Hey, you guys...

I wrote a one-shot.
A long one, though (argh).

I once learned in therapy that facing your fears instead of running away from them is the best way to fight them, and so I decided to write about the one that can sometimes take my breath away, completely out of nowhere, before it entirely throws me off my game.
My therapist told me it is important not to look at the fear itself, but at the feeling that is hidden underneath it.
And so, I tried to go there.

I feel obligated to tell you guys that I suppose it can be a heavy read, especially the last part, and if you're not in the mood for that, you should probably skip this one.
I can't say too much, for I don't want to give any spoilers or make it bigger than it is, all I'm saying is that it's far from a bedtime story, hehe.

Anyway, disclaimers.

- I don't own the Biker Mice From Mars.
- English isn't my first language, so there will be grammatical mistakes, my apologies in advance.
- Constructive criticism is welcome, however, burning me to the ground is not.

This scene takes place shortly after the events of 'The Motor City Maniac'.
Let's go!

Fear Makes The Wolf Bigger Than He Is

-ONE SHOT-
Charley is about to find out, in the most gruesome way, that fear kills more dreams than failure or insecurity ever will.
For fear is temporary.
Regret is forever.
Vinnie -X- Charley.

Chapter 1

Flashing lights.
The sound of thunder, somewhere in the distance.
Rain poured down on her, soaking her to the skin, but Charley hardly noticed as she sat there, on her knees.
Staring at the grass that was supposed to be green.
Everybody knew that.
There was no such thing as red grass.
It simply didn't exist.
But it was there.
Mysterious and puzzling.

Everything sounded so dull.
Muted.
As if she was caught in a giant bubble, or covered by a dome made out of thick, shatter-free glass, entirely cutting her off from the outside world.
That cruel world.
God, the pain was excruciating.
It felt as if her heart was torn apart, shredded into a million pieces without mercy.
It set her entire chest on fire, making breathing difficult as well.
As if every breath burned away another piece of her.
Maybe it did.
It most definitely did.

All she could do was stare at her hands that were resting in the red grass.
Despite the dome that made every outside incentive hazy and shadowy, like it wasn't really there, she could see her hands razor-sharp.
As if her eyes suddenly had microscopical vision, which was beyond ridiculous, but here she was, counting all the small white hairs that were stuck in the red substance.
Biting her lower lip, Charley narrowed her green eyes and she tilted her head somehow confused, her breathing still rapid and irregular.

They say your life flashes in front of your eyes right before you die.
She never believed that, actually.
After all, how could anyone possibly know what happened when one died?
There wasn't really someone who lived to tell the tale, or was there?
Still, she couldn't help herself but wonder why she wasn't seeing happy memories while she sat there, almost burning away in pain.
It most definitely felt like she was dying.
Then why was his blood all she could see right now?

"Charley… Charley, what happened?"

His usual so familiar voice sounded so… strange.
Dull.
Not husky, as it always did.
As if he wasn't really here, but miles away from her.
Maybe he was.
With her green eyes still fixated on her hands, Charley opened her mouth and while her lips tried to form the name of her tan-furred friend almost desperately, a tear left her wide-open eye and fell down.
Slowly.
Like in slow motion.
It eventually landed on her hand, right next to her thumb, blending with the blood and rain as if it hadn't even been there in the first place.

Charley, what happened?

Wasn't that obvious?
If only she could ask him that.
If only she could tell him to take a good look around him.
That he didn't need her to tell the story.
It was all there.
Written in Martian blood.
But she couldn't find the words.
Her brain was entirely clouded by a strange fog.
Fog of pure agony and trauma, making her head fuzzy and distorted.
The fire in her chest grew even bigger, a thing she never thought possible, and she gasped, closing her eyes as her fingers enclosed the grass.

If only it felt like grass.
Like fresh grass in springtime.
Warm of the early sun rays.
Or wet from the drops of morning dew.
But it didn't.
The blood made it sticky and squishy and therefore scary and agonizing to touch.
Unbearable, even and a sob escaped her lips when she realized nothing would ever be the same again.
Not even the grass.
Oh, God…
She had lost him.
She had lost him forever.

"She seems to be in some sort of shock…"

Another voice joined the strange mix of dull sounds, although thanks to its heavy tones, she did hear him more clearly than Throttle.
Another tear left her eye right after she opened them again, but instead of saying Modo's name in the hope that would make her feel less alone, she just stared at her now clenched fists holding the grass.
The red grass.
Jesus, there was so much blood…

"I've never seen her like this… Can't say I blame her, though… I mean, look at… Oh momma, this… this is… What do we do now, Throttle?"

Modo's voice, though still far away, was soaked with worry and sheer heartache, and Charley got suddenly hit by the cruel realization that she wasn't the only one who had lost him today.
They had lost him too.
Forever.
It was enough for the fire to entirely consume what was left of her already shattered heart and she suddenly lacked the strength to keep herself upright.

Gradually, almost in perfect precision, she shifted her weight to the right and after curling herself up, she laid down in the grass, completely defeated.
The moment she rested her head on the wet surface, a strange, wailing sound was heard and her already pounding heart skipped a beat, for it was a sound that sent about a thousand shivers down her spine, especially when she realized that it came out of her mouth.
It sounded more like a dying animal.
Suffering in excruciating pain right before it let out its last breath.
Kind of like him…

If only she could die, too.
So she didn't have to feel this gaping hole the fire had left behind in her chest.
But life hadn't been exactly kind to her.
So why would death be any different?
Without blinking, Charley just stared at the small blades of grass that mildly tickled her face, although it felt more like it were small knives poking her skin.
Why didn't the rain wash away the blood?
Why was it still there, staining everything it encountered?
Turning everything into ash?

