As the hulking monstrosity burled down the empty road, Colt's team stood slack jaw in awe at his impressive speed. With a sputtering gasp, Colt snapped, "AFTER THEM!" The three began their heated chase through the seemingly dead town. The cold air cut through their lungs as they pursued the giant. Colt and Jessie could see him getting further away as they tried to catch up. "Tyler!"

"On it!" Tyler started to pick up the pace leaving Colt and Jessie behind him. As Tyler drew closer, he could hear Nix's voice. Mutters and disgruntled blurts as he tried to gain ground. Though what Tyler focused in on was the panting of his breath. He was a strong beast of a man, but even he was having issues running with that much extra weight.

As Tyler got closer, he started to squint his eyes less lose his vision from the dust cloud. He was working from sound rather than sight. Nix's thunderous steps guiding his feet as he reached out. Just before he could grab Nix the dust cloud suddenly disappeared along with him.

He looked around for a sign of the monster. A dust cloud leaking from a nearby alleyway he passed. Tyler ran blindly into the alley. Just as he turned the corner his face was bashed in by a metal object.

Nix was waiting behind the corner with a stop sign in hand. Nix watched as Tyler laid motionless on the ground. Veronica and Poco crept up from behind checking the child. "Is he dead?" Poco whispered.

Veronica leaned down putting an ear to his chest, a faint heartbeat pulsing from within. She gave a thumbs-up to clear his condition. "Tough little bastard," Nix opinioned. They would have done something with the unconscious body, but the sound of approaching footsteps forced their retreat.

Jessie was the first to see Tyler laying limp on the floor. She dove to her knees to check on him. She could hear the faint sound of his heart beating from his chest, a faint sigh of relief escaping hers.

"Is he okay?"

Jessie saw her brother with both guns at the ready scanning the vicinity. "Relax," she pointed down the alley at a dying dust cloud. Colt dropped his guard sitting down beside Jessie. He watched as Jessie began opening a panel on her rifle. Pulling out two wires of similar colors, a faint electric charge jumping between them.

Jessie placed one of the wires down against the rifle, licking her finger and putting a faint strand of saliva on Tyler's cheek. The wire connecting with the liquid jolting Tyler back to life.

"Gah! No Grumma I don't want any more crumpets, get the TEA!" As Tyler adjusted to his surroundings, he blushed at his outburst opting to push past the statement than dwell on it. "Ummm, what did I miss?"

"I dunno wanna ask your grumma?" Jessie teased. Tyler sulked at his embarrassing outburst.

"Alright as much as I love messing with Tyler as the next guy..." he pointed toward the dissipating dust, "We need to move."

Ahead of team Colt, The Bandits had found a jeep unattended on the street corner. Poco and Sam were currently laying in the back with Shelly upfront. Nix was outside the front door helping Veronica hot-wire the car. Alarms were blaring from a car beside them.

"Which do we twist together?!"

"Battery... wires" Sam continued his instructions from the backseat, scolding them for their mistakes. The sounds of the obnoxious alarms only adding to the already volatile moods of The Bandits. The eventual sounds of the engine spurring to life shined a grateful light on the dark aura surrounding the group.

As they started their miniature celebration the sounds and sights of gunshots peppering the flank of the jeep ruined their victory. "DRIVE!" Nix shouted as Veronica started hitting the gas. Nix grabbed the back of the jeep hopping into the backseat beside Sam and Poco. He noticed a distraught look on Sam's face but took it as being normal with their current situation. Besides, it would change once he saw them making their grand escape.

As they drove away Nix watched as the three tiny people turned into dots in the distance. He and Poco cheered waving goodbye to their followers. Veronica doing her own little celebration as she let up on the gas now enjoying the drive. Nix took advantage of the brief pause, wrapping up Poco's wound with a cloth they found in the back.

"Hope you don't get an infection. Wait- can you even get infections?"

"Hope not."

"wheel..." the duo turned to Sam. He seemed to be muttering something inaudible under the car's engine. "wheel... lock," the two were confused by his phrase asking for more information. "The wheel's... still... locked."

Nix and Poco snapped to Veronica, "Ronnie! Have you tried turning the wheel?" Veronica started fighting against the steering wheel. It wouldn't budge an inch. "Oh-no"

"Hole..."

Nix looked at Sam's statement. Ahead was a giant dip in the sand. Like something an antlion would make to trap its prey. "OH SHIT! Veronica break the lock." Veronica frantically started to twist and turn the wheel trying to break the locking mechanism. The car was approaching the pit at an alarming speed. Veronica tried the breaks but the sand beneath the tires gave no resistance. They skidded across the ground to their granular grave.

