The Nightmare Witches

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The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Something ancient had woken that night, something hungry. Some say the cabin was home to a witch, lost in the power of black magic. Others say the cabin is home to a monster made from pure evil. The truth was much worse. Whatever creature roamed the halls of that cabin, was beyond any horror imaginable.

***

Zoe was an adventurous, young girl ready to journey the world on her own. She decided to take the year off of school and go see all the world had to offer. This was the first time she was going to be leaving her hometown and she was nervous yet exhilarated. First, she would go see the April cherry blossoms in Yoshino, Japan. Then, she would slowly make her way back to the other side of the world, stopping to see the 7 wonders and all the hidden beauties in between. She had it all planned out. All except for her plane being 3 hours late. When she landed in Japan, it was already mid day and she still had a few hours of driving to get to Yoshino.

“I guess I won't be hiking through any cherry blossoms today.” thought Zoe in disappointment as she started unpacking some of her things. “Oh well, I’ll just make sure to get to bed early and do it in the morning. A perfect hike to start the day.” After cheering herself up and getting everything she needed, she went down to the small restaurant at the Inn to get some food before heading to bed. She ordered some ramen and a strawberry soda they called ramune. They were both delectable and she left feeling like she could pop at any moment with how much food she had eaten. But even with a full belly, sleep doesn't come easy when you’re full of excitement. However, tossing and turning all night does. When Zoe woke the next morning she was still exhausted. The only thing driving her out of bed was the need to see the cherry blossoms.

“There are so many things I want to do today so an early start is necessary.” determined, Zoe rolled out of bed. The sun was barely starting to peek over the horizon as she headed out the door with her bag of essentials in tow. She walked quietly down the hall toward the entrance of the Inn, careful not to wake any sleeping guest along the way. Once she reached the front, she saw the innkeeper smiling brightly at her.

“Well you’re up pretty early for someone who just got here. I hope you were able to sleep well, I know it can be hard to get used to the time difference.” Said the innkeeper with a slight accent to his words. He looked like such a kind old man, Zoe couldn’t help but smile back at him. He and his wife owned the Inn and Zoe thought they were one of the cutest couples she had ever seen. He was in charge of helping the guests, and she was in charge of most of the cleaning. They handled the rest together. When she first arrived, the Inn keeper made a joke that his wife was just really shy and that's why he did all the talking. She smiled sweetly at him and then continued what she was working on as he finished checking Zoe in.

“This place is beautiful, I slept as well as I could with all my excitement. I can’t wait to go walk through all those lovely cherry blossoms. Do you happen to have a map of all the trails I could use?” asked Zoe. She walked over to the front desk that was surrounded by a very peaceful and lush zen garden. This place was so relaxing, she was glad this was her first destination.

The innkeeper nodded and pointed to a small bookcase full of pamphlets and said “We have many to choose from right over there. Anything from a light walk to an entire day's hike. Please help yourself to any that you find interesting.”

“Thank you very much.” Zoe closed her eyes and chose from the middle shelf of pamphlets consisting of hikes that should only take about half a day at the most. She wanted to take her time enjoying the sites but still have time for things in the evening. She had chosen her trail and it was time to set off in the direction of the woods. The hike she chose took her through the village, the cherry blossoms and the giant bamboo forest nearby. She was ready to take tons of pictures to show off when she got home.

About an hour in, she reached the cherry blossoms. Millions of soft pink flowers filled the scenery and the smell was heavenly. Petals danced in the breeze as if dancing to the songs of the birds. It was the most beautiful thing Zoe had ever seen and it made her even more excited to see the bamboo forests in person. She found a bench beneath one of the trees to rest and re-energize while she took another look at her map. She would be reaching the forest soon and the trail would take her up a few hills and past some sort of house it looked like. It seemed like the forest trail was going to take the most time so, once she had finished her water and the lunch she packed, she was back to walking.

