[S]ins of the [G]ods; Humanity's Price [Main Forum]

[DragelX]

Dragel heard Norton shuffle and he looked to see if she was fine. As he turned to look at her the remaining guy, hit Dragel and hit him hard. Dragel was knocked to his feet, and he tried to roll, but did more of a awkard tumble. Dragel heard Norton and mustered up the strength to point and say "That...bloody bastard did." Dragel stood up and heard someone land behind him. Before he had time to turn around and attack the guy he heard him, and knew it was Russel. "Look its the little boy afraid of his dreams, baby want a bot-" Dragel shut up as he saw about 15 guys run up and surround them. Dragel looked over his shoulder "You prideful bastard, you had to go and bring more of these, idiots. Yea you know that I'm greedy as hell, but damn-it i dont want anymore of this." Dragel took a fighting stance, not a very good one but one all the same and sighed "Temporary truce old enemy? An enemy of my enemy is an alley, correct? We could both beneifit from this. So what do you say?"

[Ghost_x1000]

Russel looked back at Dragel. He looked like crap.
"Look. If I had known it was you, I'd have left you to these thugs. The only reason I'm here is that I saw Jack's gang beating up on someone, and I owe Jack a few favors. I'll protect you, but only because you're against Jack. So stand back and let me at the jerks."
Russel turned to look at the incoming thugs. One, two, three... there must be 15 or so of them. Backing up, he looked for an opening, not able to see a way through the oncoming wall of muscle. Well, when all else failed, there was only one alternative.
Lowering himself to stabilize his center of gravity, he reached down and grabbed a rusted piece of metal. Throwing it up above their heads to distract their attention, Russel ran forward, hitting the first guy square in the chest. Needless to say, he went down... hard. Using the guy as a springboard, he leaped up and executed a backflip, landing exactly where he had stood before.
The thugs started spreading out. Russel knew the same trick wouldn't work on them twice. If only Dragel weren't such a bad fighter. If only there were someone else who could fight. Not even looking back to see who else besides Dragel was there, he planted his feet and waited. Fourteen versus one wasn't exactly prime odds, but he knew that if he was careful, and didn't make any mistakes, everything would turn out all right. Then, before he even had a chance to say anything, the thugs attacked.

[DragelX]

Dragel knew he couldnt win in a fair fight, and he had already lost his knife. He thought about using his...He shook his head. This was his fight and he would fight with all he had. He ran right behind Russel and at the last moment he changed his direction and charged at the guy next to the one russel took down. He swung for the neck, and hit! Dragel was suprised but he didnt stop. He heard the chain of his wallet jingle and he grinned. He reached around and grabbed the chain, ripping it from his pants and pulling his wallet out. Dragel held it by the chain by the wallet and swung at another guy, the bigger end of the chain catching the guy in the temple, and he fell hard. Dragel jumped backwards and stood next to Russel, holding the chain ready to swing, not knowing if they would let him get close enough to use it again or not. " Looks like about 12 left right? When this is over, remind me to take some fighting class..." Dragel didnt have time to finish as the guys moved in closer to begin thier attack.

[SpringTimeFox]

For once in her life, Sheltie's rage didn't take over. The pain in her side over-masked her anger, but not enough. Getting to her feet, she stumbled forward, took a deep breath, and summoned every bit of her strength to fight back against the men coming for them. Punching a man straight in the face before he knew what happened, Sheltie stepped up next to the man who appeared to have saved her. "This is quite the coincidence," she mumbled, glancing at the man and Russel, who happened to be a very good fighter. "If I were paranoid, I'd say you've been following me."

She stood in the alley, amidst many dead or unconscious bodies, while more men came at her from the end of the alleyway. Sneering, Sheltie put her hand on Dragel's shoulder. "In the state we happen to be, I think it would be wise to retreat before they get here and see our faces," she said to the two men. "I know a place we can lose them."

Before she had the chance to say more, a man rushed at her, forcing her to let go of Dragel's shoulder and her side as she dodged the brutal attacked. Swinging her body around, clasping her hands together, she brought her doubled fist down on the man's head, sprawling him out on the ground with a heavy thud and a grunt. It's too late to run without consequence now, she thought grimly.

