One Day in a Small-Town Desert, chapter 11, page 9

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Fírí Parızada watched the old hag shuffle towards the interior door. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. The police were outside, the police were inside. If Vata opened that door, the police would be in the chapel.

The blonde burst into a run, quickly passing Vata and blocking her route to the door.

Breathing hard, Fírí held out her arms to either side, spacing her feet fairly wide, as well. “Don’t open that door,” she hissed.

Even with the dim torchlight behind the old woman, Fírí could still see a crazed look upon her face.

“Move aside, dear,” Vata croaked. “I must help my husband.”

The hag stepped closer.

Fírí shook her head. “No. I already plagued it once by letting you open the door for Zhíno, and that almost got me killed. There’s no way I’m going to plague it again and let you let the police in. I am not going to jail.”

With the voice of a strangled snake, Vata said, “Get out of my way!”

She pounced at Fírí, her hand clawing through the air. Fírí swatted at the flailing limbs, holding her face out of range of those wicked fingernails. She made contact a couple times, and it felt like hitting dead branches. Fírí got a good shot and Vata stumbled back a step. Her blood boiling, Fírí lunged at the hag, shoving her with both hands to her chest.

Vata flew to the ground, tumbling onto her back.

Fírí’s arms and legs started shaking with the jitters of adrenaline as she stepped toward the old woman.

Vata propped herself up on her elbows, panting just as hard as Fírí. Her eyes wide, she began chanting, “O Névazhíno, please help me in my time of need, for it is You--”

“Shut up, hag,” Fírí hissed, leaning over her.

The old woman didn’t stop, staring straight at Fírí’s face. “--it is You Who are the true Love of the Universe. You are the one and only--”

Fírí dropped to her knees and put her hand over Vata’s mouth, muffling the hag’s pleas.

“Shut the plagues up, you wretched twin of Vítí!” she whispered into Vata’s face from close range. “Your idiot god is never going to help you in a year of Nohímo Days, so just be quiet!”

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