FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 17

"Checkmate"

(Outlast Official Soundtrack _ 04 Wheel Chair Dude)

ACT 1

Robert Evergreen was panicking, trying to figure out how to proceed with an obstacle that he had not come to expect.

He was standing in front of the door that Charlie Winchester had been carried in to be held under guard, but the problem wasn't a small one.

The door was broken, and the control panel had been smashed in. There was no getting inside the place, not without proper equipment at least. He didn't have any tools with him that could help him in this situation. And he felt like he was running out of time. Lives were at stake and it would be the only inevitable end for Calvin to arrive to this hallway. Mel was not going to come around anytime soon.

The raccoon was banging the door desperately, trying to tinker the control panel and sweating anxiously, muttering nervously.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, who the fuck broke this thing?... Open up."

The raccoon gave paranoid look at both ways of the hallway, listening in case someone was to open up any doors nearby. Goddamnit. This was no use. There was no backup and if he would now leave anywhere to get some tools, he would risk a lot.

Charlie was innocent, Randal was dead, and now a lot of things depended on him. It was crazy to be in a situation like this, after ten years of never having to use violence or even bother with the thought of something bad happening. Taking the guards job had been an honor, but it was clear that the role wasn't as needed as one could think. Not at least so far.

Shit, OPEN UP!

Maybe if I try to shoot the lock... By the looks of it, it can't get any worse than what it is now. But if I shoot It and nothing happens... I cause noise that makes it clear to anyone nearby that I am here.

Fuck it. There is no time. I got no choice!

The raccoon stood back, closing his eyes and aiming at the control panel, saying a small prayer to himself, begging for this dumb idea to work.

He squeezed the trigger, the loud echo blasting around the hallways.

BLAM!

The door panel took the impact, spitting metal pieces and wire parts around the floor, the raccoon slowly opening his eyes.

The panel sparked, having some small ember on it, and the lights between red and green blinked rapidly for two seconds. The panel made weird sounds, and just when the raccoon thought he had truly fucked up now, the loud click rang.

The steel in front of him opened up, dark room presenting itself. The raccoon exhaled with wide eyes, mentally questioning if that had just happened.

He gave another look around the hallways, knowing that if someone-

"EVERGREEN!"

The raccoon felt his heart jump, turning to aim his gun at his right side.

The worst possible sight presented itself.

His heart began racing, as he felt his teeth grit together and his finger trembling on the trigger.

Calvin Marston was standing at the end of the hallway, merely only fifteen feet away from where the raccoon was.

He had three guards with him.

The familiar large tiger, the mouse, and the white-furred wolf were all standing beside him, having their guns up and aimed at Rob.

They looked uncertain, and very much unsure of what they were doing at the moment would be what was for the best... But Calvin showed how he felt without any doubt.

He looked rather messed up as he had been through a horrible day. His eyes shined with anger, and his stance was threatening.

Four guns against one.

Rob felt his heart race out of control, wondering what this would be most likely the day he would die. And at this moment, all he could think was his wife and his son, and how they would break without him to protect them. I should have never taken the guard job. This was not how I imagined my life-ending.

The weasel inhaled deeply and stressed, no one saying a word.

Everyone had their finger aching on the trigger, and almost all of them waited for Calvin to say something, as he clearly looked like he had something to release out in the air.

"Evergreen... Is this really the choice you want to make?" Calvin asked, sounding more than disappointed and betrayed. But yet not that surprised.

The raccoon didn't answer, sweating and staring back at the weasel with defying expression.

As there was no answer to be heard, the weasel stepped one-foot closer, speaking again.

"Put down your gun."

The raccoon gave a slight head nod to the side, clearly wondering if the weasel was seriously expecting him to be that stupid.

"... That is not a good option for me." Rob stated loudly, his head fighting with ideas on what to do. Because someone was going to shoot soon.

"Neither is betraying me. I am your overseer, Rob. I gave you your job." The weasel stated bluntly, wondering if the raccoon could still be talked some sense into.

"... Ten years. I thought I knew you. I never liked you, and you never really liked me. But I always respected you. I took your orders. And never once hesitated. Why did you do all of this, Calvin? You protected your brother in law after finding out what he had done and tried to frame Winchester for it. Because you have always hated and envied him. YOU KNOW WHAT RANDAL DID, CALVIN. You knew! Kin or not, how could you protect him?!-"

"HE WAS THE LAST ONE I HAD LEFT IN THIS FUCKING VAULT FULL OF PEOPLE WHO HATE AND JUDGE ME! I ONLY HAD HIM! HIM ONLY!" The weasel yelled, the thought coming out with nothing but the honest intention, emotions taking better of him as the image of dead Randal flashed in his mind.

The weasel took one more step forward, yelling.

"HE WAS ALL I HAD?! DON'T YOU FUCKING GET IT?!"

The raccoon didn't truly know how to respond, having never heard Calvin speak this way or this emotionally, but he felt the tension growing and the weasel's patience running to an end.

Even the guards behind Calvin looked at the weasel with rather surprised gazes, feeling bad for him. And it was a rare thing to feel towards this person.

"DROP THE FUCKING GUN! I WON'T ASK AGAIN!" The weasel yelled commandingly.

"... I'm sorry about Randal. But he is not the only one you have. You had Niles. You still do." The raccoon said, trying to calm the weasel down, but it only made Calvin angrier.

"I. Am tired. Of people saying that!!! He is not mine! He is a worthless piece of shit, who never loved his father and killed my sister! He is the only reason, that I ended up being hated by everyone! He should be grateful that I didn't shoot him myself already!" The weasel raged, spit flying from his mouth.

Rob yelled back, feeling angry for even hearing such a venomous word.

"YOU THINK THAT YOUR SISTER WOULD WANT YOU TO REVENGE HER BY KILLING AN INNOCENT CHILD OF HERS?!-"

The weasel looked like he was about to snap even further, the raccoon realizing this was the wrong choice to approach, but the damage was already done.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TALK ABOUT HER!!!-"

The raccoon now pleaded for the weasel to calm down, the fear getting the better of him.

"CALVIN, NO ONE HAS TO DIE TODAY! WE CAN STILL TALK AND SETTLE THIS! -"

The weasel had had enough of talking.

"YOU UNLOYAL BETRAYING PIECE OF SHIT! -"

"CALVIN DON'T DO IT-"

The weasel snapped, his emotions taking control and making him act.

He began shooting at Rob, Charlie's gun echoing and Rob answering the fire within half a second as he realized Calvin was done with words.

BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM

"FUUUUCK!" The raccoon screamed in panic, staring to blast his handgun, sending four bullets flying and the raccoon sending three as counterfire desperately as he was starting to make his escape into the room at his side.

One of Calvin's bullets hit the ceiling, another hitting the floor and ricocheting right into the raccoon's foot, the third one hitting the edge of the door and the fourth scraping the raccoon's neck, only inch away from artery.

The three bullets from the raccoon all missed Calvin due to panicked stumbling inside the nearby cover but were not in vain. The first one went right past Sax's cheek, one hitting Richard in his shoulder, and the third one piercing Tony's trigger finger, cutting it right off.

The screams of terror began as the situation was now a firefight, the voices of agony echoing in the hallways.

"GET HIM!" Calvin ordered in rage, starting to signal his guards to move in first and cover him so he could approach behind them.

Only Sax was moving, the large tiger cursing that the situation had to come to this extreme, now blasting his gun at the doorway.

The bullets kept the raccoon scared enough to not answer the fire, and the shock from his injuries had made him fall down on the floor, making him scream.

The leg was burning, and the bullet was still inside his flesh. That handgun of Charlie's had more kick than their vault guns, and Calvin had been lucky by shooting first.

It was the neck that was taking most of Rob's attention, as he had to use his other paw to cover the bleeding wound, the pain making him cry and curse in panic, knowing that it was impossible to win this fight. He had no idea if he had even hit anyone with his bullets, but judging by the screams on the hallway, it was likely that he had hit at least someone.

Tony was on his knees, holding his paw in shock and his gun falling on the floor as he had no finger anymore on his right paw.

Richard was furious, the shoulder bleeding badly as he was now firing with Sax as well, both approaching the doorway Rob had jumped in.

The bullets kept hitting the doorway, the loud echoes of metal making Rob yell in fear as he was trying to crawl backwards on the floor with his only free paw, which was holding the gun as well, scraping all over the metal floor.

"YOU ARE DONE, ROBERT! PUT THE GUN DOWN WHILE YOU STILL CAN!" Calvin yelled with his back against the wall, Sax and Richard already two feet away from the door.

"FUCK YOU, PSYCHO!" Rob yelled back in terror, keeping on crawling and looking at the metal table right next to him as he was crawling past it.

He had to act quickly.

The raccoon started to shoot back now towards the doorway in order to buy time for himself.

BLAM!

BLAM!

Two bullets hit the wall, making the tiger wince and hold off his fire and hesitating to peek into the room.

Tony was still screaming, crawling back on his feet desperately and his blood squirting paw shaking.

"TONY, WE NEED YOU HERE!" Richard yelled in frustration, him and Sax both wincing as Rob shot another bullet at the hallway wall.

"HE TOOK OF MY FINGER, I CAN'T SHOOT!" Tony screamed like he was done fighting.

That made Calvin snap, turning to look at the wolf.

"USE YOUR OTHER PAW AND DO AS YOU ARE TOLD OR YOU DIE!" Calvin ordered, now aiming his gun warningly at the white-furred wolf, making him fall in line while he was still crying in pain, changing the gun into his other, still intact paw.

"I'm bleeding bad, man-!" Tony stuttered, Calvin, stopping his aiming at the wolf and Richard yelling at the wolf.

"Then pay it back to him!"

The echo of metal collapsing on the floor was heard, as the raccoon now had made himself small cover to be behind.

He was on his knees, sweating and shaking, one paw holding his bleeding neck and one aiming the gun at the doorway, using the edge of the table to support his stability.

For a moment again, no one was shooting.

The only sound left was painful whimpering of Tony's and hyperventilating voices of the raccoon inside the dark room.

As Sax steeled himself to peek from the edge of the doorway carefully, the raccoon shot again, missing the tiger's nose just barely before he could pull his face away in time, wincing again.

BLAM!

Calvin was getting restless, turning to look at the crying wolf and suddenly grabbing him by the collar and growling at him.

"Get in there and shoot him. Prove your worth to me." Calvin ordered.

"Calvin, I-I can't man, d-don't do this-!"

"DO. IT." The weasel ordered, now pressing his gun right at the wolf's forehead.

The wolf was shoved by his collar towards Sax, the tiger grabbing him from there and looking at him.

"Show that finger."

"S-shit, I- I need Amir..." The wolf cried, knowing he had made a mistake by following Calvin now.

The tiger took a look at the paw, the wound bleeding all over his uniform now as well.

"Goddamnit, man..."

As the tiger was observing the wound and giving Calvin the look that Tony would go most likely into shock soon, the weasel gritting his teeth in annoyance, yelling loudly.

"ROB! You have one last chance to throw your gun into the hallway and come out with your hands up. Or you die! Your choice!"

"You made your choice to kill me the moment you started shooting, so come and get me then if you want me!" The raccoon yelled defyingly, having come to unfortunate terms with the fact that he was going to die either way.

"As you wish, traitor!" Calvin yelled angrily, looking at Tony. The wolf was just crying, barely able to hold his gun in his trembling paw. The weasel had the thought already in the head, as unfortunate as it was going to be for the wolf.

"Marston, what do we do?! He has the upper hand; we can't see shit in that room without a light. He isn't coming out." Richard pressured, cursing at his shoulder wound, Calvin giving the look at Sax and contemplating if it was necessary to do what he intended now.

Sax looked back at Calvin, wondering what the gaze meant. The weasel spoke with a quiet tone, giving a nod.

"Only way."

"... You will keep your promise about the wife and everything else?" Sax asked, feeling bad that he considered it, but he had come already this far on Calvin's side to have any second thoughts.

"... Yes."

Richard had a hunch of what was going to happen, giving Calvin the warning look on not to do it.

But before he could say it out loud, Sax acted, trying to put his remorse on the side for his friend.

"Tony. I'm sorry."

"W-what are you s-sorry for, m-man? -"

"We go to that room now. Shoot him. Don't hesitate."

"W-what? I- I said I can't-"

Before the wolf could say anything anymore, Sax acted.

He grabbed the wolf by the back of his neck with a strong grip, pushing him forward and the wolf's eyes widening in jumpscare as he had not prepared quickly enough.

The tiger followed right after the wolf, using his frame as a shield as he entered the room, and the raccoon started blasting.

"NONODON'TSAX-!" Tony managed to yell in fear, before he had to raise his arm, shooting blindly into the dark, along with Sax.

The raccoon started blasting, having waited cautiously for them to barge In, but not so suddenly.

BLAM BLAM

BLAM!

BLAM BLAM!

The guns echoed and flashed inside the dark room, spraying at each other like a storm.

Tony had managed to shoot only two bullets, and both of them missing the raccoon, as one of them hit the table he was covering behind, and one going over his left ear.

Tony had not been so fortunate, as Calvin and the two other guards had already known to happen as a sacrifice.

Three bullets all hit Tony right in his chest, one in his shoulder.

The wolf died instantly to his injuries, as one of the bullets had pierced his heart due to accurate shot the raccoon had managed to make due to stable support for his gun.

But this had given the tiger all he needed, he tossed Tony's lifeless body tight at the table, making it collapse and the raccoon to fall down on his back, slamming against the ground.

The gun from the raccoon flew into the corner, and before he could say anything at all, the strong tiger kicked him right in the ribs as hard as he could.

The raccoon was struck out from all of his air, wheezing and getting another kick right in his face, his nose breaking and his eyes rolling back from the impact as it almost made him blackout.

"Should have picked the winning side, Rob." The tiger exhaled with the somewhat apologizing tone, but lifted the half-conscious raccoon up on his feet, only to strike him in the face after with his fist.

The punch hit him right in the eye, and the other one right in his cheek, making him fall down on the floor completely limp.

"... It's over, Calvin." The tiger huffed, seeing as the raccoon was just twitching in shock on the floor, spitting out blood and gasping for air like his life depended on it.

The weasel walked in without hesitation, Richard following right after and laying his gun down slowly. His eyes drifted at Tony' seeing him on the floor, gathering a pool of blood and not moving.

"Is he..." The mouse began, going on his knees and checking the pulse.

"Had to be done," Calvin stated, as the silence from the tiger already told what had happened.