[DragelX]

Dragel laughed when Norton said that he was following her. Of course he had been. Why wouldnt he follow her, she did look beautiful after all. "I just happened to stumble upon you thats it. You really want to run?" Dragel laughs again " I dont think they would let us run. The three of us versus, them. I have always had good luck so i know we will when." He looked at Russel "Sorry about earlier, we should get together later and talk about our differicences." He looked at Norton as he seen the men charge again "And you should come over to my house so we can fix you up, and so i can help arrange the funeral for your friend there." Dragel turned to the men and prepared to attack.

[SpringTimeFox]

Stepping over the unconscious man, she smiled slightly and shook her head. "I dont want to run, no. But it seemed like a better idea than beating the hell out of these punks," she said with a little growl. She looked at Justin, not wanting to think about him at the moment. Hearing something behind her, she swung around, ducking under a punch and kicking her right leg out, swiping the man's feet from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. Deciding the man needed to die, she stepped forward, lifted her leg a small bit, and slammed her heel into his temple. The man twitched, then lay still.

The pain in her side started to wane, the rage in her mind started to take over. She knew it would hurt later, when adrenalin wasn't running through her veins, but she kept going. Letting out a yell of anger, she grabbed a man's wrist and pulled him close, her eyes locking on his as her knee connected with his family jewels. The look in the man's eyes gave her a surge of elation as she grabbed his shoulders and shoved him back. In pain, he didn't catch himself and fell back into another man, knocking them both over and starting a rather one-sided fight between the two.

[Ghost_x1000]

Russel looked back to see Sheltie walk forward. She also looked like she had been put through the wringer. He heard her say something about backing off, then deck a guy. By the looks of it, she didn't plan on backing off.
"No, I haven't been following you. Actually, I'd like to know exacly what you did to get Jack so pissed off at you. I'm here to settle a score with this gang. That's all."
Ducking yet another punch, he leapt over the jerk, grabbing him by the lapels. Dropping him, he turned to see then next assailant. It was a tall, gangly looking punk, with long greasy hair. Perfect.
Spinning around, he leaped on the shoulders of a incoming, hefty foe, and backflipped behind long-hair. Grabbing his hair, he twirled, wrapping it around thick-neck's face. One quick jerk, and they both had splitting headaches. Weaving around, they were a danger to no one... but they'd recover, so better to end it quickly. A hand chop to one and a scissor kick to another, and they were both laid out on the ground, a danger to no one.
Unfortunately, it seemed like more were pouring in every second. If no one got a good idea of how to get out of it soon, they were all toast.
Then, a moment of light. At the edge of the crowd stood Jack. If Russel could take him out, the fight would be over. "Hey, cover for me," he called to the others, then lunged up, grabbing the fire escape and using it to flip over the crowd. Taking off at a dead run, he started to fight his way towards Jack. The fight would soon be over!

[SpringTimeFox]

Taking a moment to breath, Sheltie shot a half-smirk-half scowl at Russel. The man almost had her grudging respect... Almost. "I dont know who this 'Jack' is, but I'm sure I killed some Armenians a while back. Not a good thing to do if you wish to live," she said to him. Russel's eyes traveled to a man on the outskirts of the skirmish and Sheltie's followed. The man was huge and rather angry looking and could only be one man - the 'Jack' that Russel said something about. As he called to them to cover him, Sheltie stepped forward quickly, ducking a blow to her head and sticking her foot out as she spun, taking the man's legs out. She jumped forward onto the man's stomach, winding him, and clocked a man in the face. It seemed they were dense, but she knew they had some brain function. They started to back off, away from her onslaught.

Of course, they started moving towards Russel, who seemed to be doing some monkey acrobatics to get his arse over the small crowd of thugs toward the angry looking man. Seeing the opening she needed, she lifted her right leg, placed her foot over a man's round, plump ass, and pushed out with all her force, sending the man toppling forward into his cohorts, creating an amusing ripple effect.

[DragelX]

Dragel was tired, more tired than he had been in a while and he wanted this fight to be over with. He dodged another guy as he charged, and watched as Russel charge at the guy in the back. Dragel figured this to be the ring leader so dragel took off behind Russel, jumping over the bodies of those falling because of Norton's little push. Dragel knew he couldn't take on Jack, Jack being a gang leader and all, so he settled for coming around Russel at the last moment and talking one of Jacks guards, leaving one left to take out before he got to Jack. Dragel seen the knife after it was to late. As he tackled the guy, Dragel felt the knife plunge in between his ribs, puncturing a lung. The guy hit his head on the pavement going out like a light bulb. Dragel coughed up some blood and moaned, rolling over. He looked at Norton fighting and then back to Russel and seen him swing at Jacks personal bodyguard before everything went black....

