A/n: This is my first lengthy fanfiction! I used some dialogue from the game, so those pieces are surrounded by double quotes. In all honesty, Rahim's death killed me. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Dying Light.

The past few nights had been rough, but fortunately, Crane's hunt for bolter tissue hadn't been in vain. The experiment with the tissue had brought new leads, and the next step was to get the samples to Dr. Camden as soon as possible. After it was decided that Crane would make the trip, Dr. Zere quickly ushered Crane out of his makeshift lab. Just as Crane was leaving and planning for the next steps, His radio suddenly hissed to life, Rahim's frantic voice on the other end.

'"Hey. Crane. You there? Omar and I went to blow up that nest."'

This was definitely not part of the next steps.

'"You what?! Fucking hell, Rahim, that was MY job!"' Crane yelled, glaring at the fence that lead outside the safe zone.

'"Oh, right, 'cause you're more qualified to handle explosives than I am! You're just a goddam tourist!"' He spat, then in haste said, '"But listen- we messed up. Messed up bad. We're on the overpass and it's all going to shit!"'

'"Head to the trainyard! Find a place to hide! I'm on my way!"' said Crane as he quickly made his way up a crate to get over the safe zone gate.

'"Omar! Behind you! Behind you!"' Rahim yelled just as his radio cut out.

'"Rahim? Rahim! Goddamn it!"' Crane yelled. He quickly made his way over the fence and onto the street, dialing Brecken before making his way up a set of stairs.

'"Brecken? Brecken do you copy?"'

'"Yeah I copy. What is it?"' asked Brecken, a tinge of alarm in his voice.

'"I'm on my way to get Rahim"' said Crane.

'"Rahim? He's here in the tower."' said Brecken.

'"No, he's not. He and Omar went to blow that nest, and now they're in trouble. I'm close, I'll get him to safety, Brecken."'

'"You damn well better. You save him, you hear me? You save him so I can kick his fucking ass!... Does Jade know about this?"' Brecken asked.

'"No… she doesn't"' Crane sighed.

'"Well for God's sake don't tell her, she'll go out looking for him and I don't need her getting herself killed too. Goddamn it!"' Brecken yelled before cutting out.

Optimism was not on Crane's side this time. His blood ran cold despite the burn of his muscles as he quickly made his way over buildings and railings. He questioned why Rahim would make such a stupid decision, and a sudden memory made its way into his mind. "If I go out, I'd rather go out doing something" Rahim had said in his frustration on the rooftop of the tower. The sudden realization of his intentions made Crane pick up his speed. If this was Rahim's way of "doing something," he simply wouldn't allow it.

He finally made his way onto the overpass, and from his position, he could see the signs of Rahim's and Omar's struggle. As he approached, the signs only got worse and the soft squelch of flesh under his boots was the only thing that greeted him. His stomach churned. '"Oh shit.. This is not good… where the hell are you…"' he murmured to himself.

His eyes drifted to the multiple bodies on the cement where the blood of the infected mixed in with those who aided Rahim and Omar. His mouth went dry as his eyes lingered on a body whose layers of shirts and dark hair reminded him too much of Rahim. He quickly kneeled next to the body and flipped them over, holding his breath. The flip felt like an eternity, but as the face was finally revealed, he released a relieved shaky breath. He scanned the area, and his eyes landed on another familiar body. Standing slowly, he made his way over to them and flipped them. From his kneeled position, he punched in Brecken's number.

'"Becken, it's me. I found Omar's body on the overpass but no trace of Rahim."'

'"Shit… Any idea were hed go?"' asked Brecken.

'"I told him to hide in the train yard."' said Crane as he took a quick look-over at the destruction.

'"You find him, you hear me? That little bastard better be alive"' growled Brecken, a threat in his words but fear in his tone.

Just below the overpass was the trainyard and its warehouses. From the overpass, a bus had crashed through the side wall and rested on the roof of one of the warehouses, making the cross a little bit easier. Crane leapt onto the roof of the building and made his way to the farthest warehouse, merely assuming Rahim's location. He hoped he was right.

After making his way off of the roof and onto the railway, a splatter of blood caught his attention just a few feet from the entrance of the warehouse. Bloody handprints and footprints stained the cement that lead to the door- the struggle clear from the positioning of the smears. Crane's stomach dropped. His hands shook as he opened the door and made his way inside. The groans and snarls of the dead echoed inside the building, and from within one of the train cars came a familiar voice.

