"You're my what?" Johnny asked, rather perplexed.
"Your Guardian." Piper stated again.
Johnny hummed, as he started to tap the tip of the knife against his chin. Not enough to draw blood, of course. "You mean … like an guardian angel? Well, not to offend …" He took a quick sweeping glance at her. A tiny silver barbell in her left eyebrow, a dark red colored muscle shirt over a mesh long-sleeved shirt, black jeans that hid her black boots. "But you're not exactly what would strike me as an angel …"
Piper rolled her eyes. "Probably because I'm not an angel. Just a Guardian."
"I see. And what, pray tell, does a 'guardian' like yourself do …"
"We grant wishes …" Piper said sarcastically. "Actually, I was hoping you'd let me down. I'd have a much easier time explaining things if I weren't hanging in midair."
A chuckle escaped his throat. "I'm sorry … but I can't do that. You see … letting you down means you can run away. And running away means I can't kill you … which I'm going to do sooner than later if you don't start explaining yourself."
"Kill me? Ha! I'm afraid you can't do that." She stated matter-of-factly.
His smile faded. "And why not?"
"It's against the rules. A Waste-Lock isn't allowed to kill their Guardian."
"Yes well … I've never really been one to follow the rules." He grew tired of her games, and raised a dagger pointing it at the exact point in her chest where her heart was steadily beating beneath it. All it would take was one swift push and she'd be bleeding to death any moment. But, to his avail, there seemed to be a technicality. His mind was sending all the right signals to his arm to move the dagger forward, and he was with much effort … but it was as if there was an invisible wall in front of her. He let the other slip from his grasp, now pushing the dagger with both hands and enough force that should have driven it through the wall by now! It felt like he was pushing it into a brick wall.
"Don't strain yourself." Piper yawned.
He pulled the knife back, and swiftly brought it forward. Once again, it stopped just at her chest, not moving any further. He brought it down again, and again, and again but it was still as if there was something protecting her. Like a suit of armor!
"Fuck!" He cursed, throwing his knife aside.
"Told ya … it's against the rules."
"What … are force fields standard issue with your type?"
Piper shook her head. "Nah, you'd be surprised at how simple it is. Now … about that letting me down thing …"
"There was to be some way to get rid of you!" Nny wasn't one to give up. He looked around the room, trying to find the most deadly thing he had. He settled his sights on a long machete leaning next to a table of other weapons, and he laughed to himself as he picked it up. Taking a few steps back so he could avoid the blood spray, he raised it above his head. "We'll see how your little force field stands up to this!" With as much force as he could muster, he brought his weapon downward. But it stopped a few inches from her head, once again as if it were hitting something hard. The painful vibrations caused him to drop the machete.
"Are you quite finished?" As much fun as it was watching him try to kill her, this was getting a bit redundant.
"Wait!" He said. "I have one more idea …"
"What is it with you and all the suspendy thingies?" Piper asked, just as Nny was tightening the straps on her wrists. If this machine didn't put an end to her, he didn't know what would.
"Oh come on … you claim to know all my work … you should know I prefer these types of things." He grinned as he purposely made the one strap too tight.
Piper winced, leather cutting into her skin, and looked around at all the pointy things around her. This was the same machine he'd used on that nice fella she mentioned earlier, and she started to worry a bit. It was mandatory for Guardians to have some type of protection spell put on them, and it worked well when their subjects tried to stab or shoot them, but she wasn't too sure how it was supposed to protect her from something of this magnitude. She bit her lip, not really sure if she'd survive this or not.
After he had her other wrist strapped against the wall, he checked to make sure she was securely strapped down. When everything looked okay, he started to walk toward the lever. All it would take was one simple pull, and his "guardian" would be history. He took in a deep breath, as her turned to face her. "I'm sorry is has to be like this, Piper." He set a hand on that fatal lever. "Other than being a complete smart ass … you actually were one of the more pleasant people I've come across."
"Heh … gee thanks."
"Be thankful that your death will come quickly. For had you been unfortunate enough to be on my 'bad side', it would have been slow and painful."
"Boy … do I feel special." Piper said sarcastically, trying to hid the fact that she was terrified at this point. She was a goner.
Nny smirked a bit. "Farwell, Piper Mackenzie."
Piper squeezed her eyes shut, ready to feel her flesh being ripped apart.
(AN: I have decided to be mean … and end the chapter here. Mwhahahahaha!! Oh, don't worry … I've actually been updating this thing quite rabidly, so you'll probably see whether or not Piper ended up as shishcabob tomorrow. Oh, and thanks for all the nice reviews! They made me feel all warm a squishy inside … like a Pop Tart! The strawberry kind!)