Chapter 17:
The trees were going by faster than he'd ever seen them. Not only was he running on empty, but he was also running out of places to hide. The Ranger seemed very in tune with the surrounding area and it was almost impossible to get him off of his trail.
Of course, Bakura didn't want to totally lose Ranger Sweet. If he did, Sweet would more than likely give up and go back to his cabin. Which was something Bakura was trying to prevent for as long as possible.
Sweet shot again and missed, "Damn it! Those things can really run! Come back here, you Yummy!"
"It's YAMI!" Bakura called, accidentally giving his position away. Sweet grinned and followed Bakura's voice. In no time, he'd seen him behind a tree and shot.
The dart made it's way into Bakura's hair. He thought he'd been shot somewhere on his body, but when he saw the dart in his hair, he sighed and continued running. Sweat going down his face at every angle, this was almost more than the ex-Tomb Robber could take. Yet he was determined not to give up just because some crazed psychopath was trigger-happy and wanted to capture him.
He'd just have to try harder.
The door creaked and grated against it's old hinge. Boom after boom, no matted how hard he tried, the old wooden door would not move. He'd been at it for about ten minutes now and it wasn't getting any easier. It seemed as if the door was built specially for this moment of resistance, and all it's energy throughout it's lifetime was now put to the test.
Marik wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned back, "… This isn't going to work, Yami. We have to think of something else."
Yami looked in through the window and then out towards the dusty road where everything was silent for the moment, "Hmm. How long has Bakura been gone…?"
"About fifteen minutes or so. I wouldn't worry about him. He's had lots of practice. Whenever something dangerous comes around, he's the first to bolt out the door."
"Still." He turned back to the door, "He may be back any second and we haven't done anything yet."
"I don't know about you, but I've been working very hard!" Marik growled at the door and shook it's handle again, "We… we need something hard! Something that we can ram…" His voice trailed off as his eyes settled on Yami.
"Um… yes?"
He grinned wider.
"I-Is there something I can - Marik!" Yami screamed as Marik lifted him up with one hand grasping Yami's hair and the other holding onto his upper thigh.
Marik hoisted him a bit higher then rammed Yami's body, headfirst into the door. At first it didn't move, just a small creak and the only other sound was Yami's howling. Another hit and one of the hinges flew right off and into a bush.
"Almost there, Yami! One more should do it!"
"Oh, Marik! Please, don't, I can't take much m- AHHH!"
This time, Marik used all his might to get the most out of Yami's head; pounding it right into the center of the wooden frame. The door gave way and broke in two from the force of Yami's head.
Marik grinned and dropped Yami, "Well, it's open."
"Eh-eh… Gah…!" Yami tried his best to be and man and hide his pain. Although it was a bit obvious because of the large, red bump in the middle of his hair and a few open wounds on his forehead, "M-Marik… Look what you did…!"
"Hmm?" Marik looked down at the biggest of Yami's cuts. It was bleeding a little. "Oh. Just rub some dirt in that, it'll be fine."
Yami gasped.
Marik was about to do it for him but then a series of moans were heard from inside. They decided to go in, because they'd forgotten about Grandpa for a little bit.
When Yami flicked on the lights, the inside of the cabin was a real mess. Dust was collecting on every piece of furniture, all the curtains had been devoured by moths and, right in front of the old desk, was a man bound and gagged and moaning for help.
"Mmf mmm! Mmm mmf!" Came the mumbles and howls.
"Grandpa!" Quickly, Yami ran over to him and tilted him up off the ground, "Are you okay? Did that bad old Ranger hurt you?" He sounded as if he were consoling a child now, "Well, that's okay because he's gone now and I'll never let him hurt you ever, ever again!"
Grandpa's eyes narrowed, "Mmf…"
"What's wrong?"
Marik walked over and rolled his eyes, "You idiot, he wants to be untied." Marik unwrapped the sheets and untied his wrists and ankles.
When all the restraints were taken off, Grandpa gasped for air and shouted out to the world, "I'm free!"
"Yeah, yeah. You're free, I heard already…" Marik rolled his eyes. He watched as Yami and Grandpa hugged and asked each other the same questions over and over again. He cleared his throat, "Um… I hate to dry this little tear-jerker but ya mind if we get this show on the road?"
Just as Yami opened his mouth to speak, a sound was heard outside the broken door, and in came Bakura. Sweating from head to toe and out of breath. He could hardly even speak, although that didn't stop him from trying.
