SSV: The Raven- Part 2

Chapter 4

Beth, Jake, and Pam hadn't made it far into their escape when Pam insisted on moving the alleyways. She had more experience evading and wandering the streets than either of the two heroes. Her life prior to Goth gave her and the other two an advantage that neither was aware of. She had kept her past to herself and only shared brief tidbits with Beth when it came up. She had never had the need to think back on it or dwell on it until recently. The decision to leave her service to Goth behind had her thinking more about it as well as her future, but right now her thoughts were more focused on surviving and finding Dilatrix. She would need a secluded place to conduct the ritual for the locator spell and they would first need to get out of the city limits. She was certain that Goth was already aware of their escape and had most likely put out a bounty on them all. This thought and fear was what had led to them clinging to the shadows of the alleyway.

She turned back to face her lover and their tagalong. Beth had one of her pistols at the ready and was sticking to the wall while Jake was melding and becoming one with the shadows. The boy's ability to encase himself in darkness really was something to behold. She still wasn't happy with the fact that they had brought him along, but she knew that Beth wouldn't have come if they hadn't have tried. Some selfish part of her deep down wished that the boy would have declined and stayed behind, but she knew the horrors he would have endured if he had. She reminded herself that him coming along was a mercy for him and simply a price they would have to pay for freedom. Freedom, that was a concept that she hadn't quite come to terms with. The decision to leave had been the first one she had made for herself in a long time, longer than she could remember. She hadn't realized that up until now she hadn't been living for herself, but rather her existence had been to serve Goth's will. For the first time in a long time she was living for herself and for someone she cared about.

She held up a hand to signal the others to halt and cling to the wall. The sounds of sirens and marching were heard and she felt the anxiety from the group spike with her own. They would fight if they had to, but it would be better for all of them if they could avoid it. There was no sense in drawing unnecessary attention to themselves if they could help it. The collective group held their breath as the sounds slowly faded into the distance. She looked back to her pet, "Keep your trigger finger steady," she ordered, "We don't have the time to restock on ammo for you and we need to get out. Fighting is something we should only do if we have no other alternative."

Beth nodded, "Understood, mistress," she said as she relaxed her grip on her pistol.

"Where are we going?" Jake asked as he emerged from the darkness.

"We have to get out of the city," Pam said as she checked to see if the coast was clear, "Once we are a safe distance away from prying eyes, I can begin the ritual to locate Dilatrix and recast the blinding spell on your runes."

"Blinding spell?" Jake asked.

Pam rolled her eyes as she remembered that neither of them knew the first thing about magic, "It doesn't blind you, obviously, it simply prevents anyone from accessing you. Try to keep up."

Jake nodded in understanding as the three of them hit the streets at a brisk pace. Pam seemed to know more of the layout than either he or Beth. He wondered how it was that she was so familiar with the streets of Citiville; the entire time he'd known her he had never seen her leave the castle unless it was on business. He wanted to ask her about it, but he knew that they didn't have time to conversate right now. They're number one priority was getting the hell out of the city before they were spotted or worse captured. With that in mind, he followed behind the women until he had another opportunity to engulf himself in shadows. He wasn't as lethal as Beth, but he could and would use his abilities to give them the surprise edge if the need arose.

Alyssa was fidgeting with her collar when Amber walked in. The damned thing was a pain in the ass, but she wasn't about to try to remove it. She'd lost half a dozen of her gang when they first received the things because they tried that, and she wasn't about to end up a mindless slave like they had. She was in a bad mood after Salley and Sammie had decided to cut and run. Truth be told, she didn't really give a shit about them and was glad that she didn't have to listen to anymore of Sammie's stupid plans, but she had been instructed by one of Goth's church members to find them and collar them. The women had been evading capture at every turn and were all but whispers in the wind. Where the fuck was this resourcefulness when they weren't enslaved? She glared at Amber as she walked into their hideout empty handed, "I swear to fucking God, you better have some news on those bitches."

