A Little Token from the Witch

"Oh...! A Grunt, you say?"

The "fortune teller" lady showed me her full visage that had previously been hidden by the hood of her dull gray cloak. No doubt about it... she was indeed beautiful. But... I couldn't exactly admire her beauty as she was showing me not just the wicked smile that sent chills down my spine, but also her beautiful eyes' irises were shining deep red... akin to a predator that had just found their next meal. I was quite shocked and taken aback, not just by her wicked expression, but also by the sudden aura that she was emitting... an aura that radiated both wickedness and malicious intent.

If I wasn't convinced from being forcefully held down and pulled, this dark aura of hers that she was radiating was solid proof: this woman was not normal nor was she human... and I should get the hell out of here!

I tried to run away, but my body again suddenly felt sluggish and stiff, and it felt even worse than before, as even my own lips were shut tight! This... witch... might have cast the same spell that she had used to "tie" me down. Or worse... I might have just been paralyzed from fear at seeing and feeling this dark aura radiating from her.

I could only watch with wide eyes, an expression of fear and horror evident on my face, as this witch of a woman then stood up from her booth, casually walked around it, and now stood in front of paralyzed me. Her eyes still held the deep red glow, and she had an expression of both interest and mischief. Not a good combination.

I could also finally see the full picture of her cloaked figure. Her dark gray cloak was really hugging her well-endowed figure nicely...

'Not now, libido!' I chastised my own libido inside my head, which was not just filled with dread but also briefly entertained inappropriate thoughts at the worst timing possible.

Seeing my conflicted expression, she seemed to be amused instead as she giggled. "Fufufu... don't be afraid, dear traveler." She tried to calm me down, but her mischievous smile and shining red eyes weren't convincing. I was even more panicked than before, which she found even more amusing as she giggled again.

This woman then raised her right hand, and suddenly, said right hand was engulfed in a dark-flame-like aura!

'Shit! Is she going to kill me?!' I panicked even more from seeing her flame-covered hand. I might have just met my end here, being killed by a Witch in this dark alleyway while still being an unemployed deadbeat. I tried and tried to force my body to move, but no matter what, it wouldn't budge to my will! The only thing that was moving was my own facial expression, which was most likely displaying an expression of pure terror of what was about to happen to me.

This witch of a woman saw my expression of terror and let out a giggle accompanied by the same wicked smile. Then she began to speak to me again, "Now, now, I'm just going to give you a little 'token' to help you on your journey," She explained, trying to calm me down again, but her mischievous smile remained. She then moved her flaming hand closer to me.

'Token'? What token?! All I saw here was just her dark-flaming hand getting closer and closer to my chest!

Soon after... her flaming hand finally touched my chest, and it felt... hot! My chest felt the extreme heat of the flame, as if I was being branded by a branding iron...! I could only watch with a horrified and pained expression as both my body and lips were paralyzed by the Witch, who was currently "branding" me with this so-called "token".

The Witch herself ignored my silent, pained expression and instead focused on "branding" her "token" onto me. I couldn't do anything to prevent her from whatever she was doing to me, nor could I yell out in pain. As the pain became too unbearable, my mind went blank.

After what felt like an eternity, the searing heat finally stopped. My mind snapped back to reality quickly. I directed my attention back to the witch. Her hand was still on my chest, but it wasn't covered with the ominous dark flame from before. She still had that mischievous smile, but her eyes were hidden behind the hood of her cloak. She was rubbing my chest gently... as if she was checking her handiwork.

Seeing that she was satisfied with whatever she had done to me, she let go of her hand on my chest. She then turned around and sauntered back to her booth. Unfortunately, the way her hips swayed in a mesmerizing rhythm was both alluring and irksome to me...

As soon as she reached her booth, she turned around again and faced me. She raised both of her hands... and then clapped. Suddenly, I was able to move again! My body, which had been "spellbound" by this witch of a woman, was free once more. I quickly checked my chest where the witch had burned me.

I checked my clothes... and found that there was no burning mark. No burnt smell, nor any black charred marking. It was still my regular old formal suit that I always wore for interviews. I then quickly checked my chest under my clothes... and there was also no burn mark on my skin.

'What the hell...?' I cursed in my thoughts. I was pretty sure that this witch had just used a flame-covered hand to "brand" me with whatever "token" she had mentioned before. But... there was no such mark on me... Then I looked back at the witch... and she was just standing there, showing me the same mischievous smile as before, her arms crossed casually in a way that emphasized her well-endowed chest.

"Now, dear traveler..." She suddenly began to speak. I was startled, and then I soon put up my guard, anticipating whatever this witch was planning next. She raised her left arm, and I braced myself for a confrontation... only for said left arm to move outward. I looked at her left hand and found that she was actually casually pointing her left hand toward a direction. The direction itself? I looked to where she was pointing... and it was the way out of the alleyway that I was supposed to go.

"Go forward, toward your destiny, dear traveler," she simply said to me.

"Huh...?" I dumbfoundedly muttered, bewildered by what she had just said in a normal tone. Not sultry, not playful, but actually serious. She still had a smile on her face, but it wasn't the same mischievous smile as before. Just a normal smile.

I was still taken aback by her sudden "normal" behavior. I became confused, not knowing how to react to all that had just happened and what this woman had done to me.

Was this all... just an illusion? Did my mind play a trick on me...? Did this woman actually do something to me...? I was quite confused about what just happened.

But then suddenly, I heard the voice of the witch woman, "Go on then, dear traveler." She urged me to go. I was startled by her sudden order, but... I followed through with with it. I slowly walked in the direction where she was pointing: the way out of the alleyway which I was originally supposed to go.

My walk slowly started to gain momentum... then my walking pace became a running phase. I quickly ran as fast as my legs could toward the light coming from outside the alleyway.

'I GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!' My inner thoughts screamed at me. I did not look back, as fear clouded my mind, never to interact with this witch ever again. I slowly but surely got closer to the light... and then, I finally reached it. The light blinded me as I entered it.

I finally escaped from that witch. But... I did not realize where I was standing.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Is he crazy?!"

"Look out!"

I could hear a bunch of people yelling. I didn't know why... but it felt like they were all screaming at me. Then... I heard the sound of cars beeping.

*Beep Beep Beep*

And then suddenly, the sound of engines could also be heard. Something fast and quite large just passed by me, accompanied by the sound of a rapid gust of wind. 'Hold on... is this what I think it is...?' I soon realized where I was currently standing, as my vision finally came back after being blinded: an asphalt road. I was standing in the middle of the road.

I was about to process where I was, but I was not given any time for that, as suddenly, I could hear the sound of heavy honking. I looked at the source of the honking and found a large truck speeding fast toward me.

Suddenly, my vision blurred, and the world seemed to shift and spin around me. Everything tilted at an impossible angle, and I felt weightless, soaring through the air in a disorienting whirl. Through my hazy vision, I glimpsed people gasping in shock and horror, their expressions reflecting the gravity of my situation. I realized... I had been hurled through the air by the speeding truck. A wave of excruciating pain washed over me, and my consciousness began slipping away.

However, before I lost consciousness, a figure materialized in my blurry sight: the Witch. She stood amidst the gasping crowd, wearing the same unsettling expression that had haunted me.

A wicked smile adorned her face.

Soon after... everything turned dark.