It was supposed to be a normal day, but what's really normal around here? I was supposed to get up bright `n early, go to work, and then come home to a nice long, hot bubble bath. If only today was that simple. Had it been, maybe Gunn and I wouldn't be in the hospital...maybe I wouldn't be in a coma.
(Earlier that morning-Fred's apartment)
I guess you could call me a morning person; no matter what time I go to sleep, I always wake up at 6:00am on the dot. That is unless my trusty alarm clock decides to quit working and not go off as planned. I should have known this day was not going to be a good one.
Remember that trusty alarm clock I was just talking about? Well, guess what decided not to work this morning? That's right, the stupid batteries decided to die before I got new ones, throwing my routine completely off. I love routine; routine is what keeps me sane. Okay, okay somewhat sane.
So now, it's like 6:25am and I'm going crazy trying to come up with a plan to make up for lost time. I know. I'll skip my daily jog around the table and that should get me up to speed. Hey now, that's not funny. I bet if you lived here, you wouldn't go jogging outside by yourself either. Besides, my table is pretty and it's big; you don't have to worry about getting dizzy from running in little circles. Anyways, where was I? Oh yes.
I'm in the process of changing my shirt, when I hear a knock at the door. It's not one of those knocks that are casual and only a couple of taps, it's more of a consistent and constant pounding...which scares me. Normally you don't hear those kinds of knocks, so when you do you automatically think there's something wrong. Boy was I right.
"Fred, c'mon it's Gunn. Open up, please!" He sounds so afraid and in a great deal of pain. I dropped whatever it was that I was doing and ran to the door.
"Charles!" I can't believe what I see, as I open the door. This would be when things went from bad to worse. You would think that messing up my routine was bad enough, but that was so minute compared to this. This kind of thing was not supposed to happen. None of us were supposed to get hurt and if we did, it was supposed to be by a demon...not a human.
"Charles...you're...I...who is...the boy?" I know that I'm trying to form a sentence, but the words just will not come out. I can't speak when all I see in front of me is someone I care a great deal about, standing there with one hand applied to his stomach forcing the blood to spurt out at a minimal and the other hand is clutched to that of a little boy's. A little boy I have never seen before.
(Earlier that morning-on the street)
I couldn't sleep, so out of the ordinary, I was awake and ready to go by 6:00am. I was bored and it was too early to go to work, so I decided to go for a walk. No one except Angel ever went walking in the streets alone by themselves, but I'm a tough guy; I can handle my own. I walk by a men's clothing store and can't help but notice one of those plastic dudes with a tux on. I immediately think of the previous night; the night that forever changed my life. The night we kissed. I never realized how much that girl meant to me, until that night. Sure there were a lot of demons and I did kinda get stabbed, but that was definitely one of the best nights of my life. Although, nothing could compare to what was to come this very night.
(Back at Fred's apartment)
"Fred, can we just come in?"
"Ohmigoodness, yes! I'm so sorry. What happened to you and who is this little boy right here?"
"I'm Chad," the boy replied.
"Well, hi there Chad. Listen, can you do me a favor? Will you go into that bathroom right there and bring me a few towels, so we can fix up our friend here?"
"Sure, I can do that." He walked into the bathroom and came back with two white towels. It figures he picked the white ones. I took them from his hands anyways.
"Thank you sweetheart. Hey, why don't you go into the kitchen and find yourself something to drink." The boy did so and sat at the table with his cherry coke.
I lifted Gunn's bloody shirt up, only to find more blood. I covered the wound with a towel and applied pressure, but it was bleeding so profusely. There was nothing I could do, so I did what needed to be done. First, I called 911 and then I called Angel. I told each of them what was going on and they both assured me that they were on their way and for me not to panic, as if that were even possible.
The ambulance was the first to arrive. I was glad, because I was getting very worried. Gunn hadn't spoken a word since he got through the door, so it surprised me when he spoke just as he was going out the door on a stretcher. He said, "I think he was following us. Be careful."
I looked back at the boy, confused by what I had just heard. When I looked into his eyes, I noticed pure terror. Whatever was after them must have been pretty bad to scare the boy like this, and to put that hole in Gunn's stomach. Now I was afraid.
(Back on the streets)
I left the tuxedo shop with a huge smile on my face. Just then, an idea popped into my head. I decided that I would go to Fred's place and surprise her. Being the romantic guy that I am, I decide to pick up some flowers along the way. I stop at a vendor on the side of the road. Damn, roses sure got expensive. Oh well, Fred's worth every last penny.
Just then a loud bang came from the alley. I dropped the flowers and ran to see what had happened. That noise could only come from one thing. As I turned the corner, I saw a young boy and a man who appeared to be his father. They were arguing about something and next thing I know, the man is punching the kid in the face numerous times. I immediately run to the boy's defense.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing? Do you know it's illegal to abuse your kid like that?"
