Chapter 25: Round Three

Computer moved on. He was keeping himself pressed up against the building wall to offer himself some small amount of protection. The janitor's angry ranting could be heard echoing through an open window as he passed it. He was glad that the idiot still hadn't found a way to get past the barricaded door. As long as he was occupied with that, he wouldn't bother getting creative and finding another way around. Not that the man had any creativity to use in the first place...

The town of Nowhere was deserted at this hour, he noted. Not a single person could be found walking near the building and even the few cars driving around town avoided this road. The sun was so low in the sky that it connected with the horizon, tinting the landscape a golden color. Even a dull place like Nowhere looked nice in this unusual light.

A rumble of thunder caught Computer's attention. Menacing clouds were building up across from the setting sun. It's already dark spires were amplified by the golden light, making it appear even more threatening. If that thing continued to build up, they'd be in for one monster of a storm later.

'Great.' He though, letting out an audible sigh. 'Now we're going to get rained on too! Why must every last bit of annoyance have to happen to us today?'

BANG!

Computer jumped at the sound of a gun going off and quietly cursed under his breath. Had Rick gotten through the door? No, that didn't seem likely. He could still be heard yelling through the open window. He must have gotten frustrated and tried to blow the door open.

Computer internally scolded himself for getting startled so easily. Flesh creature body or not, he wasn't like that twit after all. He'd never allow himself to get scared over something so stupid as a gunshot!

Another bang rang out as the janitor tried to blow open the door again. Computer kept moving, inching closer and closer to the front doors. He was just about to pick up his pace when the sound of squealing tires reached his ears. He turned to find the black van speeding out of the garage.

"You have got to be kidding me!" He yelled. "I told that idiot not to leave without me!"

One of the dogs must have panicked. Hearing those gunshots would have unsettled anyone, much less a group of already terrified dogs. Courage must not have been able to stop whoever was in the drivers seat. Either way, the van was already barreling down the street and away from the building...away from him.

Thinking fast, he raced forward and dived behind a bush near the two front doors. He quickly grabbed that ratty old bag and flung it over his shoulder. He jumped back out again and cringed as he realized just how far that van was getting away.

"There's no way I'll be able to catch up!" He growled. "There's got to be a way to-"

"AAAAAUUGHH! You little monsters!" Rick screamed, crashing through the front doors and racing over to the sidewalk. He waved his fist at the rapidly disappearing van and tossed his shotgun to the ground.

Computer took a step back, hoping to keep the janitor from noticing him. He would have tried to hide behind that bush again but of course his blue glow would have given him away immediately. If he could just sneak back into the building and hide...

"How could I let them escape?" The old man cried out. He placed his hands up against his face and began to sob. "I'm ruined! I'm completely rui-"

He stopped, suddenly becoming very quiet. He slowly turned to Computer, who felt his stomach drop at being seen so easily. Apparently his blue glow had tipped the old man off.

Rick began to smile. "They abandoned you, didn't they? Hahaha! I don't believe this!" He reached down to pick his gun up. "I may have lost, but I still get to finish you off! Too bad! I guess your little friends didn't think so highly of you after all!"

Computer glanced around, unsure of what to do now. He had no means of escape. The man had a clear shot no matter which way he might try to run. As bad of a shot as the old janitor might be, there was no way he could possibly miss this time.

"Guess what, mutt?" Rick asked. "I ain't even going to let you have any last words this time! Say good night, doggy!"

Computer cringed as the shotgun was lined up with his forehead. Well, so much for saving Courage. This looked like the...

Click...

They both stared, completely dumbfounded on equal grounds. Rick pulled the trigger again but only got another click. It took them both a moment to realize that he had run out of ammo!

"No!" He yelled. "No, no, no, no!"

He reached into his pocked to grab what Computer could only assume was some more ammo and he, of course, took that moment of distraction to run. Rick unfortunately knew what he was going to do and jumped forward to catch him. He landed right on top of him, using one arm to hold him down and the other to fish for bullets.

Struggling against the grip of that awful man, Computer pushed as hard as he could. He aimed one of his legs and began kicking the man in his face as many times as he could. Rick would not budge though and thus both of them were locked into place, trying to outdo one another.

"Get...off...of...me!" Computer yelled out between kicks.

"You're dead dog! Dead!" Rick growled back.

