THE END (part 2)

Chuck cursed, pulled a knife out and shredded the straps holding the armour vest on. Wrenched the vest out of the way. Placed his ear against Dannys chest. No pulse. No respiration.

Chuck started to pound rhythmically at Dannys chest, trying to restart his heart.

"No kid! Don’t do this to me. Too many people have died today." He looked up at Anya momentarily, snarling "Close that wound in his head! Breathe damn you! I'm not letting you go too."

The wound closed quickly, flesh knitting together, hiding the exposed bone.

Anya fought the wave of tiredness that threatened to overwhelm her and thumbed back Dannys eyelids, the whites of his eyes were showing.

Anya felt for a pulse on Dannys neck again, found nothing. She looked back at where Chuck was still working, sweat running off him. Chuck looked up momentarily, and she shook her head slowly.

"He's gone. There was nothing we could have done. He wanted to die."

Chuck sat back, staring at the body in front of him in disbelief.

Anya quietly stood, meaning to give Chuck a minute alone. The dwarf had known Danny a lot longer than she had. She had liked him though, in the short time she had known him., This strange, haunted young man. Tears started building again.

Chuck kneeled by the body, didn’t really notice Anya walk away, Her head in her hands.

He shook his head in disbelief. Frustration at how many deaths he had been unable to prevent building inside him. He pounded on the body with a meaty fist, the rage inside him exploding.

"Damn you!"

Thump

"You saved us all!"

Thump

"And now you spite us by doing this!

Thump

"Come back, damn you!"

Danny opened his eyes. He didn’t know where he was, the lights here were bright, everything was white, clean, a hospital? Something told him it wasn’t. Nothing here was familiar. But he did recognize the pair facing him. Max from FreeHold and Lileth, his one love, and ex shadowrun partner. He struggled to his feet. All the aches and pains he had picked up in the fight in FreeHold had disappeared. He looked in puzzlement at the two facing him.

"Where am I?"

Max grinned his big tusky grin and glanced sidelong at Lileth, sharing a private joke.

"Where you think you are?"

"A hospital? No, it cant be.."

Lileth nodded at him. "Why not? Why cant it be a hospital?"

Dannys brow furrowed in puzzlement "Because your both dead. I saw you both die.... so this cant be a hospital....oh."

Lileth nodded, "So you know where you are now. We're dead, exactly like you said, and so are you. Your suicide attempt worked."

Danny stared from on to the other in puzzlement.

Max took over the explanation. "Chuck and Anya tried to stop you, Chuck almost did. The bullet didn’t take your brain out, like youse planned. It ripped the side of your face open" He touched the side of Dannys head in two places "From here to here, right down to the bone. The shock stopped your heart."

Danny smiled uncertainly,

"So I'm dead? I'm with you now?"

He looked at Lileth. Nothing could separate them now. He reached out a hand to her, tentatively. She took his hand in both of hers. Her eyes full of sadness.

"I'm sorry Danny, you cant stay."

"Why? What do you mean?"

Max looked at him, his habitual grin vanishing.

"Sorry Kid, you gotta go back."

Danny tried to back away from the two, shaking his head. He tried to pull away, but Lileth refused to release his hands.

"NO! I'm dead! it's over, please don’t make me go! There’s nothing there for me now!"

Max pointed past him. "Nothing there for you? What about them?"

Danny turned. Behind him wasn’t the white that pervaded everything else here.

He saw the sewer. Anya and Chuck frantically working on his body, trying to start his heart. Chuck was cursing steadily, Anya was in tears. The people they had saved huddling nearby.

"They don’t need me. They're safe now."

Lileth came up behind him, rested her head on his shoulder, her arms circling his waist.

"Are they safe? watch."

The view changed, showing another tunnel. Men in body armor, wearing breather masks and IR goggles and carrying guns. They were moving through the tunnels quietly, intent on the hunt. Danny recognized them as the same people who had destroyed the centre. Destroyed his life. Now they were hunting those that had escaped.

"Max, They're the ones that.."

"Yeah, they're the ones that killed me."

"Danny, you cant let those others die. Your the only one who can stop it."

He turned to face Lileth, Pleading.

"But I'll loose you again, please.... don’t make me go, I miss you."

She pushed him gently away, and he started to tumble, Max and Lileth vanished, and the last thing he remembered was a faint impression of her hands on his face, a ghostly kiss and a distant voice.

"I know, and I'm sorry, But it must be like this. It's not your time yet. Now save those people.

I love you"

Anya watched from several meters away. Chuck was out of control, pounding on the body with all his strength, screaming obscenities. The body twitched with each impact. Then just as Chuck was raising his fist for another blow, a noise came from the body. A ragged breath being drawn.

Anya ran across, screaming at Chuck not to strike again, she knelt on the floor and put her ear on Dannys chest.

"come on, please, come on..."

A faint and unsteady heartbeat was just audible, another breath, drawn with extreme difficulty, then a cough.

Chuck grabbed Dannys head and tilted it to one side, Danny coughed again, spraying the floor with blood that had leaked into his mouth..

"Good boy, just you keep breathin’."

Danny took another shuddering breath, coughed and tried to speak.

"Lileth....please don’t go..."

"Say what kid?"

Danny struggled into a sitting position, tears trickling down his face, he felt weak as a day old kitten.

"Nothing, forget it. We cant stay here, it's not safe."

"Wha?"

Danny drew a sleeve across his face, wiping the tears away "Chuck, you must trust me on this. They're coming. They found the manhole we used. They're in the sewers right now."

Chuck stared down at the shaking human. "Damn, we gotta move. Can you walk?"

"I'll manage. Give me my gun, I may need it."

Danny staggered to his feet, swaying. Anya grabbed his arm, let him lean on her.

Chuck was already shouting at the survivors, getting them ready to move.

Anya looked up at Danny, his face streaked with dirt and blood, his tears had left little clean tracks through the grime.

"How do you know?"

Danny blinked and looked down at the elf girl supporting him

"Sorry?"

"How do you know they're coming after us?"

Pain showing in his eyes, Danny looked away.

"An old friend told me."