Chapter 2

Into the Woods

Dana had watched most of the hotel’s library of On-Demand movies by the time Lily came sulking through the front door sometime after dawn. Without a word, the succubus disappeared into the bathroom, and the shower kicked on.

Frowning, Dana checked the time. Why was Lily taking a shower? She figured that the succubus could just blink her eyes and become clean, or whatever, but maybe demons needed to bathe frequently to chase away the stink of sulfur.

Curious, she cracked open the door of the bathroom. The room was already so full of steam that she wondered if Lily had the shower on its hottest setting. She pushed the door open and moved toward the shower, her hand reaching for the curtain.

“Don’t. Please, just ... don’t. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“You okay in there?” Lily sounded far from it, and this fact somehow shook Dana. “Did something happen?”

A few moments passed before the succubus responded. “Maybe. I’m not sure, but it’s nothing you need to worry about.”

“Lily, I’m here if you need to—”

“I don’t. Just ... give me a minute. Alone.”

“Okay.” She walked back out into the bedroom, then closed the door behind her.

A few minutes later, the shower turned off and Lily came strolling out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped up in a towel and a large, fluffy bathrobe.

Lily fell back onto the bed and crossed her legs. She was wearing her black, leather boots beneath the robe. “Ah. I’m feeling much better now.”

“I hope so.” Dana looked out the window. “We should probably get a move on, don’t you think?”

The succubus smirked and pulled her towel off dramatically. As it fell, her outfit transformed into a sleeveless red leather jacket and black leather pants. She stood up and shook her head, causing a black cap to appear on her head.

“I’m already ready, and you don’t even have your shoes on.”

“Some of us don’t get the benefit of a magical wardrobe.” Dana put her shoes on and grabbed her helmet from the desk. The helmet had been an impulse purchase shortly after starting their road trip. Not only did it hide her face, but it also meant that her brains were more likely to stay in her head if they crashed. While Mike’s magic semen had curative properties, she didn’t care to test the limits of it after having her brains scooped back into her head.

It also had a headset that allowed her to talk to Lily. That first six-hour stretch had become awfully dull with only the road ahead of her. She picked up the two headsets that had been charging on the nightstand and tossed one to Lily, who snatched it out of the air and tucked it into her ear.

“Feeling chatty?” she asked.

“You have to give me directions, remember?” The two of them left the room and headed for the elevator. When the door opened, they got inside, and Dana pushed the LL button for the lobby. “So where were you last night?”

“Ooh, are you getting jealous?” Lily smirked, then looked toward the door. “Maybe I was falling head over heels for some guy, loving how special he made me feel.”

“Fine. Don’t tell me.”

“I love it when you’re—” Lily went quiet when the elevator stopped and the door opened.

An older man in a long, dark gray coat stepped onto the elevator with them. His gray hair was cut short and the skin above his beard was cratered with scar tissue. He reeked of garlic and chickpeas, causing Dana to wrinkle her nose.

“Good morning.” He gave both of them a smile and pushed the LL button. They all rode in silence, and he stepped out of the elevator and headed for the breakfast bar and they walked toward the front door. Crossing the lobby, Dana noticed Lily watching the breakfast bar with an odd look of discomfort on her face.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

Lily shrugged. “Just got a really odd vibe off of that guy. Doesn’t usually mean anything.”

“Odd how?”

“Hmm. Good question.” They walked into the cold air of the morning and headed toward where the motorcycle was parked. “Not something I’m super familiar with, but I’ve heard humans describe it as an instinctual thing. Like, you meet someone and can tell something is off, like they are a serial killer or something like that.”

“Wait, you think that guy... ?”

Lily laughed. “No, nothing like that. I would know a serial killer if I met one. That shit is like catnip for a demon. That guy was maybe a priest, or even an actual exorcist or something. My best guess anyway.”

“Priests make you uncomfortable?” Dana got on the bike and held her helmet up, waiting for Lily’s response.

“Most don’t, actually. It’s exceedingly rare these days to find a holy man or woman who actually buys what they’re selling.” Lily stuck out her tongue, then pulled a helmet out of nowhere and slid it over her head. “Most people do it for money or power. They don’t give a shit about God, it’s all about finding people willing to believe in salvation in exchange for their obedience.”

