𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙲𝙷𝙴𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝚉𝙾𝙼𝙸𝙱𝙴𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙼𝙸𝙲𝙴, 𝙾𝙷 𝙼𝚈 !
━━┊❛ [ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 ] ❜┊━━

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       𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗢𝗙 what had happened was now setting in as the four followed the cat through the graveyard.

       Drusilla couldn't help but feel overwhelming anger now that they were out of the witch's house. Not just at Max but at herself for allowing it to happen. She had really let herself falter over some cocky boy's puppy eyes and had gotten herself in this situation.

         Drusilla looked down at the book that felt heavy in her hands. "Over here, I wanna show you something." The cat called to them. "Get an idea of exactly what we're dealing with," He commented.

        The four settled around the grave, eyes scanning the headstone and Drusilla sucked in a breath realizing who it was. "William Butcherson? Lost soul?" Max read out loud.

       "Winifred's lover," Drusilla commented grimly. The other three looked at each other surprised someone like that witch had a lover.

         "Until she found him sporting with her sister, Sarah." The cat continued. "So she poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut with a dull needle so he couldn't tell her secrets even in death, Winifred always was the jealous type."

         Listening to the cat talk more it finally hit her. "You're Thackery Binx." Drusilla suddenly said and the cat nodded.

        "So the legends are true." Allison breathed out, amazed. Thackery was quick to jump off Billy's headstone and beckoned them to follow him to another one.

         This one read Emily Binx and Drusilla smiled sadly as the cat began to explain his story fully, a story she had heard only through the eyes of her teachers and parents. The four sat down listening to Thackery. The pit of anger in Drusilla's stomach now mixed with remorse for the poor boy.

          "Because of me, my little sister's life was stolen. For years I waited for my life to end, so I could be reunited with my family." He explained. "But Winifred's curse of immortality kept me alive."

         Max turned to catch Allison's eye and then Dani's. His eyes drifted to Drusilla who had been awfully still and quiet. The girl refused to look at him, focusing on Thackery.

         "Then one day I figured out what to do with my eternal life. Now I'd fail Emily, but I wouldn't fail again. When Winifred and her sisters returned, I'd be there to stop them. So for three centuries, I've guarded their house on All Hallows' night, when I knew some airhead virgin might light that candle."

        Max rolled his eyes and this time Drusilla looked at him glaring. "Nice going airhead," Dani spat at him.

          "Hey look I'm sorry okay!" He defended, standing up, not only from his sister but from the glare the girl next to him was throwing. "We're talkin' about three ancient hags versus the 20th century, how bad can it be?"

         Drusilla had had enough so she stood up with him. "Have you not been listening to Thackeray this entire time!" She yelled back, the anger in her finally boiling over. "Did you not see them? What they were going to do? They don't need anything but their magic, Max!"

        Before Max could retort Binx had moved suddenly. "Stay out of there!" He shouted at Allison who had grabbed the book that had fallen out of Drusilla's grasp.

"Why?" Allison asked snapping it shut.

         "It holds Winifred's most dangerous spells, she must not get it." He explained. Max shot Drusilla a look and she glared back. Max moved to grab the book from Allison.

         "Let's torch this sucker," He said throwing it on the ground. He flipped the lighter open and Drusilla watched as he and Allison leaned over the book. He held the flame to the book only for it to blow the other way, no matter what angle he tried it wouldn't work.

      "It's protected by magic," Binx explained. Max sighed closing the lighter with a huff.

         Suddenly cackling from the sky was heard making the group look up. The Sanderson sisters had found them. Drusilla quickly grabbed onto Dani as Max grabbed both of them pulling them away from the witches.

        "It's just a bunch of hocus pocus!" Winifred mocked the group moved to hide behind a rock.

         Winifred made a gesture to Sarah and she happily obliged. The blonde witch flew low as she possibly could and right in front of the four.

        "Brave little virgin who lit the candle, I'll be thy friend." She taunted Max as the group stumbled back. Drusilla quickly grabbed a branch off the ground and swung it at her causing the witch to yell in pain and fly away.