Amber shook her head and produced a flyer, "No luck on either of them, but I did get this off of someone I was gassing," she said as she plopped down in an armchair that groaned at her immense weight.

"The fuck is this?!" Alyssa asked as she snatched the flyer and read it over. Her eyes widened as she saw the pictures and the number at the bottom, "Holy shit! I don't know what I'm more shocked at, the fact that those cunts ran off with Birdbrain or the money Goth is offering for their capture!"

Amber grinned as she leaned back in the chair which again groaned in protest, "Figured you might want to see that. Word on the street is that this is top priority. We do this and maybe we can stop hunting our own and move into that fucking castle. Shit, if nothing else that paycheck is enough for us to buy a castle of our own!"

Alyssa nodded as she thought about what they could do with that money. She wasn't stupid, she knew her gang didn't stand a chance against Goth, but maybe if they did this they could finally get these collars off. She was willing to relocate and raise some hell in another state if it meant they could be free again. She was a little wary of taking on Beth and a member of Goth's court considering the rumors of Beth's recent brutality. She knew for a fact that the rumors were true, she'd seen the carnage left in the girl's wake herself. She figured that if nothing else, they're number would be enough to overwhelm them. Besides, there was no way Beth had enough ammo to take them all out of them stuck to their bikes. She nodded and rose from her chair, "Get the girls together and tell them we've got a new mission," she said as she went to get her coat, "Tell them to exercise restraint, this thing says alive and fuck only knows what's gonna happen if we kill one of them. We're gonna bag us a Feral, a witch, and Raven."

Amber smirked as she pushed herself out of the chair, "You got it boss."

Beth had a bad feeling as they exited another alleyway. They were close to the city limits and it was unnervingly quiet. Something wasn't right and she hated it. She wanted to speak up, but she didn't want to waste time. They were approaching the highway when they heard it. The unmistakable sound of engines roaring in the distance. Bikes and they were moving fast. A pungent stench hit her as the sound drew closer and her eyes widened. There were a lot of them and she instantly knew who it was. She called out to her group, "We got trouble! Fifth Street Filth Gang incoming!"

"Who the hell are they?!" Pam asked and was answered as a hoard of bikers came over the horizon, "Fucking hell, we're exposed! Get ready for a fight!"

Jake fired his grappling gun up to get a vantage point as the meddlesome gang neared. They were fast and would be difficult to take on, but he had a small plan and he knew Beth had been itching for a fight. He landed on the rooftop and prepared a few birdarangs. He waited for them to get closer before getting a lead on them and launching them at their attackers. They hit their marks and collided with the heads of a few of the women causing them to skid and wipe out. He narrowed his eyes as he waited for his next opening. He knew he didn't have enough equipment to keep this up and he hoped that Beth had enough ammo to fend them off. He watched as a group of ten quickly began to multiply and attempt to encircle his friends. He prepared himself for the battle that was about to ensue.

Beth grit her teeth as she readied her pistols. Jake had managed to topple a few of their assailants with some of his birdarangs, but she knew that he only had a finite supply of them. The same could have been said for her ammunition, she had grabbed what little she had before they left to try to convince him to come and it wasn’t much. If these bitches wanted a fight then she would be happy to oblige; she still had some pent up anger from her treatment the day before anyways. She waited for one to approach before she fired three shots that quickly found their way into the biker’s torso. Her body fell limp as the bike turned on its side and skidded to a halt near her feet, but another one was already fast approaching. She caught sight of a silver glint off the light of a streetlamp. The cunt had a chain swinging in her free hand and was making her way for Pam! She opened fire on the attacker and took her out, but not before the steel connected with her girlfriend’s back. “Pam!” she cried out as she rushed to her side.

Pam grimaced from the blow. It had torn the fabric of her dress and she bared her teeth in response. Her back was bleeding from the attack and she was preparing her own countermeasure when she heard Beth call out and approach, “I’m fine, Kitten!” she called back, “Focus on the task at hand and worry about me after these ruffians have been dealt with.”

