Hello, sorry for the delay. I was busy and well I didn't know exactly, if you want to go on reading.
But I don't like unfinished story, so after all the next chapter is ready.
37. Chapter
When Prue and Cole arrived at home in the early morning, everything was quiet. Amy and Danny were sleeping peacefully and the bottles to blow-up demons were standing untouched on the table. It seemed as if nobody had entered the house, while they were gone.
Before Cole turned around to leave the room, he cast a doubting look at the bottles. "Tell me Prue, this potion to blow up demons..." He started thoughtfully and looked at her sceptically. "...does it have an effect on every demon?"
Prue shook her head. "Don't worry, I suppose it won't work with you." She explained smiling.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Cole asked sceptically, while he sat down in the living room.
"Yes!" Prue confirmed and added. "But it will be very effective on these power vultures."
"Mm, if that would be Belva's only weapon." Cole said. "Even in the underworld nobody associates with them. They are too bootlicking and unpredictable."
"What do you mean?" Prue asked in surprise.
"If you first made it possible for one of them to get the chance of some power, word got out quickly and you don't get rid of them ever again." Cole explained rather disgusted. "And I suppose, Belva did this."
"What makes you think of that?" Prue wanted to know curiously. "Do you think the murderer of Amy's friend was a vultar?"
"Of course, every demon, Belva has locked up in a thunderstone, would just fulfill her wish and then he wouldn't feel bound to her anymore. No demon would take part in her Voodoo show anymore, but a vultar would do it." He explained. "Therefore I'm sure, that it was a vultar, although I couldn't recognize him anymore. Belva gave him some power for his help and now it's impossible to see, that he had been a weakling before."
"She seems to be more powerful than we really wanted." Prue said thoughtfully. "And we shouldn't forget her disgusting son."
"Okay, so what's your plan?" Cole asked, when he saw her face.
"What makes you think I'm planing anything?" She wondered with a smile on her face.
"I can see it." Cole explained. "Out with it."
"Mm." she said. "I'm just wondering, if Amy's bus driver could help us to rescue Kirk Landon."
"This guy? He has no idea what's going on." Cole pointed out in a sneering voice.
"That's why." Prue said with a satisfied smile. "It won't be a problem to make him set Kirk Landon free."
"I understand." Cole explained and smiled. "But does Amy know his address?"
Prue grinned. "We don't need his address, we have magic."
Later, when they were sitting at the breakfast table all together, Prue looked at Amy. "Listen, Amy, we decided that you'll meet your bus driver today." She told her outright.
Amy looked up, she was shocked. "I shall meet Josh?" She asked in surprise. "But why? I even don't know his phone number." She realized to her relief.
"That's no problem!" Prue took Mrs. Turner's old Book of Shadows. "It's written here." She explained. "A spell to make someone meeting you."
Amy was confused. "Do you plan to use a spell, so that Josh will go out with me?" She asked in disbelief. "But you told me, that something like that is forbidden, didn't you?"
"You won't do it for fun, Amy." Cole interfered. "You'll ask him, if he can give you a ride in his bus. And then we'll rescue Kirk Landon."
Amy turned around and gave Cole a horrified look. "No, I can't do it." She said unhappily. "I really don't know, what am I supposed to do?"
"No problem at all. I mean, you also talked to him yesterday." Cole wondered. "So it'll be easy to convince him."
Amy shook her head. "No, I already had to force myself to approach on him, but I really can't persuade him to do something."
"Chin up! You'll manage it." Prue said confidently.
"You can talk." Amy murmured and cast a hesitating look at the magical book.
When it was ringing at the door one hour later, Amy was still nervous and excited. "Oh my god, what shall I say to him?" She asked in a trembling voice.
"It's Josh, who is ringing at your door. So let him talk." Cole suggested.
"Yes, but the only reason, why he is here, it that I've lured him to come here." She said and sighed, while she was staring at the door.
"But he doesn't know it." Prue tried to convince her, when the bell was ringing again. "So come on, open the door, or shall I do it for you?"
"No, no, alright." Amy took a deep breath and walked to the door slowly.
When she opened it, Josh was standing on the other side, looking at her confused, as if he didn't know, what he was doing here. "Hi Amy." Was all he could say.
"Hello Josh, come in." Amy offered him and they entered the hall, where Cole and Prue were standing looking at them curiously. "You already know Cole and that's Prue." Amy introduced them.
