Maleficarum: Hunger of the Witch Read Online Free

So far, it stayed in the woods, but it wasn’t guaranteed that this would remain the case. Fantastic things began to flow through the girls' minds, and they were calling up terrible thoughts.
    “Do you think it ’s a mountain lion, or a bear, or something?” Beverly said. “I heard they will stalk you like this.”
    “Don ’t think about it; just go.” The sound crashed out of the woods.
    “No —it’s more than that,” Ann said as their pace began to quicken. The sound came with them, increasing its speed. It was behind them on the road now, clacking on the pavement like someone quickly tapping long fingernails on a table. Nether dared to look behind as an even more frightful form crept in front of them. Ann clicked her small pocketknife open. Her hands shook as the shadow boldly took its spot in the center of the street. It seemed to be a person, but it still had a hateful aura about it. The girls halted, not knowing which way to turn. Should they face the shadowy form in front of them or the unknown sound behind them?
    “Do you have your nail fil e?” Ann said softly.
    “Yes.”
    “Then get it,” Ann ordered. Beverly reached into her purse and pulled out the file. The black figure put its fingers to its mouth and whistled. Soft padded steps could be heard behind them, and as they spun around to confront the horror, they saw it. A perfectly white bunny rabbit hopped in between them. Its big floppy feet slapped the pavement as it hustled to reach its destination. There was no way that was what was following them, Ann thought.
    “Heavenly , there you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” the dark figure said in a female voice. Halfway to the figure, the fluffy bunny paused and gave a solemn look back at the girls before proceeding. It seemed like a calculated thing to do, and with heavy thought behind its eyes, it turned back to the figure and kept hopping. The beast didn’t stop until it reached the shadow’s feet, where it waited patiently. The form bent down and picked up the furry critter and cradled it as if it was a child.
    “Nice night for a walk , isn’t it, girls?” the figure said in a soft, feminine voice. The form started to walk in their direction before they could reply. The sound of a female voice was oddly reassuring to the girls. They could most likely cross rape off the list of the things that might happen, but assumptions are sometimes mistaken.
    “Uhhh, yes,” Beverly said as the figure finally came close enough to see. It was a tall, aging woman in a thick black wool coat. She moved with confidence as she continued to approach. Her face was thin, and her long gray hair was pulled haphazardly into a bun.
    “Hello, my name is Beth Hegel.”
    Tentatively Beverly said, “Hey.”
    “So, what finds you two out on a night like this?” Hegel said , coming within a few feet of them before stopping. Everything about her seemed old, from her square-toed black leather shoes, her frilly, cream-colored blouse, and most certainly her harsh, expressionless face that looked like weather-beaten leather. Neither of the girls said a word.
    “You have others about?” Hegel ’s speech had a distinctly European accent. However, the exact country could not be placed. It sounded like a strange mix from so many places that it might drive even a linguist mad. A guttural German mixed with Spanish and French; however, that only seemed to be the tip of it.
    “Why?” Ann said , still clenching Beverly’s hand.
    As the old woman looked down at Beverly’s fist, she saw her still gripping the nail file. “You aren’t going to rob me, are you?” Hegel’s eyes locked on the shining knife-like object.
    Beverly looked down at the file, and realizing how it appeared, she said, “No, it’s just a nail file…You…You scared us.”
    “Well, I never meant to. Say , can you tell me how to get to Black Shear from here?”
    “ I don’t think I know that place,” Ann said as the lady came