Author's Note: Thanks guys for the reviews, I'm glad you like this so far. The rest of the characters are going to be coming into this story soon :) Please let me know what you think! Enjoy.
Chapter 2
"Excuse me, miss?" Kenzi opened her eyes, blinking a few times to clear the haze in her mind. She didn't even remember drifting off. "Good morning," the taxi driver smiled to her in the rearview mirror. "We'll be arriving at your destination in a few minutes. I thought you might want a little bit of time to wake up."
Kenzi yawned, stretching out in the back seat. "Thank you." She rifled through her duffel bag, finding a few weapons in the bottom. Kenzi smiled to herself; she knew who had packed this bag for her. Only Bo would make sure Kenzi had a way of protecting herself, even if she was going away from the danger. Now it would come in handy. The rest of her weapons were still inside the crack shack, and she had no idea if the Garuda would be in there waiting for Bo to come home. Everything she did now, she had to be very careful about. No one knew she was back home, so no one would know to come looking for her if she got into trouble. It had only been a few days since she had left, but anything could have happened within that amount of time.
The cab pulled up near the abandoned building. The driver looked back at Kenzi, then back at the address she had handed him. "I'm sorry miss, my GPS must have taken us to the wrong location."
Despite herself, Kenzi chuckled. "No no, this is the right place," she smiled. She subtly slipped one of her daggers into her boot before grabbing her bag and exiting the taxi. She pulled out $300, handing it to the man. "Keep the change."
Any confusion on the driver's face disappeared once Kenzi paid him. He grinned, "thank you. Have a great day." She watched him drive off.
Kenzi walked close to the side of the building, scanning the perimeter for anything amiss. Satisfied, she opened the outer door to the clubhouse, proceeding the short distance down the hall to the main door. She opened the main door as quietly as she had back at her hotel. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until she reached Bo's room. It looked like it had been ransacked. Kenzi's breath caught in her throat, hoping that Bo herself had caused this mess. Bo's bedroom was always neat, but then again with the coming apocalypse, she had other priorities than keeping a tidy home. Finding the house empty, Kenzi pulled out her cell phone, dialing her best friend's number. The phone rang a few times before going to voicemail. She sighed. She knew it was a long shot, but the bad feeling she had roiling in her stomach wasn't going away. The feeling was even worse than when Bo had lost her memory due to the adunk and had run away. She left a quick message, not yet ready to tell Bo she was home incase the succubus was still tying up loose ends with the Garuda. She knew Bo would automatically drop everything she was doing to make sure Kenzi was safe, and she couldn't allow that to happen. She couldn't be a 'distraction' as Trick had put it. Isn't that why Bo had sent her away in the first place? "Hey Bo, it's me. Nate and I are getting ready to head out again after stopping at a hotel for the night. I'm really worried about you. Please call me back when you can. I love you." She hung up the phone, her eyes a bit glossy after the last sentence. Would she ever to get to tell Bo that she loves her again? Would they ever be able to just hang out and eat piles o'pecans ice cream while watching tv? Would they ever be able to go to the Dal and have a few drinks with their friends? She took a deep shaky breath, trying to dispel all of the 'what ifs.'
She went across the hall to her room, opening the closet doors. She changed into a red and black top, lacing up a black embroidered corset over it. Her black jeans fit skin tight to her body. She slid her steel toe knee-high boots on, tying the laces. Kenzi pulled her hair back into a ponytail, one red highlight hanging down at the side of her face. The other highlight was trapped within the confines of the hair tie. She rummaged through her duffel bag once more, pulling out a new weapon she had noticed earlier. The small crossbow felt right in her hands. She pointed it at the wall, pulling the trigger. The arrow stuck into one of the boards. Kenzi smiled, "Nice. Thanks BoBo." Even if Kenzi wouldn't be in the battle with the Garuda, Bo had supplied her with weapons to make sure she was still protected. She finished getting ready, attaching two sheathed daggers to her belt, brass knuckles in her pocket, and her sword strapped to her back.
Stepping outside, Kenzi noticed Bo's car was gone. "Damnnit," she mumbled. She went back into the house for a minute, adding one more item to her arsenal: her slim jim. She walked along the sidewalk for about two miles, until she spotted a black Toyota Corolla parked nearby. Kenzi wandered up to it, taking out her slim jim. She slid the metal tool down between the window and the car door, feeling for the lock. "Come on baby," she spoke softly. She heard the familiar click. She opened the door as if she owned the car, slipping into the driver's seat. She used one of her daggers to pry open the plastic panel under the steering wheel. She felt for the wires, separating the red and brown wires from the others. She stripped the tips of the wires with the dagger before twisting them together. She then reached for the black wire, stripping it down as well. She tapped the starter wire and the power wires together. The car roared to life. "That's right bitches! Kenzi's still got the magic touch!" She shifted, driving off down the road towards the Dal.
