Hello Everyone I'm back again. I only have a few more chapters left to go.

This chapter has the infamous Pinstripe battle.

Crash and company is not mine. Jan and Valerie are mine.

Chapter 11 Painful Visions

Crash and Jan were surrounded by toxic waste with only a small narrow path to walk on.

"Crash the path is too narrow to run. We could trip and fall into the waste."

"If we're careful we should be able to make it across."

"Suddenly barrels of waste were rolling down the path.

"You're kidding me right?' Crash asked irritated.

Crash threw Jan on his back and started down the path. He finally came to the barrels. One by one Crash jumped over them. The bandicoot's heart was pounding wondering how many of the barrels he would have to jump until he found out where they were coming from.

He could feel Jan gripping him tightly.

He let his thoughts clear as he continued down the path. He then saw incline with barrels rolling down them.

Crash knew jumping the barrels on the incline was going to be very difficult.

The bandicoot braced himself as he ran up the incline. Awkwardly jumping when the barrels were about to run him over.

Crash breathed deeply as he made it up the incline. A large mafia dressed anthro rat was rolling the barrels at the bandicoot.

Crash attempted to move closer to the rat but, the rat would roll more barrels at him forcing the bandicoot to watch his step.

Crash carefully jumped over the barrels and quickly spun the rat into the waste as quickly as he could.

The smell of burnt flesh filtered through the two youth's nose.

"Crash this is not very pleasant, let's keep going." Jan whimpered sitting on his back.

Crash looked ahead of him to see if anymore barrels were going to come at him. But, from how the path looked, it seemed to clear.

"The path's clear. Let's go before more barrels come my way."

Crash ran down the path. Tightness seemed to surround him. His vision was kept sharp, waiting for any barrels to come out and try to run him over.

More barrels appeared from the path. The pair jumped them. After great difficultly they confronted a second rat.

Jan walked forward and with all her strength she kicked the rat into the waste.

Crash grabbed her hand. "Let's hurry."

Suddenly they heard a loud banging sound. A large barrel was bouncing down the path.

Crash pulled Jan down as was about to hit them.

"How are we going to get past those?" Jan asked stress was finally getting her.

"Keep going we'll try to evade them the best we can.

The duo ran as they could against the path. More bouncing barrels came in front of them. Every now and then Crash called out commands to either duck or just run.

The world around seemed to a blur. Wondering if one of the barrels were finally going to hit them.

Crash ducked quickly when he noticed Jan still standing.

Jan screamed waiting for the impact before she felt bright light surround her.

Aku Aku had used his magic to protect her against the barrels impact.

Jan breathed deeply before she and Crash went towards the final rat and threw him into the waste.

"Self-defense is not murder. Jan repeated to herself as she looked down at her shaking hands.

Crash looked towards the door.

"That has to be the head minion's office. That Cortex seemed to mention let's go in."
The two breathed deeply before entering the room.

Sitting in front of the desk was nicely dressed Porteroo. Holding a loaded tommy gun in his hands.

The two felt their hearts pounding.

"Youse Crash Bandicoot." The porteroo asked in a Jersey accent.

"Yeah…" He asked warily.

"So youse and yours bimbo managed to get here. Have to admit I'm impressed. But, the big boss made it clear that youse are to be taken out. And to seize yours bimbo.

"Save it with your trash talk…you probably don't even know how to fire that thing.

However, Pinstripe fired five shots right above their heads at a wooden statue right above theme. And all five shots were on the target.

"And then he stopped talking." Crash answered looking amazed.

Pinstripe laughed as he aimed his gun and pressed it against the boy's head.

"Even if yous shut yours mouth. I'm still gonna blow yours brains."

"You can't kill what you can't catch." Crash immediately bolted to the one side of the room.

"All right pipsqueak let's start hunting."

Pinstripe ran around the room aiming his gun at the bandicoot. Crash on the other hand was running and avoiding the bullets while taunting the porteroo.

"Hey is that really how you aim? Come on I know you can do better than that. Hey I'm over here." Crash replied grinning widely at the angered minion.