Realizing that he had only one option left, Computer fought back his revulsion at knowing what he would have to do. If being forced to sink this low would save his life, well, he'd take it! Sighing with annoyance, he opened his mouth and bit down on the janitor's arm.

"RAAAHH!" Rick cried out. He jumped to his feet and swung Computer around in an effort to get him off. He held on tight, hoping that he could come up with an escape plan quick. The old man obviously wasn't going to let him get away so easily and this little biting trick of his wouldn't do much to stop him for good.

"Let go of me, you mutt!" The old man yelled. He swung his glowing menace forward one last time and that was the exact moment when Computer decided to use the momentum to make his escape. He released his jaw from the man's arm and was flung several feet through the air. The moment he hit the ground he made a mad dash for the road. He didn't care where he was going or why, just so long as he put enough distance between him and that crazy janitor as possible. He could worry about getting back to Courage later.

BANG!

A shot rang out and he felt a bullet graze his fur. Even now that damnable janitor wasn't giving up! Thank goodness he was such a bad shot at least! Somehow, someway, Computer was finding hidden reserves of energy in this dog body to keep going. His injury ached more than anything now and it felt like his lungs were about to collapse, but he kept running anyway. He'd never known what it was like to feel physically tired until today and it was absolutely awful.

BANG!

Another shot missed him by mere inches. If he could only just get a little farther away...

SKREEEEE

The sound of squealing tires made him flinch. He glanced up to find that the black van was barreling right towards him. Relief struck him at the sight of it. Courage had gotten those idiots to come back!

He continued racing forward, ignoring everything else around him. The van wasn't close enough to help him yet and Rick was still...

BANG!

This time a sharp stabbing pain struck him in the leg and he fell forward, his muzzle hitting the pavement and him temporarily dazed. Fighting back a groan, he sat up. It appeared that his leg had only been grazed, but it was bleeding now too and very much burning with pain. He doubted he could run anymore, and if Rick tried to hit him again...

He gasped and looked up. The old fool was indeed lining up another shot. Computer glared at him, hoping desperately that the man would miss again. He tried to stand up but found it impossible to do. Despite his best efforts, he was nothing more than a sitting duck ready to be shot to death.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

He shut his eyes and waited for barrage the bullets to hit him...but then he heard the black van swing forward and stop right in front of him. It blocked out every last one of them. They all harmlessly bounce off the metal on the other side.

The back doors of the van ripped open and several dogs jumped out to help him up. They moved as quickly as possible to get him inside because Rick was still firing off as much ammo as possible and they couldn't angle the van any better to keep the back safe from fire. The doors acted as a natural bullet repellent but one lucky shot could still be the end of one of them.

"Sorry we're late!" A female dog cheerfully said to him. He had almost mistaken her for Courage before she spoke. She looked just like the pup, given that she was the same breed as both him and the body Computer himself was currently inhabiting. She reached a paw out to help him up into the van and he accepted it. He would have given her a sarcastic reply but he was far too tired to bother with it right now.

BANG! BANG!

"That guy just isn't giving up, is he?" She asked. Now that he could get a closer look at her she was indeed a bit different from Courage. Her fur was a light pink color in contrast to the pup's more purple fur. She had long eyelashes, which as far as Computer could tell seemed to be a common trait among female animals. Her ears were also a bit shorter than the dog's, and much more oddly shaped.

It was a bit of a tight fit in the back of the van, but he managed to find some space. The dogs who had helped him piled back in and then they were off again. As the van sped away, Computer caught one last glimpse of Rick through the backdoor windows. The man soundlessly screamed with rage and toss his shotgun to ground. Computer smiled and waved to the idiot which only evoked more soundless angry cries from the man. Then they turned down a road and Rick the janitor was gone.

Numbness and a terrible bought of dizziness reminded Computer of his body's injury. He hadn't gotten a chance to switch bodies and now he wasn't sure how much longer this one would last. He tried to force the dizziness away but he couldn't get it to stop. A ringing in his ears started to drowned out most other sounds. His vision kept blurring no matter how many times he blinked and his mouth had gone dry.

He took a step forward, trying to push his way through the group of dogs. He needed to find Courage and give that stupid twit a piece of his mind. If he were about to die, he at least wanted to go out doing what he was good at.

End Of Chapter