Oh, God… I am messed up. Seriously. Just a personal thing. So don't be surprised if this chapter's a little off. Just… well… a slight thing in my life that could bugger things up for me quite badly.

But you know what? That's why I love writing: It's a chance to put all the stuff like that out of my head. So, as I try and get myself back to normal, here's the next chapter.

Where we last left Drake: He was trapped beneath tonnes of rubble, badly wounded… and if he makes it out of this, can he defeat the deadly Monster Squad?

One last piece of news: I am planning to join FictionPress, where I hope to publish the first part of my "Nightmares and Shadows" series. Check my profile for info on the characters if that interests you.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

TRAPPED IN THE WRECK

Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her parents were out… at least now she wouldn't have to listen to them fighting.

She flicked on the TV to see the News.

"This just in," The reporter announced, "There has just been a major explosion in the factory area of the city. The blast apparently occurred in an abandoned factory, but it is possibly that those in the surrounding factories are at risk. The explosion has caused the building to collapse and has severely damaged two others. The cause of the explosion is still unknown…"

"Drake…" Rebecca gasped. "Oh my God…"

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Can't breath… Drake thought as he felt the tonnes of rubble pressing down on him. Come on… keep moving… don't black out… if you black out, you die…

He started grabbing some pipes from around him, jagged pieces of rubble cutting at his sides. A sharp pain reminded him of the wounds on his sides and back.

Ignore it, He told himself. Just keep going.

He pressed his mouth to the ends of various pipes and sucked, getting nothing.

Come on… one of these pipes has to go somewhere… has to have air in it…

His hands kept on shifting as he pushed the debris aside. After about a minute, he realised he was shaking. This was followed by the realisation that the shock was setting in.

Keep moving, Drake. Damn it, keep moving…

Finally, he grabbed a pipe and sucked in some air.

Got it. Not a lot of air, but it'll have to do.

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"The whole building's just a heap of rubble," The scientist radioed in, "There's no way it could have gotten out alive. All the Les Serviteurs are dead. Nothing human could survive that."

"This creature isn't human," Answered the voice on the other end of the radio. "Scan the debris for any signs of life."

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I can't stay in here… Drake thought through the pain, the debris keeps shifting… collapsing… before long, everything around… including… me gets flattened. Don't even know if I'm going the right way… could be going even further into this stuff, for all I know…

And I have to be careful… one wrong move and all these comes down on my head even further. He dug through another collapsed wall.

And that'd mean leaving my air supply behind. Not a big deal if it's only about 10 feet of debris… but if it's 20… or 30… or 40… or more… can't try it.

Have to keep going… have to try… have to…

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"Well?" The old man asked over the radio.

"We've found something."

"I thought as much."

"The Monster Squad is ready. We'll bring it in this time."

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Uh-oh… Drake thought as the pipe reached its limit behind him, end of my lifeline. Just have to hope I'm close enough, or… no. Don't think about that. I have to make it out of here… come on… think of Scarface… think of Rebecca… deep breath…

He sucked in as much air as he could hold.

GO!

He instantly started digging his way up, swiping, shifting, clawing and pushing aside the debris, even as his chest felt like it was on fire.

Can't breath… can't stop… come on…

Again and again he swiped away at the debris, finally reaching one last, huge steel girder.

OK… one last push…

He positioned himself under the girder, fixing his hands on it and tensing his muscles. He pushed it up and forwards with all his might. His lungs felt like they were on fire. He felt his muscles stretch, pull and tear. His ribs felt like they were going to smash to pieces in his chest.

Damn it, Drake… don't you dare give up… not after all this… have to make it out of here… for her… Rebecca… come on… PUSH!

With a gargantuan effort, he heaved the girder up, sending the debris flying away as finally; he felt cold, fresh air against himself.

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The scientist jumped back as the debris suddenly seemed to explode.

As a cloud of dust cleared, Drake stood amongst the rubble, bleeding bright green blood all over as he gasped for breath, barely able to stand.

After a second, he looked up to see the Monster Squad aiming their weapons.

You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding.

ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! Basically, I just like doing this with the action sequences, it's a nice link to the next chapter… plus it keeps the readers eager, right? Well, please review and tell me what you thought of Drake's struggle.

Next Chapter: All bets are off! Drake squares off with the Monster Squad… but he's barely able to stand! Does he stand a chance…?