Survival Of The Fittest

Etain was still grumbling as he climbed gingerly to his feet. Where the hell did that idiot get off? Was now really the best time to start throwing punches? Especially for what had to be an incredibly stupid reason that Etain couldn't even begin to fathom. Maybe it would just be easier to settle on the theory that Ivan was a moron. Yeah, he liked that particular thought. Ivan was just stupid. It might not be so bad if some chick didn't have a gun on them. In different circumstances, maybe they could talk it out, whatever, maybe deal with it in some way that didn't involve him getting slugged.

Seeing how everyone's attention was wandering, it was understandable that the girl with the gun would want to remind everyone that she was still there and yes, she still had a gun. The bang was sudden and sharp enough that Etain jumped, his attention immediately shifting from his sore jaw to Clio and her pistol. It certainly was attention-grabbing, wasn't it? Even with his ears still ringing, he could make out her demands with almost perfect clarity. Her shouting probably helped. That wasn't really necessary, was it? After all, it wasn't like the gunshot didn't warrant their focus or anything.

So, he was getting robbed, then? Give her everything and maybe she wouldn't plug him? Oh, how nice of her. Right, because he'd never seen a movie before and he didn't know how that usually worked out for the person without the gun. It wasn't like he had anything in his bag that would stop a bullet or anything, so he could probably pass it along without too much sore feelings, and he'd still have the bag he took after Kris ran in that case.

Alternately, he could give her his bag then blow it up. Well, maybe not. Aside from the pretty important fact he wasn't too keen on killing this girl, that would leave him in the same place as before, sans bag. Maybe he could use it as a, what was it, a bargaining chip. Wait until she sees the C4, then show her the detonator, maybe grin and have her toss the gun over. Maybe once he had it, he could shoot Ivan in the foot and wander off with Tabi. And while he was in this idealized universe, in the very next clearing would be Kris with a helicopter home. Perfect ending to a real shitty day.

That was, of course, hinging on Ivan not making a run on the girl. Not that he was complaining, mind you, Ivan was a perfectly fine distraction. Etain could leg it and keep his bag, easy as that. Any temptation he might have had about helping him disappeared just as quickly as he remembered getting punched in jaw. After all, it wasn't like he was Clint Eastwood or Spider-Man, he was no freakin' hero. Ivan was on his own, God bless him and his poor decision making. So, even as Ivan tossed his umbrella at Clio like some makeshift spear, Etain was urging Tabi toward the treeline and safety. "Tha's as good ah chance we we're gonna get, Tabi!" Hoping to convey some of the urgency of the situation, he placed a gentle hand on Tabi's back and started to guide her away from Ivan and Clio in the event her shock was keep her from seeing what was happening right in front of her.

Tabi hadn't moved. Clio really didn't care how scared any of them were, she was GOING to get them to listen to her. She had a gun. She could, as far as they knew, kill them. So why the hell didn't they do what she said?

There was a moment, a quiet moment, where Clio could hear the waves again. It was so quiet, so tense, that she could only see their actions, little insignificant actions, while the waves crashed like bowling pins beside her. The big Russian guy, the skater girl with him, and the guy with the annoying voice, seemed to freeze in time.

And then it all went downhill from there.

Before Clio realised it, an umbrella was spiralling in the air towards her, given a good throw in her direction from Ivan. She wasn't sure why they were doing that instead of simply dropping it, but it gave Clio an excuse...untill it reached her, and she spent that little extra time removing it from her view. Her tiny manicured hands scraped at the plastic covering in an attempt to bat it away, since it was blocking her view of the scene. The moment she managed, the umbrella now sprawled across the sandy ground to the left of her, before she could attempt to aim her gun again, he was there.

The tennis player, who was now way to close for comfort, lunged at Clio with his right arm. Robbing her of the opportunity to even blink, the punch connected with her jaw, and almost lifted Clio off the ground. Senses working in full throttle, she felt her feet momentarily free of gravity, as the pain in her jaw started to register. She could have sworn she heard something snap, and then....gravity kicked in again.

Her eyes were in a blur, and Clio could taste something in her mouth....blood. In a panic, not noticing the drama unfolding in her vicinity, Clio spat on the ground, and the sand was dyed red. Her blood.

Argh! You...you...YOU MOTHERFUCKING-

She was bleeding, her saliva now tainted with the bitter taste of her own blood. Almost throwing up at the taste, she was panicking in a heap...and then she realised they were going to get away.

