Thanks Charmed Snow. I'm glad that you still read it.
So there's already the next chapter.
41. Chapter
Amy started panicking, but then she turned around and rushed out of the house. Without turning around again she ran along the street as if the devil was on her heels. She didn't stop at the next crossing but ran on until she couldn't breathe properly anymore. She was completely exhausted and had to stop. She leaned forward to grasp for breath, before she looked around carefully. The street behind her was empty, nobody was there, whether a demon nor a human.
Amy was relieved and tried to orientate herself. She knew this area, there were a few shops around there and Clara usually bought little things here. Obviously she was only a few blocks away from home.
Amy followed her instincts and reached for her handbag, when she remembered, that she had spilled everything at home. That was all she needed! Amy looked around searching. She had no phone and there wasn't a phone box as far as the eye could see. She looked around desperately again and finally she walked to the small shops. But as it seemed they were closed on an early Sunday morning. Amy stopped in frustration, when she suddenly saw a man, coming out of a small greengrocery.
"Hello!" Amy didn't care about anything. She rushed at the man and told him breathlessly. "I need your help. I have to make a call and I can't find a telephone here. So please, it's very important."
The man looked at her rather surprised, but then he nodded. "No problem. Come with me, there's a phone in my shop."
Amy thanked him effusively and followed him into his greengrocery. There was a small office in the back of the shop with only one chair and a desk with a telephone in it. Amy sat down on the chair and tried to dial the number with her trembling fingers. Unfortunately she dialed the wrong number time after time and had to try it again.
At least she heard the familiar toot and finally a drowsy voice said. "Yes?"
"Cole, it's me Amy. You have to come here immediately, there is someone in the house." She explained still out of breath.
"What? Amy?" Cole sat up and looked around rather confused, until he remembered that he was in the living room of Judy's parents. "Where are you? I thought you spent the night here, too." He wondered and looked around again. It had been deep in the night, when Judy had said goodbye to her last guests. Before she walked upstairs, she had pulled out the sofa and given them a few blankets, .
"No, I just wanted to go home." Amy explained meanwhile. "Well I mean, to your house." She corrected herself. "But then I've heard some noise and when I entered the hall, there was this thing ... demon ... the creature without a heart... Adam's murderer." She finally let out.
Cole still didn't understand her at all and looked at Prue, who didn't budge. "But where are you now?" He asked Amy.
"I ran away, until I couldn't breathe anymore." She told him. "Now I'm in a greengrocery, a few blocks away. Do you know where it is?"
Cole nodded. "Yes, I know." He said and tried to stifle a yawning. "Don't go away, stay there until we'll arrive." He said firmly and hung up the phone.
Cole had a good stretch and looked at Prue again. She was still sleeping, as if the phone had never rung. Cole smiled and leaned down to her. "Hey, Prue." He whispered in her ear and kissed her at the same time. But the only reaction was an unwilling growl. "Prue!" He tried it again and started to kiss her neck up to her mouth.
Prue's mumble sounded more satisfied and soon after she flung her arms around his neck to pull him down. "You never have to sleep, haven't you?" She asked while her eyes were still closed.
"Well I'd like to, but Amy needs our help." Cole explained plainly.
From one minute to the next Prue was wide-awake. She sat up and looked at Cole asking. "Amy? Where is she?" She looked around in alert.
Cole shrugged his shoulders. "She waits at a greengrocery."
Prue looked at him as if he would speak Chinese. "In plain English okay! Where is Amy and what's happened?" She asked again.
"Amy just called. She wanted to go home and thinks that there are demons in our house." Cole explained. "Therefore she ran to the next greengrocery around the corner."
"Oh I see." Prue said thoughtfully and gave Cole an asking look. "Was Amy out all night?"
Cole shrugged his shoulders. "It certainly looks like it." He explained and looked sceptically. "I've always thought that you would like to protect everybody. And then you let Amy go out with this zombie bus driver."
Prue shook her head smiling. "I've let you go out with Phoebe. And compared with you, Amy's rocker is harmless."
"Well I've got a funny feeling about him." Cole said thoughtfully and got up.
"Well in former times my ability to see a situation was brilliant, but obviously I lost it after my death." Prue explained and gave him a pointed look. "But it seems as if Josh didn't do anything to Amy." Prue just remembered and got up, too. "And now we should look after her and find out, what's going on in at home."
Prue and Cole got ready and since Danny was sleeping peacefully and safe in the house of Judy's parents, they left the house in the early morning to meet Amy.
Meanwhile Amy helped the owner of the greengrocery to place his products in front of the shop.