"Ronnie the wheel!" She tried harder now but the wheel wouldn't give. Nix saw the hole getting bigger as they approached. His instincts kicked in reaching across Veronica for the wheel. He snapped as hard as he could hearing the lock click beneath his grip.

He and Veronica cut the wheel as hard as they could just before they entered the trap. Their jeep did a full 180 but its momentum was still heading for the hole. Nix clenched up as everyone conscious of the situation screamed at the top of their lungs. The back of the jeep dipping over the edge of the hole's mouth.

Veronica started punching the gas as hard as she could trying to fight the pull of gravity. Nix moved to the front of the car trying to balance the weight. He jumped on the hood planting the front wheels into the sand. The four-wheel-drive just barely pulling the jeep away from a deadly, dusty dive.

The four people awake in the van all gave a collective sigh of relief as they sat under the stars. A cool breeze running across their flushed faces. A welcoming feeling.

They would have sat there to cool down but the bullets kicking up the sand around them put them on red alert. They saw a white squad car, an older model with wear and tear visible from a distance cutting through the horizon. Its red and blue lights like laser beams disturbing the serene scenery.

Nix slid into the backseat, the jeep lurching with his weight as they started to drive away. Just as they pulled off a blue ball of electricity just passed over their heads.

"Bullocks! Just missed," Tyler peeked his head inside the car. "Hey Jessie, how come you're not shooting?" Jessie turned with a frustrated stare, pointing towards a blue saucer she had in her lap. "I don't know what that is." Jessie ignored his ignorance, opting to continue her tinkering.

Colt had part of his body hanging out the window aiming at The Bandits' escape vehicle. "Gonna add grand theft auto to the list."

"Poco we need that song," Nix handed him his guitar. Poco tried to play a few notes but winced in pain. "Damn. We need time." A bullet grazed past his arm sparking against the hood, "Something we don't have. Ronnie!" She turned around with a frantic gaze, "Don't head for base. We can't let them follow us."

Veronica followed orders, making a hard-right turn and driving off into the dunes. Colt and friends following not far behind. Another blue orb attempted to catch them but dissipated into the air as they drove away. "Look... we're traveling... faster than light," Sam let out a bloody chuckle at his joke.

"Colt, we would have them if you just focused on driving."

"What do you mean 'if I focus on driving'. I'm the only one that could do serious damage." Colt ducked inside the car, "Your rifle is too slow. Tyler can't hit the broad side of a barn."

"I'm trying my best, sir!"

"And I am not letting you shoot my pistols."

"I wouldn't want to use those primitive revolvers anyway. Not when I got this," she leaned out the window with the blue saucer in hand. She placed it on the roof pressing a button on a nearby backpack in the seat. The saucer whirred to life starting first with four legs digging into the roof. S.C.R.A.P.P.Y rose from the blue saucer aiming for the car ahead. They were just in range of his sensor allowing him to start firing into their rears.

"Oh, hell yeah, it's primetime baby!" Colt smashed the gas to get S.C.R.A.P.P.Y in range. Laughing like a banshee the entire way.

The bullets from S.C.R.A.P.P.Y were starting to leave holes in The Bandits bumper. "Damnit! When the hell did they get a turret?!" Nix ripped the middle seat out of the car using it to block some incoming damage.

Sam leaned up to grab his attention, "Hey Nixxy... don't be jealous... of other's stuff. I got... a toy for you," he raised a shaky hand towards his bag. Nix took a peek inside, putting his hands on a small metallic rod. The cool steel felt familiar. He pulled it out to see it was the same rod from the bar in Oasis. With the push of a button, the rod extended upward through the open roof frame. The giant mallet forming at the rod's end.

Nix's wicked smile gave way to his true intentions. He dangled from the car door, one hand gripping the jeep frame while the other swung the mallet through the air. He could see the confused looks of Colt and his teammates watching in fear as he smashed the ground with the mallet.

The raw force of his attack created a shockwave in the sand. The ripple rushing towards the squad car grew larger until it collided, bouncing them off the ground. The crew jostled about the car from the attack but S.C.R.A.P.P.Y still stood strong atop the roof.

When the car settled S.C.R.A.P.P.Y took notice of the threat that was Nix, focusing fire in his direction. A few bullets flew past him but not enough to stop Nix's attacks. Another shockwave shook the passengers to their core as they crashed down to the ground. "Scrappy, take down the gorilla-man!" Jessie ordered from within the car.

S.C.R.A.P.P.Y followed orders raining down a storm of bullets into Nix's frame. The blood from his wounds trickled onto the cruiser's windshield as he rolled back into the jeep, landing onto Poco.

