Chapter 5: Firearms and Priests
910 Words
At noon, the witches' midday meeting was underway.
Charlie, having packed his bags and tidied his room, entered the kitchen.
He intended to assist Spaldding, who was busy baking, but was coldly rebuffed.
In this private moment, the aging butler, who had served generations of witches, clearly showed no warmth towards Charlie's presence.
It was evident he did not wish to be displaced from his role.
"Who told you to come here without any descendants, you disgusting doll enthusiast?"
Charlie thought to himself as he shrugged, unable to intervene while Spaldding continued with his baking.
"Well, this works too. Did I really expect him to serve anyone willingly?" Charlie mused, focusing instead on scrolling through his phone.
He hadn't forgotten his ten-day assignment to contain a supernatural entity.
For this reason, he searched New Orleans' urban legends and ghost stories online, hoping to find some leads.
Despite his limited knowledge of New Orleans beyond its famous wings, he knew it was renowned for its urban legends, particularly the tale of the powerful voodoo queen, Marie Laveau.
Rumored to be buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, her grave supposedly grants blessings if you mark it with three "X"s—though Charlie dismissed this as nonsense, suspecting the voodoo queen was still alive and running a salon in the Ninth Ward.
He decided to pass on that target. However, rumors of haunted activity and even vampires in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 made it a viable alternative.
New Orleans boasted other urban legends, like the La Laurie Mansion, where the former owner supposedly survived under a curse, and a notorious axe murderer who loved jazz.
The latter was long since dispatched by elder witches, with his malevolent spirit lingering in the residence.
Charlie had no idea how to locate such a concealed entity.
If all else failed, he'd rely on his girlfriend to commune with it.
Considering the complications of explaining and executing this with the witches present, and the axe murderer's formidable strength, he chose it as a last resort.
Charlie reviewed other urban legends, such as the long-standing swamp monster and haunted inns, along with various vampire tales.
After mapping out his exploration route in New Orleans, Charlie, feeling peckish, grabbed a sandwich from the fridge before focusing on his most critical concern: how to eliminate these supernatural entities.
Crosses, Bibles, and holy water—though he wasn't religious, these movie props were necessary.
They were free from nearby churches if he pretended to convert and even included a decent church lunch.
Additionally, American-style martial arts were indispensable against physical supernatural beings.
However, Charlie's most vital need was a companion.
Despite all his preparations, he was still a novice who hadn't even killed a chicken.
Having a strong supernatural assistant would be the best insurance.
Luckily, surrounded by witches, he anticipated finding a suitable companion considering his connections and upcoming tasks. With renewed determination, Charlie began his preparations.
/
Afternoon came.
Cordelia imparted witch's knowledge to young witches, while Spaldding retreated to his attic, dressed in adult baby clothing, cos-playing like a doll.
Charlie, with nothing else to do, pocketed his few hundred dollars, left the residence, and followed his phone's map directions to the nearest firearms store.
Since the devastating hurricane years ago, New Orleans' security had declined, earning it the moniker "Murder Capital," exacerbated by its high proportion of African American residents, who contributed to the deteriorating conditions.
Just as giving every child a firearm could prevent school shootings, Charlie was unfazed by such oddities.
He'd seen enough bizarre phenomena online, from the various gender identities recognized in the United States—male, female, self-identified male women, self-identified female men, detransitioned individuals, gender-fluid, agender, and even non-binary identities like Walmart shopping bags and armed helicopters: to realize there were at least a hundred different genders.
Shaking his head, Charlie turned his attention to the array of handguns and rifles on the shelves.
Pistols, rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, and even general-purpose machine guns: all available, albeit in civilian versions.
Privately, buying or modifying them was possible with a bit of money.
Buying guns was straightforward with the right qualifications.
Many stores sold firearms even without proof.
Charlie had previously held a firearms license, so he wasn't concerned.
Due to financial constraints and travel limitations, although he desired powerful rifles and even machine guns, Charlie focused on handguns pragmatically.
After careful selection, he chose the Glock 17, a popular model in the U.S. market.
It used 9mm ammunition, was a medium-sized handgun with a 17-round magazine, known for its simplicity, reliability, high accuracy, shooting power, durability, and affordability: an ideal choice for many.
Why not opt for larger caliber handguns like the Desert Eagle, which could kill an elephant in one shot?
Aside from the price, Charlie's arm might break after firing it once.
After negotiating fiercely with the shop owner and spending most of his savings, Charlie purchased a Glock 17 handgun and six magazines.
Taking advantage of the shooting range behind the store, he emptied two magazines to reacquaint himself with the feeling of firing a gun before holstering the pistol in the provided holster and heading to a nearby church.
An hour later, he emerged from the church, looking devout, clutching a cross, Bible, and holy water blessed by the priest.
While uncertain of their actual effectiveness, Charlie felt considerably reassured as he returned to the Witch Academy.
Next, finding the most crucial companion awaited him.
- Writer