"Hello." Josh looked around, still rather confused. "Well I was somewhere around here and therefore I thought ..." He started to explain, but much as he'd like to, he didn't know, what he had thought and why did he know Amy's address?
"I think it's a good idea, that you dropped by at me." Amy said quickly.
"Yes?" Josh gave her a surprised look.
"Of course, you knew it, didn't you?" Cole asked. "All her life Amy dreamt of driving only once in a prison bus and now you offered it to her and she was over the moon."
"Yes exactly, one of my childhood dreams would come true." Amy said quickly. "Will you have to go on a tour today?"
"Yes, late in the morning, but I don't know why you think I would give you a ride in the bus." He said. "It's not allowed to take someone with me."
"Oh what a pity." Amy let out.
"But Josh, I thought, that you are living according to the principle that rules just exist to break them." Prue said smiling.
"You're wrong on that lady." Josh informed her, he already knew, what these people were thinking of him, but he'd set them right. He turned to Amy resolutely. "But I'd like to go out with you."
"Okay, that's nice, then..." Amy started in relief, but Cole cut her short.
"I had never thought, that you are such a coward." He said and looked at Josh disparaging.
"Well, perhaps rich people like you can afford to be against the rules, but if a poor devil like me just dares to ignore a red traffic light, he'll end up in prison." Josh informed him angrily.
"It seems to me, as if this guy is full of complexes." Cole said shaking his head.
"That's only my sense of reality." Josh told him and turned to Amy again. "They put the poor people in the slammer, while they let off the rich people."
"And why do you work for a prison, if you don't have confidence in our judicial system?" Prue asked in an ironical voice.
"It isn't state-controlled but private." Josh explained as if this fact would change something.
"Oh, and who is the owner?" Prue wanted to know, rather interested.
Josh shrugged his shoulders. "I've no idea. I don't think about it." He admitted.
"But you should do it." Prue informed him. "Because the prisoners are locked up there unjustly."
Josh looked at her in disbelief. "I don't believe you."
"But it's the truth Josh." Now Amy tried it again. "And therefore I'd like to go with you to talk to one of the prisoners. I know him from the past and he'll convince you, that he isn't a criminal."
Josh looked at her sceptically. "And why couldn't you tell me the truth straight-away?" He asked. "Why did you tell me this nonsense of your childhood dream?"
"I ... well ..." Amy said and went red to her displeasure. "I would really like to get a ride in such a bus."
After further discussions, Josh finally agreed, that he'd let Amy talk to the prisoner. They arranged to meet in one hour on a parking place nearby the plantation.
When Josh entered the camp this day, he took a close look around for the first time. The tidy long buildings were completely inconspicuous and even the prisoners didn't look like people, who were locked up under pressure. They acted rather calmly and inconspicuously. Josh had always thought that this was an indication that they had accepted their penalty and didn't want to do any trouble. But if Josh was honest with himself, then he had already thought, that they were immobilized with drugs, because he had never seen people like these criminals before. Actually nobody would act as quiet and well-mannered as these prisoners.
But when he opened the door to let them inside of the bus, he noticed for the first time a certain restlessness. They weren't as quiet and withdrawn as normally and Josh felt uneasy. He closed the door and left the camp. Soon later he stopped the bus on a hidden parking place. "It won't be long, everybody will stay on his place." He urged the prisoners in a harsh voice and left the bus quickly.
Another car was waiting on the parking place and Prue, Cole and Amy got off, while Danny was staying in the car as a precaution.
"Hi." Josh greeted them, rather dissatisfied. "Okay, Amy can come with me to talk to this guy. But I don't want to loose my job, Have you got that straight, finally I don't live on roses, I..."
"Don't worry, we already know that." Prue cut him short impatiently and looked at Amy. "Will you manage it?"
Amy nodded. "Yes, it's just Mr. Landon, although now he is ... I'll try." She explained firmly and walked to the bus, prepared to go to any lengths.
But when Josh opened the door, Kirk Landon was already standing in front of it and got off, before Josh could stop him. "Stop, wait! I can't allow that." Josh explained nervously, but it was impossible to stop Landon.
He stormed past Josh and stopped in front of Amy. "Amy!" he let out in relief and embraced her dearly. Amy hardened, but patiently endured it. Kirk Landon's body and arms were cold as ice and she had to try hard not to shudder.
