(OPEN) Our Last Goodbye...

[Max Darke]

Max's mouth filled with a salty spurt of blood as she smashed against a tree. She breathed hard, sucking in as much cold air as she could before someone else was smashed into her. "DAVID! I TOLD YOU TO RUN!" She said, spiting out blood. Her half brother and her had gotten thrown into the middle of a monster fight in an attempt to try and save a little kid who had gotten lost. Max was already feeling bad from the flu, so she wasn't in good shape to be fighting a monster. Especially with her half brother weighing her down by jumping in the mix of anything. "NO! I CAN FIGHT JUST AS WELL AS YOU CAN!" He screamed as Max tackled him to the side in an attempt to dodge a swipe from the hell hounds massive paw. Max pulled her dagger out of a tree she had thrown it in and threw it towards the monsters eye after sitting up. It howled in rage and tried to swipe at her, but it was out of reach. It started running towards them when Max reached across the still lying-down Danny and yanked the gun out of his holster and started emptying it into the giant black beast.

"Go back to hell to you stupid," BANG! "annoying," BANG! "son of a" BANG! "overused bitch, and" BANG! "mother of a bratty," BANG! "pathetic," BANG! "weakling, dumbass." She realized that she had walked up to the beast as she unloaded the magazine. She didn't really know how to use it, but it was pretty much point and shoot, as she found out. Her hand went limp and the gun fell out and she looked down, seeing her hand being clutched to her side. She removed it and blood exploded out of it and she fell to her knees. She was bruised, beaten, scarred, punched and anything else you can imagine. Her throat was swollen form the flu, as well as her stomach feeling like hell from the wound there and flu. She was about to throw up, but she couldn't. Some how her throat swelled up as her whole body throbbed and it closed. She could barley breath, sitting in the bloody leaves when was in.

She fell backwards. She couldn't get up, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't see through all the spots that where in her vision. She felt David catch her before she hit the ground and she closed her eyes. She had been through worse, but something inside of her—some gut instinct was telling her it was over. She found herself fighting to stay conscious, but she still shouldn't move. Some how, she started asking herself if she wanted to die. Maybe see Jeanine again? Wandering around in a field seemed a lot better then being in the hellhole people call earth. Then she realized what she was thinking. Jeanine wouldn't have wanted her to go out like that! She would have wanted her to keep on fighting! She wouldn't give up. No matter how much life sucked, it had to be worth living (at least until your not a minor anymore).

She regained her fighting strength just in time to fall into blackness.

- - - -

As soon as David's face hit the ground, blood spurted into his mouth. He breathed heavily, not having the strength to stand. Then there was a gunshot, which made his eyes jerk open. He saw Max taking everything out on the monster. With his gun. Why hadn't he thought of that? That's why he kept it in the first place! Celestial bronze bullets in a stainless steel gun was perfect for killing monsters when his hands got to full. He was sure the hell hound was dead after the fourth shot, but Max seemed to be unloading everything she had. The dark-haired boy grinned. That's my sister. He thought, laughing to himself. He forced himself to get up, shoving himself towards Max, who promptly fell to her knees. He jumped towards her, just in time.

David felt her sister fall into his arms, going limp after a few seconds. Craaaaap. He wrapped his arm around her neck so he could reach the spot where you check pulses. He could still feel it, but it was fading. Without thinking, he picked her up, struggling slightly (she needed to lose some weight!). He carried her bridal-style and she was as lifeless as a doll while he took off running, jumping over twigs and rocks and tree roots. "HELP!" He screamed, "HELP! I NEED A HEALER!" Once he broke through the trees, everyone was staring at him. He was bloody, bruised and bleeding. But at least he was breathing. Of course there wouldn't be any healers anywhere but the infirmary. Duh. So he, once again, hit the ground running. He was breathing heavily, but somehow, he made it.

Once he burst through the doors, all hell broke loose. People took her from him and placed a bowl of ambrosia next to her, and tried to clean the soot and blood from her face. Two girls cut off her shirt to get to her wounds, so David looked away, rattling off what had happened to anyone who would listen, al la ADHD. When he could look back, Max had a bandage along her side, which was under a camisole (they had pushed it up to tend to the wounds, so they just pulled it back down). She also had a bandage along her head, and there was someone feeding her ambrosia. When they cleared up, he sat down next to her and twiddled his thumbs, waiting her to wake up, ignoring the conversation of two healers across the bed, saying how they sent someone out to tell everyone to say their last goodbyes, because she might not live to see them again.