She watched as her pet stopped and hesitated for a second before nodding and turning back to fight. She wasn’t some helpless damsel in need of rescuing, she was a skilled sorceress in her own right. She ran her hand along her back and felt the blood touch her fingertips before she pulled it around and smirked. If these women thought that she would be easy prey then they had another thing coming. She focused her power in her hand and prepared her spell. The droplets of blood turned to large crimson spikes that flew from her fingertips and embedded themselves in the chests of five of the bikers. She panted as she lowered her hand; blood magic was something that, while simple, took its toll on her both physically and mentally. She wouldn’t be able to keep this up for very long without succumbing to the fatigue that came with it. She would have to rely on her telekinesis if she was to hold her own in the fight.

Beth growled as she dodged one of the weapons the smelly women were wielding from atop their bikes. She came out of her roll and opened fire into the back of her attacker. She was fortunate once again to have an easy target; her bullets hit the woman in the arm and head as she spun around for a follow-up attack. She wasn’t sure how many they had managed to take out so far, but it didn’t seem like nearly enough. The stench of their cycles was almost as overwhelming as their sheer numbers. She had noticed that Jake had been steadily launching his birdarangs at the women as he could, but even that seemed to do little to subdue their foes. Another one was fast approaching and she pulled her trigger only to hear the dull click of an empty gun, “Shit!” she said as she dove to avoid their attack.

She ejected the clip and slapped another one into each of her pistols. She was trying to keep count of her shots versus the clips she had left, but she didn’t have a moment to think as the attacks just continued to come. She didn’t remember these women being so difficult to fight in the past. She snarled as she prepared to open fire on another of them, but before she could they were knocked off of their bike by what looked like a crate of some kind. She looked over to see Pam with her hand outstretched and a grin on her face. She returned the grin before taking off in a sprint. She produced a knife from her belt and slammed the hilt into a nearby window to create some projectiles for her girlfriend before sliding out of the way of a lead pipe. She opened fire and eliminated another of the gang. How many of these bitches were there?!

Jake was down to his last set of birdarangs and as he threw them he tried to think of his next move. He would have to give up his vantage point and join the frey with Beth and Pam. He wasn’t a fan of the idea simply because he didn’t have the advantage of projectiles or magic like his counterparts did, but he wouldn’t leave them to fend off the mob on their own. He decided to make one final use of his concealed position and attack from above. He waited for another of the gang to show themselves before swooping down from the rooftop and drop kicking them off of their bike. They hit the ground and his boot remained planted on their chest as he remarked, “You know ravens are a bird of prey.”

His smug comment was quickly deflated as he heard Beth call out, “No they’re not, you dork! You’d think that Goth would have at least taught you that since you’ve been serving her for so damn long!”

He scowled at her as he produced his quarterstaff and extended it. He replied as he dodged a biker and slammed the end into their head to knock them off and out, “Don’t be a dick! You know as well as I do that this whole getup is more of an esthetic deal for her than anything!”

Beth was firing when she shouted back, “Still, no matter how many times you say that stupid line it doesn’t make it true! It also doesn’t sound as cool as you think it does, at least not when it’s bullshit!”

Beth’s guns produced another dull click as she tried to take out another member of the gang. She realized too late that she was empty and when she tried to dodge she felt the sting of steel connect with her side. She cried out in pain as she searched for another clip. She was out! She holstered her guns and drew her knives; close quarters combat didn’t have a nice ring to it tonight considering they still had too many bikers closing in on them. She was planning her first move when a shard of glass found its way into the neck of the woman riding to her and she heard Pam call out, “There’s too many of them! We need to retreat. Into the forest, now!”

Beth wasn’t about to argue, even if she wasn’t serving the woman in question. They were out of options, out of ammo, and out of luck. She took off in a sprint with Jake close behind her. As they passed Pam she wanted to stop and grab her, but she knew the woman well enough to know that doing so wouldn’t go over well with her. If she was staying still then she had a plan and they needed to keep going. She turned back in time to see the glass that still littered the ground rise and fly off in the direction of their pursuers. She wasn’t sure how many were hit, but it looked like more of a diversion than anything. She saw her mistress take off running shortly after flinging the shards at their attacker and they swerved to avoid getting eviscerated. Their steps quickly fell in time with one another as they bolted from the streets to the treeline off in the distance.

