Chapter 48
A year had passed and the girls were prepping for their annual group camp.
This week felt wrong. The Crew sensed danger on the horizon and they feared for their girl’s safety. However, Michelle and Suzanne had alerted the Crew to sightings of an Angelic. Drawing the women away from the Group. They decided the only option left, was each of the Crew to seek out two Sister Warriors for a special surveillance mission on the Group. Without anyone else from the Crew knowing.
Soon the morning of the group’s departure came. The hired Sister Warriors approached the gate. Each pair confident they were the only ones, till they realised another three pairs were existing the gate onto their path.
“Lord bless my patience” Sister Mia groaned.
Sister Cara looked up to her mission partner and suppressed a laugh. She followed the annoyed brunette to the others. A small group quickly formed of surprised warriors, eyeing each other off. “Well isn’t this strange” Sister Cara spoke. “The sisters must be very concerned about their daughter’s wellbeing”
“Overkill more like” Sister Dora comment.
“Hush now, we mustn’t talk like that” Sister Fred, the young blonde partnered with Dora. “I’m sure they have a reason”
“They often do” Cara Agreed.
“But it’s still overkill” Dora pointed out.
“I agree, Sister Cara and I are perfectly able to keep watch over them” Sister Mia confidently informed.
“Next time sweetie, this one is ours!” Sister Dora boasted.
A ginger haired nun without sleeves marched forward, straightening her back. “Please, we were the first ones asked, we will take the mission” Sister Gwen informed.
Gwen partner, Robyn, dragged a divinam sword from her belt. “And we’re already armed”
Sister Dora rolled her eyes, she flexed showing off her toned muscles and the various knives tied to her person. “Do I look like the person who is never unarmed?”
“I can vouch for that” Sister Mia agreed. “I say at this rate it will be faster to pick straws then go with the obvious choice”
“Us!” The rest of the sisters stated.
Sister Cara sighed, shaking her head. “Sisters please stop arguing!” She insisted loudly. They turned to her concerned. “I propose we all go”
“Why?” Mia asked. “Surely two is enough”
“Most times yes” Cara Agreed. “However we are talking about the safety of five teenage girls, Hanna, Kit, Addams, Persephone and Cira Sandra”
“The new girl” Dora observes.
“Yes” Cara answered. “If those ladies reputation for trouble isn’t enough convincing, perhaps we should remind ourselves they are the daughters and nieces of the Sister Generals and Hanna is the daughter of Ava-“
“She’s right, lets go!” Mia interrupted hastily and set off marching.
Sister Cara wasn’t offended by the interruption. She beamed proudly they listened to her advice. She followed past behind the group as they set off at a run down the hill. For the Group’s camping location.
While the Crew went on a hunting mission.
The four retreated from Civilisation to the wild. Following the back path past Cats Cradle, away from town. Walking a path twice washed away by flood, passing by trees tall and skinny and through thin mousy grass. To a fresh water river and old stone firepit. It was the perfect spot, if you followed the river to the left, you will find yourself heading back to Cats Cradle. The right will lead you to secluded waterfall.
Upon arrival, the girls discovered one single red tent already here. No owner in sight, the girls started looking around confused.
“Seems she’s already setup, where is she?” Kit asked.
“She’s somewhere” Hanna observed. Impressed she couldn’t track down her location, like her Sister Aunties, but her angel instincts were insistent their friend was close.
“She probably found the waterfall before us” Addams observed.
“Let’s just setup and have some fun” Persephone said, she moved away from the group towards the river.
Suddenly Cira Sandra fell from the trees, landed quietly and screamed. The girls, but Hanna, screamed terrified. Kit even jumped backwards over her girlfriend, landing on her tippy toes with hands up. Addams fell silent first, chuckling impressed. Persephone skidded backwards, stopped and glared at Cira. Hanna laughed.
Cira’s screams stopped abruptly short seconds later and she collapsed forward on her knees laughing.
“Jesus Christ!” Persephone growled.
“Sorry I couldn’t resist!” Cira half apologised. She suddenly stood to full height and point an accusing finger Hanna’s way, with a sly smile. “You’re not easy to scare”
“Not at all” Hanna laughed, moving closer to Cira. “It will take a lot to scare me”
“Oo challenge accepted” Cira laughed.
“Good luck”
“Oh darling I don’t need luck” Cira boasted. She raised a pointed finger and playfully poked Hanna whilst declaring “I will get you, I never loose!”.
Hanna smiled knowingly. “We shall see”
Persephone rolled her eyes at Cira’s playful behaviour. She dropped her bag and declared “So what did you bring to the table, other then scaring us?”
