[_____V_____]

(Continued...)


"...ending!! WAKE UP, NE!! Damnit!!"

NE opens his eyes, feebly. He looks around at the figures standing above him. Rayne!, is the first happy thought which resounds through his braincells.

BWIND stands beside her.

NE is suddenly reminded of Austin. "Wh...where is Aust...innn?"

Rayne and Bwind look around. Austin lies some way ahead, SEVERELY WOUNDED, bleeding profusely, all his HPs used up.

NE lifts himself in alarm, fighting back the pain. "Austinnn...he wanted to protect me and gave me 9 HPs. I think he might be in troubleee..." his words trail off.

Bwind rushes forward to Austin, and takes 3 HPs out. He patches up Austin carefully, and stands up again.

"He ll live and become fit," he announces to Rayne.

NE nods. "I ll stay with him," he tells Rayne. "You and bwind better go and find a good hiding place."

"No, NE," Rayne replies back. "I cannot leave you or Austin in this condition. What if they return back?"

"Listen to me," NE's voice grows slightly stronger."There's no sense in more of us getting hit. Just give us enough HPs to survive, and go. Quick!"

"Dammit! I hate this. But I don't have a choice. How many do you have left with you?" Rayne asks.

"Three from Austin's donated HPs," NE replies.

"Okay, I will give you some more," Rayne pulls some HPs out and stuffs them into NE's open HP bag. "You sure you can take care of yourself and Austin?"

NE nods, fighting off waves of dizziness from the intense pain.

Rayne lets out a deep breath, and nods at Bwind. Both of them run across the clearing and disappear from sight.

Austin lays on the ground, moaning and sighing slowly as the HPs heal his wounds. NE drags himself across the ground again, and closes in on him.


DUDE GUADALUPE looks across from him, and motions to PAUL THE MONK. Paul crouches instantly, and looks back at Dude questioningly. Dude waves once, and moves forward. Paul crawls from his place, and looks ahead.

Dude has broken through the undergrowth to the clearing where NE and Austin lie, breathing heavily inbetween slight moans and sighs, patched up with plenty of HPs.

Dude smiles at the sight, licks his lips, and lifts his shotgun to aim.

BLAM!!

BLAM!!

BLAM!!

BLAM!!

BLAM!!

BLAM!!

Two shells blast Austin's chest open. Austin grinds his teeth and groans loudly as he turns, as two more shells catch him on his belly. The last two shells break through his upper back and embed themselves on his shoulder plates, and he doubles up, coughing a lot of blood out.

NE stirs in frantic alarm, and hurries across in a crawl to Austin. He grabs a bunch of HPs in frenzy, and patches Austin up again, enough to stop the bleeding. Austin passes out.

NE waits, grimly, for the last shotgun to fire. He hastily counts the HPs left with him. THREE left, he thinks to himself.

Dude takes a couple steps back as he watches NE patch Austin up. He looks at Paul, and nods.

Paul jumps forward, immediately. He takes a long look at both NE and Austin, quietly deciding. Then he lifts his shotgun, decision made.

BLAM!!

BLAM!!

BLAM!!

BLAM!!

BLAM!!

BLAM!!

More shells, NE thinks as he ducks into the base of the tree. Alarmed at not feeling any of the shots pass near him, he looks ahead at Austin. The shells have almost ripped Austin's body apart, wracking his body into big, mad spasms of pain.

NO!, NE thinks as he jumps forward, forgetting his own pain for an instant. I WONT LET YOU DIE, MY FRIEND! he grits his teeth and brings the final three HPs out to patch Austin up. Exhausted with the ordeal, NE falls forward with a final thought, Its done!! Damn sons of bitches have fired their last shotguns and we have survived!! Yesss...we...did...it...Aus...ti...nnnn...

NE passes out.