Raven nodded and led the way outside. she slipped up a long ladder, "Now, this is just the prototype. I program it as I do the real thing just to test it out so that all our hard work isn't for naught." She began to explain, "It's metal shell is made from recycled iron and wires, so it's a little more difficult to manage, but anything that works with this will most definately work with the real one." She moved to the uppermost level and began turning knobs, the motor roared into life.

Appearing out of a shadow behind her Shade said, " so where are the others i seem to be the only one that came out with you."

K'htressa appeared a few minutes later. "Alright. Well lets test it."

"Well hurry up so we can we can't do anything until you get on too" Shade said impateintly.

K'htressa shot Shade a look at went to stand next to Raven.

"Meanie" Shade mumbled under his breath, "so you ready to go now?"

"Weight of approximately 258 students and 32 staff members initiated." Raven said slowly, "You two had best buckle in now," She turned to look at them expectantly.

K'htressa buckled in and gave the thumbs up.

"Ok well let's go then" Shade said mounting a horse, "and Jacin don't you say a thing i am only saving my energy for the fight ahead."

Shade sat down and buckled in as well screaming "lets do this!"

The craft lifted slowly into the air, "Five feet.... Seven..." Raven started counting their height in excitement, "Thirteen feet!" She cheered, "Now to see how fast we can go..." She pushed the throttle as far as it would go and with a small jerk the craft shot forward at lightning speed. She expertly avoided the ruins of most of the buildings around them.

"T..hi...s i..s f.un" Shade said fighting the backdraft to speak. "Now can you slow down a bit?"

"Aww, but this is so much fun..." Raven pouted, "I love going fast..."

"I do too but i want to feel my face even more" Shade said fighting the wind.

"Haha, alright..." Raven laughed, easing back on the throttle, they weren't in the city anymore, but the delicate green of the countryside.

Laughing with Raven shade stopped all of a sudden and started staring at the woods "what was that i saw something over there?"

"Where?" Raven said, her gaze snapping to the trees. She felt a thump in the bottom of the craft that rocked it precariously, "What was that?!" She gasped, shifting it into autopilot and looking over the edge to see what they had hit.

"I don't know i will check it out" Shade said dissapearing in a shadow. He finally pops up under the craft and screams.

"Shade!?" Raven called, strapping a cord around her waist and sliding over the side of the craft, keeping her feet braced on the side as she lowered herself, her hand on the gun at her waist.

"I'm ok but what ever you hit isn't adn i dont think it is human atleast not anymore" Shade said appearing from a shadow behind her, "oh and don't worry i won't be bested so easily."

K'htressa seemed to have been in her own little world untill she heard Shade scream. Pulled her sword from her waist. "What the hell!"

"Its fine K'htressa" Shade said softly, "and raven what ever was in the woods is gone but it was heading strait for the school and fast do you think we should turn around?"

"I think that it would be wise to check what it is first." Raven said, "Stay on board, I'll be back in a few, I'm an excellent tracker you know. And Shade- you ever scare me like that again and I'll kill you myself." She slipped over the side of the craft and landed silently on the ground, slipping into the trees without a sound.

K'htressa laughed at Shade and found her way to the captain seat. "We need to be ready for anything Shade." She said looking around alertly.

"Ok well stay here i am gonna check and see what she hit" Shade said jumping off the side and looking on the bottom of the craft. "You won't believe this and i haven't seen one in so long to and now all of a sudden they are coming back."

K'htressa froze, "You dont mean.. not yet.. zombies?" She asked more in a teriffied voice than anything.

"Well i can't tell for sure here you look" Shade said as he dragged the corpse through the floor using his powers.

K'htressa looked at it and ran to the side of the ship and puked. "Please get that thing out of my site." SHe said with a quivering voice.

"Ok" Shade said as he let it fall back through the floor. "Now what did that thing look like to you, you already know what i think it was."

K'htressa nodded. "I belive it to be a zommbie scout."

"Great so they are getting organized this time......Raven if they are prganizing she could be in danger!" Shade realized.

"Yea but we cant let this machine be alone." She said seriously.

"...Ok well this is the safest place can you drive this metal death machine" Shade said huredly, "i will be fine by myself no zombie will get the best of me. Now take this thing back to the school and get jacin and come back ok i will find Raven, oh and if you see Naoko or Kindra bring them too the more the merrier with stuff like this."

"Alright." K'htressa responded taking the wheel and changing it form auto to manuale. "If you need anyone contact me." She said as she turned the machine around and with lighting speed returned to the school. After parking it she runs around the school looking for the three yelling their names.

Running through the tree tops looking for raven Shade thinks to himself if they are orgamized this time i may not be able to do as much they were just mindless killing machines last time but this one seems different. "Raven!?" He shouted as loud as he could knowing he was out of reach from any zombie he might come across.

In the time that the duo had spent talking, Raven had managed to cover a lot of ground. She found, and captured, a zombie scout and proceeded to torture him for information, "Where are they?" She demanded, her blade pressed to the flesh of his leg.

"Piss off human," He spat, "I'll never tell you anything."

Raven growled darkly and cut into the flesh, relishing in his howl of pain. Dark blood poured from the wound and he glared at her, gnashing his teeth, "Where are they and how many are there?" She pressed it to his other leg.

"Gaaaaaargh!" He screamed as she began to cut through the outer muscle, "Three miles north! They're 20,000 strong!" He gasped, "You'll never survive their attack! All you filthy humans will peri-" His words turned to gurgling as she slit his throat before firing three rounds into his skull.

Raven stood and coldly began to stalk north. She made the three miles within an hour's time and hid herself as the first group came into sight- they were the front ranks, probably about two miles ahead of the others and they were taking down anything in their path. She counted their numbers- 23, not such bad odds. She stroked her chin before cocking back the hammer on her gun and firing into the first that came into her sights.