Cira drew her attention away from Hanna with a mischief smirk. She looked to the girls, then skipped ahead to her tent. “Well I didn’t come empty handed” she spoke. She reached into her tent and pulled out a bottle of vodka. She showed off the bottle proudly, much to the surprise of the group. “I brought the essentials”
“Holy shit you actually did it!” Kit laughed.
“I keep my word Kit, no matter what”
“Good thing we brought the mixers” Addams observed. She reached into her bag and pulled out a spare, smaller bottle of vodka. “And a spare”
“Woman after my own heart” Kit declared, lovingly.
“Anything for you sweetie” Addams sweetly said.
“And what did you two bring?” Cira asked.
“Food and shelter” Hanna answered. “And a sword” she added, pointing to her hip.
Cira hummed, she looked beyond Hanna into the trees. “Is that all?” she asked, turning back to Hanna.
Hanna followed her gaze, for a moment, then back to Cira. “Yeah, that’s all” she lied, wondering if Cira can actually see the Sister Warriors. She shock it off, that can’t be right. She can sense her Sister Aunties were hiding one kilometer away. Then again, if Cira knows the Sister Warriors are secretly guarding them, this made her all the more curious of the woman. “Perhaps we should setup our tents first before the drinking commence” she suggested, hoping the Sister Warriors don’t tell their parents about the alcohol.
“Agreed” Persephone said.
“No actually that could make for an awesome drinking game” Kit suggested.
“I’m happy to judge” Cira offered.
Kit turned to Cira and asked “Do you take bribery?”
“of course”
“Hey no cheating allowed!” Hanna stated. “We gotta do it fairly!”
“Fine” Kit groaned dramatically. “But what’s the prize?”
“Rest of the bottle?”
“I’ll take that”
“And first dibs to waterfall tonight” Addams added.
“And first dibs to the waterfall tonight” Kit added.
Cira shrugged while Hanna chuckled “fine by me” Hanna said.
“Good, now everything is sorted, gather round for a toast” Cira wondered back to her tent and produced five glasses for the group. She handed them a glass each and offered the vodka.
Persephone took the offering, uncertain. She turned her gaze downward and frowned at the offered drink.
Hanna caught the uncertain look and quickly moved to her girlfriend’s side. Grasping her free hand, she offered, at a gentle whisper “you don’t have to drink it, you can pour it into mine”
Persephone looked up to her. “are you sure about this, aren’t they watching?”
“they’re watching out for us, not watching us…I think, but anyway it doesn’t matter if my sister aunties see it or not, do you want to have that drink?”
Persephone dropped her head to the side with a warm smile. “thank you” she said. “I’ll have one sip”
“Okay” Hanna said. She leaned over and kissed her girlfriend’s temple. Then pulled back and turned to the others. Sneaking an arm around Persephone’s back and along her waist.
“A Toast” Cira offered, raising her glass. “To the weekend mayhem, in the middle of nowhere”
“To Mayhem” the group laughed, their glasses clinked and they took a shot of vodka.
A branch snapped and it made Hanna jump. She turned behind them, deeper into the forest, but the source was nowhere to be found. She frowned confused, eyeing each tree with a suspicious glaze. She turned back to the group.
“You okay?” Persephone asked.
“yeah fine”
“Come on drink up and lets get the drunk tent game started!” Kit laughed, draining her drink.
Cira smiled, topping up her glass. “Yes I would like to see that too” she said. She topped up the others, but Persephone. The woman gave her a quick shake of the head and so she pulled back the bottle. She looked past Hanna, to the forest, then back to Hanna. Raising one concerned eyebrow to Hanna.
Hanna met her concerned gaze and flashed her a warm smile, then mouth “fine”.
Cira nodded, refocusing on the group.
Miles out of town and more importantly, far from their teenagers.
The Crew took camp in the middle of nowhere. Armed not only with their weapons, but Michelle’s sketch of the Angel they are hunting. Sitting around the fire. Ava played with the sketch while the others prepped their weapons for battle.
Ava looked up and studied her Crew with a fond smile. “We haven’t done this in a while” Ava pointed out. Beatrice looked up and smiled at her wife. The others rose their attentions from their weapons. “Remember when we used to be living on the road”
“Running for our lives” Mary added. “Yeah doesn’t feel that long ago”
“Ah yes those were chaotic times” Lilith chuckled. “All that running about, chasing you and the trouble you caused along the way”
“No that hasn’t changed” Serita teased.
“I’ve slowed down” Ava protested.
Lilith shrugged and said “only a little”
“Fine I’ll take that” Ava laughed. She took a swig of her tea, then placed it back on her knee. “I wonder how the girls are doing?”
