Callum barely even had time to think. With a furious yell, he ran towards Black Annis, his hands raised in front of him. Shock and anger made his entire body quiver, and he felt a surge of energy pressing out from his hands. This was no warning – it was power.
Black Annis dropped the corpse and leaped at Callum. Her black, pointed teeth were bared and dripping with the girl’s blood. But as she pounced, Callum felt the energy in his hands push out and surround him. The hag twisted mid-leap and was knocked sideways. She landed in a crouch, shaking her head from side to side. For a moment, Black Annis looked confused, but then a dawning realisation spread across her face.
‘Chime child . . .’ she hissed, her voice a hideous rasp.
‘Callum, run!’ Melissa shouted, and Callum whirled around to her – he’d almost forgotten she was there.
‘No, Melissa, you get out of here. I’m –’
‘LOOK OUT!’ Melissa screamed, and Callum turned just in time to see Black Annis leaping towards him once more, her talons flexed and pointed straight at him. He threw his hands up in front of him, and Annis was knocked backwards again by his shield. But this time she recovered quickly. The demon snarled and lashed out – Callum only just managed to jump out of the way in time.
But Annis’ attentions had shifted. Callum followed the crone’s glowing gaze and saw it fall on Melissa, who was standing at the open end of the alleyway, her eyes wide with shock. In a split second, Black Annis sprang right over his head towards Melissa.
‘MELISSA!’ Callum shouted, but it was too late. He saw his friend hit the ground hard. Black Annis pinned her down and then she bared her teeth, the horrible slash of black in blue skin, and sank them into Melissa’s shoulder. She cried out in agony.
‘NO!’ Callum didn’t even use his powers this time. With a roar, he launched himself in a rugby tackle at the hag, knocking her off Melissa. Desperately trying to avoid the witch’s flailing talons, he pulled at her hair as hard as he could, grimacing as a stringy clump came away in his hand. Annis gave a screech and jerked away from him, retreating into the alleyway.
Rage filled Callum as he regained his footing and stood between Melissa and the hag. Black Annis ran towards the wall at the far end of the alley and began scrabbling up the brickwork with her impossibly long talons.
Callum raised his hands and reached towards her with a wordless cry of anger and loathing.
The palm of his hand suddenly crackled with energy. He felt the force radiating from deep within him and out through his hands as raw power. A glowing ball of light flickered in his palms, rippling in waves like heat from a bonfire.
Callum aimed towards Black Annis and released the bolt of energy at her. The crackling ray hit her arm and she screamed in pain once again. One of her clawed hands lost its grip, but she’d already reached the top of the wall. She pulled herself up, but a row of barbed wire blocked her way. She paused. Seizing the moment, Callum re-directed the beam of energy that was still radiating from his outstretched hand back towards the crone. He missed, but the energy struck the taut, spiked wire, which broke and sprang free, whipping out across the hag’s face. Thick, blue-black blood oozed from the wound, and Black Annis let out a high-pitched, bloodcurdling scream. Then she hauled herself over the wall through the gap that had been created and disappeared out of sight.
Callum stared at his outstretched hand, stunned. The air around it still crackled with power.
‘What the . . .?’ he breathed.
Then, through the shimmering air, Callum saw Melissa, still lying in agony on the ground at the entrance to the alleyway.
He rushed to her side. Her wrist was bleeding badly – she’d managed to cross her arm over her neck when the monster had attacked her, and it was her wrist that had been savaged by the hag’s pointed teeth, not her shoulder. Blood soaked her sleeve and mitten. Her face was drained white as chalk. She looked down at her hand and gave a grunt of distress.
‘Are you OK?’ Callum gasped. ‘Did she get you anywhere else? Let’s get out to the street, we should take you to a hospital –’
He clasped above her injured wrist gently, hoping to stem the bleeding, his own hands still tingling with residual energy.
‘Callum!’ Melissa gasped, more in surprise than pain. ‘Wh-what are you doing?’
Callum looked at her, confused, but Melissa was staring down at her wrist. Tentatively, she lifted back her blood-soaked sleeve and stared down at the wound. Where Callum held her, prickling energy flowed over and around both their hands. Callum could feel the electric warmth radiate from his palms. The power wasn’t as strong as it had been, but the air was still rippling. The force flowed around the gaping slashes in Melissa’s wrist – which slowly, before their eyes, began to seal themselves closed. After a few moments, the ripples stopped and Callum took his hand away.
‘What was that?’ Melissa asked. The strength had come back into her voice.
‘I’m not sure . . .’ Callum didn’t know what to tell her. ‘I – I think it’s done something though . . .’
He broke off into silence and they both stared down at her arm again in amazement. Where the savage teeth had torn the flesh, it was now smooth and unbroken. The fading energy of Callum’s power had somehow repaired the damaged skin without even leaving a scar.
‘Wow,’ Melissa breathed, then paused for a moment and stared at Callum. ‘You healed it! That’s another one of your powers! And Callum, what you did with that beam of energy. That was amazing! You’re really starting to get the hang of this.’ Her voice was shaking and incredulous.
Callum swallowed hard and looked down the alleyway at the crumpled corpse of the blonde-haired girl. His stomach turned over and he had to look away.
‘Fat lot of difference it made,’ he muttered, and then turned to look at Melissa, whose face was serious again.
‘Maybe we should go and tell those police officers . . .’
Callum frowned and took a deep breath.
‘We can’t. I mean, if we go to the police, they’ll ask questions, you have blood on your sleeve . . .’ He trailed off, shaking his head. His stomach was in knots. Melissa nodded.
‘You’re right. Someone will find her soon enough,’ she said, her eyes glazing over. Callum squeezed her shoulder briefly.
‘Let’s get out of here.’