Chapter 14
The black "lovebug" that had belong to Mrs. Peace screeched along the center line in the road as Will tore around a corner at speed. Layla held the sides of her seat so tightly that her fingers were beginning to cramp.
"The Plaper Lantern?" Layla yelled "Why?"
"We have to pick something up" Will said slowly, focusing on the road. Driving in a panic was harder than it seemd in car chase movies "or, someone to be exact"
"Who?"
"One of Warren's friends."
"Warren has friends that arn't us?" Layla asked, smiling slightly at the joke, trying to ignore the feeling of dread rising in his stomach, both from the scene at Warrens house, and Will's driving.
"I know. It's weird. Her names Jen and she's strong... and I think a little psychic."
"Psychic?"
"Warren says she can sense things. That she sensed something bad was about to go down. Maybe she can help us find him."
With the Paper Lantern in sight, Will pushed down on the break, hard enough to make Layla jerk forward in her seat. He flew open the door and raced inside, leaving Layla with the car.
"Jen!" Will yelled, causing customers to turn and stare. He paused breifly to smile nervously, imagining how much of a wreck he must look, before quickly running to the kitchen. "Mrs. Lee?"
"Who are you?" Said a voice that caused Will to turn slightly. The girl was beautiful, even in the grey sweatpants and loose black shirt she was wearing. It had to be her.
"Jen?" Will asked
"Yeah... but we still arn't any closer to discovering who you are, are we?"
"I'm Will Stronghold, Warren's boyfriend."
Jen's attitude seemed to change immediatly, back into ditzy school girl. "Oh my god you two would be, like, the cutest couple."
"Are you sure your a warrior and not a cheerleader?" Will asked. His nerves were fraying, and his stomach seemed to clench tighter with every passing minute.
"Both actually." She said as Will began to lead her towards the exit. "Where are we going?"
"I was kinda hoping you could tell me. Warren's in trouble, and I need you to help me find him."
They walked outside towards the car, where Layla had already gotten into the back seat. They got in quickly, and Will started the motor.
"I do feel something... but we need to get some weapons first."
"Got it covered." Will said, nodding his head in the direction of the weapons in the back.
"We're fighting with Greenpeace now?"
"Huh?" Will asked. His brain really wasnt up to banter "Oh... this is Layla"
"And these..." Said Layla, partially removing the cover she had placed over the weapons "Are what we're fighting with."
"Awesome." Jen said, turning back to the front "Then let's go. He's near his home somewhere. And near water."
"The wearhouses at the docks?" Layla asked "That's not too far from Warren's."
-
Warren shook his head in an attempt to get the long black strands of hair away from his face. It had been about an hour since he had followed Zach into the wearhouse, and come face to face with his father. Again.
"God." He thought to himself dryly "How often am I going to have to kill this guy?"
His brain was beginning to catch up with the events of the evening, and he was starting to worry more and more. From what he could gather from their conversations, Parker had used some blend of magic and science to regenerate his father. Why? The only reason Warren could come up with was that he was a psycho, pure and simple.
"Warren." His father said quietly, looking at his watch "Is this boy of yours likely to show up any time soon? It's just I have a lot of plans to start, and you know..."
"Enlighten me, please?" Warren said sarcastically. He had decided that either he would die, or Will would save him, so there was no point being polite. Barron battle quirked one eyebrow in amusement.
"Well, you killed me remember? So I figure, if I kill the boy, then I torture you and get revenge on the Strongholds in one clean shot." He said, walking towards Warren, his face only inches away "Except... it's not gonna be clean. It's gonna hurt. a lot... that is if he ever bothers to come for you."
Warren remained silent, listening to his father rant. This man, whom he had wished to know better, was nothing more than a psychotic fool.
"Gotta tell you War, I'm not suprised really, that you turned out the way you did. I guess most would balme it on the lack of a father figure... but no. Some people were just born wrong."
"You know I really really beleive that." Warren said "Some people are."
Barron Battle strode away from Warren quickly, and over to where Parker was sitting, stronking Zach's hair. Zach, meanwhile, was looking off into the distance, as though he wasn't aware of what was happening around him. He was in shock.