"God fucking damn it, Calvin. Jesus fucking Christ man..." The mouse said angrily.

"You got something to say, Richard?" The weasel asked annoyedly, not needing any more judgment from anyone today.

"So... We just expandable now, huh?" The mouse asked, wondering if he should worry about becoming another meat shield due to being injured as well.

"Tony was the weak link. You are not. We couldn't afford to sit on that hallway for hours and waiting for Rob to bleed out." Calvin said bluntly, trying to justify his decision, as he did feel ashamed for it. But his rage over Randal's death blinded him from being cautious.

"The man was loyal to you all his life, he deserved better," Richard stated, rising up after having closed Tony's eyes that had been still open.

"He knew the risks, and he filled his purpose. No one is going to die anymore." Calvin stated but wasn't clearly sure if that was the case.

"So now what?" The tiger asked.

"We get into that room and kill Winchester."

"If you say so... But I meant about him, Calvin." The tiger corrected, nodding at the way of the raccoon, who was twitching on the floor, giving out painful groans.

"He made his choice. Shoot him in the head and end his suffering." Calvin said without remorse for the raccoon.

Richard then laid his paw on top of Sax's gun, giving him the look to stop aiming it and speaking at Calvin.

"... Calvin, you don't need to do that. He is not a threat anymore, and if Amir patches him up, he can still live and-"

"He made his choice. He chose to side with Winchester. I am not giving him a chance to live-"

"Calvin... He has a wife and son. You can fire him from the job and shun him for the rest of your life, but his kid needs a father. I know that you are here to revenge Randal and I understand that. I know what he did and you covered it up. It would be stupid to believe your side of the story at this point." Richard stated honestly.

The weasel was now getting restless with his gun hand, giving a threatening look at the mouse.

"... You should be careful about your opinions out loud, Richard. Do not make me-"

"I ain't betraying you, Calvin. I told you already that I get it. But you want Charlie dead, not Rob. Let him live for the sake of his family. That is all I ask. At least spare him, and I will see this thing through with you." The mouse promised, not clearly wanting one of his guard friends to die over this whole mess.

The weasel turned to look at Sax, wanting to hear his take.

"It's your call, Marston. But I get what Richard is saying." Sax stated calmly.

"He killed Tony," Calvin said.

"WE... Killed Tony." Richard said right back.

"..." The weasel was quiet now, giving a disappointed look at the raccoon on the floor, who was staring at him with his only open eye, but it was full of anger.

"Look, there is a fifty percent chance that he bleeds out on this floor and dies anyway, but if we get this shit done quick, Amir can maybe save him in time. Winchester is the one we need to take care of." Sax stated, sighing and laying his gun down.

"Listen to us, Calvin. You know it's a decent thing to do. Fair." The mouse said.

The weasel shook his head, turning his eyes away from the raccoon on the floor and spitting the words out as he turned towards the closed door in front of them, which would lead to where Charlie was held.

"Fine. Let's get moving."

Sax nodded, speaking quietly to the raccoon as he walked over him.

"Sorry for the beating. No hard feelings."

"If you survive, you owe me." The mouse said on the side before going after Sax and Calvin, looking at the raccoon right back and wondering if he realized what he had even said to him. The raccoon was just looking like a mess and holding his bleeding neck with his body trembling from the injuries.

"You might want to use Tony's shirt as a bandage around your neck. Just an advice." Richard said, before kneeling down and taking his dead wolf's friends' gun from the floor, tucking it behind his pants and giving salute of excuse for the raccoon on his way out.

"The longer you wait, the worse the bleeding gets. Do what I said."

The raccoon saw as the door closed, Calvin, Sax, and Richard had left the room and making their way down the stairs towards Winchester.

The raccoon started gasping, feeling his vision blurring from his one healthy eye and spitting blood onto the floor, his mind burning.

Richard's suggestion made the most sense... But instead of taking it...

His eyes locked onto his gun that had been tossed into the dark corner of the room the moment Sax had attacked him. They had forgotten about that one.

And the raccoon gave a curse, his claws scratching the steel floor, as he was starting to crawl his way towards it. All he could hope was that Mel was on his way here.

ACT 2

2250

...

Ethan Winchester stood his ground, realizing that this was most likely going to be the end of him. He made peace with that. There was no peaceful end to this moment, only measure of a man. He was outnumbered, primally weaponized, and he had no idea what Quan could do, or would he manage to find his blade into his heart before dying.

It was hard to tell. Quan's stance was strong, and he looked sharp. Focused, as much as he could with one eye. He carried himself with pride. A black metal covering his legs like armor, some sort of black-toned stealth army gear, along with the black hood, making an intimidating appearance. The sigil on the black armor covering his chest was a mark he would recognize even after all these years.

The Febris.

Not only that, but the bunny also held two powerful looking revolvers on his belt sides, along with the primal Suturu tribe knife in it's the scabbard.

He was ready to fight. Ethan wasn't truly. He could handle Yao Gai, but he would be shot down before he could make a move by these assault rifle wearing soldiers.

"... What are you waiting for? Shoot me then." Ethan said, feeling true that it was the only way left. He had never expected to die like this, but in its own way, he found the irony in it.

"You want to die?" Quan had asked with a serious tone, clearly not expecting such a lack of resistance.

"No... But I guess It is only fitting that it happens by your hand. I doubt that you would be capable of commanding these men to stand down if you want to make this personal and fair.

The challenge Ethan was giving towards the bunny didn't go unnoticed. It fueled Quan and his feeling of pride, asking a question back confidently.

"... And what if I had that authority?"

"You do not." The general said, stepping in between the conversation.

The bunny grit his teeth together, Ethan speaking quietly while looking at Quan.

"Didn't expect any less." He said, annoying the bunny with a smile.

The general stepped in front of the bunny, speaking to Ethan demeaningly.

"I am only delaying your sentence for a few days. You are wanted as a war deserter, and your fate is not to die in these hills in the middle of nowhere. You will be escorted to the place where everyone can see you. As many people possible. They will take about your rightful execution for years to come. You could have been a legend. And you will end up dying a coward and betrayer of Febris. Your family name will vanish into nothing, even before it began."

"... I loved Allen, you know."

This sudden and unexpected confession by a humble and honest person in front of them made both rather quiet as they didn't know what to say.

The dog spoke quietly, stepping threateningly forward, all of the men raising their guns in alert.

But neither general or Quan flinched, listening to Ethan speak.

"My passion to serve Febris, and the man that I was, died with Allen. He was my general. My friend. And we loved eachother. Without him, nothing drove me to live. My leadership was just an end that you all went with without ever asking me. If I would have left there and then, I would have been executed for treason. If I denied the title, I would have been ending up serving the ranks, wasting my years on wondering the wastes with nothing but anger in my heart, until I would have most likely taken my own life. These people... My people..."

Ethan turned to look at Quan.

"Your people. They saved my life and my soil for becoming nothing but a loss of purpose, miserable and weak. Talent in killing and leading are not the same thing. I didn't owe any of you NOTHING. I owed Allen. Only him. I lost my life... And I was given a new one. Tell me, either of you... Would have you not done the same, if you were me?"

The general gave a mocking and short laugh, speaking formally.

"You expect that we should forgive you, just out of the sympathy over you losing someone? We have all lost people. No one is an exception. You may have not likened the power, but it was your duty, no matter what heartbreaks you went through. The cause lives on. Purpose and ideas that are set for you to follow your whole life can't be ignored or cast to the ground over your personal feelings or whatever tragedies you have suffered. We are men. This is Texas." The black-furred wolf finished, spitting on Ethan's feet and waiting for the reaction.

The whole situation turned into a long and suspenseful stare, Quan being just quiet and observing Ethan's hand slowly reach for the knife he was holding behind him.

Ethan slowly began to smile, speaking calmly.

"Oh, I am not begging for my life. I do not feel shame for what I did or chose. Or what I left to happen. Freedom is not a crime. And I am a free man. As Quan once were."

"... Oh good for you. As a free man, you shall die as well then. Men... Tie him up. We going for a long march."

Ethan turned to look at Quan, seeing the nearby soldiers approach cautiously.

"Rnouavana ketoon, siavbi nai vashalin." Ethan said quietly, knowing that Quan would still likely remember his mother language after all these years.

Whatever the words had met, the bunny finally let his emotions show behind the blank face, anger starting to take over under the judging gaze.

Quan took out one of his revolvers from his belt, slowly aiming it at Ethan's chest, the dog not moving and General Hans suddenly speaking to Quan.

"Hey. Soldier. Put your gun down."

"... Isha noin de vaishna re koula." Quan spoke back aggressively, Ethan giving a small amused smile as reaction and said.

"Come on, shoot me," Ethan said mockingly.

The bunny took the safety off, the general now panicking a bit and the soldiers aiming at Quan now instead of Ethan.

"FALL IN LINE, SOLDIER! You are here to do as you are told. This man is needed alive and if you pull the trigger, I will make sure that you regret it for the rest of your life! STAND DOWN!"

"He is going to shoot you, Quan," Ethan said knowingly.

"SOLDIER!" The general now yelled in frustrated rage as the bunny was still pointing at Ethan.

"She did marry Tesshin after all. Their child is beautiful... A child that could have once been yours."

"... I have a wife and children."

"... I feel sorry for them."

"And I won't feel sorry for this." Quan said, snapping, now putting his finger on the trigger and about to pull it.

"PRIVATE REED! I will have you gunned down!" General Hans screamed, now taking his own gun out as well and aiming it at the right side of Quan's head.

And the bunny still wasn't caring about anything else but Ethan, who was smiling in front of the face of death.

Suddenly, the impacts traveling from the jungle behind Ethan's back found their targets.

...

(Assassin's Creed 3 / Lorne Balfe - Welcome to Boston (Track 04))

...

One arrow flew, piercing the nearby soldiers helmet and going clean through, the other arrow hitting Quan in his shoulder, making his whole body lean to the side a bit from the impact and starting to blast his revolver accidentally, Ethan quickly grabbing his gunhand to make sure the bullets didn't end up spraying at him.

Chaos was unleashed.

The call of the tribe had been answered, all the greatest warriors from the valley arriving and bringing down a storm of arrows at the troops.

"FIRE! KILL THEM ALL!" General Allen screamed, starting to tactically withdraw back from the fight and blasting bullets into the jungle with his assault rifle.

The screams were clearly heard from the jungle as the febris elite soldiers started to answer the fire fully after about five of their men dying due to the marksmen's arrows by surprise attack.

The Scar H's and the m4a1's started to open rapid-fire all over the trees, the bark, dirt and leaves flying, wooden javelins flying from the higher trees down on them.

The tribesmen were yelling their language and their calls for war.

Ethan was now fighting Quan, both falling on the ground and trying to overpower the other by fighting with fists, hitting wherever they managed.

The general was yelling behind the Humvees for his troops to take defensive positions and use the grenade launchers.

One arrow flew through the windshield, killing the otter on the driver seat who was about to call in the communications transmitter for backup.

"Give me that fucking thing!" General Hans screamed to one of the guys behind the car, opening the back trunk.

The cat soldier ran to the wolf, ducking down and passing his general the rocket launcher.

The wolf stood up, the wolf shooting the rocket and aiming it about a meter over where Ethan and Quan were brawling, the explosive hitting right at the rock few meters away from them, killing the two marksmen behind it. The explosion and air pressure from the shot made Quan's and Ethan's ears ring, both rolling away from eachother and trying to escape from the middle of the firefight to safe positions. They stumbled, vision blurring and ears drumming, rock bits flying everywhere, as well as severed body pieces and guts of the unfortunate tribals.

The arrows and javelins kept on coming, killing dozen of the soldiers. But the loss was not absent on the tribal side. Already eight of theirs was down, as the soldiers had over twelve dead.

Ethan managed to find cover by jumping behind a rock, feeling the bullets flying his way and ripping the stone to pieces.

"Ethan!" Someone yelled from the large tree next to his rocky cover.

It was Tesshin. The voice was recognized by Quan as well, the bunny having managed to hide behind one of the humvees, letting his revolvers do their terror as he started gunslinging the tribals down.

Tesshin dropped a bow and an arrow to the dog from the hights, Ethan grabbing them and starting to join the bloody fight.

The gunpowder mixed with the fresh smell of dirt was heavy, the smoke making it harder and harder to see who was aiming where. The general was finally talking to the vehicle radio after blasting his gun so long that it ran out of ammo.

"THIS IS YOUR GENERAL, ALL UNITS TO THE VALLEY PASSAGE NOW! BRING THE TIGER TANK!"

"COPY THAT; GENERAL!-"

"SEND A FUCKING VERTIBIRD AS WELL! OUT!" Hans yelled, quickly raising his gun and shooting down a tribal that was rushing towards him with a tomahawk.

The tribal cheetah fell right on his lap, making him hit the ground and cursing as he was pushing the body off him.

"Fucking savage halfwit!"

"D-dad!" Small Charlie Winchester yelled from the trees, breaking Ethan's focus right after shooting someone through the helmet with his bow.

"CHARLIE, I TOLD YOU TO HIDE! STAY AWAY!" Ethan yelled back, feeling panicking over the fact that his son was still on the possible line of fire.

The bullet sounds started getting fewer, as the elite soldiers backed out with Quan and the general, running downhill to take defensive positions, reloading and doing what they all knew. Waiting for reinforcements.

As only a few random gunshots were left to hear around, Ethan flinched as Tesshin arrived at the dog's side with ground slide.

"Ethan! Ethan, you okay!?"

"I'm fine! We need to withdraw back to the valley!" Ethan yelled, panting in sweat and setting up his bow ready, loading a new arrow as he was peeking past the corner. He saw two abandoned humvees, some lone elite soldier crawling on the ground with three arrows in him, being only one alive on the area, fifteen of the soldiers lying dead on the ground, along with a fair amount of their own people.

The tribals started carefully approaching from the woods, jumping down. The shrieks of sorrow and anger filled the area soon enough, as many of brothers, sisters, friends, and lovers laid dead in the ground, full of bullets.

"Jade! JADE, please open your eyes!" Some tribal otter screamed while crying, trying to shake his dead otter wife alive from the ground.

The tribals started to drag the body parts and the dead kin away from the bloody filled sand, stealing every single gun they could find from the ground.

The chaos and the pain Ethan and Tesshin witnessed, made them pant out of desperation and fear for their loved ones.

