Next part is here and I hope you will leave me some reviews! :) Enjoy reading!
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They drove fast to the meeting point. Jim had already been waiting for them, as they stopped and got out of the car quickly. He waved to them, but hadn't even had time for saying hi as Constantine almost ran instead of walked towards the big doors in front of them all, encircled by police officers and police tap, so they barely could catch up with him.
"Hey, you can't go there," one older man tried to stop them and Zed didn't wonder. They didn't look like somebody who should have access to a crime scene. John was on the other hand hardly even worried. He seemed to be rather upset, as he not very politely took his magic card from his coat and show it quickly to the police officer.
"We are forensic specialists from CBI."
He looked at John's card quickly and then apologised, but Zed was the only one that managed to respond somehow as the two man continued in their way in the same speed.
"Where it is?" John asked as he suddenly stopped on the crossroad.
"In the first room," Jim answered and tried to look at Zed, which finaly chatch up with them, but she pretended not to be aware of his gaze and Constantine knew it was because of him. However, he thought it may wait a little, so he hurried to the room Jim pointed earlier. He didn't waste time on careful entrence and almost kicked the door to make them open.
The body was placed in the perfect middle in a really strange position. Somebody could tell it looked like some kind of strange accident, but when you lived in world of John Constantine, nothing was an accident.
He froze and Zed had to fight to settle her stomach because she wasn't prepared for that kind of look.
The dead body belonged to a woman with a long black hair and roses surrounded her in a perfect circle. But that wouldn't be much frightening if there wasn't one detail missing – she had been flayed. Her blood was on the roses, on the floor, everywhere. It looked like some kind of bloody hell and the only thought that crossed her mind was: Who for God's sake could do thing like this?
"It hadn't been identified yet," Jim said in a low voice and also seemed a little bit paler than outside.
"You don't have to," John answered quietly and they looked at him with surprise. "I know her. It's Mary Lucy Diane, one of the best exorcists on the world. I can't imagine what kind of demon she played with to made her look like this."
"Are you sure it was a demon?" Zed asked. Yes, it would be scary to know it was made by a human, but it also meant that they can handle this easily and they can let police to make its job. But if it really was a demon... What are they going to do next? How they can stop something like this?
He looked at her and she could find the answer in his face sooner than he actually nodded in agreement. "I'm pretty sure, love."
And his statement horrified her. This is what they should fight against to safe Chas? Holly shit.
"How can you be so sure?" Jim asked, probably hoping for the same as she. Constantine didn't even looked up but walked towards stairs, which led them to a roof with big parts made from glass. They both were confused, but Constantine looked just calm and maybe a little bit scared, but Zed already knew he is very good in hiding it.
"Because," he started and thrown some unfamiliar powder in the air. She was just about to ask him what that supposed to mean, when suddenly some scary red light started to appear in the air and she gasped in shock. The light started to make words! Not only words, but whole sentences!
Only then her enthusiasm ended as quickly as she read some words she recognised. She had spent some time with the demonologist, so she learnt some. It wasn't enough to really understand, but it was enough to know approximately what is it about.
And this wasn't good at all.
"What is written there?" Jim asked, because he was the only one who couldn't understand even a word, much to his discomfort.
"It's a message for me," the blond answered after taking some time for thinking, which only made situation even more tense. "It is written in English, but in demon alphabet. To make things short, something like 'YOU are the reason why this had happened' but there is not written my name."
"So what make you think it is for you?" Jim asked, not really getting the point. Zed on the other hand stood there in silence as she already knew what to expect and also with a slight suspicion he kept some important information for himself. He just looked like that, oh, how good she knew what it felt like to be guilty!
She bit her lips in a waiting for bad news and she was sure they will come, because there was one word he hadn't mentioned yet. A word used for lovers or people you simply cared about. It all just seemed too scary to have any good in the meaning, so she was sure there was something bad linked to in other circumstances very positive words.
"There is a mention about where are we going to meet if we wanted to find Chas and his family alive," he told them then turned to the stairs again. After that statement they simply followed him, still quite in shock about how quick had the situation changed and how calm Constantine seemed to be.
"I'm going for my car. It's not far away, just a few blocks, but then I have to errand something, so we will meet in a few hours in the motel lobby, ok?" he suggested and because of anybody had anything against it, they simply nodded in agreement.
"Fine, so see you later," he waved them and disappeared behind the door.
