Chapter 38-She Smells Fear
Lily knew they were going into the forest. She had been there on a few occasions, serving detention James probably deserved, but she had never ventured this far into the forest. She had a feeling that no one had gone this far, besides Venus. The trees seems to vanish, only a few were left, surrounding a huge clearing. Venus' cackling laugh could be heard and her red nails were digging into James' arm. Their disillusionment charms had been cast off when they were deep within the forest, but they were still bound and levitated.
"You fucking bitch! Where are you taking us?" Katy demanded to know.
"Oh, Miss Jones, we're here," Venus said. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Lady, you got a twisted idea of beauty," James said. He was gritting his teeth as her nails sparked blood to trickle down his arm. She saw the blood on her nails and grinned.
"Oh Mr. Potter, it is beautiful," she said maliciously. She smeared the blood on his face, all over his glasses.
Lily had never seen a less beautiful place in her life. There was mud everywhere, a small shack about a mile away, that was barely visible. She saw barbed wire surrounding what seemed to be a cockpit. Lily heard the distinct sound of dogs barking, howling with hunger stricken rage. She saw a rusted over car near the shack but it seemed to have lost all life many years ago. Before Lily could get a better glimpse, she felt herself fall to the ground with a heavy thud. She heard several moans of protests as the others had fell as well.
"You stupid bitch. Do you really think we're going to let you get away with all of this?" Katy asked.
"Someone will come looking for us," Lily said.
"Where? Where is there to look? There's nothing. No one knows about this except me. I happened to have made this clever little place all on my own. During my sixth year at Hogwarts. I had big plans for this place. Finally, those plans will become successful. As for getting away with this, where are your wands? Ever thought of that, Katy? You're a little too clever for your own good, as is Miss Evans. I knew that you two would be my downfall. I needed Potter and Trelawney and I knew you two would get in the way. Too nosy for your own good," Venus spat.
Without any notice, Venus grabbed the cuffs of Lily and Katy's robed and threw them forwards into the cockpit. Lily spat mud out of her mouth as Katy rubbed her arm. Barbed wire had stuck itself into her arm.
Lily tried to look at what was happening. James seemed to have punched Venus, but unfortunately for him, she had all of their wands. She hit him with the Cruciatus Curse and he keeled over in pain. Sybll watched with tears streaking her pale white face.
"The four of you will learn that while you're here, Dumbledore is not your Headmaster. I am," Venus said grimly.
She shoved James into the pit and Sybll followed. The pit was deep enough that there was no escape to it. James could see over it, and could probably climb out, but he was in pain still and was lucky to not have brain damage. Before his healing could kick in, the four of them heard a whistle. Venus was whistling, as if cueing something.
"Go get them. What are you waiting for? No ones fed you for weeks," Venus screeched.
Lily's eyes widened in panic. She seemed to be the only one aware of what was going on. She knew the dogs were out. She could hear their starving barks, looking for prey.
"James, we need to move. We need to get out of here," Lily said.
"Tell me something I don't know, Lils," James said, annoyed.
"No, I mean literally," Lily said. James poked his head up and saw the dogs running from the shack.
"Shit," he said. "Ok, Sybll I'm going to heave you out of here, as you're the shortest and probably have the shortest legs. Then Lily, then Katy, and then I'll get out."
They nodded.
He lifted Sybll and inhaled deeply for strength. He was still quite weak. But, as before, he seemed to have more motive when his body was failing him. He lifted her quickly and she climbed out of the pit and ran.
"Run Sybll, run!" Lily screamed. James was ready to heave her up when she kissed him on the lips, crying. He lifted her and she ran as quickly as she could. She heard Katy's feet slipping in the mud after her.
James only had so much time to get out before the dogs came after him. They were approaching him. He heaved himself out the pit and ran, ran for his life, hearing Venus laugh. He knew she wanted to kill him and wouldn't allow the dogs to kill him. But how much pain they could cause him was fresh in his mind.
He was sprinting ahead of Katy, almost past Lily. He looked behind him to see Katy slipping.
"Damn," he muttered.
He backtracked and lifted her. The dogs were gaining on them. It was though they were running in one big circle. He lifted her over his shoulder and started running again. He could hear her screams as she felt the dogs snapping for her hands. This made him run faster. Sybll seemed to be running for the shack. James knew at once that this was a bad idea. Venus was laughing from the porch of the shabby little house. The sun was setting and their light was running out. Before they could do anything, the dogs were back in their cages and all of them had tripped and landed in the mud. James felt it sting his eyes and he could feel it sticking in his hair, with a mixture of blood. Lily was sobbing ahead of him, lying in the mud, slipping as she tried to get up and run again. Sybll was pouncing her fists into the mud.
