone stores for five bucks. The front window was dark, as though it were tinted. The car looked a little scary sitting there, as if it were staring at her. She pulled out of the lot and onto the road, watching the Impala as though it might come to life.

  The dusty, classic 1965 Corvette Stingray convertible she was delivering tooled along the highway, seemingly by itself, at eighty-nine miles per hour. Easing off the gas pedal a little, she thought again about the lecture Mr. Groves, her boss at the dealership, had given her.

  "That car is worth over seventy-thousand dollars! If you can get it to Texas in perfect condition, and I mean perfect you get a bonus. If there is one scrape, ding, speck of dust, or even a crumb on the seat, not only are you fired, but you will pay the insurance deductible, which I assure you is more than you earn in a year. No passengers, no hitchhikers, no nothing. Just you, driving like an old lady to Texas. Are we clear?"

  "Yes, sir," Kayla had replied. She had had an urge to salute him, but thought that might cause him to have an actual stroke or something, so she resisted. She began her trip from Olympia, Washington to Northwest Texas that afternoon. She had been driving for two and a half days already, and even though stays in a few mediocre motels had broken up her trip, she was getting bored of this bullshit scenery. Everything was brown. When she passed through towns like Merced and Modesto, there had been signs of life, but when she got to Bakersfield, all life ended. Then began the trek through nothingness. Tiny towns scattered throughout the desert, each one like a little oasis, offering respite to weary desert travelers.

  There was only one reason she took this assignment. The bonus. Delivering a seventy thousand-dollar classic car across five states would net her a ten percent commission on the sale plus overtime pay for travel, almost ten thousand extra dollars to go toward her wedding and her new life.

  She and David had been together for two years, and he had finally popped the question. She wanted to move out of her mother's home more than anything in the world. She loved David so much, but he was also her ticket out of a shitty life. Time spent with her mother was like time spent running her knuckles over a cheese grater. The constant put-downs and hateful remarks were one thing, but the active sabotage of Kayla's life was another. Since alcohol and drugs were no longer a part of that life, Kayla had been trying to get things together. It had been obvious that moving back in with her mother was the only way to save enough money to straighten herself out, but she had been afraid of what that might bring. On her first day back from rehab, her mother had brought a bottle of vodka home and left it on the kitchen table. Kayla had wanted to drink it so badly, but she hadn't touched it. Her mom had seemed disappointed.

  Shaking herself out of her memories and self-pity, she turned her thoughts to David. The pair had met in rehab. Her choices were booze and pills. He was fond of alcohol and cocaine. Fraternizing was frowned upon at Misty Meadows, but they talked every day. They formed a bond that only strengthened with their mutual struggles. By the time they were released from the center, they had fallen in love. That love had carried them through trying to find jobs and getting settled back into living lives unencumbered by addiction. It sounded cliché, but they had saved each other.

  A sign up ahead read, "Please turn on your headlights." She flipped hers on, realizing she hadn't seen a single car on the highway since she'd left Barstow.

  As if the universe had been eavesdropping on her inner conversation, headlights appeared in her rearview mirror. Up and over hills and valleys, the vehicle was coming up on her bumper fast. Too fast, as a matter of fact. It cleared the distance between them in a matter of seconds. As the midnight black Impala barreled up behind her, the chrome skull flashed, and she said a little prayer that it would just pass on by.

  "Please, please, please."

  As if God were really listening, the car swerved around her and passed on the left side. As the Impala rumbled past the driver's side window, Kayla tried to peek in at the driver without looking too conspicuous. What she saw took her by surprise. She saw nothing. The windows were almost the same shade as the car itself. Even beyond the tinting, there was no shadow of a driver in front of the bright sunlight like there should have been.

  Dismissing the lack of a driver as a trick of the tinting, she continued on her way, keeping the red Stingray right at sixty-five. After thoroughly rationalizing what she had seen, she turned the radio up and began singing along to The Eagles. After a few more miles, the soda she had with dinner started to catch up with her. She had such a weak bladder; it was almost ridiculous. There was a sign indicating a rest stop two miles ahead. She pushed the accelerator a little further to insure she made it there in time. As The Moody Blues sang about "Nights in White Satin," the rest stop shimmered into view.

  Pulling in to the circular drive, the vending machines that sat in front of the small block building glowed in the now dusky twilight.

  "I could really use a Snickers," Kayla laughed. "Because Snickers satisfies!" she sang to the empty car.