"Thanks!" he said with a broad smile. "You really shouldn't have. I mean it was just a local call, wasn't it?" He joked.
"Yes, of course. But I'm glad, when I'm able to help." Amy told the elder man. She didn't want to wait alone on the street, although she didn't see a trace of the demon, she was glad about the man's company. Amy supposed that the demon didn't chase her, she looked around intently, when her eyes were caught on a little shop on the other side of the road. The shop was located at the corner, the shop windows faced two streets and the entrance was in the corner.
"Is the shop on the other side empty?" She wanted to know, when she saw the dust and dirt on the windows and the empty window boxes.
The man nodded. "Yes, recently there was a stand-up snack-bar, but it couldn't maintain it's position for a long time."
"Mm." Amy said thoughtfully and looked at the beautiful old building. "It's the ideal shop for a cafe." She thought and could already see it in her minds eyes. "This busy corner and the wide sidewalk. There could stand small tables in front of the beautiful front. Of course you would have to paint it and to plant flowers on the window boxes."
The man laughed. "It sounds as if you were looking for something like that for a long time."
Amy shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps I do." She whispered. "I should really try my luck with this cafe. Because men are just idiots." She pointed out and gave the man an anxious look. "Of course I don't mean you."
"Oh girl, you are so young." He said to encourage her. "You've still enough time to find the right one."
"I hardly believe that. I'll better fall in love with this cafe." She said resolutely and looked at the other side of the street again, where the first rays of sunlight were shining in the dusty windows. "That's much better."
When Cole and Prue came around the corner soon later, Amy already held the address of the renter in her hand. She was resolved to try to realize at least this dream. She ran to the car with a satisfied smile on her face and got in. "I'm so glad to see you." She said in relief.
Prue looked around and gave Amy an anxious look. "What's happened Amy?"
"Didn't Cole tell you?" Amy wondered. "When I wanted to enter the house, Zadie's bowl was lying on the ground and Adam's murderer was standing at the end of the hall."
Prue looked at her sceptically, she still hoped, that Amy was wrong, because she didn't want to find any demon in her house. "By the way what did you want there?"
"I wanted to be alone." Amy said in a low voice and looked out of the window sadly. "I didn't want to talk to anybody."
Prue nodded thoughtfully, but before they could talk about it, Cole already stopped the car in front of the house. Everything was peaceful and quiet, just the door stood wide open.
"Oh, I didn't close the door." Amy said in excuse. "I was so afraid, I only wanted to run away."
Cole nodded. "It's okay, as long as some demons are inside of the house, burglars won't freak in." He said cooly.
They got off and walked to the door slowly. Amy's things were still lying on the ground and Amy kneeled down to pick them up. Thereby she found out to her displeasure, that she had stepped on her phone while fleeing. It was broken, nobody could use it anymore.
Meanwhile Cole and Prue arrived at the door and looked inside the hall. "Nothing!" Prue found out and entered it carefully.
Cole followed her and they looked around but they couldn't make out any trace of a demon. "Perhaps Amy was imagining things." Cole said in a low voice.
Prue nodded and turned around to Amy, who was still kneeling in front of the door. "Have you been out with Josh all night?" She wanted to know.
"Yes unfortunately." Amy murmured she was still disappointed and frustrated. She tried to put back her scattered things into her bag. "He is an idiot, that's it." She made clear to them.
"What did he do to you?" Prue asked on alert and stepped closer. "If he hurt you, he'd be in for it. I promise you"
Amy shook her head and looked up. "No, everything was wonderful until I've told him that I was charged with murder. Then the coward ran away as fast as possible."
"What?" Cole turned around and gave her a surprised look. "Did it really bother him?"
Amy nodded. "Yes, he knew immediately who I am and then he was gone."
Prue looked at her sceptically. "Did he really recognize you?" She wondered.
"Yes, he knew my name, probably he read about it in the paper, or ... I don't know." She explained and immediately she felt bad again. "But it doesn't matter. To hell with him."
Cole and Prue looked at each other thoughtfully. "And if he has something to do with it?" Cole finally pointed out.
"No, I'm sure he hasn't." Amy said convinced. "He helped us to free the zombies. And he wouldn't have done it, if he had something to do with this district attorney or Adam's murderer."
"I don't know, you can never know. We should be careful" Prue said.
Amy shrugged her shoulders. "Don't worry. I really don't want to see him ever again." She made it clear.
"You made the right decision." Prue nodded and looked at the stairs. "I'll go and check the first floor." She decided, although she supposed that she wouldn't find any demon in the house.