They burst through the brush and didn’t stop out of fear of what was behind them. If they were being chased by the Fifth Street Filth Gang then they didn’t want to think about who else may be on their way after them. It was their haste that led to them each stumbling and sliding down a steep hill in an ungraceful manner. Beth was in the lead, with Jake close behind, and Pam bringing up the rear and their slide concluded with each of them on top of the other. Beth grunted as she pushed Jake off of her, “Now what?” she asked as she looked around into the darkness of the forest that surrounded them.

“We keep going,” Pam said as she focused her energy into her hand to produce a light for the trio, “We can’t stop and stay out here. We have to find shelter so that I can concentrate and you two can rest.”

“What about you?” Jake asked, “You need to rest too, you can’t push yourself too hard.”

“I will rest once we have those accursed tattoos removed from your back,” Pam said as she began once again leading the other two, “Until then, every second that we waste out here or with me resting means we are one step closer to having Goth upon us. By taking you along with us we have made a grave and powerful enemy, and I for one am not keen to find out what she has in mind for any of us if we end up back in her clutches. Walk and talk you two, we should be safe to speak freely although I would prefer if you do it quietly."

Beth and Jake looked at each other before following Pam. Beth walked closer to her mistress to check on her, "Are you alright? I should have been there to protect you."

"I'm fine, Kitten, I'm no stranger to a fight," Pam replied as she continued walking. She looked back as she felt her pet's mood drop and she sighed before adding, "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but don't beat yourself up over me getting hurt. You haven't failed me or anyone for that matter. Let's get somewhere safe and we can assess each other's wounds."

Beth nodded and continued in silence, although she stuck close to her girlfriend. Pam didn't mind the closeness and would have taken hold of her hand if it weren't for the situation they were in. The silence that threatened to creep in was kept at bay by Jake, "What was that you did back there, anyway?"

Pam spared a look back at him before turning back to keep her eyes focused, "Blood magic. Simple spells that work fast and deal a fair amount of damage, but they require a sacrifice from the wielder. Even using the blood of a fallen foe isn't without its cost, the toll and strain the school takes on the caster is something not to be taken lightly. It was something I picked up from Goth and Aurora when I first came to the castle and studied further once I mastered a few spells."

"Prolonged use of this particular school can have lingering effects on the person using it. Psychosis, delusions, paranoia, and more to name a few. True masters of the school often turn to feeding off of the life-force of others to keep the effects at bay. I once caused myself to be bedridden for almost a month after I pushed myself too far and that was using one of the castle's many slaves for fuel," she paused to look back and see the faces of both Jake and Beth seemingly modified, "What? Don't look at me like that! I only use those spells when in a pinch such as what we were just in, and Jake you can stop thinking that I would ever use Beth for such a feat. She means too much to me to throw away for any form of power."

"Awe, you're sweet," Beth said as she took Pam's hand and kissed it before releasing it.

"You guys are weird, you know that?" Jake said as he ducked under a branch.

"Coming from the guy who picks out his own sissy clothes!" Beth fired back.

"Never gonna live that down am I?" Jake asked with a sigh.

"Enough, both of you," Pam said, "We need to remain focused on finding shelter. The blinding spell I cast only has a couple of hours left, and no Jake you're not going to hear the end of it. My Kitten has brought it up to me many times and I've brought it up when she needs a laugh."

"Of course you two would make fun of that," he said, "Say what you will, there's something freeing about wearing a skirt that I think you both can agree with. It's nice to let my boys breathe every once in a while."

"Okay that's enough about that!" Beth exclaimed and earned a laugh from Jake.

"If it makes you feel any better, Jake, Kitten come here," Pam ordered and Beth did as she was told before tilting her head when Pam's fingers scratched behind her ear, "Beth is partial to having her ears scratched, it seems that the moniker of Catgirl held a double meaning."

