A Witch’s Promise

Chapter 13: Hunted

The hike back down the mountain felt slower in the best possible way. Exhaustion and hunger had begun to settle deep into bones. Every inch of her felt pleasantly worn out from running and climbing and laughing harder than she had in months.

The forest had begun shifting toward evening now as the golden sunlight spilled sideways through the trees, painting everything amber and soft. By the time they reached the Jeep, both were starving. Sav tossed her backpack into the backseat before sliding into the driver’s seat with a dramatic groan.

“If I don’t get food in the next thirty minutes,” she announced, “I’m going to become a menace to society.”

“You’re already a menace to society.”

“True. But only you know that.”

As the girls made their way down the mountain in the Jeep, Naomi noticed the lingering feeling of Thalia humming softly beneath her skin. She seemed content and happy to be here.

“I am.” She replied in a voice so calm Naomi thought Thalia was dreaming.

Sav eventually pulled into Pop’s Diner in Hendersonville just off the main road. The restaurant glowed warmly against the darkening evening, crowded with students, locals, and hikers still dusty from the mountains. The smell of fries and grease hit Naomi instantly the second they walked inside. Sav practically groaned in relief.

“Oh, thank God.”

Naomi laughed under her breath as they slid into a booth near the back.

Their food arrived fast, and for several blissfully quiet minutes the only sounds between them were fries disappearing and Sav making concerningly aggressive eye contact with her cheeseburger. Then, Naomi noticed the conversation happening in the booth behind them.

“…Blue Ridge campus, right near the east parking lot.”

“…middle of the damn day.”

“ They thought it was somebody’s dog at first until it attacked her.”

Naomi froze. The fries in her hand suddenly felt heavy. A woman a few seats over leaned closer to the conversation, lowering her voice.

“They said it was a wolf.”

Sav stopped chewing.

The man speaking shook his head. “Makes no sense. Wolves don’t just attack people out in public like that.”

“They said the girl nearly died.”

Naomi’s heartbeat stumbled hard in her chest.

Another voice chimed in quietly:

“She’s in the hospital now. Tore her up bad apparently. Arms, shoulder, neck…”

Naomi’s stomach dropped.

“She’s lucky somebody shot at it and scared it off,” the woman added. “From what I heard; it kept going for her throat.”

The air around Naomi suddenly felt too tight. Her pulse roared in her ears as fragments of memories crashed violently through her head.

“…See, that’s it there on the news.”

Naomi whipped her head around to see a girl with dark hair coiled around the top of her head appeared on the screen.

Sav’s eyes snapped toward her instantly.

“She looks a bit like you.” She spoke cautiously.

“College-aged. Same build and everything. Creepy as hell.”

The static beneath Naomi’s skin exploded awake. She pleaded in her head, “Please, not here. Not now.”

She began forcing herself to breathe evenly. She attempted to loosen her grip on the paper wrapper crinkling from her milkshake straw.

“Don’t panic.” She told herself. “Don’t draw unnecessary attention.”

Don’t draw attention.

Sav quietly set her burger down.

“Naomi.”

Her voice was calm.

Naomi stared hard at the table. “I’m fine.”

Sav did not look convinced. “Naomi.”

The lights above their heads in the restaurant.

“Okay,” Sav said carefully, already sliding out of the booth. “We’re leaving.”

“I’m fine. I can handle it,” Naomi pleaded.

“You’re shaking.”

At that moment, Naomi looked down. She was. Tiny tremors were beginning to run through her hands and rattle the silverware beside her tray. Without another word, Sav tossed cash onto the table and guided Naomi out of the restaurant before she could argue. The cold evening air hit Naomi hard the second they stepped outside. The wind began to pick up flinging trashcans and debris around the Mainstreet. Streetlights began to shake and explode as if by command.

Sav inhaled sharply and screamed over the force of the wind. “Naomi! You must control it. You must try and calm down. You are going to hurt someone! I know you are trying. You can do this please!”

Slowly, the pressure in the air began to recede. Naomi’s breaths began to even out and relax.

Sav backed up to give Naomi more space. She scanned the street on high alert. It didn’t seem like anyone saw Naomi, but she couldn’t be sure. She quickly walked beside Naomi toward the Jeep, eyes scanning the shops for the slightest bit of movement.

Neither of them spoke during the drive back. The earlier warmth had vanished completely. Darkness settled heavily over the mountains now, the roads winding endlessly beneath the headlights. Naomi stared out the window but barely saw anything. Her mind kept replaying the incident over and over again. And the worse part, the girl who was injured, she looked like Naomi. This information confirmed all her worst fears. The rogue hunts weren’t random. They were not accidental. Someone was hunting her.

Sav gripped the steering wheel tighter as Flat Rock finally came into view.

“They were looking for you,” she said quietly at last.

It wasn’t phrased like a question.

Naomi swallowed hard.

“Yes.”

Sav’s jaw tightened slightly, but she said nothing else. A few minutes later they pulled onto Naomi’s Street. And the scene in front of them made them both freeze.

The bakery below Naomi’s apartment looked destroyed. The front display windows had shattered inward. One of the outdoor metal tables had been bent nearly in half and thrown across the sidewalk. Flowerpots lay overturned everywhere, dirt scattered across the pavement. The OPEN sign blinked erratically from inside the dark bakery and half the lights were out.

Naomi’s heart stopped. Sav killed the engine instantly. For one terrible second, neither of them moved. Then, Sav’s voice dropped low and dangerous beside her. “Stay in the car.”