She killed five before the others realized what was going on, and another eight before they could pinpoint her location. Two more rounds and her chamber was empty. She slipped it into it's holder and drew out a blade, "eight to go..." She muttered to herself, slashing through them easily.

Four fell, and soon she was facing the last of them. She thrust out with her blade, feeling the painful bite of another's weapon as it tore through her arm almost to the bone. She yelped in pain and slashed harder, ignoring the strange poison that filtered through her system. She killed them within the next three minutes and looked up to see vast numbers of them spilling over the horizon. Raven paled, shakily reloading her pistol and preparing for a full on assault by herself. She gulped in a deep breath and prepared for the first wave to overtake her.

K'htressa ran into the cafiteria yelling "Naoko, Kindra, Jacin!!"

Jumping down beside Raven Shade gasped at her wound "your hurt...what the hell is going on" he blurted after looking ahead of them. don't worry about them i can handle them tend to your wound" he added before running down the hillside
whip drawn and chanting a spell. Instantly a shadow propelled from the ground under him and swallowed 20 of them at once
and chanting preparing for another blast he peirced three of the scouts skulls with the darp at the end of his whipchain.

"Are you kidding? We can't take them all on!" Raven called after him, following and firing her pistol into the zombies mist. "There are over 15,000!!!"

"Well nevertheless you will like this one now stay far away" Shade said as he raised a shadow for a sheild, chanted a spell, and yelled to raven as his shield started to dialating, "stay back" at that moment dark waves began pulsating out from his shield slicing whatever they hit to pieces.

K'htressa dropped a paper in both Naoko and Kindra's lap.

    Zombies spotted. Forest. HURRY
K'htressa then ran and grapped Jacin. They both ran to the stables and grapped bareback horses and took off. Ariving fifteen minuets later at where K'htressa had left Shade. "SHADE?" She yelled.

"Damn..RAVEN I CAN'T HOLD IT COVER ME" Shade yelled as he lost control of his spell and it dicipated.

Raven leapt into action, firing her pistol as she pushed him back to keep him out of her line of fire, soon she ran out of bullets and quickly resorted to her blade once more. Fear and... something else pulsated within her and she froze, blade held out as her eyes took on a strange, darkened hew. Visible energy pulsated darkly about her, and suddenly a curved blade of energy shot forward, tearing through the entire second rank. She collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath as bodyparts fell all around them. When she looked up she drew in a sharp breath at the scene, "Wh-what happened?" She stuttered.

Jacin listened carefuly and heard a battel going on and saw a flash. He took K'htressa's hand and they ran the three miles to where Raven and Shade were. Pulling his blades Jacin stepped up infront of Raven while K'htressa ran to her side. "Are you okay Raven?" She asked in a concerned voice.

"She is fine just a bit drained she used some poweful magic" Shade said standing to cast another spell again. "Ok can the three of you cover me when my spell weakens that way we do the most damage in the least amount of time Raven cna help me with the spell since she can obliously use shadow magic as well" he added as he took Raven's hand and started to mutter an incantation, "get back both of you" he said as his eyes started glowing. "Raven hold on as long as you can i will take the blunt of the power to cast this you are support ok" he said as he raised another shield around the both of them this time.

"No matter what we... run after this one, okay?" Raven said slowly, looking at the next few ranks that poured over the hills, "There are far too many for just the four of us to handle alone..."

"Yes but with both of us powering this spell we should be able to cut through close to a third of them atleast" he said as his shield started vibrating violently. "Now don't let go of my hand ok" he said as powerful blasts pulsated from the shield strong enough to tear through the earth a quarter of a mile in all directions. "K'htressa Jacin get in the trees and ride it out i can't hold it for long but it will work to give us an opening."

"hopefully." Raven said, putting emphasis on it, "We're both feeling a bit weak, remember?"

"Bah that's why we are both doing this even if it only holds for a couple of seconds it would cut there numbers by thousands compared to my first one which was only about 400" Shade said flinching in pain. "But i can't hold this much longer i have about five more seconds in me."

Raven nodded slowly, "I'm growing weaker by the second myself..." She managed.

"Ok we will hold it for about four seconds that way i will have some strengh left to teleport us away from here and to the others because they wouldn't get to us in time" Shade said whreathing in pain, "ok i'm about to teleport us" he said as he grabbed her arm and drug her into the ground while the shield dicipated and the spell halted. Popping up about a mile in the woods they saw K'htressa and Jacin, "Ok now we head for the school ok we have to warn them."

Jacin but two fingers in his mouth and blew it like a whistel. Two hourses came running into view both Jacin and K'htressa mounted them holding a hand out for one other on each horse. "Come one this will get us there quickly." They both said at the same time.

"I can get there Quicker" Shade said as a shadow started wiggling underhim and started pulling hiim into the ground, "I will see you there."

Jacin rolled his eyes and offered his hand to Raven.

Raven took the offered hand and hoisted herself up on the horse behind him.

Jacin and K'htressa took off at a full gallop back to the school.

---

Back at the school Shade takes off looking for Naoko and Kindra while warning everyone of the soon to be onslaught.

At about 15 mins. later they arived and K'htressa dismounted and walked over to Raven to help her down.

Running around the school coming back to where he started shade saw the others with raven, "Have you done anything about her wound yet because i think she was poisoned by them she needs medical attention immediately."

"There are bigger things to worry about now than a simple flesh wound." Raven said, "K'htressa and I need to continue our work- there are too many zombies for us to merely fight off. We have to flee the city now. We may have destroyed several thousand of them, but there are so many more and half the school are still children who have yet to learn not to fear them or run from them."

"You are right well none the less K'htressa will you go with her adn tend to her wounds me Jacin, Naoko and Kindra will hold them off until you are done i still have a few tricks up my sleeve" Shade said smiling. "Ok well yall get busy i will look for the other two."