Beth jerked away and glared at her, "Don't tell him things like that!"

"Are you giving your mistress and order?" Pam asked and Beth shrank back, "That's what I thought, it's only fair that Jake knows something about you as well."

Jake smiled as he watched the two women. They were cute together and he was glad Beth had found someone to keep her in check. The two were good for each other. He doubted Pam would have ever even thought about leaving Goth behind if Beth hadn't come along. He felt a sudden jolt in his head as he thought about Goth and a pang in his heart. He had hoped that he and Goth could have been like those two, but it seemed that it was never meant to be. It was a shame, he really had cared for the amazonian beauty. The pain in his head intensified before he heard something that chilled his bones and caused him to freeze, "I cared for you to, my Raven, but it seems we were both fools."

It was Goth, there was no doubt about that, but where was she. He looked around to try to find her and saw only the dull glow of Pam's magic illuminating the trees and shrubbery that surrounded them. "Where are you?" he thought.

"Awaiting your return," her voice answered back, "You hurt me, Jake, and you know that you belong by my side. Turn around and return to me and maybe I'll spare your friends. Refuse and you will all suffer by my hand. You know that Pamela will slip up sooner or later and when she does, you will all be returned to me and be filled with regret."

"No!" he called out and caused his party to stop and turn to him.

"No what?" Pam asked.

"Are you alright, Jake?" Beth asked.

"Y-you didn't hear that?" he asked, feeling a bit worried.

"All we heard was you giving away our position," Pam chided, "Please try to keep your outbursts to a minimum. I think I see something in the distance, let's keep moving."

Jake shook the feelings of fear that were bubbling up within him away and fell back in step with his friends. They resurfaced when he heard Goth's voice once again in his head, "That's right, my Raven, I'm in your pretty little head. I may not be able to see you, but I am always with you and nothing will ever change that. Continue your defiance, though, it matters little in the end. You will be mine, Jake, I'll see you soon my beloved."

His fear was spiking to new heights. What was going on? What did she mean by see him soon? He stopped to once again look around and see if they were being followed. Only trees and darkness surrounded them. He closed his eyes and told himself he was just imagining things, but he was having a hard time believing that. He needed to stay close to Beth and Pam right now and he rushed to catch back up to them. It sounded like they were talking about something, but he was too caught up in his own thoughts to pay much attention to them. He felt like he was underwater as their muffled voices tried to reach his ears. The only thought that kept going through his mind was: "Should I go back?" He was so distracted that he walked right into Beth who'd stopped beside Pam. He shook his head and tried to apologize, "Sorry."

Beth turned back to her friend and gave him a skeptical look. Something was wrong, she hadn't seen him like this since their fight in the streets of Citiville. "You okay, Jake?" she asked.

Pam watched from the corner of her eye as Jake nodded and tried to silently assure his friend that he was fine. She'd felt his emotions shift from almost happy to a high level of fear and anxiety just before his outburst. Something was going on with him that he wasn't sharing. She couldn't be sure, but her gut told her it was something to do with Goth. She would find out sooner or later. Right now they needed to get inside and she needed to recast the blinding spell. They'd managed to stumble upon what looked to be an old lumber mill of sorts out in the middle of the forest. It looked to be abandoned and it screamed horror movie, but she wasn't afraid of whatever may have been inside of it. She knew the woman who went bump in the night and she was far more terrifying than anything this forest could hold.

She started to move forward and called back to her team, "Come on, we need to get inside and search the place. Once it's secured and we have everything evaluated we can take care of our wounds and I can renew the blinding spell."

The building was along the edge of a river that ran through the forest. It looked to be two stories and had an old water wheel attached to the side. Stone blocks acted as a base while wooden paneling covered the rest of the exterior. Pam breathed a sigh of relief as she walked into the place with Beth and Jake right behind. She looked around the room trying to spot anything of use; nothing noteworthy jumped out at her, but that didn't mean that there wasn't anything here. She started searching the room while Jake and Beth spread out to do the same. She managed to find some candles that had been discarded and tossed beneath a large table. She considered taking one of each of them to her friends before she remembered that their masks were equipped with night vision. She decided to see what she could do to fix up the room and make it at least somewhat livable for the time being.