She walked upstairs and looked around in the corridor, nothing! As a precaution she opened the door to Danny's room, when she suddenly heard something behind her. She turned around instantaneously and faced a Vultar. "Oh now, not again." She explained annoyed and pushed him against the wall. The knife fell out of his hand and Prue threw it at him immediately.
"Cole!" she called downstairs. "Here are some of your Vultar friends." She said and looked along the corridor, where suddenly numerous Vultars turned up. Prue sighed and started her work to vanquish them. Without any problems she dealt with her first opponents and wondered again, how boldly they attacked her, although they had no chance to defeat her.
Cole wanted to run upstairs to help Prue, but at once another demon was standing in front of him. "Vultars." He said disgusted and took the knife away from him to plunge it into his stomach.
Amy gave Cole a horrified look. "So I was right." She whispered and didn't know what to do. But suddenly she remembered the small bottles, Prue had given her to protect Danny. She had put them into her handbag and now she found them without any problems. Resolutely she stood up and entered the hall. It was worth a try, she decided and threw it at the next best demon, who was running at Cole with a knife in his hands. The demon exploded immediately and Amy stepped back rather surprised. "Wow!" She let out.
Cole jumped aside and looked at Amy in disbelief. "Ah! Not at me, is that clear?" He asked nervously. "Don't dare to throw it at me." Although Prue had assured him, that the potion wouldn't be dangerous for him, he didn't want to tempt fate.
"Don't worry." Amy said, she was surprised about the power of such a small bottle. But how should she be able to coordinate it exactly? Thoughtfully she looked at the potion in her hand, she just shouldn't try to kill any demon which was too close to Cole, she decided. But there was no need to worry about this problem, because the demons had already found a new victim. They approached to her with their knifes in their hands, ready to kill her. Amy didn't think twice and the pack of Vultars disappeared in a huge ball of fire.
Meanwhile Prue had finally overpowered the Vultars and stood at the banister. "Is everything alright with you?" She asked and looked downstairs.
"Yes!" Cole explained. "Amy has just let explode all the demons."
Amy looked around still surprised. "Is that all?" She asked euphorically.
"No, don't worry!" Amy heard someone behind her and his voice cut her to the quick. She knew this voice too well and she wouldn't forget it all her life.
A demon appeared, who was much stronger than the others. "They were just failures." He said gruffly and looked at her sneering. "But I am better."
"Yes!" she breathed. Amy looked at him firmly and clasped the last bottle in her hand.
Meanwhile Prue ran downstairs. She wanted to help Amy, but Cole stopped her. "No, Prue." He said calmly, when he found out, which demon it was. "That's Amy's job."
Prue gave Cole a surprised look, before she looked back at the demon. "It's Adam's murderer, isn't it?" She asked, although she already knew the answer.
"Yes and Amy is able to deal with him." Cole hoped at least. "And if she doesn't, we'll be there, too." They watched Amy and the demon with rapt attention.
The demon approached, but Amy didn't budge. She took a deep breath to calm down, she wouldn't miss her chance. She waited until he was standing in front of her, then she threw the potion in the last minute. She stepped aside full of expectations, but obviously the demon had expected something like that, because he beat back the bottle with his hand. The potion fell on the ground beside him and spread over the floor without doing damage.
Amy was shocked, she didn't know what to do now. She cast a quick look at Cole and Prue, who were standing at the stairs waiting for a sign, if they should help her. But Amy shook her head, she wouldn't give up, this was her own fight and she would win. She clenched her teeth, this demon had hurt her so much, he would pay for that. Amy summoned all her courage and threw herself at the demon. Her hate made her powerful and the demon didn't expect her attack. He fell back and Amy got hold of his knife. Amy mustered all her strength, she twisted his hand holding the knife and stabbed the sharp blade into his not existing heart.
A disgusting mass gushed out of him and Amy jumped back without further ado. She wanted to get away from him and stepped back, while she saw that there was only left a pitiful pile of gray slime of the former demon. She had always thought that it would give her great satisfaction to hunt down Adam's murderer, but that wasn't true. Revenge had a bitter taste, because this creature hadn't felt anything, probably it hadn't known, who she was. Adam and her hadn't meant anything to him and Amy felt the same now, after she vanquished him. She felt cold and empty and that was a terrible feeling.
Prue stepped beside her and laid her arm around her shoulder. "You've vanquished him. That's something to be proud of." She said in a low voice.
"But I'm not proud." Amy sighed. "I don't feel any better now. It doesn't change anything, what has been happening."