"Hey Zach!" Warren called out, finally giving the feeling of betrayal he felt a voice "What did they promise you? Did you kill me for a good price?"
Zach remaind motionless, lost in the tangle of his mind.
"You know you're not gonna have a happy ending in this one." Warren yelled.
-
"There!" Jen yelled, pointing to one of the large, grey wearhouses. "He's in that one."
Will put his foot down on the gas harder.
"Will!" Layla yelled "The brake is the other one."
Will ignored her and continued driving, until the crashed into the tin wall that surrounded the door, plowing straight through it. The long sheets of metal flew off in different directions, clattering to the ground with a noise barely audiable over the noise the engine was making, with smoke billowing from under the hood. Will, Jen and Layla climbed out of the wrecked car, looking dazed, but unharmed mostly.
"Will!" Warren called. "I'm over here!"
Will was moving in an instant. He ran across the floor of the wearhouse, narrowly avoiding an attack of fireballs from Barron Battle. As he tried to break through the steel holding Warren up, he glanced across to Layla and Jen. Jen was fiercly attacking Barron Battle, throwing punches left and right. Will flinched as he saw Warren's father hit her sharply across the face with a flaiming fist. Layla too was holding her own, with a long strech of vine that came through the hole they had made in the wall held Parker tightly in place.
"Will..." Warren pleaded "hurry."
"Almost...there!" Will cried as the steel finally gave and Warren fell to the floor in a heap, just as Barron Battle Picked Jen up. There was a sharp crack that echoed through the wearhouse, and for a moment, everyone was silent as they watched the life quickly drain from her body, until she was as limp as a rag doll. He threw Jen into Layla, pushing both of them into a crate nearby. The force of the two bodies caused more crates to fall ontop of them, knocking Layla out.
Barron Battle looked worse for wear, Blood trickling from his broken nose, and both eyes already looking puffy frm Jen's many hits. As he moved towards Warren and Will, he visable flinched and grabbed his ribs.
"Fuck." He yelled, Backing away again, towards parker. He burned off the vines, releasing Parker from the hold.
"No." Warren said groggily, getting to his feet. His father, grabbing onto Parker, ran towards the door. "This isn't over!"
"You know it's not son." He said, and the pair dissappeard in an instant, flying quickly into the air on Parker's back, Barron Battle turned for one last look.
"Warren, are you ok?" Will said. He held him tightly for a second, releif flooding his body when Warren nodded that he was fine.
"Jen." Warren called. "Oh my god. She's..." His voice cracked.
"We need to get out of here Warren."
"But... Jen. He killed her."
"I know. And we will make him pay, but right now we need to get you and Layla to a hospital." Will said urgently. Warren leaned on Will for support for a moment, before walking on his own shakey feet. Will picked Layla up slowly, careful to avoid moving her neck, although she was already coming to. He placed her on the backseat of the car.
"What about him." Warren said, nodding towards Zach, who sat still in the corner. Will looked suprised, having not seen Zach until now.
"Why is he here?"
"He lead me to them. Said they had you."
Will's mind raced. Zach had betrayed them?
"First we get to the hospital, then I will call my parents. They can sort this out."
-
Later, in the hospital, Layla stood beside Warren and kissed him on the forehead, before leaving with her mom, as quickly as possible, before being scorched by Warren's glare. Hurt or not, he still wasn't gonna get cute.
Will and Warren had just finished telling their accounts of what had happend to Will's parents, who had gone to find Zach, and for the first time since they attack, they were alone together. Will kissed Warren lightly on the head.
"I thought I was gonna lose you tonight baby." Will said, placing his hand on Warren's chest.
"But then you saved the day. The whole time, he was telling me how pathetic I was, how it was over for me." Warren said, looking into Will's eyes, as he felt tears welling in his own. "But I knew you would come for me. I knew you would find me."
"I'm always gonna come for you. I love you. More than anything in this world."
"I love you too Will. Before I met you...My life was nothing. But you make me so happy... and you make me feel safe." Warren said. He rested his head on Will's shoulder for a moment before standing up straight and tugging on his leather jacket akwardly. "Lets go home."
-
A:N - Ok one more wrapping up chapter, but it will be open for more later, and then im starting on my Warrens history kinda story. Enjoy.