"Yous won't be so funny when I find my target."

"Are you really giving it your all? Because you shot over there and now I'm over here." Crash laughed with his tongue hanging out.

"When I…Damn I have to reload." Pinstripe quickly tried to reload his gun when Crash took the opportunity spin attack him.

"I'll get yous for this."

Pinstripe repeated the pattern but, Crash kept his cool and kept moving. Jan was hiding behind a chair bawling her eyes out she was so frightened. She was starting to regret following Crash on what now seemed be a hopeless quest. Maybe it would have been for the best if she ran home pretending she never saw anything.

Jan slowly looked up to see Crash evading Pinstripe and attacking him every time the porteroo had to reload.

"Jan there's a path that leads to a bridge past there, go get yourself ahead." Aku explained.

"But, I can't leave Crash…."

The gunshots sent Jan screaming down the halls.

Her heart was pounding as she tried to find the exit that would lead her to the bridge.

"I should've never followed. What the hell was I thinking?"

Suddenly Jan felt herself trip and fall and cutting herself against something sharp.

Jan looked down at her side to see blood oozing all over shirt and that had also been the side that she had bruised horribly. She attempted to stand up but the pain was too much. She could hear faint cries in the distance that sounded like some more of the minions.

"Must keep going." Jan did the only thing she think of…crawl.

Jan tried crawling on the floor. For a while she was able to keep moving but as time went on she kept slowing down. She looked behind to see the path of blood that trailed behind. Her head felt so light. The world around her seemed to be fading away. She finally felt her knees give way she collapsed to the ground.

"Crash…where are you…I need…I can't do this alone." Jan only heard the sounds of footsteps as she finally lost consciousness.

Valerie and another assistant came down the halls to find Jan's limp body.

"Is she dead?" Valerie asked her eyes uncaring.

The assistant went to check her pulse.

"She's alive but, seriously injured." The assistant replied in a thickly accented voice.

"Let's take her back to Dr. Cortex, he's been expecting her."

The assistants grabbed her body proceeding to head back to the castle.

Meanwhile Crash had managed to finally wrestle the gun away from Pinstripe.

"Give me back my gun." Pinstripe roared.

Crash snarled as he threw the gun out the window and into the toxic waste.

"Face it Pinstripe, you lost. Soon I'm going to defeat Cortex and then get the girl…"

"I wouldn't be sure about that." A familiar voice said behind him.

Crash looked behind him to see Tawna in the doorway with a cold smile on her face.

"Tawna what are you doing here…"

"I'm here to meet my boyfriend." She replied as if it were obvious.

"What do you mean?" Crash asked carefully.

The she bandicoot walked up to Pinstripe and wrapped her arms around him.

"Didn't you know? Me and Pinstripe are an item."

Crash felt his heart split in two.

"But, what about us…I thought you wanted to be with me?"

Tawna let a cold laugh escape her lips.

"Oh Crash what could you possibly have to offer me. Pinstripe here made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He give me so much more than you ever could at the age you are."

"But, isn't the fact I love you enough?"

"In your preteen mind but to an older woman like me a girl needs much more."

"Which is what I can give her." Pinstripe smirked.

"Jan was right…I didn"t know you at all. It was all just a lie. Maybe I am too young and was just in love with the idea of being love. But when the times comes to fall in love for real, I want to be with someone who is in love with me."

"Ha…who's gonna wanna be withs a freak likes youse." Pinstripe laughed.

Crash walked out the door trying not cry, but he looked back at the two and replied coldly.

"Maybe there's another freak out there waiting for me." Crash walked away towards the bridge.

"Crash…are you okay." Aku Aku asked gently.

"Yeah…I'm okay…she's just a slut. Pinstripe can have her for all I care."

"What about Cortex?"

"I said I was going to stop him…and I'm keeping my word. Not after how far I come."

The two looked down at the ground to see a path of blood.

They looked each before Crash's eyes widen in horror.

"JAN!" Crash ran as fast as he could to the bridge.

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