“Safe in their campsite” Beatrice observed. She turned to her wife and smiled knowingly “Our daughter is probably leading them into mischief within that campsite and her friends willing her on”
“Whatever chaotic mess they are conjuring” Mary stated, raising her glass to her friends. “They learned from the best, to chaos and good times!”
“Chaos and Good times!” the group cheered.
A tree cracked and the girls jumped to their feet, peering into the darkness behind Ava and Beatrice. In the darkness, they could make out the shadow of a tree tipping over. It’s body whined and cracked as it fell their way and it’s canopy landed in the light of their campsite. The thud shock the ground, but not the girls. Two more were shoved over in opposite directions. As if the tall trees were two curtains, standing in the way of something. Something was the right word to describe the mass, for its shadow was barely visible, but it trudged forward two steps of light feet. Bashing it’s way through the tight cluster trees for them.
The Sister Warriors unsheathed their weapons and closed ranks. Beatrice and Ava in the middle, the rest of their friends stood shoulder to shoulder. Prepared to strike.
“Is that it?” Camila asked in a low whisper. Not out of fear, but a need to make sure her bullet went through the correct enemy.
Ava could make out the looming shadow. The closer it got, the clearer it’s hands became, pushing the tops of the canopies aside. It’s body an odd shape, slim and long, as many legs to rival a spider and with what looked like miniature trees poking from it’s underside spreading outward. Ava’s gaze harden and her eyes lit up white. “It’s them” both Avas answered at once. “Gemini”
The next morning, at the teenagers campsite.
Persephone stirred in her sleep before the sun had properly risen. She felt Hanna moved behind her, wrestling with their sleeping bag for release. Then finally flopped over Persephone in victory. She felt hand brush against her skin moving hair from her face, before soft lips brushed against her cheek. She moved her head back and blindly kissed her girlfriend.
“I could. get used. To. this” Persephone spoke between breaths.
“go back to sleep” Hanna’s voice swung in sweet lullaby. “I’ll be back”
“don’t be too long” Persephone warned. She sighed content, rolled over and fell back into slumber.
The next time she woke was to the sounds of cooking and the crackles of fire and talking. She opened her eyes and blinked till vision was restored. She looked over to her left and found her girlfriend wasn’t here. Her side of the sleeping back still tossed over Persephone. Persephone huffed, a little irritated she couldn’t finish what her girlfriend started at the ungodly hour. She quickly moved on, dressed herself and trudged out of the tent.
Outside by the fire, Kit and Addams were cooking while discussing walking trails for wild mushroom and plant they could gather.
“Morning” Persephone interrupted.
“Morning” they cheered.
Persephone winced at their cheery tone. “How can you two be so cheerful at this ungodly hour?” she said. They laughed at her displeasure. She trudged over and flopped to the ground by the fire. “god my head is killing me”
“Here, take this you wuss” Kit laughed, handing Persephone a mug of sweet nettle tea.
“thanks” Persephone mumbled before she began taking deep sips of the tea. She pulled the drink back with a deep hum. “just like Camila’s”
“Aunt Cammie will be so proud to hear her skills are being passed onto the next generation” Kit laughed.
“where’s Hanna?”
Addams scoffed loudly. “Well her and Cira got into an argument early this morning and they walked off to bicker without annoying us”
Persephone frowned confused “Why? I thought those two were getting on well?”
“Well they were until today” Addams spoke, in a tone that made Persephone on edge.
“Please, they will be fine once they sorted themselves out” Kit dismissed. “Now drink up before it gets cold”
Persephone took another sip. “what was the fight about?”
Addams watched Persephone for a moment, before she turned back to the fire. Prodding the coals with a stick. “doesn’t matter”
“It does!” Persephone insisted.
Addams turned back to her and answered plainly “It was about you”
“Me?”
“Yes you, Hanna was defending you something chronic, but Cira wasn’t having a bar of it. Cira sounded more concerned for Hanna, then angry”
“She’s probably just jealous” Persephone scoffed.
“Hmm I don’t think so, I sensed no jealously with her” Addams leaned closer, starring into Persephone’s eyes with a harden gaze only reserved for those that piss her off or whom she seeks the truth from.
Persephone looked up at those eyes and couldn’t tell which reason was why her friend was looking her this way.
“What did you do?” Addams asked.
“Nothing” Persephone answered truthy. “I love her”
Addams pulled back, she accepted the first word, but the last statement sounded weird, in her ears. She watched Persephone for a moment, waiting for the girl to turn away. When she did, Addams looked away to the fire. She felt her girlfriend’s eyes on her and so looked up to meet them. There was a recognition of concern in Kit’s eyes. She gave her girlfriend a nod, then returned to work.