Jacin looked at Shade like he had lost his mind. But turned to run and gather a few of his friends who were training with him for this very thing.

K'htressa on the other hand graped Raven. "Come on we need to finish it." She said running for the elevators.

"There are roughly three hours before they get near the city!" Raven called to the others, "There's time to prepare, don't rush and forget. There are many thousands of them coming this way, when they all rush into the city it won't be as easy to take them out. There's more of a challenge to it. We should be done by then, don't do anything stupid..." She conceeded finally and allowed K'htressa to lead her to the elevators.

K'htressa lauged at Raven as the elevator doors closed. She pressed the last floor button then her password and the elevator started going down. "They can take care of them selfves. We need to worry about evacuation and getting the machine up and running." She said as the elevator door oppened.

"I know..." Raven sighed, stepping out of the elevator as the door opened.

"Raven, back so soon- what the hell happened?"

"Prepare an evacuation." Raven said, "Tell everybody to gather their things and put them in the prototype vehicle which I will be driving and to prepare to board the other which K'htressa will be driving, understand?" She said quickly, rushing past them without waiting for a reply. She heard the dull pulse of the alarm as she entered the far room and grabbed a roll of gauze, quickly wrapping the bandaging tightly about her arm to try and staunch the bleeding.

K'htressa ran past them as soon as the elevator oppened hearing Ravens words and ran to the vehicle that she would be driving.

Raven joined her in the room finally, "There's not much more that we can do, nor time in which to do it." She said, "We've got an emergency base in the mountains that we've had set up for a while. I'll put the coordinates into the harddrive and you'll just have to follow directions."

K'htressa nodded thinking.

Raven flipped open a panel near the steering column and quickly began insterting coordinates.

"Ok" said Shade, "now the first thing we need to do is find the others. Because we won't stand much of a chance just the two of us ok" he added before he took off looking for Kindra. "You find Naoko i will find Kindra."

---

Naoko stood up, knocking the note to the ground. kindra snapped awake, tackling him to the ground, "No! Zombie bastard!"

"Calm down! Wrong living dead!" Naoko growled, struggling beneath her.

Kindra blinked, then blushed at her mistake. "What the Hell?" she picked up a small piece of paper. "According to this we need to get to the forest."

"And according to the alarm that woke me up, we need to get the Hell out of here." Naoko replied, pointing his index finger to the sky.

"Either way." Kindra replied, helping him up.

Finally finding Kindra and Naoko shade runns up and says while trying to catch his breath,"we are under attack there are atleast 15,000 left and they will be here in the next hour of so. I need yalls help to hold them off until Raven and K'htressa finish there contraption so we can get the other students out the 6 of us are really the only ones that can fight here."

"Two words for you. We're fucked!" Kindra replied.

"For once, I agree." Naoko muttered. "Hey," Naoko held his index finger to the sky again, "I can't die!"

"No, you're immortal--not invincible." Kindra pointed out.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck...." Naoko cried, falling back to his knees.  "I can't have any luck..." he sulked.

"Oh stop being a damn baby Naoko we have stuff to do now follow me" Shade said aggrivated.

Jacin stepped infront of Shade with seven other students decked out for battel. "Hello you three." Jacin said.

"Ok looks like we do have some help do you have anyone besides K'htressa helping Raven" Shade said. " And is there anyone here that is a decent medic?"

Naoko snapped to his senses, "Raven's hurt? Where is she?"

"Yes before i could find her she was wounded by one of them but it was only a flesh wound as far as i know but we need your help right now she will be fine she has K'htressa" Shade said sighing. " But i asked about a medic because we may need one and does anyone have a damn short sword i am getting bored with my whip."

"How can you be bored with your whip?" Kindra sniggered.

"Yeah I can think of five different ways to use one." Naoko ignorantly replied with a serious tone.

"Because every now and then i end up hitting myself it is pretty hard to control a whip chain. And i am so muc hbetter wit ha sword but i need a short sword so it won't slow my down as much" Shade said annoyed at all the questions.

Jacin turned to a human on his right and took a sword he was holding out. "Here. You realy need a personality change." Jacin said to Shade. "Raven is fine Naoko but we need to makesure everyone evauates." He said firmly as to speaking to another person in charge, Naoko.

"Oh do shut up i a mjust grumpy right now and you know why." Shade snapped, "that was powerful magic and it left me weak thats why i am for those of you who don't know" he added glaring at Jacin.

Jacin smiled. "Grummpiness has no place in a war boy. SHAPE UP!" He said in a gerneral like tone.

"you pull a spell like that out of your ass and see if you aren't grumpy your damn self" shade said smiling now.

Jacin shruged muttering under his breath "demons". He turned back to Naoko. "Whatcha suggest Naoko?"

"An all out killing spree!" Naoko replied. "We'll head to the top of the school and start just launching heavy impliments at them." Naoko explained ending with a nod.

"Bah i think a few of us should go head on and hold them off away from the school while we have archers ontop of the school and magic users taking them out with ranged attacks" Shade said watching the blade from the sword Jacin gave him turn black "Now that is better" he said with a smile.

"Meh." Naoko muttered.

"I'm up for anything." Kindra said, biting into a piece of cheese cake.

"Now Jacin Naoko let me see your swords what i did to mine is the first swing i take with it a wave of dark energy will shoot out and hack anything in its way to peices." Shade said, "But it will only work once ok so don't miss aim for large groups of them to take out as many as you can with that blast."

Jacin hands his sword over and checked his gun to make sure it had bullets in it and turned to Naoko in shock. "Did you lose braincells? Dude, they have grown smarter!" Jacin said in complet shock.

"What are you talking about?" Shade asked handing him back his now darkness endowed blade.

"But, I have a secret weapon!" Naoko winked. "They may be smarter...but I'm cuter too!"

