A Magician's Gift

Ch. 44

A dark room appeared in front of my eyes. What the fuck? I tried moving my arms. Stuck. I looked down. Stuck to a chair?

I tried to cast a spell. Just my luck. I'm fucking gagged. Just my goddamn luck.

"You're awake. Welcome, Zee," I heard. I snapped my head up and saw what looked like an older version of Nick and John, with no coat and his sleeves rolled up with blood splattered on his shirt standing there. "Nick!" I shouted, muffled by the gag. "Ah, I'm sorry, my love, I can't have you casting your spells, as amazing as your voice sounds."

"LET ME GO, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I shouted again, still muffled. "Now, now, darling, that's no way to talk to an ex-boyfriend of yours, is it?" He asked, grabbing older John's arm. Ex-boyfriend? I... Nick and I... we're not... I'm... god, this really is a nightmare, huh?

"You're going to do exactly what I say, Zatanna."

"Take this fucking gag off, and we'll see what happens, Necro!" I yelled at him, barely coming out clear. "Remove it," he told someone behind me. A person came up and removed it. "Thank you. Now, tell me what the fuck's going on here."

"You're going to be put through the worst torture possible."

"Do your worst," I told him, giving him a dead-serious stare. "Oh, oh, no, doll, I wouldn't dream of harming you. You misunderstood. See, your little boytoy here, he's the one who destroyed us."

"What- what are you-"

"You are going to suffer in the worst way possible," he told me. "Kill the bastard."

"No, no, no, please, Necro, don't do- don't do this. Please! Do not do this, don't hurt John, please," I pleaded. "I'm afraid..." he said, holding onto my cheek and facing it towards him. "I can't do that, Zatanna." I knocked my head down and sighed, biting back tears. "Oh, no, no, no, darling. You're going to watch this. Step. By. Step." He grabbed onto my forehead and moving it upwards to face John. "What's stopping me from teleporting John and myself out of here with a single word?"

"Feel free to try, darling. I invite you to try and use your little abracadabra spells," he told me, throwing his hands up. "TEG YAWA!" I shouted before pain shot through my whole body, feeling like someone stabbed my legs and burned a whole through my heart. "SHIT!" I yelled, screaming in pain. Nick chuckled. "I told you, Zatanna. Now, you will watch the man that you love oh-so much... die. All because of you. Without you in his life, who knows, he could've been happily married to that Zed girl you hate so much." Acolytes, dressed like those that we faced last night, held John and started to dig daggers into his skin. John yelled in pain, and I screamed for his life. "John! Nick, let him go! Please!"

"Give me a kiss, darling, and I might just think about it."

"You-you promise?" I asked, weighing my options. As much evil tendencies he is giving off right now, well, I'd do basically anything to save John. If saving John meant kissing Necro, well, I will take that chance. We'll live. "I do promise that," he told me. I sighed and tilted my head forward to his, kissing him as tears started dripping down my face. "That's better," he said, pulling away and making a hand motion. "Kill him."

"Nick! You said you-you said you would think ab- God, I would do anything right now, just please, don't fucking do this, please!" I pleaded, tears now streaming down my face. "Name your price! Just don't do this... if it's me you want, you can have me, I'll be yours, just... do not hurt John." He placed a hand on my cheek roughly and rubbed it in some way that I think was supposed to be romantic. "I don't want you, Zee. I lost that desire years ago. I want you to suffer. Just like I did when you left me for this sorrowful excuse of a warlock, and even more of a pitiful human being. Kill John Constantine. Break Zatanna." They took John's neck and snapped it as I cried out. "JOHN!"