A/N: H-Hey everyone! I'm, I'm really, really sorry about my long disappearance. I kind of lost all inspiration for all things Scout, so it was nearly impossible to try and even write a word or two. But I think I've gotten back into the swing of things (don't ask how, because it involves Maplestory fanfiction and the Walking Dead, so I couldn't explain it to you if I tried) and I'll try to keep it up.
Also this is the chapter in which you find out - if you didn't know already - that I love dramatic one-liners to end sections. I'm pretty sure you guys knew that, though.
Again, I'm really, really sorry for just disappearing off the face of the planet! D: I hope you all forgive me?
Also, to HeyThanksDoc, you have some kind of psychic ability. I'd just started writing up the new chapter when I received your review, so I don't know how you did it, but you must have some kind of magical powers!
And to everyone else, I apologize for making you guys wait months and months for this short update! D:
(Especially to those of you who have been with me from the beginning and remember that one-chapter-a-day speed I had going...)
As debris began to flutter down from the ceiling, Heavy grabbed his Sasha and set the barrel spinning. "Behind me, doktor!" he called, and a moment later he heard the clatter of metal on metal. Medic was at his back a moment later, armed with his syringe gun – his medi-gun strapped to his back.
"This is not a drill, men! We are being attacked!" Soldier yelled over the channel.
"Th' front a' the base collapsed! Engineer went down t'a respawn, and…oi Demo! You there?" Silence followed Sniper's question. "…I'll keep lookin' for 'im." The Australian said, and the sound of rummaging floated over the channel for a moment before cutting out.
"Come along now, doktor!" Heavy shouted, hardly waiting for the German's "Ja!" to burst through the doors, roaring in anger. Soon enough, REDs began to charge down the hallway, led by their Heavy. The Russians glared, but before anyone could say a word, Heavy fired, and fire, the RED responded similarly, the spinning of their gun barrels deafeningly loud. The enemy had no Medic hiding behind him, so he crouched suddenly, leaving Heavy's aim off for a couple of precious seconds. He fixed the mistake, and was so focused on destroying his RED counterpart that he did not notice the RED Soldier popping up from behind his teammate until it was too late. The sound of that rocket firing shattered the sudden silence, and Heavy's world shrunk to the point of that speeding missile.
He dropped Sasha and shoved backwards, throwing Medic back into the hospital wing and away from himself.
And then the rocket punched into his chest, the explosion throwing molten shards of lead into him. He groaned, feeling the distinct sensation of falling as the world grew cold. Heavy was aware of nothing but the darkness, the shout of distress, and the fading warmth of hands on his back.
"Heavy! Scheisse!" Medic was forced to let go of the large Russian, letting his body fall to the floor despite how much it pained him, in order to keep his life. He rushed back into the medicinal bay, taking cover far back in the room, past the RED Spy's cot. Once he was safely behind cover, he noticed Scout by the door, still dazed. He could only hope the boy would not get up and run – he could not risk drawing attention to either of them just now. He pressed himself closer to the wall he was hiding behind when he heard the doors bang open, clutching his bone-saw tightly, his syringe gun abandoned earlier.
"Spy!" cried a RED, his voice cracking. That would be their young Scout, then. "Oh God, Solly, 's he alright?"
"Quiet, cupcake! There's still some god-damned BLU's around!" The Soldier barked as he scanned the room. Scout seemed to have gotten lucky, as a cart had rolled in front of his hiding place when the REDs burst into the room. "Heavy, get Spy and let's go!"
"Yes!" Their Russian shouted, rushing over and ripping the straps off of the RED's cot. Medic clutched his saw tight to his chest and did his best to stifle any breath. Three REDs at least. A massacre if he was found. Even with Scout with him. "Can walk, Spy?"
"O-oui, I am fine," came the shaky answer from the enemy Frenchman. The RED Scout let out a sound of worry, and then the sound of movement grew louder again. It seemed that they were leaving. Medic exhaled slowly, still too shaken to move.
"Get out of here, team! I'll bring the roof down if I can!" The RED general barked. And then the sound of another whistling rocket shot by, hitting the area where the far wall and roof met. A hole appeared, and cracks spread out from the weakened area, bringing down pieces of concrete. Another whistle, and the rest of the area connected to the roof blew away, and then the sounds of boots stomping away filled the silence. Then the roof began to creak.
Medic let out a shout before the whole ceiling collapsed.
"Doc'? Scout? Soldier, they're not answerin'!" Sniper shouted, using his worry to give him strength, lifting another piece of concrete from the pile in the mess hall, still trying to find Demo, holding out hope that he was alright.
"I've chased off them damned REDs! Heading down to the hospital wing! Get your ass over here after you find Demo!" Soldier growled, and Sniper murmured agreement, bending down to grab a large piece of ceiling and lifting with all his might. And finally, he was rewarded with the sight of Demo's boot. He rushed over and lifted another slab of concrete, revealing Demo. The Scot looked mostly whole, so he grabbed the man and pulled him out of the pile, shouting at him to wake him up.