"I don't know, Modo… There's not much we can do here… We were too late and now…"

For the first time since forever, Throttle's usually strong voice trembled before it broke and another wave of that gut-wrenching pain washed over Charley the moment she heard it.
Her entire body cramped in the most painful way because of it and again, that strange sound slipped over her lips.
It was probably all just an attempt to vent some of this crippling anguish, but it didn't make any difference.
It didn't help.
It didn't bring even the slightest hint of relief.
No.
Only darkness.
Cold, empty, and lonely darkness.

"Let's just take her home. Let's take them both home…"

And with these words echoing through her head, the entire world became black.

…

"Her eyes are doing that thing again, Throttle. Look."

"Hm. It looks like she's dreaming or something. Maybe her mind is processing what happened..."

"I dunno, bro… She's been out for days now. How long does it normally take for a human to recover from something as traumatizing as this?"

"Beats me. She just needs some more time, I guess…"

"Oh, momma, I wish there was something we could do. It kills me to see her like this…"

"I know the feeling, big guy. But I don't think there's anything else we can do besides waiting. Unless…"

"Unless what? What is it?"

"I just remembered something Stoker once told me, a little while ago. About trauma."

"And that is… what exactly?"

"Well, apparently, trauma is able to uh… how do I explain this… I guess paralyzing the brain is the right way to put it. Think of it as a broken record, but instead of music, it's replaying that same traumatizing event over and over again."

"You think that's what's happening right now? She's been forced to relive that horrible scene over and over again?"

"To be honest, I have no idea. She's human, not Martian, and although we have many similarities, our brains doesn't work the same way... "

"But if it does… If she's stuck in that scene… Throttle, we have to do something. We can't do this to her. We just can't. There must be something you can do, right? Anything… We owe her that much, especially after… ya know."

"Maybe I can take her on a Mind Walk. To see what is happening inside her head. Maybe I can even give her brain a little push… Like restarting the broken record. So it can move on to the next song. So it can start to process what happened instead of being stuck in the situation…"

"You can actually fix a broken record?"

"Depends on the damage…"

A silence.

"Well, I suppose taking a look won't do much harm… But I've gotta ask, man — are you sure you are up to this? I mean, maybe it's too soon to watch everything through her eyes…"

"I think you just made an excellent point, Modo. We can't do this to Charley. We need to help her. So I will. It's the least I can do…"

"It ain't your fault, Throttle. Stop blaming yourself. All this… it's already hard enough without the guilt…"

"Of course it's my fault. I'm the one in charge here. This happened under my watch. But I don't expect you to understand, big fella. You're not in my shoes. Lucky for you, you're not."

"Throttle…"

"Don't. Please, just… don't. I need to focus, which is hard when you're debating with my conscience."

"Okay, fine. I'll give you some privacy, but know this — this conversation ain't over just yet, pal."

The sound of footsteps, followed by a door closing quite loud.

"Okay, Charley-girl. Time to find out what is going on inside your head…"

…

Memories consume…
Like opening the wound…

"Okay, the last thing on the list is root beer", Charley told her white-furred friend with her green eyes pinned on the grocery list in her hand.
She then wiped the sweat off her forehead and put a bag full of bike parts in one of the compartments of the cherry-red racer before she looked up at Vinnie, who sat on his bike with his helmeted head resting in his hand, sulking like a small child.
"Man, this is boring…", he sighed, his tail lazily swaying back and forth as he turned his ruby-red eyes up to heaven, but he came back upright anyway and handed over her helmet as the gentlemouse he could be, from time to time.

Despite his whining, Charley knew he actually loved to help her out, it's just that his massive ego didn't allow him to admit that out loud and with a small smile curling her lips, she took place behind him.
"The fridge doesn't fill itself, Vin. And since you guys are the ones who eat me out of my house and home, it seems only right that you help me run some errands. See it as... paying the rent."
"That doesn't make it any cooler, ya know. A self-filling fridge, however… that sounds totally awesome", the white-furred mouse replied a bit dreamy as he rested his foot on the kickstart of his impressive ride.

"I'll give Harry Potter a call when we get home", Charley snickered, shaking her head and when Vinnie started his bike, a process that always came with a lot of noise and smoke, she wrapped her arms around his muscular body.
"You know where to go, macho mouse. After that, you're a free elf again."
Vinnie gasped and turned his upper body so his red eyes, now wide open, could catch her gaze.
"Did you just seriously compare me to Dobby? I mean, hello?! Have you seen how skinny that little weird dude is?"
"He's got big ears, though", Charley retorted casually, shrugging her shoulders as she gave him an innocent smile, not at all impressed by his little outburst.

"So? He's still skinny. And ugly. I bet he smells too. Geez. What did I do to deserve such hate, huh? Story of my life — no appreciation", Vinnie continued his little temper tantrum as he grabbed his handlebars again, clearly deeply insulted and Charley rolled her eyes, although with the hint of a smile on her face.
"You're an exaggerator with the capital E, mister. Can we go now? I want to be at the store preferably before it closes. You know how grumpy Modo gets when we're out of root beer."
Still softly muttering under his breath, the white-furred adrenaline junkie shortly looked over his shoulder to check the traffic before he opened the gas and the bike practically flew back on the road, which wouldn't be a problem if there hadn't been a sidewalk.