"No, but you prevented that he could do the same to other people." Prue said.
"Mm." She couldn't care less about the others, she didn't feel any better. She had thought, that she was over it more or less. But now everything was back. It took her straight back to the night when Adam died. Everything was present, everything was real, as if the time didn't close the smallest wound, they were burst open again and they hurt. "Revenge doesn't get you anywhere." She found out abruptly and turned around to disappear in the living room.
Cole looked after her, totally surprised. "Well I don't understand her." He said and looked at Prue asking.
"I also don't know." She admitted. "I always feel better, when I can fight against evil."
Thoughtfully they followed Amy into the living room. "Would you like to be alone?" Prue asked carefully.
Amy shook her head. "No, it's okay." She said. She didn't want to talk about it, but there was another subject. Thoughtfully she looked at them. "But what did the demons want here?"
"I've no idea." Prue thought and looked around in the hall. There were sticky heaps of the vanquished Vultars everywhere. "We'll have to clean up the whole house. I really don't now what Belva hoped to achieved by that."
"She wanted to distract us." Cole suggested.
Prue glanced at him in surprise. "Yes, but from what?"
"Danny!" Cole said and jumped up immediately, he had got a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. What would be, if Belva just wanted to distract them to kill Danny, as they had murdered her son.
"He's safe." Prue tried to calm him down. "Nobody knows, where he is."
"Oh there is someone." Cole looked at Amy. "Your zombie bus driver." He said.
Amy shook her head. "No, Josh is an idiot, but he has nothing to do with demons or Belva."
"You never know." Cole snapped and rushed to the door, how could he let Danny alone in this situation? He knew that it was dangerous. And if something happened to his son, he would never forgive himself.
"Wait!" Prue followed him into the hall. "What will you do now?"
"I'll go for Danny." Cole said impatiently. "Actually I'd like to shimmer, but that's too dangerous, Belva could have placed a thunder stone somewhere." He told her, but he didn't mention, that he was in no frame of mind to arrive at the right place right now.
"Okay, I'll go with you. But what will we do with Amy?" Prue asked and turned around thoughtfully.
"Don't worry, I'd just like to sleep, nobody will turn up here again." She explained firmly and went upstairs rather exhausted. When she arrived in the first floor, she turned around again. "And if someone turns up here, he'll find himself up against me."
Nevertheless Prue was worried, Amy was able to fight against harmless Vultars, but she had no idea, how dangerous other demons could be.
"She is right Prue. There's no cause for concern. I'd like to set off, so come on." Cole said restlessly. He felt, that something was wrong and he wanted to find out about it for certain. He opened the door firmly and left the house. Prue sighed and followed him to the car.
They didn't talk much on their way, both of them tried to take their mind off things. Danny would be alright and Judy and Robert, too. Prue tried to convince herself, because she didn't want to accept that Danny could be in danger. Although she knew exactly, that it could be true. Belva wanted to take revenge for her sons death and the Vultars made it clear to them, that Belva held Cole and Prue responsible for his death.
Cole speeded along the streets and soon later they arrived in front of Judy's parents house. Everything was quiet and peaceful and it didn't seem to Prue, that there had been a fight not long ago. "Everything is quiet." She said in relief.
"So? That doesn't mean a thing." Cole said and his face turned to stone. He rushed to the door and had to pull himself together not to lean on the bell.
Soon later Robert opened the door and was confused, when he saw Prue and Cole. "Hello!" He said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm coming for my son." Cole said calmly.
"Oh!" Robert gave him a confused look. "But your friend already came for him." He explained.
"Which friend?" Cole felt as if a knife stabbed his heart, that couldn't be true!
"Well this Zadie." He explained yawning. "And I could seize the opportunity to ask her about the robbery, but she didn't say a lot." He added.
"How could you dare to hand my son over to her?" Cole asked in a threatening voice. He felt an icy cold, which paralyzed everything, so that he had to command himself at least to go on breathing.
Robert gave him a surprised look. Cole radiated a threat to him and Robert was suddenly scared of him. "Yes!" He said quickly and looked at Prue. "I mean you've told me, that she's a good friend of yours."
"What do you think you're doing? Are you foolish?" Cole snapped at him and collared Robert. The old so familiar emotion of lust of murder was there again and he had to pull himself together otherwise he would wring Robert's neck here and now.
"Stop it Cole. That won't get us anywhere." Prue stepped in and pulled him back. She didn't want to realize what she had heard. She didn't want to think about the consequences. Danny fell into Belva's hands, no that couldn't be true. She had to find out more about it. "What did she tell you, where did she want to go with him?" She asked Robert.