Meanwhile far from their campsite.
Stalking up a hill to the waterfall, was Hanna and Cira angrily bickering with each other. Hanna had already had enough of this debate and since Cira wasn’t letting it go anytime soon, she kept moving forward. Trying to put as much distance between herself and Cira as possible.
Unfortunately, Cira wasn’t listening.
“Look I get she’s your girlfriend or whatever” Cira Sandra spoke. Hanna sighed, annoyed. Cira rolled her eyes, keeping one eye on Hanna and the sword she carries on her side. “There’s plenty of other fish in the sea and she’s not that good for you, especially in the romantic sense”
“Please just drop it”
“No, not after you told me last night-“
“Cira Stop it!” Hanna snapped, turning on her heels to her. “I don’t remember what I said last night, but I was drunk and whatever I said, I didn’t mean it”
Cira shock her head. “A drunk man’s voice is a sober man’s thoughts”
“I’m not a man” Hanna scoffed, she turned on her heels and continued to march.
“That doesn’t matter!” Cira insisted. She raced forward, grabbed her hand and spun the warrior around. “I’m not relationship expert, but you should break up with her!”
“What for!”
“You deserve better!”
“Better? She is better”
“No she’s not!” Cira Sandra insisted. “No you deserve someone who will fight for you, someone who loves you unconditionally!”
“Like who?” Hanna scoffed.
Cira Sandra was about to say a name, her name, but she resigned from that thought and so enforced “someone better!” she said. Insisting to Hanna subconsciously that someone better was not Persephone and it was not her.
Hanna shock her head. “I’m not leaving her”
Cira Sandra groaned frustrated, dropping Hanna’s hand. “oh for Fuck Sakes WHY NOT!”
Hanna stepped closer and yelled frustrated “BECAUSE I LOVE HER!”
Cira Sandra’s heart dropped, her mouth fell open and she whispered surprised. “you what?”
Hanna didn’t have the time to figure out why her friend said those words full of hurt. Something shimmered behind Cira just by the cliff edge. She looked to the shimmer and found a shiny white spider creature. With a spider’s body, human arms for legs and a one eye head twice the size of it’s body. The strange creature sniffed at the pair. Then the bottom space between eye and chin blossomed to reveal a stick. It pulled it’s head back and shot a dart straight for them.
“FUCK!” Hanna cursed as she grabbed hold of Cira and threw herself and the girl around, missing the dart. The two started moving for the edge. Another dart flew at them again. It strike the centre of Hanna’s back, through the flesh of part of her wing. She gasped a whimpered cry. Hanna had not choice but to push them over.
The spider monster scurried the distance in a flash of speed, peered over the edge and rain down dart after dart to the tumbling pair.
More then a dozen curses echoed from Cira Sandra as they tumbled down the slope. Bashing into pebbles and trees, thankful the larger dangerous rocks were nowhere near them. Hanna blocked the darts, sending them far from Cira.
The spider soon gave up firing and decided a chase was better suited for the kill. It sprinted down the slope with dangerous speed.
Hanna pulled off a feather wing and threw the feather.
The spider threw itself forward straight for the Hanna as the wing feather flew straight for it. Mouth open, the creature pulled back it’s head was about to blow another dart. Suddenly the feather sliced through the creatures skull, split the dart in two and flew out of it’s head. The blood that came forth spurted over Hanna and the body toppled forward and slid down the cliff.
The two eventually landed on flat earth. Cira rolled to a stop while Hanna was thrown into a last tumble then straight on her face. The body of the creature slid between them.
Cira scurried to her feet, pulled out a dagger hidden on her person. “What the fuck is that?” she cursed, ready to strike the creature if it twitched.
Hanna rolled onto her side. The pain in her back was searing her skin, like acid burn and she struggled to remove the dart. “don’t know” Hanna spoke. “looks like it was stalking us”
“Why on earth for?” Cira turned to Hanna and frowned concerned. “hey you aren’t looking so hot, what’s wrong?”
“please..get it out”
Cira shoved the knife in her belt and sprinted across the ground to Hanna. She flipped the girl back on her face and reached the dart. She pulled the dart out and Hanna’s body gave a twitch. Cira’s eyes widen as something in Hanna’s back lurched. She was about to attempt to look at Hanna’s wings when something fell from the trees. Cira immediately took arms and threw her body in front of Hanna.
The source of the noise, were two warrior nuns, Sister Cara and Sister Mia. The women sprinted straight for the teenagers, armour bloodied and guns in hand.