Meanwhile Josh tried to close the door quickly, because more and more prisoners came to the door and knocked against it. They were as active as never before, Josh thought desperately and turned to Prue and Cole furiously. "Into what did you drag me? I never agreed to free criminals."
"Don't worry, they aren't criminals, but zombies." Cole told him and walked to Prue and Amy with a satisfied grin on his face.
Meanwhile Kirk Landon let Amy go and looked at her sadly. "Oh Amy, I don't know, what's happened to me?" he shook his head in disbelief.
Josh appeared beside them and glowered at them. "What did you do? I've never seen the prisoners so excited before."
"I gave them a few peanuts, this morning, so that they can remember their former life again." Kirk Landon explained. "That was right, wasn't it?" He asked and looked at Amy anxiously.
"Peanuts? What a lot of rubbish. What are you getting at?" Josh wanted to know angrily, but nobody took notice of him.
"That was a good idea, Mr. Landon. As you have probably noticed, that salt brings back the memory." Prue explained and reached her hand out for him. "I am Prue Halliwell and we will help you to rest in peace."
"I'm dead, am I not?" Kirk asked composed.
Prue nodded. "Yes, I'm so sorry. But can you remember anything?"
"Dead? What are you talking about? What are you playing at?" Josh wondered restlessly and grabbed Kirk Landon's arm, immediately he felt an unusual coldness sticking him. But Josh tried to ignore it. "You'll get into the bus right away and be quiet I must not come too late."
"You are quiet now, will you! And let the poor man go." Prue snapped at him. "He's been through a lot lately."
"Nobody has forced him to commit a crime." Josh told her furiously.
"Oh my god, you don't get anything, do you? You are the buss driver of zombies, these people are dead." Prue tried to explain him again.
"Stop talking nonsense, lady." Josh said and tried to drag Landon back to the bus.
Prue sighed and looked heavenwards, before she walked to Josh to push him against the bus.
Josh was perplex, he let Landon go and held his hurting arm. "What's all this about?" He wondered, rather confused.
"I'm sorry, but I had to do it." Prue explained with a satisfied smile. Then she turned to Kirk Landon. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you, we'll help you."
"I am dead." Landon said, completely depressed. "Therefore you can't help me."
"We can help you to rest in peace." Prue said in a soft voice.
"Yes." Kirk Landon sighed. "That's everything I want, peace, just peace. But there is something that keeps me on the go, it pulls at me."
"That's David Morgan's influence." Cole explained and looked at Prue.
"We'll have to break it." She stated firmly. "If we just had the bottles."
At the same time one of the men had managed to press open the door. He jumped outside in relief and the other passengers followed him.
Josh dropped himself against the bus and gave Amy an angry look. "What's all this about?"
Amy smiled in excuse, because it was useless to try to talk, because the babble of voices was too loud.
"Not another word, be quiet for one moment." Prue urged the bystanders resolutely. "You even can't hear yourself speaking." She explained angrily. The zombies obeyed to the letter and shut their mouths immediately, because they were obviously used to listen to orders.
"That's much better." Prue was satisfied and looked around. "Everybody only speaks, when I ask him to. Have you got that?" When all of them nodded, she turned to Kirk Landon. "Mr. Landon, what did Morgan do to
you?"
"Who?" Kirk Landon looked at her confused.
"David Morgan, the man, who is responsible for your current state." Cole explained. "Did he give you a lilac drink?"
"I can't remember. I was together with my former friends." he said and cast Amy an excusing look. "I didn't have a relapse. I only wanted to meet them and see how they are." He added quickly. "But then ... everything is
black, it was a feeling as if I died and then I was risen forcibly from the dead again."
An elder woman approached. "May I say a word?" She asked resolutely. When Prue nodded, she continued. "I was in hospital and I knew, that I would have to die. I had already accepted this, but the terrible pain." She shook her head sadly, when she remembered this. "The pain was so terrible and then a doctor came to my bed. He offered me a special medicine which would take away all my pain. I had no doubts about it and I drank the medicine and then it happened the same way as the man there had said." She pointed to Mr. Landon.
"I was in hospital, too." murmured another man and some other agreed with him.
"I've lost my flat and then I had to live on the street." A young woman admitted sadly. "Then somebody suddenly attacked me. I died and now I am here."
Cole looked at Prue and said thoughtfully. "Now we know, where he has found his zombies, so that nobody had missed them."
Prue nodded and turned to the group again. "What did he do to you, after you woke up?" She asked rather interested. "I can believe, that he transformed all of you into zombies, only because you had to work on the fields for him."