"Wha-?" the man finally grumbled, slowly opening his eye. Sniper sighed in relief and waved his hand in the Scot's face, until it was slapped away. This put the rest of the Australian's worries at ease, and he cracked a smile.
"Can ye' walk?" He asked, hefting his rifle higher onto his shoulder and looking out into the hall.
"Yeah. 'm fine. I'll catch up to ye'," he grumbled, waving Sniper off and grabbing a bottle of Scrumpy. The Australian rolled his eyes and walked off.
"Where's that Russian when you need him?" Soldier grumbled over the channel, and a moment of silence passed, with Sniper getting ever closer to the hospital wing. Just as he reached the hallway, he heard Soldier let out a shout of frustrated dismay, and the Australian saw a large pair of boots sticking out from the rubble, even from this distance. He pushed the strap of his gun further up his shoulder and jogged forward, over to the general.
"Heavy? 's 'e alright?" Sniper asked, setting his gun down and moving to help Soldier pull the rubble off of the Russian. It took mere moments for them to see the stain of blood around the man, and, with plummeting hopes, to find that there was far, far too much blood to have left the man alive. Regardless, the two labored to pull all the concrete off of their teammate, and then pulled Heavy to the side of the hallway, leaving him to take care of later. The thought that their teammates might be alive under all that rubble made them hurry.
They spoke little, fearing to break the silence, and fearing to receive silence for their calls to teammates.
Scout came to in a dark place. First he opened his eyes and saw only darkness. Then he reached out with his hands, and felt them scrape against something rough, inciting pain in already injured limbs. He slowly, methodically, explored the wall to its end, and then around him, the fearful knot in his stomach growing ever tighter as it dawned on him that there was no path out. He wasn't blind, he had gotten trapped. Trapped in darkness, and a space barely large enough for him to curl up in.
He tried to think back, back to what had happened to get him stuck here, but his mind was all a-fuddle, and the only thing he could clearly remember was the whole world shaking around him.
Something's happened. His earpiece was dead silent, even the usual static barely there, just on the edge of hearing. Another sound joined it, but, being so quiet, Scout could not place it, and all he could do was sit, pressed up against the wall. He felt around himself once more, searching for even a small escape.
But there was nothing.
Just darkness.
"Find anythin'?" Sniper asked, grunting as he lifted another slab of concrete, pulling it away from the collapsed pile. The stars shone in through the roof, bathing the room in a pale darkness, the moon providing a little light. The natural light and electricity clashed in the doorway to the ruined hospital wing, creating a pattern of shifting light, and it made Sniper feel as if he was leaving the world behind to delve in ruins.
Perhaps he was.
"No, but we've been digging around in the middle! Check along the walls!" Soldier twisted it into an order, as he always did, and the Australian complied anyway. He headed along the left wall, finding nothing despite the small shouts he made, despite the searching and the lifting.
Eventually he couldn't lift even the smallest of pieces anymore, and had to stop for breaks more and more often. Soldier seemed to be tiring similarly, and Sniper looked over at him after they had both paused, looking into the rubble before them, the days and days of work to clear it out, Heavy dead just outside, Spy conveniently disappeared, and Engineer working frantically on the Respawn machine. It was just then that Sniper realized just how disadvantaged they had become in the space of one battle. One attack! Two team members missing, one injured, another dead. They wouldn't stand a chance if they kept up how they did. He didn't even think a single RED had been killed. Mostly they had been scrambling to defend themselves.
"We'll…We'll stop for tonight." Soldier seemed unsure even as he said it, but another glance at the ruins, washed in starlight, seemed to cement his decision. "Yes. Return here after breakfast!" And with that, he straightened and walked away.
Sniper supposed he understood, especially considering that they were looking for team members who may not have even been in this room – for all the Australian knew, they could be captives of RED. Still, he could not bring himself to leave. Something about the pile of rubble told him that there were people under it, that his teammates were there.
And what of Scout? The kid that he had started looking after without even realizing it? Poor rascal didn't seem to have any kind of dad where he came from, and he'd gravitated towards Sniper from the beginning. Even though the Australian had been sour and grumpy.
He thought back to the bacon he'd left in the kitchen, the wild, carefree grin on the kid's face when he'd seen it, not realizing it had been put there for him, thinking he'd stumbled on them with luck. Better to keep it that way, he supposed.
Sniper grabbed for his rifle and placed it in his lap, leaning against the doorframe, half in the electrical light, half in the starlight. This was as good a place as any to spend the night, and he couldn't just turn his back on his team.
Not that easily.
Scout waited, waited, and waited, trying to keep calm, to keep the fear down. Someone would come. Someone would say something. Do something. Someone would find him.
He had to keep telling himself this, though. He didn't believe it.
He was going to die here in the darkness.
Scout's hands wrapped around his legs and dug into the skin of his shins, as he swallowed thickly, trying to push down his fears. Just because he'd always hated the dark didn't mean he was going to die. Just because he couldn't get up and run all the extra energy off didn't mean this was the end. Someone would find him, they had to. He wouldn't die alone here.
He couldn't.