The Path Travelled

A Story by S.C.Johnson

Charlotte Wilson was a normal 16 year old girl. until the day a Demon named Tarkis attacked her at school. Now Charlie must learn the reason for the attack and how to stop this demon from killing her.

The Path Traveled

A young girl is lying on the ground with what is left of her left arm streaming blood onto the dirty dark and dry ground. She feels the warm pool of crimson soaking her clothes but doesn’t move. The fire and fury of a raging battle blaze around her but she lies there quietly staring into the dark void above her, and as she feels the grip of unconsciousness beginning to take hold of her she asks herself how did I get here? Was there another way? Well, in order to answer those questions you have to go back to the beginning.

It was a normal Monday morning for Charlotte Wilson. Her alarm clock was buzzing. She rolled over slapping the snooze button, and for a few minutes she considered going back to sleep but that plan was thwarted by the knees of her little brother.

“Charlie, Wake up wake up,” he screamed as he bounced up and down on her bed. Pretending to still be asleep Charlie laid still until the full weight of a nine year old came crashing down on her body. With a little scream she shot up in the bed immediately wrapping her arms around her brother’s slender frame. As he struggled, she peered through her messy strawberry blond hair and smiled as she started to tickle him mercilessly. Once she released him they sat laughing.

“Good Morning, Mitch,” she said using her fingers to pull her hair out of her face.

“Morning Charlie,” he said adjusting his ninja turtle pajamas. “I got you again, huh?” he said as Charlie smiled.

“That you did loser, that you did,” she said as she mussed his short brown hair. They hugged once more as Charlie got up out of her bed and ushered him to his room.

“Now get dressed, Snot Rocket” she said as she gently kicked him in his butt.

“Sure thing, Butt face,” her retorted as she closed the door. Charlie then made her way to the bathroom. Once she closed the door she turned to the mirror. She turned on the sink and filled her hands with the warm water and splashed it on her face, and watched in the mirror as it dripped from her chin. After drying her face, she head back to her room to get dressed. She stood in front of her floor length mirror and watched as she removed her oversized faded green t-shirt, and she studied her body. She looked at her porcelain skin while running her hands along her curvy frame. She turned left and right and with a sigh she walked to her closet. She started looking through the options available to her. After a few minutes she decided on a green sundress, a short black denim jacket, and her black combat boots. Once she was dressed she brushed her hair and pulled it into a ponytail and did her makeup, and as she finished she heard a knock at her door.

“Come in,” she said as she put her makeup away.

“Morning honey” her mom said as she opened the door slowly. “I made Breakfast.”

“Thanks mom” Charlie said taking one more look in the mirror before grabbing her backpack and heading downstairs.

As she descended the stairs she noticed Mitch was already at the table his messy hair now combed and neat, and his pajamas replaced with a white button down shirt with thin powder blue stripes worn open over a Spiderman t-shirt and khaki cargo short. He sat quietly stuffing his face with bacon eggs and fruit. They sat down and enjoyed breakfast until they heard the horn of the school bus outside.

“Mitch, don’t forget your lunch and grab your backpack.” His mom said as he rushed from the table and out the door.

“Thanks mom bye,” he said as he ran out the door

“Love you,” she shouted as the door closed behind him. After the door closed they sat quietly for a few minutes until her mom spoke.

“How are you doing sweetheart?” she said awkwardly through the silence.

“I’m fine I guess,” she said staring at her fork. “I gotta go.” She said as she quickly left her seat and walked to the door. She walked to school and that’s where her life began to change.

Madisonville High School was a typical small town high school. The faded gray stone building stood alone in a field surrounded by farmland. The windows were cloudy and dirty and the flagpole was covered in various stickers for different bands and radio stations. As Charlie approached the lawn of the school with her headphones in her metal music made a perfect soundtrack for all the students on the lawn engaging in their various click related activities. The jocks tossed a football with their girlfriends standing to the side like villagers worshipping their muscle bound deities. Then there are the theater club kids sitting in a circle under a tree having their morning meeting, their herbal tea in hand, and then there’s the slackers and the popular girls.