I knew that my words were quite strong, but nobody deserves to be treated like that, especially a kid. The man got angry and started cussing at me, four letters words three letter words. Hell, two letter words were yelled at me that I didn't even know existed.
"Look sir, calm down. I'm gonna take your son around the corner, while you stay here until you're not so messed up." I took the boy's hand and proceeded around the corner. I don't know exactly what the man was thinking, but he must've thought I was going to the police.
Out of pure desperation, he raised his gun, aimed, and took the shot. I went down like a pile of bricks. I know I've been messed up by a few demons in my time, but nothing compared to the pain I was feeling now. I didn't want to move, but a faint voice changed my mind.
"Sir, can you please help me? Can you get me away from him?"
Who was gonna say no to that? I slowly picked myself up off the ground and noticed the man inching closer and closer to us.
"Here, take my hand." The boy did accordingly and we went to the only place where I felt safe...the only place that I knew someone was there that would help us. We went to Fred's.
(Back at Fred's apartment)
I asked the boy why he looked so afraid and if he knew what Gunn meant when he was leaving. All he could say was that he was coming. I asked him to be more specific, but there was no need to wait for the answer. It was already here.
In the doorway stood a rugged man. He appeared to be average height, but very muscular for his size. He looked like one of those guys you would see outside of a bar, sitting on their motorcycle drinking a beer. He didn't look like he wanted anyone messing with him and who was I to do otherwise.
He yelled at the boy to go with him, but instead he hid behind me. This made the man go crazy, he stomped over to me and grabbed me by the hair. He said something about staying out of this and not calling the police. He was about to yank the little boy from behind me, when Angel and Wesley showed up.
"Guys watch out, he has a gun!"
"Hey there guy, you wanna punch someone, why don't you take it out on me," Angel said as a distraction and it worked. The man started to walk towards Angel. Wesley was at his side, but a bit back. "Fred, take the boy and go out the fire escape!"
I did as I was told, but not fast enough. The boy made it to the below flight of stairs. I on the otherhand, was not so lucky. I saw the man turn in our direction with his gun in one hand. Knowing that I wouldn't make it down the stairs fast enough, I tried to climb over the rail to make it down quicker. A good thought, yet not executed fast enough. The man aimed and fired another shot. I felt the life being sucked out of me. The bullet went through my side and caused me to lose my balance. I fell two stories, where I lied on the ground unconscious.
(Earlier that morning-Fred's apartment)
I guess you could call me a morning person; no matter what time I go to sleep, I always wake up at 6:00am on the dot. That is unless my trusty alarm clock decides to quit working and not go off as planned. I should have known this day was not going to be a good one.
Remember that trusty alarm clock I was just talking about? Well, guess what decided not to work this morning? That's right, the stupid batteries decided to die before I got new ones, throwing my routine completely off. I love routine; routine is what keeps me sane. Okay, okay somewhat sane.
So now, it's like 6:25am and I'm going crazy trying to come up with a plan to make up for lost time. I know. I'll skip my daily jog around the table and that should get me up to speed. Hey now, that's not funny. I bet if you lived here, you wouldn't go jogging outside by yourself either. Besides, my table is pretty and it's big; you don't have to worry about getting dizzy from running in little circles. Anyways, where was I? Oh yes.
I'm in the process of changing my shirt, when I hear a knock at the door. It's not one of those knocks that are casual and only a couple of taps, it's more of a consistent and constant pounding...which scares me. Normally you don't hear those kinds of knocks, so when you do you automatically think there's something wrong. Boy was I right.
"Fred, c'mon it's Gunn. Open up, please!" He sounds so afraid and in a great deal of pain. I dropped whatever it was that I was doing and ran to the door.
"Charles!" I can't believe what I see, as I open the door. This would be when things went from bad to worse. You would think that messing up my routine was bad enough, but that was so minute compared to this. This kind of thing was not supposed to happen. None of us were supposed to get hurt and if we did, it was supposed to be by a demon...not a human.
"Charles...you're...I...who is...the boy?" I know that I'm trying to form a sentence, but the words just will not come out. I can't speak when all I see in front of me is someone I care a great deal about, standing there with one hand applied to his stomach forcing the blood to spurt out at a minimal and the other hand is clutched to that of a little boy's. A little boy I have never seen before.
(Earlier that morning-on the street)
I couldn't sleep, so out of the ordinary, I was awake and ready to go by 6:00am. I was bored and it was too early to go to work, so I decided to go for a walk. No one except Angel ever went walking in the streets alone by themselves, but I'm a tough guy; I can handle my own. I walk by a men's clothing store and can't help but notice one of those plastic dudes with a tux on. I immediately think of the previous night; the night that forever changed my life. The night we kissed. I never realized how much that girl meant to me, until that night. Sure there were a lot of demons and I did kinda get stabbed, but that was definitely one of the best nights of my life. Although, nothing could compare to what was to come this very night.