As she reached the edge of the forest, she gasped from the height of the bamboo trees. She had no idea just how big they could be and she felt so small in comparison. It wasn’t like the forest back home full of pine trees and oaks. Everything was so green, even the light from the sun shining down through the leaves. It was magical. At first the trail was very clearly marked by a wooden path and handrails, but the further into the forest Zoe got, the more difficult the trail became. At first the wooden path disappeared and then the railing on the side of the trail began to look more and more unkempt. It was almost like people didn’t come out this way and it was starting to seem a little eerie. But Zoe pressed on, she wasn’t about to let something that simple stop her from enjoying this hike. She didn’t realize that was her last chance to turn back. Even one step further would mean her doom, because one step was all it took to reach the territory of the nightmare witch. In her rush to leave the Inn, she didn’t hear the Innkeeper warn her not to go past the wooden rails in the forest.

She stopped just before the rails ended to rest and drink some more water before continuing. Once she was done, the next step she took gave her chills. Something was off and she made the mistake of thinking it just meant a storm was coming. “It’s starting to look a little dark, I better hurry so I don’t get caught in any rain. Getting sick is not on my trip itinerary.” She chuckled to herself and continued up the hill. When she reached the top she could see a small cabin in the distance. It looked so homey and warm. She wondered who lived all the way out here. There was a light flickering in one of the windows and a garden in front with what looked like a koi pond. She pulled out her phone to take a picture of the cabin and started up the next incline.

***

Layla woke with a start. She was laying in her bed again, in her cozy little cabin, with sweat pouring down her face. She had another nightmare. It was the one she had most often. She would wake up to her cabin rotting and falling apart. It would always be rainy and dark and someone would be there but they were just a blurry figure in the dark. She could hear a voice calling out to her and then screams. The figure never saw her and she couldn't do anything to help when she saw them dying on the floor of her bedroom. She couldn't make out many details of the person’s features but she could see the blood running down from their eyes. She could see the pool of blood surrounding them. But it didn't end there this time. The figure, finally able to see her, crawled to her begging for help. Begging her to make the nightmares stop. Layla didn't know who this person was or how this had happened, but she had the horrible feeling that it was her fault and that this had happened many times before. The figure then sunk to the floor and fell silent. Layla felt a strong pull towards the body lying on the floor and began to fall. That was when she woke up.

She had a strange feeling that something was coming as she made her way to the kitchen. She lit a candle and placed it in the window to keep any evil at bay. She wasn’t entirely sure if it worked, but it made her feel better. She remembered someone, who was close to her, used to do that for her when she was younger. As she looked out the window she saw the blurred figure from her dreams. She jumped back in fear and rubbed her eyes. When she looked back through the window the figure was gone and so was the ominous feeling. "That dream must still have me freaked out. I need to relax and make something to eat." After eating she went about her day as if nothing had happened like she always did when she had these nightmares.

***

Zoe was getting really tired and she noticed the sky was getting darker and darker. " There must be a really bad storm coming. I should probably start heading back to the village." She was starting to regret not sleeping well last night and trying to walk this trail now that it was just a dirt path was starting to get difficult. She found herself fumbling on every rock and root and on top of that she was struggling to keep her eyes open. "Why am I this tired already? It's only been a few hours since I left the Inn." She took her phone out to check the time but it was dead. She was starting to get worried and decided to stop by the cabin on the way to see if she could rest and charge her phone. As she made her way back down to the first hill top, where she saw the cabin, she tripped again. This time she couldn't catch herself and began rolling down the hill. On the way down she could feel her left ankle smack against something hard and her right arm got snagged by something sharp. When she finally stopped, her whole body hurt and she could feel that she was bleeding from both her ankle and her arm.

Now she really needed help. She got up carefully and tested her weight on her left ankle. It hurt but she could manage to walk on it enough to reach the cabin. She looked over to her arm to find a deep gash and a trail of blood making its way down her upper arm. Thankfully it seemed like that was all the injuries she had gotten from that fall. She had managed to get her arms up to protect her head for most of the fall. She began slowly limping forward as a strong gust of wind began blowing in the direction of the cabin, almost as if to help carry her there.

