Hansel sat next to the fire, his legs pulled tightly to his chest as he stared blankly at the flickering flames. He should have been listening more intently to what the doctor was saying, after all it was his fault Ben was in that condition. He just couldn't seem to get his brain to focus on anything other than the blinding blue flash that occurred just before everything went black. The feeling that had preceded it was eerily familiar. The same thing had happened when he thought Katja was about to kill him in the barn. It was an instinct that kicked in rather than a conscious thought he had employed. The whole scene wasn't unfamiliar, he'd seen the aftermath of what happened a dozen times before; witch's magic was somewhat unmistakable.
Gretel spared a few seconds to glance back at her brother. He had been distant since regaining consciousness, verging on being down right cold towards her. She would expect the behavior towards strangers, even a little towards Edward and Ben when things hit a little too close to home for him but never towards her. Things were just starting to right themselves after the whole Andria incident and now it seemed like an even bigger wedge was being forced between them.
The conversation around her came to a pause and Gretel turned back to the group surrounding Ben. "So he's going to be alright?" she asked.
The larger man nodded slightly, looking down at the patient who was looking a little green around the gills. "Yes, eventually. For now, expect dizziness, loss of balance, nausea…"
As if on cue, Ben turned over and lost his lunch. Wiping his mouth with his shirt sleeve he rolled back over and smiled. The dopy look was skewed slightly by his constantly drooping eyes but he seemed to be in a bubbly mood despite everything. Edward placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder as his head lulled to the side.
"M'good," slurred the young hunter, "s'fine. Rrrr'we there yet?"
Gretel looked back at the doctor questioningly.
"Confusion is also common with a head injury like that. It too shall pass as long as he gets plenty of rest." The doctor reached into his bag and pulled out a small vile, passing it over to Gretel. "Laudanum," he nodded towards the bottle in her hands, "will help with the pain and allow him to rest."
"Thank you," replied Gretel, her voice flushed with gratitude.
Hesitantly the man looked at the troll, who was showing the injured man compassion far beyond what his rough exterior would suggest possible. It was certainly more than what the doctor could have envisioned given the terrifying abduction from his home the night before. "Can I… if that's all… am I allowed to leave now or are you going to kill me?"
Not willing to argue the sentiment about how they were the good guys, Gretel just nodded. "Yes, you can go."
The doctor began to back away slowly, keeping his eyes trained on the monster amongst them when an ear piercing howl tore through the sky.
Everyone tensed immediately in the silence that followed. An icy wind blew through the trees causing the branches to moan like old men required to move in ways they no longer could. Hansel raised his head off of his knees, ears straining for any sound that would identify what evil lurked in the forest. His hand subtly slipped along his leg towards the knife tucked in his boot, the handle familiar in the way most people felt about home.
Gretel let out a slow measured breath. They had too much on their plate, they didn't need whatever this was on top of it. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled in anticipation, her mind already calculating how many steps to close the distance between where she stood and her gun resting against the stump near Hansel.
Nostrils flailing, Edward sucked in a lungful of air, the sweet taste of flowers in full bloom and wet dirt assaulting him. Underneath that was something else, something rotten. Before he could turn to warn the others of what was riding on the wind, a dark streak flashed across the camp.
Gretel felt something move past her, her hair fluttering in its wake, but it moved too fast to lay eyes on it. A soft thump pulled her attention back to the center of the group, her breath catching in the back of her throat. Gruesome things had long lost their impact upon her but this one came as a surprise. The head of the doctor stared back up at her from where it came to rest on the ground, the body eventually crumpling to the forest floor beside it. She had been looking right at him when the creature streaked past them and hadn't seen it lay a hand on their guest.
"Gretel get down!" shouted Hansel from behind her. She turned at his panicked plea, coming eye to eye with something she had never seen before. Its physical structure looked human, more so than any witch they had come across. Its eyes were a metallic purple which contrasted her flawless skin which had the barest hint of silver, perfectly. For the first time in years, Gretel froze for half a second. It wasn't much but enough for the woman before her to backhand her fiercely, sending Gretel to the ground.
The second she hit Gretel, Hansel curled his finger tightly around the trigger, sending a perfectly aimed bullet right through her shoulder. At the same time Edward moved forward to slam her into the ground. The creature, though wounded, tossed the troll aside like he were nothing more than a bale of hay that needed to be chucked on the back of a cart.
Hansel took a second shot, aimed more towards the head of the creature but its lightening fast reflexes allowed her to dodge the projectile with ease bringing her to stand directly in front of the hunter. With an impressive strength, she twisted the rifle free from his hands, letting it carelessly drop at their feet. He managed to slip his right hand free, his left hand still in the creature's painfully tight grip, and wrap his fingers around the handle of the blade he pulled out earlier. With practiced movements Hansel jab his hand forward towards her midsection burying the weapon deep within her soft flesh.
The creature's eyes glowed, accentuating the hard line of purple that encircled her irises but she stood her ground. Hansel was helpless to move away, her hand crushing his arm as the other deflected his halfhearted attempts to hit her.
The creature's lips parted as she tilted her head closer to her prey, revealing two rows of sharp pointy teeth. With a snarl she grabbed a fistful of hair on the back of his head, pulling to expose the hunter's neck. She latched on to his neck, teeth cutting through the soft flesh giving her access to the exquisite and satisfying blood beneath.
Hansel let out a protesting grunt as she bit into his neck and began to suck. He could feel trickles of warm blood escape her lips and run down his throat to pool against his collar. Almost immediately a tiredness washed over him, zapping his energy and will to fight back. His head fell limply against her shoulder, but still she continued to drink, to feed, and with it he could feel her strength begin to increase. A warm peacefulness began to spread through him as his eyes drooped close; it almost felt like contentment and part of him wanted to forsake the pains of daily life and give into the feeling completely: heart, body and soul.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hansel caught Gretel trying to get to her knees. The pitter-patter of blood dripping from her split lip to the ground echoed in his head like a church bell. He was suppose to look out for her, protect Gretel from harm, and though he knew he had never been very successful at his life's mission, no one messed with his sister and got away with it.
The all too familiar tingling feeling sprung up, moving from his chest to his extremities. It gave way to a burning sensation, like someone had poured liquid metal over his skin, running and flowing over every inch before hardening and cracking to expose the burnt raw flesh underneath. The intensity of it was so great it tore a pained scream from his lips; the sound muffled against the creature's shoulder as she continued to feed unperturbed by her victim's plight. Finally the pressure reached an apex, surging from him like a tidal wave, washing away the world around him.
Hansel fell forward, no longer supported by the mass of the creature that had been pressed against him; instead he collapsed in a pile of ash. A small smile played on his lips as a cold emptiness swept over him, cooling his skin and relaxing his still spasming muscles. The hunter wanted to respond to his sister's desperate cries for his attention but he couldn't find the words to explain how tired he was, how satisfied.