'"THATS RIGHT, KEEP COMING YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! I'LL SEND YOU ALL TO HELL!"'

The commotion from within the car kept the zombies drawn to it- their bloody fingers and sharp nails leaving splotches and scratches all over the door. Crane gripped his weapon tightly in his hand and braced himself before charging at them. He had done this so many times before, yet a bit of anxiety sat on his shoulder as he sliced the biters one by one. Knowing that he would soon have to open the door and see Rahim's state-of-being left him uneasy.

Not many zombies had occupied the warehouse, so taking them out had been "simple" enough. Crane took this opportunity to finally grasp the handle of the train car and pull as hard as he could. The rust on the rollers made the job harder than it should have been, however, and the door let out a terrible screech of resistance.

Movement in his peripheral vision made Crane stop and release the handle just as the object of suspicion, a toad, landed on the roof of the car and let out its gurgled cry. Crane moved back a bit and the toad's mucus fell just short of Crane's body- where it landed with a heavy splat on the ground and splashed onto his clothing. He quickly made his way behind a few crates, where he mapped out the fastest way to get onto the roof without suffering too much damage.

The only sounds from within the warehouse were that of Crane's heavy breathing and the gurgling of the infected. Rahim was silent from within the car. Crane questioned if he was too late as he climbed up to the infected and swiftly took it out. Wasting no time, he jumped down and secured his weapon. With cold hands and held breath, he yanked at the door and threw it open.

"Rahim!" Crane yelled, relief flooding his system.

"Crane! I didn't think I'd make it, so I armed the bombs! They'll blow in less than five minutes!" Rahim stated frantically as he pushed the bombs toward him. Crane's eyes first landed on the bombs in surprise then drifted to his leg, his eyes widening.

"Oh shit kid, you're bleeding!"

"Huh? Oh- I cut myself, it's nothing- fuck just plant the bombs!" Rahim said hastily, his hands trembling lightly as he pushed the bombs more insistently in Crane's direction. Uncertainty flashed across Crane's features, eyeing Rahim's leg again. The blood had stained the torn fabric of his pants long ago, yet the continuous leakage left it shiny.

Five minutes, huh?

He promised Brecken he would get him to safety. That's exactly what he intended on doing. If he died trying, so be it. Rahim was just a kid, he was going to make sure he lived to see another day.

"There's a sewer entrance here in the terminal near the west wall. Use that tunnel- it'll take you straight to the hive." he strained as he shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to position his wounded leg.

Seeing his condition, Crane knew he had to act fast. With his plan in mind, he decided it best to leave the train car door open. Taking the bombs gingerly into his hands, he headed toward the sewer entrance. Rahim watched him uncertainly as he disappeared from his line of sight, questioning why he would leave him in an even more vulnerable position than his wound already left him in.

With the bombs in his possession, Crane approached the sewer and peered down the shaft, eyeing the water below.

Perfect

Stretching out his arms, he dropped the bombs into the sewer system. The murky water splashed angrily at the heavy intrusion. From the car, Rahim heard the splash, assuming that Crane had made his descent, but his assumption proved wrong as Crane made his appearance again, empty handed.

"What the hell are you doing!? Where are the bombs?" he shouted. He figured that maybe Crane had come back to ask him a question, but that's what the radio was for! Instead of answering his question, however, Crane promptly lifted himself into the train car and held out his hand to Rahim. "Can you walk? We have to move quickly."

Rahim responded with a cold hurt expression- realizing what Crane had done. Rahim narrowed his eyes. "I can do it myself!" he spat, his arms straining to push himself up. His leg shook in protest at the exertion.

Crane's eyes darted around the car and the warehouse. They didn't have a lot of time, especially for Rahim's signature stubbornness. In one careful quick sweeping motion, he bent down and lifted Rahim into his arms. A sound of protest left his mouth, pain clear on his features.

If I can carry a heavy rebar, I can carry him back to the Tower.

Rahim's right arm hooked around Crane's neck as he made his way to the warehouse exit.