  Parking in the spot closest to the building, she hopped out of the red sports car and made a dash for the bathrooms. When she got inside, it was as she expected. The concrete floors were damp with who-knows-what, the single sink had rust and dried soap all around the rim, and the mirror had more names and hearts scratched into it than it had actual reflection. Gingerly stepping over to the open stall that housed the toilet, she expected the worst, but was somewhat surprised. It was actually not that bad, she thought as she covered the seat with strips of toilet paper to guard against germs. She relieved herself with a contented sigh.

  The deep rumble of an engine jolted her from her urinary euphoria. She quickly finished and washed her hands. As she walked to the door and stepped out, she couldn't believe her eyes. There sat the black Impala with the chrome skull staring back at her. She ducked back into the bathroom and pressed herself up against the cinderblock wall, hoping the driver had not seen her. The door of the car creaked open, and she heard what sounded like heavy boots crunching the gravel beneath them.

  Step, step, step.

  Heels clicking on the sidewalk now, coming toward the restrooms. As the unseen driver approached the building, he stopped in front of the ladies' room. Kayla couldn't quite tell, but it sounded like he was sniffing the air, like a wild dog in search of prey. The driver took one long, deep breath and sighed in what seemed like extreme pleasure, and then he made his way to the men's room.

  Kayla didn't want to leave until after this creepster had vacated the rest stop. She pulled a cigarette from the worn pack in her pocket and lit up. She had been trying not to smoke on this trip, and had been mostly successful. Now, she thoroughly savored the sweet, harsh heat that coursed down her throat and filled her lungs.

  The driver apparently finished his business and exited the lavatory. She held her breath while his boots clicked the sidewalk on their way back to the car. She didn't exhale until she heard the engine rumble again and the car drove away. Looking around, she stepped out of the bathroom and walked back to her car, tossing her cigarette on the ground, the Snickers bar completely forgotten.

  Flopping into the front seat, she noticed the little slip of paper under the windshield wiper. She opened the door and reached around to grab it.

  As she unfolded the small, yellow slip of paper, she felt the blood drain from her face. There were just a few words scrawled across the note, but they sent a chill up her spine. The message read:

  Peek-a-Boo.

  I See You!

  She crumpled the note and threw it out onto the ground as she started her car and drove away, watching for the freak in the Impala at every shadow and turn. Even with AC/DC on the radio, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was more than a prank. Continuing down the deserted highway, she said another prayer that this would be her
last encounter with the driver and his demon Impala.

  Chapter 2

  After sleeping off her overactive imagination at the Sleep Tight Inn in Kingman, Arizona, Kayla ate lunch at the local Denny's. She finished her bacon cheeseburger and paid the check at the register. The woman with a nametag that read Tanisha took her credit card with a smile.

  "Was everything all right?"

  "Great! I'm stuffed," Kayla answered, patting her stomach.

  "Good! We aim to please." Tanisha handed her card back.

  "Well, bacon never disappoints."

  "Have a great day."

  "You, too."

  She walked outside and lit up a cigarette to settle her breakfast before continuing on her way. As she deposited the butt in the ashtray, she heard it—the now familiar rumble of the Impala's engine. She froze in her spot, unable to move as the shiny black beast pulled around and passed her. This time, the driver's side window was rolled down enough for her to catch a glimpse of the person behind the wheel. The man was young, maybe in his late twenties. He had facial hair that was not thick enough to be called a beard, but not thin enough to be called fuzz. He turned to look at her, and she saw that his eyes were like dark little pebbles surrounded by bushy eyebrows. His thick lips parted in a frightening smile, revealing teeth that were long and bright white. Kayla knew it was a trick of the sun, but it looked like a few of his teeth were actually pointed like little spikes. The Impala pulled out of the parking lot and turned left onto the street. Kayla unfroze and got into her car. She left the parking lot and turned right onto the street. She didn't care if it was the wrong way, as long as it was the opposite way.

  There was more traffic through this short stretch than there had been through the California desert. Kayla felt better knowing she might see a car every twenty or thirty minutes instead of every twenty or thirty hours. She drove on, checking her cell phone occasionally for any message from David. He had not texted her once since she'd left Barstow. She had sent him several messages when she'd arrived in Arizona, but he had still not answered her. She was starting to get a little worried that something might be wrong. Blackberry in one hand, steering wheel in the other, she sent another text: