(OOC: Blatant GMing done with permission. Feel free to tell me if theres anything I should change...)
......1! Now's the time to...
BANG!
As usual, it seemed for Maxwell that even the most simple plans were prone to unforeseen complications. Whilst he'd been spending the whole time worrying about the paki carrying a shotgun, the stranger who he'd spotted hiding in the woods earlier had completely slipped his mind. It wasn't until a bullet embedded itself in the tree Maxwell was leaning against that he was alerted to Daniel's presence, the tall student standing several metres away behind the cover of an old oak tree with his gun aimed at him.
Jesus Christ, he's armed!?! Son of a...
Before Daniel could fire at him a second time, Maxwell quickly dashed from his spot and fired off two rounds from his pistol and another seven from his TEC-9 in Daniel's general direction. All of which missed, naturally, seeing as the recoil of firing both guns simultaneously meant that his already shaky aim sent every bullet wildly off-track. Not that Daniel's counter-attack fared any better, with all four of the shots he fired at Maxwell missing him and embedding themselves in the various trees that were scattered about. Rather then firing back, Maxwell continued on running through the woods, making sure that he didn't stay still long enough for him to be an easy target. Another bullet whizzed through the trees nevertheless, barely missing Maxwell's shoulder by a few inches.
Before long, the dark forest became the scene of an extended chase between the two. With Maxwell ducking a weaving through the woods as Daniel followed along in pursuit. He turned around and fired off another eight rounds from his TEC-9 to keep Daniel off-guard, but as before it failed to slow down the black-haired student who fired another two shots in his direction in retaliation.
Eventually, it looked as though he had finally managed to outrun his assailant, giving Maxwell the opportunity to sheath his pistol once more as he rested his back against a nearby tree. Being centimetres away from death was something of a reality check for him at that point... He nearly died right then because he started getting excited and careless. This wasn't some lame videogame where people get extra lives, or a paintball match where all you have to do is sit on the sidelines until the next round began. Here, if you get shot then tough shit. You'll be lucky if you survive long enough to have any last words, let alone get off the island alive and well...
For god's sake, get a hold of yourself! Having fun is one thing, getting your head blown off through sheer idiocy is another!
It wasn't long until he heard the footsteps of Daniel making his way through the woods, his weapon poised and ready to fire. He had not idea whether or not the paki had decided to follow them or not, but from the sound of things Blackie had come along on his own. A bead of sweat rolled down Maxwell's brow, his heart pumping as he mentally prepared himself for the inevitable struggle that was about to unfold. There was no way he could let this bastard go after all he'd been through... Only one of them would make it out of this forest alive, and Maxwell would be damned if that turned out to be him.
From the looks of things, he hadn't been spotted yet. Good, that gave him to chance to take off that damn bag which slowed him down. He slowly but surely took it off his shoulders, placing it gently on the ground alongside his TEC-9. He'd wasted too much precious ammunition on this prick already when all it would take to finish this would be a single well-aimed gunshot. He retrieved his Glock from his inside pocket once more, holding it up as he waited for the perfect opportunity to fire.
I'll wait until this cock is barely a metre or two away... Then it'll all too easy to take a single shot to end this little ridiculous game of car and mouse.
Daniel was now standing right on the other side of the tree Maxwell hid behind, still clueless as to just how near his quarry was. Maxwell waited a moment more, a smile creeping onto his face as Daniel moved slowly past his hiding spot, before showing himself and aiming his gun at the side of Daniel's head.
"I'd like to see you try to dodge thi......"
Before he could either finish the one-liner or pull the trigger, Daniel reacted with astonishing speed and managed to twist around and pin Maxwell's arm against the tree with his left hand, bringing up his own pistol in his right and pulling the trigger. However, after being very briefly taken aback by the speed in which Daniel reacted, Maxwell's left hand quickly shot out and pushed Daniel's arm out of the way just as he pulled the trigger. They stood there for a moment, both surprised by the other's reactions before Maxwell finally headbutted Daniel out of the grapple. Both of the student's guns fell to the floor as Daniel stumbled back, only to grab his footing as moved forward and attempted to kick Daniel in the side of his chest. Before his kick could reach its target however, Daniel quickly grabbed a hold of Maxwell's leg and spinned him onto his back. He then attempted to stomp on Maxwell's chest, but luckily for the British student he managed to roll out of the way in time and get back onto his feet.