***

Layla Had finished all her chores for the day and was getting ready to make dinner when she saw a figure outside of her window again. She rubbed her eyes, only this time the figure was still there and It was slowly coming closer. Before she could fully panic, the figure started becoming more clear and she could see it was someone who had been injured. “Oh no! Someone must have fallen trying to go down the forest path.” She rushed out to the girl to try and help her the rest of the way. “ Here, let me help you. Do you know where all you’ve been hurt?” She looked the girl over and saw that she was bleeding from one arm and one ankle. Layla didn’t see any blood anywhere else and felt a small wave of relief for the girl. She was small and seemed quite young. Layla thought she looked like a hinata doll. Her hair was long and straight, its dark color made her skin seem even paler like she was made of porcelain. Her eyes were big and blue like an endless ocean with thick dark lashes. Her freckles made her seem so innocent and youthful and she was shorter than Layla by a few inches.

“She is the chosen” whispered a voice inside Layla’s head.

“I’m so sorry to intrude. I tripped going down that hill on my way back to town and ended up rolling the rest of the way down I guess.” She said with a little giggle and an embarrassed smile. “I think it’s just my arm and my ankle though. I got pretty lucky not hitting my head on anything. Thanks for coming to help me. My name is Zoe by the way.” her voice sounded a bit shaky and when they made it inside, she almost collapsed into the chair.

“I’m Layla, and don’t worry about it. Let me get some first aid and help you stop the bleeding. Just relax and I’ll be right back” Layla rushed into her bathroom to find something to clean the wounds and stop the bleeding. When she glanced in the mirror she saw her eyes and face looked slightly different. Her hair was long and straight like Zoe’s only it was a light silver color. She had pale skin and gray eyes. Her lashes were long and silver like her hair. All this was normal. What wasn’t normal was the silver glint in her eye that made it seem as though they were glowing and the expression of hatred.

“Zoe is the chosen one.” Whispered the voice, sounding angry this time.

As Layla kept looking into the mirror she saw her lips move as she heard the voice. Her heart began to pound as she said, “No! Go away!” She closed her eyes and shook her head, when she opened them, her reflection was back to normal. She finished gathering what she needed and made her way back to the kitchen where Zoe was waiting. “I found some antiseptic and some bandages. I also got a few damp rags to clean them first. Do you need anything else?” She began cleaning the wound on her ankle. It looked pretty swollen next to her other one that was very slender.

Zoe winced but answered Layla. “I think I have some more water in my bag if you don’t mind getting it for me.” She looked around in confusion. “Wait, where is my bag?”

Layla didn’t remember seeing a bag when she rushed out to help her. “Maybe it got lost in your fall. I can get you some water while you finish up.” She walked over to the cabinet grabbing a cup and then to the sink to fill it with water. “ Are you hungry? I was just about to start cooking when I saw you through the window. I could make us something to eat.”

Zoe tilted her head to the side in thought “ Actually I’m starving. I feel like I've been eating so much today and it’s not even noon.” Zoe looked at Layla who had a concerned look on her face. “What is it?”

“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head when you fell?” Ask Layla

Zoe was starting to get worried. “I’m pretty sure. It doesn’t hurt. Why? What’s wrong?”

Layla could see the panic starting to take over Zoe’s face and it made her chest hurt. She spoke very slowly and softly “Zoe, It’s not noon. It’s almost dark. I was going to cook dinner. How about you stay here tonight and I’ll help you back to town in the morning, okay?” Layla felt very worried for this small girl in front of her. She wanted to help her anyway she could and she felt a strong bond to her even though they had just met.

Zoe still looked confused about what happened but seemed to calm at the offer of Layla’s help. “I... I don’t know what happened out there. I thought I was only walking around for a few hours, not all day. I guess maybe I should stay here and rest. Thank you for everything you’re doing for me.” Zoe looked up at Layla now smiling brightly. “ I hope this doesn’t seem weird but, I kind of get the feeling we were supposed to meet. Don’t you?”

Layla clasped Zoe’s hands excitedly. “ I was just thinking almost the same thing.” Both Layla and Zoe’s stomachs growled and they burst out into laughter. “I’ll go get started on that food.”

***

Layla was getting ready for bed after showing Zoe to her room. She had just finished brushing her teeth and caught herself smiling in the mirror. She was happy to have a friend after so many years of solitude. She had forgotten how much she liked talking to people.