Shaking his head at Naoko he said, " no your secret weapon is... you're and idiot, now hand me your damn Rapier and shut up please we are losing brain cells ourselves just listening to your mindless babble."

Jacin laughed and claped Naoko on the sholder. "Well you can use that to your advatage in malee combat my old friend." He said still laughing.

Naoko leered at both of them, as well as the scoffing crowd. "See if I save you with my gliding ability." he muttered, handing over his weapon.

"Oh come now old friend. You know I am only messing with you." Jacin said still laughing. "But gentalmen and lady, we realy need to get moving."

"yeah he is right" Shade said handing back Naoko's sword as well. Now lets go archers to the building tops, everyone else with the three of us. You are not to take on large groups and stick to stragglers and get in and out so you don't get overwhelmed."

"Heh, they might be smarter...but we're gonna win..." Naoko muttered, half singing it as a taunt, following the others.

"I guess I'll just follow you." kindra shrugged, grabbing the rest of the cheese cake.

"you are crazy if you think we are gonna take on the whole army right now" Shade said to Naoko," we are just buying time for Raven and K'htressa to get there contraption going so they can get the students out of here. Then we are falling back quickly 13 can't hold off 15,000 you imbecile."

"I never said hold off. I said win." Naoko corrected him.

"That is all we are doing is holding them off damnit get that through your sense ass head Naoko!" Shade yelled, "we can't possible win against that many of them all we can hope to do is hold them long enough for them to get away them escape ouselves. But maybe after a few raids we can wipe them out but not at once."

Naoko, annoyed, bit into Shade's hand spitefully, glaring up at him.

"Ouch let go of me damnit" Shade screamed as he threw Naoko across the room with a shadow pulse.

Kindra darted over to Naoko, "Sweetie!"

"I want my Raven!" he cried, clinging to Kindra's arm mercilessly, still hysterical.

"Well she is busy and don't bite me again you won;t like what happens next time" Shade said with his eyes starting to glow.

Jacin stood between them and yelled, "KNOCK IT OFF YOU TWO!! Naoko yes we will win. Shade let Naoko think what he wants! Good grief!"

Naoko pouted, but knew that he had to help his Raven at all costs. He could smell her blood and her tainted wound. He knew taht he had to get to her...but there were more obsticals that many could fathom. He took a deep breath, still walking arm in arm with Kindra.

"Ok people are you ready" Shade said eagerly. "If there is anything you need get it now before we start because you won't be able to leave afterwards."

"How about a weather report?" Naoko asked, hiding beneath Kindra, fearing the sun and zombies at that moment.

"Oops i fogot about the sun but don't worry i can help you with that" Shade said smiling. "But i think they will be her a after dark but i could be wrong."

"They will be here before sunset." Jacin said starting out of the cafiteria.

"Damn well that puts me and Naoko at a disadvantage" Shade said sighing. "My powers are strongest at night."

"If I stay cloaked, I can definately help." Naoko muttered.

"Why don't we just make a run for it?" Kindra asked.

"Because we can't leave the other students and raven won't be done with her contraption until later so we have to hold them back as long as possible" Shade said annoyed he had to explain again.

"Don't mean to be pushy, but umm.. THERE IS AN ARMY OUT THERE!!!" Jacin said.

"Yes i know thats why we are using strategy and not brute force" Shade said sighing. "Why am i surrounded by idiots" he thought to himself.

"Not everybody here is an idiot." Naoko growled as he covered his complection with a sheet.

"Alright...ready for war." Kindra sighed.

Jacin nodded.

"The worst part is the suspence before the battle..." Naoko sighed deeply.

"Yes it is... and if we dont get giong.. we are gonna be in big troble!" Jacin replied.

"Well, then...to whereever it is that we need to go!" kindra shouted enthusiastically.

Jacin nodded and turned on his heal and left for the enterance of the school where there was 11 horses waiting.

"Ok we are going to catch them before they get to the school" which means tothe ruins. Archers on top with magic users all malee guard the buildings with the ranged fighters on them' Shade said eagerly. "This is gonna be fun."

"Lead the way..." Kindra smirked.

"Well lets go then Raven should be done by dark and be there to let us know that the others are safe so we should only have to hol dthem off until then" Shade said mounting a horse.

Jacin nodded as he and the other seven student mounted the horses and took off tworad the cover of the forest for a suprise attack.

"Ok i will be a distraction to lure a group to us that way we can hit and run when they send reinforcements" Shade said pulling ahead. "Jacin you take command and wait for me to attack before you do."

Raven stood up finally, wiping a dark smudge from her forehead tiredly, "Well, I think that that'll have to do it." She said to K'htressa, "I'm thinking that we should have the headmistress drive this one up... that way we can go rescue our comrades who are currently holding off the zombie army..."

"Ok i'm gonna go on and draw a few of them away" Shade said smiling as he urged his horse to take off ahead.

about two miles off shade found the first wave, "1,2,ok there are about two thousand in this wave" he said as he blasted through about 4 hundred of them with the pulse from his sword. The others managed to get out of the way and stared persueing him. "ooh drew too much attention" he said and he jumped off the horse. "better thin them out a bit" he said as he threw out a ring glowing bright red "fire bomb" he yelled, at taht moment the ring burst into a torrent of flames and started circulating like a tornado. " ok that should do it" he siad jumping back on his horse with about a thousand following him.

---

"Ok here they come i cought a little too much attention but nothing we cant handle" Shade said smiling while rubbing his head.

---

"I'll be right back." Raven murmured to K'htressa as she disapperaed from the room.

Several minutes later she reappeared wearing a padded one-piece dark blue uniform and black leather gloves with matching boots. She also had her trademark blue goggles atop her head, which pushed her shorter hairs away from her face. She was grinning lightly, "The students have almost finished loading their belongings, pretty soon they'll be loading up on this one." She patted the vehicle affectionately, "So we'll have to get it up to the loading docks before we're overrun by zombies.