[SpringTimeFox]

Sheltie watched as Dragel zoomed by her, running over the backs of the men who had fallen over. Following close behind, she dodged a waist-high punch from a mean-looking midget and jumped over a man's head. Still in the air, she felt a hand grasp her ankle. Yanked to a sudden stop, she crashed to the ground, hitting the right side of her face hard on the pavement. Bleeding from a cut over her temple and on her cheek, she flipped over, kicking frantically at the man who held a relentless grip on her leg. A man descended upon her from above, a nasty grin on his face. Flicking open a switchblade, he leaned in close.

"Thought you were good, did ya?" he asked with a smirk. "Not so much now, woman."

Sheltie pushed herself up with her elbows quick enough to bite down hard on the man's nose. Screaming, the man jerked back, blood pouring from his face. Sheltie spit out the iron-tasting blood and kicked at the man holding her again, making him let go with three broken fingers to nurse. Scrambling to her feet, she turned in time to see Dragel go down with a knife in his side. This was turning into a larger venture than she had first thought. Sprinting to the fallen man, she grabbed the thug standing over him by the hair, pulling him back and slamming her fist into his throat. Once the thug was down, she dropped to her knees at Dragel's side as his eyes fluttered closed to unconsciousness.

Looking up quickly, she saw Russel closing in on 'Jack' and she wrinkled her nose in thought. Dragel needed a doctor, now. She wished the fight to be over and done with, they needed to get Dragel to the hospital.

[Ghost_x1000]

Russel leaped over the last guard, and finally came to Jack. It was about time, because he was starting to get tired of all these thugs.
"So, Jack. Pleasant meeting you here. Say... since we're such 'good friends' and all, I don't suppose you'd be willing to let this slide and give us free passage?"
Jack threw off his coat. "No, Russel. I don't suppose I can. You see, for some reason, luck has handed the three of you to me. That woman back there killed several guys I was doing business with. The punk bleeding to death on the ground has lost me thousands of dollars through my parters in the casino business. And you... well, I believe we both know what you've done. No, this time I'm going to be the one who humiliates you. I'm going to be the one standing over you and your friends as you lay bleeding on the ground, begging for mercy. No, now it's time for you to feel pain." Then, without warning, he charged at Russel.
Russel had been ready for this. Jack may have been a gang boss, but he wasn't anywhere near Russel's athletic level. Luring him in, Russel sidestepped around him, dropping at the last second to spin around and deliver a rather nasty kick to the back of the knees. Jack crumpled, but then stood back up and smiled. He then reached inside of his shirt and pulled out a small, black object. Crap! It was one of those new tazers, the ones that can shock with tesla beams from a foot and a half away. That was going to complicate things.
Jack stood up. "Oh... what now? Not so tough now, are you? Face it... I've won. You and your little friends are going down!"
Russel slid back slowly. If he didn't think of something fast, they all were likely to die. Looking around, he took in his surroundings. Two buildings, one on each side. Each one had a fire escape... one with a rusty third story railway! Taking another step back, he lunged upwards towards the fire escape. Grabbing on with one hand, he lifted himself up. Below him, he heard Jack run over and start shouting. Something along the lines of 'you can run but you can't hide' and 'I'm going to kill your friends... slowly'. Russel ignored him. Reaching up, he started to climb. First floor... second floor... oh, here it was, third floor. Russel reached up to rip a piece off of the railing... and it turned to dust in his hands. So much for that idea. But then, he got another one.
Turning around to see below him, he smiled at Jack. "Hey Jack," he called, releasing his grip on the ladder. "Heads up!"
Spinning as to slow his fall, he looked down. About three feet from Jack, he reared back and threw the handful of rust into Jack's eyes. Stunned, as well as a little confused, Jack's hand slipped off of the power button to rub the rust out of his eyes. That was the opening Russel needed.
Landing a foot away from Jack, he leaped forward, grabbing at the hand that held the tazer. A great scuffle ensued, with quite a bit of violence. Then, completely by accident, Russel's hand hit the power button on the tazer... sending several thousand volts of electricity right through the crotch of Jack. Ouch!
As Russel picked himself up, Jack lay on the floor crying like a baby. Grabbing him by the collar, Russel hoisted him over his shoulder and started spinning. Faster and faster, faster and faster, until, with one quick jerk, he threw Jack face-first into the wall. The crunch of bones could be heard from all the way down the alley. If he ever woke up, Jack would certainly need to have his entire face reconstructed. Maybe his gang also, by the way the thugs were clambering to get away.
The fight was over. Russel, Dragel, and the girl... named Norton or something, he wasn't quite sure, had won.
He turned to see Dragel bleeding on the ground. Walking over, he picked him up and hoisted him over his shoulder. "Well, well, well. You know, for a pretty boy who can't fight worth a lick, you sure showed a lot of spunk out there. Come on, let's get you some medical care."
Turning to Sheltie, he looked her over. "So, Norton or whatever your name is. You want to come?" Then, looking over at the other guy laid out in the alley, he sighed. Walking over, he bent down and picked him up also. "Come on. Let's get these guys to a hospital."