Dana switched on her headset and put her helmet on. The sentient motor started itself, and they pulled onto the main road that went through town. The powerful thrum of the engine made the zombie smile, and she revved the engine hard.

“So ... you ever use a motorcycle engine to get yourself off?” Lily asked through the headset.

“Be a good girl today and I’ll tell you.”

“You’re such a tease. I love it.” Lily slid her arms around Dana’s waist and held tight as they swung onto a few sideroads, avoiding the busier parts of town. With the college centrally located, they had quickly learned that traffic was absolutely shitty during normal school hours, but once they could get northwest of the downtown area, the traffic thinned out a bit, and Dana could really lay down some speed. They still needed to pass through a small part of the downtown area, and that’s where she saw it.

Unearthly Delights, or what was left of it. The fire that had burned it and the surrounding buildings to the ground a couple of weeks ago had left little more than the foundation, and the entire area was surrounded by cyclone fencing. Rumor had it that the town of Fort Collins had a small network of underground tunnels from its smuggling days, and one of these tunnels was exposed by the fire. The tunnels themselves were prone to collapse, and multiple signs threatened trespassers with prosecution.

Not that Lily had cared. She had spent that first night they arrived on the other side of the fence, digging quietly for a sign of anything magical. Dana’s job was to watch for drunken college students who wanted to wander down and check out what was left of the place.

“If only we had gotten here sooner,” Dana mumbled.

“If wishes and buts were candy and nuts...” Lily began.

“Please, no,” Dana begged.

“Then we’d all have a Merry Christmas.”

“You know I hate that saying.” Dana turned north on College Ave. It had been one of her dad’s favorite things to tell her when things weren’t going her way, and it still drove her crazy.

Lily’s fingers slid up and caressed her rib cage from behind. “Then maybe you should quit complaining about something you can’t change. It’s super unattractive.”

“Keep this up and I’m definitely never telling you about the time I got off while riding a bike.”

Lily laughed, but said nothing else.

The town of Fort Collins vanished behind some trees and then they were in La Porte again. They passed by the Double Duece and went up the canyon toward the Red Feather Lakes. It was still a long ride, but it was very early in the morning in the middle of the week, which meant traffic was light. It was nearly eight in the morning when they turned off the main road. The wheels of the bike were jolted by a few hidden rocks, and Dana scowled.

“How much farther?” she asked.

“We’ve got a narrow turn at the top of this rise. After that, it should be a fairly smooth ride down into the next valley. If it hasn’t rained.”

Dana sniffed the air. “It smells like it has.”

“Stay to the left on the road, then. It’s less likely to be muddy.”

“Dammit,” she muttered under her breath. She slowed the bike, going around a few rough sections. She imagined a jeep or truck would fare better climbing over the large rocks in the road, but loose gravel and rough terrain meant a bumpy ride uphill. Lily leaned into Dana, the succubus’ breasts pressing into her back. They reached the top of the hill, and they stopped the bike to look across the mountain range before them. Visible in a few spots were homes and cabins that had been built off the grid, many of them sporting solar panels.

Dana lifted her visor for a better look. “Doesn’t seem like a bad place to get away from it all.”

“We’re high enough up that distances are deceiving. Those two homes are over a mile apart.” Lily pointed to a pair of houses built on a rocky ridge. “Pick the right spot, and you don’t have to worry about dealing with anybody ever.”

“I’m guessing that’s what our guy is doing.” But why? What had caused Ray to disappear into the mountains?

“Up ahead, slow down or you’ll miss it.” Lily pointed off to the left and Dana almost missed it.

The path was tucked away in the shadows of a pair of trees, and ran back along where they had come. A car going the other way would see it easily, but nobody who was leaving would mistake it for their turn.

They drove down the trail for awhile, and Lily tapped her on the shoulder, then pointed to the side of the road.

Dana pulled over, then looked around. Where was she supposed to be going?

“Pull off here,” Lily told her, then dismounted. “There’s a spot on the ridge just past this point that can be seen from the cabin. I would prefer to get close in case he decides to bail.”

“Why would he bail?” Nonetheless, she pushed the bike off the road and into the trees where nobody would see it. While Tick Tock would ensure it didn’t get stolen, she didn’t want to worry about it getting clipped by a passing car, or having someone lose a hand because they messed with a mimic.