"You evil witch. What do you want with me? What do you want with us??" she screamed.
"I want you dead," Venus said, as she has Apparated over to them.
"Lazy too, I see Venus. Was your mother as lazy as you?" James asked cockily.
He didn't have any other defense but verbal abuse and he was ready to use it to the fullest extent. If he was going to die, he was going to die trying. He wasn't going to serve himself on a platter, he was going to fight and try and escape. He needed to get out of this, he needed to marry Lily.
"Cheek, Mr. Potter," she said. "That's always been your weakness."
"Sorry, but I like to think of it as my strength," he said, but felt her shoe step on his head to force it back into the mud.
"I've only just started with you. Trust me, tomorrow's a brand new day," Venus said viciously.
She then pulled Sybll up and dragged her by her hair over to the cockpit. Lily tried to get up, but her legs could carry her no farther. James' seemed to have left his body, his nerves weren't working right. They wouldn't move.
Venus then came back and grabbed Katy and Lily. She pulled them by their hair as well. James' heart surged with rage. He was not letting Venus do this to him.
His legs sprung to life with power. He stood and Venus was next to him smiling.
"We could do this the hard way," Venus said.
"You are not putting your disgusting hands on me again, wench," he spat at her. "On on anyone else for that matter."
"Oh, I'd like to see a wand less eighteen year old brat stop me," she said. She made way to grab his hair, but as he was much taller than her. He took her hand and twisted it.
She lifted her wand and pointed it at him. He was blasted into the pit by a force that erupted from the spell she had cast.
Darkness fell totally and completely on the torture chamber. Venus was heading towards the cockpit. With a flick of her wand, a steel cage fitted itself over the top of the pit. She laughed her wicked, wispy laugh at them and James could see her perfectly white teeth in her evil mouth.
"Sweet dreams. I'll see you in the morning, my darlings," she called, as she Apparated to the shack. Lily was sobbing with Katy and Sybll and they were hunched in a corner of the muddy pit.
"We're going to die," Lily said.
"Don't talk like that!" James yelled at her.
"Well we are. It's stupid to pretend we're not. She's just testing us right now. She'll kill us tomorrow," Lily said.
"No she won't," Katy said quietly.
James pounded on the roof of the cage and on the sides, trying to look for an escape.
"Lily's right. If we're going to die, we better prepare for it now," Sybll said.
"I am not going to die at eighteen. I have too much more life to live," James said.
"Sybll, have you not been in this situation before. You were trapped in a cell at Voldemort's for months and escaped. Why should this be any different?" he asked her.
"I had people come and rescue me," Sybll said softly.
"Why is this different? Do you know how many people are at Hogwarts? Thousands. We have a chance. Me and Lily are Head Boy and Girl, Katy is a prefect, and I am also a Marauder. We will surely be missed. Someone had to be looking out the window tonight. Knowing my friends, someone will rescue us," James said.
"I case you haven't noticed, we're hundreds of miles from the school," Sybll said.
"Has that stopped Sirius before?" James asked.
"Great. Our only hope lies in Sirius' and James' telepathic connection that they share. I feel safe," Katy said sarcastically.
"Oh shut up. I know Sirius will know," James said.
"He's married now James. Did he notice when you and Sybll got detention and came back a mess?" Katy asked.
"Well, no," James said.
"Face it, we're going to die due to the torture of Venus Adams," Lily said.
James sat quietly into the hard mud, he felt rain trickle onto his head. Eventually, it started pouring out and the only thing they felt was wet mud. Sybll and Katy had huddled together, both sobbing quietly, to use body heat. Lily was on James' lap crying into his chest. She suddenly jerked and said, "Damn, that hurt."
"What hurt?" James asked.
"There's something in your pocket," she answered. He turned out his robe pockets and out dropped a
mirror. A simple mirror. Yet James had never been happier in his life to see his own reflection.
A/N: I am sorry, but that was a serious cliffhanger. The writing quality in these chapters aren't exactly up to par, but I do like the plot. These chapters are based on a dream I had and I thought it would be great to incorporate it into my writing. Let me know what you think. Please review!