Death is a Girl

Chapter 67 - Observation Bubble

“Oh my god, thank you!” Morrigan gasped, realizing that if Hilda hadn’t intervened, she would have been buried alive in the most horrific way imaginable.

“Don’t… thank me yet,” Hilda huffed, her grip tightening on the staff, teeth gritted.

A grotesque slurping sound surrounded them, reminiscent of stirring macaroni and cheese—but magnified a hundredfold. It felt as though the entire world had become an endless mixing of macaroni and cheese.

Morrigan huddled in a ball but cautiously looked up and instantly wished she hadn’t. If it were only the vague smooshed remains, she could have dealt with that, but there was so much more detail up close. It was like she was in the observation bubble at an aquarium, but instead of marveling at the wonders of undersea life, she was viewing a museum of gore. She could make out innards, organs, eyeballs, tufts of fur, and even little innocent faces all mixed together.

Morrigan retched, dry heaving, focusing her sight back on the ground between her arms.

“Don’t look!” Hilda said.

Too late for that, some detached part of her inwardly quipped back. No, it was far too late for that. She wasn’t even sure if she was still fully conscious... No, this could very well all be a dream. Between the pain of being struck by the monster’s tail and the horrific situation they now found themselves in, she was about at her limit. There’s only so much one girl can take…

“Hilda… I’m…” Morrigan’s voice trailed off, her eyes flickering with a mix of pain and horror.

“Come on, stay with me, kid!” Hilda said with a strained yell. Her voice was faltering, her arms trembling. She was trying not to show it, but the truth was she was struggling to keep the barrier intact.

As they sat encased in the magical barrier, the horrorshow surrounding them continued its grotesque symphony. Morrigan felt a disturbing sensation at her back; the demon flesh that was grafted onto her was stirring violently. With each squelch and squish outside, it seemed to thrash against the seal on her hoodie. It wasn’t its usual occasional knocks and pounds. It was outright demanding freedom. It was as if it yearned to join the disarray beyond their protective bubble.

“It wants out,” Morrigan murmured, her voice a mix of detached awe and terror. The demon flesh on her back pulsed like a second heartbeat, more insistent and aggressive than before. “It-it’s trying to break free… Hilda…"

Hilda glanced down, her expression grim. “Morrigan, you need to control it! I can’t help right now!”

Morrigan clenched her teeth, fighting against the pain and the wild demands of the demon flesh. It felt as if it were trying to tear itself away from her, seeking its own horrific freedom among the remnants of its kin. “Hilda! S-something’s happening!”

“Ah! What’s that damn hell-cat waiting for!” Hilda yelled, then inhaled sharply as she tensed, and the glow from her staff became brighter.

If Morrigan normally described the demon flesh as bubbling, it was now more like boiling. Normally, upon verifying that the seal kept it contained, it would settle down, but now it only grew more and more agitated. It was becoming painful, and… something warm was running down her arms and around her rib cage.

She saw red dripping past her sleeves, and she felt her consciousness failing.

“Hilda… I’m…” she weakly said, touching her head to the ground; she saw more blood dripping around her body. Was the demon flesh tearing free from her now? That was her blood, so—

“Oh shit! Hang on!” Hilda yelled, tensing more, staff glowing brighter. “Take it off!” she finally yelled as if coming to a conclusion. Morrigan was beyond feeling pain, her vision fading; she couldn’t even find the strength to communicate this to Hilda. She couldn’t even process what Hilda was trying to say.

“Morrigan, your hoodie!” Hilda yelled. “Take it off! It has nowhere to go, so it’s damaging your body instead!”

The words entered her ears, but she couldn’t process them. “I’m… s-sorry…”

She then felt a sudden burst of movement as Hilda slid to her side, let go of her staff, and put one arm over her. She hid Morrigan’s head under her body as best she could as she slammed one hand down on the back of her hoodie to unlock the seal.

The reaper seemed to be unconscious, but the witch braced for whatever would happen next as an avalanche of gore began to fall around them…

***

The jeep that was now left parked a short but impossible hike away from the chaos, was just a day before pulling up a lonely road and to an old occult shop in the middle of nowhere.

Hilda had stepped out in front of Atomyst’s shop, intending to grab some supplies to help with the upcoming moon harvest, as well as Morrigan’s glamour and getting Emma started with some basic spells. She walked up the familiar wooden steps onto a porch that badly needed a fresh coat of paint, then stepped into the shop.

She was greeted by the smell of incense and dim lighting that let motes of dust dance in the air. The door chimed as she opened and closed it, then walked along the aisles, briefly glancing down them as she made her way to the bookshelf along the back wall. She scanned the titles, looking for a particular astrology book. It dealt with a good amount of information you could find in any science book, but the ones in this shop would also have information relevant to magic and how the sun, stars, and moon come into play.

