You want your powers? If what you know is true, they're in my blood. Drink it and they'll be yours. Forever."
It's hard to believe how a voice can be so seductive. I find myself drifting toward it.
My name is Ben. I'm a witch but I have never successfully cast a spell. I have never felt the power coursing through me. My family tried to teach me but after failing time after time, I left the coven and lived in solitude as a normal human being. In the small town of Warren's Glen, I have created a life for myself.
Here, I am an outsider. A nobody. Unwanted. Untrained. Uneducated. And I don't care. I have my own place. I have a good job at a local car dealership and have bought a tree house that I can rent out to visitors.
I have my books and my friends.
I have my dog, Lilly. My beloved Lilly. She is my life. She is my companion. She is my loving companion.
Lilly sleeps with me every night. I am her guardian and her protector from any harm.
I live off my meager income from the dealership. I don't want to be dependent on my family. I don't want to be low in their esteem. I don't want to be their... the walking dead.
My coven has a long and noble history of wizardry but I am the first in a long time to be unable to cast a spell.
I am Ben. I am a failure.
A failure.
From the first time I heard the voice, I have been having trouble staying human. A few months have passed since the day the voice first whispered to me:
"You want your powers? If what you know is true, they're in my blood. Drink it and they'll be yours. Forever."
I heard the voice for the first time when I was in the bathroom, brushing my teeth that morning. I was taking a shower.
I love my shower.
Steam fills the bathroom.
I speak to myself in my head. "Why do you want to drink the voice's blood? You don't need powers. You have Lily."
I ignore the voice. I ignore the commands. I ignore the seduction.
I swim farther into my own mind.
In the shower, I feel Lilly climb into the shower. I pet her as I shampoo my hair. It feels good to have a pet. I've been feeling a little lonely lately. So when I heard the voice, I found it oddly appealing. Nomadic dogs are a rare sight in the small town.
Now that I hear the voice more and more, I find it hard to resist.
I tell myself the voice must be random… but I find myself drawn almost magnetically to the voice. I go to the voice up to three times a day. Each time, the voice draws me in.
In my dream, I can't turn away from the voice. The voice commands me to come. It pulls at my insides, as if to tear me from the inside out.
The voice also whispers, "It will be over in a moment. You'll feel just a little pain."
I have never had a dangerous thought before. Never. Now, I allow the voice to seduce me. I hear the voice inviting me to come. I feel the pull.
It is irresistible. It is mesmerizing.
My dog Lilly senses the outside world pulling me in. Her ears stand erect. Her amber eyes alert, she looks at me and then looks at the door. She barks at me. Low, loud, almost angry barks.
The cryptic voice whispers, "There's no way out. No escape. It will soon be over."
The voice speaks to me. I can't turn away. I am frozen to the spot. The voice calls to me, "Come…"
I love my dog.
The voice whispers, "Drink the blood. You will have your powers back."
Lilly's growls get louder. Lilly's bark echoes in my head. Lilly's eyes are wild. Lilly is watching me.
I suddenly can't move. I return to the voice.
"I do," I say bravely.
"Go to the door," the voice says.
I wriggle through the window. In the small bathroom, I feel something prick my neck. It's warm. Inviting. I can feel my skin go red. I feel the blood rushing to my veins, making me stupid.
"Pull it out," the voice commands. "Drink it!"
I feel something cold drip from my neck. I grab it.
"Close your eyes," the voice says.
I put it to my lips.
It feels normal at first. It tastes... normal.
"Drink it," the voice says.
I'll be human again! I'll feel comfortable to roam the streets of Warren's Glen! I'll be the Ben of old.
I put the blood-filled object to my lips.
"Go out," the voice says. "The main door. Take it outside and drink it."
Lilly.
I feel warm. I feel hot.
"Drink it!" the voice orders.
The jagged icicle pierces my stomach.
Lilly barks again.
I wake up, panting. Shocked as I realize I'm in bed, blackness enclosing around me. I reach up to my neck, grabbing the straw sticking out of my flesh.
I look at the straw in my hand. I look at the door. I look at Lilly. Lilly looks at me. Both sets of eyes are compassionate. She looks sad. I take Lilly.
"No," I say, petting Lilly's head. "No, Lils."
I sleep again.
The next day, I understand the voice's purpose.
I hold my ground. I refuse to drink again. I knew it was wrong.
