Sweet, I got a review. Buddy, this chapter goes out to you! And I understand about the whole, it feels like an add bit. Can't help it, I get wrapped up in the research, and I have a field day.

Oh and about the Baretta 93R you told me about. Yeash she used it in the game, but that really doesn't make any sense, seeing as the gun has been out of production for almost thrity years but thanks for the tip off.

Alright... that's all I got this time around. Enjoy.


"There we go," I said, placing the ammo cases down onto the floor.

Aya and I had carried some equipment up to the second floor of the motel, which would allow for easy access if we needed it up here. Ms. Venuto, the un-married motel keeper, allowed us to stay for free, so long as we dealt with the NMC's, and left one case of shotgun shells at the front desk.

"John," called Aya. She was standing at the door again, waiting for me to respond.

"Yeah?"

"You hungry? I'm heading to the diner."

"That's a no go, Aya."

"What do you mean?" asked Aya, crossing her arms.

"I'm hungry alright, but the diner's locked. I don't think there's anyone inside, so we might have to break down the door to get inside."

"Well, if that's true, then how has Ms. Venuto been getting food for the last two weeks?"

"Hmm. Good point. We should ask her."

Aya left the room and I followed her, making sure to close the door before I left. We went into a small side building that housed the stairs, and we soon made our way back into the hotel lobby. Ms. Venuto had lit up a cigarette by the time we came, filling the room with the distinct smell of tobacco.

"Ms Venuto," started Aya, "We'd like to ask you another question."

"Go ahead, I've all day."

"John told me a minuet ago that the diner is locked. You wouldn't know any way to get in, would you?"

"The owner, Mr. Harrison, took off with the keys when he left. The only way in would be to break in."

"Then how have been eating?" I asked.

"I have a small store of food in the back," she said, pointing at a wooden door to her left. "I don't like going to eat at Jack's place."

"Hmm. Looks like we're breaking down the door Aya."

"I guess you're right," she said facing me. She turned to Ms. Venuto, then said, "Thank you for your time, ma'am."

"I've got plenty of it."

I went outside, holding the door open for Aya. She followed me outside, and once we have regrouped, we headed to the diner. Taking a look around the front of the diner, it looked pretty ordinary, and nothing seemed broken.

"This door's broken," I said. "Maybe there's a back door, or an open window."

"Maybe… Let's go check."

"Aya and I headed around the side of the diner and went to the back. I noticed several things that lay behind the diner. First, the broken pick-up. Rust was gathering at the axles, which only made the truck less useable. Second was the old well pump, like those from the old west. Third happened to be the large electric generator, which attached to the diner, the motel, and the gas station.

"So that's where this place gets its power," I said. "I wondered why I didn't see any power lines earlier."

"John, look," said Aya pointing to a window in the diner. The window was broken, and glass lay on the ground.

"Strange. Something must have been trying to get in."

I looked around the wall of the diner, but I didn't see a door. I doubted that a human broke the glass, as the window was pretty small.

"Aya, I think we might have some guests here," I said, drawing the 1911 from my shoulder holster.

"I think so too."

I jogged to the front, followed carefully by Aya. We stopped at the front door, and I waited to shoot the handle off the door. Aya decided to take a look through the glass in the front wall, trying to see if there was anything inside.

"It looks clear inside."

"How can you tell, it's dark in there."

Aya frowned at my remark, then drew her Baretta from her holster and got behind me. With her in a safer spot and ready for combat, I shot the lock, then kicked down the door. The extra light from the sun helped illuminate the diner, giving me a little bit of an edge.

Quickly turning around, I aimed in the corners and under tables, looking for NMC's. There was a strange smell in the air, which made me sure they were here. Yet the diner was quiet, save for the sound of our shoes touching the floor.

"It's quiet," I said.

"Yeah."

Suddenly, and eerie sound came from behind the diner bar, as if some bear was just waking up from a disturbed nap. There was some movement, and I aimed my pistol over the bar. Whatever it was, it stood up, but stood fairly still.

Curious to see what I was looking at, I slowly backed up to the door and searched the walls with my left hand. I came across a light switch, and flipping it up, the room became bright, stinging my eyes momentarily.

Taking another look at the figure, I found a camel like NMC. Identified to be a desert species, this beast drew on my nerves. With little thought I aimed for its head and took my shot. The beast fell, and the lack of sound from the NMC made me think it was dead.

"I hope that's it," said Aya.

We moved forward cautiously, keeping our eyes open for anymore NMC's. Sounds began to come from a side room past the bar, apparently a storage room. I was sure it wasn't the rest room, as two were set aside by a couple of stalls at the far wall. A quick look over the bar revealed a deceased and dissolved NMC, so it was safe to say that the next spot to get to was the storage room.

A quick look at the door showed that it opened outward, like a movie theater door. The sounds from the NMC's were growing, and a certain banging kept us from opening the door willingly. I sighed, and then went to work at an idea.