"No I don't work on the fields for a long time." The elder woman explained. "I was a member of the jury until a week ago."
"What?" Prue gave her a confused look.
"His zombies are members of the jury, so that he is able to affect the verdict." Cole concluded shaking his head. "I can't believe it, this bastard!"
"But how can he make sure, that they will become members of the jury in his cases?" Prue wondered and looked at Cole. "That can't be so easy."
"Some people must always be ready to be chosen for a member of a jury in court." Cole explained. "They get a written massage, when they'll have to register in court. Probably Morgan can manipulate these messages."
"But then he must be able to crack the computer program, which throws out the real names and addresses of the potential future members of jury. And he has to intercept the letters." Prue said thoughtfully. When she looked at Josh she suddenly had an idea. "Wait, one moment. This company, where you met this man with the briefcase yesterday. What kind of company is it?"
Josh shrugged his shoulders. "I've no idea, just a computer company, which has developed a security system for the prisoners." He explained annoyed and looked at the prisoners intently. "They are wearing security chains at their feet, so that everybody is able to find them wherever they are. So don't go to any trouble, it's imposible for them to escape."
The elder woman raised her trousers and showed him her leg. "Do you see a security chain?" She asked Josh.
The other zombies were also searching for a chain, but nobody could find one.
"Well, they have told me." Josh said in a low voice. "And perhaps the chains are somewhere else."
"Hardly, I doubt it." Prue shrugged his objection off. "I suppose this man went to court to intercept the letters or to manipulate the register."
"That's possible." Cole said. "That's the reason, why we have lost him so quickly. The division is located in the ground floor."
Prue looked at Cole thoughtfully. "But nevertheless they must still be chosen as a member of a jury." She pointed out.
"That's easy." Cole informed her. "If they give the right answers, when the defender and the prosecutor interview them, they'll chose them automatically. And if Morgan was the district attorney, then the zombie could even say, what the defender would like to hear."
Josh listened to everything, but he couldn't believe anything and turned to Amy, who has stepped beside him. "They really believe that they are dead, don't they?" He asked and pointed with his head to the zombies.
Amy nodded. "Yes, unfortunately."
"Well I still don't believe anything of this nonsense. I mean this is the real life and no horror movie." Josh said firmly, before he cast a sceptical look at her. "Did you give me the pretzel sticks yesterday, because you thought, that I am dead, too?"
"No, I never really thought that. It was just a kind of a precautionary measure." Amy explained, while she looked on the ground painting a circle in the sand with her foot . "And I was so nervous, because normally I never approach on strangers."
"What can we do now?" The elder woman asked Prue meanwhile. "What will happen to us?"
"This doctor wasn't a real doctor, but a Voodoo sorcerer." Prue explained. "He has locked up your souls in a bottle. And as long as he keeps them imprisoned, you won't be able to rest in peace. Therefore we'll have to free your souls, but unfortunately we don't know, where they are."
"But I don't want to die." A young man lamented.
"You are already dead." A strong man told him and turned to Prue and Cole. "Where can we find this bastard? We'll squeeze it out of him."
"He could still have an influence on you." Prue pointed out.
"Oh really? Well I don't feel anything of it. I just want to take revenge." The man explained unmercifully.
Cole turned to the elder woman again. "Can you tell me more about the way it goes, when you are chosen as a member of jury?"
"I was together with three of us in the jury." She explained. "They had told us, that the man is guilty and we should make this point of view quite clear to the other members of the jury. Well the other jurors wanted to talk about everything once again, but we were absolutely sure, so it didn't take long to come to a conclusion. They agreed with us."
Cole nodded and walked to Josh. "Which tours will you have to do this day?" he wanted to know.
Josh sighed. "I'd say, none. I mean, just look at the door." He explained angrily, but when he saw Cole's annoyed look, he added. "I should take the priso... well these people to the field and later I should go back to New Orleans to wait nearby the court house."
"By the court house? On Saturday?" Cole wondered.
"Oh, some occupants didn't spend the night in our camp, yesterday." The elder woman told Cole. "I suppose, they had to stay in town to go up reaching the verdict."
"Of course, you are right, it wouldn't be allowed for them to go home, if the didn't reach a verdict. Then they would have to stay in a hotel." Cole said thoughtfully and looked at Prue. "And if they still discuss about the verdict today, Morgan is got a surprise coming."