The two observed each other for a moment, each posed to attack once again in their own relative martial arts stances. This man, as it now seemed, was going to be a lot harder to kill then the other victims who'd failed to stop him. He actually knew how to fight for one... These were not amateurish moves. He wasn't sure what style this guy was using... Judo, maybe? Either way, the fact of the matter was that he was standing in Maxwell's way. If its a fight this guy wants, then its a fight this guy gets...
"Well, okay, that didn't go down too well... Seems this is going to be a lot more interesting then I first anticipated." He said with a cocky grin, prompting Daniel to move forward and attempt his own kick which Maxwell easily dodged. They exchanged blows for a minute or so, dodging and blocking each other's strikes are they both attempted to breach the other's defense. On one occasions, Daniel attempted to capture Maxwell in a choker hold only to be pushed back and kicked in the chest for all his trouble.
The two circled each other for a moment, waiting for the other to strike first. They were both more tired and weary by this point, but nevertheless neither of them dropped their guard or showed a single sign of wariness. If anything, Maxwell felt more energized then ever, the adrenaline from before returning as he gave Daniel another confident half-smile. Eventually, Daniel broke the silence as he returned Maxwell's half-smile with a flurry of vicious blows. Most of which managed to break though his defense, ending with one final punch in the face which sent Maxwell stumbling into a nearby tree with a loud thud.
The British student coughed hard several times, spitting out his own blood as he recovered from the attack. He wiped most of it from his face onto his sleeve, only to be repulsed when he realised that he'd just stained his favourite suit in the process.
BASTARD! How DARE he cause me to bleed like this! What're the chances that I had to run into fucking Neo of all people...
He stood up slowly, glaring at Daniel with intense hatred and contempt. He, just like Nick Reid, had actually caused Maxwell bodily harm. Unlike Nick on the other hand, Maxwell had absolutely no intention of letting him go with a warning. The same feeling of disgust he felt towards Augustus shortly before his imminent demise was beginning to return, fire burning in his eyes as he anticipated Daniel's inevitable attack.
Sure enough, Daniel moved forwards and attempted to strike again, only for Maxwell to move out of the way just in time. There was a sickening
crack as Daniel's fist made contact with the hard bark of the tree Maxwell had fallen against. Not wasting any time, Maxwell then quckly unleashed his own flurry of relentless strikes on Daniel before he could recover from the pain in his right hand. First, he viciously punched him the stomach before uppercutting his chin. Then he unleashed a series of blows on Daniel's defenseless face and chest, pushing him back away from the tree. Then, to finish Daniel off, he ended his merciless assault with a brutal roundhouse kick to the face, knocking him off his feet onto the floor.
OUCH! Damnit, I think I pulled something... Not trying that again in a hurry.
Seeing Daniel sprawled across the floor helplessly was a satisfying sight, to say the least. His rage from before temporally subsided as he took the moment to enjoy the feeling of superiority he had over this cretin who had caused him harm, prompting him to kick him mercilessly in the chest to keep him down.
"You know, I have to say. Ruining my best suit aside, that was actually rather fun. Its been a while since I've had the opportunity to spar with someone of more-or-less equal skill..." he said smugly, giving Daniel another kick to keep him down. "That being said, in the end you proved to be no better then any of the other sad sacks of tedium that seem to make up this island. Being skilled is one thing. Being clever enough to survive is something completely different..."
He stamped his foot down on Daniel's back, pinning him onto the floor as Maxwell leaned closer to whisper in his ear.
"To tell you the truth, I'm actually quite disappointed it had to end this way. With those skills and that gun, you could have made yourself quite a force in this game. You may have even been able to remove some of the more dangerous members of the competion and save me the trouble of doing so myself! But instead of taking advantage of the opportunity lent to you on a silver platter, you had to go ahead and try to play the hero in a game where everybody in the end is out for themselves. And now, thanks to your ineptness, you're about to die alone and unloved in the middle of some godawful forest. Now THAT'S what I call a heroic death, if you ask me...
He stood up, lifting his foot from the helpless student before him. "Anyway, enough faffing about... Now where is that gun you so rudely knocked out of my grasp?"