“Why is he holed up in a cabin in the woods? Call it a hunch, but something happened. It might be related to the flask, or maybe the guy knocked over a gas station. It’s not like he was keeping stellar company in town.”

Dana shrugged, then looked up the road. “So we’re walking?”

“Of course.” Lily winked, and her outfit shifted around. Calf length boots, a hiking skirt, and a black shirt tied beneath her breasts to reveal her belly. Her hair was pulled back beneath a ballcap, and she wore a small hiking pack on her back. “After all, we’re a pair of lost hikers staying at daddy’s cabin by the lake.”

Dana frowned.

“What? Is something wrong with my outfit?” Lily looked at herself.

“It’s a bit much, but that’s not it. Just wishing I could change my outfit whenever I wanted.” Dana tossed her helmet underneath the bike. “Can I at least borrow the hat?”

“Ooh, would love to, but...” Lily pulled off the cap and put it on Dana’s head. She took several steps back until she was about fifteen feet away, and the cap turned into a puff of pink smoke that fell around her shoulders. “I can maintain objects up close, but the last thing you want is for your outfit to fall apart at the wrong moment.”

“What is it made of?” She watched the cap reappear on Lily’s head.

“Same thing I am. Sugar and spice, and everything nice.” The demon tugged down on the front of her shirt, the fabric ripping just enough to reveal cleavage and the edges of a red bra. “Better with tits out or in?”

She shook her head and laughed. “I’ve always been a fan of some tasteful sideboob.”

“You’re right.” Lily grabbed her shirt and gave it a shake. The fabric rippled and became a tight black tank top with low cut armholes that revealed her breasts. The bra was gone, replaced by a tattoo along her ribs that said Live, Laugh, Love surrounded by floral script. “Tasteful enough?”

“Absolutely delicious. You gonna order a pumpkin spice latte when we get back to town?”

“Maybe after I get my Uggs waterproofed.” Lily turned into the forest and pushed her way through some bushes, and Dana followed.

They ended up on what looked like a hunting trail, and the succubus lead the way up the mountain, eventually picking up a stick to hike with. The forest was alive with the sound of birds and insects, though Dana noticed they went quiet as the two of them passed through. Technically, Dana and Lily were both predators, and she wondered if the animals here could sense it.

Coming upon a small gully, they descended into it, following it up the hill. This required a few spots where they had to scramble over rocks to keep going, and Dana’s mind wandered back a couple of summers to a trip that she had taken with Alex along the east coast.

They had ridden out together on Alex’s bike, with little more than a popup tent and enough cash for a few meals. Alex had grown up along the Maine coast, spending her summers at a cabin her family owned, and she wanted to share the experience with Dana. The two of them had hiked some of the most beautiful landscapes that Dana had ever seen, ending up off the beaten trail more than once. Nights were spent on cliffs overlooking the ocean, falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below with the undimmed canvas of stars above them their only source of light.

“Hey, you okay back there?”

“What?” Dana looked up and saw that Lily was about fifty yards ahead of her. Grimacing, she rushed to catch up, nearly tripping over a thick branch. When she got to Lily’s side, she gave a mock salute. “Sorry about that.”

“Lost in thought?”

She nodded. “Just thinking about the good ol’ days, when I was still alive.”

“Hmm.” Lily looked up the mountain, then back. “Do you miss it? Being alive?”

“Of course I do. That’s the whole point of coming out here, isn’t it? Find some magic, bring it back to our resident enchantress and get her to undo what was done to me.”

“But are you sure you miss it? Is it being alive that you miss, or the threat of being damned for all eternity if you aren’t fixed?”

“I...” She scowled at the succubus. “I don’t think now is the time to psychoanalyze my deadgirl issues.”

Lily shrugged. “I mean, I’m just curious. Seems like you may be better off as you are. Why not consider embracing it? Isn’t immortality what every human wants?”

“Not this human.” She squinted through the trees at a bright spot between the leaves. “Is that a window?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, we’re almost there. Hold up.” Lily grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it in Dana’s face.

“What the fu—” She inhaled another mouthful of dirt, then stuck out her tongue to scrape it clean with her fingers. Lily ran her fingers through her hair, and her appearance shifted so that she looked sweaty and dirty.

