The Witch’s Ichor

Chilling winds sap the warmth from Ryker's clothes as he follows his friends to the far side of town. The full moon reflects an unseen sun, illuminating the gravel road and surrounding forest. Ryker zips up the top half of his jacket while glancing over his shoulder.

"This place is fucking creepy..." Ryker grumbles.

"What, you too chicken to walk through a forest now?" Derek taunts him.

The snort of amusement from everyone but Ryker is quickly drowned out by the distant howl of a wolf. The quartet stays quiet in the wake of the interruption. Derek breaks the silence a couple minutes later by clearing his throat.

"...Yeah alright, this is pretty creepy." Derek admits.

Ryker's lips curve up into a slight grin as the group resumes their trek. The sounds of gravel crunching underfoot is interspersed with the calls of animals in the forest. The lights of the town they call home fade from sight.

"Shouldn't we have found it by now?" Theo asks uncertainly.

Jamison's dark eyes flit from his friends to the road ahead. The tall boy towers over his friends, standing at nearly six and a half feet tall. He lets out a low chuckle, pointing toward a purple light between the trees ahead.

"You mean that shop?" Jamison says confidently.

Theo goes quiet as an eerie cart comes into view. Violet lanterns illuminate the surrounding trees. The purple lanterns sway in the autumn breeze like corpses from gallows. There's a distinct lack of horses to draw the carriage.

"Holy shit, that's freaky!" Derek laughs.

Derek's expression is a mixture of surprise and excitement. The solidly built boy stands at roughly six feet, and is the most athletic of the quartet by far. Derek suddenly takes off into a sprint, hollering over his shoulder without stopping. The wind makes both his shorts and tank top flutter wildly.

"Last one there's a pussy!"

Like a gunshot at a horserace, this propels both Jamison and Ryker into a sprint. Theo is quick to follow their lead. The forest is filled with the sounds of their footfalls and whooping calls. The chilly breeze is forgotten as their blood pumps hotly from the exertion.

Derek manages to win the impromptu race with ease whilst Jamison comes up as a close second. Derek raises a hand to meet Jamison for a high five. Jamison wears a thin smile on his face; Derek is jogging in place with a smirk of his own.

"Guess who's the pussy!" Derek announces.

Ryker shakes his head in exasperation as he arrives shortly before Theo. Derek is busy doing a mock drumroll with his hands while Theo struggles to catch his breath.

"It's Theodore!" Derek finishes.

"Ha... fuck you too, Derek." Theo replies breathlessly.

Theo pushes his square glasses up the bridge of his nose before dusting his jeans off. The bespectacled boy is the weakest and thinnest, coming in at just five and a half feet tall. Jamison turns his head in the direction of the nearby carriage. The warm atmosphere quickly fades in the face of the violet lantern light.

"Come on guys... let's check it out." Derek says in a tone that betrays his nervousness.

Derek's usual gusto is dampened as he approaches the ominous cart. His flip flops slap the gravel, staving off the uncomfortable quiet of the night. He gives the door handle a gentle pull. It swings open with an eerie creak, casting purple light onto the gravel road.

"H-Here we go..." Derek mumbles.

Ryker is at the back of the pack. He soaks in the sight of the mysterious carriage. Carved words adorn the side of the cart: Esmarelda's Emporium. Ryker nearly jumps out of his skin when an owl hoots softly from the trees.

"You coming?" Theo asks from the open door.

"Y-Yeah, of course." Ryker replies.

Ryker follows Theo inside. Wooden shelves divide the interior into a maze of merchandise. Several candles burn with purple flames which cast eerie violet light. Scents of incense and freshly dug dirt mingle in Ryker's nose.

This is way too creepy.

An odd statuette carved from ash grey wood catches Ryker's eye. He picks it up off a dusty shelf, inspecting the seemingly nonsensical carving. It simultaneously reminds him of a person's face and a knot of wood grown on a tree. It makes his head hurt to look at, so he sets it back down on the shelf.

"What the fuck... is this real?" Derek mutters.

Derek is grasping a monkey's mummified paw. The thing looks old as dirt, yet has intact nails. The paw twitches as if alive. Derek wordlessly places the paw back on the shelf in front of him whilst wiping his hands on his shorts.

"I-I think I'm ready to bail." Derek says quietly.

Ryker nods as Derek stares fearfully at the now motionless monkey's paw. Jamison and Theo didn't witness any of that, so they continue perusing the shelves. Theo is actually crouched low with a necklace of bones in his hands. He looks over to Derek and Ryker with a curious expression. Neither of them say anything.

"Hah. And I thought I was the coward-" Theo starts.

The bone necklace is no longer in Theo's hands. His eyes widen and he glances back at the empty shelf before looking down to see it's already on his neck. With shaking hands, Theo takes off the bone necklace and places it onto the shelf where he got it.

"This was a bad idea, Jamison!" Theo admonishes.

Jamison isn't there. Ryker and Derek are close to the door, and Theo is just to the side. They all look at one another before inching further into the carriage in search of their unspoken leader.

"J-Jamison?" Derek says quietly.

They turn the corner to see Jamison carefully inspecting a glass bottle full of clear fluid. He's trying to read the bottle's faded label, but the violet lanterns aren't helping much. Derek grabs Jamison's shoulder.