He moved away from Daniel, his eyes searching amongst the undergrowth for his firearm. Sure enough, there it was, lying a foot or so away from the tree he had originally hid behind.
"Ah, there it is..." he said as he bent over, reaching his hand out for the instrument of death that had served him so well in the past...
It was at then that Daniel shot up and pounced onto Maxwell's back, knocking them both to the floor.
WHAT IN THE...!?!
The two struggled as Daniel grabbed Maxwell from underneath his chin with one hand, whilst his other grabbed the top of his head. The British student wasn't exactly sure what Daniel was trying to do at first, but as he began to feel pressure on his neck it became all to clear what the black haired bastard was attempting.
NO! Nononononooo! I'm not going to let it end like this! Now way in hell I'm going to allow this BASTARD to break my neck like in some kind of cheap action movie!
His eyes darted about, looking for some way to get the taller student off of him before it was too late. Eventually, they laid upon the gun he was reaching for barely moments ago. He reached his arm out as far as he could reach, the gun barely inches away from his fingers...
Almost there......
It all seemed hopeless. Here he was, barely seconds away from having his neck broken by some Neanderthal, with his only salvation just out of reach...
...Only, it wasn't quite out of reach. His middle finger just about reaching it, allowing him to drag it slightly closer for him to grab a hold.
YES!!!
Barely a second later, he pointed the gun over his shoulder and pulled the trigger.
The bullet pierced his assailant's shoulder, causing him to loosen his grip and allow Maxwell to throw him off. He'd originally intended on the bullet hitting Daniel in the head, killing him instantly. Not that it mattered... The rage that had subsided earlier was back in full force, prompting Maxwell to his feet as he aimed the gun's sights at the injured boy in front of him.
"THATS IT! No more fun and games... I'm going to end this now you fucking
SHIT!"
He pulled the trigger, expecting a loud bang followed by a spray of blood as it hit Daniel in the neck... But instead, he was met with a telltale click.
"...Empty? EMPTY?!?" he growled, before throwing the gun away. Never in his life had he ever been as furious as he was at that very moment, enraged that his every attempt to kill this guy failed over and over again. He was far beyond what he was like when Augustus nearly shot back by the beach. Back then he was in a murderous fit of rage... This time however, he felt like doing more then just choking the life out of this bastard. This time, he felt like tearing the miserable cunt limb from limb. Of course, seeing as that wasn't humanely possible, he had to settle with something a little less drastic...
So instead, Maxwell Lombardi lunged on top of Daniel and jammed both his thumbs into the helpless boy's eye sockets.
"DIE! WHY DON'T YOU JUST FUCKING DIE!!!"
They struggled at first, naturally. Daniel desperate to get away as Maxwell applied pressure on his head. But despite his best efforts, Maxwell refused to let go of him. He wasn't going to move one inch, not until he knew for sure that this time Daniel wasn't going to get back up. A vicious, sadistic smile crossed his features as Daniel slowly but surely began to stop moving. It took a while, but eventually the boy stopped struggling and lay still. It was over...
......Finally!
He took a moment to catch his breath, wiping his bloodied hands on Daniel's clothes before moving off. Gouging another man's eyes out wasn't something you quickly got over. And after realising what he'd just done, Maxwell couldn't help but feel a little shocked that he was capable of doing such a thing. Not that he felt the slightest hint of remorse for Daniel or anything, its just that he found the feeling of satisfaction he felt as he ended another man's life with his own bare hands to be somewhat... Disturbing.
Not that I'm a psychopath or anything... God no! I think I'd of been the first to notice if that was the case. I'm just being pragmatic, thats all. How else was I supposed to finish him off? I mean, sure it was a hell of a lot of fun watching him squirm as I...... You know what, I really shouldn't be standing around here. God knows how far paki boy could be right now...
And so, on that note, Maxwell went about quickly retrieving his stuff, including Daniel's handgun and duffle bag, before cracking his neck and retreating from the premesis.
I'll just head off until I'm 100% sure I'm in the clear, take what useful stuff I can get from this guy's bag before dumping it, reload and call it a day. Sounds like a plan to me......
((Maxwell Lombardi continued in
Lean on Me))