“We can’t sell the routine if neither of us sweats. Without a little dirt, it looks like we got dropped off on his doorstep. How’s that for one of your deadgirl issues?” She winked, and dirty smudges appeared on her cheeks as well as sweat stains on her tank top.

“Oh.” Lily’s argument made a lot of sense, actually. “You could have just told me instead of throwing dirt in my face.”

“Yeah, but it’s so hard to get a rise out of you. I think of it like a game.” She moved up the hill.

Dana rolled her eyes and followed. When they stepped out of the woods and into the clearing of the cabin, they both looked around. It didn’t seem like anybody was around, and the ranch-style cabin had all of its blinds closed. Up on the roof was an array of solar panels, and a large shed by the house had a sturdy lock on the door.

“Oh, hey!” Lily did a bouncy run across the yard toward the door. “Hello, is anybody home? We got lost in the woods and don’t have our phones!” She pressed her face against the glass.

Dana walked up the front door and shook her head. The succubus was somehow the center of attention in the middle of the forest. She knocked on the door.

“Hey, is anybody there? We got lost and—”

The shotgun blast tore through the door and into her shoulder, the heavy slug shattering the joint. She spun around and a second blast through the door caught her in her exposed side and knocked her to the ground.

She screamed.

It wasn’t pain that fueled her cry, but terror. Though death could not touch her, oblivion could, and if her attacker chose to step out and blow her head off, what then? The necromancer who had cursed her had explained that she would spend an eternity in a fugue state with no hope of rescue or crossing over to the other side. Damnation at its finest.

Lily shrieked and ran toward the woods. The door burst open, and a man with a scraggly beard pushed his way outside and pumped the shotgun he was holding. A hot shell whizzed through the air and landed in the dirt by Dana’s face, the smell of sulfur drifting into her face.

“I’m not falling for your tricks!” He fired at Lily, who let out a long scream and threw herself dramatically onto the ground. When he chambered another round, Lily stood and limped toward the tree line. He stepped toward her and fired again, but Dana was back on her feet and grabbed him from behind.

Well, sort of. Her left arm didn’t work anymore, and when he pulled the trigger, the shot went high. He howled in rage and twisted around, but she jumped onto his back and held on, figuring he couldn’t get the gun between them that way.

“Let me go! I won’t tell nobody!” he screamed, trying to pull her arm off his neck.

While she had the disadvantage of only one arm, she did have the advantage of never getting tired. She wrapped her legs around his waist, briefly debating whether to bite him and taste his flesh. He carried with him the odor of smoked meat and whiskey, and she imagined how tender his meat would be, going down easy like a pot roast.

Grunting and drooling, she was about to tear a piece out of his neck, just to see what it tasted like, when he let out a gasp and went limp in her grip. He fell in slow motion, revealing Lily. Her face was fixed in a scowl, and her wings and tail had emerged.

“Ray Scotes, I presume.” Lily looked at Dana. “You okay?”

“Uh ... I...” She wiped the drool from her chin with her functioning hand. “I’ve been better.”

“Well, so has he.” Lily reared her foot back and kicked Scotes in the face. There was a loud crunch, and blood gushed from his nose onto the dirt. To Dana, it smelled like wine. “Let’s get this sack of shit inside.”

“Um ... I’ll let you do it.” She had stepped back several feet and was breathing from her mouth.

“Hmmm? Oh.” Lily appraised her with a grimace. “Yeah, okay. You can eat him later, but let’s find the flask first.”

“There will be no eating of anybody.” Dana watched from a distance while Lily set the shotgun onto his chest, then dragged Scotes back inside. She waited a minute before following them in, and frowned at what she saw.

What had once been a homey cabin looked more like the inside of a bunker now. Boards had been put up over the window curtains, and a nearby table was out of place by the entrance, and she wondered if it had been blocking the door.

Lily had propped Scotes up on an armchair by the fireplace. All around was trash in the form of food wrappers.

“What the hell was this guy doing?” Dana moved through his kitchen, looking at the shelves around the sink. They were largely bare. “He really did hole himself up in here.”

“We’ll find out why in a second.” Lily straddled Scotes, her fingers on his forehead. “Ah. I see.”

“Well?”

