Becca's POV  (Before they enter the room in DRM...F)

"I'll take point."  Nick 2.0 said.

He readied his pistol and went first.

Red followed behind him, then me and the 2 floater people, Lucille and the mastermind who was holding MonoKirby, and the rest of us.

There was a pop sound, and Red almost jumped into me as Nick 2.0 fell back.

I ran up to him and checked him, but it was too late.

A hole was in his chest.

I shook my head and stood up.

The mastermind floated over to Nick 2.0 and placed a hand on his head, making Nick 2.0 disappear.

I went into the room first.  Lucille and the mastermind floated to different corners of the room.

The stage room of Minekea.

I could still hardly believe the place I had to take the gang and Keona's base were the same place.

Once everyone was in the room, I stood the farthest into the room.

I froze when I saw Keona walk in from the right of the stage where Gerrin, Jane, and...one-eyed Rachel sat, probably cuffed, in chairs.

She laughed evilly, her...brown eyes shining?  She had a pistol in her left hand and a katana in her right.

"LeT's tangO." She said in a strangely familiar voice.

Then chaos.

Gunshots came from seemingly nowhere.  That's when I noticed doorways I'd never seen before open as...Red's? men came and shot.

I ducked quickly to the ground.  I'd learned to be fast in dodge ball, since I LITERALLY took every game, every game as in EVERY game, not just dodge ball, as life or death and pretended the balls in dodge ball were bullets.

I can assure you, though, that not everyone here had done the same kind of...training.

4 people collapsed behind me while the others ducked and rolled to cover.

Ross.

Crainer.

Seto.

Sub.

Mark and Felix have their twitch skills from playing horror games, so that's no surprise there.

Mitch is a phenomenal PvPer.  Again, no surprise he dodged.

Ian was a military man for a while.  No surprise.  (IRL he is, too.  I found this out, like, 4 months ago.)

Quentin...I'm not sure.   (He's a super detective.  Detectives have keen sight for things, as well as quick feet.)

I watched...Keona? as the mastermind made them disappear to whatever dimension they're from.

She smirked at me evilly as she circled the my friends.

I reached for my pistol to not find it.

I looked back to see Red, his cuffed hands in front with a pistol, firing at his men.  He flipping stole my gun to fight with us!  Geez!

I sighed as I readied my katana, crouch-running towards the stage.

Keona? smirked as she threw her pistol to the side and met me head-on...or sword-on.

"So...yOu finally cAme."

I growled at her as we continued to trade blows, me having to duck back every other swing.

"You'Re probAbly woNdering wHo I am.  WelL...does tHis sound fAmiliar?  BeCCa.... bECca...yoU neEd To waKE!"

I froze slightly, almost taking a sword to the face.  I shook my head as I blocked.

"Oh, yEs, Becca.  I aM that samE persOn.  I helPed you.  I tRusted yOu with My creator, VixEn.  AND YOU KILLED HER!!!"

She whipped my blade from my hand and was about to stab me when a pair of cuffed hands went around her neck.

Red just saved me.

"BECCA!  GO RELEASE YOUR FRIENDS!"  Red yelled as Keona? struggled with the chain on her neck.

I turned and ran to my friends, pulling a key from my pocket.

Jane, Gerrin, and Rachel were ecstatic to see me ok.

I started with Rachel and released her from her cuffs.

She jumped up and hugged me quickly before letting go.

I then released Jane.

She also hugged me quickly.

Finally, I released Gerrin.

He stood up and hugged me tightly.

He pulled back.  I saw tears in his eyes.  "Oh, Becca!  I'm so happy you're ok!"

I let my guard down.  I was just so relieved to see my friends ok.

My fatal mistake.

DEATHLY FATAL MISTAKE.

A tight pressure went through my abdomen, a little to the right of my center if you're looking at my back.  The pressure was so tight that it ALMOST hurt.  Still couldn't feel pain, though.

Almost like a movie, I slowly looked down.

A bloody katana was sticking through my abdomen.

Gerrin stood back, shock all over his face.

Noises started to become almost muted.

I think I heard Rachel screaming.

I'm not sure, though.

I think I heard a whooshing sound behind me, kinda like an arrow through the air.  Or a crossbow bolt.  Probably the latter.

The noises of battle seem to end almost as quickly as they started.

The katana slowly came out of the back of me.

It had been holding me up.

I fell to my knees and gave a slight cough.  I felt a hot liquid trailing down my mouth.  My blood.

Was I the loved one to be forever lost?

I looked behind me to see Keona? on the floor, a bolt through her head.

I felt weak....

And tired....

So....

Tired....

Gerrin caught me as I fell backwards.

He was blurry, so either my vision was fading out, or my glasses were somewhere.

Hopefully the latter.

Noises started getting louder.

"...ca, please, don't go!"  Gerrin cried.  Tears were streaming down his face.

With the little strength that hadn't leaked out of me, I placed my hand on his cheek and mustered a smile.

I noticed Red and Rachel on my left.  I turned to them.

Red looked like he was heartbroken.  He probably was, considering I was like a freaking replica of his daughter.  He was losing his daughter all over again.

I noticed Jane hugging Rachel, tears on both their faces.

"Becca, I'm so sorry I couldn't hold her back longer...she stabbed my leg...."  Red trailed off.  He scooted back and showed me his left leg.  Blood was running down it, but he'd live.  Unlike me, though.

I saw Lucille floating above me, freaking out.

Nonono, it wasn't supposed to be like this!  You weren't supposed to be the one!  She babbled almost incoherently.

I saw Mitch standing behind Red, an upset look on his face.

I placed my pointer, middle, and ring finger, all touching together, under my chin, and then moved it outwards from my face.

Gerrin looked at Mitch.  "She said thank you."

He winced.  "I wasn't fast enough."

I shook my head slightly.  I was starting to feel light-headed, but I needed to make sure everyone got home.

I did a book signal with my hands.

Red swiftly stood up and brought it to me.

Gerrin held it with one hand and I wrote.  It was very wobbly, though.  I was dying.  I could feel it.

'Don't fret, guys.  Red, get my friends home.  Please....'

Red took the book back and sat it down.  He knew I was nearing.

"Don't worry, Becca.  I will get them home.  It's the least I can do for you saving my friend from Keona."

Gerrin sighed.  "That wasn't Keona.  That was Possessed, Keona's twin sister.  She killed Keona and maybe even her father.  She wanted to kill everyone."

So they were dead.

At least the biggest threat to this world is...

gone....

I slowly placed my left hand on the ground in a fist and lifted up my pinky, my thumb, and my pointer finger.

My eyes got heavier....

and....

heavier....

I love you, Gerrin....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Plot twists!

Is Becca truly dead forever?

Could this book be AT LEAST a chapter longer than the last?  (Probably not, lol)

Tune in Tuesday, hopefully, for the stunning probably-next-to-last chapter!

-Becca  <3