What's left to lose?

[stoic_angel_]

The alley was full of roars, crys, and screams... and it was still raining. Of course it would be raining... we had had an almost-apocalypse with fire before, so why not one with water now? Had to balance things somehow, right

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[loaded_gunn_]

I gasped at the pain in my side as I swung my axe again. Damn demon wouldn't go down... I swung again, finally sending it to the ground, as I backed up, falling against the brick wall of the alley.

I pushed my hands against the cut in my side, and grimaced. Damn... now I was panting, despite trying not to. The demons would hear me...

Where the hell were Angel, Spike, and Illyria? Were they still alive? Or had they all been killed/dusted? I looked through the rain, wishing I could see past it.

Meanwhile, my thoughts began to drift as I fought the pain. I was not going to die... not now. Not while I knew that, since the demons were still howling, at least one of the others was still out there.

Meanwhile... 'the others' had fallen to just us four. Me, Angel, Spike, and Illyria... Fred was gone, because of my own damn stupidity and greed. Cordelia was gone, and no one really knew what had happened there. And Wes... English was gone now, and again, not knowing how.

I shoved myself to my feet, even as the pain washed over me, simultaneously making me dizzy, while making my world surreal and sharp with the pain. I had to see if any of the others were still alive... or if this really was the end.

[stoic_angel_]

I slammed the next demon to the ground, and whirled, looking for someone... anyone left. I dodged another attack from a demon, and, in a quick combination, left it dying on the ground.

Moving back toward the alley we had all come from, I left the demons in my wake dead or dying. Meanwhile, the pain I had been ignoring for most of the fight was starting to press in on me. There were still too many damn demons around... too many. As it was, I had so many cuts that I wouldn't be healed for at least a week, not to mention my broken ribs. Those were never fun to have in the first place... and now I had multiple ones.

I was almost to the alley, when I was hit from behind, slammed to the ground. I looked up, as a demon leered at me, wielding a sword, and ready to behead me.

I kicked my legs up, slower than usual, and locked them around his neck, then wrenching him to the ground. A few moments of fighting later, he was dead, and my arm was broken, not to mention I was bleeding again...

"Damn it," I finally screamed. "If there's anyone out there... in the alley!"

I moved into the alley, hoping to find if anyone else was alive... it at least provided a little bit of shelter. I didn't give a damn that I had let everyone else know where I was at the same time. Meanwhile... I didn't care. I just wanted this all to be over- there was no fucking way we were getting out of this... there were just too many, we were too few, and everyone else was dead.

[xspikex]

When this is done, I needed to be stitched up like a sodding ragdol. We're loosing, I know we were are. Be that as it may, I'm planning to take as many down with me as can. And trust you me, that'll be more plenty.

"Sod this!" And bugger it all. I could hear Blue tearing away in the horde of demons as I slash my axe left and right. Kicking one of them demons in the gut, I sneer at is as I heft my axe to chop of its head. "Only good demon is a dead demon." Well, xcept me then of course. And okay, Angel and Lorne. And...Bleu...and probably a few others.

"But these are bloody dead!" Laughing, I slice and dice my way through the horde of wankers, not caring about anything else but killing them. I could smell blood. The stench of demon blood was all around us, but the familiar smell of Angel's flared my nostrils as well. And Gunn's, I could smell a lot of Gunn's blood. Was he dead?

"Gunn! Angel!" Wiping the blood and the rain from my face I squint my eyes to see anything other but demons. But the only one I still see standing is Illyria. "Blue! Where are the others!" And to pick a page from Lirry? I wish to do more violence too if they're lost as well. "Bloody hell," I grit out, burying my axe in the head of an oncoming demon.

[beyond_flesh]

There is a cold realisation beneath the pure pleasure of ripping the bodies to shreds and hearing them fall lifelessly, silent screams of agony. There is the knowledge of the simple fact. We can not win.

No matter how many demons will be killed, there is too few of us. No hope. Just grief. But at this moment, fighting is enough, and the destruction brings satisfaction. Sharp smell of blood and flesh is everywhere around, and I breathe in.