Charley quickly grabbed Vinnie's army-green sweater to stop herself from bouncing off the bike, knowing perfectly well that the white-furred Martian totally did that on purpose and she made a mental note to herself that from now on, she would leave out the comparisons with Harry Potter while being in the presence of this walking and talking ego.
"Classy, Vinnie. Classy", she mumbled as she adjusted her helmet before resting her head against his strong back, leaving the visor open, like she always did when she was riding along with him.

It wasn't because he caught most of the wind -and the bugs, hehe-, which he did, but mainly because this was the golden opportunity to sniff up his scent without anyone else noticing.
Not that she had ever said it out loud, but Vinnie smelled good.
Real good.
There weren't actually words to describe his scent, but it came close to sandalwood with a hint of vanilla.

Somehow, it always made her feel a bit drowsy, in a good way, that is, and she closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation of his fragrance filling her nose, warming up her body in the process.
She always loved these little moments of being alone with him.
It was a rare thing to happen, for Throttle and Modo were always somewhere near, all thanks to their, as she liked to call it, bromance thingy.
Not that she could blame them.

After all, danger was lurking on every corner here in the city of Chicago, all due to the smelly presence of Limburger and with the mice being dyed-in-the-wool soldiers, they knew like no other that separating from the pack was dangerous, to say the least, not to mention stupid.
But it was only yesterday that she and her furry, obnoxiously loud friends had returned from a very unpleasant adventure in Detroit, an adventure that ended with Limburger's tower crumbling into dust, appropriate with the mice's usual MO.

It wasn't only a very lovely sight to see, but with Limburger being occupied with rebuilding instead of planning his next scheme, it also gave the interplanetary heroes and their human sidekick a few weeks to live in relative freedom.
It was a pattern that made this whole crazy life endurable, but even more important, it were these moments of peace and quietness that Charley had the biggest shot at some alone time with Vinnie, for the danger levels had increased enough to split up without too many risks.

Strangely enough, she truly loved to be alone with him.
She wasn't entirely sure why, I mean, it wasn't like he was less annoying while being separated from his beloved bro's, but still.
Most of the time, it was at these moments that he showed her a glimpse of this whole other side of him, a side that was usually thoroughly hidden behind a mask, and she wasn't talking about the silver mask that decorated the right side of his face.
A side she desperately wanted to get to know better.

The fact that she sincerely enjoyed being in his presence was something she never thought possible when she just met him, now almost a year ago.
It had taken her some serious time to get used to him, but once that miracle happened, he had soon conquered himself a very special place in her heart.
She had never told him that, though.
He was her best friend.
She was beyond terrified to ruin that.
To completely destroy what they already had.

Because truth be told, even though she was able to read him like no other could, she didn't have the slightest idea about how he was feeling about her.
How he was really feeling about her.
Of course, he flirted with her.
Like he did with everything female and older than eighteen.
Enough said.

But then there was that stupid voice in her head, reminding her of the fact how scared she was to lose him, as it did several times a day.
To lose all three of them, actually.
But mostly him.
The thing that made it beyond complicated was that it wasn't exactly an unfounded fear, you know, considering his line of work.
There wasn't much she could use to comfort herself, to tell herself that she was just being overdramatic.
No, he put his life on the line almost daily.
And whenever he and his bro's drove out to fight another battle, she stayed behind with a heavy heart, wondering if they would make it back.
Up until now, they always did.
Sometimes severely injured, sometimes without so much of a scratch on their perfect bodies.

While thinking about this. her heartbeat increased when she, once again, realized that all this, everything she had right now, could be gone in just the blink of an eye.
Maybe the time had come to tell him how much he meant to her.
How much she loved him.
Truly loved him.
You know, before it's too late…

"Time for a little shortcut, sweetheart. Hang on."

Vinnie's slightly raw voice broke her out of her thoughts, a thing she was grateful for because they weren't exactly happy thoughts and when she blinked her eyes a few times to speed up the process of getting back to the land of the living, she felt his bike taking a sharp turn to the right.
She was also grateful that this time, he at least gave her a heads up, but she still had no clue what shortcut he was talking about.
As far as she knew, there was only one way from the parts store to the supermarket.
Well, knowing Vinnie, it was a bad idea.
Every idea that came out of his mouth was a bad one, after all.
Really, one could almost call it a gift.
And when she peeked over his shoulder, she soon saw that this time was no different.

"Not that you ever listen to me, but I still feel obligated to tell you that the park you just drove in is a motorcycle free zone and I don't know about you, but I'm not in the mood to explain to a police officer why I'm currently in the presence of a big, humanoid talking mouse coming from Mars", Charley told her beloved white-furred friend, despite the fact that she knew it wouldn't make any difference.
The guy was like the definition of stubborn, but hey, the least she could do was try.
"In order to talk to us, they need to catch us first, sweetheart. And nobody's gonna catch this mouse, not today, not ever. Besides, no one will notice we're even here. Look…", and Vinnie pointed at the sky.
"There's a storm coming, so the place is completely deserted. This will at least save us like, five minutes."

