They arrived in Ohio within two days of driving. As usual, they came upon the sight of a murder. It seemed that they were cursed. Everywhere they went, murder followed them. As usual, they investigated, solved the murder, and turned the killer over to the police.
All throughout their investigation, Luke still had the nagging feeling that he suspected the woman they were tracking to be his friend, the young wiccan Heather Night.
"Now that we've taken care of this murder," said Jacob, "we can get back to why we came here in the first place. We need to find Morgana Blackhawk, foil any chance of a demonic alliance, and return her to prison. But we also need to track down this unknown female inmate washed ashore on the river shore. (Name), I want you and Luke to go down to the shore where the sighting of the escaped inmate was seen. In the meantime, our friend Arthur Darkwood was involved in this investigation. I need you and Gwen to speak to him and find out where Morgana could have gone. In times like this, it pays to have a demon ally."
#
Down at the shore where the sighting had occurred, Luke and (Name) spoke to the man who had reported the sighting of the woman. His name was Eric Sanderson, a local who had come down to the river the previous day to go fishing.
"At first, I thought she was a mermaid," he said. "The lower part of her body was still in the water, so I tried to pull her out to confirm my suspicions."
"Mermaid?" asked Luke. "Are they even real? And can they survive in fresh water?"
"She wasn't a mermaid. You can only imagine my surprise when she turned out to be a human woman. But I never expected her to just wake up without warning. I thought she was dead. She screamed and ran away into the woods and I haven't seen her since."
"What did she look like?" asked Luke.
"Man, what a beauty!" Eric said, a coy lustful smile spreading over his lips like peanut butter. "It's not every day when a beautiful woman washes ashore on your favorite fishing spot. Pity she's an escaped fugitive on the run. There are laws against aiding someone on the lam."
"You must have seen something that would help identify her," said Luke.
"Well I did find something washed up on shore not long after she ran away. I buried it. The symbol on it made me uneasy and I want nothing to do with anything like it." Without another word, Eric finished packing up his fishing gear and drives off, leaving Luke and (Name) to search the river shore.
Beneath a small pile of rocks, (Name) finds what appears to be a black choker with a silver and purple symbol in the shape of a pentagram. (Name) held it up for Luke to see. Luke's face drops a mile as the color drained from his face.
"I recognize this choker! It's Heather's!" He clutched his temple tightly with both hands. "Could it be that Heather is the inmate on the run? Let's get it to Hope. I just hope I can handle the truth if it is her! But I hope not!"
#
Hope wasn't alone when Luke found the courage to enter her trailer to get the results of her analysis. George Mathison was with her.
"Agent Mathison, why are you here?" asked Luke, his heart pounding in his chest from anxiety.
"Hope asked me for my assistance," said George. "I've been instructed to keep quiet by my superiors on the subject of these 'creatures' that aided Morgana escape prison, in the interests of national security. But seeing as how this is what your team specializes in, I can trust all of you with this information."
Hope uneasily shifted her gaze between Luke and the floor. "I know why you are here Luke," she said. "I'll get right to the point seeing as how you can't stand the suspense." She sighed. "I don't know how to tell you this Luke, but the second inmate is indeed Heather Night."
"I knew it!" Luke shaking his head with his eyes shut. Part of him still refused to accept the truth. But deep down, there was no denying the facts. "I suspected from the very beginning that it was Heather, but I couldn't bring my self to accept the possibility."
"Aren't you glad you didn't mail that letter?" asked Hope. "But you won't like what I'm about to tell you next."
"What is it?" Luke's heart is pounding harder, it feels like it is about to burst out of his chest.
"With Mathison's help, I was able to bring up Heather's file at the correctional facility. It's not good news Luke."
"Well don't just stand there," Luke yelled, "tell me!"
"From the moment she arrived at the prison, Heather was put on suicide watch."
"What?"
"She's still torn up by what she has done to Belinda, about obeying Morgana and doing something that went against her nature. Let me play some security footage."
To Luke, watching the footage will be a mixed bag of emotions. Happiness at seeing Heather's face and hearing her voice again. Horror at her suffering and torment. Sadness for her situation.
"Hey!" a female inmate in an orange prison jumpsuit shouted. "Shut up! We're trying to sleep!"
"I'm sorry!" Heather's tear stained face revealed itself. She is also wearing an orange prison jumpsuit. "I can't help it!
"Either you shut up or I'll shut it for you!"
A guard appeared at the bars of the cell. "That's enough! Threats towards your cellmate will not be tolerated! Don't make me put you in solitary confinement!"
"Well maybe if she would shut her trap, we could all get some sleep! Her sobbing is keeping us awake!"
The guard opened the cell, her face softened as she approached Heather. "Come on Miss Night, let's move you to another cell for your own protection."
"And make sure it's soundproofed!" the angry female inmate shouted as Heather is led out. "Maybe then we can all get some shut eye!"
