Andrzej hung his shirt over the bathroom door to dry and changed into a sweater. In his mind’s eye, the scene of the last time he stepped over the line played out, feeling like a misbehaving child who couldn’t control his actions and acted on emotion alone. He questioned what was wrong with him, even though he already knew the answer. His compulsive behavior was bound to lead to his downfall sooner or later. Not long ago, he nearly forced himself on his servant, compelled by desire and anger. He knew her feelings toward him and used them to his advantage. She wouldn’t leave, no matter what he did to her. It was a matter of willpower not to exploit her for his needs. Had she not possessed the prudence to stop him, that would be the end of him. A relationship between a necromancer and an undead was unthinkable in the world of sorcerers. To them, it was even more depraved than incest. At least when it came to the mixing of blood, one’s gain was to preserve purity within their bloodline. The offspring of a magician and an undead could only result in an abomination. If they were ever to become lovers, the only ethical way for that to happen would be if he somehow reversed the process of severing the connection to the afterlife and turning her into a real person with an untainted soul.
He took a deep breath to collect his thoughts before entering their room, where Nami lay on the bed, facing the window. There weren’t enough words to describe the amount of guilt he felt for the trauma he put her through. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness. He didn’t deserve to be forgiven by anyone.
“You are right to hate me,” he said as he walked closer. Her gaze was fixed on the corner of the bedroom as if there was a figure brooding in the shadows. “I should have known better. You were always scared of water. “She didn’t even flinch upon his entrance, nor did she do anything at all to acknowledge his presence. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: You don’t have to stay with me. You’re free to do whatever you want with your life. Staying with me will bring you nothing but misery. “Her face remained expressionless even when he lifted his hand to caress her shoulder. “If there is anything I can do to make it up to you. Anything at all, feel free to tell me.” An answer didn’t follow. He leaned in to whisper into her ear as his fingers traced the line between her shoulder blades, all the way down to her waist, but even that didn’t induce a reaction. “I can make you feel good. Better than you’ve ever felt in your life, as long as you promise me not to tell anyone.”
Nami lifted her index finger cautiously towards the spot she had been staring at for so long. Her arm shivered, riddled with goosebumps as if the room temperature had suddenly dropped to zero. A melodic hum seemed to come from all directions at once, like a warning sign.
There, lurking in the shadows was a sickly pale woman, her grimy, wet hair covering a large part of her face. Her neck was long and bent as if it had been snapped. She wore a dirty, tattered nightgown with insects crawling from beneath the torn fabric. By the rapid rise and fall of her shoulders, she appeared to be cackling, but there was no sound.
“So, you can see her too? “Andrzej muttered under his breath, convinced that whatever this thing was, it certainly didn’t represent a ghost or even less – a human.
***
Michael drew his knife to fend off the hordes of creatures barging in like a violent cloud of wasps. They weren’t ordinary undead, nor were they possessed by evil spirits. He deduced that much when he stabbed one of them in the abdomen with his exorcist’s knife, with no result. There was no blood when he pulled out the knife and promptly shoved it into the head of the one behind him. His legs proved to be a more practical weapon, given that he at least could kick them away before they got a hold of him.
The jinn didn’t have an easier time either. With its scorching touch, it could turn any upcoming enemies into flabé the moment they got within an arm’s reach. The sole downside was that it could only use its magic on one at a time. It was unable to keep up with their growing number.
That uncanny melody kept getting louder. It came from the corridor, on the first floor, accompanied by the intermediate ring of a bell. Michael signaled to the jinn to follow him. It used its last bit of power to break free from the hoard, knocking down every bit of furniture and leaving a trail of flames as it made its way out.
“There’s no point in fighting them,” he said.
They rushed down the stairs and followed the melody. The exorcist did not doubt that whoever sang it had a direct correlation to their attackers. The voice belonged to a female and had a peculiar beauty to it, like being lulled into sleep without the prospect of waking up. Drapes dragged down the entire hallway, disappearing like smoke in the air. At last, Michael got the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the strange singer. Her skeletal figure seemed to float behind the railing. The eyes on her sunken face appeared like two beacons, highlighting her translucent skin. Her rags appeared to be sewn into her rotten skin. In her right hand, she held an old-fashioned brass bell, in her left – a crimson red handkerchief.
“Cover your eyes!” The words of the necromancer echoed throughout the entire building. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, which only meant that whatever explanation he had behind that urgent command could wait.
Michael obeyed as much as he didn’t want to, realizing he now had to trust his hearing to escape. The jinn grabbed onto his arm, dragging him to relative safety inside the closet, using its borrowed body as weight to keep the door from being broken into. It was in its best interest to keep him alive, considering that in the event of his death, there would be no one to set it free or allow it to remove the rings. He assumed it was safe now to use his vision, but upon lowering his hand from his face, he felt a strong hand immediately forcing it back in place.