I DON'T THINK SO! NO ONE GETS AWAY FROM ME THAT EASILY!

Trying her best to ignore the bitterness and pain resounding in her jaw, Clio reaffirmed the grip on the gun with both hands, the pain a meaningless byproduct now, and fired in the general direction of her three new arch-enemies.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*click*

The pain atrocious, she almost screamed, the sound echoing through her vocal chords almost like a bird's screech, and she dove for her bag, lopesidedly jagged out of the sand like a torpedo, lost several moments ago when the punch lifted her. SHE WAS OUT, SHE WAS OUT, SHE WAS OUT.

"When I let go, run into the woods. I'll catch up."

Tabi wanted to ask what it was that he had meant, but she was given no answer. She watched as the umbrella shot out towards the girl with the gun and then she was pushed unceremoniously forward, causing her to nearly trip on the sand bellow her. She began to connect the dots with each step though...The man was helping her escape! He just wanted her to be safe before he acted.

She was about to make her move when she felt another hand on her and then a voice. Etain was helping her along! Yes, it was perfect, Etain, the mysterious man would escape with her, they would then be able to regroup and find out what was going on!

She nodded her head in agreement and took two steps forwards and made herself ready to run.

Her ears rang out as she heard four loud bangs, followed by a loud wooshing noise in between her and Etain.

Instinct had taken over for Tabitha Gweneth. She bolted away from Etain and made a break for the woods in front of her. She couldn't hear anything, except for the rhythmic pounding in her head.

Run into the woods, I'll catch up. Run into the woods, I'll catch up. Run into the woods, I'll catch up.

Her eyes scrunched into tiny slits, and her hands balled up into tiny fists. A renewed vigor from being shot at had caused all the tension built up in her legs to explode into a manic sprint. Her legs tripped on a large root causing her to fall flat on her face.

Tabi scrambled back up to her feet, and continued on. She felt pain in her lip; the taste of blood mixing in with the sweat, mud and mucus that had begun to well in her mouth, but she didn't care.

Run into the woods, I'll catch up. Run into the woods, I'll catch up. Run into the woods...

((Tabi Gweneth continued in Haven't You Got Eyes in Your Head?))

Take THAT, you filthy...

Ivan had only let loose a deap-lunged roar as he struck Clio down, eschewing a witty one-liner or an insult screamed in Russian for something a bit more primal. It had felt good; far better than hitting Etain, which was mostly out of irritation. Slugging Clio in the face was out of necessity, and the adrenaline he was now feeling was incredible.

Perfect for turning his ass to the wind and running like hell.

Almost before the girl had slammed down to the ground, Ivan pivoted, scooped up his umbrella with his now-tingling left hand, and dug his heels into the sand to take off. Getting out of there was his first priority, his complete necessity.

Come on, come on, come on...

"G... ghhh..." Ivan whimpered. Fear and the incredible rush of power had mixed into a deadly concoction in his veins. If the situation were anything other than life or death, Ivan's legs would have turned into mint jelly, his body would flop to the sand, and he'd have a fit right there on the loamy-sandy beach. But this WAS life or death. A kid from his own high school, one of his peers, had decided that he was better off dead, and other students were bound to think just the same way.

BANG.

She was shooting at him! Ivan had sufficiently pissed Clio off to where she was attempting to cash in on her threats... she meant it when she said that she'd kill him. Or maybe she was shooting Etain. Ivan had pushed by him even when he felt like the beach itself was against him, offering little traction and giving under his heels. It wanted him to be caught by Clio. It, too, wanted him dead. Perhaps Etain was already dead, Ivan had no idea. Tabi was still in front of him in the distance, however. She was still quite alive.

BANG.

"AUGH!"

Ivan felt the slice of heat and metal through the skin on his right arm. He wasn't sure just how deep he had been hit, but he had. His mother was not a hunter, nor his aunt, and he personally never knew nor cared if his father was (though he imagined that being a musician didn't leave a whole lot of time to murder Bambi), but this had enlightened him; he now knew what it was like to be a deer. To be a deer running from a hunter, armed with a gun, and he had been hit. Perhaps he'd escape, or perhaps he would bleed out and die. Only time would tell, but he was willing to take the route more likely to let him live, if for only a little while.

He kept running.

BANG.

"Augh... AUGH!" Ivan's short, frantic yells timed with a few of his footsteps. There was no sharp pain besides the one still lingering in his arm. No new friends to join in the carnage of wounds. He was still afraid, though. Clio had alread shot him, and she most likely would not have any particular qualms about shooting him again.