"I-I… Sw-Sweet… He… we… r-ran and…" He paused a moment and swallowed, "C-Can't breath…!"
"Bakura!" Yami exclaimed, "You're alive!"
Marik sighed sarcastically, "No, Yami. He's not alive. Ranger Sweet shot him and this is his ghost, back from the grave. Ooh…"
Yami frowned then ran over to Bakura and smiled brightly, "So, I bet something cool happened, right, Bakura? I bet you were running and then he cornered you on a cliff. Then he said something like 'This is the end of the line for you!' then you were all 'I have not yet begun to fight!' After that there was an epic battle with blades and axes and pigs named Estella! And you raised your mighty dagger and plunged it into his black heart while calling out 'Never more!' into the sky! The sun set and you rode off into the distance on your white stallion named Fred!" He took a deep breath, "So, am I right, am I right?"
Bakura and Marik sighed in frustration.
"Actually," Bakura said, "I hid under a bush then came back here."
Yami looked a bit disappointed. "Oh… I-I see."
Grandpa was more than confused. But he decided to ask more helpful questions when he realized the others wouldn't help, "So, Bakura, that Ranger didn't follow you back, did he?"
"No way!" Bakura snapped, "I may have had a little trouble, but the Tomb Robber touch never fades! I'm still in tip-top sneaky condition."
"Well, be that as it may," Yami nodded, "He'll still come back here. He lives here, after all… I think we should get going before he comes back and we're all trapped here."
Everyone else nodded in agreement and they were about to head out the door, but then they heard something from inside the room. It sounded odd, a cry of pain, or a moan… They couldn't quite put their finger on it, but, due to his curiosity, Yami wanted to find the source.
"What do you think it is, you guys…?" Yami tip-toed around the couches and the curtains. Carefully searching for the sound's origin.
"Yami, don't!" Marik insisted, "I thought you said we should go. Haven't you learned your lesson? Every time we're curious, we find something that wants to eat, maim and or shoot us."
"I know, I know, but…" His voice trailed off as he peeked behind the desk in the middle of room. "Oh Ra!"
Bakura immediately hid behind Marik and Grandpa, "What! What is it? Tell me, so I can run and get it over with, dammit!"
Yami crawled under and emerged in about a second, dragging a huge wiggling bundle of white sheets onto the floor, "You guys! There's someone in here! Hurry, help me get them out!"
Since Bakura was still cowering in fear, Marik walked over and calmly helped Yami untie whomever was inside the sheets. Just as they had done for Grandpa, in no time the sheets were off and cast aside. They revealed a man, slightly older than them, around forty or so. He was dusty and… smelly.
"Gah!" Yami scooted back a ways, "W-Who are you?"
The man coughed a little, then chocked out, "I-I'm so glad… someone came to my rescue! Do you even know how long I'd been in there?"
They all shook their heads, no.
"Well! I've been locked under there for about a month now. Ever since he's had this whole S.W.A.T obsession, it seemed that it has clouded his judgement! I mean, really, taking over before his time, that's just-"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Bakura, Marik, and Yami shouted at once, "Let's slow it down for a sec. Whose… he? And who are you!"
"Oh." He scratched his head, "I'm sorry forgive me. My name is Ranger Sweet. And 'he' is Claude."
"What!" Yami tilted his head, "You're Ranger Sweet? B-But I thought… that man… he was…"
Marik shrugged, "I'm lost."
"No, no. You see, the Ranger that you may be familiar with is Claude, my son. I was still ranger on this mountain before my son went crazy and tied me up! One day, while I was taking a nap, Claude came in here ranting about being rejected from the S.W.A.T team. He threw sheets over me and hid me under that desk, I've been there ever since!"
"…Whoa." They gasped in awe.
Yami was the first to speak, "H-He's… really insane, isn't he…?"
"I'll say!" Marik pumped his fist in the air, grinning, "He's totally wicked! Tying up his dad, taking over the mountain and trying to get into S.W.A.T! That's sick and awe inspiring!"
Bakura nodded, "Yeah yeah, he's hardcore."
"Are you nuts?" Grandpa asked them, "That isn't good! We'd best get out of here while we still can!"
Yami agreed and headed for the door. But before any of them could get out, a figure appeared in the doorway. It came into the light and revealed the face of Ranger Sweet, "So, I see you've all discovered my little secret… Well, I'm sorry, but…" He grinned with his gun at his side, "This is as far as it's going."
