Chapter 20: Crashing at the Shack
The fireplaces crackling flames were the only light source in the abandoned house. It illuminated the blondes face in warm colors and kept them warm. Slowly Laurens look wandered beside her, where Kenzi was cuddled up to her. The blonde wondered how the black haired girl could sleep so peacefully beside her in this place.
Kenzi had found it while Lauren was hunting for supplies in the city, but the moment they had entered Lauren felt something something unexplainable but brushed it off as paranoia.
Kenzi called the building lovingly "Crack Shack" and at first it seemed to good to be true. Finally a house with a real roof. No leaking parts everything seemed intact. Even the shower was working. Maybe the shack had no inner walls or real windows but there was a lockable front door giving the place a safer look.
But no matter how perfect the place seemed, a bad feeling remained. This feeling kept Lauren awake and woke her up whenever she was about to doze of.
The blonde stretched and yawned for the hundredth time this evening waking Dile through her moving who meowed disapprovingly. "Sorry little guy. Didn't mean to wake you.." she whispered and pet him behind his ears. The kitten quickly began to purr and curled back in to a ball of fur. Lauren smiled. She was so proud of the little kitten. He gained so much weight in the few days and fortunately looked way more healthy. His fur gotten softer and longer too.
She didn't want to admit it but she enjoyed their company. Even when Kenzi was pretty strange from time to time. Sometimes she didn't even understand the smaller girl but her heart was at the right place. Without her help Lauren would have either given up or would be dead. Kenzis 101 how to live on the streets was lifesaving and she shouldn't forget the guy that had tried to kill her Kenzi saved her from. Like the raven haired girl knew she mumbled some incoherent sentences and started to snore loudly not without tightening her grip on Lauren like she was a plushy.
They were sleeping this close for three days now. Not just because of the warmth. The fire was usually warm enough to keep out the cold but for comfort.
Ever since she had left her hometown, her nightmares had followed. Night after night she saw her father, felt what he did. She saw Pauls dead body and the scary grin on his face. Then there was the attack on Bo and her that had changed everything. She saw Bo's unconscious body, seeing her hurt and broken. The worst of it was that it felt so unbelievable real. The pain, the fear.. too real.
Every night she had woken up screaming. No matter what she tried the nightmares returned until one night. Three days ago there were no nightmares haunting her just restful, dreamless sleep. When she had woken up she had seen Kenzi cuddled up to her. Arms tight around her midriff and Dile curled up on her chest.
Kenzis only response was that Lauren wasn't alone. That she knew to well what Lauren was going through but never asked the blonde of the reasons and Lauren was thankful for that.
Exhausted Lauren sank back down on their makeshift bed. This day had been an utterly successful one. They got warm food and rations for the next two weeks, found a good place to sleep at and even could wash themselves up. A luxury when your entire body felt greasy from missing opportunities to wash. But still she felt weaker than ever before. Something was amiss and nagging her. Her body was tingling with an unknown craving she couldn't describe.
Her skin was unusually pale and sweaty. Her stomach felt queasy and her vision turned blurry from time to time now. Her head felt like it was exploding most of the time. It got even worse. Her muscles were cramped and shaking on the same time. She wondered if she just got a bad kind of flu or if it had something to do with her powers she knew almost nothing about.
It wasn't helping that Bo seemed the only thing occupying her waking mind. Sometimes she could even swear that she could feel the brunettes presence, even hear her voice which was completely ridiculous. She must be turning crazy or missed the other too much or her mysterious sickness was attacking her nervous system.
She hoped that the others were fine without her. They should be safe now, shouldn't they? But what if those after her tried to get her through Ivy, Dyson, Rena or Bo? How far would they go? Were they in danger? She had never thought about that. Shit.
Her heart almost stopped when Diles purring stopped and he without warning jumped up hissing. His eyes seemed to glow. Why were they glowing? She must be hallucinating. Angrily the cat hissed at the entrance eyes fixed on the door. "Is somebody coming?" Lauren breathed. It almost looked like the kitten was nodding but that was impossible, wasn't it?
"Kenzi...Kenzi wake up" Lauren shook the other girl.
"Only five minutes more please..." the girl mumbled still half asleep.
"Now! Kenzi. I think somebody is here" Laurens voice was shaking with fear.
That seemed to have worked. Kenzi jumped to her feet, her trusty knife in hand. "Aw shit, why can't I ever have something good?" the girl whined.
It was dark and difficult to make out their surroundings. The only light was coming from the fire. The cat was the only one being able to see clearly now.
"Are you sure we are not alone?" Kenzi asked in a low tone"
"Well at least he is" Lauren answered and pointed at the kitten.
The next minutes were filled with complete silence. No sign of an intruder. Eventually Kenzi broke the silence. "Maybe he just spotted a mouse or a spider or som...uggh" Her sentence was interrupted by something shiny flying her way. A guttural scream escaped the younger girl lips when she sank down to the floor clutching her chest. In the flickering of the flames Lauren suddenly saw the cause. A throwing knife was sticking in Kenzis chest blood already streaming heavily out of the wound. Pain was shining in the younger girls eyes. No words were escaping her lips it was just to painful.
Lauren was in shock and it took her a few seconds to take in what just had happened. Immediate guilt was rising up in her. This is all my fault. I should have never stayed with her. Wasn't this the reason she had left in the first place so nobody would get hurt anymore because of her? Her selfish decision was taking its victims again.
