FLAME

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.

Iris moved from the candle in the window and lit several others throughout the room. Settling on the floor, Iris swiped a few extra drops of blood that were out of place on the rune. She licked the drops off her fingers. It tasted sweeter than most others.

The donors’ body hung lifeless by their ankles in the corner. Blood continued to drip into two rusty buckets below.

Iris smiled and began speaking, “Children of the Night, here is your offering. All the blood in the body of this individual and all the blood in my body.”

She stopped and waited. No eerie breeze wiped out the lit candles. No whispers in the shadows. Not even the creak of the second floor floorboards.

Iris huffed and repeated herself. Nothing.

Flashing red and blue lights appeared outside, with the crunch of gravel. There was a harsh knocking on the door, “We see the glow! This area is on private property, you must leave immediately!”

Iris didn’t answer, but repeated the same phrase. The voices on the other side of the door counted down from three and burst through the door.

The three officers immediately gagged at the smell. Iris watched them through hooded eyes as they started to walk towards her.

“Ma’am, you better come out of there,” one of the officers held up a gun pointed at Iris. “Put your hands in the air!” The backs of the officers were illuminated by the headlights of their vehicles.

An inhuman wail sounded from the woods outside. A mixture of sorrow and fright. The headlights exploded all at once, darkening the area. All that remained was the candlelight from inside the cabin. The gun in the officers’ hand began to shake as their eyes flipped between Iris and the trees at their back.

In a flash, Iris stood, dashed forward, and slapped the gun from their hands. A shot rang out when it hit the floor, the bullet ending up in the leg of the officer who had held it. Their own screams echoed off the trees as Iris easily dispatched them.

One. Two. Three.

Iris dragged their bodies inside, a thick stream of blood left behind, staining the rotten wood. The wails in the forest grew more intense and animalistic. Iris lingered by the door, her eyes narrowing at the treeline.

She sighed again, reluctantly closing the door. Glancing down at the three new bodies, she prayed it would be enough.

~~

Iris reached for a different box of cereal. She weighed the two options before choosing the ‘unhealthy’ option.

Nothing mattered anyway.

Pushing her cart, Iris flitted around the store and grabbed a few more items. Milk. Bread. Eggs. Chalk. Candy. Butter. Apples. Candles. Granola bars. Carrot sticks. Ice cream. Camping rope.

She used self checkout and greeted Mark, with whom she had become good friends. He was easy to talk to and always offered to help bag her groceries, despite that not being part of his job.

“I’m glad to be seeing you,” Mark smiled at her, taking the granola bars from her outstretched hand. “It’s been some time.”

“I know,” Iris grinned back. “I had to go to the closer store for something last week and ended up getting my staples there then.”

Mark placed a hand over his heart and feigned shock, “You dare patronize our sworn enemy?”

Iris laughed, patting his shoulder and reminding him that it was a one-time thing. Mark placed her paper bags into the cart for her and waved as she left.

Iris loaded the bags into the back of her massive black SUV, before hopping in the front seat. Her drive was about twenty minutes before approaching a rod iron gate. Rolling down her window and smiling, the gatekeeper nodded and pressed the button for the gate to open.

Pristine lawns, stone pathways, and massive glass windows were all she saw. Driving slowly, Iris admired all the neighbor’s holiday decorations, noting her favorites to return after dark. That’s when she would choose her favorite for the yearly raffle.

The car was parked in the garage attached to the house. Iris unloaded the groceries into the kitchen, separating the food from the other essentials.

“Darling, you know Margarete can handle the shopping,” her mother glided into the kitchen.

“I know, I just felt like getting out,” Iris smiled, handing her mother a glass of white wine. Iris poured one for herself and the two women retired to the back patio, watching the sun set over the golf course.

~~

Feces, urine, and dried blood all within the stuffy cabin hit Iris’ nostrils as she opened the door. She inhaled deeply, relishing the decay that surrounded her. Methodically, Iris replaced each candle with a fresh one. The three new donors were strung up beside the first donor. The floor was mopped as best as she could.

Iris awaited for the wood to dry on the front porch. Her fingers twitched in anticipation, the new chalk staining her palms. Two checks of the floor later and it was finally dry. The previous rune was easily visible, but Iris wasn’t concerned.

Frequently consulting her book, Iris redrew the rune in chalk first. She made a few mistakes and thanked herself for the ingenious thought.

Long before the rune was completed, night fell. The woods were once again sounding their nightly noises. Noticeably absent was the painful wail.

Iris sat back on her knees once she covered every chalk mark with blood. She’d mixed the four donors’ together. It tasted more complex, with notes of sweetness and spiciness.

She rubbed a bloody hand over her face before realizing what she had done. Iris groaned, hoping it wouldn’t deter her chances of reaching her objective.

Instead of sitting, Iris stood in the center of the rune. Closing her eyes, her hands outstretched to either side of her.

“Children of the Night, here is your offering. All the blood in the bodies of these individuals and all the blood in my body.”

Once again, silence.

Iris, frustrated, opened her eyes and growled. This was no way to treat her. She repeated herself, more firmly.

Soft voices and laughter sounded in the distance. Iris’ gaze snapped in the direction. She stepped from the rune, careful to not smear anything, and peered out the window.

Bobbing lights were flickering in the distance. Flash lights from smartphones.

Iris licked her lips, extinguishing all but the single candle in the window.

And waited.

“Look! There’s a candle in the window!” A young voice called out. A hush fell over the group.

“Whatever, it’s probably just the senior prank. You know how Hunter likes his laugh,” a separate voice answered. There’s a few murmured agreements.

“I dare you to go inside and extinguish it,” a third voice jeered.

“God Tommy, no! Stop daring Kyle to do shit like that!” The second voice said. A few other voices were on the side of Kyle, egging Tommy on to take the dare.

“Fine!” Tommy’s voice ran out above the others.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of the gravel beneath his shoes grew louder as he approached. The floorboards of the porch creaked. Iris knew he was reaching for the handle when one of the others in the group yelled out another tease.

The door started to creak open as the painful wail sounded in the distance. Tommy’s hand withdrew as others in the group shrieked.

Iris bounded across the room, pushing the door open just enough to tear Tommy through. His neck was snapped within seconds, but not before he saw the bloodied face of his captor.

The shrieks outside only grew after they found Tommy missing. They assumed the wail in the forest had gotten him.

Iris snorted softly as they ran toward the cabin, seeking shelter from the wailing trees. Hiding in the closet beneath the staircase, Iris held the gun close to her chest.

Five bullets, five teenagers.

They ran inside, slamming the door. It only took a moment for their screams to grow louder as the smell and staging overtook them.

Five gunshots later, Iris smiled at her prize. She was happy to have caught them all near the front door, not messing up her perfectly drawn rune.

The distant wail ceased as Iris tried her incantation one more time. Fire encased her, burning her skin as screams of her own tore through her body. But she dared not move.

Iris would be back in the arms of her lover soon enough.