“Do not get attached!” The voice inside Layla’s head was back. This time it was more like a shout than a whisper. “We do not sympathize with our prey!”

Layla could see the light in her eyes shine at her through the mirror again. “No! I don’t want to do this anymore. I like her! Choose someone else!” Layla was squeezing her eyes shut, she didn’t want to see her reflection anymore. She was beginning to remember what her nightmares were. They were memories. Memories of when the voice inside her head had taken over. She had been the one to do all those awful things to those people and now she was about to do it to Zoe. Layla refused to give in any longer. Zoe reminded her of someone, reminded her of… Layla had a flashback of playing with someone small. It looked like a younger version of Zoe but her hair was a mess of curls.

Another flashback, the girl was a little older now. Her hair finally calming down to loose curls and she looked at Layla with a concerned face “Laylay, are you scared? Did you have another bad dream sissy? Do you want me to light the candle again?” Said the girl. Celine! Celine was my baby sister. She was the one who lit a candle for me each time I had a bad dream. Celine and Zoe looked and acted almost exactly alike. She couldn’t let Zoe become another victim.

“Do you remember why we started this in the first place?” Layla could feel the anguish and the anger behind those words. Tears started streaming down her face as she remembered the day she saw her sister murdered in front of her very eyes. The reason she never went to the village and why she hated them all for what they took from her.

***

Layla and Celine had moved to that cabin with their mother after their father had passed away from an illness. Not too long after arriving there, their mother had fallen ill. Layla had taken over the household duties and Celine would always try to help. She would go into town to gather food and medicine. When their mother passed Celine didn’t take it too well and tried looking into anything and everything she could to try and bring her back. She was broken and that hurt Layla. The villagers started to notice Celine's strange behavior and started to fear her. They believe she was a witch

One night they came up to the cabin banging on the door demanding that we give Celine to them. “She has been accused of practicing black magic.” Said a man from the other side of the door.

Celine was cowering behind Layla as she said, “I’m not a witch.”

“I know CeCe! Go hide, I’ll handle this.” Layla was angry. She could feel something burning through her veins that hadn't been there before. As she opened the door she saw the group of people gathered there take a few steps back, a few people gasping in shock. The man in front of her seemed to be frozen in fear. She could see her reflection in his eyes. She looked feral, her eyes giving off a light like an animal and her hair had changed from blond to pure white. She looked older, almost like an ancient being. She looked like a witch.

Someone shouted “They’re both witches.” and the man in front of her seemed to snap out of his shock and stormed past Layla through the door. The next thing she knew they were being dragged through the streets of the village. And then they were being thrown onto the ground in the village square. Someone wearing all black came from the shadows with an ax. They lined them up on their knees in front of what looked like stumps with U shaped tops. Celine was sobbing next to Layla as the man with the ax started walking up behind her. Layla started screaming and struggling to get to her. Unable to escape the grasp of the men holding her, she watched as the ax came down. Celine’s head thudded to the ground and rolled in front of Layla. She watched the light leave her baby sister's eye. A white flash left her body as she began screaming in horror. The two men holding her backed away in fear.

As the sky began to darken Layla was overtaken by rage.” You will all pay!” she screamed, her voice sounding like an angry animal locked inside of a cage. Instincts took over and she raised her arms and face to the sky. Another white light shot out of her and up to the sky. Blood began to rain down on the village. The villagers looked up to the sky and began screaming. Some were clawing at their eyes while others stopped fighting and sunk to the ground, only an empty shell left. Layla, taken by madness, began laughing and dancing in the blood rain. She made her way back over to her sister’s head. Leaning down she cradled her face, stroking the cheek gently. “ Let's go back home Celine.” She whispered softly. She found an empty cart nearby and lifted her sister’s lifeless body into it, placing her head back where it should be. She began making her way back to her cabin in the woods reciting a poem over and over again as she walked. “ Don’t go to the cabin, don’t even stare, for I will be watching, The witch of nightmares”

***

Layla came back to her senses and found herself sitting in her bed. Before she could remember how she got there the voice in her head spoke. “There’s us and there’s them. THEY don’t deserve pity! And we can’t leave without her body.” The voice in her head was pleading to her. “If we can’t leave, we can’t find a way to bring them back.” The voice cracked as if she were crying.

