Simon Snow: The Final Battle (AU Au)

Chapter #5

I'm rudely awakened from my peaceful sleep by Penny frantically banging on the car door. Groggily, I mouth "What" to her. What comes next is so loud that I can hear it through the car door:

"We need to get out of here. Now."

Reaching across Baz, I unlock the doors so Penny can get in. I look out to see what she had run from in such a hurry. The whole area by the side of the highway was on fire. I shook Baz awake, and when he saw the spreading wall of flame, he slammed his foot on the gas.

"I'll find you, Simon Snow," calls that unforgettable voice that only brings trouble. "Or should I say, the Insidious Humdrum? You have so many names, Chosen One." It's here. The thing we came to fight. It brought the fight to us.

"What are you?" I shout.

"Oh, it figures you'd want to know. Let's see... How about we call me Power. It's an accurate and straightforward name, although it still might be difficult for you to comprehend. That should be more than enough information for you to piece together my identity, but I'll be nice and give you a little more. It was only a matter of time, because, as they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely. This was always my destiny. See you on the other side, son."

The flame warps and just out in front of and behind the car, blocking us in. Baz lets out a quiet whimper of fear. Vampires and fire are anything but friends. Once spark and he's as good as dead.

"You're playing with fire!" Penny cries, her purple ring of a wand glowing in response. "Extinguish!" she commands.

The deadly barricade does as she says, disappearing as if it were never there at all. We let out a unison sigh of relief.

"Well. I haven't seen that spell before, Penelope Bunce, and that's saying something. Awfully creative to make up, and on the spot, might I add." It complimented her. "I'll be seeing you soon. Any questions?"

"Loads," I respond in an instant.

"It's unfortunate that I won't be giving you any answers, then," it says with a laugh.

"What the hell are we going to do?" I snap.

"Simon, it'll be alright. We've won twice against this thing. At the very least, it's a good start," Penny reasons.

"Don't lie to him, Bunce. This was hardly a victory, and our first encounter he gave to us willingly. Both times he chose to leave us. Think about it; he's the one really winning here. Don't try to spin it," Baz says smartly.

"Yeah, but I was attempting to keep his spirits up. What are you doing, Basilton?" She spits his name like it tastes foul.

"Crowley, the both of you, bloody stop it. The pair of you are acting ridiculously, and I'd prefer it if you both shut the hell up and drive," I shout. "Because that thing just bested us again, and in case you didn't realize, he wants to kill us. I don't give a flying fuck about any of your bickering right now. So how about you punch it before it tries again."

"You drive then, Snow. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we don't want to deal with you and your whining and whinging," Baz retorts, getting out of the car so I can take his place.

I do so without a word, and the second he's back in the car, I press the gas pedal to the floor. Of course, the thing I have to defeat has to be unstoppable and a smartass. Life is laughing in my face right about now. Next thing I know, I'm going to find out that my dad's still alive, but I've got to kill him over Baz's dead body. Life likes to do that to me. Maybe I'm the Chosen One of incredibly bad luck.

More wretched music blasts from the cheap car speakers as Baz scrolls through his phone. Seriously, someone needs to help him get some better taste in music. I flip off the stereo and earn a groan from Baz in response.

"I swear to Merlin, someone needs to give you some better music, Baz. Seriously, we need to ban you from touching the sound system," I tease.

"I'm with Si. Your music is shit; and I'm not one to swear like a Normal, you know," chimes Penny

"The both of you suck," Baz mutters under his breath. "And Simon?"

""I don't want to hear your stupid voice. Pull over the car." It's not a questions. I'd like to pretend that it doesn't sting, but I'm no actor. I pull over the car without a word, and I can feel the sympathetic stare from Pen.

The passenger door swings open. Right when it closes, an onslaught of words cascades of of Penelope's mouth. I ignore all of it. Whatever she's saying, I don't want to hear it.

All signs of Baz are lost in the brush along the road. I glance out in the distance, but I can't see him, no matter how hard I look. My vision blurs, and something drips from my cheeks. I'm going to die, and Baz is out there, not giving a damn. It's so bloody brilliant, isn't it?

"Si," Penny breathes.

"What? What could you possibly have to say to me, Penelope Bunce?" I shriek. "I'm going to die, and that fucker over there doesn't care in the slightest. And you know what? I don't care what that fucking Pitch thinks! Him and his family are our political enemies. They'd have me killed, and the only reason I'm not dead yet is because I literally explode when I'm in danger! The person I'm bloody in love with wants me dead, and he only tagged along so that he can see me dead at someone else's hand! That aside, he just stormed the fuck off, saying he never wants to hear my annoying voice again. There's abso-bloody-lutely nothing you could say to me to make this situation okay. Do you hear me?" I explode. I feel my magic pooling around me, and everything looks red.

"At least there's no way it could get any worse," Penny replies meekly.

"Penny, Penny, Penny. That's the one phrase, the one expression, that you can't ever say. Because it can always get worse," I sigh, exasperation flooding my voice. We've had this conversation too many times to count. She thinks it's purely superstitious, and doesn't deserve a second thought, or even a first one, for that matter. I say it's cause and effect, plain and simple. If you utter those words, you're fucked. Even if you truly believe that it's as bad as it can get, life will always find a way to prove you wrong. Just look at me. That's enough proof for anyone to see I'm right. Well, anyone except Penny. I swear, that girl has to be on something to believe I'm wrong -- and honestly, I wouldn't even be that surprised.

"Simon, saying that doesn't mean something bad is going to happen," she sighs,  twirling a finger through her lilac hair. Penny only ever does that when she's annoyed.

"Merlin, Morgana, and Methuselah, how long is this going to take? Just you watch. And you'll know that you caused it. Remember that, Bunce," I spit. I pulled a Baz; calling her by her last name while saying something dick-ish. It's what he does to distance himself from people. I know it, Penny knows it. It shuts her up real good. Yeah yeah, it's a low move, but that's the advantage of not caring, right? I'm going to die soon anyways. What does it matter?

The door beside me opens, and Baz tosses me into the passenger seat. He just goes and tosses me effortlessly, like it's the most normal thing in the world. Who dropped him on his head when he was a baby?

"Jesus, Baz!" The is only giving me more proof that you Pitches are rotten as old eggs, and as mannerless as a gorilla," I snap. The bloke tossed me, for Crowley's sake!

"Don't worry 'bout him, Ty B," Penn;y says to him. "He's had his britches in a knot all day." I can feel my face flushing from anger at Penny's sharp words.

"Two things, Bunce," chirps Baz. "Once, I am well aware of the Chosen One's pissy mood as of late. Two, if you ever call me that again, I will burn you alive with no remorse," he finishes.

Without a word, I slip out of the car and wander into the brush. Red fills my line of sight, which is never a good sign. It means I'm about to go off. When my magic just explodes out of me after I can't keep it in anymore. I hear a "See what I mean," from the car, and bountiful laughs shared at my expense.

The air around me starts to ripple, and I feel the familiar sensation of hungry flames twisting and turning and wrapping themselves around my limbs. It burns my skin, but I pay no mind. I'm vaguely aware of the fire catching on the dry grass all around me. My legs must certainly be getting singed, but all I can feel is a mildly unpleasant warmth slowly spreading through every part of me. It's the last sensation that creeps through me before my magic temporarily consumes me, and I fall to the ground.