The blonde looked around for the attacker but saw no one not even a shadow. Her eyes turned back to Kenzi who kneeled on the floor whimpering, pleading Lauren to help her.
I can do this. I did already save Bo I can do this too... Just got to concentrate. Concentration Lauren... Calm down...
"Kenzi, I can help you but first I need to get the knife out" Kenzis eyes widened in horror. Lauren knew that getting out the knife would cause Kenzi to bleed to death in a few minutes but with the object still stuck in the young girls shoulder she doubted her healing would do any good.
"I'm sorry" Lauren whispered and yanked out the knife with one pull. Kenzi screamed in agony when a squall of blood followed the knife. The blonde felt already sick to the stomach seeing this and especially doing it.
"This may sting a bit and might look fucking crazy but please Kenzi don't be scared... Trust me"
Kenzi looked visibly confused but eventually gave her OK. It felt like life was leaving her. Every chance to heal was welcome at this moment no matter how strange it might seem.
It took Lauren a few moments to concentrate but eventually she felt the energy flowing. A soothing warmth was engulfing Kenzi taking slowly away the pain. The bleeding quickly stopped and she already felt a bit stronger again. "the fuck?!" she only whispered.
"I'll explain later, I promise but first we have to get out of here"
"Oh I don't think I can let you do that" A female voice suddenly appeared.
"Show yourself" Lauren barked.
"How about no?" the woman snarled and launched for an attack before Lauren could even move a muscle. The leg connecting with her chest sent her flying through the room, breaking some ribs in the process. There was so much power behind that kick that seemed to cause no effort from the intruder that Lauren was sure she had to be Fae and therefore was here just for her.
Another kick to her jaw broke her attempt to stand up. Her face felt like fire. She coughed up blood. Attacking me gets old...
"The morrigan just said she wanted you alive" Lauren was right, definitely fae. "But she didn't say I couldn't have my fun with you first. You know I like to play with my pray" She grinned her facial expression turning feral.
Lauren felt so dizzy. Everything hurt from the attacks, her sickness kicked in and healing Kenzi was taking a lot from her.
Every time she tried to get back up again another punch was sending her down again. When her body felt like it was giving up she expected another hit that never came.
Instead she heart the deafening growl of Dile. Curious she looked up which was difficult. Blood was dripping in her swollen eyes but after a few seconds she saw it. "Dile" she whispered. The kitten had jumped bravely into the woman's face, clawing, biting, drawing blood as best as he could.
"Get of off me you flea ball" the assassin yelled and ripped the tiny cat roughly from her face. Unceremoniously she threw the kitten against the next wall where he landed with a loud crack.
"No!" Lauren screamed seeing her cat lying motionless and broke on the floor.
Why were the Fae so cruel? She never wanted to be part of this society. She actually hated it already. All the contact she had was tainted with violence. So much pain and death.
Anger was forming in her. An unknown strength taking control in her. Energy was flowing through her veins now. As fast as lighting she rushed up to the intruder and hit her full force causing the assassin to fly through the room breaking everything in her way.
Lauren was breathing heavily. Her whole body was tingling with a mix of pain and power. Eyes were glowing in a precious gold like the aura that was surrounding her now.
"On your knees" Her voice was foreign to her. Too deep, too vibrant. The assassin tried to fight it but eventually broke down and kneeled. Unfortunately Lauren neither knew how to control her power not was she strong enough to hold onto it.
This was used by her enemy. In the blink of an eye she was onto her again. Strangling her, holding her in the air by her throat. The blonde was dangling helplessly in the air, feet missing the ground.
"You start getting annoying child"
Laurens lungs hurt from the lack of oxygen and the broken ribs. She felt her vision getting blurry again. Life was already slipping form her when a loud bang ended it all. The tight grip around her neck loosened up and she crashed to the floor coughing violently. Another bang. Seconds later the assassin completely broke down in a bloody puddle.
When the blonde had managed to catch her breath again being able to take in the situation she looked directly in the muzzle of a gun still smoking. The gun she had stolen from Dyson, held by a shaking Kenzi. The girls eyes were wide. "Fuck... Fuck.. What the hell is this shit? What are you? Were you bitten by some radioactive spider or fell from a planet far far away? Shit..."
"Kenzi please.. put the gun down. I can explain. I swear. I just found out about this weeks ago, kay?" Lauren held up her hands in defeat.
Fortunately Kenzi let the gun down. "You better do explain good... oh and you owe me big time. Something like 5 years worth of ravioli" the brunette smiled. Lauren smiled back and nodded.
"Alrighty... me sleepy... nighty night" and with that Kenzi closed her eyes. How could the girl sleep next to a dead body?
Lauren still felt so extremely weak but she had to check on Dile. It took a lot of effort to crawl up to him, cradling his motionless body in her arms. Could she save him too? But before she could even try a heavy blow to her head knocked her out and again her entire world turned black.
A/N: I know... Attack? Again? Booooring, well.. won't happen again, kay? I just wanted to thank you guys again. I was speechless about the many reviews. I mean.. damn over 30 for the last chapter? Holy shit. And more follower and favorites? You guys are awesome. When I consider that Lost Doc only got 2 reviews for the last chapter (which is really sad) I was so happy about so many here. Keep them coming they make me happy. And a happy author posts more often ;)