"Ethan Winchester! You are all dead men! TELL YOUR PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE ALL DEAD!" The general yelled from fair distance downhill from some unseen cover, clearly making it known that he was going to slaughter every single tribal of the Suturu tribe.

"WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE, ETHAN?! How does he know your name?!" Tesshin asked.

"Quan... Quan is here."

"... WHAT?!"

"He led them right to us. The army I abandoned to live with Suturu... They want me dead as a traitor." Ethan said, feeling the self-guilt as this was his fault. But it was too late for apologies.

"Ethan... We need to come up with a plan. We cannot let them into the valley!"

"I know! We have to protect Maya no matter the cost. She needs to know!"

"Ethan, you know of her magic. She already knows that the enemy is here. She sees everything." Tesshin said like Ethan must have been in too much adrenaline to remember it.

Until Ethan turned to look at Tesshin, just before taking his leave to sprint towards his son, who was climbing down from the tree. He spoke quickly with a confused tone.

"... Then how come she didn't see them coming here days before?"

Tesshin didn't know the answer. He stayed silent, aiming with his bow around the place, shooting the still crawling soldier in the head, sparing him from the misery of slow death.

"I told you, son! Get out of here and run back to the village!" Ethan said angrily with an emotional tone for his son, pushing him against the tree, making the small husky pup yell back.

"I am not going to let them hurt you! I will stay and fight! You know that all I need is a bow and arrow!" Charlie convinced.

"NO! I will not lose you! You need to keep running down the hill and hide with Maya and your mother!"

"I AM NOT AFRAID OF THEM!-"

"CHARLIE, LOOK AT ME!-"

The explosion right near them hit the mountainside, rocks falling down heavily and Ethan yelling before tackling his son, protecting his small frame with his body.

"NO!" He yelled, managing to save his son just in time from getting shot in the head by repeating submachine gunfire.

Another RPG flew just past Tesshin, making him wince and cover his eyes as the explosion blew up a whole tree, covering his whole face with pieces of flying dirt.

"ESASI NE KETTEN NOO MAI!" Tesshin yelled to his tribals, the desperate escape running starting from all of them as the breathing break had been quicker than they anticipated.

The troops were marching uphill, opening heavy hip fire from light machine guns and shredding the trees, rocks, and bushes into pieces. Ethan kept running with Charlie in his hug hold, ready to protect his son with his life. Tesshin was covering their escape, shooting arrows at the troops with accuracy, throwing a knife at the enemies and managing to hit it right into some kangaroo soldiers' stomach.

They were getting slaughtered. As they kept running into the jungle from the area, clumsily spraying back with the Febris own guns, the soldiers were playing their upper hand with semi-auto snipers blasting at their back.

They were getting closer to the passage between the valleys, soon the soft sand area starting to form beneath their feet, the high rocks getting redder in shade. They were leading them right to their home, but they had no other option but to run.

"We have to think something out!" Tesshin yelled to his friend, as Ethan was still carrying Charlie and gazing behind him paranoidly as the gun sounds just wouldn't stop.

And that is when Ethan stopped, laying his son down on the ground and speaking.

"Tesshin... Take my son back to the village," Ethan begged the small pup who was clearly not understanding.

Tesshin yelled back, watching as the last of their surviving tribal members ran into the linear passageway of the mountains, carrying the dead and being mostly all covered in blood and bullet wounds. Wery few were without damage. The tribal men were fierce warriors with melee weapons and their hands, not with guns. They were not trained into the ways of weaponry, but primitive and honorable combat. And right now, that code of honor was costing them a lot.

"What are you talking about?! We need you back there! We need to fight back brother! -"

"TO WHAT END!?" Ethan yelled, knowing that they were delaying inevitable at a great cost.

"... Father... I won't let them hurt you, we can just run, they can't catch us if we hide in the jungle!" Little Charlie yelled like it was the obvious and most wise choice.

Ethan kneeled down, talking to his son with an emotional tone.

"Charlie... They will not stop until they have hunted me down. They are here just because of me. You are all just innocents. I will not have anyone's bloodshed on my behalf."

"But what do we do then?!" Charlie yelled desperately.

The dog turned to look at Tesshin, standing up and both paranoidly gazing back at the jungle, hearing the sounds of the army approaching and bullets flying again.

All of the three an, trying to draw the needed distance from the febris elite soldiers as much as they could.

The injured tribals were screaming and crying, some having lost hands and legs due to grenade launcher fire. They didn't have the numbers to face the febris and their weapons.

After about ten minutes of straight running, they entered the passageway to the valley, seeing the glowing sunrise on the sky and the red glow of the rocks shine their beauty, but the sight not comforting them.

They all panted, catching their breath and now only hearing yelling from the woods behind them, as the soldiers had seized unnecessary fire. But they would catch up soon.

Suddenly, one of the tribal females, a deer, rushed next to Ethan.

"Ethan! I will get Maya here!"

"WHAT?! Asya, you can't do that! She will be in the line of fire!" Ethan yelled like it was a horrible idea.

"Brother, you not what she is capable of! She can help!"

"Help with what?!"

"Her magic! Once she hears that your life is in danger, she will do what is necessary!" The deer yelled like there was not going to be further discussion on the matter, rushing past them and into the valley with the others, carrying the wounded and dead of their own.

"... Asya is right, we have to trust Maya."

"It is too dangerous."

"Maya is no coward, she is our spirt mother, and she will keep us safe from the enemy!" Tesshin assured like there was a chance of tides turning here.

"No," Ethan said after a while, shaking his head and looking back at the jungle, speaking to his best friend now.

"Tesshin... You know that if they get to the village, they kill every single female, child, and elder from there. They will kill Maya, despite her powers. Magic tricks and visions do not stop bullets. The only way to ... To make sure that none of it won't happen is to make sure that there is no passage left... And that they get what they want." Ethan said with an honest tone, knowing it was the only way.

"... Ethan... No. There has to be another way. I know what you are thinking... But I won't let you. I won't let them take you, my brother, knowing that I did nothing to save him and hid in the valley like a coward!" Tesshin spat out like it was not going to happen.

"You have to make sure that my son gets there alive! He is the promised one, and blood of what is holy! Maya's prophecy will die with him! And you know that! What do you think she would do if she heard that both I and little Charlie died?! She would lose her mind, and the tribe would be doomed!" Ethan yelled.

"AND You expect me to tell your wife that I just left you here without a fight?!" Tesshin yelled back, trying not to cry and not wanting to accept that this was all truly happening.

"The fight is over! They already killed Micah, Samun, Toran, and countless others! We can't lose more of our brothers and sisters!" Ethan explained, shaking Tesshin up and trying to make him understand that this was the end.

"..... Fuck! We have to hold them off and fight back somehow, this can't be for nothing!" Tesshin said, shoving Ethan's paw off in anger and frustration, wanting to slay every Ferbis from the jungle.

Charlie was quiet, scared for his father's life and still standing without intention to leave.

Ethan looked up to the top of the passageway rocks, then looking at Tesshin, seeing how emotional he was, knowing damn well what he was thinking about.

"... You don't have to be on this side. You can still withdraw. We can fight them. You know that. So why are you... Why are you even considering this?"

"... Because if I do it your way... They will spend all the time in the world to find a way, or climb over these mountains, or blow these rocks with their tanks. But if they got what they came here for... They will not bother to force themselves into the village, where you all would have the upper hand. But once they would get there... The most beautiful place left in this world, free of mindless violence and sorrow would be burning to the ground. I will not have that on my conscience. What is one man's life to a paradise of many?"

"... Dad... No..." Charlie finally broke down, rushing to hug his father's leg.

"... You have to keep my wife and my child safe." Ethan said, tears rolling down his cheeks as he held his son, laying his other arm on Tesshin's shoulder as he was still gazing the jungle with defeated rage in his heart over knowing Ethan would die. The yelling of the Febris, Quan and General Hans were clearly being heard from about a hundred meters away in the jungle.

"... Tesshin." Ethan said, his tone begging for his best friend to look at him.

The husky turned to look at him slowly, equally crying and not flinching as Ethan got close to him, laying his forehead against his and both closing their eyes, Ethan comforting the other husky in equal thought.

"We will once again see eachother in the land of sky spirits, my brother. Raise my son a warrior, like his father."

Tesshin didn't answer, trying to force out an answer through his tears, until something broke off the moment between them.

...

(02 - Tapir Hunt - James Horner - Apocalypto)

...

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

The vertibird noise became clear, as it had been arriving from the Northern horizon the whole time, their emotional goodbyes costing them more time than they could afford.

"TESSHIN; RUN!" Ethan yelled in panic, grabbing his son and giving him out to Tesshin.

The husky took him in hesitation, Charlie screaming for his father's life, as the vertibird opened fire.

The laser beams started to hit all over them, Tesshin running for his life and forcing the struggling and emotional kit to stay in his protective embrace, as Ethan was creating a distraction, running to the side and getting cover from the laser fire as soon as he could.

He managed to jump behind the tree, but one of the lasers hit his toe, melting it right off by fur, flesh, and bone.

It made him roar from the intense pain, the dog trying to desperately load arrow in his bow and hearing as the soldiers kept on coming from the jungle, having cached up finally with the distance.

"WINCHESTER!" General Hans yelled bloodthirstily for the dog, trying to lure him out from wherever he was hiding.

The dog looked up at the rocks again, panting.

The tribals were not careless and taking their paradise for granted without protective measures. Not only did they have scouts and traps, but they also had an ultimate solution against outsiders, would something like this happen.

On top of the passageway mountains, there was a row of rocks that would cause a slide and block the entrance into the valley, would someone hit the right spot with the tools left on the top.

But the thing was... He would have to climb. And he was not going to climb anywhere as long as that vertibird was in the air, and the soldiers on the ground, gunning him down before he could climb few pathetic meters.

But he would have to try. The tribe depended on it.

He could still hear his son's voice echo between the rocks out of sorrow and fear, hurting his soul as he knew he would never see him again, nor his wife. None of his friends, his lovers. His godmother, Maya. The happy times of his life were gone now.

In his heart... All of this did not come out as a total surprise. He felt like this day would come sooner or later. It was a wonder it took this long for Quan to revenge back at them.

Ethan took a deep breath... And settled arrow, ready to fire.

He had nothing to lose anymore. Dying over here, close to the home valley, would be a hell of a better than dying publicly in Texas ground.

His last act... Would be to prove that his time with the tribe had not made him any less of a fighter.

No. He was a true warrior.

He took a deep breath, focusing his mind... And starting to attack.

He came out of his cover, aiming at the sky and squinting his eyes. Before any of the soldiers could notice him in time, he whispered quietly with a mocking tone, eyes in the air.

"Eat this."

He released his bow, letting the arrow fly to the sky and making its way towards the aimed target.

The pilot in the vertibird only managed to yell out one word before trying to dodge the projectile, second too late.

"HOLYFUCK-GHARH!"

The talentedly crafted arrow pierced the glass of the cockpit, smashing through the pilot's throat and making him gasp for breath, taking his arms off the controls, trying to block the bleeding. The others on board were screaming in confusion, trying to shove the already dead pilot away.

"TAKE THE CONTROLS, HAYES, TAKE THEM!"

"WE LOSING ALTITUDE!-" They shoved the deadly injured bunny off-board, but too late.

The vertibird started to circle on the sky, dropping down and losing control.

"MEN! TAKE COVER!" Quan yelled, all the soldier's eyes widening in the realization of what was happening, trying to jump in any cover from the vertibird crashing down on them.

The aircraft made the impact hard, explosion causing the trees to fly from their roots and the fire blasting with huge pressure around the area, killing at least four soldiers on the ground, along with everyone on board.

The smoke and the dirt took the area around the hole on the ground, General Hans having wounded himself badly by a flying piece of metal having pierced his left rib.

The black-furred wolf cursed, coughing due to the smoke and screaming after gathering his mind enough to realize he was still alive and breathing.

"GET HIM! GET WINCHESTER!"

Before the soldiers had gathered themselves into shape, Quan was already on it, having survived with mere scratches.

The one-eyed bunny threw his gun away, grabbing a tribal spear from the ground.

He had Ethan in his sight, seeing the brown-furred husky climbing on the mountain wall, having created the distraction needed with his amazing bow shot.

"Ethan!" The bunny yelled, Ethan briefly looking down and seeing the furious and challenging bunny starting to climb up after him.

"Fuck..." Ethan cursed desperately, picking up the pace.

But Quan was more than persistent, not going to stop until he had the dog in his hands.

General Hans had taken a semi-automatic sniper from the ground, shoving the dirt off his shoulders and spitting it out form his muzzle as well, taking a good position.

"Do I have to do everything my fucking self?" The wolf asked in frustration, climbing on top of a nearby rock, his hard injury slowing him down, but his anger keeping him going, just like it did Quan.

"Everyone, protect the general!" The troops yelled around the wolf, taking their guns out, reloading them, ready to shoot Ethan down during his climb.

Ethan was over halfway already, realizing that the moment the first sniper shot hit next to his head, making rock bits fly, that this climb was lost.

The general yelled loudly from the ground.

"WINCHESTER! I DO NOT KNOW HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND FOR STARTING A CLIMBING HOBBY IN MIDDLE OF CONFLICT, BUT I SWEAR ON GOD THAT IF YOU DO NOT COME DOWN FROM THERE; THE NEXT BULLET WILL HIT YOUR LEG AND THEN YOU WILL LIMP WITH US BACK TEXAS WITH ONE LEG, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" The wolf yelled as a warning.

Ethan stopped climbing, freezing where he was and looking down, seeing that Quan was right about three meters away from him, having stopped climbing as well. He was giving the look at the husky in question, wondering what would he choose to do. To keep climbing and feel unmeasurable pain as he would be dragged to justice anyway, or climb down and surrender.

But there was the third option. And when Quan saw that Ethan considered it for a moment, looking down in hesitation, he spoke to him.

"Ethan... Do not fucking jump. That is not the death of a warrior." The bunny said sternly.

"...." The dog did not answer, swallowing and still considering jumping to his death.

The bunny spoke quietly.

"You know that if you do, they will be frustrated enough after not getting you alive, that they will go into that valley and kill everyone anyway."

The dog turned to look at the bunny fast in frustration.

"... What the fuck do you care?!" Ethan spat at the bunny in disgust.

Quan was quiet for a while and spoke.

"... Because I know what you are going to do. And I am intending to help you do it."

"... What?" The dog asked in confusion.