As Hilda skimmed through the astrology section, her fingers paused on a leather-bound volume titled Celestial Synergies and Lunar Energies. She pulled it from the shelf and flipped through the pages filled with arcane symbols and celestial diagrams. This was indeed the one she was looking for, so she snapped it closed and then made her way to another aisle to find something Morrigan could use for a glamour charm. On her way there, however, she heard a rustling of beads and looked over to see Arietta emerging from the back room.

“Hilda. Long time no see,” she said, coming out and resting her hands on the counter.

“It hasn’t been that long, has it?”

“Not since the last Walpurgisnacht. That was nearly four months ago.”

“No, I’ve seen you since then,” Hilda said, looking up as she thought about it. “I came in to buy… oh wait, it was just your grandfather here.”

Arietta’s black lips pierced conspiratorially. “I did, however, see your little cousin just a short time ago.”

Hilda returned the smirk. “Yeah, I heard. You gave her and her friend a bit of a scare, huh?”

Arietta shrugged. “Well, her friend is quite interesting. I take it she’s told you about Morrigan already?”

Hilda rolled her eyes at the intentionally vague phrasing, meant to conceal the truth in case Hilda had, in fact, not known Morrigan was a reaper. She walked over and set the astrology book on the counter since it seemed they were going to be chatting for at least a little while. “Yeah, I’ve met Morrigan. In fact, she’s part of the reason I’m here.”

“Oh?” Arietta asked.

“I’m going to teach her glamour. I figured making a charm for her would be the easiest way to go since she’s a complete novice.”

“If she’s a complete novice, then it will take some time to learn, with or without a charm.”

“Normally, I would agree. But she’s not a normal person, is she?”

“I suppose not. Reapers have strong attunement by nature, after all.” Arietta splayed out her fingers as she observed her own nails and the runes painted on them. “I felt it the moment she was within a few yards of me. She is absolutely overflowing with magical energy.”

Hilda nodded, deciding not to share the knowledge that reaper magic was quite different than witch’s magic. She supposed Arietta’s runes couldn’t tell the difference, however. “Anyway, I need to get a few things for her, so if you could help me pick out the right materials, I’d appreciate it.”

Arietta’s interest seemed piqued as she pushed off from the counter and began to lead Hilda down one of the aisles lined with various artifacts and ingredients. “For glamour, especially for someone with Morrigan’s raw potential, I’d recommend something that not only enhances her abilities but also helps ground her. You don’t want her energy going haywire.”

“Hmmm, yeah,” Hilda agreed, thinking how she knew that quite well about Morrigan already.

Arietta stopped in front of a display filled with semi-precious stones. She opened the glass door and then kneeled down as she selected something from one of the lower shelves. Hilda marveled at how that oversized hat of hers never seemed to get in her way. Guess she got used to wearing it.

When she rose, she held a small, polished piece of labradorite between two fingers. “Will this suffice?” she asked. Normally, Arietta would break into a long monologue about what she was presenting to her customers, along with its properties and a few historical facts. Since Hilda was an expert herself, however, she was spared the impromptu lessons. Instead, she held out her hand and allowed Arietta to drop it into her grasp.

Hilda held the labradorite up to the light where it flickered with shades of blue and green dancing within its surface. She then closed her palm around it and channeled some of her energy down her arm and around the stone. Like all of the stones sold in this shop, at least to true witches who would know if they were being ripped off or not, this stone was already attuned.

“Excellent, I’ll take it.”

Arietta led her back to the counter to ring her out and asked, “So, why the astrology book?”

“That’s going to be a gift for Emma. I decided to take her as my apprentice.”

Arietta smirked. “Took you long enough. Thought you’d have gotten her into it much sooner. The first time I saw that kid come into the shop with you, I felt like I was looking into the past when we were kids.”

Hilda nodded, remembering when her own mother had first brought her here when she was seven years old. She had been absolutely fascinated by the world of witchcraft that was opening up to her. She remembered meeting the strange little girl in the witch hat, Arietta, and instantly becoming interested in her and the depths of her own legacy as a witch. They were close in age, so Hilda was always excited for a chance to visit the shop and meet with her friend, who was the only person her age she was allowed to talk openly about magic with.

“Emma should have started a lot sooner,” Hilda agreed. “Tough situation with her family, though.”

Arietta nodded. “Yes… well, her parents are fools to deny her heritage from her. Especially since she has so much potential. I’m sure Claire would be furious if she knew.”

