The Daisy Garden

Part 15 - The War Pt 2

"Keep coming... But watch our back we never know who might be behind is." Barny guarded their front whilst Daisy stayed close behind, she was less likely to get hurt that way, that would be the last thing Barny wanted. "Aren't your parents going to be a bit freaked out when they find out that you're not actually dead?"

"What d'you mean when they find out? They are never going to find out, it would crush them if they knew I could only stay for a day, I'm not leaving the garden."

"Oh alright... That's a good idea axtually, that way we won't have to tell them about the Willow Garden." "Well, we're going to have to tell somebody someday, we can't keep hiding it from everyone..."

"I guess.. I won't tell anybody when I go back to school though, especially not Joe and his cohorts... They would think I'm an idiot."

"I'm gonna miss everyone at school, I haven't seen them in eight weeks and I'll never see them again..." Barny flinched as a twig snapped under his foot, they both stopped dead.

"We're clear... And, not necessarily, if we defeat these guys today there powers might die with them, then the hostage spell will be lifted. Simple. Anyways, I know you're going to heaven. Because you never made a fuss, and you're being incredibly brave, for me, and for The Willow Garden."

"It's not that Barny... Well it is, but not only that... See, I'm not going to die, I don't know where I'm going to go, but I'm sure there'll be food and water and a loo..." Daisy said with a smile "but you're right about that second thing..... I'm doing it for you, and for my family, and for The Willow Garden." There was a screeching over head and the sky clouded over, but not with your ordinary cloud, these were birds, crows. "Oh no, crows, nasty things. Gather some rocks." Barny looked confused "But why?"

"Just do it..." Daisy started picking up some rocks from the ground and Barny followed her lead, "now chuck 'em." They pelted the rocks at the birds and they came down one by one, cawing as they went. Some came and dive bombed Barny and Daisy but Barny managed to use his energy gun to temporarily blind some of them, they couldn't fly whilst partially sighted so whilst they were on the ground Barny and Daisy just stamped on them. Slowly the cloud lifted as the other birds were frightened off as their army was thinning rapidly. Daisy laughed, and stared at Barny's belt of drink, then got her hand inside it and tugged on it "what is this anyway...? Don't get me wrong it works, but how did you come up with it?" Barny laughed also and pulled Daisy's hand out of the tool belt

"It is in fact my Dad's tool belt loaded with energy juice. I learnt on a documentary once that the best weapons are often living around you." Daisy picked up a log and swung it at Barny's head as a joke, he ducked. "I think that documantary meant things like this bad boy, not some old stale Red Bull you got from your Dad's parlour teamed with a Super Soaker, but as I said... It still works. So I'm not knocking the idea." Barny clutched the belt "you bet it is!" They both stood still "I can hear something..." He slowly raised his gun and shuffled forward "watch my back, I'm going in..." He stepped between two trees, "it's a just a clearing. But I still hear talking. I'm gonna go in further." "Talking? Well what are they saying?"

"I can't make out any words. It's more like whispering, they're obviously trying to hide from me, or somebody else."

"Okay, just be careful..." Barny ventured further into the trees, watching his step. "I don't see anything so far, except dead crows,I'm treading amongst them now." Daisy waited just outside of the circle of trees Barny was in "oh yeah, I brought these in case I found little Franny, but I guess you're just as good." Barny tossed Daisy one of the walkie talkies they had once used in The Willow Garden. "Thanks, now you don't have to shout." They both switched on their devices and tested them. They were working just fine. "Okay, I'm watching my step and woah!" The signal died. "Barny? Barny are you ok?" The signal returned and Barny's voice muffled as he moved further and further away from Daisy. "Sorry, I tripped over something. A carcus of some kind, it's dark so I can't quite make out what it is... It's big and furry, it may be a Raram parrallel, creatures seem to be dropping like rain, we have to be careful, there must be something in the air. Over." Daisy shuddered at the thought of Carcuses everywhere "okay, I'll stay put, you try and find the Willow Garden creatures, don't let any parallels fool you. Over." Barny walked forward, he had placed his walkie talkie inside his belt now and had to have his hands out in front of him it was so dark. His hands hit something a tree perhaps, he walked around it and carried on forward until he reached another clearing, this one was lighter, bright almost. He could see clearly. "I've reached another clearing, it's brightly lit and there's a dark passage on the left, a frosty passage on the right and a stormy one straight on, which do you suggest I take? Over." Barny stared at the pathways until Daisy came through. "There's no good way of telling which leads to our folk but if I were you I'd -" It cut off, Barny panicked "you'd what!!? Daisy!!!" Barny felt a hand on his shoulder, he raised his gun and turned round slowly, he shot. It was Daisy, hey both laughed "thanks for that, I needed a drink." They laughed again, Daisy looked at her wrist, it was bleeding and swollen. "What's that?" Barny asked lifting her wrist to see it closer.

"Oh nothing, it's just that chain that I had on earlier, it rubbed a little that's all..." Barny looked shocked "That is not okay! You can't let anybody treat you like that." Daisy shook her head and pulled her hand away. "No, you can't tell anyone, this place is practically make-believe, it doesn't even hurt anymore." Barny turned around and clamed himself, then turned back around.

"You know earlier you were saying you'll miss school and stuff?"

"Yeah?"

"What if you could go to school eh?" Daisy shook her head

"No, no, no, I couldn't everyone would think I'm a liar, and what sort of sicko lies about being dead." "No! I don't mean go back as Daisy, I mean go back as Octavia, Octavia Ohwell. I used to write stories about her when I was younger. She always wears stripes and has long blue hair. You could be her. Just for a week? Please?" Daisy sighed

"Well, okay, but only after we rock these guys." Barny nodded and smiled, he could hardly wait to go back to school. "Well then, what are we waiting for, let's go do some killing? We'll take the left path first, we'll make our way across to the right."

"Barny I can't lie.. Your plan won't work... If we're going to do it, we have to do it now. Out in the town centre. That's what today should be, having fun." Barny slipped his gun back into his belt. "Fine. We'll do that... Fights are always more riveting at night time. Come on I know a really good store.."