"... I do not hate my tribe. Or Maya. I deserved the life I chose for my betrayal. These fucking scumbags cannot be allowed to enter the valley."

"You were threatening to kill Maya just a moment ago!"

"Because of my personal hatred for you. But I would not doom my brothers and sisters in that valley over my actions."

"But you are Febris. You are one of them!"

"So were you, once. I just tell them what they want to hear, do what they want me to do. My choice to join them was for survival. I don't give a fuck what they stand for. But I am on opportunist, in bad and good. The bad you already have seen. You haven't seen the good yet. We need a distraction and get on top of this thing and make the rocks collapse." The bunny said, looking serious as he could.

Ethan didn't know what to say back. He felt like he had no choice but to trust Quan to be genuine of his intentions.

"... There is no distraction. If we both keep climbing and they realize that we are up to something, and shoot us both down." Ethan stated.

"... You should have more trust in the tribe. Funny, that it comes from me after all these years. Because the distraction is already here."

Before Ethan would realize what Quan meant, the voices began.

The war screams began, as the Suturu tribals had arrived with reinforcements just in time.

"THEY COMING BACK, FIRE!" The general yelled, taking his focus off from Ethan and Quan as the tribals were now coming through the valley entrance, shooting the soldiers with their bows. This time, they had hard rocks to cover themselves from the bullet fire.

Ethan and Quan didn't hesitate as the second battle began. They started climbing up fast.

The dog cursed quietly as he knew that Tesshin had talked to the tribals into this decision, as he was himself fighting once again with the others to buy time for Ethan.

But it meant more death for their side as well, when Ethan had tried to do everything to avoid it. But the tribals did not know fear when it came to protecting their own.

Main thing was that Charlie was now safe, and he felt easier knowing that his bloodline was saved.

He finally reached the top with Quan, both arriving on the top and Ethan panting, feeling the burn from his absent toe, the pain making him groan.

The moment he raised his gaze to look at Quan, he saw that the bunny had a spear in his hand, having carried it on his back the way up.

He was now pointing it at him.

The dog took few breaths, feeling them slow down as he gave the look of anger back to the bunny.

"... Opportunist indeed." The dog said quietly, taking out his belt knife and spinning it in his grip, giving the challenging look at Quan.

"Come the fuck on then. See if you survive." The dog said, readying himself to fight the bunny.

The bunny gave an amused smile, nodding at the rock next to them.

"... Most likely would, and you would die. Considering how tired you are and bleeding. It would not be honorable. Our way is the way of the warrior. There is no glory in killing you the way you are now. Besides..."

The bunny stated, spinning the spear a few times and now aiming it at the root of a big and round boulder next to them.

"That general there would kill me if I overstepped and killed you myself. Come on and help me with this fucking boulder."

"..."

Ethan nodded at that after a moment of hesitation, putting the knife back into its scabbard.

"You didn't need to point that thing at me and play mindgames," Ethan stated annoyedly.

"Your face was worthy of seeing. After all these years, I think you are still a bit afraid of me." Quan said with confidence.

Ethan was quiet for a while, giving a small smirk despite the chaos around them.

"It's the eyepatch." The husky said with honesty.

"... Yeah, I get that a lot." The bunny was surprised over the smile, realizing that maybe the lighthearted respect over fellow tribesmen still remained despite the countless wrong deeds.

"I would have won that fight, still." Ethan still continued, pushing the boulder with his back and panting, as the bunny kept hitting the smaller pebbles into bits under the big rock.

The bunny kept pushing, speaking to the dog amusedly.

"You can tell yourself that, but I'm pretty sure that becoming one of the most feared fighters in Texas during all these years compared to your hunter life would argue against that. You have been eating good fruits, getting a bit fat and spending your days fucking our females and taking it in the ass by our warriors, does not equalize as training of a true killer, by my books."

"I've been too busy fighting Yao Gais and deathclaws. You can keep mocking me but at least I got my both eyes left after everything I've been through." The dog huffed.

"That wolf down there will be having more than eyes out of you when we capture you." Quan chuckled, working together with the dog to finally feel the boulder moving slowly.

"Or I take his."

".... Interesting."

As the general had been firing with his semi-auto sniper against the tribals, he had taken his time to aim at Ethan and Quan to see what the fuck was going on up there.

And when he saw that the bunny and the dog were talking, pushing boulder together for whatever reason, it made his blood boil. This bunny had reason to restrain him or beat him up, but instead, they were looking like they were working together on something. The wolf was about to shoot Quan in the head for this sign of betrayal but didn't get the chance when Tesshin's arrow slashed against his left ear, taking a small piece out of it.

"YOU FUCKING-!" The general raged, starting to blast at the tribals furiously and killing a young female warrior by a lucky shot through the heart.

The firefight kept ongoing, and the screams and painful sounds of dying men and females echoed in around the mountains.

The boulder was almost falling down over the edge, both bunny and the husky working together to save everyone.

The tribals were losing the fight once more, running back to the valley with multiple injuries and died once more.

The soldiers started to advance and attempt to pursue the escaping tribals, coming closer to the passageway. General Hans was leading them now, making sure to shoot as many with his pistol as he could, having run out of the ammo from his semi-auto sniper.

The soldiers kept firing as much they could... But something was not right.

As the smoke started to settle in the passageway, someone approached from the middle of the smoke.

The tribals were yelling her name out in fear and concern, wondering what on earth was she doing here, or more so, walking in front of the danger.

Quan and Ethan both looked down, seeing it through the sandy mist, freezing.

Maya, their ghoul mother, was walking towards the soldiers.

General Hans stopped walking, giving hand signals for everyone else to stop firing and moving as well.

The ghoul kept walking closer, soon out of the mist and fully for the soldiers to see.

She removed the hood from her head, revealing her horrifying form, the furious gaze being cast upon the soldiers aiming at her.

General Hans walked closer, having only seen a few non-feral ghouls during his life. But this female was different. It was the unspeakable aura around her that made everyone hold their breath and not fire their guns. The black wolf wondered what to say or do, as the fiery gaze just pierced him on the spot.

She then whispered, her voice ice cold and absent of kindness.

"Your son be cursed... All of your sons and daughters... They are cursed. Their hearts black and their roads dark, doomed by their monstrous parents. Feel the pain in that, all of you... For having slain my children into my feet!" She said, the soldiers feeling shivers. General Hans couldn't take his eyes off her, feeling every word drill into his head.

"... She is a fucking witch!" Some soldier yelled in fear.

"Tainted... Rotten... Violent. Swallowed by the wastelands you call home..." She kept whispering, Hans slowly starting to raise his handgun up in fear.

"Stop," Hans commanded, sounding rather scared and begging instead of angry.

"You shall meet your end by one of mine... And maybe someday... Your blood and flesh will follow the same fate."

Slowly after... The soldiers started to feel cold vibrations, nausea, their vision blurring and feeling like they were getting exposed to something deadly... Something only rare of them had ever experienced.

Radiation. High levels of radiation.

Quan and Ethan witnessed in wonder as the soldiers started to fall on their knees, General Hans still on his feet and taking action, ready to kill this witch before it was too late.

"SHOOT HER!" The general yelled, the soldiers raising their guns in fear and ready to open fire.

"NO!" Ethan screamed, Quan too captivated by Maya's words to react, feeling possible fear that the curse was aimed at him as well.

But before they could fire a shot, Maya simply raised her hands, whispering quietly by herself.

She disappeared into thin air, vanishing in front of everyone's eyes as she had never been there. To everyone, it seemed like magic trick beyond belief, but all she did had done, was a click of a device she was holding under her robe. An old prewar technology called stealth boy.

She walked away, the feeling of radiation starting to ease down.

Ethan could still sense her presence, as did everyone else besides the crazy disappearing act. Her voice echoed, commanding Ethan.

"My child... Save us all."

The dog felt like the words were spoken in his mind more than for everyone else to hear, and he began pushing the rock after a moment of clarity.

The bunny turned to look back at Ethan, seeing as the rock finally made its final roll after Ethan using all his remaining strength... And ramming down the mountainside.

Ethan collapsed on the ground, the soldiers gasping and yelling, seeing the rocks starting to shake the foundations of the passageway to the valley.

"GENERAL HANS!" The soldiers yelled, the wolf still stuck on his spot and aiming his gun into nothing, the curse of Maya's words echoing inside his head still like they would be something he would remember the rest of his life.

Two nearby soldiers were just in enough time to grab General Hans from the harm's way before the rocks and rubble would come down crashing in front of him.

Within seconds, the passage to the valley would get overrun by these rocks, crushing down few unfortunate febris soldiers under its force.

General Hans was panting, snapping out of his thoughts and back into the moment, feeling the dust of the sand and rocks fill his lungs and covering his uniform. He was dragged to a safe distance, and all the soldiers could do, was to watch as the passage to this valley got blocked forever. Along with the tribals and their scary sorcering ghoul.

"... She cursed us... "Hans whispered quietly with a fearful tone, one of the soldiers talking back.

"General, she was just a madwoman." But the soldier knew that whatever they had all felt in that moment during Maya's words were not just illusions.

Something truly terrible had settled on them, and they all knew it.

".... Winchester... Where is Winchester!?" General Hans yelled, forcing himself back to control the situation.

Meanwhile, on top of the half-collapsed mountain edge, Ethan panted, looking over at the sunrise on the valley side, witnessing the incredibly beautiful, green land for the last time in his life. He had saved his tribe.

He had not let Maya down... And he had managed to save his son.

All the way in the road, far distance... He could feel Maya's graceful eyes, his gratitude and love warm him, knowing that he had done a true sacrifice, and knew deep down... that he had filled his part of the prophecy. His part in that story was over... And he had seen it to its end as a hero...

The true Suturu Warrior.

Tesshin was at Maya's side, Ethan recognizing the shape and knowing that he was watching him as well. As Ethan shed a tear for witnessing the paradise one last time, his true home, his family, safe...

He could only whisper.

".... Thank you."

And only second after the words... Quan used the opportunity and hit Ethan in the back of his head, knocking him out.

The dog collapsed unconscious on the rock, Quan looking at the same spot far away as Ethan had this whole time, only wondering what the two staring right at him, were feeling towards him at this moment... But truly... He didn't want to know. All he did, was give truly apologizing for gaze and nod at their way... And turned around, taking Ethan's body around his shoulder, staring to carry him away from the sight that one would want to marvel forever.

"He is here! I got him!" Quan yelled to the general and his troops, most of them having totally forgotten that the bunny had indeed followed after the husky persistently.

But they had not seen what the general had.

Hans would gaze upon the bunny with hate and doubt, especially as the febris troops around him clapped and cheered for the bunny soldier over having secured their traitorous price. So now, the lives on their side had not been lost for nothing.

Quan was already by this deed seen as a warrior who had clearly earned his name with more than just rumors...

And the black-furred wolf could not deny that the fact was now clear.

This bunny was more of a threat than an asset.

To his army... And his position.

But for now, ... He had a prisoner to publicly execute. And he was going to make sure that the witch and the tribe would also die now, knowing that they meant something for the bunny as well.

This was not over.

ACT 3

(Resident Evil Remake Soundtrack "Main Hall")

Charlie Winchester was still sitting on the chair, handcuffed and trying to remain calm as the sounds of approaching footsteps and racket made its way towards him. Ryan and Dion both remained low behind the large water filtration system, holding their breath and the husky feeling like he was going to pass out, only Ryan's comforting grip on his paw helping him under the scariest situation of his life.

Amir was feeling awkward, just standing in front of Charlie and begging that whoever would come through that door, would be able to listen to reason. But that was going to be hard without shitting his pants, considering that those had been clear bullet shots that had just been fired. It was just as possible that he would get shot in the head soon, along with everyone in this room.

Yet, Charlie somehow looked so focused and still, not a truly visible hint of fear on his face. And Amir didn't know if he should have taken some comfort in that or be scared that the dog had lost his mind.

The moment came, and the metal door turned all the way open, the brightly lighted room making the newcomers wince briefly from the unexpected functioning electricity.

First walked in Sax with his shoulders wide, followed by Richard who scanned the room quickly with his gun.

Sax didn't bother to use his, holstering it on his belt as he saw that there was only Amir standing there looking scared as hell, and Charlie still sitting on his chair, not going anywhere.

"Clear. They are both here, Calvin." Richard said calmly, doing the same as Sax and holstering his gun.

Charlie didn't say a word, just observing both carefully.

Soon enough, Calvin walked inside with his head held high, eyes locking into Charlie the moment he saw him on his chair.

The husky looked right back at the weasel and could see from his face that he had a hell of a day, whatever had happened. Stressed, messed, sweaty and the crazy glimmer in his eye.

No one else entered the room, the metal closing down behind them as the tiger guard pressed the button panel.

The already existing silence became even more still and tense now, everyone just looking at each other and not speaking anything. It was very much expected by most that Calvin would be the one to speak first.

Charlie kept scanning the weasel from a head to toe, speaking then with honest tone.

"You look like a fucking mess, Calvin."

The weasel said nothing, barely reacting to the words among with everyone else. Amir felt like the continuing silence once again was getting unbearable, wondering anything to possibly say to Calvin.

But he just couldn't figure out what. He was too scared.

"... Calvin... You have grown fond of my gun?" Charlie asked with a rather annoyed tone, as he saw the weasel holding his loved Abraham.

The weasel once again didn't react in any way, and as the bunny doctor was about to finally say something on his behalf, the weasel spoke to Charlie with a quiet and threatening tone.

"If you... Had done as you were told from the beginning... Just... Given me the opportunity to train Niles into my position... None of this... None of this would have gone down like this."

"... Yes." Charlie said calmly in two seconds, acknowledging it to be true.

"... And look where it all got you. Look where it got me. Us." Calvin said, sounding accusing and tired.

"... I feel like things would have turned onto this road whatever I defiled your order that day or not. It was a long time coming. You and I both knew it. You made the first move." Charlie stated like it was a fact.

"... The first move." Calvin repeated.

"... You damn well know I didn't start all this first. You have been yapping at me and mocked me for years. And I always took it, and I didn't hate you for it. I was never one of you, I was an outsider. You saw what I did to Xavier in anger. And yet for years, I accepted your insults without turning to violence, and do you know why?"

"... No." Calvin said quietly, wondering if he even wanted to know.

