just want to add a thank you to everyone who reviewed! The comments are really helpful and keep me writing!
Nathan's training kicked in in an instant. In a flash, he had hit Laura in the temple, knocking her out cold. She crumpled to the ground. Nathan picked up his phone and hit the last number he would expect to need.
"Nathan?" Duke's voice was only slightly distorted by the poor connection "What's up?"
"Duke, I've got a break-trough." Nathan spoke quickly "I need a favour."
"Why is it always favours with you people? Can't you just want my company?" he whined.
"Duke," snapped Nathan "this could save Audrey's life." Nathan closed his eyes "Please."
"Well, since you said the magic word," Duke replied light-heartedly, but Nathan could tell he had him by the balls.
"I've got a girl here – she's what's been setting the buildings on fire. The bottom of your boat is lead-lined right? Good. Put her in that, and make sure there's nothing she can set on fire there. Being surrounded by water should freak her out anyway."
"What if she comes to half way there?" Duke shot back.
"Then you knock her out again or become a pile of charred bones." Replied Nathan curtly "And Duke? Don't screw this up. If this girl gets free, Audrey is in serious danger – her next target is the Hospital." And then he hung up, leaving the house.
Nathan opened the door to the vet's surgery.
"Jason Barnes?" he asked the good-looking boy at the counter. The boy looked up and smiled charmingly and Nathan noticed an almost-healed bruise under his eye. He was wearing a green top that said 'Tree Hugger' and a cartoon of a stick man hugging a big apple tree. He so had the right guy.
"Yeah, that's me," he looked at Nathan and animal-less state "do you want to make an appointment? We have a phone number you know."
"I'm not here about a pet," he said in a low voice, leaning over the counter "perhaps you recognise me? I'm Nathan Wuornos, from the Haven Police Department. I've been investigating a series of fire that seem a bit. . . unusual. I know that a certain Miss. Laura West is involved and she is being taken care of. I also know that she had an accomplice who is keeping the victims in life-draining comas." Nathan raised an eyebrow at the suddenly pale boy "Any ideas who it might be?"
"I don't think we should be doing this here," the boy gulped, sweat beading on his forehead.
"You're right; let's go outside." Nathan led the boy outside and into an empty storage room that the surgery owned.
"I have a theory, you know," continued Nathan casually "her partner must have been willing to do anything for her. Maybe he had a crush on her? And he would have to have certain. . . abilities. Healing powers. But those healing powers only applied to animals. When Laura found out this person could do things to a person, not just heal, she leapt on the chance. The boy couldn't say no."
"Argh!" Jason finally screamed, holding his head in his hands "I would have done anything for her! I was willing to kill for her! But. . ."
"But your powers only apply to animals. Though humans are similar to animals, they weren't the same – when you set out to kill those people, just in case the fire didn't get them, it wouldn't work. They just went into comas that slowly drained their life-force instead of the instant kill you had promised Laura. She was angry," Nathan gestured to the bruise under Jason's eye "she lashed out. But you were too valuable to kill, so you got off with just a black eye."
"What do you want?" he yelled in a tortured voice "What do you want from me?" he was crouching down, trembling. Moaning under the guilt of what he had done. Nathan crouched down and put his hand on Jason's shoulder.
"I want you to reverse it," Nathan said softly "I don't want you to take lives – I want you to save them."