“Keep your eyes closed, wujek, “Andrzej once again warned him as he sensed his movement. “She can go through walls. There’s no telling when our hideout will become obsolete. Is the jinn with you?”
“Present,“ said the jinn.
“Why are we covering our eyes? If I have to trust you enough not to make use of my senses, I expect there to be a good reason behind it, “said Michael.
“Immediate death. How is that for an answer?” The necromancer spoke sternly. “If I’m not mistaken, this monstrosity is known as a Murrain Maiden – a type of curse that brings sickness and death wherever it roams. A wave of her handkerchief is enough to kill you instantly. That is, if you see her do it. In the magical world, most sorcerers wear a headpiece, covering their eyes to protect themselves from curses. Not all curses are the same, but this one in particular can’t kill us instantly as long as we keep our eyes closed. I know it’s inconvenient given our circumstances, but for now, that’s the only thing keeping us alive.”
“What about the creatures attacking us? What are they?”
“I’m not entirely sure. They could be ghosts, assuming physical bodies, powered by the curse residue. As to why they want us dead, I have no clue. They don’t appear to be very intelligent. Perhaps they’re after anything that still has life in it.”
“We could have a chance at defeating them if we take down the bell ringer. Do you have any suggestions on how to do that?”
“Take it down? What do I look like, a fantasy protagonist with all of the luck on his side? Forget it. We make our way out, using the safest route possible, and leave this town for good. At least now we have a clue on who’s behind all of these restrictions.”
“It doesn’t make sense. Those things have nothing in common with the undead we’ve seen so far. As you said, they are practically brainless.”
“Of course I know that, “Andrzej scoffed. The reluctance was written in his voice as he continued. “It’s one of them ‘fake sorcerers’, as that idiot huntress called them. I hate to admit it, but it’s the only theory that makes at least a little bit of sense. To summon a curse of that magnitude, one must be well versed in the studies of necromancy. The culprit didn’t revive all of these unfortunate people to wreak havoc; they did it for practice.”
As they carried on their conversation, the jostling at the door became too much for the jinn to withstand. Even with Nami’s help, they didn’t possess enough strength to hold back the enemy. The hinges were about to break from the sheer pressure. They had to find a way to leave before a whole tsunami of mindless wrath was unleashed upon them.
“Michael, you must let me,” the jinn began.
“You’re not taking any more of these rings off!” The exorcist cut her off.
“Don’t be a fool. There’s no other way out of here.”
“There is,” he corrected it, picking up a large hammer he found in a toolbox as he knelt to get a feel of his surroundings. “If I remember right, there should be a kitchen on the other side of the wall on the left. We make our escape through the window.”
The jinn obliged, dissatisfied. “There’s still time,” it thought as it dismantled the wall’s plaster. Pieces of wood and insulation flew with each hit. It wasn’t long before there was a small hole one could slide an arm through. They might be able to survive this night after all. When the hole was wide enough to fit a person, they made their way out one by one as quickly as they could. First went Michael, then the necromancer, then it became a dilemma of who should be next.
“Your assistant is physically stronger,“ the exorcist argued, fearing his wife’s body might get torn to shreds by the creatures before he had the chance to revive her.” Having her leave last is our safest bet. Besides, you know as well as I do, it’s hard to kill an undead without a special weapon.”
“You bastard! It’s easy for you to say,” Andrzej scowled. “I don’t know what these things are. I can’t bring Nami back if she ends up dying. That thing inside your wife has a better chance of fending for itself if the door breaks.”
“It has a fraction of its original power. There’s no chance it will get out in one piece like that.”
“Then order it to take its rings off!”
“I can’t do that, and you know it. It’s too reckless.”
“So, you’d rather sacrifice my partner’s life? How righteous of you.”
“We’re wasting valuable time on this pointless bickering. Tell your partner to stay behind, or I’m putting an end to our deal.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me,” Michael said in the most serious tone he could muster, disappointed in himself that he had to resort to threats.
“Nami, hold the door until the jinn makes it through the hole,” he ordered. “As soon as I give you the signal, I want you to sprint right here as fast as your legs can carry you. Follow my voice. And whatever happens, don’t even think of opening your eyes!”
She stood back, focusing all of her strength into keeping the monsters at bay. It was much harder now that she had no additional help. Her legs trembled, feeling as if they were going to snap in two. Every muscle in her body was pushed to its limits. The sound of the hinges breaking reached her ears before she could hear her master’s voice. It was too late now. The door collapsed on her with the hoard spilling in like a pile of insects, falling over each other, crawling, searching for life they could snuff out. Nami used the damaged door as her shield, trying to crush and twist any limb coming at her without the use of her vision.