"Because of my whole life, I've witnessed monsters. Men and Females have done unspeakable things. Truly evil fucks who deserved to die so the world would be a better place. You were not one. You were just a broken man who aimed his hatred over tragedy to everyone around you and it isolated you. From seeing reason. For listening to it. Or making rational choices without thinking anyone's feelings first. You were never hate worthy, if you think that is how I've felt about you. No. I just pitied you. You let a death of your sibling to drive you into depression and see the world as grey. If you knew, what I have lost compared to you, what people outside of this safe space vault... Have gone through, you would have stepped your shit up a long time ago and moved on. People die every day. People we love. But before long, we adapt, survive, move and build new. Honor their memory. You could do neither of those things. You are weak, Calvin... And that is why I chose not to hate you. Because you were not worthy of hate."

The room went quiet, Calvin gritting his teeth together as the words drove his anger, and yet they somehow made him feel uncomfortable clarity. He didn't know what the outside world was to this day, but besides that, he understood that the words had been genuine and didn't sweep them under a rug as an insult. Amir looked even more scared now, wondering if such an honesty drop had been good for Charlie's situation, seeing that the weasel was holding a gun.

Charlie yet just sat there with unphased expression and studying Calvin's reaction, waiting for the weasel to say something at all.

Ryan and Dion were still breathing quietly, giving a hesitant look at eachother and wondering clearly that their father was not understanding the seriousness of this situation regarding his health.

"... Perhaps it is as you say and I am too weak. But how you feel about me changes nothing. You can feel sorry for me all you want, but I have hated you so far for too long to change my mind now to feel anything else. You are done." The weasel said sternly, Amir wincing from the tone and quickly speaking in after gathering his courage.

"... I know that. I just wanted to say it to you as man to man." Charlie said calmly, Calvin just restlessly wondering what do next. He knew he should just kill Charlie right here and now, but the hesitation was there.

"Calvin, I-"

"You... I do not need words from you, Waldi. Not now. You have done enough." Calvin hissed at the bunny.

"... W-what exactly is that?" the bunny asked, not understanding.

"... if you had just shut your fucking mouth and did as I asked you, I wouldn't need to be in this room right now with a gun in my hand," Calvin stated angrily.

"... I can hardly see h-how... I-I-"

"You told Eli, you little shit. And you showed your clinic to Robert and Mel, knowing damn well what it would cause."

"..." The bunny did not know what to answer to defend himself knowing that it was true. But didn't see why this was all his fault.

Charlie looked just as wondering as to the bunny to what Calvin was trying to say until the weasel spoke with a hateful tone towards the husky on the chair.

"Randal is dead."

Amir froze, his eyes widening and Charlie giving a questioning look at Calvin from this unexpected reveal, wondering if it was just bluffing. But seeing how Calvin was rubbing his gun with watery eyes and looking like the hate was once again taking over his control, clearly expecting Charlie to answer with disrespectful manner... He just answered back quietly.

"... How?"

"... He was shot in his own room." Calvin said, not able to hold back tear falling down again from the image of his brother in law dead on the floor, gathering a blood pool.

"... By who?" Charlie asked carefully.

"... By Eli... After Amir told him what Randal had done." The weasel said, now looking at the bunny with equal fury.

The bunny tried to stutter out anything at all, but his mind was feeling woozy. He had not realized that Eli was not to be trusted after all to act cautiously. He had gotten Randal killed.

Charlie needed a moment to take it all in, carefully answering back to Calvin.

"I'm sorry for your lo-"

"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU! YOU WANTED HIM DEAD AND NOW HE IS DEAD AND DON'T FUCKING ACT LIKE IT DOESN'T SATISFY YOU! YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED!" The weasel exploded, walking right to Charlie and pushing the handgun against his cheek, making the husky closed his eyes in irritation and biting his teeth together, expecting to get shot through the muzzle soon.

"CALVIN! CALVIN DON'T!" The bunny yelled in panic, trying to approach the weasel until Sax came closer, giving firm shove against the bunny's chest and making him fall on the floor helplessly.

Dion tried not to get a panic attack, holding his muzzle with his paw under the terrible sight, Ryan balling his fist and wishing he had something sharp in his grip. But they could not come out from their hiding place. They made a promise.

The weasel kept the barrel against Charlie's cheek still, his arm trembling from rage and Charlie slowly opening his eyes, seeing that Calvin was hesitating.

The husky spoke, turning to look at Calvin without fear in his eyes.

"If I would have gotten what I truly wanted, I would have never stepped into this fucking vault in the first place. I was forced to live here. I was forced to build a life here. You wish you never knew me. The feeling is mutual. Randal is dead and you hate me for it. But do you see me smiling or parading? He got what was coming to him and now he rests. Find some comfort in the fact that he didn't die by my hands."

"BUT HE DIED BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIONS." Calvin pressured, bringing his finger on the trigger, Charlie keeping on talking without a scare.

"Did he? Or did he die because he decided to murder his sleeping son?-"

The weasel cut him off by taking the safety off from the gun, really close to shooting now.

"DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KEEP TESTING ME?! EVEN NOW? NOTICE HOW I HAVE A FUCKING GUN TO YOUR HEAD!"

"Calvin, you need to calm down, this is not the way! This will be settled in a trial." Amir begged from the floor, Sax holding him down effortlessly with his foot.

Charlie now looked amused by Amir's begging, talking with an annoyed tone and smile.

"Amir, there is not going to be a fucking trial, look at him. He is going to have a trial of his own right here, as I already told."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" The weasel ordered, hating the fact that Charlie was able to smile at this moment when he was about to lose his life.

"Why?" Charlie asked amusedly.

"WHAT?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! WHY ARE YOU SMILING?!" Calvin asked as Charlie was chuckling, wondering if he had lost his wit as some defense mechanism out of fear for death.

"... It's just... I just find it... Ah... AHahah... It's truly just fucking funny when I think about it...HAhaha! I'm... Shit... I'm going to really die in some fucking vault underground killed by some absolute nobody while cuffed to a chair... That is... Wow... If someone told me that before I came here... AHHaha!" Charlie started full-on laughing, not able to hold it anymore.

Richard and Sax both looked at Charlie now like crazy.

"Calvin, I think you just broke his sanity." The mouse guard said with creeps, Charlie not able to hold his laugh in the chair and Ryan and Dion both looking at their dad just as creeped out. They had never seen him like this.

Neither had Amir or Calvin. The weasel slowly took the gun off from Charlie's cheek, looking annoyed as he did confused, Sax finally letting Amir go off the floor.

"Ahahaahahha!" Charlie kept on laughing, just truly finding it genuinely funny as hell.

"What the fuck...." Ryan whispered quietly, wondering if his dad really had gone insane as he was laughing like a maniac.

"Shut up... SHUT UP!" Calvin yelled finally, having had enough of laughing and hitting Charlie in the side of his muzzle with the gun.

The guards and both Winchesters behind the boiler flinched, Charlie finally stopping laughing as the hit had made a wound on his lip and inner cheek, slowly bleeding now.

Charlie winced a bit, still chuckling despite the hit like it had merely tickled him like he had been expecting the punch to happen.

"You think that this is funny? Okay, smartass. Here is some humor for you." Calvin said, kneeling in front of Charlie and putting the gun down for a while as he tried to get Charlie's attention.

The husky spat a bit blood on the floor in the middle of his chuckling, groaning as he cut the weasel off before he managed to speak.

"You hit like a fucking pussy."

"You think I won't fucking shoot you?"

"Apparently not since you are still talking." Charlie chuckled, shaking his head and trying to calm down. But he was still too amused by the way he was about to face his end.

The weasel got more agitated, hitting Charlie's kneecap with the end of the handgun, this time actually making it hurt. Charlie gave a small groan of pain from the impact, speaking to the weasel with annoyance.

"That's better. No, try without my gun. Makes a whole lot of difference."

"... You want to know who else is dead besides Randal?" the weasel asked, him being this time the one who smiled a bit.

"... "Charlie slowly forced himself to give attention to the weasel now, waiting for an answer and calming down his laughing finally.

"... Eli is dead as well. I served my own justice equally to a man who took my brother in law from me."

"... Calvin..." Amir spoke quietly with horrified tone, Charlie now realizing that if Randal had been with Niles in the same room, but Eli killed him but also ended up dead... Niles-

Charlie now felt the fear come to his face, not able to ever forgive himself if Niles ended up dead after all.

"Niles... Calvin... I understand Eli, out of impulse... But you... Did... Calvin, did you hurt-"

"What?" Calvin asked, playing stupid just to toy with Charlie, yet annoyed that Charlie showed so much care for Niles even now.

Ryan was holding his breath, knowing that if Calvin had hurt Niles in any way, he would rush from his hiding place and try to attack Calvin despite the danger.

"Calvin... Did you hurt Niles?" Charlie asked again, this time serious, the blood falling from the side of his muzzle.

"... No. But he will answer for the death of Randal for the rest of his life. He ain't kin of mine anymore. He made his choice. And his door to follow after me is closed. I will make the rest of that boy's life a living hell, once I'm done with this mess." Calvin stated calmly.

"..." Charlie said nothing, looking angry despite finding tremendous relief over knowing Niles was still somewhat safe somewhere.

"... And by mess... I mean your two best friends... Yeah... How would I put this?"

"..."

"Rob's and Mel's loyalty to you cost them badly. Truly unfortunate. Such good guards they were. Until becoming traitors and defying me. We can all see where that action leads in the end."

"You-" Charlie began with disbelief.

"Robert put up a fight but he is bleeding out on the doorway of this damn place with bullet holes in him, as is Mel." Calvin lied, just wanting to see Charlie hurt over thinking that his best friends in the vault were dead. Sax and Richard said nothing, rolling with it even if they felt it was a bit unneeded lie.

And Charlie did truly look more furious now than the weasel had ever witnessed. There was no hint of a smug smile anymore on his face. No more insults. Now... the hate for one another seemed to become equal. Calvin had really worked Charlie up to that point. The satisfaction was like a drug to Calvin from seeing Charlie like this, knowing the two had died for him and for nothing.

"J-Jacob-" Dion stuttered quietly, now crying, knowing how it would break his best friend to hear that his father was dead.

Ryan kept listening with focus, ready to lunge when it was the right time. He was not able to hide anymore if Calvin was really about to shoot his dad.

The weasel now spoke smugly, giving a quick look at Amir, the bunny looking horrified like he was witnessing a birth of a monster.

"... So, if you think that I can't kill you... You got another thing coming. Now that I know it feels to kill someone... How simple it is and how just it feels when done against someone you hate... I must say... It is something great."

"... That so?" Charlie asked calmly.

"... More than I've ever felt. Perhaps this is the only time I thank you. It will feel good to kill you."

"... Do you know what felt good too?" Charlie asked, turning his anger into a smile again as he knew that soon Calvin would boil.

"Do tell me," Calvin said back with a smirk.

"Fucking Sandy for years behind your back."

The weasel raised his eyebrow for that, not having expected Charlie to just blurt it out. He already knew it to be true for a long time, as it was all part of his and Sandy's plan behind Charlie's back, but the reaction both guards were giving, made Calvin annoyed.

"... Wow. You have to admit that this husky got balls." Richard said, Sax giving out a warning look at the mouse to not say such things even if he felt like it.

Calvin ignored Richards little comment without his own smile fading, as he slowly took out Charlie's gun again, quickly pressing the barrel between Charlie's crotch and aiming right where his balls were under the vault suit, Charlie wincing from that as he knew that it would be one of the most unpleasant places to get shot into, not that he had ever experienced it before.

"... Talking about balls. Want to repeat that again?" The weasel asked.

"... How fitting for you to aim at your competition when you know it wins yours by miles in every way. Trust me, she told." Charlie said without regrets, mentally preparing for his balls to get shot off.

The weasel gave a poke with the barrel hard against Charlie's crotch in annoyance, making the husky huff out air and his eyes bulging from the sharp pain, knowing that was going to feel for a while. But it was better than getting shot there. The weasel took the gun away from the private area, watching as Charlie kept coughing and squirming as the intensive pain made him gasp over and over.

"You know it makes you a bit of a faggot to talk about your dick and comparing it to someone else's in presence of men, especially." Calvin insulted with disgust.

"Unnfh... WHhhh... Hahhh... What a hurtful accusal, how will I ever recover?" Charlie asked amusedly, feeling the pain slowly go down.

"Charlie... I know damn well you have been fucking Sandy." The weasel said calmly.

"... What?" Charlie asked, wondering if he had heard right.

"I've known it for a long time. You really see me as an idiot, don't you? Underestimating me all the time. Although I understand that fully, I underestimate you all the time. More than I care to admit during this whole week. But our distaste for eachother blinds us from the simplest things. I know you have been sleeping with me ex-wife this whole time." The weasel explained seriously.

Charlie gave a shrug and coughed out.

".... Haaah... I guess it was only a matter of time before someone snitched it to you."

"... Not just anyone. Sandy himself." The weasel smiled.

"...." Charlie now looked to be in disbelief, not finding that very believable.

"Yeah... Weird right? You see, I've known all along. It wasn't, of course, her who first came to tell it to me. More like confessed after being pressed about it. She took quite the beating. I was going to originally have her killed after hearing her confession, her crying like a mess and begging me to spare her life."

"... No wonder she found comfort in other men if that is how you reacted."

"I find it a rather natural reaction. If you found your wife fucking someone else-"

"VERY CAREFUL NOW," Charlie warned, the angry snarl only amusing the weasel who laughed now.

"... And what are you going to do? Bark on that chair? I can talk about anything I want right now. And there is nothing you can do about it." The weasel said.

"... Do not... Talk about my wife." Charlie stated again like the weasel would regret it.

The weasel pushed anyway, continuing his point.

"... So, you are saying you wouldn't consider having her murdered if you found out she-"

Charlie cut the weasel off with an angry response.

"She wouldn't be with other men in the first place. Because I know what true love is and how it feels. I do not have to put myself in your pathetic position and think what if's when I would never end up having to witness such. You did not love Sandy as much as she wanted, or give attention to her like a proper husband, and she found her affection from somewhere else. It is all on you, not me or her."

The weasel breathed in slowly, sighing in frustration.

"... Always such highly mighty. So much better than me. Better than anyone else. Never making mistakes. Except for this time, you did. Because the only reason I spared her pathetic life, was because she promised to spy you for me. To gather information about you. That's right. She has been in my pocket this whole time."

".... I don't believe you." Charlie said.

"Oh? She was very open about her sorrow over the fact that you do not want to give her a child." Calvin stated.