I hear the halfling called Spike yelling to me and I turn, looking around, over the piles of bodies, over the heads of countless demons still standing. I can see Charles, swaying on his feet, but there is no sign of Angel. He has not fallen yet, I shall know when he will, but his strenght is fading.

Taking a swing at two demons closest to me I turn to Spike. "They had not fallen. Yet," I add.

[loaded_gunn_]

In the alley, I groaned as I sat there. No... they were still fine. Could hear Angel yellin' about something, and Spike callin' for me and Angel.

"I'm here..." I called out as loud as I could, hoping someone could hear me. Started out loud, but kinda faded off toward the end... it was getting hard to yell, 'cause it hurt so much.

"I'm still alive..." I muttered. "Dying slowly..." Which wasn't how I wanted to go out in the first place. Had always thought I would go down quickly, not have to sit and watch as the others all fought on without me, while I wasn't able to help. It... was annoying, in a way. I wanted to help... needed to help them, and here I was, sitting on the sidelines, bleeding out.

Damn it.

"Don't give up!" I yelled to the others. They couldn't give up... sounded like there were still lots of demons coming along, but... they were making a dent. Better than we had thought we would do.

But I was still going to die.

[stoic_angel_]

I staggered into the alley, finally, and groaned. I punched a demon in the face, reassured slightly by Spike's, Illyria's, and Gunn's voices... they were still alive. I hadn't gotten them all killed.

Yet a voice whispered, as I kicked the demon's body away from me, and another took its place. Never ending parade of demons... and Gunn, slumped further down the alley. I wondered if Spike and Illyria were going to come or not. Maybe if we regrouped, we'd be able to coordinate another attack or something, instead of this scattered swing-and-miss approach.

Don't give up... Wasn't planning on it, Gunn. I couldn't give up, not now. If I gave up now, I was admitting that everyone else had died for no reason. That they could have been living somewhere, still safe now, and that it was basically my fault that they had all died.

I wasn't going to ruin their memories like that.

[xspikex]

I nodded toward Liry while slamming my axe into another demons. Bloody hell, there were so many. We were gonna loose, but bugger all, we were gonna go out with a big bang. I was gonna make damn sure of that.

I could hear Charlie's voice in the distance. The sod sounded so very weak, he was dying and he knew it. That was not how this was supposed to end. Stupid poof and his sodding plans. Should've know better then to listen to him and jump into the fray. He already gotten watcherboy killed.

No time to think about blame now though. Can do that later, course we're gonna survive this dammit. I kept my eye on Blue while I made my way over to Angel and Charlie. "Blue! Get your arse over here. We need to stick together!" I watch with wide eyes as she just took one of the large demons an tore it in two. "Well, no need to ask you to be careful," I deadpan, elbowing a small sodding beats between the eyes.

[beyond_flesh]

I hear voices of others but I do not pay much attention to them. They only distract me from my goal - to kill as much as possible before... The strenght of the shell will not last for long. I can feel this body growing weak, but there is still the heat in this veins and it keeps me going.

I shall not fall until I kill as much as I can.

The halfling shouts at me and I half turn, ending the pathetic existence of the lower demons. The sound of his body tearing apart gives me satisfaction.

I make my way towards them, some of small demons fleeing away from me. They know fear and its name is Illyria. Some still keep on attacking and I punch and kick, sending them flying. "Being careful would make it easier for them," I point out. "I wish to make it hard."

Charles breathes with difficulty. He won't last much longer. The demons hordes keep on coming and we will not be enough to stop them.

There is hope? There is no hope. Miracles do not happen. Death does.

[loaded_gunn_]

I watched, confused, as Angel and Spike appeared in the alley, both shouting. Damn, everything was starting to get just a little bit fuzzy.

I shook my head, and everything got a little better. I couldn't give up... not yet. I shoved myself further up against the wall, sitting up more.

"So, I'm not the only one left," I said lightly, trying to joke. Angel and Spike were moving slightly closer, though still fighting.

Dammit... this was a hell of a way to go down. Fighting, yes, but... against these odds? Thousands against us four? Well, three, since I wasn't exactly up to fightin'. I had at least hoped it would be a battle on a smaller scale, where we had more of a chance of winning, and saving the world... not just standing in front of an onrushing ocean tide that could kill us without losing speed, and was even now roaring in my ears...