"Also, I've changed my mind about you driving for right now. I figure that maybe it would be best if more than just myself were in the prototype vehicle to protect everyone's belongings, you know? And I've loaded an escape craft on board, if worse comes to worse I'll just activate the autopilot and have it follow the other students while we lead the zombies off in the smaller craft before making an escape of our own..." She took a deep breath and leaned against the wall, waiting to hear K'htressa's thoughts on the matter.

It took a moment for K'htressa to relize Raven was talking to her. Her mind was on something locked in her room. "Umm.. alright. That sound like a plan. Hey if you don't mind I would liket o go get my weapons and stuff from the room realy quick."

"Of course." Raven replied coolly, "I'll be right here waiting for you, okay?"

K'htressa nodded her head and ran out and up the elevator and out onto the hallway. Seeing a few scared kids she walked over to them and assured them they would be safe and taken care by her and the upper classmen. She then turned and ran out of the hall onto the grounds and into the dorms up to her room. (i will finish typing when i get out of the shower) (okay^^)

Raven sat down with her back pressed against the cold metal of the vehicle, warding off a migraine as she gazed about at her familiar surroundings, she would be leaving everything that she had ever known. She pressed her fingers to her temples as light exploded behind her closed eyes.

When Raven's eyes opened they were dull and unseeing. She sat slumped against the vehicle, her breaths so slow that it was almost as though she weren't even breathing.

Images flashed before her eyes, disturbing images of a time that she hardly remembered. Her lips were parted in a silent scream and sweat beaded lightly against her skin.

K'htressa unlocked her room and started rumadgeing through her things pulling out her weapons and searching for a wooden box. She didn't care about anything else but the contents in that box. It held letters from her past and a necklace that was said by one of the letters, in the greatest time of need put it on and it will give hope.

She would leave all her possions behinde and only take money to help get her started again. Having found the twelve inch long wodden box where it had her family named carved on it she left the room quickly walking back to the ships.

She came out of the elevator and looked around clutching the box to her chest. "Raven? Raven?"

She gasped and blinked, color returning to her face as she returned to her senses.

K'htressa ran over to where she heard the sounds binding down next to Raven laying the box beside her as she did so. "What happned Raven?"

Raven shook her head slowly, "Nothing... just fell asleep I guess..." She replied, dragging herself to her feet slowly.

K'htressa gave her a yea right look as she helped her up. "Are we ready?"

"Yes." Raven said, tugging her tinted blue goggles down over her eyes.

"Okay." K'htressa picked up her box and walked with Raven. Then lets get going, kids are crying out there."

Raven leapt up on board the vehicle and turned it on, "We'll get this up to them so they can get out before things get too ugly." She said.

K'htressa nodded and followed.

---

" Jacin, Naoko, Everyone where are you" Shade said riding back to the group with a hoard of zombies not far behind.

Jacin and his horse as well as the few people of his group stepped out of the trees. "I am right here."

"We're fine too." Kindra replied, stepping from the shadows with the hysterical Naoko on her arm.

Raven maneuvered up to the courtyard and slipped away from the vehicle, "Everyone board up, the headmistress will get you all to safety!"

"Ok let me just leave them a little present" Shade said dropping a ring glowing green, "We might want to get out of here soon that is an Aero ring, its a little trick i picked up over the years i cant use elemental magic so i use these rings."

Raven managed to maneuver herself up to the first level, landing in the courtyard. She leapt off of the vehicle and looked over at the headmistress, "Get everybody onboard." She said, "And get them out of here. We'll follow in the other vehicle. I trust that you are a fast learner?"

The woman nodded and Raven lead her up to the driving console, pointing out what she would need to know before leaping back to the ground, making room for the students to pile onboard.

K'htressa helped get a few of the small kids on before she went and stood next to Raven. "Well, it will begin with us and hopefuly end with us." She said putting the box she was carring in a small bag on her back.

---

Walking back up to the others Shade said swiftly, "you might want to head back to the school now this will disract them for a few good minutes and they should send even more because of the blast. And i personally don't want to be here when that happens, and i doubt you do either."

Jacin looked at Shade. "We will stay-" He said moving his hand around to the guys who were with him. "Distract them long enough so everyone is evauated safely.

"Well let's atleast get away form here then cause when that thing goes off this whole plae will be nothing buta barren crag ofa crater" Shade said raising a shadow below him.

"Fine.. but you are destroying our best suprise attack."
Jacin said angrly.

"You get me wrong this is a suprise attack then they will send more to ambush because of the torrent they see" Shade said smiling.

"Whatever, you could have at least done it father away from the forest.. where it wouldn't destroy it." Jacin turning to his guys and relaying hand signs.

"True but they would see it coming if i did that, this way they don't expect it and the reinforcements they send won't expect us to be alive after this so its perfect" Shade said laughing a little.

"Whatever, you better take the rest back to Raven and K'htressa. They are gonna need help getting the rest of the kids out." Jacin said finnishing up relaying hand signs to his fellow warriors. "We will hold them off long enough for everyone to evacuate then we will follow behinde.. cover the tracks per say. We will have to warn everyone that they are back." Jacin said with a smirk on his face.

"I can hold them here by my self long enough for you to get them to safety and i have a quicker escape route too' Shade said to Jacin. "Now hurry up and get them out of here they will need everyone there to help keep this organized so it doesn't turn to chaos."

Jacin turned and glared at Shade. "Don't even try the move on me. You are not going to be left alone out here. And there aint no damn way, I am going to go running back there where there are a bunch of kids running and screaing." He says standing straight up and looking at Shade while the people who came with him came up and stood behinde him.

"Well fine then me and you will stay her and the others can round up the stragglers at the school and keep it under control i don't really care i just know i'm not going back until i'm done" Shade snapped harshly.