(Back at Fred's apartment)
"Fred, can we just come in?"
"Ohmigoodness, yes! I'm so sorry. What happened to you and who is this little boy right here?"
"I'm Chad," the boy replied.
"Well, hi there Chad. Listen, can you do me a favor? Will you go into that bathroom right there and bring me a few towels, so we can fix up our friend here?"
"Sure, I can do that." He walked into the bathroom and came back with two white towels. It figures he picked the white ones. I took them from his hands anyways.
"Thank you sweetheart. Hey, why don't you go into the kitchen and find yourself something to drink." The boy did so and sat at the table with his cherry coke.
I lifted Gunn's bloody shirt up, only to find more blood. I covered the wound with a towel and applied pressure, but it was bleeding so profusely. There was nothing I could do, so I did what needed to be done. First, I called 911 and then I called Angel. I told each of them what was going on and they both assured me that they were on their way and for me not to panic, as if that were even possible.
The ambulance was the first to arrive. I was glad, because I was getting very worried. Gunn hadn't spoken a word since he got through the door, so it surprised me when he spoke just as he was going out the door on a stretcher. He said, "I think he was following us. Be careful."
I looked back at the boy, confused by what I had just heard. When I looked into his eyes, I noticed pure terror. Whatever was after them must have been pretty bad to scare the boy like this, and to put that hole in Gunn's stomach. Now I was afraid.
(Back on the streets)
I left the tuxedo shop with a huge smile on my face. Just then, an idea popped into my head. I decided that I would go to Fred's place and surprise her. Being the romantic guy that I am, I decide to pick up some flowers along the way. I stop at a vendor on the side of the road. Damn, roses sure got expensive. Oh well, Fred's worth every last penny.
Just then a loud bang came from the alley. I dropped the flowers and ran to see what had happened. That noise could only come from one thing. As I turned the corner, I saw a young boy and a man who appeared to be his father. They were arguing about something and next thing I know, the man is punching the kid in the face numerous times. I immediately run to the boy's defense.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing? Do you know it's illegal to abuse your kid like that?"
I knew that my words were quite strong, but nobody deserves to be treated like that, especially a kid. The man got angry and started cussing at me, four letters words three letter words. Hell, two letter words were yelled at me that I didn't even know existed.
"Look sir, calm down. I'm gonna take your son around the corner, while you stay here until you're not so messed up." I took the boy's hand and proceeded around the corner. I don't know exactly what the man was thinking, but he must've thought I was going to the police.
Out of pure desperation, he raised his gun, aimed, and took the shot. I went down like a pile of bricks. I know I've been messed up by a few demons in my time, but nothing compared to the pain I was feeling now. I didn't want to move, but a faint voice changed my mind.
"Sir, can you please help me? Can you get me away from him?"
Who was gonna say no to that? I slowly picked myself up off the ground and noticed the man inching closer and closer to us.
"Here, take my hand." The boy did accordingly and we went to the only place where I felt safe...the only place that I knew someone was there that would help us. We went to Fred's.
(Back at Fred's apartment)
I asked the boy why he looked so afraid and if he knew what Gunn meant when he was leaving. All he could say was that he was coming. I asked him to be more specific, but there was no need to wait for the answer. It was already here.
In the doorway stood a rugged man. He appeared to be average height, but very muscular for his size. He looked like one of those guys you would see outside of a bar, sitting on their motorcycle drinking a beer. He didn't look like he wanted anyone messing with him and who was I to do otherwise.
He yelled at the boy to go with him, but instead he hid behind me. This made the man go crazy, he stomped over to me and grabbed me by the hair. He said something about staying out of this and not calling the police. He was about to yank the little boy from behind me, when Angel and Wesley showed up.
"Guys watch out, he has a gun!"
"Hey there guy, you wanna punch someone, why don't you take it out on me," Angel said as a distraction and it worked. The man started to walk towards Angel. Wesley was at his side, but a bit back. "Fred, take the boy and go out the fire escape!"
I did as I was told, but not fast enough. The boy made it to the below flight of stairs. I on the otherhand, was not so lucky. I saw the man turn in our direction with his gun in one hand. Knowing that I wouldn't make it down the stairs fast enough, I tried to climb over the rail to make it down quicker. A good thought, yet not executed fast enough. The man aimed and fired another shot. I felt the life being sucked out of me. The bullet went through my side and caused me to lose my balance. I fell two stories, where I lied on the ground unconscious.