Chapter 1
Diana stood by the flickering flames. A warm feeling was coursing through her body. Maybe it was the fire. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her. Or maybe her daughter, Gaia, had found her power as a furnace. Nope. Gaia was sound asleep, curled up next to Brittney, dreaming evil dreams. It had been a couple of days since they had left the highway. They were making their way back over there now. Something about Penny's remains. That was all Gaia would allude too.
Brittney had a happy look on her face. Of course she would, Diana thought bitterly. She's sitting next to her master. Sometimes, when Brittney was there, she missed Drake. Drake at least cut to the chase about what he was going to say. Brittney would just go on and on and on about her dumb religious crap and how Diana was Mary and all that. Diana was not Mary. More like Satan's wife.
The only Mary that Diana had met had gone crazy. She wondered if that Mary was okay, on the other side. She hadn't seen her, so she assumed not.
Brittney was also looking cheerful because, right before Gaia had gone to sleep, she had made a promise to her. Once Gaia was done healing her skin, she would separate Brittney and Drake. Diana was thinking about betting with Gaia on how fast Brittney would get on Drake's nerves and he would kill her. Diana thought 5 minutes to 30 minutes. The only problem was that Drake may go on a happy killing spree, and Diana would be the next victim.
She acted like Gaia cared. The way Gaia acted to her after being taken over by the Gaiaphage was completely unacceptable. It was like 'Hey, thanks for going through Hell to give birth to me! Now, get out of my way!'
Diana had to quit thinking now. Drake was returning. Time to act on survival instincts.
Drake appeared, looking around. He frowned.
"What? Unhappy that you didn't awaken in the midst of a battle?" Diana snapped. She hated Drake. So when you hate somebody, mess with their head.
Drake scowled at her. "Shut up, bitch," he muttered.
"Aw, look who learned his big boy words!"
"Shut up, you idiotic-" Drake began. Gaia stirred. They both fell silent. Gaia didn't like to be awakened. And it was obvious that she did not just have 1 power. Whoopie, Diana thought. I gave birth to a mutant with everyone's power. Isn't that swell.
Gaia fell back into her slumber. Drake and Diana both sighed, then glared at each other for sighing simultaneously. This day was not going to end well.
Then they heard a voice. "Excuse me, but I saw your campfire. I was just- oh crap," said Pixie Brattle-Chance. Even at 3 years old, Pixie knew who Drake and Diana were. Then a voice came out of the gloom.
"True, she did see the campfire,Spidey," said a voice that did not belong to a preschooler. It was obviously Toto.
"There are more of us! Go kill-" Pixie started, but then Drake wrapped his whip arm around her little neck. He then raised his shotgun and shot 4 times into the gloom. There was a cry of pain.
"Spidey, that really hurt! True!" Toto cried.
Pixie's little eyes bulged. She looked pleadingly at Diana. Diana wanted to yell at Drake to let her go, but, just as she was about to, the girl relaxed. Dead. Drake tossed the littlest Brattle-Chance to the side and went for Toto.
Diana looked at the little 3 year old, feeling overwhelming sadness. Then she felt a sharp pain in her back.
"Hey, Cow. Quit looking at the littlest piss-off and look over here instead," Drake's insistent voice commanded. Diana obeyed, and she saw Toto, with his eyes wide open. Drake wasn't trying to suffocate him. He was trying to keep him silent.
"I found a way to get Penny's remains," he said, grinning broadly.