Jazzy - In the Shadows

As soon as the contents left the vial, they immediately swarmed around the Swamp Witch like bees on honey rather than just plopping onto her like Virginia had previously thought. The swirling motion first seemed light and slow, but the yellow contents soon picked up momentum and were flying all over the room. The speckled miniature spots flew around Virginia and reached the furthest points of the tomb, at first scattering, but soon developed a circular pattern. Virginia shielded herself against them as they started to move rapidly and became a mere blur as they whizzed by.

The Swamp Witch was yelling and screeching at what Virginia had done, trying to figure out a way to stop them. She reached out her hand and grabbed Virginia's arm. She used all her remaining strength to pull her towards her; a venomous glare shone in her eyes. "If I'm going, you're coming down with me," she declared to Virginia.

Virginia let out an angry shriek as she grabbed the Swamp Witch's arm with her free one and twisted it until she let go. She stumbled back, her chest heaving and her eyes darting about as an eerie light started to flood the room. It grew and grew until Virginia could no longer focus on it and had to turn her head away. When her attention was turned towards the opposite wall, she saw that the gate had opened and was slightly rocking back and forth.

A gale-size wind suddenly picked up. The contents from the vial started to dissipate as the enormous light grew and threatened to consume Virginia. She stumbled over to the gate and grabbed the iron just as the wind started to pull on her. The Swamp Witch's yells turned to agonizing screams as the tomb started to fade away into the light. Her screams became weakened and muffled before they finally stopped. A small smile of triumph was written across Virginia's face as she felt an enormous burden being lifted from her. She had done it. The Swamp Witch was gone for good.

The wind that was pulling on Virginia started to grow stronger and soon she found that her feet had left the ground and she was barley holding onto the rusted iron bars. From the force of the spiraling wind, the metal bars that held the gate together started to bend and crack under it and Virginia's weight. If she didn't get out of there soon, she would fall into the same hole that the witch had fallen in.

Using her summoned strength, Virginia fought against the sucking whirlpool that started to form behind her and slowly climbed the bars like a ladder. She was beginning to make progress as she came closer to the stairs, but the light had grown and made Virginia wince and squint her eyes.

A high pitched monotonous howl from the wind filled the tomb and grew louder and louder with each passing moment. Virginia had to fight the terrible urge to cover her ears with her hands and continued to climb up the gate. The wind continued to grow and miscellaneous items from above started to fly down the staircase and into the swirling winds, such as the single candle that was on the table and broken pieces of wood from the cellar doors.

Most pieces missed Virginia, but one stray small chunk of wood flew down and smacked into her knuckle. She let out a yelp and instinctively let go of the bar to favor her hand. It was a mistake she instantly regretted as her other hand struggled to hold on.

Before she could retrieve her grip again, her hand slipped and she found herself falling back and being pulled into the hole in the center of the tomb where the Swamp Witch had once rested. Virginia's arms flailed about to stop herself from plummeting, and they finally grabbed onto the very last bar of the gate. She let out a grunt as her body was stopped from falling as the simple inertia threatened to take her down. The wind seemed to scream as it grew once again in size; the shrieking high-pitched tone never ceased and the light made Virginia completely shut her eyes. She made another effort as the wind increased its pull as she started to climb up the gate again.

After what seemed an eternity, she finally made it to the top after a few near hits from debris and almost losing her grip again. Once she got over the gate, the pull from inside the tomb was lighter and it was easier to stand on her feet. She quickly climbed the stairs and as soon as she hit the top, the entire house began to shake. The roof was cracking and falling under the immense pressure from the pulling wind while the wooden table tipped over and slid across the floor.

Virginia made a break for the door and flung it open in one simple move. The boards on the floor were raising and twisting, some being pulled out of place. The glass windows broke and shattered to the ground, sending shards of glass flying around the room, some hitting Virginia and piercing her skin.

She ran out of the house just as the blinding light enveloped the entire cottage. She dove away from the house and rolled to the ground. Virginia looked back at the Swamp Witch's house and her eyes flew open. The light was brightly shining out of every window and crack like the sun was inside, making spotlights over the whole swamp. The wood creaked and snapped loudly, first slowly, and then began to speed up. Virginia realized what was going to happen and covered her head with her arms instantly, just as the Swamp Witch's cottage imploded.