The One Life War

Chapter 20 - A Poorly Executed Plan is Still a Plan

"What?" Joey exclaimed, looking out the locked screen door to find not just Meghan, Callum, and Scott as he had been expecting, but also Joel, Yammy, and Kyle.

"Heeeey." Meghan waved, clearly nervous. As she should be. She betrayed me?!

"What have you done, Meghan?" Joey demanded.

"You kidnapped Lizzie." She said.

"That was always the plan."

"You also left long before you said you were going to."

"I couldn't just wait. The opportunity had presented itself."

"So I got help."

"Traitor." Joey spat. "I thought we were friends."

"We are friends, Joey. As your friend, I realized you were going too far. Since I can't help you, I got people who might be able to. Just... Give us back Lizzie."

"You don't get it, do you?" Joey said quietly. "I can't give her back. None of you will ever talk to me again."

"That's not true..." Meghan argued.

"Oh yeah? Yammy?" Yammy's eyes jerked away from the flower she was studying. It was a dandelion that had grown right up against Callum's porch. Her eyes locked with Joey's. "Would you still be my friend after all of this?"

Yammy wasn't sure how to respond. She wanted to respond with "Yes, of course we would still be friends, Joey," but she wasn't all that sure. Could she forgive him for all the stress and worry he had given her these past few weeks? Could she forgive what he did to Lizzie? Both in game and in real life? Could she forgive how he came to England, her home, and kidnapped her friends? Could things ever be the same after this? She wasn't sure.

Joey took her silence as an answer, even if it wasn't meant to be one. "You see?" He told Meghan. "How about you, Callum?"

~~~~~

"Do do dooo dodo do!" Shelby sang softly as the three snuck into the backyard of Callum.

"Do do dooo dodo do!" Mariel chimed back.

"Do do dooooo dodo do!" Shelby continued.

"Do do dooo dodo do!" Mariel whispered back.

"Guys. We are trying to sneak. This isn't very sneaky." Stacy reminded the other two.

"Sorry." Shelby and Mariel whispered their apology.

They finally made their way up to the back door.

"Do you have the key?" Stacy asked Mariel.

"No? I thought you had it?" Mariel responded. Stacy's face turned to one of fear.

"I have it." Shelby reminded the two.

"Oh right." Stacy nodded, noticeably more relaxed. Shelby went up to the front and carefully unlocked the door.

"Let's go." Shelby ushered the two in. The door led them into the kitchen. The three carefully walked into the living room and up the stairs, trying not to draw any attention to them.

~~~~~

"Well obviously there is going to be time for healing, right? But that doesn't mean I wouldn't eventually forgive you. It isn't like you tried to kill me..." Then he remembered the cloth and the knife. "Much."

"No. You wouldn't forgive me, would you?" Joey shook his head. "If you want Lizzie back, you have to make me the leader. Not just of One Life, but of you all. You have to make me your king."

"...What?" Meghan asked, jaw dropped.

~~~~~

"You think she's in here?" Stacy asked.

"I think that's where Joey held Callum, according to Meghan and Callum, so I think he might hold her there too." Britt responded over the bluetooth headphones.

Shelby carefully unlocked the door. "How did the lock get to the outside of the door?" She asked.

"Probably a screwdriver..." Mariel pointed out.

Shelby shrugged and opened the door.

"There's... There's no one there?" Stacy asked.

"Where is she then? This is the only room that it makes sense to hold her in." Mariel wondered.

"Let's go check the other rooms." Stacy said.

"No, wait." Shelby whispered before they could leave. "The window's open.

Shelby ran over and peaked out the window.

"She climbed down." She announced. "She's heading back inside through the back door."

"What?!" Stacy gave a quiet exclamation. "Let's go. Downstairs. Now."

~~~~~

He had forgotten his phone.

The one who had captured her had forgotten his phone.

"Be careful." Daniel had told her as she climbed out the window, Joey's phone in her pocket.

"I am being careful. Joel and the others are here, I have to stop Joey before he hurts anyone."

"Yeah, yeah. You already told me the plan. Just don't fall."

"I'm down."

"Good."

"You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's do this."

~~~~~

"Joey!" Someone said from behind Joey. He quickly spun around to see Lizzie.

"How did you get out?!"

"Lizzie!" Someone exclaimed from the top of the staircase. Joey's eyes grew wide when he realized Stacy, Shelby, and Mariel were coming down from up the stairs.

"How did you get here?!"

"Jet." Shelby stated.

"Lizzie, get back!" Stacy shouted.

"No!" Lizzie yelled. She pulled something out of her back pocket. A... Phone? No, his phone. How could she have gotten that? Had he left it in the room with her?

"Joey?" A familiar voice asked.

Joey couldn't breath. "Daniel..."

"What are you doing?" He asked. It wasn't mean or condescending. It sounded more like someone asking a child why he was hiding a stolen cookie behind his back when the chocolate was all over his face.

"I-"

"Please stop. Please, come back to us."

Only one more chapter to go! I hope everyone is excited! How will it end? Such a cliff hanger, huh. I guess you'll just have to wait and see! Until next time!