Her master kept screaming her name. He cursed the fact that he was too weak to muster a spell that could get her out of there. The others tried reasoning with him when he prepared to go back for her.
“If you were to die, so would she,” the jinn warned him. “We need you alive to conduct the ritual.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have listened to you!” Andrzej snapped at Michael. “You fiend. You like to act all noble, but you’re just as selfish as the rest of us.”
It was all because of selfishness. Michael knew that fact the moment he made that wish, and it was only reaffirmed following every decision he made after that. There was no coming to terms with the reality of never seeing the person you love most. Perhaps it was better to let her soul rest. There was no telling if it was even possible to reverse the severance between the soul and the afterlife, yet he was willing to risk dooming his wife to such an existence. He wanted them to be a happy family again at any cost. Come hell or high water. He also knew that if there was a fraction of the love he felt towards Maria, that the necromancer felt towards his servant, despite his rotten nature, he had to do the right thing.
Michael took off his coat and threw it on the ground to reduce his weight. His own weapon was no good in this situation, so he searched the drawers for long kitchen knives he could easily swing with.
“You two get out of here now. I’ll go back to retrieve Nami,” said Michael before jumping through the hole, leaving them both dumbfounded.
“Have you gone mad?” Andrzej protested, but the exorcist had already made his way back through the hole.He had enough faith in himself, and that’s all he needed. Using Nami’s voice as a landmark, he pinpointed her location, letting her know he was next to her. He stabbed his knives at anything that came in contact with him, making sure he hurt them in a way that would keep them down at least for a while. The noise forming around him, with all of the groaning and snarls, made it nearly impossible to utilize his hearing. Their ghostly fingers got hold of his legs and soon his left arm. He had to use the other one to cut himself free, swinging the blade desperately. His reliance was solely on prayers to make it out with most of his limbs intact.
True horror tugged at his heart once he felt a firm grip around his free arm. He was done for, he thought. There was no hope for surviving this mess now that he was rendered immobile.
“Careful where you swing that thing, pichko! “That accent sounded familiar. It didn’t take long to remember who it belonged to, as when he felt his hand being released, a barrage of curse words flooded his ears. “Damn, these fuckers are everywhere. I keep killing them, and they keep respawning from God knows where. What a bitch!.”
“Dani, is that you?” Andrzej yelled through the hole, and for the first time, much to his own surprise, he felt relieved to hear her raspy voice. “Cover your eyes immediately! It’s vital. There’s no time to explain. She could come here at any moment.”
“You don’t need to explain a thing, dechko. I’ve already covered them. Did you forget I’m a hunter?”
“I’ve not forgotten your lack of functioning brain cells,” he muttered. “What are you doing here?
“I came to save your asses, duh. This awful, piece-of-ass song can be heard from the next town over. Ugh, it makes me nauseous. If I didn’t have to rely on my ears, I would have brought headphones.”
“Did you say you can kill them?” Michael asked her, already beginning to notice the groans and movement around him dwindling.
“This machete right here can kill anything. Good thing I stole it from that brat. Makes my job so much easier, “she said with a grin as she sliced one of the creature’s heads off.
“Can you kill the Murrian Maiden?”
“Sure thing. Ey, do me a favor and lie down for a while, “Dani pulled out her guns, shooting in all directions. She had special bullets, designed to neutralize weak curses, and since the creatures all ran on curse residue, they disappeared into thin air the moment they were shot.
Michael used that time to get close to Nami and reassure her he wasn’t one of them. He told her to lie low and asked if she was injured. Fortunately, she had gotten away with a few scratches, which to an undead could have meant many things. He could feel her forearm being wounded. Blood oozed from the spot, making her skin slick. His hands were the only things he could use to stop the bleeding.
“Can anyone tell me if there’s more of them?” Asked Dani, sharpening her ears to the slightest creak.
“Behind you,” the jinn warned her. “Move your aim five inches to the left.”
She missed by a fraction of an inch, but quickly adjusted, shooting her attacker right between the eyes before he was able to reach her.
“Ey, use centimeters next time! I only have two more bullets left!”
“To your right. Raise your gun by ten centimeters. The last one is one meter behind you.”
That was all of them. Relief was brief as the party soon began to hear more footsteps approaching. So far, to no one did it occur that the jinn wasn’t affected by the curse, for it possessed no eyes. Michael had once asked it out of curiosity, how it was able to see given its predicament, to which it simply replied: “Jinn don’t need eyes to perceive the world around them.”
Now with the huntress on their side, the plan to flee was no longer their last resort. If they had even the slightest chance to obliterate the monstrosity and put an end to this madness, they had to take it. The plan was in action. They were going straight for the Maiden’s head.