The video changed to show Heather in a chair before a desk where a man is seated.
"Miss Night, in spite of your crime, I don't think you are a bad person," he said.
"But I do hate the person I've become," wept Heather, her eyes leaking water.
"We are well aware of the circumstances of your crime and how you were manipulated into doing something that went against what you believe was morally wrong."
"I wasn't thinking back then! I just wanted to be accepted."
"Heather, I know you are filled with self loathing for what you did, but that's why I'm here. To help you. I'm prescribing you some anti-depressants. They may leave you feeling drowsy, so take one before bedtime each night."
He handed over a small container of small pills. Heather opened the container and jammed the opening into her mouth, throwing back her head.
"No!" The prison therapist shouted. "Not all at once! Security! Get in here! We need to get her to the prison doctor and pump her stomach!"
The third video footage showed Heather alone in her barely lit cell.
"It's visiting day for many of my inmates, but I have no one coming to visit me. I can't make friends here in prison. I'm more alone than ever, even here." Her eyes glisten as twin rivers of tears flow from them once more. "There is no hope for me. I should have known my life was over when I killed Belinda!" She removed her prison jumpsuit, leaving her in nothing more than a black brassiere and panties. "I can't do this anymore! I can't live with what I've done!"
To Luke's horror, she tied the top and bottom of her jumpsuit together to form a rope, with one leg tied into a noose.
"Luke, I wish I could see you one last time! I wish you were here!"
She tossed the makeshift noose up at the ceiling. She pulled up a lone chair underneath the noose from where it hung and stepped barefoot on top to secure it tightly. "Mother, I'll be joining you very soon. Goodbye cruel world!"
Just as she was about to slip her head through the noose, the door to the cell is suddenly ripped open as a small explosion. The shockwave startled her and knocked the chair backward, throwing her to the floor. As she slowly forced herself up onto her bottom and sit up, a dark figure emerged from the smoke and approached her. The shape had horns and outstretched wings.
The creature pointed one taloned finger at her. "You're coming with me!"
Heather's eyes widened with horror at the sight of this unwelcome visitor. As lonesome as she was, even loneliness was preferred to having a demon enter her cell. "No!" She slowly backed away. "Stay away! Get away!" But the creature paid her no mind as it stepped closer. Suddenly, she felt her back hit the wall. With horror, she realized that she had nowhere to go. The demon stood before her and scooped her up.
"No, put me down!" she screamed in fear. "Put me down!"
The footage ended at that moment. Luke stood fixated on Hope's computer screen for several more moments in horrified silence at what he had happened. Her situation was even worse than he had imagined.
"Heather! No!" he gasped.
"I'm sorry Luke," said Hope. "But for all we know, Heather managed to escape her captor in Michigan. She's still on the run for all we know, away from the demons and the authorities."
Luke feels a kaleidoscope of emotions coursing through his blood. Fear for Heather's life. Worry for his friend. Anger at the injustice she suffered in life and the treatment from some of her fellow inmates. Relief at her freedom from her demonic captor.
"This is all so much for me to take in!" he said. "I need to get get something to eat! Come with me (Name), it will be good to have some company. I'm so worried I could eat a horse!"
#
Even after eating a burger with fries and a soda, Luke didn't feel any better.
Outside the cafe, he took out his cellphone and sighed. "What I would give just to hear her voice again. To see her smile." He flipped through the pictures of selfies he had taken until finding one he had taken with Heather just outside the ice cream shop back in Parkford. Even if it was just a photograph, the sight of her smile on their date brought him some comfort, even if only temporary.
"There's just something about the real thing that photographs can never capture."
Without warning, something flew past him, seizing his cellphone. "What the?" He turned his head and his eyes followed the shape. Flying away from him, carrying his phone was a lone owl. "There's something familiar about that creature," he said. "Come on (Name), let's go after it and get my phone back!)
#
They followed the owl to the nearby park where it perched itself upon a tree branch, dropping his phone into a patch of flowers. A quick inspection revealed no damage. The soft flowers and grass had cushioned its fall.
He breathed a sigh of relief and glared at the lone owl who merely hooted in reply.
"Wait a minute!" he said. "You're the same owl we saw up in Michigan! Are you following us?"
The owl hooted and tilted its head in interest at Luke. It's body was black and brown with a white chest.
At that moment, Luke cellphone began to ring. He pushed the 'Talk' button.
"Hello?"
"Luke?" a familiar voice speaks through the other end. He felt his heart skip a beat. It was a voice he thought he would never hear again outside the security footage at the prison.
"Heather?" Though he was relieved to hear her voice again, there was something about her tone that worried him. There was a sense of urgency in her troubled voice.
"I only have a moment," she said.
"Where are you?" he asked frantically.
"I'm in...," but the call was disconnected without another word.
"Damn it!" Luke yelled into the air! A nearby couple sitting around on the grass enjoying a picnic looked up from their sandwiches in surprise and shock at his language.
