The next couple of days went by quite peacefully and without word from Oskar. Jesper stayed closed up in his room as he always did and Ethan had found an old television in the attic and moved it into his room, so now he was cooped up in his room all day watching television as well. Every now and then Jesper would get up to go look out the front window downstairs to monitor the neighboring streets.

The day started briskly as usual. They both were watching CNN downstairs and had a little notepad out taking notes on things they found interesting and to keep tabs on. Ethan had shown Jesper a website where he was keeping up with information on the current state of things. Tom and Richard had dropped by unexpectedly two days prior and dropped off a motorcycle.

"This is mine." Ethan stated, "I had them bring it here incase we need to go to the store again we don't have to walk five miles down the road, it was quite exhausting." Jesper merely nodded.

He was starting to grow extremely worried. He wondered if Toreanclath had made a visit to Ethan. He thought he'd ask Ethan over dinner that night. That night they made steak, salads, and baked beans, Jesper's favorite meal.

"So Ethan, do you know a person named Toreanclath?" "Yeah he came-" and suddenly someone opened the door. Oskar stepped in and shut the door behind him. When he got focused into the light Jesper noticed that there wasn't anything wrong with him physically, just that he was a little smelly and dingy looking. Ethan got up alarmed but realized who it was remembering the insurance card and Jesper getting up to give him a hand shake.

"Where the hell have you been dude?" Jesper asked still shaking his hand. "Well I ran in with some people leaving the grocery store. They figured out who I was and turned me in. Its ok I lied my way outta prison and got back here, but I highly suggest we start moving. Who is this?" Oskar asked.

"Well I cam looking for you and met Ethan here. He helped me look for you, he's on the run and he's also a guardian. So in exchange for helping try to find you he got to stay here." explained Jesper.

"How do you do?" asked Ethan pretending to curtsey an invisible hat on his head.

"Cool. Well I'm tired. Going to take a shower and go to bed. Is that steak I smell?" All three of them ate and Ethan went to bed, as Jesper was on lookout tonight, and Oskar following not long after Ethan.

…………………….

Late that night it happened. Jesper knew something was up, the air was still, the street lamps turned dark, and sirens were approaching closer. He ran up the stairs, grabbed the satchel with all the medical supplies, and went into Oskar's room shouting "WFEG! WFEG!" He went a little farther down the hall and bust into Ethan's room.

"WFEG! WFEG!" he shouted once more.

Ethan immediately got up and starting throwing clothes in the supply satchel. Jesper ran down stairs, based on the sirens they were now turning on the street, they only had a few more seconds to escape into the night before the WFEG guard would bust in the front door demanding identification. Jesper was throwing dry food uncaringly into the bag as fast as he could. Ethan ran down stairs fully clothed. Jesper yelled up "Oskar hurry your ass up we don't have much more time. Come on!" The door busted in. Ethan and Jesper both looked at it with fear in their hearts and on their faces.

Ten heavily armed guards marched in and screamed "Put the bag down sir and your hands up!" They were caught, the jig was up, 30 years here I come. "I need to see your identification, NOW, guardian." and with the last word there was a little prejudice in his voice. "I'm not a guardian me and my friend here are just citizens of the city. Ethan here works at a construction site on Eastway. I am currently unemployed." "Nice try but a tip off has told us that you're guardians and we're taking you in for interrogation and investigation."

Jesper gulped because there was no real escaping this. Where was Oskar? he thought. He glanced up the stairwell and hoped for his friend to come down. If he was there he could lie and the guards would believe him no matter what. One of the guards said "Ah there is another upstairs, eh? Our source said there would only be one of you but hark here's two already so maybe there is a third upstairs. Nicholson, Fredrick, go check up stairs, and take Dulante with you, he's looking a bit edgy." They marched up stairs and then came back down 10 minutes later. "No, no one sir." said the one on the far left. Jesper stared wide eyed at Ethan. He couldn't believe it. His best friend had left him here, had left him in the jail he was going to end up in to rot.

Ethan mouthed "I thought we could trust him" and Jesper looked at the floor. Then a voice rang from upstairs "Okay I am going to reveal myself. My hands will be over my head there will be no reason to shoot. I am coming out now." Something was up the moment Oskar reached the second to last step. All of the guards were no longer pointing their guns at them but had set them to the side and were bowing to Oskar. When Oskar reached the floor they rose and continued to point the guns at Jesper and Ethan.

"Sire, we've caught these two guardians, what do you wish for us to do with them?"

"Wait, sire? Who's sire are you on you bastard!" shouted Ethan. Jesper was silent. He couldn't believe it of his best friend.

"Ah, yes," said Oskar strolling over behind the WFEG guards, a new and evil voice rang from where Oskar's once inhabited. "we've come to the part of this story where someone betrays the group." "What are you talking about?" asked Ethan. "Shut up filth! You disgusting retched oaf can't you see? I am the leader of the WFEG!" Oskar shouted. Jesper remained staring at the ground, disgruntled, confused. This can't be his best friend. His best friend wouldn't want this. This was someone else. It had to be it couldn't be his best friend. The same thought ran through his mind continuously as Ethan and Oskar conversed.