Much to her annoyance, he was right.
The black sky was already rapidly coming closer and the small paths in the park were, indeed, totally empty.
Still.
"I dunno, Vin. It feels like you're taking an unnecessary risk right now and for what? Five minutes doesn't seem worth the trouble if we're getting caught…", Charley mused out loud with her eyes slightly narrowed, knowing Throttle would've said the same.
He was always talking about how they needed to keep a low profile, but then again, destroying half the city to stop Limburger wasn't really her idea of keeping a low profile.
It was probably a mouse thing.

"Ugh, there's no such thing as an unnecessary risk, doll. Will you please stop cursing in my beautiful presence? You're making my ears bleed", Vinnie protested before he glanced over his shoulder, but instead of looking annoyed, he had that awfully mischievous smile on his face.
You know, the one that was like his trademark.
The one that told her he was up to something.
His next words only confirmed that.
"Don't sweat it, babe. I'll be quick."

Those who were a bit familiar with Vinnie knew exactly that when he said not to worry, the time had come to do the exact opposite and Charley's face darkened, but before she could say something, the white-furred mouse already turned his words into deeds by putting the pedal to the metal.
Again, Charley quickly grabbed his sweater in a tight grip to stay in her seat and the wild mouse let out a laugh as he gained even more speed.
"Look alive, Charley-girl. We're about to set a new record here. Aaaooww!"

"A new record of what? How to drive through a park like a complete idiot?", Charley managed to squeeze out as she buried her face in the soft fabric of his sweater, her stomach making ten backflips due to the sudden speed he was now driving with.
"Idiot? Babe, that hurts my feelings, big time. I'm a Van Wham. Idiocy does not run in this family. Good looks, however…", and Vinnie quickly checked himself in the mouse-shaped side mirror of his bike with a smile that revealed his shiny white teeth.
Puh-lease…
"Your lack of self-knowledge is disturbing. How is this not crazy?"

"Hey, Charley-girl, if you wanna go buy root beer being all soaking wet, be my guest. But you know how long it takes for my fur to dry and I simply refuse to use that hairdryer thingy of yours again. Shit, I wouldn't even touch that thing with a ten-feet pole", Vinnie shivered as he left the path they were currently driving on to take another shortcut over the small hill in the middle of the park, all determined to make it to the supermarket before the storm would reach Chicago.
It seemed impossible, you know, to beat Mother Nature, but knowing Vinnie, he would probably pull it off.
So annoying.

"But you look so cute when you're all fluffy and poofy", Charley chuckled, not able to forget the sight of him when she had suggested using her hairdryer after the first time he had taken a shower.
He had, without a doubt, put a puppy to shame.
"We agreed to never talk about that again, remember?"
His usual high-pitched voice was now low, but there was still that slight tremble of amusement audible, telling Charley he wasn't really annoyed.

Even better, when she caught his gaze via the mirror, he gave her an almost seductive wink, turning her insides into jelly instantly and her cheeks colored red while her heart made a couple of somersaults.
Maybe she wasn't the only one enjoying their moments alone.
Maybe she wasn't the only one who felt something brewing between them.
Maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way…

"Vinnie, I need to tell you something", she blurted out without thinking and she closed her mouth with a clap when she realized what she just said.
Holy shit, had she gone mad?
Here they were, driving through the park with dangerous speed and she figured this would be a good time to tell him that she actually loved him?
By the Gods, Charlene…
Something in her voice must have caught his attention because again, their eyes locked via the mirror and the look in it caught her off guard as well.
There was the usual spark of mischief, but it was now mixed with lust and something she couldn't name.
"Do tell, sweetheart. I'm all ears…"
Oh.
Shit.
His voice.
She had never heard that tone before.
What was happening here?

His entire presence was enough for her to forget the words.
To forget everything, actually.
For a moment, it was just him and her.
Looking at each other through the side mirror of the most beautiful bike she had ever seen.
But before this whole thing could get even more awkward, or maybe even romantic, something heavy crashed into the right side of Vinnie's cherry-red bike.
Not only did it come completely out of nowhere, the sound of metal crashing into the Martian steel plates that covered the bike also almost tore Charley's eardrums, although there wasn't really time to think about that.
Actually, there wasn't time to do anything at all for that matter and before she even realized what was happening, Charley already got catapulted off the bike.

Strangely enough, despite that everything went so crazy fast, she was still able to feel how Vinnie's sweater slipped through her fingers before it got replaced with air.
With absolutely nothing to hold on to, Charley had this short yet weird sensation of sheer loneliness in its ugliest form, the warmth of his body now replaced by the cold air.
Not just that, there was this strange, somewhat revolting feeling that came with saying a final goodbye, which didn't make any sense, but it was just there, if only for a split second.
But again, there was just no time to think and the feeling was soon gone with the wind again.
She still had the presence of mind to know that she was up for a rough landing though, and so she even managed to brace herself, which basically meant that she closed her eyes while clenching her teeth right before her left shoulder made contact with the ground.

A sharp pain shot from her collarbone to her spine, all the way down to her pelvis, but time took another leap forward and it didn't take long before her entire body hit the ground.
The pain was immense, but it released such a huge boost of adrenaline at the same time, which made her able to make herself small and after rolling over a couple of times, she eventually ended up on her belly before she came to a halt again.
For a moment, all she could do was lie there in the grass that was still warm from the sun, listening to her heavy and irregular breathing with a spinning head.
What the actual fuck just happened?

