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A/N: I was sort of hoping for just one more review for this to make it an even 50, but we can't have everything we want, can we? Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the last half! Here's part two!

Chapter 9: The Return Home part 2

The creature stood with its gapping maw above the young soldier. Without too much time to think, Zack could almost feel the razor sharp teeth tearing into him; the white fangs dripping crimson with his blood.

The weight of his final moment was taken from him when he opened his eyes hearing the enemy cry out in pain. Looking at both sides, Zack saw the beast that had struck him down was stumbling to stand up again. On the other side, Zack saw his missing soldier. The young upstart who had stated his distaste for this world had saved Zack's life.

Upon getting a closer look at the soldier, Zack noticed how badly he was injured. Koves' right arm had been torn away from his body. He was having great difficultly standing from what could have been a massive loss of blood from the many cuts and gashes aside from the missing arm. Zack was amazed he was still able to hold a gun.

With that realization, Zack ran to his comrade-in-need. There was still a Dusk-rav out there and they were very much in danger. There was not any way to tell if others would soon arrive.

Koves fell to the ground before Zack could reach him. His eyes held a glazed look to them and he was only just breathing. He whispered when Zack knelt to him.

"This place wouldn't be so bad if all those things were killed." Before anymore was spoken, the Dusk-rav that had attacked Zack returned full of renewed strength and anger. it seemed as if the beast was looking forward to the easy meal.

Zack remained kneeling in front of the fallen soldier, not wanting to give up on him. Seeing the old gun mod still in Koves' grasp, Zack reached for it. He still did not know what the weakness of this Dusk-rav was. He had not seen this type before so it could not have been red or blue. The only other option he hoped it would be was yellow. He would not be able to fight a black or white beast; he had yet to see one, but if the pattern held true, he had no doubt that they were out there. Jak and Colle were the only two with weapons to fight them. Zack would not stand a chance.

The Dusk-rav rushed forward wanting to take out the prey in one sweep. With its powerful legs pounding against the dirt, the beast closed the distance between itself and the two fighters.

Still without much time to react, Zack pulled the trigger releasing a wave of red eco. The energy pushed both the Dusk-rav and Zack backwards. When Zack was able to regain his bearings, he noticed why he was unable to pin-point the creature's weakness. Think plates of scale-like armor covered the majority of its body.

A large piece of the armor had been flung from the chest of the eco creature. This allowed Zack a small glimpse of a golden color. This was what Zack had been hoping for. This was a yellow eco Dusk-rav.

The fallen Dusk-rav crawled to its feet. The dark ash colored scales were glowing a dark sickly yellow light. Zack could feel something in the back of his mind to get away. He was not about to leave a fallen comrade though. He raised the gun and made ready for whatever was to happen.

He should have heeded his instincts, however.

The glow from the eco creature came from all over its body gathering at its mouth. The energy was released upon charging completely. The air held the eco's power as it flew over the ground connecting with Zack's body.

The eco blast threw Zack almost fifty feet into a collapsed wall of an old neighbor's house. There had been only one thing protecting him from any other damage. His Freedom League armor had been designed to help absorb eco, but nothing of the magnitude of which he had been hit.

Zack landed on his side dropping his only weapon. The knowledge that the Dusk-ravs were capable of firing eco was new to him. The dazed fuzziness from the blow's impact left Zack with the feeling of suffocation with the lack of air his lungs would allow him. Zack tried reaching to the gun as his vision cleared. He found he was unable to lift even his arm as a blinding pain shot from his shoulder down to the tips of his fingers. His arm had been badly broken.

In the next instant, Zack saw the Dusk-rav coming after him for another time. Using his other arm, Zack scrambled to grab his gun; he started running. There was no more thought of his certainly dead soldier, he knew he had to gain distance and find cover before he could turn and fight.

As he ran over the walls and brick from the neighboring houses, Zack was noticing the aches of his body. 'That impact must have done more than thrash my arm.' That was his thought as he soon found himself facing the ground. This time it was to fall over the body of a very large, very dead Dusk-rav.

"There are more?" Instantly getting up, he set off again. Before he was able to gather enough speed, he was blocked by the former hunting Dusk-rav.

Again the beast rushed forward; this time getting a strike in. The creature's large claws ripped through Zack's blue armor and then his stomach. Zack stumbled back and reflexively fired another shot of red eco ammunition hitting the beast in the yellow glowing center on its chest. Still protected by the scales, the creature was left alive only howling in pain.

Zack darted off at a slower pace. The pain his body was in made it harder to move. He had just fired his last shell of red eco. Now was not the time to stand and rest. Behind him he could hear the Dusk-rav drawing energy for another blast. He needed to find some place to hide.

The hiding place did not present itself soon enough, however. Zack was blown across the rubble strewn ground hitting many of the larger pieces until he finally came to a bone breaking stop.

He felt numb; nothing seemed to stay in the spot it was meant to be. Zack knew there was another attack coming. Even after his vision refused to clear of spots, he refused to stay down. Though he had not counted on the fact that he would not be able to walk straight.