"For so long I thought that Jesper and I were the only ones. That he and I and he and I alone were the only special ones. Then I learned that there are tens of thousands of us. I felt so angry! So I showed the world what we are by paying off some idiotic redneck 1000 dollars to show the U.N. that he could change his arms into different solid weapons such as knives and bats. Then I joined the WFGD and became their leader 10 years ago and got it where we are today. Surprised, friend-o?" He had now directed his gaze towards Jesper, still looking at the ground. "So, that's why…." Jesper mumbled. "What's that?" "That's why you didn't want to join in with Toreanclath. That's why he was interested in you at all is because he knew what you were!"

"Yeah. I was pretty pissed off when that old geezer showed up but listen to me. Together, you and I, can destroy all of the other guardians and be the only ones left. We can be, at last, the truly special ones. The only ones of our kind!"

"You lie! Your powers don't work on me Oskar!" Oskar gazed at Jesper with an expression of someone walking in and seeing their partner cheating on them. "You're lies go in one ear and out the other and you are a fool. We are guardians. We are supposed to help humanity with our powers not destroy it. I will not join you. You will have to take me prisoner." The moment was coming, Jesper had shouted his final answer and was not going to change it.

"I'm sorry old friend. I am not taking prisoners today."

The distinct sound of guns clicking bullets into the chamber sounded and bullets went off. Everything suddenly appeared to be going in slow motion as Jesper turned behind the counter and saw Ethan holding up a the kitchen floor blocking the door way.

Jesper ran up to Ethan and shouted over the gun fire "COME ON WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

"I CAN'T GO! THE FLOOR WILL FALL AND WE WILL BOTH BE DEAD BEFORE WE COULD REACH THE MEETING SPOT! GO ON WITHOUT ME!"

"BUT YOU'LL-"

"I DON'T CARE JUST GO!" and with a final look of concern and sorrow Jesper turned and ran out the back door.

He got two blocks over and heard the gunfire stop. Ethan was probably dead now, but he couldn't stop he had to keep running. 4 blocks over, 6 blocks over, 9 blocks over. He went into a fenced in back yard and listened sirens rang out through the night. He went in his bag as he crouched behind the fence and threw out all of Ethan's clothes except for a cloth shirt and a flannel shirt, he would not need it any more. He took out a piece of bread, put it in his mouth, and closed the satchel tight; he was going for a swim. He kept running pausing only for the occasional piece of bread or to stop and conceal himself because he heard sirens. Two hours later he made it to the forest without running into the WFEG anymore although the sirens stayed close, probably patrolling places near the forest. He looked back towards suburbs he'd just left and the sun was rising. He turned back to the forest and saw that the bramble was thick and barbed wooded area was extremely thick. He looked at it wondering if he'd even survive if he entered the fray. Well he was dead for sure if he went back, but if he carried on and survived he would be safe.

He walked into the bramble and although it appeared everywhere he only got nicks and cuts from the biggest thorns, growing a foot out from their vine. He kept trudging on and finally came into a clearing. He walked farther and farther into the clearing and suddenly he felt something wet around his ankles he looked down and there was nothing there. When he looked back up, however, he saw a vast lake. He looked up and down the shore and spotted the rock which Toreanclath had spoken of and went to it. Drawing an invisible line with his eyes he looked directly across the lake where there was another giant rock. He went to make sure his satchel was still secured nice and tight, but it was no longer there. He went further into the water and once he was waist deep he kicked off and started swimming. At first it was a fairly easily task something Jesper saw accomplishable. A fierce current came out of now where but instead of moving him directly out towards the other side of the lake it didn't move him at all. It just splashed up against him like he was rooted to the spot where he was but he could move back and forth. He continued swimming and stopped in the middle of the lake. He was getting tired, he had been up all night running from the WFGD which was tiresome on it's on, but swimming across what seemed to be an endless lake was even more tiring. He kept swimming for what seemed to be hours on end. Finally he made it to the rock on the other side. He was five feet from it and was kicking hard. Although he had come close to the rock he would still drown if he tried to walk up to the rock. He swam and kicked with all his muster but only gained another two feet. He started to go under, belched up water that coming into his mouth from where he could no longer support his on weight. He splashed, gargled, and kicked through the water as much as he could using every last ounce of energy. He placed one hand on the cliff where the other rock stood and tried pulling himself to safety. He couldn't, he was too tired and to weak. The current was still splashing his face wildly as he went under. He looked to the light above the water and watched the air bubbles come from his open mouth as he sank. He had his arm fully outstretched and was still sinking beneath the water, his fingertips just now going under. A dark figure suddenly blocked the light coming down from above the water, grasped his hand and pulled him out of the water next to the giant rock. He was saved.