CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
" Connor, you have to listen to us,"
" Listen to you? You're the ones who lie. You're the ones who hate," Connor retorted, facing his father.
" No, Connor—" Fred began.
" Jasmine's controlling you, controlling your feelings," Angel interrupted.
" You're wrong, dad. About me, about her, everything. It doesn't matter anymore what you say. We're gonna tear you apart," he sneered.
Angel lunged at the door, slamming it shut, locking Connor and the approaching mob outside. Angel leaned against the door with all his force.
" Run! Get the car! Get out of here. I'll hold him off. Someone who knows the truth has to live through this." The gang hesitated. " Go!" Angel shouted at them.
" Come on." Wesley said and Fred, Lorne, and Gunn and Abigail followed Wesley out the window to the fire escape. Connor is beating the door from the hallway outside with Angel holding him off.
" I'm finally part of something! I belong! I won't let anyone ruin that!" Connor was shouting.
" I know, son." Angel said as he burst through the door into the hallway, punching Connor to the ground. Angel pummelled Connor's face as the mob approached them. Angel is beating Connor with a ferocity he's never used against Connor before. The mob grabbed shards of the smashed wooden door.
Meanwhile, Wesley pulled the car out back behind the fire escape and screeched to a halt. Inside the car are the gang.
" This is all wrong. There has to be a way we could=" Fred started.
" We could cut the power, create a diversion," Gunn suggested.
" No, she has hundreds of followers in there all acting with a single, focused will. We can't risk going against that. Not now. Someone—" Wesley stopped.
Connor landed on the hood of the car, face down. Angel also landed on the hood of the car on his feet. Angel jumped down and pulled Connor's body to the ground. Angel jumped in the car, in the front seat beside Fred with Gunn, Lorne and Abigail squished in the back.
" Drive" Angel ordered Wesley.
" Angel—"
" Just go!" Angel snapped and Wesley screeched away, leaving Connor on the road.
* * *
They've been driving for hours and finally stopped at a gas station that looked less crowded.
" How are we gonna get gas?" Gunn asked Angel, " I'm pretty sure the people who work here are Jasmine's followers."
" We need the gas," Wesley answered, " It's a quart low."
" Guess we're doing some stealin' then," Gunn replied as he, Wesley and Angel got out of the car. Abigail began doing the same but Lorne stopped her.
" Where are you going?" he asked, somewhat grumpily. Being stuck in a car for four hours was not his idea of a good time.
" I need to stretch my legs," Abigail told him, " And I need to find a rest room."
" Its safer in here," Lorne protested.
" I'll be ok. You should do the same, it will be awhile before we stop again." She warned him and headed for the station.
Lorne sighed and followed. He told the others he'd back soon.
" All right but hurry up," Wesley urged him as he grabbed a pump and began filling up the tank. He could see the gas station owner inside and two other people. Who knew how many more using the restrooms.
Abigail found the ladies rest room at the back of the gas station. She pushed open a door and looked inside. It looked run down and a little dirty but she couldn't afford to be picky. There were four stalls, all but one were empty. The very last one was being used.
Refresh yourself and get back to the car, she told herself. She splashed some water on her face and used her hands to comb her hair back. Then what she heard next sent a chill down her spine.
" I see you," she looked up to see a woman standing behind her. She was standing in the doorway blocking her exit. The other way out was through the window, She could easily climb through, there were no bars and it was big enough.
Meanwhile, Lorne was anxiously waiting for Abigail and there was no sign of her. Angel had knocked two of Jasmine's followers out cold and was shouting at Lorne to get Abigail and get a move on. Lorne waited another two minutes before going after her. He peered into the rest room but it was empty. He ventured further in and checked the stalls, all were empty. Then he saw something on the floor near the window. It was Abigail's pink and gold necklace, one he had given her for her birthday. He picked it up and noticed drops of blood on the window sill. She had gotten into trouble and made her escape here…or Jasmines followers had gotten her.
He ran back to the car, " C'mon Lorne, we have to go!" Fred called to him. The gang were all back in the car minus Abigail. Where the hell was she? He panicked and that's when he saw the group advancing towards him.
" You'll never escape me," one guy told him with Jasmine's voice, " My love is all around you."
Okay…that is creepy, Lorne thought. " Where's Abigail?" he demanded the man.
" Lorne!" Angel yelled at him. Lorne turned and made a run for it.
" We can't leave without Abigail," he protested.
" Where is she?" Fred asked him her forehead creased with worry.
" She went to the bathroom," he told them what he found.
" We can't worry about her now. If she's all right, we'll find her later," Angel told Lorne tersely as Wesley screeched out of the gas station.
" But, but-" Lorne spluttered.
" We have no choice." Gunn told him quietly.