Raven shielded her eyes as she watched the vehicle start up and shoot off into the sky, "Well, now that we've rounded up the stragglers and sent everybody on their way, what say we go pick up the others?" She said, turning to K'htressa.

K'htressa smiled, "Aye we should.. I don't thing Shade and Jacin are on friend terms just yet." She said laughing.

Jacin looked at Shade. "I am not going back either.. so lets go damn't.. i dont wanna stand out here and get shot at either." He said clenching his hands onn the helt of his blade.

"Well now that the others are gone now and they are almost here i think we should hide from the blast and wait for the next bettalion to come after teh blast" Shade said running deeper into the forest.

It took only a moment, but Raven, K'htressa, and their vehicle came to an efficient stop right in front of Shade, "Where do you think you're going?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"That way now!" Shade said running past them, "Go get Jacin but be careful i left..a suprise for the zombie currs coming this way."

"Get on dammit!" Raven called down to him, "Stop playing around, we're all getting out of here now, so get on!"

"I'll meet up with you when you get him i have...other things to attend too" Shade said runing past them grabbing another ring from his pouch.

"What an idiot..." Raven muttered, rolling her eyes, "It's not my fault if you become one of them!" She called back towards Shade as she made her way to where Jacin and the others were.

"Don't worry" Shade said appearing behind her in the craft, "I was just laying more traps is all for the main betallions of then to thin the mout a bit."

"You really sound like you're able to do a lot of damage." Raven sighed, rolling her eyes again, "But what you don't seem to understand is- those little traps you set won't hurt or affect them. They've got undead mages on their side that render a lot of magic useless. That's why we use guns and swords and weapons of those sorts. If we could wipe them all out with magic, believe me, we would have done so a long time ago." She turned back towards what she was doing, "Ah! There they are!" She pointed.

"Its not just magic it's a bomb as well it's just magically infused is all" Shade said sitting down in one of hte seats.

"You're hopeless..." Raven sighed.

"the Magic just makes the bomb more powerful is all if they render magical items useless the bomb will still go off" Shade said smiling. "I designed it mages just infused it so i know what it is capable of."

"That's not what I mean. Just stop taking stupid risks, okay?" Raven said, stopping the vehicle.

"There not Stupid i am probably the only one that could have gotten away if the ambushed by using my powers" Shade said sighing.

Raven shook her head, "Again I say it... you're hopeless."

"Why are you so mean to me!" Shade shouted sniffling a little.

"What? I can't worry?" Raven glared at him, pulling her hands away from the steering column to turn and face him fully, "What do you think would happen if you were killed by them, hm? Who do you think would be the ones to have to destroy your body for the second time? Do you think that any of us wants to have to take the lives of our friends?!"

"You don't have to worry about me so much the like's of them could never so much as touch me once i get more control over this" Shade shouted back.

"Quit being so cocky!" Raven growled, "you're not getting the situation at all. It's been like this for a long time. We've no choice but to run. Do you know how many are out there? Before we came to get you I took a smaller craft overhead to count.

"Earlier... As much as we thought we had... We never even made so much as a dent in their numbers! 30, 40 maybe even as high as 100 if I dare to hope... Those are the numbers that we truly killed... There are thousands of them, they've their own plans to destroy us. And now, for the sake of our safety and everyone's belongings... I've got to pull out all the stops."

She turned back to the console and her fingers flew over the keys. There was a rough clanking sound and several small crafts shifted out of the larger one- there were two. "Shade you K'htressa, and I- as well as you three-" She pointed at a few of the students that had come to help, "Will ride on one of these. The others will use the other one. Hurry and get into position while I program this to autopilot. This'll go straight ahead and our two groups will split to the left and right.

"I'm hoping that we can split the army into smaller groups and shake them off. That way they won't find our other hideout before we get there. Is that understood?"

K'htressa gave a good smile before turning around and socking Shade in the jaw. "Thats for being an ass and leaving my boy friend behinde." She said as she turned and did what she was told.

Jacin was furrious.. Shade had left him and his small group alone

"I told him to follow me he didn't thats not my fault" SHade snapped loading onto one of the other crafts.

"Shut up and move." Raven muttered, shoving him quickly onto the first smaller craft with the others. She then quickly programmed the larger vehicle and leapt off as it took off into the air, "You guys stay safe." She said as she programed the first vehicle, "Don't mess with anything. I've got it on autopilot. But if it gets absolutely necessary press the blue button for weapons." she hugged everyone, "Good luck... I hope to see you all at base." She murmured.

Raven quickly leapt to the other craft and watched her friends disappear over the horizon, "Now then... as I'm in the mood, you'd best all hold on. I don't plan to use autopilot and I've no plans to move slowly."

"Sounds like fun to me...Just like a game of chess" Shade said laughing a little. "This is going to be fun" he mumbled as raven took off.

Raven pulled her goggles down over her eyes, a smirk planted on her lips, "Let's do our best to get their attention." She said, firing up the engine. They moved swiftly forward, and she pulled into a quick turn, lifting above tree level, "There they are! I think a quick circle should get their attention... maybe a couple shots too..." She thrust her finger onto the blue button and a few small explosives fell.

When they went off the vehicle shuddered precariously and Raven turned them around, "I think it worked!" She exclaimed, planting both hands on the steering column.

"Here just to make sure" Shade said setting three rings on the floor of the sip and using his powers to teleport them to strategical points around the advancing army, "...Boom" he said as they all wen't off at the same time scurrying the soldiers attention strait to them.

"You've just got to show off, don't you?" Raven sighed as they sped ahead of the advancing army, that had indeed taken full notice of them.

"No i just couldn't let you have all the fun i wanted to play too" Shade said almost childishly as he smiled.