Robert was frightened and stepped back inside the house. There was fear in his eyes. "She didn't tell me anything about her plans. But I suppose that she took him home. You should better search for her in your house, than making such a fuss." He said and shut the door in their face.
Cole stared at the closed door and tried hard to get everything under firm control again.
"Was that really necessary? Why did you snap at Robert?" Prue wanted to know angrily.
Cole gave her a surprised look. "Belva has Danny under her thumb. So how can you care about my manners?" He asked in an ice-cold voice.
"It wouldn't have changed anything, if you did violence to Robert." Prue said. She had to try to keep cool. One of them had to keep cool and Cole clearly didn't seem to be the one who did it.
"You can't understand it, Prue." Cole explained, beside himself with anger. "He isn't your son, after all."
"How can you dare?" Prue couldn't believe her ears. "Who was there, when he needed help?" She flashed at him with anger. "Who? His natural parents didn't exactly cover themselves in glory. But I was there from the first moment. I cared for him and no-one else. And it was me, who made sure that he got a new life. And I took everything upon me and I bore all consequences to make him happy. I even endured you." He couldn't think that he was the only person, who was able to hurt her, she could do that as well.
"Oh, you had to endure me." Cole said derisively and leaned to her. "But don't worry, you'll get rid of me, because there is no meaning of life for me without Danny."
"Do you think there would be a reason for me?" She asked furiously. "He's the only person left from my family. But it's not too late." Prue explained resolutely and walked to the car.
Cole looked after her, rather confused. "Where will you go?"
"Well you can stay here feeling sorry for yourself. In the meantime I'll find your son." She informed him and opened the door resolutely.
"Just great and where will you find him?" He wanted to know, while he followed her to the car.
"In Zadie's house, where else?" Prue said. "Perhaps she wants to protect Danny from her sister."
"Of course. And she didn't tell us anything about it. Tell me another one." Cole said angrily. Since when Prue had become such a simpleton? "Robert told us, that Zadie didn't say much. So obviously she's one of Belva's zombies now."
"I know, I know! Damn it!" Prue said edgy and beat the steering wheel in frustration. "I should call Amy first." She finally decided, there was still a little hope, that Zadie just wanted to protect Danny and brought him home. Prue grasped her handbag impatiently and thereby her collection of papers fell out of the side pocket on Cole. Prue didn't bother about it and dialed the number.
It seemed to Prue as if the tooting went on forever, but in the end a drowsy Amy answered the call. "Yes?"
"Amy, it's me, Prue. Did Zadie pass by together with Danny?" She asked full of hope.
"No! Nobody is here." Amy said rather surprised and looked around. "And I would have heard, if somebody had rang the door bell." She said and shattered Prue's hope. "But I can check the house, if you want."
"Yes, would you do it, please." Prue said and drummed her fingers nervously on the steering wheel, while Amy examined the house.
Meanwhile Cole tried to ignore their conversation, it would only confirm his fear. He looked at Prue's slip of paper mess and got them together again. It wasn't a great job to take his mind off, but better than nothing, he thought. He picked up different pieces of paper, parking tickets, coupons and finally notes with addresses. Addresses, Cole started to watch at them more closely and finally he found something very interesting.
"Nobody?" Prue asked meanwhile and hoped that she didn't sound too disappointed. That didn't spell the end, she would find Danny, no problem. She just had to keep a clear head, but her mind was in a daze, she couldn't reason. "Okay Amy, Zadie came for Danny and we don't know, where they are." She explained calmly. "Be careful and leave the house. Go home to your mother."
"But why should Zadie do anything to us?" Amy wondered and added resolutely. "I can defend myself." She didn't want to go home. She was all churned up inside and she didn't want to talk to her mother.
"You can fight againstharmless Vultur demons, but Belva is something else." Prue informed her. She didn't want to worry about Amy's safety, too.
"But why should Belva attack me? I'm of no interest to her." Amy said fearlessly.
"Yes but..." Prue started angrily, she didn't want to have an argument with Amy about it, but she had no choice. But before it could happen, Cole interfered.
"Hang up." He commanded.
Against all expectation, Prue did it. "But be careful." She urged Amy and hung up. Then she looked at Cole curiously. "What's wrong?"
"Why didn't you tell me, that you know Belva's address?" Cole wanted to know, but he didn't wait for her answer. "We have to go there as fast as possible."
"That's a fortress, Cole." Prue pointed out, but nevertheless she started the car.
"We'll get inside." Cole said calmly. "You can count on it."