"... Jesus Christ, what is even going on anymore?" Richard asked in confusion, feeling like there was no end to all this mess of lies and deceit, even Sax shrugging at that and being just as baffled as he was interested, Amir only wishing Charlie would not get hurt, looking at the two hiding kids time to time nervously in the corner, only wondering what was going on in their heads listening to all this.

".... I..." Charlie muttered, feeling guilty.

"What? Am I wrong here? She lying?" The weasel asked amusedly.

".... She didn't need to tell you about it." Charlie said quietly.

"Mmhh. Shame, truly. It's kind of funny. That you act like you are such a good person but hold an only female who truly feels for you, in such low worth that you won't even make her pregnant after she has been begging you countless times for it." The weasel pointed out smugly.

"My choice are my own," Charlie said with honesty.

The weasel now got bored of the attitude, rolling his eyes and continuing in annoyance.

"You know what? Maybe they are. Truly, I don't give a fuck. I don't care about any of it. She has outlived her purposefulness to me. But because of her, I have something that will truly hurt you. So, I guess she proved herself to me in the end."

"... What are you talking about?" Charlie asked angrily.

".... She is the one who locked you all in here, by my orders..." Calvin stated, seeing how hearing that hurt Charlie as well as it did alarm him.

".... Y-you mean the door?" Amir asked scaredly.

Calvin looked at Amir, wondering if he was stupid for asking an obvious question or just too scared to think.

"Yes, the door, Waldi. See, I know that your dirty kids are in here as well. Because Sandy herself told me. I guess it was more hurtful to her than you know. Not giving her the love that I lacked. That we both lacked. And she was ready to give me an opportunity to kill all the Winchesters in this room for that."

"... Calvin. Do not... Even think... About hurting-"

The weasel started to get annoyed at Charlie's attitude of talking back to him even now, the weasel standing up and speaking.

"You know what?"

He then rolled up the sleeves of his vault uniform, balling his paw into a fist and slamming it right at Charlie's cheek.

The husky took the hit, getting another one right in his eye.

Ryan started to look furious as he squeezed Dion's paw in aggression, Dion crying quietly as he saw his father getting his face battered in by the weasel.

"TAKE THAT! HUH! DEFY ME NOW!" The weasel yelled, hitting hard above Charlie's left eye before Sax took Calvin by his fist to stop him from hitting, snarling at him.

"Give the man a break, he is handcuffed. If you are going to kill him, just be done with it. But I am not going to just stand here with Richard and watch you torture someone who can't fight back. It ain't fair." The tiger said, Richard nodding at that and feeling like there had to be a line somewhere.

The furious weasel was panting, forcing his arm off from the tiger's grip and giving one final hit at Charlie's nose, cracking sound making Charlie's face sway to the side.

"That was for breaking MY nose, you fucking cunt." The weasel snarled in satisfaction, Charlie now squeezing his eyes closed for a while, handling the light pain and feeling his nose starting to bleed.

"... You still hit like a fucking pussy." Charlie groaned, the weasel trying to hit him again after hearing that, but Richard coming in between and stopping him.

"Calvin. What did we just say? Just shoot him and be done with it." the mouse stated like they were just wasting time now.

"NO!" Amir begged, wanting this madness to just stop.

"Shut the fuck up, Amir. Be thankful I don't shoot you too. Sax! Find the two boys of his quickly. I want them cuffed." The weasel commanded.

"We ain't got no more cuffs," Sax said.

"JUST FIND THEM!" The weasel yelled.

"... We are here! And if you hit my dad even one more time you fucking psycho, I will break your both arms!" Ryan yelled, having dragged Dion from behind the boiler as well. The husky was trembling behind his brother, as the fox positioned himself in his kung fu stance, ready to brawl with either guard if they would approach.

Charlie realized that now his sons would be in danger, and it was time to finally act. As much as it would hurt, he had to use this distraction in his advantage. He had only done this trick once before, but it would most likely work now as well.

"Kid... Stop acting like you are in a position to hit anyone. Just come with me peacefully." Richard said calmly with an amused smile as he approached the fox slowly.

"No," Ryan said back sternly.

"Ryan-" Dion began scaredly, the fox making sure that Dion would not get hurt either.

"Just stay behind me, I got this," Ryan said confidently.

Sax also sighed and started to follow after Richard, talking to Ryan.

"Do as he says. You do not need to be here to see what happens to your father."

"Just fucking restrain them both already, fuck fucks sake!" Calvin ordered, Amir suddenly turning his nervous gaze from Ryan and to Charlie.

Charlie gave him hesitant gazes back and forth from Calvin, nodding him to do something.

The husky spelled with his muzzle to the bunny; "Talk. Talk."

The bunny caught on, even if he didn't understand the intention, but considered that it was just likely that since Charlie himself would be the worst one on trying to sway Calvin into backing off from his impulsive action, so maybe Amir would have a chance of persuading him to do otherwise.

"C-Calvin. Listen to me, please. You don't need to do this." The bunny said, approaching.

"Keep your mouth shut, Amir. You have done enough talking for one day." The weasel said annoyedly.

"N-no, look. Calvin. I know you are better than this. You do not have to kill him. -"

As Amir broke into a song of begging for Calvin to spare Charlie's life, the husky took the opportunity and acted.

Now that the weasel's attention was dragged elsewhere and Richard was still approaching Ryan, he slowly grabbed his wrist with his other paw, slowly finding his thumb. He wrapped his fingers around the thumb, taking sharp inhale and gritting his teeth together.

CRACK

He dislocated his thumb out of its place, holding the grunt in with force and shaking a bit.

He gave out a slight exhale, looking at Calvin who was still listening to Amir with an annoyed face. But it was clear that whatever the bunny was saying got the weasels attention. Because he was comfortable enough to have Amir's paw on his shoulder.

After a quick look at Ryan's way, he saw that the brawl was about to go down and he couldn't stop it.

The dislocated finger allowed him to free his right paw, sliding it after a moment of fidgeting back to freedom. The dog prepared, gritting his teeth together again and focusing, as he grabbed the dislocated thumb again with his paw and took another sharp inhale. He could see from Calvin's face that he was running out of patience, no matter what Amir was saying to him.

Just the moment Charlie snapped his thumb back into its rightful place, the pain making him stomp the floor a bit out of pressure, he exhaled out and opened his eyes, only to see Ryan attacking Richard at that exact moment.

The fox sweep kicked the mouse against his left leg nimbly, the quick attack catching the mouse of guard and making him fall onto the floor and hitting his face against the steel floor, one of his teeth chipped off.

"AGH!" The mouse let off, Ryan kicking him again in the stomach as he tried to gather himself back up.

The tiger acted, taking out his gun and aiming it at Ryan.

"ENOUGH. Ryan, stop resisting or I am going to have to shoot you in the leg." The tiger warned.

Charlie gave Ryan the begging look not to fight back, the emotional and worried gaze making Ryan stop resisting, but looking crushed over the fact that his father was just going to give up.

"My fucking tooth, man! Goddamnit!" The mouse cursed as he came back from the floor, Sax helping him up amusedly.

"Did you just let an eighteen-year-old kick you two times?"

Richard was about to attack Ryan out of anger to teach him a lesson, but before he could do so, Charlie yelled.

"HEY!"

Everyone in the room went quiet, Calvin shoving Amir's arm from his shoulder and turning to look at Charlie angrily.

"What the fuck are you yelling?"

Charlie looked at Ryan and Dion, both of them looking just total emotional wrecks over the fact that their father was going to get shot.

"Just... Just go with them. They will not hurt you. It's okay."

"NO!" Dion yelled, now stepping in and talking to Calvin, having enough of being quiet and scared instead of acting.

"Don't hurt my dad! Just banish us from the vault-like you wanted! That is what you wanted, right? To no see dad anymore? Just... Just let us go through the door and... P-please just let us go!"

Charlie now looked emotional, knowing that Calvin wasn't going to accept that, and neither was he. He had no place anymore out there, and Ryan's and Dion's future would become ash, which was the reason they had hidden in the vault in the first place. To avoid a bad future.

Sax slowly grabbed Ryan from behind by his wrists, restraining him, Richard doing the same for Dion. The brown-furred young husky kept looking at Calvin and kept begging.

"Just... Just let us go! Please! My dad does not need to die!"

"... Oh, but that is where you are wrong. Your dad does need to die. That is how all my problems are solved. I'm sorry if it means anything. You seem like the bright and civil kid compared to your half-wit brother, but I am saying it how it is. This needs to happen. You both can live in this vault and continue your lives, and accept things the way they are. A new order will be restored here back into shape." Calvin explained.

"NO! DON'T KILL HIM, PLEASE, I BEG YOU!" Dion now said, falling on his knees and pleading for his father, crying. Ryan was trying to struggle himself from the tiger's strong grip desperately to attack Calvin, and Charlie was just looking focused, his gaze drilling into Calvin.

"Time of begging is over, Dion. There is nothing but misery for me to go gain if I spare him. This ends now." Calvin stated, sounding apologizing but it was clear that he was not.

"I will fucking kill you if you try to shoot my dad-" Ryan roared, Calvin just rolling his eyes and taking Charlie's gun out, pointing it at Ryan threateningly.

"Shut the fuck up or I will have Sax shoot your leg as he suggested-"

"Calvin, just listen to Dion! Give them a chance to leave this place alive and never bother you again! It is the right thing to do!" Amir said, coming in front of the gun and trying to make Calvin see reason, everyone now talking on top of eachother in a storm of words, until Charlie had enough.

"Calvin!" The dog yelled at the weasel aggressively.

"WHAT?! OH, PLEASE TELL ME IT IS YOUR TURN TO BEG NOW! I would love to hear how it sounds coming from you! Are you finally starting to realize it's your last day on this planet or what? Is the fear finally kicking in? Good, give me the pleasure and beg!" The weasel yelled back, walking in front of Charlie and letting the gun hang threateningly by his side to install fear into Charlie.

...

(Resident Evil 6 Soundtrack Main Menu (OST))

...

"Beg?... You... You think I am going to beg you to spare my life?"

"... Oh, I think you will. Everyone fears death. You can act hard all you can till the end but it doesn't change the fact that you are scared. I can see it in you... Maybe deep down... You just accuse me of being a coward because you can't admit yourself of being one."

"... I am going to be banished from here. And neither am I going to die today."

"... Oh? How you figured that?"

"... Because you are not worthy of killing me. It is the reason I found this all funny in the first place."

"Excuse me?"

"... You think that you are intimidating... That you have the upper hand... And that you should be feared."

"..."

"But you are nothing. Absolutely nothing." Charlie spat out in disgust.

The weasel trembled from anger, wondering how on earth did Charlie have the guts to still speak to him like this.

"I've had people killed today, you be very careful how you speak to me, or I might shoot you in the head while your kids are still present. You wouldn't want that to be the last memory of you."

Charlie broke out to laugh again, finding the whole situation once again funny in a sadistic way.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"Stop laughing." The weasel warned.

"HAhahahahah!" Charlie kept on going, the weasel once again pointing the gun at Charlie's face.

"I SAID. STOP. LAUGHING."

"DAD!" Dion yelled in fear, not wanting Calvin to shoot, and suddenly Charlie looked at the weasel with a crazy glimmer in his eyes.

"AHhahahahaaaahaa... YOU! You... It's so fucking funny... You think that because you killed one man out of revenge and had others killed on your behalf, that you are the deadliest person in the vault. That you the king shit now and we all should bow before your might. Calvin... I already said it once and say it again. You are nothing to me. Nothing."

The weasel lowered the gun and grabbed the laughing husky by his muzzle, digging his claws into his jaw and forcing him to look at him as he spoke intimidatingly.

"... Oh? And how did you imagine this would end, then? That you walk free from here and take over control? Hmm? I'm waiting, imbecile. Come on, break it down for me. How will you survive this?"

"... How will I survive?" Charlie asked like the question had to be rhetoric, chuckling by himself, trying to put his thoughts into words.

"I'm waiting, dipshit."

"Calvin, he clearly is just delirious, don't do th-" Amir began until Charlie cut him off and spoke with his eyes closed, smiling.

Haaah... You know, Calvin... I killed my first man when I was twelve years old."

Everyone went quiet, looking at Charlie like they must have heard wrong. Charlie chuckled and continued after inhale.

"Aaah, those were the days. He stole something from me, so I killed him. He was around your age, I think. And when I turned fourteen, I really got into the killing. I was... Ferocious. Protected what was mine and what I cared for. I killed men that tried to harm me. Kept killing them... And the day I got the gun that you are holding right now in your paw... It was just the start of it all." The dog memorized, his life flashing through his mind as images.

"That gun claimed his first victim the very next day. And it kept taking them. Death after death... I was the youngest bounty hunter existing in the whole Texas, if not the world as I knew it. As they... Knew it. When I was sixteen, I killed one of the deadliest men in whole Texas in a gun draw duel with that very same weapon. I was a legend in the making from the start. I kept killing for years. Many great men came after me, and they all died. One after another after another. It went on so long that... God... I can't truly remember how many I've sent to rest by my guns... by my knives... by my hands... One suppresses or forgets such a deed after a long while as they make him feel hollow inside." Charlie explained, Ryan and Dion looking truly shocked, Sax whispering.

"... Jesus fucking Christ..."

"..." Calvin said not a word, Charlie continuing.

"I have been stabbed. Shot. Clawed, bitten, slashed, beaten, tortured, burned... And I've lived through all of that. And each time it all just made me tougher. It made me adapt... To shape myself into the image that people wanted. I could never turn my cheek and be something else." Charlie chuckled, shaking his head and feeling how good it felt to say it all out loud.

"..." No one spoke, just totally concentrated and terrified of the smiling husky on the chair.

"I was the most feared... And most hated and same time loved man in the whole Texas by the time I was thirty years old. People rumored that I had killed thousand of people during my lifetime. They most likely were right. Like I said... One stops counting at some point. And most of them less or more so deserved to die." Charlie spoke without regret.

"... You lie." Calvin whispered in disbelief, but Charlie's crazy glimmer in his eyes and his tone told a different story.

"Haaah... I wish I would be lying... Or sometimes not. It does give a certain feeling of proudness... To know that you have played god for so long, claiming lives like it was just... The inevitable force of nature. The wind of Texas they called me... And that is how they still most likely remember me out there. You see, you think you are a hard man to be feared because what you see around you is all that you have known... Out there... A man like you, trying to act hard for the wrong person, just because you have a gun you barely know how to use... You would be raped, mutilated, beaten and killed in cold blood, screaming like a fucking whore as your life is taken from you."

