Sarah Williams Labyrinth Novels & Stories

LEN Sarah’s blood ran cold. Lucas whispered, “She was in the system. All along.” The door opened fully. A long hallway stretched into a silent unknown—sterile and untouched, until now. Lights flickered on in a cascade, pulling them forward whether they wanted to go or not. Damon took Sarah’s hand. “We finish this together.” But Sarah’s gaze drifted past him—because in the glass reflection of the sealed lab windows… She saw a little girl. Alone. Frightened. Barefoot.

There was only pure, unadulterated terror. "Y...You're a demon!" Sabrina choked out. She backed away toward the door, her hands fumbling for the handle. "Y...You're not a wolf. You're a fucking monster!" She didn't wait for a response. She turned and ran, her heels clicking frantically on the stone stairs as she fled the basement. I stood in the center of the laundry room, surrounded by the smell of burnt flesh and fresh blood. Elara and the other maid were still unconscious against the walls, but Sarah... Sarah was dead.

I could get her a bigger display case for her rocks. “Naomi, are you listening?” Lily snapped me out of my reverie. “Were you saying something?” I probed. “Yes,I was. I just can't believe that Sarah got away from the law so easily.” Lily said. I really didn't want to think about it. Of course I knew that Sarah was somehow involved but there was no evidence against her. “Well, Sarah got lucky.” I said, picking a Barbie doll from the shelf. No girl hates Barbie dolls, right?

Her head swam from the sudden assault of light after the oppressive darkness. And then she saw her. Lila. The little girl from the photograph. Lila, tied to a rickety wooden chair, her tiny hands bound, a crude gag silencing her cries. Her beautiful, innocent face was streaked with dirt and fresh tears, her small body shaking with silent, heart-wrenching sobs that Sarah could almost feel resonating in her own chest. Her wide, terrified eyes met Sarah’s, filled with a primal, gut-wrenching fear that mirrored her own.

The storm there didn’t fade — it folded inward, concentrating its power around the cabin half-swallowed by snow. Inside, the witch’s fire burned black and blue. The cauldron bubbled with a thick, tar-like brew. Sarah sat cross-legged on the floor, her new skin pale as moonlight, her eyes shifting constantly from bright gray to jet-black. “I can feel her,” she hissed. “The Luna. She’s alive. I can smell her even through the storm.” “And?” said the witch, stirring the cauldron with a carved bone staff. “Did I tell you you should be concerned about that?”

She was trapped, alone and helpless, at the mercy of these monsters. Even as she lost consciousness, Sarah's mind refused to give up. She thought of Nicholas, of their love, of their future together. And she knew she had to keep fighting. When Sarah came to, she was lying in a dark, damp room. She was bound to a chair, her wrists and ankles tied with rope. **************************

Candles surrounded me, their flames flickering unnaturally, casting twisted shadows against the stone walls of the room. The air smelled sharp with burning herbs, melted wax, and something metallic I couldn’t quite place my nose on. Outside the circle sat Sarah, the witch, her eyes closed, her fingers adorned with rings carved from bone and silver. Her lips moved in a language I didn’t recognize, the chant rising and falling like a dark lullaby. Each word vibrated through the room, sending goosebumps racing across my arms. Carlos stood near the wall in a corner, his arms folded tightly across his chest. I could feel his tension from here—sharp, restless, and impatient.

After I fought and won against the last one, I turned and ran to join Sarah at the elevator. She was right; the power was off. “There has to be a stairwell somewhere in here,” I told her, looking around for a stair sign. It was Sarah who had found it first. We ran toward the door that led to the stairs and burst through it, only to be met with more rogues. As I fought, with minimal help from Sarah, I heard her scream from a short distance. “Lila!” Sarah yelled and I turned to see more rogues coming out of the shadows and lunging at us.