         The four quickly hid back behind the rock. "Book!" Winifred sang. The spellbook began floating up to meet the witch but the Binx was faster, landing on it and facing Winifred.

"'Fraid not!" The cat taunted.

       "Thackery Binx thou mangy feline, still alive?" Winifred cackled.

        "And waiting for you." He told her. The group, having caught up, dropped down next to the cat.

        "Oh, thou hast waited in vain, and thou will fail to save thy friends just as thou failed to save thy sister!" She mocked and began dipping lower to the ground.

        "Grab the book!" Binx instructed and Drusilla grabbed it as they ran away from Winifred's grasp. They had gotten away from her but Mary had easily intercepted their path, the group quickly took a right finding shelter underneath some of the trees.

        "They can't touch us here right?" Max asked looking around for the witches.

"Well, they can't," Binx said.

         Drusilla snapped her head towards him at his choice of words. "Why did you say it like that?" She questioned him further.

          Her question was quickly answered when Winifred began chanting. "Unfaithful lover long since dead deep asleep in thy wormy bed. Wiggle thy toes, open thine eyes, twist thy fingers towards the sky. Life is sweet, but not shy. On thy feet, so sayeth I!"

         The ground under them once again began shaking as the four tripped over their own feet moving out of the way of the rising coffin. The wind whooshing around them Max quickly grabbed onto Drusilla as the girl held Dani in her grasp. Dani reached out to Allison, the four of them trying to stay together.

         The movement stopped and Drusilla leaned back into Max sighing, she knew it wasn't over as the coffin that had once held Billy Butcherson was now above ground.

       The decaying arms of Billy shot up, easily breaking the rotting wood that kept him captive.

    The zombie sat up dusting himself off of bugs and dirt before turning to the group.

        The group looked at Billy then at each other before turning back to Billy and screaming. They took off further into the graveyard following Binx and looking for any chance of escape.

      "In here!" He yelled and with no other option, they followed him down the hole.

       The cat easily made it down but Drusilla let out a groan when she hit the hard ground. The other two girls had stood up dusting themselves off and coughing.

         Drusilla sat up on her elbows looking around. "Where's Max?" Dani asked them.

        Before anyone could answer Max let out a yell as he jumped down the escape hole landing on Drusilla. With the wind knocked out of her again she groaned.

      That was the second time they had fallen on top of each other and the girl was getting sick of it.

        Max quickly scrambled to his feet and held his hand out to the girl which she gladly took. "You okay?" He asked her and she nodded a cough reaching her throat before she could get any words out.

        "What is this place Binx?" Max asked as he patted Drusilla's back helping her get the dust out of her lungs.

       "It's the old Salem crypt." He said and Max took out his lighter trying to illuminate it for them. "It connects to the sewer and up to the street."

        "Charming," Allison commented. With the newfound light, the three teens began looking around the place. Cobwebs and skeletons aligned the place giving them the creeps.

     "Don't look up, Dani," Max warned the young girl.

"Don't worry, I won't," She said back.

     "Relax, " Binx told the group. "I've hunted mice down here for years."

       Drusilla grimaced and the thought and Dani gasped. "Mice, oh god," She whined as the group began following the cat.

       They followed him down the twisting hallways of the crypt until they reached the sewer and you could tell by the stench of it. Drusilla did her best not to gag as it overpowered her senses.

        A sudden scurrying of mice caused Drusilla to jump back and grab onto the person beside her which happened to be Max. He found some humor in the sarcastic girl being frightened enough to grab onto him and let out a chuckle.

       "Oh shut up," She said pushing back from him and dusting herself off as they two began to walk again.

       He made note of how much closer she stayed to him, and Drusilla didn't care if she seemed like a baby at that moment.

       Max being the one with the light began leading the way with Drusilla behind him, the girl looking back every once in a while to check if Allison and Dani were still right behind them.