“Flask.” Lily snaked a hand into the waistband of his pants and pulled it free, then tossed it across the cabin to Dana.

She caught it with her good arm and held it up. A silver flask with a star engraved into it. She flipped it open with her thumb and poured its contents down her throat. Even with her muted senses, she could taste how smooth the whiskey was. She held it over the sink and watched as the flask emptied, then stoppered it.

“Well?” Lily was watching with curiosity.

“Moment of truth.” Dana unstoppered the flask and inverted it. The flask was full again, and the strong smell of alcohol made her smile. “It is definitely our flask.”

“Great! We get to cross something off our list.” Lily stood up. “At least something came from this trip.”

“I guess.” Ratu had given her a list of five items to retrieve. Of the five, the flask was the only one they had been able to locate. “So a flask of eternal whiskey. Who makes such a thing?”

“In the world of magic, nobody stops to ask if it should be done. It’s always about what’s possible. Whoever made that flask proved that they could create an object capable of generating an infinite amount of booze in a small container. Today it’s booze. Tomorrow? Why not oil?”

“With this flow rate, it wouldn’t be very profitable.” She shook out the flask again, then stoppered it. The weight didn’t change when it refilled.

“That isn’t the point, and you know it.” Lily walked into the kitchen and covered her mouth. “Okay, that’s disgusting.”

“What?” Dana followed Lily’s gaze and saw that her shirt had shifted, revealing the hole in her side. Through it, she was looking at layers of fat and maybe her liver? She had never paid much attention in anatomy to remember where everything was, so that was her best guess. She dug around deep into the wound and pried out a large, flattened shotgun slug. The first round had missed the bone in her arm, but had nearly severed the tricep as it passed through her body. “At least I’m not leaving a mess.”

“No, that’s disgusting. Come here.” Lily dragged Dana through the cabin and into a bathroom that had a large stack of old Penthouse magazines above the toilet. “Look.”

Dana looked in the mirror and was surprised to see that her already pale complexion was now waxy in appearance. Her eyes and hair had lost all color, turning a faded gray, and her features were withdrawn, as if she had been on a hunger strike for a couple of weeks.

“How do you feel?” the succubus asked.

“Hungry.” Her stomach didn’t growl, but now that Lily brought it up, there was a void inside of her, one that demanded it be filled soon. Her thoughts turned to Scotus out in the living room. She could easily eat one of his arms, or maybe a leg, he owed her that much.

“You’re drooling.” Lily crossed her arms. “You are overdue to eat, and I’m guessing the damage from his shotgun pushed you past the limit.”

“He shot you, too. How come you aren’t suffering?”

“Hmm? Oh, right.” Lily scrunched up her face, then hacked like she was spitting up a hairball until a large, battered slug clattered into the sink. “Forgot about that. Bullets can’t hurt demons, but if they don’t come out the other side, they get stuck inside.”

“I’ve got the same problem, apparently.” Her stomach growled. “Shit.”

“You could always eat—”

“I’m not eating anybody! The moment I decide to take a bite out of another human being, I become the monster. And what if I bite somebody and get interrupted? What if they become a zombie, too, and I become the reason the world turns into the Walking Dead?”

“Then the world would become interesting for a few seasons, but then start to drag for a bit until everyone quits watching.”

Dana squinted one eye. “What?”

Lily laughed. “Sorry. That’s one of the villagers feeling restless.” She tapped her head for emphasis. “I’ve got a fanboy in here, but don’t feel bad. He did some terrible things when he was younger, and let’s just say those bodies are going to stay buried for awhile.”

“Can you hear all those people inside you?”

“Nah. Sometimes a random memory can get triggered, but that’s how memories are.” She looked at Dana’s shoulder. “Hmm. If you aren’t going to eat our dear Mr. Scotes, then you know what you must do.”

Dana let out a sigh. It wasn’t avoidable. “Really, though? Here? What if he wakes up?”

“Oh, he’s out for a couple hours at least. And if he wakes, I’ll know.” Lily leaned in, a smirk on her lips. “Let’s get you fixed up.”

“Okay.”

Lily kissed her, but it was so much more than that. Her lips tasted of cinnamon and fire, but her saliva thickened as she passed a dose of Mike’s cum into Dana’s mouth, which she greedily swallowed.

