"We're gonna have to take the border forest," Raine said darkly as their options reduced quicker and quicker. Some clearly the work of Johns influence and others coincidences which seemed piled against them. "I know it might trigger that vision of your seer, but I don't see any other options," he admitted grimly.
"We can't," Jasper yelled frightened. "We won't escape that way."
"We might," Tim said calmly but seriously. "Your vision saved Bill. We can still avert this one coming true," he reassured firmly, "If it is our only option..."
"We have to take the risk," Maria agreed, an arm wrapped around Jaspers shoulders. "It will be fine Jasper. We'll all get out of this city," she promised, kissing his cheek and hugging him as the young man trembled. Things were different for Jaspar, she knew this. He saw and felt the future. Tim and Maria had just seen the future but Jaspar had felt it like it was the present. Maria felt her skin turn to scales at the thought of being impaled. They were going to have to be smarter to survive this.
Justice was silent, looking down at his fake leg with his hands clenched into fists."They are right Jasper. This is our only shot, if there is no other choice..." Justice closed his eyes. "We just have to hope Lady Luck is on our side," he murmured.
"Luck?" Jasper scoffed. "Luck is what got us into this in the first place," he shivered, but leant into Maria's heat.
Maria grimaced and hummed in agreement. "We will see," she said firmly.
"Right then, into death valley, we go," Raine declared which a strange edge in his voice and the car sped up.
The light outside was almost completely gone by now and the road was light by streetlights set to turn on when the sun was gone. There weren't many people in this part of town near the border. It was on the back of one of the many warehouse districts in the city. The car rumbled from the strain of going fast but Raine was already in the top gear. It wasn't really meant for going as fast as it could with so many people in the car.
The radio grumbling as the nobs started moving. Various sounds from different radio shows and music networks filling the car unnervingly. Tim looked at it darkly. "Raine?" he asked, reaching over it and switching it off again.
"Old car?" Raine offered hesitantly for the normally abrasive skinhead.
As soon as Tim switched the radio off, it switched back on again. This time focusing on a channel of smooth jazz music. Tim tried to turn it off again but he yelped as a bolt of electricity ran up his arm, yanking his hand from the dial and rubbing it.
"Nice try," John's voice came over the radio. "Stop now and I might not kill you all," he offered calmly. "Well, not three of you anyway," he added in a darker rumble. "Care to guess which three?" he laughed evilly.
"No deal," Raine breathed with a snarl on his face. Maria wrapped her arms firmly around Jaspar and Justice protectively as the whipped around another corner, skidding to a stop suddenly. "Fuck," he cursed under his breathe.
Maria looked up and there was John standing there in the road. His face still mostly human but his body morphed into a grotesque monster with the general shape of a wolf but a mixture of bones, bark, moss and other undiscernable things growing from seemingly random places on the body. His teeth were extended into fangs which seemed to be dripping poison, and his eyes were glowing blood red. The image just seemed wrong, like a mistake of nature. Even John's outline was distorted with shadows drifting around him. Justice muttered a prayer to the gods that someone would save them.
John's laugh surrounded them again. "Oh, Justice sweetheart. You're mine, boy. No god or goddess is going to step in to save you now. Just some misguided fools," he said, walking towards them. The air somehow thundering with every step, magic flowing around him uncontrolled and wild. "So how is this going to go?" he asked, his neck twisting unnaturally so it was upside down.
"Still no deal," Tim said darkly. "Drive, Raine."
Raine nodded and stepped on the accelerator, turning the car and heading down a different path. This road was dirt and even with the headlights on it was hard to see. It didn't stop Raine barrelling down the road. Justice yelled as he hit his head of the top of the car and tried to curl up tighter to avoid being thrown against the car roof. There was a loud squealing sound as something dragged against both sides of the car.
"Your decision," John chuckled darkly.
The windows burst and glass flew everywhere. Raine yelled and threw his arms in front of his eyes to protect them. Leaving the car going blindly. Maria dived over and forced the car door by Justice open. Justice fell out with a yell. There was a loud bang and suddenly it was like they were weightless. Then the world hit back again and the car rolled over. Maria holding onto Jaspar to protect him from the flying shards of glass. Pushing them out of the open door and rolling to a stop. The car crashed into some old trees.
Maria hissed, feeling as vines swept over her, running Jaspar to his feet and running towards where Justice was stumbling. She pushed the blind seer towards Justice. "Go," she ordered, already running back towards the car, her wings and scales appearing. She jumped into the air to avoid the plants which were trying to grab her and hold her down. Tim appeared next to her and tugged her backwards.
"Raine's dead, we got to move," Tim hissed.
