The Woman in the Woods (Saul Silva x OC)

Chapter 6: Adquistes

A/N: This is the first chapter of part 2, though I chose not to break the story apart since it makes more sense to me to have it in one work. But since this has a different tone and setting, I'm marking it as Part 2. FYI, this is a Maja-centric chapter, though sprinkled with a lot of Saul.

The car was stopped from its fast descent to the bottom by a tree, its front crumpled like paper, smoke rising from the engine, both headlights dead. The passengers were in various stages of consciousness, the driver receiving the worst of it. Despite the airbag that ballooned at just the right time and the seatbelt that did its work holding her in place, she still slid forward hard enough at that last impact and hit the steering wheel. The one in the passenger seat fared much better without the impediment of the steering wheel, though Sasha's head bled badly from the many banging she endured as they rolled down from the main highway onto this... whatever it was. She groaned, lifting her head from the now popped airbag, feeling her neck creak and the seatbelt strangling her. Then she remembered the passengers in the back.

The baby girl's cries filled the car, too loud like a school alarm. She was being held by her sister who didn't seem fully conscious, as the baby flailed and kicked, sitting there on her lap, the both of them under the same seatbelt.

"Is the baby okay?" Sasha was surprised that she could talk properly. At the same time, she had the notion that she should be moving toward them, twisting around in her seat so she can check on them properly. But she could only turn her head, her back refusing to do anything but stay leaning forward toward the dash. "Daphne? Are you okay? Is your sister okay?"

Daphne was moving her head slowly, blood running down her ear and nose. The baby didn't appear to be bleeding and the loud wailing demonstrated that she can at least breathe properly.

On the driver seat, Sasha's aunt began to stir. The woman groaned before pushing herself up, emitting a yelp in the process. When Sasha saw the amount of blood coming out her aunt's nose, covering half the woman's face, it took her out of her daze and she was able to lift her back finally.

"Aunt Kira!" She reached out a hand and cried out, realizing that she had broken her arm. Her aunt turned toward her. Sasha expected panic or concern, or just some sort of acknowledgement that they had just suffered a terrible car accident, that everything was fucked-up. Instead, Aunt Kira merely looked beyond her toward the window, grit on her face as she pushed what must be incredible pain and sat up.

"We need to do it now," she said.

"What?"

"This wasn't an accident." She then nodded for Sasha to look behind her out the window. Sasha turned around slowly, getting a glimpse of someone walking to them, a woman, possibly the same age as her aunt, and for a second she didn't understand. Surely, this stranger was coming to help them, why would Aunt Kira say...

Then again, a stranger about to help would have been rushing to them. She would not have been so poised or so composed as this person.

Sasha's aunt was already moving, trying to take the baby from the backseat, which proved to be somewhat of a problem because of the seatbelt and, despite having no energy at all, Daphne's fierce hands that wouldn't let go.

Not having the time to deal with seatbelts and an overprotective sister, Kira called on Sasha. "Put your blood on her."

"But aunt, we don't have the energy to do this. We need the Stone Circle."

"We'll have to do something different. Just put your blood on her and hold tight; I'll do the chant. We're running out of time."

Rosalind was still a few meters away. She continued on that even pace. The slope wasn't that steep, but it was dark and the people in the car were not going anywhere. She'll get there soon enough. But then, at the sight of a small glow inside the car, she realized she should hurry.