Hilda frowned, then shrugged one shoulder. “Well, Emma’s turning seventeen soon. Before long, she’ll be an adult, so I think at this point, if she’s still interested in witchcraft, it should be her choice.” Hilda winked. “We still have to keep it a secret for now, though. Aunt Sharon doesn’t even know how often Emma’s been coming to see me lately.”

As she paid for her purchases, Arietta asked, “So, I take it you are seeing the reaper girl at least semi-regularly now, then.”

“Hmmm, yeah, I guess so,” Hilda said.

Arietta chuckled. “Oh, I see you’re holding out on me.”

Hilda rolled her eyes. “It’s not like that. She ended up in a bind, and I had to spend some time healing her. Used up at least a year’s supply of moon water in the process.”

“Oh?” Arietta asked. “So what happened to her?”

Hilda thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t think I should be gossiping about her like that. But… Morrigan’s living a complicated life. I kind of feel sorry for her.”

“Well, if you’re running low on moon water…” Arietta let the implication hang in the air.

“I’d love to buy some, believe me,” Hilda said. “Can’t afford it right now.” Since there were only twelve full moons a year, and a witch could only do one bottle at a time, it was relatively rare and, therefore, reasonably expensive to buy.

Arietta shrugged. “Too bad. Though, I may be able to offer you a discount in exchange for some stories about your new reaper friend.”

Hilda grinned. “You’re a real opportunistic bitch. You know that, Arietta?” She grabbed her purchases and winked before turning around. “Maybe some other time.”

Arietta let out an audible huff as she propped her chin on her palm and watched Hilda go. However, as Hilda reached the front door, something occurred to her. She turned around and reached for her pocketbook. “Actually, I don’t feel comfortable sharing stories, and you might end up disappointed anyway… buuuut…” She slipped out the vial that had some of Morrigan’s hair sealed inside of it then held it out.

Arietta raised an eyebrow with a bored expression on her face. But, upon looking closer, she abandoned her lax posture and leaned over the counter. “Wait… is that what I think it is?”

Hilda shrugged. “I thought I would use it to develop a curse or something but couldn’t come up with anything. I figured you’d have an easier time finding something to do with it.”

Arietta held her hand out greedily, and Hilda chuckled as she handed it over. Arietta held it up to the light and closed one eye. “Hair from a reaper… interesting. It’s not very much, though, and…” She tapped one of her nails on the glass jar, and its rune gave a faint pulse. “It has very little energy in it, to be truthful.”

Hilda shrugged. “Still a good collector’s item.”

“Hmmm, yes, but for a bottle of moon water?”

Hilda leaned toward her and playfully said, “Come ooonn, I knoowww you waant it. That poker face doesn’t fool me!”

Arietta sighed. “Alright, alright, fine. The hair for a bottle of moon water, then. I’ll be right back.”

“Make sure it’s a decent size!” Hilda called after her as she disappeared behind the beads.

***

Hilda’s hand slammed down on the seal on Morrigan’s hoodie, unlocking it and releasing the pent-up demonic flesh in a violent surge. A dark, writhing mass exploded from Morrigan’s back, unleashing a rain of black ichor as it tore through what remained of her barrier and began ripping through the monster that had been trying to consume them. It tore through everything that got in its way without prejudice.

Hilda shielded Morrigan’s head with her body, gritting her teeth against the chaos unfolding, praying she’d stay out of its way as the demon flesh thrashed wildly, its form ever-changing as if searching for a shape to call its own. A cacophony of screams pierced through the woods, it was unclear if they were from the monster, its many victims, or the thrashing black flesh rising from Morrigan’s back and beginning to form a distinct shape. Each tendril began to join together, wrapping around each other like muscle fibers.

Through it all, Morrigan lay limp, barely conscious. “Hang on, Morrigan,” Hilda spoke in a stressed whisper through clenched teeth, hugging her tightly, trying to let her know she wasn’t alone. “It’s alright, it’ll calm down, and you’ll be fine!” She just hoped that was actually true.

Then she heard Emma’s voice as she screamed. “MORRIGAN!”

Hilda looked up, seeing Emma running towards them. “Emma, no! Stay back!” she screamed. “STAY AWAY!”

But Emma didn’t listen, and as more and more tendrils of the demon flesh wound together, its shape became clearer. Its tendrils twisted into dense, muscle-like fibers that knotted into a grotesque approximation of an arm that towered above them, at least the size of a body on its own. At the end of this newly formed, oversized limb, fingers began to articulate, flexing as if testing their newfound form.

Despite this, Emma ran toward them, and Hilda screamed for her to stop. “EMMA! I SAID STAY BACK!”

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