The car blew up behind them. The blowback making Maria and Tim strumbled, clutching to each other to avoid falling to the ground. The heat boiling hot even to them. Maria panted and nodded, still clutching onto Tim, dragging him away from the scene. A cold wind blasting past them both. Maria knew already what would happen in the wind. The car would stay on fire and the plants would not. Everything was happening according to the vision. She ran, focusing on the church which was just in view. If they could just get there...
The monster John had morphed into bounded in front of them. Eyes now flames which seemed to peer into the depths of hell. "Kneel," he ordered, as they stumbled to a stop, Tim's nails scratching against Maria's skin. "Now," he added, stalking forward.
"No," Tim snarled, pulling on Maria who had frozen on the spot. Her legs quickly becoming entwined with vines which John was controlling. Tim yelled something at her in their shared language and she physically jolted, gasping for air.
She snapped something back at the man before looking back at John and meeting his soulless eyes. "John, be reasonable," she tried slowly to talk to the monster, struggling against the vines. She wasn't sure how far he was gone. Powerful beings, including herself, when they went berserk lost some of what made them sentient. A dash of morality which gave them empathy.
"I have always been reasonable," John snarled angrily, the wind slashing around them. Tim shielding Maria from it as he hacked at the vines around her legs with his talons. Tim yelled as his jacket spilt open, revealing black scales that had protected him from harm.
"You don't want Tim," She pointed out, pulling him bodily behind her. She hissed something at Tim, who only yelled again but continued to try to pull her free. "You want me. Let him go," she commanded, forcing all of her power into those words. WIth a lesser man, it might have worked without a problem. With John, she was hoping it would at least make him consider the idea.
John's head twisted again. "No," he smirked evilly, his front paw lifting and morphing into a talon-like hand. He turned it and sticks lifted around him slowly. They craved in midair into spears behind him as he stared Maria down. She forced herself around and pushed Tim away from her.
"Run!" She yelled. "Tim, run!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the forest as she fought against the vines which were trying to pull her down. Tim looked over at the spears which Jaspar had made and shook his head.
"Not this time," he whispered to himself. He wasn't going to play the game fate wanted them to play. He wasn't going to run and let Maria kill herself for him. "John," he said, not really sure what he could say at this point.
"Timothy," John smirked. "Not going to run?" he asked, his head tilting the opposite way. The two dragon shifters able to hear every click of his neck as he did so. "Brave, aren't you?" he chuckled. "Step forward," he ordered calmly, his talons gesturing for him to come closer. One of the spears moving in front of him with an obvious but deadly intent.
"No," Maria pleaded.
"Hush," John ordered as the vines finally yanked her down roughly. Not quite engulfing her in the veins but instead wrapping around her arms and pulling her so she was on her hands and knees. The veins curled around her wings and were almost gentle with how they pinned them down so she couldn't use them. She strained so she could see what was happening as Tim walked in front of her, obeying John. "Good boy," John purred. "Any last words."
"Try to kill me and your regret it?" Tim offered uncertainly even to his own ears. "John, my death will trigger something more than just a new warden needing to be summoned."
"That so," John hummed. "Kneel," he ordered again.
Tim dropped to his knees, looking up at John with defiance in his eyes but he had obeyed. The spear moved over to him, Maria yelling in the backward. Tim tried not to flinch as the tip of the spear pressed against his throat and forced his head backwards painfully. His skin flared with scales but it didn't stop the threat from being serious. With enough power, the wood could break through the scales.
"I have to go catch the two humans. Justice is going to die painfully for this. Jaspar won't but he will be punished. Why should I spare you?" John asked. "Maria, I have trained. You are a pest," he hissed.
"I do my job," Tim closed his eyes. "That is to protect the humans of this city from monsters."
"It is," John allowed. "If I let you live, you will be bound to me. Both of you," he added. "ANd not by just your word," he warned. "So tell me, Timmy. Do you want to live under my control?" John asked, walking forwards slowly.
"Not really," Tim admitted.
"Truthful," John smirked. "Shame."
John clicked his fingers and several things happened at once. The ground caught fire and Maria burst from the vines, yanking Tim away from the spear. They rolled away from the flames but the spear followed them. With a loud thunk, Maria gasped in pain as it slammed into her back and pierced through her shoulder. She wheezed, barely able to breathe properly.
"Li Sying," Tim breathed, looking up at her face in horror, pinned below her.
John snarled and yanked her away from him. Vines pinned Tim to the ground this time, tightening around his throat until he was barely about to breathe. He twisted his head to see John cradling Maria in his monstrous form as she struggled to breathe, snapping most of the spear out so the monster could lay her down on the ground. John said something but Tim couldn't hear as the world when black for him.