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Sitting in the guard tower of the Coast Guard base, Owen reloaded his pistol & took another glance at the road. He didn't like how long Shawn had been gone, and wondered if that was because of our argument. Suddenly, a rumbling directed his gaze towards the road as he saw Shawn's motorcycle, but instead of his best friend, a girl he didn't recognize was riding it. Lifting his weapon, he shouted, "Stop the bike & get on the ground!"
Misha quietly turned off the engine of the motor bike, shaking fiercely. She was still crying, and her voice came out cracked and wavering. "I-I-I need to see..Owen..." She stiffened slightly at her voice, accent strong as ever. She didn't bother wiping away her tears at this point, as they would only be replaced by new ones.

Pausing, Owen lowered his weapon & asked, "How do you know my name? Why do you have Shawn's bike?" She cried harder, her voice barely coming out as a whisper as her body was shaken by tears. "Please help him..." Climbing down from the tower, he walked over to the crying girl, holstering his pistol & saying softly, "Of course. Where is he?"

She willed herself to talk, to say anything to help, but her voice had all but dissappeared. All she could manage was a couple of pitiful squeaks, which only made her cry harder. She felt so helpless, so weak and insignificant who couldn't do anything to save someone's life. Hopping onto the motorcycle's back seat, he said, "I can understand that this is hard for you. If you can't just tell me, we'll find another way. Come on, we're driving there."
She nodded, wiping her eyes so she could see better. She climbed onto the motorbike, though had trouble starting it because of her intense shaking. She wiped her eyes again, which quickly blurred from her tears. She wasn't actually sure if she could ride a bike like this. If they crashed, it would be far harder to get to the building, and Shawn would probably die... and it would be her fault...
Grabbing the handlebars, Owen steadied out the bike, starting it up & revving it. "It's all right," he said, "It's not your fault if he dies. Shit happens. People die. Good people, all the time. I know it sounds sad, but it's true." Releasing the brake, he continued, "If you really want to save Shawn in time, you have to concentrate & calm down. Okay?" Smiling warmly at the girl, he released the handlebars & said, "You know where he is. That means you're driving."
Misha hiccupped, nodding again. She wiped her eyes, trying to surpress her tears as she began driving. She wobbled slightly near the start, but in a few moments was speeding off in the direction she had come from.

Storming into the warehouse, Owen immediately stopped as the wood creaked underneath him. "Extremely rotten," he muttered, "Meaning this place is a deathtrap. We have to get in, find Shawn, and get out. Where was he when you last saw him?" "The basement..." She had managed to stop crying for the moment, composing herself slightly. It wouldn't last long, but hopefully she could keep her tears under her control for as long as she was needed. "All right," he said, "And is there a way to get there without dying in the process?" She nodded, then walked forward quickly towards the staircase that led down to the basement. She avoided the floor that creaked under her, still shaking fiercely. She muttered a prayer in Russian under her breath, hoping dearly they weren't too late.

Following her down the basement steps, Owen gasped as he saw the limp form of his best friend pressed against a wall, a pool of dried blood staining the concrete around him a deep crimson. A horrible gash that ran from his forehead to behind his ear still had blood leaking out of it, had been almost completely scabbed over. Pressing his ear to Shawn's chest, he listened for a heartbeat & sighed with relief as he heard one. Straightening up, he said, "The good news is, he's alive. The bad news is, I don't know for how much longer. Hand me my bag." Pulling a roll of gauze from his pocket, he ripped off a long strip & wrapped it tightly around Shawn's wound. "I need disinfectant & painkiller." he said as as he tied the cloth tightly in a knot.

Misha walked into the room, holding out the bag to Owen. She was no longer shaking as hard, and tears no longer threatened her voice. Her legs felt incredibly weak, however, and she very much wanted to sit down.

"Thanks," he said, reaching into the bag & taking out a syringe, "You can sit down & rest if you need to." Filling the syringe with the contents of a vial, Owen jammed the needle into Shawn's neck & depressed the plunger. As Shawn's eyes flew open for a second, then rolled back & shut again, Owen reached in & grabbed another vial, filling the syringe for a second time. Misha walked over to a corner, pressing her back against the crevasse where the walls met, her knees drawn tightly to her chest. She remained silent, eyes locked on the floor.