[David Murphy]

As soon as David's face hit the ground, blood spurted into his mouth. He breathed heavily, not having the strength to stand. Then there was a gunshot, which made his eyes jerk open. He saw Max taking everything out on the monster. With his gun. Why hadn't he thought of that? That's why he kept it in the first place! Celestial bronze bullets in a stainless steel gun was perfect for killing monsters when his hands got to full. He was sure the hell hound was dead after the fourth shot, but Max seemed to be unloading everything she had. The dark-haired boy grinned. That's my sister. He thought, laughing to himself. He forced himself to get up, shoving himself towards Max, who promptly fell to her knees. He jumped towards her, just in time.

David felt her sister fall into his arms, going limp after a few seconds. Craaaaap. He wrapped his arm around her neck so he could reach the spot where you check pulses. He could still feel it, but it was fading. Without thinking, he picked her up, struggling slightly (she needed to lose some weight!). He carried her bridal-style and she was as lifeless as a doll while he took off running, jumping over twigs and rocks and tree roots. "HELP!" He screamed, "HELP! I NEED A HEALER!" Once he broke through the trees, everyone was staring at him. He was bloody, bruised and bleeding. But at least he was breathing. Of course there wouldn't be any healers anywhere but the infirmary. Duh. So he, once again, hit the ground running. He was breathing heavily, but somehow, he made it.

Once he burst through the doors, all hell broke loose. People took her from him and placed a bowl of ambrosia next to her, and tried to clean the soot and blood from her face. Two girls cut off her shirt to get to her wounds, so David looked away, rattling off what had happened to anyone who would listen, al la ADHD. When he could look back, Max had a bandage along her side, which was under a camisole (they had pushed it up to tend to the wounds, so they just pulled it back down). She also had a bandage along her head, and there was someone feeding her ambrosia. When they cleared up, he sat down next to her and twiddled his thumbs, waiting her to wake up, ignoring the conversation of two healers across the bed, saying how they sent someone out to tell everyone to say their last goodbyes, because she might not live to see them again.

_______

David couldn't even take it anymore. It sucked big time. What if she died? It would be his fault. And why? Because David Murphy was a total idiot and self-centered, that's why! His foot tapped uncontrollably, and he couldn't stop twitching and fidgeting. His hands never stopped moving. His fingers were either tapping his knee, running through his hair or scratching his face or arm. He was having something of a mini spaz attack when he couldn't help but listen to the two healer's conversation.

"-you think she'll make it?" one said "I doubt it." the other said. David gulped. "She could, though." the first one said "Maxine Darke is known to be strong. A fighter." this comment made David squirm. It was the reason she was hurt. Because she was a fighter, and he wanted to be just as strong. He had been naïve. He had just wanted to prove himself. To show her that he was good at something over than being a total idiot. But just look where that had gotten him.

"Excuse me?" a soft female voice said. David looked up, his brown eyes wide with worry. "Since you brought her here, we thought that it would be appropriate if you go in and say some goodb yes." David wanted to scream at the healer. He wanted to demand that she try harder to fix Max. He wanted to slap her right then and there. But he just bit his lip hard, feeling the skin break and the blood well out. He walked into the curtain and saw her just laying there.

Max had never looked as vulnerable and weak as she did now. Her face was pale, a greenish grayish whitish. Her brown hair was splayed out behind her. Her whole side was bandaged up. Her eyelids were closed lightly. David stood there at the entrance for a moment and then dashed over to her. He felt her wrist. She still had a pulse, but it was fading. He put his palm to her mouth. She was breathing, but it was fading. She was dying. His eyes filled with tears that he held in his eyes. He didn't want to cry. As much as she hated him, he had always been protective of her. He just wanted her to be safe.

"I'm so sorry, Max." he whispered softly. What sort of big brother was he? A real crappy one, that's what sort of big brother he was. "You're gonna die and it's my fault." he bit his lip, and sucked in the blood. Her breath was quickly thinning. His little sister was dying. He was such an idiot. "Bye, Max." he choked out sadly. He felt awful. He felt like shit right then and there as he leaned over her. She was bruised and patched up. David wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his gray long-sleeved shirt and gazed loathingly at the stain it made. He wanted to leave. He didn't want to see his little sister die. His dad was a nut, his sister was almost dead, and his mother was goddess. He didn't have a girlfriend or any other siblings. He had no family left. No one to love. No one to protect. Just look where your proving yourself and protecting others got you. He thought bitterly to himself. He wanted to leave, but he didn't. A force kept him there, watching her die. The thought of her death felt sour.