"You've been playing." Raven pointed out, "Anyway, keep your eyes open- watch the area in front of us. I'd like to know if I'm going to hit something before it happens."

"...Well then you might want to look out there is one of there mages standing in our way chanting a spell." Shade said coldly.

"Watch your head." Raven said in a tone just as cold, jurking the wheel to the left, the craft spun swiftly several times before straightening out.

"Thats and earth elemental spell he is chanting, should i kill him?" Shade asked sighing.

"Nah, I've got an idea." Raven chuckled, aiming the craft straight at the mage, "The nose of the craft is as sharp as any sword." She said, "Mind you, this could get a bit messy..." She ran straight over top of the mage, and when he reappeared on the other side his body had collapsed, and his head was a mass of mush that was slowly being blown off of the craft.

"You hit a bit too late he had finished the spell and now its uncontroled" Shade said sighing a bit more unbuckling his seat belt.

"Stay there!" Raven growled at Shade, "We were only distracting them, now we're heading off. We're not here to engage in battle of any sort!"

"Oh waaa i'm just stopping the spell is all" Shade said as he stood up and started chanting something as his eyes turned a dark shade of purple. Throwing a ball of dark energy he started mumbling louder and spoke the words, "now it ends" before the ball exploded and covered the ground all around in what seemed to be a never ending shadow that halted all magic. As his eyes turned back to normal he said sitting back down, " that should take care of it."

"Geez..." Raven sighed, "Reserve yourself for when that kind of thing is absolutely necessary."

"It was only a nullifying spell and it was necessary because of that mage and the others as well. This way they can't use more magic attacks on us" Shade said smiling.

"Oh, they'll be able to once they nullify your own spell." Raven said slowly, "You don't give them enough credit... maybe a few hundred years ago that would have worked... but now- well, lets just say that now they're a far cry from what they used to be."

"Question how can they use a nullifying spell when one is in effect and i have fought them from centuries ago so i know what i'm doing. I've adapted to them as well" Shade said defensively.

"I'm not saying they're going to use a nullifying spell against another," Raven said, "Learn to listen, look- already they've found the counterspell. Your spell itself is being rendered useless as we speak. Now don't distract me... at these speeds I have to completely focus on our surroundings, especially since their are trees and mountains everywhere..."

"Bah if it looks like we are going to hit a tree i will just teleport us to the other side don't getso worked up" Shade said laughing a little.

"We're not gonna hit the tree, don't you get all worked up." Raven muttered, maneuvering around and over a set of trees, "I'm very good at driving this you know... I'm at home with my technology.

"But thats what i just sai.....look out" Shade said jumping out of his seat standing on the front of the vessel lashing out his whipchain slicing a boulder into pebbles. "now what was that you said about not hitting anything...hmmmm"

"Now you're just showing off," Raven rolled her eyes, "I still had time to dodge that."

"Oh stop being so pig headed you know you didn't see it now just say thank you like a polite person would do" Shade said jumping bakc to his seat and buckling in.

"I'm not the one being pigheaded." Raven stuck her tongue out at him, "The one who needs to be saying thank you is you since I've done nothing but save you." She smirked and spun the vehicle several times to the right.

"Oh just admit you didn't see it so this arguement will end you are starting to bore me" Shade said sticking his toungue out at her as well then sighing.

"I'm boring you?" Raven scoffed, "I did see it coming, and I had plenty of time to dodge it. You're just trying to be superior to me and the fact that it's not working is frustrating you."

"If you had plenty of room to dodge it the nhow did i hit it with only three feet of my whip?" Shade said smiling. "And yes you are boreing me."

"Three feet is more than enough room." Raven replied, sticking out her jaw, "And I say that you're the one boring me..."

"Oh please now your being the concieted one you know as well as i do that a craft this big can't meneuver in that little space going this fast it's phisically impossible" Shade said yawning. "Now if you will excuse me i am going to sleep now wake me if it's a catastrophy."

"It is very possible. In fact, I'll prove it to you." Raven growled, lowering the craft towards the ground and aiming it at a bolder larger than the one that Shade had destroyed.

She drew close to it. 5ft... 3ft... 2- and when she got to the point where she was less than a foot away, she swerved, able to dodge it without so much as scratching the front of the vehicle, "See?" She said, turning to him, "Easy."

"Look again" he said as he turned to see the top of the rock helda tiny speck of paint from the ship. "see i told you."

"That's not paint from the vehicle. I never painted it." Raven laughed, holding up the remnants of a small bucket with a laugh, "Tricked you, didn't I? It was broken and when you weren't looking I threw a part of it out."

"NO i put paint on the bottom of it when i jumped to the end" Shade said holding up a paint covered hand. "So it looks like neither of us know what it was so this is pointless neither win this way but that mage beside us might."

Raven rolled her eyes, "Paint absorbs into the vehicle, it doesn't stay on the outer shell. I made the metal special that way. And as for that mage-" She drew out her gun, took careful aim, and fired, catching him directly in the center of the forehead before she passed him. She twirled the gun and slipped it back into the holster, "He's toast."

"Ok Ok you win this one but what about the other two hundred mages coming from all around you can't hope to shoot them all" Shade said unbuckling his leat belt as his eyes started to glow again. In a deep voice he said, "I'll take care of them" before turning his gaze to the ones behind them. "Feel my pain" me mummered as the shadow began to wriggle beneath them shooting up like spears peircing them then absorbing back into the ground and firing again. "I'll let you handle the rest taht should't be too hard."

"It would have been better had you simply stayed in your seat." Raven sighed, firing off several consecutive shots, "If you keep moving you'll overbalance us and we'll fall into their midst." She shuddered, "Who knows what would happen then."

"Oh waaaaaa you know you nag alot you really do" Shade said as he repeated the spell and silenced some of the ones infron quickly.