Jamming the second syringeful of liquid into Shawn's neck, Owen stepped away & sat down next to Misha. "Give him a few minutes," he said softly, "He'll wake up when he's ready." She nodded weakly, still staring at the floor. During all that had happened, she had no time to realize how much she had exhausted herself. It was all she could do to keep herself awake.

After a few minutes, Shawn groggily blinked awake, getting to his feet & bracing himself on the wall. "Welcome back to the living," Owen said, grinning, "How do you feel?" "Like hammered shit," he grumbled, "But at least I'm alive." Misha had fallen asleep by then, her head resting on her knees. While she had tried to stay awake for as long as she could, she was simply far too exhausted.

Gently shaking her awake, Shawn grinned at Misha & said, "Guess who's back." She opened her eyes slowly, drowsy from being awoken without fully resting. She rubbed her eyes, yawning slightly. Upon the sight of Shawn, she could feel tears in her eyes once more. Misha threw her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. She really couldn't help herself, she had gotten so worried, and he had ended up alright.

Walking out of the warehouse with Owen, he hopped onto his motorcycle, starting it as his friend clambered onto the back. "Sure you don't want to come with us?" he asked. "You'd be a lot safer." She paused, considering the offer. While what he said was undoubtedly true, she wasn't quite sure she would be able to deal with other people...

"Take your time. No rush." he said. "If you want to join us, come to the Coast Guard base tomorrow at morning when we open the gate." Revving the motorcycle, Shawn peeled off down the road, leaving Misha & the warehouse far behind him.

Misha watched as the two drove off, leaving her alone in the street. Alone... Perhaps it would be best to join them..but she didn't really know if she should.. Food was hard to come by, and she doubted they were the only two in their group. She walked off, contemplating her decision as night fell.

Pulling up to the gate of the Coast Guard base, Shawn hopped off the motorcycle & pulled the gate aside, hopping back onto the bike & pulling it inside. As he hopped off, Owen said, "Do you think that girl will take us up on that offer?" "Misha?" he said. "I think she will. Not like she has anywhere else to go." "She's pretty cute," Owen replied, "Think I'd have a chance with her?" "No way." Shawn chuckled. "Want me back on patrol duty?" Owen asked. "Nah, wait 'til morning. You've had a long day, get some rest." "Thanks." he replied, walking into the office building.

Misha's eyes fluttered open from the sunlight hitting her eyelids, rather groggy. Had she fallen alseep? The last thing she remembered was considering whether or not to join Shawn and Owen, and whoever else was with them. The thing that ultimately made the decision was her grumbling stomach. Hopefully they would have food there, though she wasn't hoping for a lot. She was just that hungry. Being around people she could trust was a good thing as well, but somehow she had always managed to come up with several reasons as to why she shouldn't that made it an argument in her head again. Stepping out of the alleyway, which was concealed fairly well, she began making her way to the Coast Guard base, hoping she wouldn't run into too much trouble on the way.

Blinking awake as the harsh morning sunlight streamed through the window, Shawn yawned & pushed himself off the mattress, walking out of the bedroom & into the reception area of the building. The others were already awake, various people standing about, loading guns, cooking, or watching children play excitedly. He smiled as he looked at the sense of community he had built between these people within the last few months. Looking out the gate for Misha, he turned to a guard tower as Owen climbed down the ladder, a rifle slung over his back. "Morning, Shawn." he said. "Morning, Owen. Any sign of Misha?" "None yet," he replied, "But you'll be the first to know if I do.

The wind from riding her bike was a welcome break from the blazing sun. She had gotten much closer to the base, and slowed as it came into view. She wasn't in too much of a rush, though she was still going fairly fast. Glancing to the road, Shawn shouted, "It's Misha! Get ready to open the gate!" As Owen dashed over & slammed a button, Shawn rushed out of the opening & waved at the small silhouette on the horizon. He smiled. Misha had taken him up on his offer. "Hello, Shawn." she said timidly, smiling as she stepped through the gate. "Hello, Misha." he said. "Let's get you settled."