Slowly, her lungs filled themselves with enough air for her breathing to slow down a bit, but it soon increased again when the sickening feeling of fear suddenly washed over her, turning her stomach and making her slightly nauseous.
Vinnie.
After taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and laid her hands on the grass before she pushed herself up to place her knees under her clearly bruised but, by some miracle, not broken body.
Still, the jolt of pain in her head was no joke, it even made her vision blurry for a moment and a moan escaped her lips when she practically ripped her helmet off, for lifesaver or not, the thing suddenly gave her the feeling as if she was being suffocated.

It was tempting to lay down again, for she was feeling beyond miserable, but the only thing she could think of was Vinnie, which was enough for her to push herself through the pain barrier.
Still breathing heavily, Charley lifted her right leg, but just when she carefully placed her foot in the soft grass as the first step of standing up, a pair of hands took her upper arms in a tight grip and her heart skipped a few beats by this sudden and highly unexpected sensation.
"What the.."

Before she could fully comprehend what was happening here, she got dragged back on her feet and, unfortunately for her, not very polite.
The sudden movement caused another wave of nausea, or maybe that was just the panic that was already softly gnawing on her insides, for she instinctively knew that there was something very, very wrong here.
Where the hell was Vinnie?

While she made some half-baked attempt to get loose, which only resulted in the grip around her arms getting even tighter, Charley's green eyes desperately searched for the white-furred mouse, her entire stomach cramped in fear.
Fear for him.
The first thing she saw was his bike.
It was laying in the grass only a few feet away from her, or well, what was left of it.
Obviously, whatever had crashed into them had damaged the bike so badly that it just laid there on its side without giving any sign of life, a fact that would've made her heart cry if she wasn't so worried about the driver.

The next thing she noticed was that they weren't alone, a thing she already suspected, although that wasn't really a real brain twist, considering someone was holding her as we speak.
No, it was very clear that the park wasn't deserted, not anymore.
Several men were standing scattered throughout the hill, all keeping a close eye on their surroundings and Charley could only conclude that they were standing on guard for whatever reason.
That couldn't be good.
Shit, what the hell was going on here?

As her gaze wandered further, she soon saw another man, wearing a long leather jacket and a hat, standing with his back towards her.
It seemed like he was talking to someone in front of him, but given his current position, he was blocking her view, so it was kind of hard to tell what he was actually doing.
Something she was desperate to find out because if she had to guess, it was him who was leading this bunch of strangers.
There was a certain tension lingering in the air, one that was highly unpleasant, stifling even and Charley's heart bounced through her chest while her eyes still searched for Vinnie, but much to her frustration, there was no sign of him.

She opened her mouth in an attempt to call his name, but all there came out was a somewhat hoarse sound that didn't come even close to the usual sound of her voice.
It kind of scared her, actually.
And that while she was already so afraid.
At the same time, she tried a bit harder to move her arms, despite knowing that there was no chance in hell for her being able to get free from this grip that was so tight that it almost cut off her blood circulation.
But, strangely enough, she didn't actually care about that.
All she cared about was Vinnie.
She had to see him.
She had to see with her own eyes that he was okay, although she had the nagging feeling that he was far from okay.
It was way too quiet around here for him to be okay.
Oh, God…
Let him be okay…

The panic, the very one that had been slightly present in the background up until now, held back by fear, now found its way to release itself and turned into a giant wave that almost entirely crushed her, all fed by the thought alone that her worst nightmare had just come true and although it was a feeling that went beyond words, it did give her enough strength to call his name louder now.
"Vinnie!"
She also used this so-called boost to double her attempts to get free, but it was just no goddamn use.
The only thing she accomplished with her desperate call was getting the attention of the man with the hat, who now suddenly turned around.
But instead of looking at his face, Charley shifted her weight to the right so she could look around him and her heart just stopped beating when her gaze landed on what it was he was hiding behind his giant posture.
Vinnie.

"Oh, God, no…", she gasped and an invisible strap tied around her chest as her green eyes flew over the horrific scene in front of her.
The white-furred mouse was sitting on his knees, his legs wide apart, in the grass that was now red of his blood.
Blood that she had no idea where it came from.
His clothes were torn, at some places she could even see his fur coming through the tears in the fabric, but it wasn't white as it usually was.
Jesus, there was so much blood…
It soon became clear to her that she probably should consider herself lucky for flying off the bike, because it was obvious that Vinnie had taken the full hit of the crash.
If she had to guess, the bike must have rolled over him or something like that.
Holy shit.
This was bad.

And it was about to become even worse, for she now saw two men standing next to him, each holding one arm in a tight grip to keep the young mouse upright and Charley's breathing became shallow when she realized that was because he, apparently, wasn't able to do that by himself.
Her green eyes darted up, desperately searching for his gaze, but his head was hanging down with his chin resting on his muscular chest.
Even his antenna's dangled in the wind like a broken blade of grass.
Blood dripped out of his mouth, almost painfully slow and somehow, it was this sight that turned her insides upside down.
The way he was sitting there, no, the way he was practically dangling in the men's hands, men he didn't even know, like a lifeless doll…
Jesus, was he dead?