"No, I just worry about my precious creation getting destroyed." Raven said, stroking the console adoringly, "I worked hard on everything, mostly by myself you know."

"Ok well do something about the shells the artillary have fired at us then" Shade shouted hiding behind her seat.

"Easy." Raven said, "You'd best hold on, and better not get sick." She then went through multiple difficult aero maneuvers, spinning in all different directions, easily avoiding she artillery and shells.

"WELL can you dodge the fragment bomb there" Shade yelled ahs it exploded fireing shrapnel everywhere.

"Of course." Raven replied, "But it'll be bumpy due to the aftershock of the explosion." She then expertly dodged each fragment, though the vehicle rocked precariously with each wave of aftershock."

"Ok one more problem" Shade said as his eyes glazed over before he puked all over Raven. "Ummmm never mind."

"..." Raven glared at him, "You just had to do that?" She swore, taking off the defiled shirt she wore to reveal a simple but clingy tee-shirt of the same color underneath. She threw the shirt with his vomit on it over the side of the ship, "That was my favorite too..." She pouted, lashing out and kicking him in the shin, "Sit down." She glowered.

"OUCH" shade yelled before sitting down, "i was trying to get ovethe edge not in your lap....."

"Next time turn the other way or I'll throw you overboard." Raven replied.

"Heartless wench" Shade mumbled as he buckled in, "You know you should be more considerate of others."

"So should you." Raven replied coldly, sticking out her tongue at him.

"I didn't mean to but stop arugueing with me and watch the road" Shade yelled as his eyes turned purple and a spear came strait up through another boulder rumbling it just before they passed over it.

"Jeez, you worry too much." Raven teased.

"I Want to LIVE" Shade screamed repeating the spell for all the other near by boulders and soldiers just incase.

"Live on the edge once in a while." Raven giggled, her eyes shut as she rolled past several more bolders, "Life is much more fun that way." She tsked in a sing-song voice.

"Ok i'm traveling my own way if you keep doing that unless that is you want me to puke on you again" Shade said unbuckling once again.

"Try that and I'll have to throw you overboard." Raven said, turning to glare at him.

"Fine bye then" Shade said as the shadows beneath his feet started to wriggle and drug him into the unknown. Popping out infront of them he yelled, "throw me off now hahahaha."

"What a cocky show-off. I wouldn't be surprised if he was running low on energy..." Raven rolled her eyes, "If you don't want to ride with us, then go torture the other group."

As the shadow infrom of them withers away shade says form behind raven," but i do so love tormenting you."

"Ah.... just as much as I'd really love to put a bullet between your eyes." Raven responded in what most would consider an absolutely serious tone, though a teasing smirk lined her lips.

"A bullet you will have to do better than that..now that sword on your side might do you better against me" Shade said smiling.

Raven shook her head, "You really need to learn when to shut your mouth.... Sheesh..."

"Eh old age does that to you" shade replied without thinking.

Raven snickered, "Old age, eh? Is that why you don't like to have fun?"

"Nah it just makes me better at what i do and now it's making me better at pestering you" shade said bursting out laughing.

"You're really asking for it..." Raven said, glowering at him, "Aren't I the one trying to get everyone to safety? You're really not helping matters any."

"Fine then how is this for helping" Shade scowered as he raised his hand and a sea of darkness engulfed the soldiers readying an attack to there flank. "That takes care about about ten or so atleast."

K'htressa had a major headache from these two bickering and unbuckled and stood up. "Will you two shut the fuck up! We are not trying to fight the whole damn amry Shade. And every damn thing you throw at them might slow them but the learn bloody damn quickly! Raven, stop given him the bloody satisfaction of him picking on you. You all are acting like a bunch of damn kids here! Act you damn ages so we can get out of here alive!" She said rather loudly and coldly. But quickly sat back down. "Oh, and Raven, look out for that bolder.. straight ahead."

"You don't want me to act my true age it's far worse annoying. Would you rather an old man sitting here or the clumbsy fourteen year old you see" Shade snapped back just as harshly. "Oh and Raven she is right about that boulder."

Raven sighed and turned the wheel slightly to the right. They skimmed easily past the boulder and she continued to gaze at the path ahead boredly.

"Ok i think we have given the others more than enough time to retreat don't you" Shade said sighing from boredom.

"Almost enough time... Another 3 minutes roughly should do it." Raven replied.

"Very well but i want a mittle chaos myself" Shade said enshrouding the bulk of the army in darkness "this should distract the m a little atleast."

"You're using up too much energy too quickly with your showy attacks." Raven warned him, "You keep at that and you'll be drained..."

"That's not an attack, it's an illusion is all" Shade siad smiling.

"Illusions, attacks... it's all the same- you're using up magic." Raven replied.

K'htressa bit back a remark to Shade, as she concentrated on finding Jacin. SHe didn't have any realy magic but it was a bond they had made. She sat there with her seat belt very lose and in a meditation stance on the seat.

Jacin and his guys were heading up toward the base but found that it would just be easier with fighting the enemy.

"Eh it takes up more energy when it's concentrated now let out wildly like i have been doing" Shade said sighing again.

As Raven was about to retort, her grip on the steering column tightened considerably. Her gaze became glassy and unregistering and her breaths came in ragged pants. She slumped forward, and with that motion the craft made a bee-line for the craggy ground that was a small distance below them.

K'htressa jerked up from her meditation and screamed. "NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

The vehicle collided with the ground, sending up dirt and foliage in all different directions, scattering, also everyone that was onboard. Raven stayed slumped over the stearing column as smoke rose from the craft, her fingers still clutched tightly about the wheel as sweat beaded on her forehead.

Shade yelled as he finally got to his feet from the crash, "Shit raven" as he ran and drug her from the blaze.

It didn't take long for the zombie warriors to surround the small group. They were few... and the zombies held for legions...

CLOSED
Zombie wars
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