[Max Darke]

It had been a while, and Max had been fading in and out. She opened her eyes once to see a bunch of people standing over her, then closed her eyes again; seconds later, it seemed, she opened her eyes and she was on a street. She faded out again, and when she awoke she was in the middle of the same street. Usually, this is where I would say, "she wanted to give up so badly" but tthe thing was that Max didn't. She was filled with a hard determination that started when she moved her head enough to try to take in her surroundings. Why... why was she in the middle of the street? She felt tired; not in pain, but exhausted and hungry. She laid back down fully, rubbing her face with her hands. She tried to remember. David, a monster, gun shots. It all came back in severe flashes of memory that gave her a headache just to think about. Gotta find out where I am. She thought, sitting up. She looked around. People were everywhere, but no one noticed her. Then she turned to face front, a motorcycle veered off from the side of the road, straight for her.

It was extremely hard to move, but Max's instincts took over and she rolled out of the way. In the process of doing do, a car ran over her. Except it didn't. Well, not really. It ran over her, but she didn't feel anything. It was strange, because she could feet the ground beneath her, but she suddenly realize that she couldn't focus on the ground. The more she looked, the more she forgot what it looked like. She crawled out of the road, feeling exhausted and hungry, but she slowly got up and started walking. She soon found that she could walk through people. She realized one thing, though; she was dead. She could only process that information, and the information that no one could hurt her. She was starting to gain herself, when there was a burning pain her her chest and she fell over, moaning and clutching her heart. The next thing she knew, she was falling away from the ground, towards the sky like a giant puppet master was controlling her. She closed her eyes, and when she finally faded out of the black, she opened her eyes then quickly shut them again.

She could tell that she was in a white room because of how bright it was. She waited for her eyes to fully adjust before opening them again and trying to focus. This time, there was pain. She saw her brother sitting next to her and theinstant smell of cleaners hit her in a wave. "Where..." she started to say, but then her brain stopped spinning enough for her to answer herself: The infirmary. That's where she was. She instantly started fighting. Fighting for consiousness, fighting to stay alive; every fiber in her being was fighting, clinging on to the skin of this world so she wouldn't die. "David... get your ass closer... hurts to talk..." She wheezed through a broken chest, trying to sit up but failing. She could feel herself slipping, but she refused to let go.

"I'm not saying I'm gonna die, I'm not saying I'm not, but you need to listen to me." She had known it was coming for a while; she had been counting down her days since Jeanine had died. "Let go of me. I had a sister who died, and I never let go. It's where most of my problems route." She spluttered, coughing. "If I die, then you need to let go. If I don't die, you need to accept the-" She coughed more, "-the fact that I might die soon... it's been coming..." She relaxed, still fighting to not fade. "It's not... not your fault... live and let die. If you don't, then I'm coming back to haunt your ass." She somehow found the strength to move her arm to his neck, grab his shirt and yank him towards her. "And I'm serious, so... so..." She coughed again, her hand fell, and her eyes closed. She wasn't dead, not yet.

[Natasha Pierce]

It's Nothing You Did, No Nothing
You Said!

Almost tripping over her own feet Natasha moved towards the Big House Infirmary, she was working on her shadow travel. Getting better wasn't exactly the words she'd use to describe her progress but she wasn't passing out anymore. She simply wanted some ambrosia to steady her up. Since her brother left for his quest she had been a complete mess. She'd been spending her days alone, she wasn't eating or showing up to meals and getting absolutely no sleep. The bags under her eyes must be amazing she thought.

Reaching the steps of the big house she felt a pain in her head. She had never felt this before. Doubling over in pain she clutched the rail to the stairs. "What is going on?" she said out loud. Now she really needed to get to the infirmary. She bustled along the halls. She was reaching the infirmary doors when she heard whispers and sobs and the pain in her head stopped, weird. She pressed herself to the walls outside the infirmary.

Peeking in she saw a familiar face from around camp. It was David he was a son of Nike and was kneeling beside a girl laying on one of the canvas stretchers, her hand limp around his neck. "Oh Gods" she let slip through as a whisper, finally understanding her pain on the steps. It startled her, she didn't know she had that power. The power to feel the deaths struggle to stay alive. She leaned a little further in to try and get a better look, she couldn't.

Natasha walked in and looked at the girls weak and vulnerable figure on the canvas it was none other then Max Darke, David's sister. Her heart broke right then and there as her face dropped. The situation only made her think of her and Mitch and how she would feel to lose her brother. She moved closer to David, they were never the best of friends but she figured that no one should be going through this alone. She would never tell David directly but there was no denying it, Max Darke was dying. Glancing at David, Natasha saw the pain and sorrow etched across his face, sitting down next to him she put her hand on his arm to let him know that she was there, that he wasn't alone.

words:391
outfit:Click!
tagged: Max Darke, David Murphy, OPEN
notes: hope it's OK for me to join this.