"..."

"You wonder if I am the devil for saying these things... To speak about them without shame... That is because I have lived in hell. You know nothing. You are aware... Of nothing. YOU ARE... Nothing. Just a weak man, thinking that Charlie Winchester... Would beg? Beg? For his life to YOU? HAhahah!" Charlie laughed, just finding it such an anticlimactic scenario, that he didn't intend to let happen.

Charlie stopped laughing for a while as all of them still looked at him with eyes of fear.

"To your accusal from before... You are right. I do not fear death. By you. By anyone. There is no point in fearing death after what I have been through. What comes after, can't be worse than what I have already seen."

"..."

"That gun in your hand... Has been the messiah of death for a long time. It killed many great men. It killed even those who were important to me... It killed my best friend... Man who I considered a brother. He was called Abraham. And just like me, he was a great killer, worthy of enough to have a gun named after him... I guess it is only fitting that I die by the gun I lived by. That I held dear... But not by you. So, let me spell it to you again."

Charlie gave a mocking smile and spoke with nothing but honesty.

"You are not going to kill me. Because you don't have the courage in your pathetic soul to do it. You do not even deserve to hold that thing in your cowardly grip. It should burn your paw to blisters and curse you for even touching it. You won't kill me... Because I already told what you are. You. Are. Not. Worthy. And you will never be... Because you will die as you lived. Alone. Weak. And world continuing after you, fading your soul from its memory... Like you were never here at all... It is you who should be begging for me. To not shove you outside of this vault and let you for one-second taste part of the real world, Calvin... Knowing you wouldn't survive a day. You are finished... And you will meet the same end as your fucking pathetic brother in law, so you can both join the thousand that I left lying on the ground before me... And tell them that Charlie Winchester sent us. And once again... He made the world just a little bit better." Charlie finished with a serious gaze, speaking from the heart.

Calvin was shaking in rage, his face and his paw trembling and his teeth gritting hard together as his finger found it's way on the trigger.

"... You are wrong." The weasel said, ready to shoot, Charlie closing his eyes and smiling.

Dion and Ryan yelled for their father as they knew that weasel was going to shoot and end his life out of rage.

Until Charlie's smile faded, the dog opening his eyes and acting.

His one freed paw was now out of the cuffs, making it so that he was able to defend himself the way none of them expected.

The dog sat up, his freed arm smacking the pointing gun to the side and making it go off, grabbing it without effort in the process.

He used a high aimed spin kick right at the side of Calvin's barely recovered, already broken nose, the loud crack echoing painfully. The impact made the weasel fly onto the floor hard and see nothing but black for a moment as he felt the cold floor hit against his shoulder and ribs.

The weasel's eyes rolled at the back of his head from the fatigue the impact had caused, his vision blurring as he was trying to realized what had just happened, holding his nose on the floor with shaking paw.

Sax and Richard had barely reacted in time to realize what Charlie had just done, the gunshot having given them near heart attack, as well as to Ryan and Dion.

The moment Sax and Richard were about to take their guns from their holsters with panicked gazes, the dog gave a smooth spin with the gun on his paw to have it in a firm grip, ready to shoot. He was pointing the gun now right at them without taking his eyes off from Calvin, speaking to the two on the side.

"Don't fucking try. It's over. Let my children go. Or you both die."

"... WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?" The weasel managed to yell out in total confusion, having not understood how Charlie managed to break free with his one paw-like this during the whole hassle.

"Quit yelling. Sax, Richard. Do I need to repeat myself? Let go of Dion and Ryan right now, or I'll gun down you both." Charlie said calmly, giving a serious side gaze at the tigers and mouse's way.

"WOWOWow, we can talk this out!" Richard began hesitantly.

"Do it. Just do it." Sax said with a given up but an angry tone, letting go of Ryan's arms and releasing him.

The mouse gave a scared look at Charlie's way, wondering if the dog was going to shoot them both anyway despite releasing his kids.

But he didn't see many options here either. The dog was serious, now armed, and Calvin was a mess on the floor, grunting and cursing in confusion.

"O-okay! Shit..." Richard said, letting Dion go as well.

The husky broke free with his fox brother, both looking at their dad with speechless expression, having just witnessed such an act from their father.

"Good. Dion, Ryan. Walk to Amir. AMIR. LOOK AT ME." The dog commanded, now turning to gaze at the bunny.

The doctor had been so afraid that he had frozen, being just as shocked as the guards.

"C-Charlie... H-how did you?" He began.

"You made it possible. But it's not important right now. Take Dion and Ryan and get them out of here to safety.

"I-I-... Y-yeah! I-I will..." Amir managed to squeeze out, the bunny hesitantly giving the paw movement for Ryan and Dion to come to him.

Both quickly sprinted to Amir, still not able to take eyes off their father and observing as the dog spoke to the weasel.

"That nose is never going to look the same."

"... I will kill you..." The weasel whispered on the ground, letting out a cry as he held his bleeding nose with tears of pain running from his eyes.

"You already tried. You nearly got it. But I already told you. You are not worthy of taking my life. Neither are the two clowns at the corner here. Richard. Don't try to take your weapon out now. Or I will give you the same treatment as I did Xavier." The dog said coldly.

"... You fucking lunatic."

"Called being survivor," Charlie said tiredly, speaking to the weasel again.

"You got the key for these cuffs, Calvin?"

"FUCK YOU!!!"

"Jesus Christ you just don't know when to quit. Fine." The dog said in an annoyance.

The dog turned to observe the tiger and the mouse so they wouldn't still try anything, moving the barrel slowly at the cuffs. He aimed at the weak chain link, blasting another shot from the gun.

"BLAM!"

The echo maid everyone wince in pain of it, except Charlie who didn't even flinch. The shot broke the metal, making it so that he was now fully free from his restraints.

The dog rubbed his wrist a bit and snapped his neck a bit to the side to get satisfying pop out of it, then speaking to Amir.

"Get out of here with the boys. Now. I will handle the situation here." Charlie stated.

"... Charlie... How?" Amir asked in concern, not moving anywhere.

"What?" Charlie asked tiredly.

"How will you... Handle the s-" The bunny began carefully, Charlie cutting him off annoyedly.

"Not a concern of yours. I will deal with these three as I see the best. You take Dion and Ryan to their friends."

"... Charlie... You don't need to-"

"To kill them? Is that what you are afraid of?" Charlie asked with a chuckle.

"... Well, it is painfully obvious that the idea is crossing your mind here, and it is my duty to talk you out of it." Amir stated.

"It always is," Charlie said like some things never changed.

"As your friend." The bunny added.

"... If we can agree on one thing with Calvin today, Amir... it is fortunately true. You have done enough talking for one day." The dog said, not really having the energy to argue with Amir now to spare the life of three rotten people.

"Charlie-"

The young brown-furred husky now stepped in, walking next to his dad and speaking.

"Dad. Please. No more." Dion said suddenly with an emotional tone, sounding begging.

That more so got Charlie's attention, turning to look at his son and speaking after a while of thinking.

"... Dion... it is not that simple. These three will be a threat to us all as long as they breathe in here."

"... Don't kill them. You don't need to. Just... They... Just lock them up and make them change their ways. They-"

Charlie then sighed and spoke like it was time for Dion to stop being so good-hearted.

"Dion, they were ready to kill me. They killed Rob and Mel. They were my friends. The only ones I truly had left in this vault.-"

"And taking more lives is going to fix that?!" Dion asked like it was horrible to continue to the cycle of killing in return.

"Dion- it requires an answer! -" The husky yelled now in frustration.

"Dion, they need to die," Ryan added in, Charlie not sure how he felt in the moment for hearing the fox say it as coldly as he did. He felt pride but at the same time hate towards himself for encouraging his son to be so fast to agree with murder.

"We didn't kill them!" Sax yelled firmly.

"Oh, now you both going to lie about not having killed my friends to save your asses?" Charlie asked in anger.

Calvin finally yelled from the ground as well.

"THEY ARE DEAD!"

Richard then spoke to Charlie beggingly.

"They are not. Charlie, listen man... No one has seen Mel in ages, for all we know is that he is somewhere protecting Niles. And Rob..."

"... Yes?" Charlie asked, rubbing his finger on the trigger, feeling the need to shoot.

"Rob is in the lobby right there... He is bleeding badly. But he might still be alive. He is still there, and if Amir gets there in time still-"

"You better not fucking making this up-" Charlie began with a very angry tone, knowing that it was not a thing to be joked with.

"ITS THE TRUTH, I SWEAR IT ON THE BIBLE!" Richard pushed, really scared for his life. Unlike Sax who remained calm.

"... Fine then. One way to find out." Charlie said, giving the look at Amir.

"... Go. Take Dion and Ryan out of here to help as well. If either of you lie about this-"

"We are not lying! Calvin just said all that to make you angry and we just went with it. Don't fucking shoot us, listen to your son-" The mouse kept begging.

"Cowards..." The weasel cursed on the floor.

"Shut up. You may have talked yourselves out dying and pleading to Dion's request but I still want to shoot you both. You know what? Maybe that is the best-" Charlie began, his tone sounding final.

"DAD!" Dion yelled now, sounding truly angry.

That made Charlie stop, looking Dion with wide eyes and taking his focus off from the tiger and the mouse.

"... Dion, let him do what he sees fit-" Ryan began annoyedly, putting his arm on Dion's shoulder.

But this time, Dion had enough. He pushed the paw away and yelled at them both.

"NO! This is the right way! Ryan, you forget that I am the older brother! Maybe I am not the stronger one but at least I can see when people have done wrong and deserve a second chance! We need guards to keep this place safe, and you all know it! You can all think that shooting and killing is the way to get things done but as long as I breathe, I will never allow myself to think the way you all do! Dad, I command you to not shoot them! And Ryan, stop talking down on me all the time, and trust me for once in your life!"

Ryan and Charlie were both speechless now, finding some small spike of guilt in themselves, as the young husky was furious about this.

"... I guess it goes without saying that I am with Dion here." Amir said quietly, giving Charlie the look that it was the right thing to do.

Charlie looked at his son in the eyes, wondering what to say back. He truly just didn't know.

He slowly turned to look back at Sax and Richard and spoke.

"If only you two knew how lucky you were that I have enough in myself to honor my son's words under these circumstances. You two pieces of shits will be kept here under guard then, and fed to extent until you both will be trialed. You will not get a better deal. So, take it." Charlie said calmly.

"W-We will!" Richard stuttered.

"... Thank you." Sax said but didn't sound truly that grateful. More of figuring ways to still do something about this situation to his favor. He had been promised things and now he was going to be trialed instead.

"You owe your thanks to the wrong person. Now don't move or I won't hesitate to deal with this my way. Calvin, you want to say anything at all here? Or you going to keep crying on the floor?" Charlie asked with disgust.

"Go to hell..." Calvin muttered, still holding his nose.

The dog rolled his eyes and spoke.

"That goes from your rations. A simple thank you for sparing your life would be in order."

"Just shoot me and get it over with."

"I would but I respect my son's wishes. Maybe he proves himself right and myself wrong. Hard to tell if you always make the right choices at this age. You have certainly made more shit ones than I have so you would know." Charlie said to the weasel.

"Richard. Sax. Kick your guns here, both of you. You think I would just let you two keep them?"

"... No, I didn't think you would." Sax said quietly, the tone annoying Charlie.

"Th-thank you for this once again." Richard stuttered with a grateful tone.

"Slow. You three, get out of here." Charlie commanded to Amir.

"Come along. You will see him soon. We need to go." Amir said with a relieved tone, guiding Ryan and Dion towards the exit.

Dion and Ryan both gave still looks at their father, getting just a warming nod in return with a small hint of a smile, telling them that everything was going to be okay and the worst was over.

Calvin tried to collect himself up from the floor, his raging gaze staring at Amir's back, feeling his moment of victory being snatched from him at this moment and everything falling down once again.

"I'd prefer you to stay right where you are," Charlie commanded, pressing Calvin down with his foot against the floor harshly and making the weasel gasp for breath, Dion giving concerned look at the moment, Amir pushing the door button and whispering to Dion.

"Leave it be. Main thing is that he won't kill them. He is allowed to keep that fear on them though, despite your mercy." The bunny reminded.

The young husky said nothing, just giving quick look at his brother who was for some reason smiling while looking at his dad agitate Calvin on the floor like this. Like he was enjoying truly seeing his dad act like this. Amazed even.

BLAM!!!!

The echo of a gunshot came without warning.

All of the three by the door felt like time stopped, ending up staring at two mammals that were standing right in front of them. It was Mel and Robert. Mel was holding Robert by his shoulder, the raccoon looking like he was dying, bleeding all over. The otter was looking right at them with shocked expression, his gun barrel smoking, as the weapon was raised in the air.

Behind the two... Was standing Sandy, the raccoon female looking just as shocked as Mel over the fired shot.

Amir slowly felt a bit of blood coming down from his mouth, a drop of it falling to the floor as his paw slowly hovered over the gunshot wound that had gone clean through his left lung.

The white lab coat was gathering blood pool in his chest, Amir trying to break out to say anything in his pain, disbelief on his face as he fell on his knees.

"NO!!!" Mel screamed out, the realization hitting them all that Mel had fired the gun by accident due to the door opening unexpectedly like this, the otter and the two having guessed that it was Calvin that was barging out with his guards, having killed Charlie and captured everyone else.

Calvin had no idea what was going on, or why Sandy was with the two. It didn't make sense to him, but as of this moment, it created an opportunity. Everyone was so distracted over Amir getting accidentally shot, that the weasel knew it was now or never to turn the tables.

Charlie saw the two, his jaw slowly dropping and the confusion rising more than it already was, as he saw Sandy as well, the female running to Amir's aid quickly and applying pressure to the wound.

"WE NEED STIMPAK!" She yelled out desperately.

"AMIR!" Both Ryan and Dion yelled, aiding the female right away, Dion holding Amir's shaking paw as the bunny was going into a shock.

"I-I- I didn't mean to! I-I thought that he was! -" That is as far as the otter got in his apology until Rob realized what was happening behind Charlie.

...

(Welcome To Tahoe! [Clint Mansell])

...

"C-C-CHARLIE!" The raccoon mustered with his wounded strength to warn before Charlie woke up to the situation.

"SHOOT THEM ALL!" Calvin ordered the two, having gathered himself from the floor and tacking Charlie with a powerful jump from the side.