[SpringTimeFox]

Sheltie looked up from Dragel as she heard the first sounds of a scuffle between Russel and Jack. She looked in time to see Russel kick the man in the knees. She had to resist the urge to cheer him on through the fight. Shouting things like "Kick him in the knees!" and "Punch him in the face!" came to mind, but she kept it to herself, watching the fight in the same numb stupor that the rest of the people in the alley were. She turned her attention back to Dragel, who's side was steadily pumping out blood. The knife still stuck out from his side, yet something told her to leave it be. She could cause more damage by pulling it out than by leaving it alone and letting proffessionals handle it.

She heard a shocking scream and lifted her head quickly, in time to see a shocked Jack clutch at his crotch and a slightly surprised Russel holding the stun gun. The battle was over in mere seconds, ending with Jack's face crushed against the wall and his thugs running for dear life. Russel made his way to Sheltie and Dragel and picked the bleeding man up, saying something about going to a hospital.

Sheltie smiled feebly, shaking her head. "Maybe I'll follow you. For right now, I want to be alone," she said quietly. It was unlike her to talk quietly. Unlike her to request being alone. It was unlike her to even say maybe. She sat back, off her knees and stared at the ground. The night had turned into hell. She realized it would be a good idea to leave with the two men. It would be a good idea to leave completely, get away from the alley. But her thoughts remained centered on the loss of her friend.

[Ghost_x1000]

Russel shrugged at Sheltie's reply. "Suit yourself. Let's see... the closest hospital is Herman Memorial, so that's where I'll be if you need to find me."
Russel turned to walk off. Looking around, the carnage seemed a hundred times worse in retrospect. Broken bodies lay scattered around. The ground had become a crimson red, stained with blood. Everyone still alive was crawling away, and the screams of pain were heard for blocks around. Russel ignored them. He had to get the two guys to the hospital.
Turning the corner, he saw yet another glimmer of hope. There, standing out in the open, was Jack's motorcycle. There was even a side-car attacked, filled with contraband. Putting down Dragel and the other guy, he pulled the boxes out. Then, he reached down and grabbed the guys, stuffing them into the side-car, he jumped on and reared the bike to life. Not looking back, he took off towards the hospital, desperately hoping to get them there in time.

[DragelX]

Dragel missed everything from the fight between Jack and Russel. He barely remembered the stuff from before he passed out. Dragel opened his eyes and immediatly clutched his side, and almost pasted out again. He felt the wind go through his hair and looked at Russel. He glanced around and winced,moving a little to fast and jarring the knife. "No....go to my house...its closer and safer...." Dragel leaned his head back and then looked back to Russel "I have....my own hospital wing..." Dragel faded out and then back in "The...password...is.... deerg dna rewop ( greed and power spelled backwards for those who are trying to figure it out).....Northeast entrance...." and with that said Dragel passed out again, hoping that Russel would make the right call and not screw him over.

[SpringTimeFox]

Sheltie watched Russel walk from the alley, dimly aware of the sirens singing out in the distance. She doubted they were for the howling men in the alley, but there were always those ne'r-do-wrongs that decided to interfere in business that was not their own. Pushing herself to her feet and clutching her side, she walked from the alleyway. Seeing Russel turning a corner, she made her way in that direction, intending to follow them to the hospital. She was sure there was more wrong with her than a broken rib, possibly three or four of them. She bled freely from the cuts on the right side of her face, blinding the vision in her right eye. The aches and pains were dull but surely she would be feeling it the next day.

