A/N: Honestly? I almost feel bad for this chapter. Please, please review this guys! I really need to know what you think.

Carnage.

Smoke.

Screams of despair.

Lucy tried to run through all of it in hopes of finding her group while carrying pretty much all of their stuff. As soon as the first explosion had rocked the town Lucy had grabbed all their still packed duffel bags and wepaons and very discretly thrown them into the truck they had been taken into town in. She was about to run past a burning bookstore when Gajeel came bursting out of it carrying what looked to be a small blue-haired woman.

"Lucy!" What the hell is going on?!" He laid the woman down and got to work checking her pulse. Realizing there wasn't one he began CPR on her, pushing down on her breast and applying air to her lungs. Lucy just stood watching in horror. She didn't think somebody like Gajeel would know anything about CPR. After what felt like an eternity the little womans chest started slowly rising on its own.

"Thank God. Luce! Carry her towards the South exit of this place and find a vehicle! I'm going to look for Natsu and Gray!"

"What then?!" Lucy called after him as the large man ran down the street towards the bakery.

"We'll figure it out if anybody is still alive! Just get away from this fighting!"

Gajeel pushed past people running in terror and passing out weapons. They seemed to all be running towards the North part of the town. Gunfire was ringing out all over the place and some very nasty looking people were starting to pour into the streets from alleys strewn around the town. Reaching the bakery he found Natsu crouched behind a cement barrier with Lisanna who was holding her left shoulder in pain. Blood was pouring from it and the girls was grimacing with the pain.

"Natsu!" Gajeel dove behind the barrier in time to avoid a spray a bullets from a cluster of people who had just run out from behind an alley.

"What the FUCK is going on?!" Natsu fired off a couple rounds and looked to Gajeel for the answer.

"Oh yeah. I know! I know exactly what's going on! I DON'T HAVE A FUCKING CLUE!" A car half way down the block blew up. "We gotta find Gray and get out of here!"

"We're not going anywhere!" Lisanna glared at Gajeel. "This is my home and I'm defending it!"

"Fantastic. Lovely idea. Anywhere in particular that people would be heading for to defend what's LEFT of it?!"

"The courthouse. It has most of our weapons and ammo in it. Plus it's the best place for snipers!" As if on cue a large gunshot rang out and from the other side of the street an attackers head exploded.

"Gray might be there as well!" Said Gajeel.

"We'll head there then. I'll cover you!" Natsu stood and opened fire, giving Gajeel and Lisanna time to run towards the courthouse.

Their run was being covered by whoever was sniping on the roof. Every time someone aimed for them a large bang rang out and the attacked would die.

"One hell of a guardian angel we got up there." Gajeel grunted.

"Alzack and Bisca are the best snipers we have! They used to be hunters actually." Another shot, another kill. "They taught me everything I know! Ow." Lisanna grimaced and put more pressure on her bleeding shoulder. Around them others from the town were making their way to the courthouse and barricading themselves inside. It was easy to tell who the attackers were now, they looked nothing like the townspeople. When they had first arrived Natsu hadn't understood why everyone seemed so clean shaven and put together but now, as thugs and ruffians tried to gain control of the town, it made more sense. The people of the town clean and fit, their clothes pressed and their way of talking more like what it used to be before the world went to shit. None of them wore army fatigues or uniforms, but it was easy to tell which side they were on.

Launching themselves up the steps of the courthouse the trio hid behind the columns of the entrance and Natsu started returning fire over the heads of townspeople streaming in around him. Gajeel grabbed himself a weapon from a dead townsperson who lay beside his column. Around them more and more people were starting to return fire and it looked like the rest of Lisanna's team had arrived as well. Elfman, Bickslow and Ever were all on the roof taking aim and mowing town targets while the sounds of sniper-fire continued from up on the roof. There wasn't any sign of Freed though. Natsu went to reload when he realized he had no more ammo. Before he could yell out a woman with dark blue hair appeared beside him and handed him a bunch of pre-loaded ammo.

"Juvia sees you need this."

"Um. Yeah! Thanks!" The girl just nodded and walked away. "Well that was weird." Natsu turned and continued firing. From the corner of his eye he saw Lisanna, who had been slumped against the column with her eyes closed, get up slowly and head for the doors.

"Where are you going?!"

"I need to find Mira!"

Undiclosed location

Gunshots.

Pain.

Explosions.

That damned light blasting his eyes again.

Gray finally forced his eyes open. So much pain. His brain was barely functioning at this point. Where had the crazy woman gone? It didn't matter much really, just as long as she wasn't there with him. Tears started falling from his eyes. His mouth was still strapped shut, he couldn't make any noise for help. Gray knew he was probably to weak to make noise even if he wanted to right now anyways. He tried moving his arms. Fingers were all he could move. Something was missing though. He frowned. Was he missing fingers? He tilted his head as much as he could. A table! There on the table sat those pliers the crazy woman had been using. Beside them sat a small flesh-coloured thing with white in the middle. If he had the energy Gray might have thrown up.

Noise. Footsteps. Somebody was coming? The tears started flowing more freely. He was afraid of her. So very afraid.

But the footsteps were different from hers. Who was it then? Somebody coming to rescue him? It had to be! Who else possibly knew he was here?

She came into view. Gray openly cried now. He needed to get out of here. He needed to warn everybody about this woman.

"I'm sorry." Colonel Strauss looked him in the eyes as she spoke and moved towards his chair.

"I'm sorry that after almost a full day she never got more than your name. I know her methods well, but I needed her to do this." The Colonel stopped beside him and ran a perfectly manicured nail down Gray's scarred and mauled naked upper body.

"I needed to know what you saw. And still you told her nothing."

CLICK

"It's rather admirable you know. But now it seems somebody is coming after my town. I can't exactly have anybody finding an alive body down here. I can spin it well, that crazed woman has been saying crazy things for years, nobody would believe her if she said it wasn't her who killed you."

Gray gasped through the strap that was muzzling him. Cold. Something cold right above his heart.

"So once again."

BANG

"I'm sorry."