The tiger and the mouse saw that this was their moment, not hesitating to follow the command of a more favorable command.

Richard and Sax took their guns out, starting to aim at the ones that would need to be shot first. Mel and Rob.

"DION! RYAN! HIDE BEHIND THE DOOR!" Charlie yelled loudly as he hit the floor, the weasel desperately trying to hit him as he was now on top of the dog.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

The bullets started to fire, the room turning into madness quickly.

Both Dion and Ryan ran past Mel and Rob, Sandy yelling them that she would try to protect Amir. Everything went so chaotic so fast, that Ryan and Dion had to just obey their father's command. They managed to run out of the room fast, Rob slamming the door closed from the panel after them to make sure the bullets would not reach them by any chance.

"STOP THIS!" Sandy begged, yelling as she was trying to hold Amir's paw and desperately doing anything to save his life.

But the echoes of the bullets clouded it all.

Charlie's gun had been lost from the grip and fallen onto the floor after Calvin's attack on him.

The two were wresting on the floor, as Sandy just laid on the floor, wishing none of the bullets would hit them.

Robert shot right at Richard, the bullet scarping his side and making the mouse yell out, jumping to cover of a nearby wooden box.

Sax instead moved confidently towards the two, blasting his gun towards Mel. The tiger had the advantage of being calmer under this situation and determined to win this fight, as he was accurate.

One of the shots by Sax hit Mel right in his stomach, the other scraping the side of his forehead.

The otter collapsed against the wall behind him, his gun going off now randomly towards Sax and missing each bullet, the otter yelling to the tiger.

"SAX-Don't! -"

BLAM!

The tiger shot Mel right in the head, killing him instantly and the otter's body becoming lifeless.

"SAX!" Robert yelled in rage as he witnessed his friend getting murdered, shooting and hitting Sax right in his lower arm, the tiger giving a roar and quickly getting behind the chair Charlie had been cuffed into.

Meanwhile, as the firefight was going on, Charlie was busting Calvin's head in without effort.

He kept smashing his head with his fist, Calvin's eyes rolling back each time from the impact and trying to groan out, but only blood came out. Charlie was beating him to death, yelling at the weasel.

"You fucking coward!"

The weasels head kept nodding back and forth as the powerful punches were breaking his face into horrible shape.

Rob tried to shoot at Sax, the tiger coming out of his cover at the same time and attempting to do the same.

CLICK

CLICK

Both had run out of bullets. The furious gazes turned into confused realization that neither of them had ammo to continue the fight.

"CHARLIE! STOP, RIGHT NOW!" Richard ordered his gun pointing at Charlie.

The moment the mouse had realized that none of them had ammo anymore, except him, he came out of his cover and approached Charlie, pointing the firearm at the side of his head from a meter away.

The brown-furred husky stopped punching the weasel on the floor, turning to look at the mouse with a furious gaze and smiling, Richard freezing.

"You were ready to gun my children down just now. I have decided that none of you leave alive from here."

"I AM THE ONE WITH THE GUN, CHARLIE! IT'S OVER!" Richard yelled at the dog like he was talking crazy.

"Shrh... Shoot... Shoot him..." Calvin grumbled with a painful voice, his mouth just leaking blood all the way down the side of his muzzle, looking like he was about to pass out.

"... Do it. Do it now." The tiger said from the side to the mouse, encouraging him to end this now that he had the chance.

"Come on then, Richard. Do it. Shoot me." Charlie laughed out with his bloodied fist like the thought was just as amusing as Calvin killing him.

The mouse was hesitating. His paw was shaking, and he felt pure intimidation over Charlie looking at him the way he did.

"RICHARD, DO IT! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" Sax roared to the mouse.

"He doesn't want to do it... Because he knows that he can still be saved from his fate, unlike you." Charlie said confidently.

"C-Charlie..." Sandy suddenly said from the side, finally having the courage to speak as the bullet storm was over.

Everyone turned to look at Sandy, the crying raccoon holding the bunny's paw and whispering.

"Stop this... Please... All of you... Stop it. R-Richard... Put down the gun." She begged from the bottom of her heart.

"... Sandy... Is he?..." Charlie questioned quietly, already knowing the answer and feeling how painful it was to realize and soak in the tragedy in the middle of the adrenaline.

"... No... But he doesn't have much time. I can barely feel the pulse." Sandy said, seeing small relief on Charlie's face over the fact that he wasn't at least dead.

"... I can't have that." Charlie said, sighing and turning to look at Richard, giving apologizing nod.

"As I already said... I'm sorry, but I can't honor my son's wish at this moment anymore. Sorry." Charlie said.

Suddenly, the door opened once again, Dion and Ryan rushing into the room just in time. They had listened behind the door cautiously, but the moment they had heard what Charlie was about to do, they rushed in to stop it. At least, Dion did. He didn't manage to yell in time stop his father.

"What do you-?" Was the only thing Richard managed to say before Charlie jumped off from top fo Calvin, quickly leaping to push the gun down and punching Richard in his throat with a karate chop.

The mouse's eyes widened, and before he could break out air to gasp at this moment, Charlie calmly walked behind him, placing his paws on the side of Richard's head.

"DAD!" Dion yelled, Charlie closing his eyes so they wouldn't meet with his sons, ashamed, but knowing it had to be done.

With a calculated use of strength, the husky made a strong and fatal twist, breaking Richard's neck with a loud crunch sound.

CRKK!

The mouse let out barely a squeak, his body collapsing dead on the floor.

Dion was about to scream in terror, Ryan looking like what he had seen was unreal, until the tiger roared for the death of his friend.

".... You... YOU FUCKING-!" Sax let out in a rage, storming towards Charlie, trying to rip him to pieces with his bare claws.

Charlie calmly just took a stance, placing himself ready for the attack.

The tiger took a full-body swing with his right fist, trying to knock Charlie out.

The dog took a light step, leaning away from the attack without effort and side kicking the tiger in his stomach.

The tiger roared, using his claws to swing at Charlie from the side with his left paw, Charlie catching the arm after dodging the attack, pressing his thumb into the bullet wound Robert had caused.

"AAAAAAAHHH!" The tiger cried out, falling to his knees from the pain and Charlie letting go of his hand after having pushed the bullet deeper.

Charlie calmly picked up the gun laying on the floor from Richard's dead body, sighing as he took the clip out to check if there were still bullets in it. Two left.

Charlie slid the magazine back.

"Ch-Charlie-" Sandy tried to whisper, begging Charlie not to do it.

The tiger desperately tried to hit Charlie, only to get kneecap kick right at his jaw.

The tiger felt his jaw dislocate a bit, the dog giving out a grunt, slightly having hurt his knee as well. He then spoke.

"Don't make it harder for yourself, Sax."

The dog calmly aimed the gun at Sax's face, the tiger still holding his trembling and bleeding hand and gazing upon Charlie.

The husky had no remorse on his gaze as he spoke.

"Any last words?"

"DAD! DAD STOP THIS!" Dion begged, crying out and Ryan taking him by his wrist to stop him from interfering, too scared to do it himself.

"... I'm sorry." Charlie said to his sons with painful tone, but had no mercy, as he aimed the gun at the side of Sax's head.

The tiger groaned, speaking to Charlie with nothing but pure disgust.

"... You are a fucking monster, Winchester. We should have killed you the moment you came through our vault do-"

BLAM!

Charlie shot Sax in the face in cold blood, the bullet going through and making a small spray of blood against the floor.

The tiger slowly fell down onto the floor, Charlie dropping the gun onto the ground and taking a deep breath.

"Yeah... Maybe you should have." Charlie said quietly.

... The silence came into the room, except for the groans and panting of Calvin and Rob, both injured hard.

Amir was making barely noise at all.

"... I'm sorry.... I'm.... It had to be done. It's over now." Charlie said, everyone in the room staring at him with face of terror. All except Robert... And Ryan. They felt something different in that moment.

"... Jesus Christ, Charlie..." Robert said, sitting against the floor and holding his bleeding neck. "I'm... Dion... It had to be done... Ryan... You were supposed to stay behind the door." "You..." Dion whispered, crying and wanting to just escape the room, squeezing Ryan's paw.

Dion and Ryan both gazed upon the dead mouse and the tiger from where they stood, not able to say anything. They both felt fear towards their father at this moment, not knowing what to say or do. This was a memory that would not leave. Yet, it was clear that Dion was more horrified than his brother.

Charlie was anxiously moving around, feeling like the faces his sons had were pushing him down on the ground. This was the last thing he had wanted his sons to see. And yet... There was no taking it back.

He then spoke restlessly.

"I know this has been the most horrible day of your lives... But right now, we need to do our part. Ryan, Dion. Sandy. Carry Amir and Robert to the med bay as fast as you can. Use the stimpak's from his broken cabin. There should be a few left. I will not have them die today. I will take care of... This mess here."

For Dion's shock, Ryan acted quickly, nodding at the command hesitantly and moving to help Amir.

Sandy was quick to help the fox, Dion still standing and shivering, as he cut off the intense gaze between his father, who looked like he wanted to apologize thousand times at once. There was no fixing the picture Dion had known his whole life. The husky's legs wobbled out of fear still as he slowly arrived to Robert, helping the raccoon up.

"Mel... We... He's..." Rob spoke, finally breaking out to cry a bit as he took an assist from Dion, the husky waking up from the staring between him and his father. He quickly helped Rob, realizing he had meant Mel.

Dion gazed as the dead otter was sitting there with a bullet hole in his head, making the dog think he was about to lose his sanity for a moment as all of this gruesomeness, blood, and death. He tried to keep it together and just work on some primitive coping mechanism.

Yet failed.

Dion fell down momentarily, Robert letting go as the young husky puked onto the stairs, not able to hold it in anymore. He had been holding it for a long time now, ever since even hearing the idea of his father having killed Xavier without remorse.

Charlie felt himself get sick just seeing his son like this, knowing it was all a trauma he would never get over from. How could he? Ultimately, Charlie himself knew he made all this happen by his own actions, just like Calvin had said. Ryan quickly aided his brother, looking over his shoulder at concerned Charlie.

"Dion- we just need to get out of here, come on-!"

"I'M FINE!!!!" Dion screamed, his voice screaming nothing but.

The yell scared everyone. Dion quickly tried to hold the tears in, trying to fight the feeling of getting sick in his stomach again, so he wouldn't puke.

"I got him! You help Robert with her!" Dion yelled at the fox, shoving him away and taking Amir to his hold.

It didn't truly help that the bunny was spitting blood all over his shoulder, but Dion just felt like he was about to pass out. He needed to get out. He could not bear to look at his father or the bodies anymore. The harsh, cold reality.

The dog quickly started to carry the bunny, Ryan forgetting how strong his brother could be. And apparently more so under all this stress. Dion had already carried Amir all the way up the stairs, gone from their vision. But the sounds of him crying were still heard.

Charlie felt broken, but Ryan gave him a look that tried to give some slight comfort, speaking to him quietly.

"I'll calm him down. You do what you have to do, dad."

Ryan began carrying Robert with Sandy, all of them avoiding the mess Dion had made on the stairs.

The door closed behind them, and Charlie was left alone in the room.

Well, besides Calvin.

The weasel was still twitching on the floor by his feet, trying to make sense of what was going on anymore. All he saw was blinking lights after Charlie's beating.

Charlie wanted to feel the rest. The feeling of victory at this moment. His opponent's dead... Calvin beaten... New future for the vault arriving.

But had it been worth it?

The gaze that Dion had given to him. That gaze of disgust, hate. And most of all, fear.

It was something that hurt more than bullets, words or ill intents.

To know that the day had already arrived. When your son would learn the harsh truth about who his parent really was. Not just by his bold words he had given on that chair when cuffed... His confessions in order to intimidate Calvin...

But by his actions. Killing in cold blood, without hesitation and remorse. Breaking the promise to his child of seeing things his way. To forgive and give a second chance.

Charlie turned to look at Calvin on the floor, feeling like he just wanted to get it over with. To shoot the weasel in the head and be just done with it all.

He was the last threat left to him in the vault.

And the last one to deserve any kind of sympathy.

But as Charlie saw him crawling on the floor... He just didn't know if it was truly needed. To kill this desperate, pathetic and broken man at this moment.

Would there be any kind of reward for trying things Dion's way? To even try thinking about it?

To even try to forgive and see if there was a truth to what Dion said?

Instead of living by the violent and angry instincts that had carried themselves inside this place ten years ago inside his heart?

"... H-help... S-someone..." Calvin sobbed, feeling like his broken face was on fire.

Charlie balled his fist... Wondering if a firm kick in the back of the weasel's neck would be a mercy kill at this point... Or one more reason for his son to hate him.

The husky kept thinking... And as he saw the weasel beg and grumble on the floor helplessly, the dog sighed and spoke quietly.

"I guess it is your lucky day, Calvin... Because I'm going to let you live. But so help me god, if Amir didn't make it alive in time, or Robert for that matter... I will forget the fact that my son ever pleaded for your life. If you survive all this, and you are ready to admit your wrongs... Maybe you redeem a piece of yourself as a man... And my son will know that I am ready to do things his way."

There was nothing but grunting as an answer from the weasel who most likely didn't even understand the words in his state.

Charlie slowly turned to look at the doorway, hearing last of the noises of the others leaving the area.

But his gaze froze to Mel.

The dead otter was sitting there, his open eyes gazing down and blood falling down from the small bullet hole that was up from his right eyebrow.

The dog slowly picked up his P226 from the floor with a somber gaze, walking slowly over to Mel's body and kneeling down.

He closed the otter's eyelids slowly and whispered quietly.

"I'm sorry, Mel... You didn't deserve to die this way. This is going to be hard for Robert... For all of us. But you chose the right thing. To protect Niles and make sure he is safe. May your soul rest."

Charlie sighed as he felt like it was not enough. This otter had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had known him for 10 years and considered him a good friend. But in his mistake, he might have accidentally killed Amir. It was hard to explain how he felt. Partly disgust towards himself over the fact that he did not shed a tear for the otter as many would have... Because the people in this vault were not truly his friends. They only had lived in the image of what they thought was Charlie Winchester... They had not fought or bled beside him. They were not comrades. In the end, they knew nothing of Charlie except for what he had shown them... And that true lack of sadness towards losing a man he had called a friend ten years now... It made him wonder.

Did he do all this just to feel something? To awake some kind of signs in himself to prove that he still owned feelings like everyone else?

That this true feeling of loneliness he had felt for a long time had not made him hollow inside?

END