John and Zed were alone once again but now on one of them wanted to bring the thing that happened sooner to a light. They both were afraid about Chas, each other but themselves, too. This was a really bad situation, although what scared her more was his look written in his face. Look of some kind of atonement.
Zed watched him while he gazed on the body that used to be a woman and probably a very beautiful one and heard his low whisper "Rest in peace" but it wasn't been his usual way of talking and she knew that although he never mentioned her name earlier, she meant something too him.
Then, even if she wasn't really planning to do that, she simply put a hand on his shoulder in a silent comforting gesture for him, to show him her empathy and support.
He gave her a sad smile, shook her hand away and started to walk to his car staying alone on the empty road in the light of evening sun. It all looked nice but felt strange like if it came from other world beside the disaster that hit their lives. She can't help herself but let some tears fall down her cheeks.
She felt miserable, not only for her personal confused life, but also for Chas and his family, because they were the last they deserved it.
Why is everything bad happening to good people? She didn't know but suddenly she felt and unbelievably strong hatred towards the demon, so she had to fight against an urge to hit something.
"It is going to be alright," she heard his voice trying to make her feel better and laugh in his horrible effort, but still was grateful that he tried to convinced her to something he didn't really believed, either, just to make her feel better.
"No, it's not, and you know it," she sighed, still not able to stop tears. "This is not a way how I imagine living right now. I wanted to..."
But then, her voice just trailed off and he didn't push her, because he knew she probably thought about the same thing as he.
It was his fault that this happened! He should have been there. He simply should. And if he didn't save him, he would never ever forgive himself. But although he realised now and was able to admit that his feelings toward her started to become dangerously strong, he couldn't let her know that, because he knew he had to pushed her away because the threat from a demon is never just empty words. He can't lose her too, so however it is going to be hard for him, he had to make her leave.
You survived Gaz, you survived Astra, you will survive her leaving, too. But to be honest, he didn't really know if he could reconcile with her departure. She had already become a person he really trust, a person he wasn't afraid that could betray him. She mean so much to jim, but he swore to himself, he better made her left than commit to get her hurt.
He already had a plan. Not very good one, sure, but it was a plan, in which Zed isn't going to play a role, so she is going to be save and that's all that matter.
He pressed his fingers strongly on the driving-wheel. He can't let that happened, he had no other choice than to protect her.
"Where are you going to meet the demon?" she asked suddenly and caught him unprepared as he was lost in his thoughts.
"What do you mean?" he answered trying to get some time to think. He didn't think that she would notice he didn't tell them. But it was Zed. He should have been counting on that. She was one of the most perceptive people he ever met.
She rolled her eyes. "Cut the crap. I know you long enough to know what you are planning in your mind. You are not going to go there alone."
Bloody hell, why is he still underestimated her? She sometimes can be a real problem to solve. Well, he knew she can guess when he is lying, if he doesn't attack her back – then she is too busy with that and doesn't notice.
He really hated himself for the answered that crossed his mind but he had to do that, if he wanted to piss her off enough to make her leave.
"That wasn't what was on my mind."
"Really? Then what was?" she asked, clearly annoyed by his lies.
"Well," he started, "I was just thinking about how had Jim threw a love glances at you. Do you think that he would still do that if he saw you pressing your body to me and kissing me?" He looked at her with daring eyes. But she... she looked much more hurt than he expected with tears glistening in her eyes and that also tore his heart more than he ever had like a possibility.
He bloody really cared about her.
"Sometimes you are really a jerk, Constantine," she answered and didn't even wait for him to completely stop as she opened the doors and ran away toward the motel. But as he watched her, he realised he is not able to do that. He couldn't lie to her anymore.
"Shit," he muttered and got out quickly.
He was maybe a fool, but he just couldn't bear the knowledge he made her feel bad. He just couldn't. So he ran faster than he ever run in his life because of a girl just to catch up with her before she will lock herself in her motel room. And she could bet, he is going to tell her everything, because she knew him better, than he should have allowed, because she is the only person he every feel something to. Something more than simply friendship and this was stronger than his and Anne-Marie feelings.
He probably bloody loved her, although it sounded crazy to him, but he had to explain her. He doubt he will come back again to tell her and he couldn't stand up hell if he knows, she would think he was a jerk and that she means nothing to him. Because that wasn't true and letting her know was the only thing he had to do before he is going to faith for Chas life even if it would means to give up on his own.
But one thing in his plan hadn't nevertheless change – he is going to go there alone, whether she likes it or not.