"Vinnie… Oh, God, Vinnie, please, say something…", she breathed while tears blurred her vision, but when he didn't respond, panic took over, activating every sore muscle in her body and she tried to yank herself free, suddenly overwhelmed by the quite strong urge to be close to him.
To let her fingers slide through the blood-stained fur in his neck to check if he still had a heartbeat.
To smell his scent one more time.
But the hands were too strong and she soon gave up again, for she simply didn't have the strength to keep up this fight.
Seeing Vinnie like this, so vulnerable, so… lifeless, was enough to completely drain her entire body and she now hung in the man's grip, her eyes peeled on the creature that she loved with every fiber in her body.
"Vinnie… no…"

But then, like an angel falling from the sky, her keen eye saw his left ear twitching.
Not just one, but two times.
It was ever so slightly, but it was most definitely there and the left corner of her mouth trembled, for she suddenly felt the crazy urge to laugh, mostly because of the relief that now washed over her.
But before she could search for another sign that he was really alive, for she had to know for sure, a dark shadow filled her field of vision and she blinked a few times before she raised her eyes.
Cold, brown eyes looked back at her, eyes belonging to the man with the hat that was still standing close to Vinnie.
A man she knew, she now realized.
The red beard was actually the biggest clue.
"You…", she gasped, deeply shocked when she recognized the man who was carrying the name Number One.
Brie's right hand.

The moment she looked into his empty, almost dead eyes, her entire body became numb, although her heartbeat already skyrocketed again, for it wasn't really hard to guess why he was here.
Payback.
When he saw the recognition on her face, the man's lips curled into a smile that was anything but friendly and he spread his arms, his leather jacket softly rustling due to his movements.
"Yes, me. How nice of you to recognize me, although I'm not sure why you're acting so surprised. I mean, did you really think that I would let you and your rodent friends get away with what you did to me and my boss?"
He now lowered his arms again and shook his head with another cold and frankly, scary smirk on his face.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… So ignorant. Never mess with Detroit, lady. It always comes with a price."

She wasn't sure what it was that frightened her the most — the blood-chilling tone of his voice or the somewhat murderous look on his ugly face, but whatever it was, she did know one thing — this was about to spin out of control faster than a speeding bullet and most definitely not in a good way.
And she, as the fragile human she was, wouldn't be able to stop it.
There was only one person, or well, mouse, in this company who had the skills and experience to stop this madness before it could even really begin, and instead of replying to Number One, her green eyes already landed on Vinnie again.
Who, much to her horror, hadn't moved.
The nausea became even worse, squeezing her throat without mercy and thereby making it almost impossible to swallow.
The young mouse was their only chance of getting out of their plight, but it appeared that his injuries got the best of him.
This wasn't going to end well, or was it?

Number One followed her gaze and another smile appeared on his face when he walked over to the motionless white-furred mouse, slowly yet targeted, like a hunter approached its prey.
"I can see that you're worried about your beloved furry friend over here…", he spoke casually, as if he was talking about a car that broke down instead of the mouse that was her entire world and a small pang of anger suddenly warmed up her panicked and therefore frozen body.
It was only a small spark at first, but it soon grew bigger and bigger while she silently watched how Number One raised his foot and kicked Vinnie against one of his legs, almost nonchalantly.

In response, Vinnie moved his head a bit, but that was all.
He didn't jump on his feet and knocked the man down while cracking some stupid joke.
He didn't use his tail to tackle him and aim his gun at his head as a surprise attack.
He didn't even raise his head to tell the thug to keep his dirty feet away from his magnificent body, for it was grade-A mouse material.
No, all he did was slightly flinch and Charley's heart cried by the sight of his helplessness, the same one she felt as well, for there was nothing she could do.
Goddammit, if only there was something she could do.
If only she could save him like he always saved her.

"As you can see, he's still alive. Just a little… out of order. I believe he snapped his spine in the crash, or maybe it was me when I scraped him off the floor…", Brie's right hand told her while he slowly walked around Vinnie, still with that awful smile on his face.
He was lying, right?
Right?!
The small spark of pure fury now expanded and it didn't take long before Charley almost ignited into flames.
Seeing the man positioning himself behind Vinnie only added more fuel to that fire.
Frankly, she had never been this angry before in her entire life.
Even her vision became a bit blurry, a red haze coloring the edges.

"Stay away from him, you hear me! Don't you even dare to touch him!", she spat out, her eyes spitting fire but, as it was no surprise, the man wasn't even close to being impressed by this, in his eyes, weak threat.
No, he even made brief eye contact to make sure she knew that he was the one holding all the cards here and not her before he leaned forward and gradually, perhaps even teasingly, rested his right hand on Vinnie's forehead.
His dirty fingers enclosed the small, bloody white hairs and in one rough movement, he yanked the young mouse's head up.
"What's the matter, mousie? Cat got your tongue?", he chuckled as he looked down on Vinnie, who was still so awfully quiet.

With every muscle practically vibrating under her skin due to the mix of fear, panic, and anger that whirled inside of her, Charley lowered her eyes, desperately searching for the familiar ruby-red ones, the very ones she used to almost drown in, entirely mesmerized by the different colors of red of his peculiar irises.
Soon, she found what she was looking for, but it just wasn't the same.
It probably would never be the same, ever again.
Even if they miraculously would manage to escape this horrible scene, she would never forget the way he was looking at her right now.

