Gunshots rang outside. Caught off guard by his friend's disappearance, Vash just continues to stare straight out the door to the small chapel. He's gone, was all Vash could think. Gunfire nicking off the side of the building brought him back to the present. He has two more to take care of.
# # #
I'll have to assume the fight's being taken to the outskirts with Cain. Nicholas leans against some vacated building as he tries to catch his breath. He tries to wiggle his fingers to stop from losing the feeling in them."Hmph," he grumbles. "Where's my bike…"
Gun drawn, Nicholas makes his way through the eerily still town, trying to stay in the shadows. By the time he reaches his bike, his left arm is now limp. "Shit," he mutters, tossing the gun to the ground and reaching for his tools. He would have to finish up the work he started before he will be able to take off.
He works quickly and is on the beast in under fifteen minutes. He fumbles with his left arm and gets it inside his jacket so it wouldn't bother him during the drive. This seems dangerous, he thinks, looking back and forth between his one good arm and the handlebars. Do I lean on them? As if the situation could get much worse.
Somehow, Nicholas kicks off and starts out into the desert. He thinks back and remembers the closest town is Providencia, arond sixty-something miles to the east.
Along the way, a clump of buildings appears out of seemingly nowhere. Understanding he probably cannot make it much further, Nicholas stops for help. Once inside what appears to be the perimeter, Nicholas dismounts his bike and leaves it outside a small house. He walks around to the front and knocks as heavily as he can on the door. He blinks and the world moves. Glancing down at his shoulder he realizes how bad the situation really is.
"Hello?" he weakly calls. There is no answer, but a rustling can definitely be heard on the other side of the door. "Is anyone there?" he tries. " …." he starts, but the world slips away.
# # #
Once the threat has been safely diffused, Marlene opens her door to look at the visitor slumped against it. Her eyes widen when she realizes how hurt he is, and she runs to get help from the closest thing they have to a doctor: Rado.
Rado is the town's medicine man; more than a doctor. He knows how to treat wounds and help the sick but he never became an official doctor. He works for low fees and is content to help the people around him. When he arrives at the young woman's house and kneels beside the fallen Nicholas, he is surprised the man got this far, considering how unclean and full of sand his wound is.
The two townspeople manage to get him inside the healer's house and Rado sets to work on cleaning the wound. It is no easy task, and Nicholas appears to be coming down with something, to boot.
"Will he be alright?" Marlene tentatively asks as she gets ready to leave. She eyes the unconscious man warily.
The corners of Rado's mouth turn downwards. "Don't know. We'll find out soon enough…" When the lady leaves, he wipes some sweat from his head and sighs. He tries to allay his nervousness by remembering the man's words; that strange visitor. He picks up a syringe and walks steadily towards the unconscious priest. "Sorry, buddy, it has to be this way."
# # #
Note: Sorry it takes me so long to update.. Been swamped with work and got sick. Hope you enjoyed another cliffhanger ;)