~~Young~~

Chapter Nineteen

   “Oh he’s going to have my ass for that one,” Death grumbled, “I’m pretty sure her wanted you back in one piece too.”

   “It’s okay,” Sera gritted out as she forced herself to sit up, “it’s just a flesh wound,” she prodded at the hole in her jeans. It was, the bullet had just grazed her, she probably wouldn’t even need stitches.

   Of course she wouldn’t, because Gage could just fix her again couldn’t he?

   “Your mortal, they’re all flesh wounds Sera. It’s all in the severity,” she rolled her hand, “but let’s get to this, who’s staying?”

   Sera was about to say herself, she had decided that when she saw her friends in trouble, but Lizzy spoke before she could.

   “Let me make it easier on you,” she said with a hitch in her voice.

   “No,” Sera turned to her, “No I’ll…Lizzy what are you doing?” she asked in panic.

   She had Chelsea’s gun.

   “I’m sorry,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face.

   Then she pulled the trigger.

   That one moment became like a thousand years to Sera. Long enough that she thought she just might have been able to stop Lizzy before she raised her arm in front of her, before she put the muzzle to her temple, before her finger squeezed the trigger. She had seen each and every step unfold yet she just watched. Could she have though? Could Death have saved her? Did she know this was Lizzy’s end?

   Somehow she ended up beside her, kneeling in the warm blood pooling around Lizzy’s body. She picked up the gun carefully and looked at it in disbelief; looked back to Lizzy, looked back to the gun…she heard nothing through it all. Not the sound of the gun going off, not Chelsea’s screams, not even Lizzy’s lifeless body crashing to the floor. She heard a heartbeat, only one heartbeat in the room. The one slowing to a stall. She could feel the tears running down her own face as she reached a hand to Lizzy’s empty gaze and closed her lids.

   Sera should have saved her, it was her job. She was a Better Angel, Lizzy’s Better Angel, it was Sera’s responsibility to protect her and she had failed.

   Abruptly the tears stopped, determination replacing everything else as she griped the gun in a white knuckled fist. No, this wasn’t Sera’s fault, it was another’s.

   She was snapped out of it as hand snatched her roughly from the floor. She had never seen the dark face belonging to it before but she knew it all the same. And she was grateful for that because the face that had been there till now would just remind her of the one truly responsible. The one belonging to the other crumpled body on the floor, discarded by its host. And she would be damned if someone else she cared for was harmed today, because she would have hurt him, blinded by her anger.

   His lean upper half was bare except for a leather lace wrapped tightly around his upper right arm, a single black feather hanging from its length. Around his waist was a tan and black spotted pelt. A leopard she thought, or perhaps even a cheetah but that was all that adorned his body.

   “D’ere is nothin d’u can d’u for ‘er now,” Jerry said sternly to her, “she is gone. Now do not make ‘er sac’ri’fice a waste.”

   “Tell us where to go,” Death added a little easier then Jerry’s tone. She too had a firm grip on Chelsea as she stared in disbelief over Lizzy’s…sacrifice.

   Where to go? Was there even any safe haven left for them?

   “My parent’s,” Chelsea said gruffly with a sniffle, “in New York-”

   “Too far,” Death cut her off, “we’re limited because of our load.”

   There was a loud bang from outside the door, then another, then another…

   “Kelowna,” Sera blurted out, “she can help Duncan get out of there.”

   Death nodded sharply, “done and done,” and in the next instance was gone.

   “So where are we goin’ den?” Jerry asked suspiciously, “be’cause it is obviously not where dey is goin.”

   “No…no I want you to take me to Gage.”

   “I don’ t’ink d’ur Uncle will be pleased tu see d’u d‘ere.”

   “I’m not expecting him to be,” Sera said as calmly as she could.

   Because he wouldn’t be expecting her at all, not when he thought she was dead or on her way there. And it was that element of surprise she was betting on.

   He nodded as bullets began splintering the door in front of them. And this time instead of just their figures dimming the whole world dimmed around Sera. It focused once more then she felt this buzzing in her veins before all sense ceased to exist for her.

   All the while she griped the gun.