"Actually, I could smell you." Rose grinned, flashin her fangs.

"Or did you forget? And don't worry: I fed not too long ago."

Seth and Rose chatted the entire time back, and he decided he liked her. She was a good person. He also felt good about himself. He was just a Human. He didn't have any special racial skills or enhancements, yet he was able to bring down three of those beasts. He laughed to himself as he thought "I've still got it." He hoped his leg would heal quick so that he could start training himself and become an asset to the group here.

Rose was warming to him, until she killed the mood.

"Travis isn't coming back, is he?"

Seth's face went from jovial to somber. "Who knows. He isn't that sure. I certainly do hope he comes back. But as for right now, our mission was accomplished. We were support for you two. I hope he got just as lucky as I did."

Rose's face looked gaurded. "So he just leaves and doesn't even bother to say goodbye?"

Tears were in her eyes and Rose turned her head.

Seth grabbed her by the wrist. "He told me to tell you something, but he never finished. You were already gone, but it sounded like he was gonna say a goodbye. Look, you may know him better than me, but he seems to be a capable fighter, and he's got a sensible head on his shoulders. I'm almost positive he'll be back"

Rose didn't look convinced.

"I just wish he knew something..."

"I don't have the experience you have in this battlefield, but I have made it through one war. Men with good heads generally make it through. I got reckless, didn't use a silencer. Thus I got beat down. Now, I'm gonna stay wherever you drop me off, cause I can't walk too well right now, and you go to your room and get some rest. Is there a surgeon or anything that can take this bullet out? The damn thing didn't pass through"

"Ask Max, but don't surprise her or she'll kick you ass."

Rose walked off, rubbing her temples. She went to her and Max's room and fell asleep quickly.

Seth decided he would ask Max tomorrow. He ripped a part of his shirt off, and used it as a bandage for his knee. He grimaced, as the contact hurt, and leaned against the wall to support him on his walk back to the office. He threw his M8 on the table, and stumbled to his couch that served as a bed. He put his head down, and immediately fell into a restless sleep.

Max screamed and ran out of the lab. "I DID IT!" She yelled and danced around, smiling widely.

Seth was pulled out of his dreams by Max's screaming. "Jesus." He pulled himself up, and using an unloaded shotgun as a cane, he walked down the hallway to reach Max, and then asked "What did you get?"

The thick pea-soup fog had surrounded HQ, lowering visibility to almost nothing. At mid-afternoon a sentry on the outer walls signaled that a soldier was incoming. Max, Rose and Seth rushed outside, hearing the call distracted them from Maxs' breakthrough.

Travis felt half dead...or maybe half alive. He couldnt tell. Most of what he did see was blurred beyond recognition. His right eye was closed, he couldnt open it because of the massive amount of dried blood covering his face. His left eye was only half open, and his eyelashes kept getting in the way of what he was trying to see. Each step he took sent a wave of pain through his righthand side. It felt like someone was drawing a sword up his body. When the streak of pain hit his head, Travis had to fight to keep from falling over. About ten or twleve bullet holes marked his right leg, and three or four were scattered around the left side of his body.

As he neared what he hoped was HQ, he recalled the fight. His Lockheart Sniper Rifle had jammed, and his Tochi Automatic Shotgun had run out of ammo. He had no frags or flashbangs left, his pistols had run dry, and his new M-4K5 was runnung low on clips. Desperate to delay the Lycans in some way, he charged them, the chainsaw on the M-4K5 revved and spinning furiously.

Thats when he saw him, the biggest Lycan he had ever laid eyes on. It was a wolf, a man as big as him. They charged each other, the Lycan with a sword, Travis with a spinning chainsaw. Before they could make contact, the Lycan turned into a wolf and pounced on Travis. His M-4K5 was thrown out of his hands, the screaming chainsaw cut a Lycan in half as it fall to the earth. The wolf tried to claw and bite Travis, but he managed to throw him off before he could do anything. Thats when ther other Lycans started shooting. Bullets flew into his right side, into his left side, past his head. He ran as fast as his body could move, restricted by his armor and his wounds.

A rocket soared past his head a blew a hole open in a Deli across from him. He jumped into it and the roof collapsed. He guessed the Lycans thought he was dead, they never came after him. He tore his shirt to shreds making turnikits to try and stop the bleeding. Using what little strenght he had, he got up and started moving back toward the direction he though HQ was in. Thats when he realized a large hunk of metal was sticking out of his left shoulder. Surprisingly all he could think about was Rose, Max and Seth...that and how he had lost his new gun. He was weaponless, wounded and slow, and he was teetering on the edge of giving up.

Then he though of the day before. How Max smiled when he laughed, how Rose's eyes lit up when she looked at him, and how Seth had promised his old M-4K5 was in the best of hands. He kept moving, determined not to stop.

Now, teetering on the edge of the abyss, he saw his three best friends with crystal clarity. Everything else was blurred but their faces, they shone like the morning sun. Travis looked up at them and smiled, then clattered to the ground.

Rose was worried and it was obvious to the others. Her hair was tangled and she was wearing the same bloody clothes she ahd on the run. She hadn't slept and her eyes were thirsty, signalling she needed to hunt.

But Rose refused to leave Travis. They had found him, god knows how, and Max had tried all she could to keep him alive. The wait was unbearable and everyone was tense.

Rose stared at Travis, fighting sleep in case he woke up. She started talking to distract herself. "You idiot, running off without sayin goodbye to me. You better be glad Max knew what she was doing. Please don't ever do that agin, I couldn't bear it. You know that. And I..." Rose paused, not sure if she should continue when the others could be listening.

Seth touched Rose on the shoulder. "I'll leave you two alone. It's obvious that you need some time together. And Travis, don't worry about losing that gun. I've put a little time into upgrading your old one." Seth walked over to max, and asked "Would you mind trying to pull this bullet out of my knee? It's starting to be a nuisance."