“What happened!” Sister Cara shouted. “Did you get hit?” she asked afraid.
Before Sister Cara could get close, Cira Sandra immediately lurched forward, took the girl by the breastplate and pressed the knife to her neck. Hanna reached out and tugged Cira back, but it was too late. Cira leaned forward and warned “Another step and I’ll open you wide for the world”
Sister Mia took arms and aimed pointed at Cira. Sister Cara sighed, leaning forward with a gentle approach. “you don’t need to do that” she advised sweetly. “my name is Sister Cara, I’m your friend’s Sister Aunty. We’re here to help”
“Listen well kid!” Sister Mia ordered.
Cira glanced her way.
“I can shoot faster then you can slice” Sister Mia warned.
“No need for that Sister Mia, is there, Cira Sandra?” Sister Cara spoke. Cara took in the suspicious glare and added calmly “my sister niece Hanna, talks a lot about you”
“Cira” Hanna whispered.
Cira looked down at her friend.
“Let them go” Hanna begged. “please”
Cira watched her friend, then turned back to the nuns. She wasn’t trusting in the innocent face in her hands or the word of the armed sister pointing a gun to her neck. However she did trust Hanna and that was enough. She removed the knife and let Cara go.
“Thank you” Cara thanked before she rushed to Hanna’s aid. Whispering to her niece soft reassurances before she took to Hanna’s back, pulling up the shirt to survey the damage.
Cira turned around before she saw Hanna’s wings flop out onto the earth. She looked to Mia, finding the gun was moved off her and now surveying their surroundings and the spider, Stalker, that tried to kill them. “Do you know what that is?” Cira asked.
Sister Mia nudged it with her boot. Then pulled back and shock her head. “No, never seen it before, but it’s effective”
“Effective?”
“Yes, we witnessed this monster kill two of our own. One dart and it’s poison kills you. The rest of the Sisters have gone to rescue the others. We need to move back to Cradle”
“Just one dart?”
Sister Mia nodded concerned. “were you hit?”
Cira Sandra shock her head, then glanced Hanna’s way.
Sister Mia took the implication and shuddered. “no..Han-“ she didn’t get to finish her sentence. A massive quickly too fast to see darted across the field and into Sister Mia. Picking her up and carrying her into the forest. Her gun dropped to the floor. Her screams screeched through the forest as herself and the monster that caught her disappeared from sight.
“My god have mercy on us” Sister Cara blessed.
Cira Sandra took up the gun as her own and aimed for the spot Sister Mia disappeared to. She started to fire.
“wait, you’ll hit her like that” Hanna pleaded.
“Don’t worry I’m a good shot!” Sister Cira remarked. She soon pulled the gun down with a low grunt. “where is that fucker!”
The screams morphed into wet slopping sounds and soon the screams disappeared entirely. An Angelic howl filled the forest and the girls shuddered. Except for Cira Sandra, that angelic howl just made her glare with teeth exposed in a snarl. She fired again.
“COME OUT FUCKER AND FACE ME!” Cira Sandra shouted. She fired twice more, then stopped. No screams or Angelic howls followed, leaving to the illusion it was just them. Cira Sandra wasn’t fooled; she knew this creature was still out there. Watching them.
“We need to go” Hanna urged, trying to stand, but her body was starting to go mussy. “We need to leave”
“Yes, back to the Cradle. I already radio in for reinforcements, let’s move!” Sister Cara agreed. She rushed to her Sister Niece's side and hoisted an arm over her shoulder. She turned to Cira Sandra and ordered “that goes for you too, help me!”
Cira Sandra rushed to their side, taking up Hanna’s other side. She peaked behind her and noticed the wings flop down Hanna’s back and spread themselves weakly on the ground. Her eyes widen with shock, but she didn’t speak. She turned forward, caught her breath, then to Hanna, who looked at her ashamed. She gave Hanna a reassuring smile, then winked for good measure. “How you know the way-out sister” Cira remarked as the three began their journey back to the Cradle.
“Oh I know this forest like the back of my hand”
“Oh darling, why didn’t you tell me there was going to be trouble this weekend” Cira Sandra playfully remarked to Hanna. “I would have worn shorts”
Hanna snorted. “I don’t plan for trouble, trouble finds me”
“Oh sure that’s your excuse” Cira laughed. “Thought you were trying to impress me”
Hanna’s face blushed. “Well…”
“Actually trouble follows them quite a bit” Cara interrupted, with a tender smile. “Hanna and Kit do take after their parents quite a bit and their aunties, so trouble was bound to torment them”
“Interesting” Cira Sandra spoke. She turned to Hanna and chuckled lowly “lucky for you I like trouble”