“I don’t want to do this anymore. I just want peace.” Layla could feel the exhaustion hit.

“We will have peace once we are all together again.” The voice sounded as if she knew she wouldn’t be getting anywhere with Layla tonight.

Layla couldn’t argue with the voice in her head anymore, she was too tired. “We can talk about this tomorrow.” She said matter of fact, giving the voice no room to continue.

“Fine! You forgot to light a candle again.” The voice sounded softer, almost concerned, but Layla was already drifting off to sleep.

***

At some point in the night it began to storm. A loud clap of thunder woke Zoe and she found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. She was no longer in a warm bed, but on a molded mattress covered by a blanket full of holes. The room around her was old and covered in dust. And it was cold. She could see a puff of mist with each breath. “Maybe I really did hit my head when I fell.” She thought. Remembering her injuries, she pulled the blanket aside and saw that her arm and her ankle were bandaged. Confused, she got up to investigate the rest of the cabin. The door creaked loudly as she opened it and she could hear something scamper away in the darkness. She kept going, making her way to the living room. There were plates still on the table with crumbs of the dinner Layla made. Moving on to the kitchen, the candle was still in the now broken window. Its flame, dancing in the wind. “Layla!” Zoe whispered and made her way back down the hall to find Layla, but the door to Layla’s room was missing. In its place was a picture of two girls. One of them looked just like Layla and the other, “That… looks like me.” Zoe began to panic. She didn’t want to be in this cabin anymore even if that meant trying to find her way back to town in the middle of the night during a storm. She ran to the front door, but it was locked. When she turned back around she saw Layla standing there staring at her.

“Laylay isn’t here right now. You get to play with me now, little Zoe.” She had a crazy smile plastered to her face and her eyes were glowing. “Laylay didn’t want me to play with you, ZOE! She said she liked you. I bet she only liked you because you look like ME!” She took a slow step forward. Lighting flashed and for a moment Layla looked like the other girl in the photo from the hall.

Zoe took a small step back,”Who are you? What did you do to Layla?” She was already backed into the door. The only escape would be the broken window if she could make it there.

“I’m Celine! Her dear baby sister who was MURDERED for trying to help mommy and daddy come back to life. They said I was a witch so they CUT OFF MY HEAD!” She looked angry but only for a moment before the sickening smile crept back on her face. “ Now, be a good little girl and give me your body so we can leave this cabin and get back to bringing our family together again.” Celine took another step forward. Zoe dashed for the window but Celine had already grabbed her by the hair. “Normally, I would play a lot longer, letting you go through an almost endless loop of nightmare after nightmare. Waiting for the moment you throw yourself at my feet, begging for mercy." She looked off into the distance longingly before returning her gaze to Zoe."Oh, don’t worry, since Laylay only liked you because you remind her of me, I’ll make this quick. You won’t feel a thing and I’ll occupy your body before Laylay even wakes up.” Celine giggled and it sounded eerie in the cold stormy night.

Zoe began screaming and trying to get away but it was too late. She could feel her body going numb. Celine had begun pulling what looked like a white light out of Zoe's body. Zoe realized it was her life essence, her soul. She was terrified but she couldn’t even scream anymore, her vision was fading and she knew she would be dead soon.

***

The storm passed and morning came. It was a beautiful day in Yoshino and the birds were chirping. “Time to go explore the world. First we'll pay the village a visit. I know they’re going to be so happy to see us. What do you think, Layla?” Celine stretched getting used to her new body. She was kind of glad to look like herself again. She was also glad that she was finally in control. Now, Layla was the voice in her head and she could block her out easily if she wanted. “Ah, never mind! You’ll feel better once I figure out how to bring the family back together again.” Celine started making her way back down the forest path to the village, skipping and singing. “Don’t go to the cabin, don’t even stare, for I will be watching, the witch of nightmares. I’ll bring back my mom and I’ll bring back my dad. I’ll do what it takes to make Laylay not sad. There's nowhere to hide, there's nowhere to run. Revenge in the village is sure to be fun.”