"Sorry," he apologized. "Come on (Name), let's take my phone to Hope and see if she can trace the call!"
#
Darkness was falling as Jacob called a meeting. "Give me an update. What is your report?"
"We've spoken to Arthur," said Gwen. "He did see a couple of demons flying through the sky carrying Morgana earlier, but he had no clue where they were going to. She even left us a message in the woods taunting our efforts. She's just mocking us now!"
"What about you Luke?" asked Jacob. "What did you find out?"
Luke was a physical wreck, with messy hair that hadn't been combed and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. "It's just as I suspected chief! Heather is the second inmate taken by the demons! She's on the lam!"
Jacob sighed and folded his single arm over his chest. "Well that's just great! Where do we go from here? We're wasting time on this wild goose chase! If only we had a lead on where to go next!"
"Chief, you're not going to believe this," said Luke, "but I actually got a call from Heather!"
"You did?" The chief's eyebrows arc in surprise.
"But the call was disconnected before she could tell me where she was. Hope is trying to trace the call now."
A sudden flutter of wings interrupted their discussion. "Oh no, not you again!" Luke groaned as the owl perched itself on his shoulder. There was a piece of paper in its beak.
Jacob removed the paper from the beak. "There's a word on it. It's says 'Christophe'." His eyes widened in shock. "Wait a minute, that's the name of Heather's owl from Walpurgis night! Is he tracking his mistress?"
"Hoo! Hoo!" the owl hooted in reply. Luke couldn't be certain, but he thought he had seen the owl nod its head.
"Luke!" Hope shouted as she peeked out of the RV she shared with Gwen. "I've traced the call to Grayson, Kentucky!"
"Then we have to go there!" Luke shouted.
"Not so fast Luke," Jacob held up his one palm. "I'm the boss here and I give the orders!"
"But chief!" Luke protested.
"Luke we have bigger problems to worry about. Our top priority is finding Morgana Blackhawk."
"But we've clearly lost her trail!" Luke argued. "We have no idea where she went off to. Heather on the other hand...,"
"Luke, we've got better things to do than search for your Wiccan friend. There's already a manhunt for her. Do I make myself clear?"
"Chief, Luke is right," said Ben. "There's no telling what kind of trouble Heather could get herself into. We all know that if something happens to her, Luke will be devastated. He would never forgive us. Heather's more of a danger to herself than anyone else. For her sake as well as Luke's own, we should focus on finding her. Who knows? Maybe if we find Heather, Morgana won't be too far off."
"In that case," said Jacob, "all right. If the demons are hunting Heather, Morgana is likely looking for her as well in order to exact her revenge. Get your stuff together everyone! We're heading off to Kentucky!"
#
Down in Kentucky, as the state slept, a lone figure lay in a hollowed out opening beneath the roots of a great tree. Bathed in the orange glow of a small fire, she curled up as close as she could without risk of burns. In spite of the warmth, she was shivering. The fire comforted her in the chilly night, but what she craved was the warmth of human companionship. The few people she had met had chased her away or tried to take advantage of her. First there had been the fisherman up in Ohio who tried to drag her out of the water, awakening her. Then there were a couple of college boys who leered at her while their jealous girlfriends threw rocks at her, ordering her to stay away from their men. A religious woman who turned her away, calling her a 'mistress of Satan', disbelieving her story about running from demons. One young man had offered her money and a fresh change of cloths in exchange for a night with him, an offer she refused, considering the way he had looked at her.
She had no matches or lighter, but she knew a spell on how to start a fire with intense concentration, one that she had been taught during Walpurgis Night. She had gathered up sticks, twigs, and bark for kindling. She quenched her thirst from streams. She ate berries for food. Whenever she needed to do her business, she did so in the bushes. She bathed in rivers and streams, but lacked soap to properly cleanse herself. What she would do for a warm shower.
She had stowed away in the back of a pickup truck from Ohio into Kentucky, climbing out just before the border crossing with the driver being none the wiser, never knowing about his passenger. She ran barefoot through shallow rivers and streams, leaving no footprints for her pursuers to follow.
She had found and stolen a cellphone from someone in the park of the nearby town of Grayson and used it to phone Luke in an attempt to tell him where she was, but the batteries died out before she could do so.
Before lying down to sleep that night, she traced a pentagram into the dirt with one finger as a ward. She lacked the components for a protection spell. Dirt had gotten under her fingernails and toenails. Much of her bare skin was grimy with dust and dirt.
She looked up at the stars and the moon above, wishing more than anything for someone at her side. Her mind reeled back to the night in Indiana where Luke held her in his arms and kissed her atop her forehead. She imagined his head forming in the stars and reached out with one arm as if to touch him.
She wept in the misery of her loneliness. "Oh Luke! I wish you were here!" She was still weeping when sleep finally overwhelmed her.