"That bomb could still blow down there. We won't make it back in time! We'll get blown to bits and it'll be all your fault!" he yelled as he squirmed in Crane's grip.

"Hey hey keep it down, will ya? You want to draw out every viral in the area?" Crane asked as he glared down at him. Rahim didn't challenge his glare, however, as he screwed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw. A pained groan squeezed from his throat and his right hand bunched up the fabric of Crane's shirt.

"Crane.." he strained and trailed off, a trickle of blood beginning to make its way from his nose. Crane's eyes widened in alarm, his grip on Rahim tightening. "What the hell.." he breathed. Deciding that it was best to not leave the warehouse yet, he set Rahim down softly. Removing a hunting knife from his belt loop, he tried to carefully cut the stained fabric around Rahim's wound. The fabric stubbornly stuck to some parts of his flesh, causing Rahim to let out small puffs of air between clenched teeth. Once the fabric was cleared, an oozing red and purple bite was revealed. Crane couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"That's a fucking bite wound!" he spat, his hand fumbling for his radio. He frantically punched in Brecken's number. "Brecken? This is Crane. Rahim's been bit."

"He what! Is he…!" Brecken trailed off.

"No no, he's still alive. Look, I don't think we have much time. I need you to meet me in the tower lobby ASAP with some Antizin. Get Lena. I'll save him, Brecken."

From the other end of the radio came frantic shouts at the news and shifting before the radio cut out. With that, Crane promptly picked up Rahim again and shoved open the exit with his back. He had to get him as far away as possible before the bomb killed them both- he knew they had less than three minutes. With the exit now open and Rahim in his arms, he headed in the general direction of the tower. He wove in between crumbling buildings, through putrid alley ways, and across roads congested with the rotting of the dead. Around every corner, filthy hands reached out and jaws filled with sharp cracked teeth snapped at him. He kept a secure grip on Rahim the entire time- whose face was screwed with pain as the infection crawled through his system.

Crane would glance down every so often, checking to see if Rahim was still with him- to make sure he was still alive, still breathing. He would gently squeeze his shoulder and ask him if he was alright- sometimes getting a response, other times getting nothing more than a hiss of pain or a twitch of the arm. At some point he stopped responding. He looked so young, and pity made Crane's heart clench. The fear of not getting him back to the tower in time loomed over his head. The fact that of Rahim could turn in his arms posed as a threat, and a pit formed at the bottom of his stomach. At this point, they had gotten a good distance away from the train yard, so it was one less threat for Crane to worry about.

A sudden jolt from Rahim drew him out of his thoughts. His body began to seize as his system fought the foreign disease- blood beginning to trickle out of his mouth.

"Hey hey kid stay with me.." Crane said frantically. He was almost there, he was going to make it- he just knew it.

As if things couldn't get any worse, the train yard erupted in a sudden powerful explosion. It seemed that luck was not on Crane's side today. From every corner of the slums came the cries of the infected. From out of buildings and sewers came virals, drawn to the noise- but once they saw Crane, they began to give chase.

The tower was in his sights, blood was beginning to trickle from every orifice of Rahim's face not already effected. Picking up his speed, he held Rahim's head to his chest- his blood starting to seep into the fibers of his shirt. Crane's vision was beginning to blur and darken at the edges, his arms shaking from the resistance of Rahim's weight.

In the lobby, Brecken and Lena anxiously waited- behind them was Jade- distraughtly pacing. The sudden explosion made their heads snap up and their hearts sink, fearing the worst. They looked at each other with worry and uncertainty.

However, their fears were dismissed at the sound of Crane's boots hitting the stairs. He had three virals on his tail, one nearly snagging his shirt before he made it under the safety of the UV lights. Realizing that he was out of their reach, the three ran toward the plumes of smoke, following the cries of their infected kin.

Crane panted hard as he he promptly kneeled with Rahim in his lap. No time was wasted in injecting the Antizin into him. With a sigh, Rahim's body relaxed and the convulsions faded- his body going slack in Crane's grip. With Rahim unresponsive, the four looked at eachother in shock. Rahim wouldn't open his eyes- blissfully unaware of Jade's frantic pleas for his awakening and the gentle squeeze of Crane's trembling hand on his shoulder.

A/n: I hope you enjoyed! Constructive criticism is welcome! The next chapter may take a while to come out.