She parked the car around back, walking down the alley to the front to find the door sitting crooked on its hinges. She instantly withdrew her crossbow, pushing the door open with her foot. She pointed the weapon ahead of her, taking in the scene before her. The pub she had come to love and view as a second home was trashed. Chairs and tables lay splintered in pieces. The pool table was turned on its side with a missing leg. Most of the bottles of liquor were shattered in pieces on the floor. The bar itself had massive holes in it and was smeared with blood. Kenzi prayed the blood wasn't from anyone she knew. She took careful steps around the debris, making her way down the stairs into Trick's home. Papers were scattered everywhere, desk drawers thrown from their slots against the wall. The easel with the ancient drawing of the Garuda was charred from a fire that seemed to have occurred in a majority of Trick's study. "Trick?" she called softly. "Trick? Are you here?" Receiving no answer, she checked the other rooms, finding similar damage but still no sign of the barkeep or her other friends. Her hands shook slightly, praying everyone had gotten out alive.
She heard a shuffling noise coming from upstairs towards her. Kenzi ducked in the corner behind the staircase. A berserker came down, glancing around. He stood still for a moment, sniffing the air. Kenzi cursed in her head; he could smell her. She held her breath, not wanting to give herself away. If he had sensitive smelling, she figured he probably had very good hearing as well. She slowly raised her crossbow, aiming it at the fae's back where his heart should be. She pulled the trigger, the arrow flying through the air and landing imbedded in its target. The berserker let out a strangled noise, turning towards Kenzi. "Oh shit," she said. She could vaguely hear Trick in the back of her mind telling her that berserkers could be killed by blunt force trauma. He charged at her. Kenzi stood up straight, drawing her sword from the sheath on her back. In one swift motion, she swung it at his neck. His head rolled a few feet away, leaving a grotesque blood trail. The body dropped to the ground. Kenzi stared wide-eyed at her accomplishment. "I guess decapitation works too. Good to know." She put her foot on the fae's back, grasping hold of the arrow still in him. She pulled hard, wrinkling her nose up at the squelching noise it made as the arrow slid out. She placed it back into its holder with the other bolts. There was no sense in wasting a weapon.
Kenzi walked back out into the light, noticing for the first time how empty the area was. There were no pedestrians milling about, nor were there many cars going by. The sinking feeling in the pit of Kenzi's stomach grew worse. This was not the same place she had left behind. She got back in 'her' car, wondering where she could go now. There was one more place she knew of to check.
As the Ash's compound came into view, Kenzi's mouth dropped slightly. "Jesus," she whispered. Half of the building had been blown up. "Lauren!" she yelled in concern when she realized the medical bay had been involved in the explosion as well. The doctor may not be her favourite person, but she was still a part of their group and a part of her life. Kenzi would be dead right now if it wasn't for her risking her own life to save Kenzi from the basilisk poison. Lauren even gave herself up to the Ash when his lackey had Kenzi pinned by her neck, her feet dangling off the ground. The two were not best buddies, but they would never wish harm on the other. They had a mutual understanding after Lauren confronted the Ash to protect her, under the one provision that Lauren didn't hurt Bo again, but that provision applied to everyone. Dyson had gotten his fair share of Kenzi's wrath when he broke Bo's heart.
Kenzi pulled up to the guard shack, "excuse me sir, I-"
The man grimaced, looking her up and down. "No humans," he said gruffly.
Kenzi groaned; yep, she was home. "My friends are in there and-"
"Friends?!" the guard laughed. "Fae don't keep humans as friends. Whose pet are you?"
Kenzi bit the inside of her cheek to keep any comments to herself. "Dyson Thornwood," she said, hoping the shifter's ranks within the Light Fae would allow her access to the compound.
"Nice try, Dyson doesn't keep pets. The rule still stands, no humans. Only the doctor is allowed on the premises."
Kenzi rolled her eyes, "you really have no idea how many times I've already been on these 'premises' do you? I've been to the lab, I know Lauren Lewis, I've met the Ash a few times as well as the previous one, I've worked alongside Dyson and Hale, I live with Bo the unaligned succubus, and I hang out at the Dal with Trick. Now try telling me again I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about." She glared at him, daring him to speak again. The man growled, closing the guard shack door on her. "Rude." She backed up the car, flipping him off as she did so. She slammed on the gas, ramming the car straight into the gate. The gates bent but didn't break, effectively stopping the car. The airbag deployed in Kenzi's face, the car totaled. Smoke rose up from underneath the hood. Kenzi got out with just a minor scratch on her forehead. She stared at the gate. "Frickin strong gate," she appraised, amazed at the lack of damage. "Fae shiz is always built better. So not fair." She turned to the guard shack, the man gawking open mouthed at her. "Uh-oh," she took off running down the street as the guard threw his door opened and chased her. Shooting a Light Fae guard of the Ash's compound would not help her situation. She just prayed this guy wasn't the Speedy Gonzales of the fae world.