Charlie walked through the chaos with her eyes down in hopes of not catching eyes with anyone. Until she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see her boyfriend standing behind her his big green eyes locked on her.

“Good morning beautiful,” he said as she leaned in to kiss her. Their lips made contact and she caressed his face.

“ Good morning Deacon,” she said as their lips parted and they took a step back from each other. Deacon stood there his eyes still locked on her. His medium length black hair was slightly messy with his bangs covering his left eye. He brushed it behind his ear. Just then the bell rang.

“Well, I guess it’s time for class.” He said taking her hand and the two walked into the school. Charlie moved towards the door but for some reason something didn’t feel right to her. She just chocked it up to paranoia but little did she know something right however she would soon find out.

It all started in her first class. Charlie made her way to her seat and as she surveyed the room she noticed a girl she had never seen before. She was sitting in the front corner of the classroom tapping a pencil on the edge of her desk in a familiar rhythm, but Charlie couldn’t place where she had heard it before. Charlie tried not to stare at her but she couldn’t help it. The girls raven hair ran to the middle of her back and the tips were a bright green. She was wearing a black long sleeved shirt with blue horizontal stripes on the sleeve and a patch on the shoulder and tight black capris with blue chucks. She studied the girl until she heard the bell chime again.

“Good morning my young pupils,” Mr. Dixon said as he placed his books down on the desk and rifled for his attendance book. Once he located it he started to take roll and Charlie listened intently hoping to learn the name of the mystery girl that she had been watching, but as he finished the list he hadn’t said her name. Confused she sat quietly waiting for him to mention her but when he started his lesson she raised her hand.

“Um, Mr. Dixon aren’t you going to introduce the new girl?” She said impatiently. Mr. Dixon turned to her with chalk smudges on his Star Trek t-shirt.

“What are you talking about Ms. Wilson?” he said as the class stared at her.

“The new girl right over there,” she said pointing the girl with the raven hair, but as soon as she pointed the girl seemed to vanish from sight. Confused she put her hand down and apologized for interrupting.

“Right then,” Mr. Dixon said as he turned back to the bored and continued his lesson, but Charlie wasn’t listening anymore her mind was racing trying to figure out what had just happened. She finished the rest of the class in silence and as the bell sounded she quickly exited the room and made her way to her locker. She entered her combination and opened her locker placing her English book inside and collecting her anatomy book, but before she closed her locker she took a look in the mirror and over her shoulder she saw the raven-haired girl again but when she turned around she was not there. She searched the hallway for a moment and with a deep breath she headed to her next class. She quickly found her seat and as she sat down the bell sounded, and without hesitation Mrs. Wahl took a marker and began writing on the board. Charlie sat there her mind still focused on the raven-haired girl. Just then she heard her name.

“Charlotte,” the voice said in a growling deep whisper. Charlie glanced around not knowing where it came from.

“Charlotte,” the voice said again. “You will be mine Charlotte.” Just then Charlie began to feel sick she tried to stay seated but the sickness became more and more intense until she raised her hand.

“Mrs. Wahl, may I go to the bathroom?” she said choking down her sickness. Mrs. Wahl looked over her glasses and nodded. Charlie quickly left her seat and ran to the bathroom and began vomiting uncontrollably into the dingy off color toilet, but suddenly she felt a presence in the room and as she turned she got a glimpse of a red-eyed man his hair long and messy with long pointed ears coming through it. He was draped with a long black cloak and without a word he grabbed her by the ankle and with one hand he threw her across the bathroom and against the wall shattering the tile behind her.

“I finally found you,” he said in the same growling whisper she heard in the classroom. She looked up at him.

“Who are you? Why are you doing this?” she said as she tried to stand. He just smiled and grabbed her once more throwing her against the wall of stalls knocking each one down as she passed through it, but just as she was about to lose consciousness. She saw her again, the raven-haired girl, she was standing between her and the cloaked man. She had a large sword on her back and a ball of light in her hand. She stared down the cloaked man and with a wave of her hand the cloaked man vanished in a flash of light, and Charlie lost consciousness.

To Be Continued…