"Ok… Aya, you wait by the counter, and I'll open the door. If the thing charges me, then I'll just have to move."

"You sure this'll work?"

"No, but there isn't much else we can do."

"Alright," Aya said, backing away from the door and myself. "Be careful."

"I will."

Besides the loud roars and moans of the NMCs behind the door, the things were bashing the door, trying to knock it down. Figuring that if I opened the door slightly, then let the NMCs open it by themselves, I would be able to get some really good shots on them.

Waiting for a pause in the NMCs ramming, I opened the door just a tad, then moved to the side, my 1911 in my hand again. Soon enough, the NMCs, went right through the door. Taking a gander at the only one in sight, I began to fire at the main portion of the body.

This NMC was different then the previous one. It seemed more human, though with short stubbly arms and the knee caps in the reverse, alien-like form. It stumbled for a bit, and with the bar in the way, it was a little hard to get a good shot. Apparently getting a look at Aya, it managed to turn and began to run toward her. We both fired at the beast, and he stopped dead in its tracks.

"You okay?" I asked, looking over at Aya.

"I'm fine, John."

Hearing her voice undamaged put me at ease, allowing me to check the storage room. Looking inside, I only found a number of metals racks and a large refrigerator. The racks mostly had cans and boxes, full of condensed food and seasoning for cooking.

Seeing or hearing nothing besides the refrigerator, I figured there were no more NMCs here. I holstered my pistol, and then headed to the fridge. Looking inside, I saw the many deli meats and packages beef products necessary to supply a small army of customers.

"I feel like having a sub, Aya. What about you?"

"Don't know. What's in the-"

Suddenly, a large roar came from outside, shaking the window of the diner. Surprised by the intensity of the sound, I double-timed it outside, as did Aya. My surprise and curiosity had been replaced with fear and a need for action.

A large, bull like NMC was running through the sea of dust and trees, kicking up sand under its hooves. It was trucking in our direction, maybe about hundred twenty meters from here.

"Shit!"

I ran to the suburban and through my shoulder holster into the trunk. I then got a shotgun and strapped it onto my back. After that, I pulled the M24 out, then shut the trunk and went into a good prone position.

Taking a quick and careful aim, I prepared for my shot.

"John, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to kill it."

With a good shot at the bulls head, I took a shot. Its movement made the bullet go through a horn, and the bull kept going. Another shot got its leg, as did the third and fourth. The fifth shot grazed its ass, and without another magazine, I threw the sniper rifle back into the trunk.

With worry and rage growing, I drew my pistol from my hip and started to jog toward the NMC, my sights on the head. It was about forty meters away now, so my shots should be fairly accurate.

Nine shots later, I was thirty meters away from the NMC. I holstered the pistol and drew the shotgun. For a moment, I thought I forgot to load the shotgun, so I tested it quickly. My fear on the subject was correct.

"Fuck! Aya!"

"What!"

She was by the Suburban, which was a good thing. She wasn't as physically daring as I was, and preferred to take the defensive end of an attack.

"Get my other shotgun and load it!"

"But-"

"Just do it!"

I put the shotgun back onto my back and continued to run toward the bull. As it came closer, I readied myself for my psychotic attempt to stop it. Just a few feet away from the NMC, I stepped to the side and jumped onto its back, straddling it like a crazed cowboy. As I came closer to the motel and my Suburban, it noticed my presence and began to buck like a bronco. Using both hands and my legs, I managed to hold on, and used the patches of fur for an increased grip.

Aya all the while had done what I told her, and had been loading the spare shotgun. Using the NMC's bucking to my advantage, I tossed the shotgun on my back to Aya, and then drew my pistol with my right hand. Taking a minuet to be daring, I released the magazine in my pistol, then stowed it into a pouch. With another buck, I pulled another loaded mag out of a pouch and loaded it into the pistol. I then wasted another nine shots in the beasts head.

After another full mag, I stowed the pistol in the holster, wondering if the beast would die. Looking over at Aya, she had taken the liberty to load the other shotgun as well, but was waiting for me to pay attention before she threw it. As the NMC bucked, I raised my right hand, and Aya threw the shotgun. I managed to catch it, and quickly put the shotgun to the NMCs head.

With only one shot, it fell to the ground, launching me forward into the air. I let go of the shotgun, and with little time to spare, did and improvised tuck and roll. I could see the sand kicking up in my wake, and as quite shaken by the time I stopped on the ground. My clothes were covered in sand and dirt, yet I remained, mainly, unscathed.

"My god, John, are you alright!"

Aya's voice rang in my ear, bouncing around with the strange fuzz. Shaking my head, I deciphered her speech and replied.

"God damn, my crotch hurts!"

"What!" Aya said, disgusted at my comment.

"How the hell do Cowboys do that! I'm gonna be walkin' bow-legged for a month."


I'll make this one short. SQUARENIX: I'm going to buy FF12 and 13, so don't sue me.