"Dude, we need to leave... this place is fucked." Derek insists quietly.

Jamison gives Derek a questioning look before rolling his eyes at how on edge his three friends are. The glass bottle in his hand isn't exactly setting off his danger sense.

"Can't we at least buy something first?" Jamison replies casually.

Derek gives Jamison an exasperated look before giving up. Derek keeps glancing over at the unattended counter, but Ryker can't contain his curiosity. There's a glass bottle shaped like a teardrop. It's filled with a black inky fluid that makes Ryker's stomach turn. The label is partially legible.

"Witch's brew... Something about the ideal body... And the moon?" Ryker reads.

Theo is still on edge, but his curiosity wins out when he sees a realistic sculpture of a hand comprised of solid gold. Ryker watches Theo nearly grab the item off the shelf, but Theo thinks better of it. He looks for the price tag.

"Wait... How much does any of this cost..?" Theo wonders aloud.

The four of them all stiffen up when an unfamiliar voice answers Theo's question; The words resemble the harsh squawking of a crow.

"My merchandise bears no price, for the consequences do suffice."

Four pairs of eyes lock onto the source of the voice instantly. Behind the counter sits an uncanny caricature of a witch. The hunched hag is covered by ripped black and brown rags. Her oddly shaped face resembles a child's sloppy crayon drawing. Black and yellow crooked teeth line the woman's swollen red gums. Her beady eyes like oil pooling in the valleys of a wrinkled desert. The disturbing woman's outfit is completed by a tall crooked black hat.

"You may choose a single thing, but heed what it may bring."

Jamison's expression finally falls at the sight of the Emporium's owner, and the glass bottle slips from his hands. The sound of the bottle shattering on the floor of the carriage sends the boys scattering like cockroaches. Theo is the first out of there with a conspicuous stain on his jeans. Derek practically runs over Theo when he sprints away. Jamison ducks his head through the low doorframe as he makes his escape. Ryker hears Jamison call for him on his way out.

"Come on!"

Ryker snaps out of his fugue and follows Jamison out of the cart. He clutches the glass bottle in one hand. The four of them don't slow their pace until they get to the edge of the forest. The yellow glow of streetlights and sound of traffic calms their tensed nerves. They catch their breath until Derek breaks the silence.

"Holy fuck... Haha!" Derek laughs hoarsely.

Jamison keeps glancing over his shoulder at the tree line. Derek is slapping his knee while laughing his head off. Theo is sitting down on the asphalt while wiping away his tears. Ryker is staring at the glass bottle in his hands.

Derek's laughter subsides after a minute or two, and Ryker's focused gaze draws him closer. The teardrop shaped vessel is the only item they managed to take before booking it back to town. Seeing the dark oily fluid in the bottle brings a wicked grin to Derek's face.

"You gonna drink it?" Derek asks.

"What?! No!" Ryker refuses quickly.

"Oh come on, I dare you." Derek goads him.

Ryker swallows the lump in his throat as he stares down at the bottle in his hands. The stuff really does look like ink. Jamison puts a hand on Ryker's shoulder, giving him a smirk.

"I double dog dare you." Jamison says with a low chuckle.

Ryker glances between his two buddies before letting out a groan of frustration. These two could be so immature when they agreed on something. Ryker gives the bottle another disgusted glance before carefully uncorking it. There's no scent as he raises the bottle to his face.

"Alright, but you two fuckers are responsible if this kills me." Ryker warns sternly.

"Yeah yeah, just do it already!" Derek urges him.

With one last deep breath Ryker tilts the bottle of inky fluid up. The stuff flows like water between his lips, bathing his tongue in flavorless black mystery juice. Ryker is pleasantly surprised by the lack of flavor and texture as he tilts his head back.

"Chug! Chug! Chug!" Derek encourages him.

"He's actually fucking drinking it..." Theo mumbles bitterly.

Ryker finishes the entire bottle without issue, and lets out a burp. He covers his mouth in mild embarrassment. Jamison and Derek both slap him on the back as a means of congratulations-which elicits another loud belch from Ryker.

"I can't believe you did that! Fucking awesome!" Derek says enthusiastically.

"Truly metal." Jamison adds with a respectful nod.

Ryker moves his tongue around his own mouth a little before shrugging his shoulders casually.

"It wasn't that bad, actually. Think I'll get magic powers or something?" Ryker jokes.

The three of them laugh a bit at the thought before growing quiet and contemplating the actual possibility of that potion doing something supernatural. Seeing supernatural nonsense happen right in front of you shakes up your perception of reality.

"I don't know about you guys, but I've had enough of this freaky shit for today." Theo cuts in.

Theo looks absolutely horrible, a clear piss stain on his jeans and sweat staining his shirt. He kicks some gravel under his sneaker while walking off toward the nearby suburbs. His three friends cringe at the pathetic sight.

"I'm going home... Fuck this..." Theo grumbles irritably.

Jamison jogs up to Theo with Derek lagging behind. Ryker clenches his fist, looking at his own hands and realizing the glass bottle is missing. He shivers at the realization before moving to catch up to his friends.

An owl swivels its head to watch the four boys return to the comfort of civilization. It lets out a soft hoot as the full moon frames it, and then it vanishes.