Or was that just the blood loss?

[stoic_angel_]

"No," I said, as another demon punched me. I bent over double from the hit to my gut, before moving to the side in time to avoid being decapitated. "We're still here."

Gunn was looking pale under his normally dark skin, giving him a grayish hint. Damn... he really was going to die... there was no possible way to get him help in time, not with this mess.

"Hard is good, Illyria," I said harshly. "He meant don't get killed yet." Yet... because it was pretty damn certain we were all going to die here today... short of a miracle, there was no way any of us would be getting out of here alive. Or undead... whichever.

"Anyone happen to have explosives?" I yelled hopelessly. Slim chance, but then, you never knew. Maybe someone would have thought ahead in a way I hadn't.

If had thought ahead, maybe Gunn wouldn't be dying. Maybe Wesley would still be here. Going back further, maybe even Fred would have been here. Maybe even Connor could still be mine, and Cordy still alive, and non-evil.

[xspikex]

"Explosives? What you on about?" *Now* he comes up with the good ideas? Stupid ponce lughead. We're here, battling a war and *dying* and now he finally has a good idea. Bloody hell, what was he thinking when he started this fight? What the hell were *we* thinking? Or I? Being a champion aint all that cracked up as they make it out to be.

We already lost the princess, Fred and now Percy. And Charlie boy isn't far behind from the looks of it. Or I, well they did. But still feels like I did to. I mean, they were my friends too. Least Fred and Percy were, didn't know the bitch queen.

Glancing over my shoulder, I look at Gunn. He's loosing it, we're gonna loose him too. His heart rate is going much to fast and his eyes are glazed over. "Now would be a good time to come up with that trick card you got in your sleeve, Angel!" He does have a back-up plan right? Tell me the ponce does have one. "Or a miracle will do. I'm not picky!" Bringing up my axe, I bury it into a demon skull with a loud roar.

[beyond_flesh]

I find it puzzling... how they can, how they feel they need to joke in the face of danger, of sure death. It is something humans do, apparently, although I can not comprehend why. As if laughing at grief, danger, death would make those things disappear.

It does not.

I sense a demon getting closer to me and kick with all my strenght... which is not as it used to be. I can feel my powers fading. Others seem exhausted to. I will last longer than them, but I fear it will not be for long as I too shall fall.

"Miracles do not happen," I say to Spike, echoing my earlier thoughts. "Only death does," I add, watching as demons get closer and closer, and it doesn't look as if there was any less of them than at the beginning of the fight...

[loaded_gunn_]

"Damn right..." I agreed with the Smurf. "'Cause I ain't seein' any miracle..." And we needed one more than ever right now.

I was more than aware that I was slipping back into my old way of talking, but I didn't care. I was dying- who the hell cared about proper grammar and speech and big words when they were dying? Especially when you were dying, watching an army of demons coming towards you... grammar tends to fly right out the window at that point.

"So how big of a chunk have you guys killed, then?" I asked hopelessly. "And how much longer 'til they get pissed off enough to just rip our heads off?"

[stoic_angel_]

"No miracles," I echoed, staring hopelessly before reacting, spinning and slashing at yet another demon.

I kicked out at the demon, cutting it down before throwing my sword into the skull of a demon coming up behind Spike. Then, in a pissed off frenzy, I pummelled a demon close to Gunn, before stopping and panting.

So far, my ribs were broken, some of my organs ruptured, and a cut was oozing blood down my face. I wasn't healing because I kept getting hurt, and I wasn't drinking any blood.

Blood... coming from Gunn and Spike. If Illyria was bleeding, I couldn't smell it, though. There wasn't anything that smelled like Fred's blood... and I didn't know exactly what a god-king's blood would smell like.

Meanwhile, Gunn was slowly dying, Wes was dead, Fred was beyond simple death, Cordelia gone, and Connor living a normal life. Even if we made it out of here somehow, it would only be me and Spike, and Illyria.

If we were lucky, and anyone survived at all.

I turned to Illyria, and said flatly, "Death sounds good enough for me."