The usual twinkling eyes were now dull, the spark of mischief that used to be always there overshadowed by pain and the small hint of relief she had felt for a brief moment when she realized that he was, indeed, still alive, simply vanished into thin air, for it was clear that her beloved macho mouse was suffering in excruciating pain.
Hardly able to look into his eyes, Charley let her gaze wander over his face, but it didn't make her feel any better.
Quite the opposite, actually.
God, he was a mess.

There was a mean-looking wound right above his left eye, leaking blood that trickled down to eventually get stuck in the wrinkles of his nose, caused by him clenching his teeth with so much strength because of the pain he was clearly in.
His breathing came out in short, rapid breaths between his gritted teeth as blood dripped down his chin and the sound of it gave Charley goosebumps all over her body, and not in a good way.
It even made the tiniest hairs in her neck stand up straight.

As she braced herself, she looked back into his eyes, only to see that he had a real hard time with keeping them open, but whenever they threatened to roll back in his head, Number One roughly shook him to keep him awake, cruel as he was.
"Vinnie… Oh, God, what have they done to you…", Charley whispered, entirely heartbroken when she realized that Number One wasn't lying.
No.
Vinnie, the mouse who never sat still, wasn't able to move his legs nor his tail and therefore, he couldn't fight back.
All he could do was sit there.
Doing nothing.
Waiting for whatever destiny had in store for him.
Jesus, this was…
There were no words.
Simply no words.

"Okay… okay, you win. You have made your point. Now please, let him go… He needs help, can't you see that? Can't you see he's suffering?", she pleaded with a breaking voice as she looked up at Number One, tears in her eyes and her heart crying.
When the red-bearded man didn't respond, another pang of anger made her almost burst out of her skin quite unexpectedly and she threw her weight forward, her nostrils flared.
"I said, let him go! Now! He doesn't deserve this!", she screamed with a shrieking voice, her throat instant raw and painful due to this sudden outburst, but all Number One did was let out a laugh, though it was a humorless one.
"You're right. We should help him. You know, put him out of his misery…"

At first, the words didn't make it to her brain, they somehow didn't make sense, but while the man was talking, his hand disappeared out of view and shortly thereafter, a glitter caught Charley's attention, pulling her eyes towards it like a moth to the light.
It was then when his words dawned upon her.
Put him out of his misery…
She thought she knew panic.
After all, it was rushing through her veins from the moment she was trying to catch her breath after that horrible crash.
But when she saw the huge and sharp-looking knife Number One just whipped out of his pocket, she soon learned the true meaning of panic.
Of mortal fear.

"No…", she gasped in shock, her heart pounding irregularly, but somehow, she couldn't take her gaze away from the deadly weapon the man was holding between his fingers.
Jesus.
This wasn't real, right?
This wasn't happening.
This was just her brain, playing a sick game with her, using her worst fear to make sure she would relearn the value of Vinnie's presence on Earth.
She was going to wake up any second now, soaking in sweat but safely in her bed with the mice sleeping in the scoreboard, all safe and sound.
Now knowing that she really shouldn't wait any longer to tell him how she truly felt about him, for it could be all gone before she could even blink, this horrific nightmare being the proof of that.

But all that didn't happen.
The scene didn't fade.
It didn't slowly vanish into the nothingness of sleep.
She didn't snap out of it either.
If only she did.
But she didn't.

Time seemed to stop ticking as her eyes followed Number One's hand every movement.
How it slowly, almost theatrically, placed the immense hunter knife on Vinnie's throat while his other hand was still holding him by the forehead.
No.
No, no, no…
"No!", she hollered and the panic now reached its highest level, turning her body into one giant cramped ball and the pain that came with it went truly beyond words, but she still came into movement quite unexpectedly.
Again, she went way beyond the barrier of pain.
She had to.
For him.
She couldn't just stand there and do nothing.
"Leave him alone! He's wounded! Helpless! Where's your goddamn dignity?!"

But the man who was holding her was, as it turned out, prepared for this outburst and he now wrapped both his arms around her upper body, filling her nostrils with his stinking scent, which only made her more upset, for all she wanted to smell right now was Vinnie.
Not him.
"Oh, God, Vinnie, no… Let him go! For God sake, just let him go! He deserves so much more than this!", she cried, her fingers clawing the arms of the man that was holding her, all to try to get loose from his iron grip.
"Vinnie!"

But, much to her utter horror, instead of lowering the knife, the red-bearded man only moved it a bit more to the right, still with that horrific and chilling smirk on his face.
Charley had seen enough movies to know he only did that so he had enough room to make one clean cut and something just snapped in her head when she realized that the mouse she loved with every fiber of her body was about to be murdered right before her eyes.
Her biggest nightmare was about to become reality and the thought alone was enough to make her go ballistic.
Absolutely ballistic.

Entirely driven by mortal fear, she fought with everything she had in her, using both hands and feet to get free, but it was no use.
It was just no goddamn use.
The man was like the Hulk or something, it was ridiculous.
This whole thing was ridiculous.
Gruesome.
Her worst nightmare.
"No, stop! STOP! You can't take him away from me! Vinnie! Oh God, Vinnie!"
But even screaming her throat raw didn't make any difference.
Nothing did.