         "Come along, not much further," Binx informed them before mumbling to himself about which way to go. He decided to go right seeing the familiar path, the group easily followed him.

        Suddenly Drusilla stopped grabbing onto Max. "Did you hear that?" She said. She could have sworn she heard a low grumbling coming from not too far behind them.

       "You're freaking yourself out, Dru," Max said grabbing her hand and pulling her to follow Binx once again.

       Binx had thankfully led them the right way and they now stood in front of a ladder leading to the street.

       "Up the ladder," Binx said and Max closed the lighter. Max looked to the girls before going up the ladder after Binx.

        The girls watched as he lifted the lid before light flashed and his eyes went wide. "Binx look out!" He yelled before quickly jumping back down the ladder. With the loud thump, it wasn't hard to put the clues together on what had happened.

     "Binx!" Dani cried. Drusilla was first up the ladder as the four scrambled up to stand in the road.

       The dead body of Binx was laying there flattened by the car that had hit him.

       Dani hid her crying eyes in Allison's shirt and Max sighed. "It's all my fault," He said turning around as he stood next to Drusilla.

        "It's not your fault," She tried to comfort him putting a hand on his shoulder. Many things that happened tonight were his fault but not this. He smiled sadly at the girl before her eyes flickered back to Binx.

         She watched as his chest slowly inflated as Binx took in a breath again. "Look," She said pushing on his shoulder to turn him around to watch the cat come back to life.

"I hate when that happens," Binx said standing on all fours again.

       Drusilla let out a laugh, thinking how stupid it was she forgot he was cursed with immortality. "I told you I can't die." He reminded them before looking to the younger girl. "Dani, you all right?"

        Dani quickly wiped her tears smiling and nodding. "Okay, then let's go!" He said and the group was once again following the talking cat.

       "So what's the plan?" Drusilla couldn't help but ask the burning question as they made their way to a busier part of town.

Max sighed. "Tell an adult? A cop?"

        Drusilla gave him a look. "A cop? Have you seen any scary movies, they're not going to believe us." She warned.

"It's the only plan we got right now," Max said.

        Allison stopped pointing out to the cop just outside the liquor store that was seated on his bike. "There, come on,"

         The group jogged to the cop and Drusilla had little hope in this actually working Max was right, it was truly their best shot.

      "Officer, we need your help," Allison called out as they ran up to the man.

       The police officer looked at them curiously. "What's the problem?" Allison and Dani looked to Max who couldn't keep the scared look off of his face as he turned to Drusilla. She shrugged seeing as this was his plan the girls pushed him forward.

       "Well um.." The boy stuttered out. "Well, you see. I just moved here. Well, you see, it's like this. I um.. I broke into the old Sanderson house and I brought the witches back from the dead." He finally spits out realizing how crazy he sounded once the words left his mouth.

        "We even have the book," He pointed to the book in Drusilla's hands trying to convince the officer.

       The officer only looked the boy up and down. "You lit the black flame candle?" He asked seriously to Drusilla's surprise. Max nodded as the officer stepped off his bike.

        "Come on, let's get on the sidewalk," The officer instructed the four and Drusilla sighed knowing they were in trouble.

         "And he's a virgin," Dani added. Drusilla did her best not to glare when the officer's eyes landed on her as she stood beside Max.

        Max sighed and rolled his eyes. The cop stepped forward and beckoned Max closer to him. "Are you a virgin?" He asked.

Max nodded. "Yeah,"

       The cop made one last look at Drusilla before turning back to Max. "Really?" He asked in disbelief.

       Tired of the look the guy was sending Drusilla and the question in general he spoke. "Look I'll get it tattooed on my forehead, okay?" He sassed.

"Officer this is not a prank," Allison spoke up.

       "Hey!" The officer shouted making them jump. "I put my life on the line to protect this community and you punks pull this? Get out of here." He said sternly.

         "Come on Dani," Allison said grabbing her arm and Drusilla grabbed Max's as they scrambled to take what was left of their dignity and get out of the officer's sight.

It was clear they were going to need a new plan.

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