Goth sat in her champers with only the sound of her breathing and the low crackle of the torches echoing in the chamber. She looked over the materials that were scattered about the table before her and wondered if she could really go through with this. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t considered it before, but her love for Jake had kept her from enacting the spell. Jake was gone, however, and from what she could gather he wasn’t going to come back of his own freewill. She played out the scenarios that could happen in her mind as she ran her fingers over one of the stones. She knew that Pamela would eventually let her guard down and forget to recast the spell that kept her from seeing Jake’s whereabouts, but would that be enough to simply swoop in and grab Jake? She had seen firsthand what Elizabeth was willing to go through to protect her friend and now she wasn’t alone. It had been a mistake to allow Pamela to get close to Elizabeth, and now the troublesome gunslinger had a mystic ally in the form of her former disciple. It was unlikely that even if they failed to keep Jake from being seen that they would allow him to be recaptured.

Pamela wasn’t someone she feared by any means, but her knowledge of magic gave the trio a slight edge in combat. The question that she couldn’t answer was: how far would Pamela be willing to go to protect Elizabeth and Jake? She needed to be prepared for whatever possibility arose. An idea formed in her mind as she thought about the possibility of one of them preventing her from getting to Jake. She would need them alive for punishment and for their part to play in what was to come. Pamela may not have been a hero and Elizabeth may have changed, but they each held the same weakness that all those with a heroic heart had: selflessness. It was a laughable concept and one that had made it simple to capture Jake in the first place back at the tower. She would use that idiotic idealogy to her advantage if she needed to. If she couldn’t have Jake when the time came then he would use one of them as bait. With her mind made up, she smiled to herself as she stood from her seat.

She crossed the room and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her appearance was disheveled to put it mildly. Her hair was a wreck from her continually running her hands through it and her makeup was smeared from the tears that had streamed down her face. She was both angry and hurt by what they had done. It was a big part of the reason that she wanted to be left alone after the events at the altar. She hated that Jake had such a humanizing effect on her, but she supposed that was the downside to love. In all of her years of living she had never understood the emotion and why it had the effects that it did. She thought back to all the years of courting and rejections that she had endured over the centuries and it solidified her plan. She would go through with the ritual and with it, she would finally be free of these wretched feelings that had done nothing but cause her pain. She would have her beloved with her for the eternity that she had planned and she would be free of all weakness and pain. She would truly become the God that this world so desperately needed. For now, she would settle for seeing her beloved in his dreams. He deserved to know what was in store for him, after all, and why not give him a glimpse into his future.

The dull red glow that filled the room began to fade as Pam finished her spell. She had managed to find a few chairs and some old blankets that someone had left in one of the rooms. She guessed that someone had been squatting here and she refused to think about where the blankets had been. Beth and Jake had found a few other candles scattered about and even an old oil lamp that was currently in use giving the room a somewhat decent glow. Beth had managed to find a few boxes of .45 caliber bullets and was currently reloading her clips. No one had said a word since they had arrived and it was beginning to grate on her nerves. She wasn’t angry, per say, but she wasn’t a fan of the tension that was brewing in the room. She pulled a chair over to sit by Beth and tried to lighten the mood, “Having fun, Kitten?”

Beth looked over to her and flashed a ghost of a smile as she finished loading her clips and slapped one into each pistol. She set them down and moved her chair closer to her, “I don’t know if I’d call staying in a creepy mill in the middle of the forest fun, but it could be worse,” she said as she leaned over to rest her head on Pam’s shoulder, “I could be alone out here.”

Pam smiled and wrapped her arm around her pet as she said, “As long as I live, you’ll never be alone again.”