The only thing that happened was Number One putting a bit more pressure on the knife resting on Vinnie's throat and another wave of nausea almost made her throw up when she saw the first blood drops dripping down the knife.
But instead of puking her guts out on the floor, all because of this unsustainable and ruthless fear that jabbed her insides like a piping hot poker, she burst into tears as she buried her nails into the arms of her captor, but it was all in vain.
Everything she did was in vain, for deep down, she knew it was too late.
This was happening.
And there was nothing, absolutely nothing, she could do about it.
Nothing but baring her soul.

As she now cried hysterically, almost choking in her heartache, she broke her gaze loose from the knife and her green eyes flew up before they locked with Vinnie's.
Her best friend, who looked back at her with regret and sadness, although that was carefully hidden under the veil of pain that covered his eyes like a slimy layer.
He didn't seem to entirely realize what was happening here, but not even that was able to comfort her.
Not even a bit.
"I love you, you hear me? I love you…", she sobbed and while she spoke these words, she felt her heart swell up for a moment, warming up her distressed body, for she knew it was true.
She loved him.
With her entire heart and soul, she loved him.
The wave of pure and unconditional love entirely paralyzed her body and her hands slid off the man's arms, suddenly too tired to fight.
Or maybe it was the shock that now slowly took over, who knew?
She sure as hell didn't.

The moment her words reached Vinnie's big ears, his eyes widened a bit and although it was hardly visible, it was still there.
Not just that, the left corner of his mouth slightly curled up and Charley let out a heartbreaking sob when she realized that this was his way of telling her that he felt the same way.
If only he could say the words out loud.
But he couldn't.
There just wasn't enough time.
There never was.
And in one smooth movement, Number One slit Vinnie's throat.

Blood splattered out of the wound that was so deep that Charley was almost able to see his spine and a little voice in her head whispered that it might be better to look the other way, but she somehow couldn't take her gaze away from his face.
She had to look into his eyes, to let him know that he wasn't alone, even though her soul shattered into a thousand pieces by hearing him desperately gasping for air, his eyes now wide open and for the first time since forever, there was a hint of fear simmering through the veil of pain.
As if he just now realized what was happening.
"No… God, no…", she panted as she fought the urge to cover her ears, hardly able to breathe when she saw how the immense amounts of blood washed the life out of him.
How the light slowly left his eyes, until there was nothing left.

It was then when the two men finally let him go and as if in slow motion, his beautiful but now broken body toppled over and fell forward.
It eventually landed in the grass with a loud rustling sound, accompanied by a soft thump and all Charley could do was stare at it, trembling in shock.
No…
His lifeless red eyes stared back at her, eyes that used to tell so many stories but were now emptier than a black hole in space and she gagged, her stomach turning by seeing how different he suddenly looked without his sparkling soul being present in his, indeed, magnificent body.
But nothing came out.
Her entire gullet was blocked due to the strange feeling of shock that now rushed through her veins, infecting her entire body without mercy.

"No, Vinnie, please… wake up", she whispered, too far gone to notice that it was actually quite surprising that she just managed to make a sound, let alone giving her pain words.
But he didn't.
Wake up.
Of course he didn't.
He was dead.
And not even Vinnie was able to cheat death.
Mother Nature, maybe.
But not death.
So… unfair.

"This should be a clear message not to mess with Detroit, huh boys? Come on, let's bail before the cops find out we're here or even worse, his friends", Number One told his crew, although it sounded miles away.
As if she was caught in a giant bubble, cutting her off from the outside world.
That cruel world.
"What about her?", a raspy voice asked close to her ear, making her shiver.
"Leave her. She's learned her lesson. She'll probably choose her friends a bit more wisely next time, hehe."

And just like that, the arms of the man were gone, and so was the disgusting warmth of his revolting body pressing against hers.
The moment she felt this weird sensation of freedom, Charley tried to take a step in Vinnie's direction, for all she wanted was to hold him close now he was still warm.
Now there was still a chance for her to smell his lovely fragrance one last time before the horrific scent of death would chase it away to never return again.
But her legs were too weak to carry her weight and she just collapsed like a sack of potatoes.
Shortly after her knees landed in the grass that was now drenched with his blood, a loud thunder split the heavens.

Soon, the first raindrops started to fall down from the sky, as if the clouds were crying along with her, but Charley didn't notice.
She didn't feel comforted by the thought that there might be someone up there who was sympathizing, which was foolish to think anyway.
As if a stupid fantasy like that could make her feel less alone.
Nothing could.
She was alone, after all.
He was dead.
Taken away from her in the cruelest way.
She had lost him.
She had lost him forever.
She was all alone…
…forever…

A gut-wrenching pain washed over her, one that was simply too much to handle and she clenched her trembling hand into a fist before she slammed it on the ground with all the strength she had in her.
"Nooo!"

No, this is not the end.
There will be another chapter, only one, but that will be enough.
And yes, it's a one-shot, but written in two chapters, for I'm just unable to write short ones.
I'm dying to know what you think will happen in the next chapter.
My lips are sealed...
So bring it on! :)

Till next time, my dear readers!
Later!

PS: might as well use this moment to give an update about my other stories.
Somewhere I Belong: halfway through the next chapter, only need to write one scene before it's ready.
Shadow Of The Day: halfway through the next chapter, but I'm entirely paralyzed by all the things that are about to happen, I need some time to figure it all out.
I'm also working on a new story.
So, despite that it might seem quiet on my part, a lot is going on. :)