With only a few steps having been taken, Zack felt the ground give way to air. Not being able to see properly, Zack was only able to tell where the ground was once he hit it. All he noticed of what he could see was the darkness.

Looks like I've found my hiding place. For some reason he laughed in his mind. Everything really was ridiculous. Never had he been caught off guard like this. If he lived through this, he decided, he would go out for more training. This was not going to happen again.

He laughed a little louder this time. Tome's going to kill me. Clearly he was not thinking straight. . .

Slowly, the cloudiness began to subside. Zack looked up to find that he had fallen through the ceiling of someone's basement. There was not much of an opening; that must have been why the Dusk-rav had not found him yet. If it had not found him yet, then the beast would go back to. . .

"Sorry, Koves. Guess you were right after all." He remembered what was said first. "Maybe a little at least."

-----

Consciousness soon again returned to Zack. Cracking both eyes open when only seconds later closing them as tightly as was possible. Pain swam through Zack's head as the now present sunlight seemed all to harsh. Labored breathing came with Zack waiting for it to end, if it would ever end. In those moments from before on those that were sure to follow, he highly doubted it.

His body was stiff, he realized, moments later when he had tried to lift his arm to his face. He was hardly able to move it. Taking a slow breath deep enough not to cause pain, Zack let the pain he felt inside drift away. Then he felt it, or rather didn't. The pain was gone, all of it. Even the worst of if was just gone in an instant.

His body felt as if it were stuffed with cotton balls. The kind he had always detested as a child when he was forced to go to the doctor's office.

He was dying. He already knew that. How else would one explain the ever growing pool of crimson liquid that seemed to just pour from him? How could one explain the sudden absence of his pain? Death was the only answer he could come up with. It didn't bother him quite as much as it had so before, but it still unnerved him. He thought, Soon there will be nothing here but an empty shell.

Might not want to think like that, his thoughts were as clear as they ever were even if he was unable to put them to sound. That'll only make it worse, besides, it'll be okay...won't it?

It's kind of pathetic really, trying to take his mind off of the uneasiness that was even now disappearing, me sitting here waiting alone to die.

A pang of guilt and sorrow passed through him. The physical pain may have been numb, but the emotions were still there.

And my foolishness caused the death of a good soldier.

From the surface above where the dreaded rays of light poured through cracks and holes, there came sounds, voices. Voices that belonged to people not the beasts of his downfall.

The people he knew.

"Split up and search! No one leaves until he's found!" Torn was nearby. It only Zack's mouth would cooperate!

Minutes passed by with no sound until Zack finally thinks they've moved on to search farther into the neighborhood. Through his fuzzy mind, Zack hardly heard the rock in front of him begin to shift. It sounded like someone walking.

"Torn! Over here!" This time it was Mora who called out. Zack heard a soft thump and a low gasp of air. Someone was down here with him. Thinking that his eyes were numb along with the rest of his body, Zack opened his eyes letting in the blurred light of the sun. It was too much to bare.

"Oh Mar..." Mora rushed over to the young soldier. He was hardly recognizable with the burns and cuts he had received in battle that day. "Zack? Can you hear me?"

The teenaged soldier merely groaned. His eyes were closed and caked over with blood almost sealing them shut. He had been through much more than Mora had thought.

Out of the way! The commander came pushing through the others that had descended before him. He had been checking the perimeter for anything left from the previous attacks, but with the sun shining above, there was no need to search long.

How is he? Torn asked as he knelt beside Mora. She was working as best she could to clean the blood from Zacks wounds so that they could be treated. Her attempts seemed nothing more than futile. There were numerous injuries; too many to stop bleeding.

Mora made a sound as if an animal had been wounded. She could only picture the soldier before her as Torn; how was Tome going to handle this? She had been made to stay behind at the make-shift base, however, she had made quite an effort at coming along. It was good that she was not.

Then again. . .

Torn turned to his soldier. "Idiotic kid. . ."

"I heard that." A low grumble came from the one being bandaged. "Just because I look dead, doesnt mean I am yet."

A smile tried working its way to the edge of Torns lips. He still had his dull humor, it was a sign of something. Although those somethings were not always good. Torn had a feeling that this was not one of the good ones.

"Bright. . ." Was all that Zack could say when he opened his eyes. Some of the pain that had been numbed was not completely gone after all. He was grateful when his commander moved in front of the blazing light of the sun.

"Stupid kid, you could have been killed." Torn tried to say as earnestly as he could. Even for the stern older man, losing a soldier was hard. Especially when he had watched this soldier grow through his time in training and just throughout life all together.

"Yeah", he laughed as best as he could, sorry about that. "I guess I wasnt thinking this time."

"Zack, you really should conserve your energy. I dont know how long itll take to stop the bleeding." Mora blotched away each stream of crimson liquid as quick as she could to place the dressings over the wounds. She looked up when he did not move.

" Zack?"

A/N: The end of chapter 9! I'm kind of afraid what you guys are going to say now, but I'm also very curious. I have just one thing to say: don't kill me. . . please? I hope you guys review, even if it isn't the nicest right now. See you in the next chapter! And remember, you can always check update information on my profile page. I still try to keep it up to date regularly.