Turning the corner, she lost sight of Russel. How the hell... she thought to herself. How can you just lose someone walking down a deserted street?

A cop car rounded the corner behind her and flashed its lights at her. Stopping, she turned around, raising her hand against the light so she could see. The cop pulled forward, rolling his window down. Thankfully, Sheltie's hand covered the blood on her face.

"Sorry to bother you ma'am, but did you see anyone suspicious go this way?" the cop asked, his voice all business.

"No, sorry sir. I just stepped out of my house for a moment, to take a brisk walk," she said, only slightly aware there were no houses on the block and the nearest apartment was two blocks away.

Looking at her skeptically, the cop nodded. "Better get back to your house," he said. "There's been some strange activity here, we dont know who did it. Would you like a ride?"

"Oh, no officer. My house is only a few blocks away," she said, pulling something from the pocket of her jeans. "And I have pepper spray." She smiled as the cop visibly relaxed.

Saying his goodbyes, the cop rolled his window up and turned the car around to go the other direction.

[Ghost_x1000]

Russel heard the sound of cops. Crap! If they saw what he and the others had done to the alley, they'd never hear the end of it. Turning around, he skidded the back alleys, making sure to stay well away from the main road as the cops pulled away. Then, sure that they had rushed away, he turned sharply, coming back out onto the main road... and almost ran into Sheltie.
"Hey, Norton, what you doing here? I thought you were going off to be alone. What's up? Couldn't..." But then Russel backed off. Something wasn't right. Taking another look, Russel was shocked. "Hey... you're bleeding. Oh, that's it!" Hopping off of the bike, he reached out and grabbed her. Not giving her a chance to talk, he dropped her into the side-car along with the others. "I don't care how much you want to be macho, you're hurt also. You're coming with us to the hospital!"
Revving the engine, he fired off towards the hospital. Bending down, he winced. He must have been hit several times during the fight. It wasn't noticable, but he knew that if he didn't get some medical care himself, he would be in serious trouble. All the more reason to get to the hospital quickly! Russel sped up.

[SpringTimeFox]

Sheltie protested to the side car, insisting she ride behind Russel. Her reasoning being "I'm not getting in a sidecar with two bleeding boys." Smiling, she batted her eyelashes slightly in mock-seduction. She looked into the side car, wincing to see the limp, lifeless body of Justin. She didn't want to remember what had happened. She stayed silent. Getting on the back of the bike, behind Russel, she had plenty of time to think about things she'd rather forget. Closing her eyes to the world, she tried to think only of the day before, at the beach with her one and only friend. The hospital loomed in the distance as she opened her eyes, bringing her to her senses. She was suddenly afraid, though for what reason she didn't know. She had never liked the hospital, but she was never particularly afraid of it.

"I dont think the hospital is a good idea," she muttered under her breath. The wind caught her words and sent them streaming behind her, lost on Russel's ears. Her hair whipped in the gusts, hitting her in the face and driving her insane. If there was one thing she absolutely despised, it was wind tousling her hair.

[Ghost_x1000]

His vision blurring, Russel sped towards the hospital. He was speeding up, faster than the speed limit. Russel didn't know that... but apparently the cops did. Sounding the siren, the cop car pulled him over. Russel didn't resist. He was just too weak. He had started out strong, but as time went on it felt like his life was flowing out of him. Looking down, he noticed that he had a long slash down his shirt. It was a thin cut, so it hadn't bled at first, but as he had moved around, it had started to tear. Suddenly, he realized that the officer was talking to him.
"... boy? Boy?" The officer turned and spoke into the radio on his shoulder. "Officer Spark here. We seem to have an injured boy here, riding what looks to be a stolen motorcyle. Requesting an ambulance. It seems that he's towing several injured people here. From his path, I'd say he was on the way to Herman Memorial Hospital. Repeating. This is Officer Spark..."
Everything started to fade to black. Russel felt sleepy. All he wanted to do was sleep... But he couldn't. Struggling out of the blackness, he looked up at the policeman. "Please... it was... Jack.... His gang... cornered... in alley.... It's his... bike.... Please... need... hospital." And then everything went black.