Zombies like Dana were forced to eat the living, and consume their life force to keep from decaying. However, Mike Radley’s body had been altered by a soul pact with a nymph, and his semen, for some reason, was a reasonable substitute for human brains. A succubus was capable of storing semen in her body for all kinds of nefarious purposes, and Lily’s presence meant that Dana didn’t have to make quick trips back to the Radley House for refills.

Being a lesbian, Dana had never had any use for sperm, but the zombie part of her told her brain that she was swallowing pure ambrosia. Warmth flooded through her limbs, and she felt a burning sensation in both her shoulder and her side. In moments, it hurt no worse than a nasty sunburn, and when the kiss broke, she looked down to see that the wounds were stitching themselves shut.

“You have to admit, that does look pretty cool.” Lily poked at Dana’s side as the skin knitted. “Oh, this will be interesting?”

“What will?” Dana asked, but she could feel what Lily was referring to. Her skin was bubbling up across the wound, and a fragment still inside her body popped free and fell onto the ground, rolling across the bathroom and into the hall. Apparently the cabin wasn’t perfectly level.

“It feels weird,” she said, pushing on the skin to see if anything else would come out. The burning in her shoulder was already fading, and she lifted her arm, only to have something pop loudly.

Lily sat up on the bathroom sink, her legs crossed. She was leaning forward, her arms squeezing her breasts together and amplifying her cleavage. “What else do you feel?”

“Other ... stuff.” She had been trying to resist it, but the residual warmth of regeneration was now settling somewhere else. Pressure was building in her groin, and she started panting in the bathroom.

The semen kept her alive, but Mike’s magic made her so fucking horny.

“Do you have any requests today? Dead girlfriend? Celebrity? Instagram Influencer?” As Lily listed off the options, she transformed into each of these things, then turned back into herself and slid one of her tank top straps down her arm to reveal her neckline. “There’s always the original recipe, if you’re interested.”

“Fuck...” Dana muttered, rubbing her crotch through her pants. It made her uncomfortable just how quickly she could go from being a logical, numb-to-the-world dead girl to a ravenous slut, but there would be time for self reflection later. Right now, her eyes were locked on the curve of Lily’s breasts.

In hindsight, the sideboob was a great idea. Dana grabbed the straps of Lily’s tank top and pulled, the two of them coming together hard. She locked lips with the willing succubus, and slid her hands beneath the thin fabric of her top and squeezed the bare breasts beneath.

Lily broke the kiss and took a step back. “So, I’m curious. About that time you got off while riding a motorcycle...”

“I was running low on oil and found a long stretch of road with rumble strips.” Dana grabbed the waistline of Lily’s pants and pulled them out so she could shove her hand inside. Lily leaned against the wall and spread her legs, licking her lips and moaning while Dana’s fingers stroked her labia. “I rode that section of road three times and got off four. Nearly crashed on the last one, but only because I hit a patch of gravel.”

“Sounds hot. Did you want to take your time with me or ... oh!”

Dana had pulled up Lily’s tank top to reveal her bare breasts, and growled while she sucked a nipple into her mouth and grabbed Lily’s ass with both hands, lifting her off the ground and shoving her into a nearby wall, which caused a few porn magazines to slide away from the stack and flutter to the ground.

“You gonna treat me like your bike and—”

Dana covered Lily’s mouth with a hand. “Shut the fuck up for a minute.”

Lily grabbed Dana’s wrist and yanked her hand away. “Oh, so you want to play rough today?” She kicked off the wall, and Dana stumbled back into the wall behind her, knocking down a stash of toilet paper and shaving cream. Their positions now reversed, Lily grabbed Dana’s crotch, pressing her palm tightly against the zombie’s swollen clit.

She gasped, then leaned back to sink against Lily’s hand, relishing the hot, fiery sensation of her sex being manipulated through the thick fabric of her pants. The room felt hot now, and she slid to one side to fall out the open bathroom door. When she landed on her back, Lily was a split second behind, and their lips met again, their tongues dancing together and scrambling Dana’s thoughts.

The cabin faded from her mind, and she was only dimly aware of the sleeping man only feet away from them as she tried to get her pants down so Lily could finger her. The pressure on her groin abated for only a moment as the fabric slid away, and returned with a vengeance as a pair of fingers penetrated her.