BANG.

Ivan had heard that one. Not just the eruption from the weapon, but the tell-tale whizzing of the small metal cap itself. This one had just barely missed him. He wasn't even sure how many shots it was at this point, just that he had to get out, had to get out, had to get out, to reach the trees, reach Tabi, reach the trees, get the fuck out of Stalingrad.

He had finally caught up to Tabi, and the pain spurred him to push on faster. Ivan felt no relief even when the ground under him firmed to dirt as opposed to the dry sand of the beach, only concerned with removing himself from the situation. Grabbing a hold of Tabi's left arm with his right, ignoring the pain and blood that must've been present at the time, he pulled her with him as his legs pushed on, working to keep them both alive.

He just wanted to be alone, but that wasn't going to happen any longer.

((Ivan Kuznetsov, continued in Haven't you got eyes in your head?))

Clio hit one of them. Clio hit the Russian guy, and she smiled as they ran. They would all run from her in the end, wouldn't they? The insane girl with the gun was not about to let the last one get away. Etain, the Irish boy or whatever his accent was, was going to die.

Or that's what she would say if she wasn't out of ammo.

Clio was fleetingly worried about what Etain was actually holding, if he was holding onto it so hard that he didn't want to give it up. Grabbing her bag and holding it to her bosom with her left hand, her right still throbbing from the pain of shooting and still holding her James Bond gun at the figure still blurring in her vision. She started to backtrack. She needed to escape. She was out of ammo, and that wasn't very good at all. No point in trying to kill if she was out of ammo.

So she ran.

Away from there.

She knew she would see them again soon enough. And then....it would be on her conditions.

((Clio Gabriella = Where is My Mind?))

He needed to run, needed to get the hell out of Dodge. Tabi was ahead of him, already disappearing into the tree line. He didn't see Ivan, so he'd assume he was dead. Well, maybe not assume, but hope. Really, screw that guy. Sure, he was sort of saving his life, or at least he belongings, but still. Seriously, screw that guy. Of course, Etain could brood once he was safely away from the crazy chick with a gun. Priorities, ya know? As long as she didn't get lucky and tag him in the back before he made it to the trees, he would probably be okay. Unless she came after them. Then that would not be okay.

Etain made a dive for the cover of the trees. Gunfire exploded behind him, more then just a single shot to grab attention this time. No, Clio wasn't going to satisfied with robbing them this time, she was out for blood. Ivan's blood, hopefully. Better that idiot then him. Temporarily safe in the shadows of the overhead canopy, Etain crawled forward toward where he thought he left the second bag. Grabbing and clutching at roots and leaves, everything covering the ground, all while praying Clio hadn't seen where he disappeared. Hopefully her attention would be on Ivan.

The brief shout he heard supported that idea. More shots after the cry. She must not have gotten that lucky shot. Well, best of luck to you, ya crazy bastard. After the shots died out, Etain slowed to a stop. In the sudden silence, he frantic gasps for air seemed deafening. He forced his breath to even as he strained to hear anything suggesting Clio was coming after him. Maybe the sound of footsteps coming after him, leaves and twigs being broken underfoot. Maybe the sound of her checking the clip of the gun to see how much ammo she had left. Anything to clue him in that he was about to be shoot while crawling through the forest.

But...nothing. After a while, he heard foot steps, but they weren't coming towards him he didn't think. It was hard to tell. To be safe, he kept still, waiting and listening. Maybe Clio thought he'd gotten away too. That would suit him just fine. After what seemed like an eternity, he climbed to hit feet, slowly with his ear cocked for the slightest sound suggesting he wasn't alone. Still, nothing. Just distant waves crashing against the beach, birds resettling after the sudden gunfire. It was only then that he allowed himself to relax, if only a little. The Irishman crept forward, cautious still, fixing his hat while he made his way to the second bag.

It was only when he reached it did a sudden realization hit him. Which way did Tabi go? After making sure she was moving, he'd focused more on getting away himself. For a second, he felt panic. He was alone again, after he was so close to finding his two best friends. Was this going to keep happening? Coming so close only to have the rug pulled out from under him at the last second? It was garbage, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. No, he had to try to find Tabi, or keep looking for Kris. Some direction, at least. Grabbing Kris's bag, he set off though the trees.

((Etain Brennan continued in Sometimes Sanctuary isn't that Far Away))

((THE END))