Beth smiled once again before she stole a look at Jake. Something was going on with him, but he wasn’t willing to open up about whatever it was. She looked up to Pam and asked, “Uhm, Pam, have you...have you noticed any weird emotions coming off of Jake?”

Pam’s face fell at her pet’s question, “His levels of fear have spiked since his outburst in the woods. I can’t say what is causing it, but there is something that is on his mind. His guard is up and outside of his emotions, I can’t say what it is that is bothering him.”

Beth looked from Pam to Jake before she stood up and grabbed her guns, “I’m going to go out and see if there is anything we might have missed outside. Can you...would you be willing to talk to him?”

Pam raised an eyebrow at her pet’s question, “It is unlikely that he would be willing to open up to me, Kitten,” she said as she rose from her seat, “I can try, for you, please be careful outside and don’t waste any of your ammo if you can help it. Knives only unless we have visitors.”

Beth nodded and reached up to kiss Pam briefly before pulling away and heading outside, “Yes, mistress, thank you for this.”

Pam watched Beth walk away and outside. The sway of her lover’s hips caused her to lick her lips. She would need to find some time to get her alone soon. She sighed and shook the lustful thoughts away from her mind as she walked over to Jake. He was sitting off in the corner staring out of one of the few windows that were in the room. She wasn’t sure how to approach the subject. She decided to try the direct approach first, “Jake, is there something you want to talk about?”

Jake had heard Pam approaching and had elected to keep his eyes focused on the window. Her question gave him a little pause and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to open up to her or not. Part of him thought that she might think him crazy, but then again she had spent years in the employ of Goth and maybe she could help. He finally decided that it wasn’t worth burdening her or worrying Beth and replied, “No, I’m...I’m just tired is all. It’s been a long and stressful day.”

“If there is something you’re worried about then you need to tell us,” Pam said trying one final time to get him to open up, “We are a team now, Jake, and secrets will only hurt us in the end. I won’t force you to talk, but if there is something going on then I will be here when you’re ready to open up. Until then, I suggest you try to get some rest and relax. The spell will keep Goth from finding us anytime soon, and Beth and I will make sure to keep you safe if they happen to stumble upon us.”

Jake shook his head, “Maybe I should just go back,” he said in a dark tone, “If I go back then maybe she’ll let you and Beth go free. I know she’ll punish me, but I can endure whatever it is as long as you two are safe.”

It was Pam’s turn to shake her head, “No, don’t be a fool,” she said, “If you go back to the castle now then there is no telling what she will do to you. She might let you live, but I can promise you that she will make it a point to hunt down Beth and I. In her eyes, we have committed a cardinal sin by taking you with us. She won’t rest until we are apprehended, tortured, and finally killed. Like it or not, the safest bet for all of us is to stick together and try to find Dilatrix.”

Jake nodded in understanding. She was right and he knew it. The last time that he had tried to escape with Beth he had been nearly broken by her and Beth was almost killed. He doubted that Goth would be willing to show any of them mercy if he were to suddenly walk back into the hall. His only choice was to stay put and hope that they were able to find Dilatrix before too long.

Beth had been outside checking the bushes for any berries or something edible. She was hungry and she was sure that both Pam and Jake were as well. The sound of heavy footfalls caught her attention and she crouched down into the brush. There were two people approaching their hideout and whoever they were they weren’t stealthy. There was something else that she couldn’t quite place, something familiar but she couldn’t quite place it. She heard the sound of a kickstand followed by another one being deployed and she narrowed her eyes. Had the Fifth Street Filth Gang decided to follow them into the woods? She drew her guns and snuck up behind them. Two women spun around with their own guns drawn and trained on Beth, but she wasn’t afraid. She knew that she was faster than either of them.

Two familiar sets of eyes locked with her own and she noted the familiarity of the two women. One roughly the same age as her and the other looked to be middle aged. She snarled behind her mask as she realized who they were. She wasn’t going to let these two ruin their plans, family be damned. “Move and I swear to God I’ll put you both down before you can blink,” she threatened, “Drop you fucking weapons, now!”