Nix's massive weight was crushing the lungs Poco no longer had. He managed to roll Nix off him letting him take his seat, his mallet falling outside and disappearing as they continued their retreat. He took a survey of the passengers.

Shelly was still out cold, whatever she was dreaming was hopefully better than reality. Nix's wounds were newly opened as he stained the car seats. He saw Sam still chuckling to himself lightly, probably in hysterics from a lack of blood. Their current situation not helping his mental condition. Then there was Veronica, she hadn't spoken a word.

She never spoke since he met her but now it seemed strange, she hadn't made a peep. He tried to lean around the middle console space to see her face. He wished he hadn't though, he rarely saw her show emotions. Besides her lust for muscles, he had never seen her show a reaction that wasn't complacency, content, or slight joy. Looking at her now he saw something far worse.

Fear.

Perhaps not fear, rather panic, uncertainty, maybe even hesitation. All he could tell was that she had lost her wits. The team was crumbling around him.

Poco picked up his guitar. It felt strangely heavy in his hands. His fingers were numb with pain but still barely movable. He looked to his allies with a corked smile before bringing his fingers down for a note. The sound that escaped the guitar was sour, scraping at the ears of its passengers and the musician himself.

Another stray bullet whizzed past his head colliding with the dashboard in front of him. He felt a sharp pain on his skull. He brought a shaky hand up to the source, a faint black scratch ingrain within his skull.

'They're shooting to kill...'

With this realization, Poco made his final decision. He raised his free hand upwards. The squad car behind them seeing his yellow bandaged hand reaching for the stars. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes tight and channeling his strength. He looked out to his allies, then let his eyes fall on a drowsy Sam. "Don't go to sleep now. We've gotta give the audience an... ENCORE!"

Tyler looked in awe at the beautiful green cloud that exploded from every opening of the jeep. Jessie and Colt however understood what had transpired in front of them. They knew that things just got a lot worse.

Poco slowly opened his eyes. Opening and closing his hand periodically, observing the feeling. He unwrapped his bandages, the hole in his hand filled with yellow bone marrow. He looked towards Nix, the holes that once leaked blood now closing as the bullets fell out of him. Nix took his seat beside Poco running his hands along his body observing the newly filled holes.

Poco looked towards Sam. The red blood in his clothing started to evaporate, his stomach closing up as a green ooze disappeared with the blood. Sam stared in amazement at his body. He didn't feel like one hundred percent, but he could breathe. He could fight.

Sam turned to Poco. He didn't understand what happened. He couldn't comprehend how he did it. Somehow, Poco had healed them. He would have asked how but his thoughts were interrupted by a rustling in the front seat.

The three men in the back snapped to the front. From the passenger seat, a purple tuff of hair started to shift. A smooth ebony hand running its fingers through the gravity-defying follicles as she started to reanimate. From the front seat, they heard a simple question, "What happened?"

Shelly awoke groggily from her deep sleep. She tried to take in her surroundings. They appeared to be in a car driving through the dunes, the sky was pitch black, and she could feel a strange tension in the air. Shelly turned to see Veronica at the wheel, what looked like a tear forming in one of her eyes before she swiftly wiped it away and focused on the road or lack thereof.

She turned around to see Sam with a shocked expression, a few holes in his shirt around his stomach. Poco was next to him with his clothes looking more or less the same with a few knicks and tears around his upper body. Beside them both and directly behind her was Nix, his white tee had several holes scattered all around his body. However, just like the rest, there was little to no visible damage to his body.

She would have tried observing more but a stray bullet smashing the side mirror stopped her thought process. "No time to explain. Sheriff, turret, can't shake 'em, help!" Nix stumbled out.

Without missing a beat Shelly sat up to face them head-on, "Sam, my gun! Ronnie, keep driving! Nix, eat agro!"

"Wait... again? But I just finished getting shot..."

"That's an order!" Nix whined some more before turning to work up the will to eat more bullets.

Colt's team watched in helpless terror as a giant shadow arose from the jeep. They saw Nix standing tall once again. Tears in his shirt and fire in his eyes. He kicked off the rear of the jeep exposing the back seat and its passengers.

Jessie could see from the backseat two bodies beside Nix. One was Poco, holding down his sombrero with the same hand Colt had shot. His guitar clenched in his free hand. Beside him was the brunette boy they had saved just before the chase. He looked as healthy as an Olympic athlete as he stared them down.

"Closer!" Jessie yelled from behind. "S.C.R.A.P.P.Y can't do much damage unless you get close." Jessie snatched her rifle from Tyler, eliciting disdain from the boy, "Just sit there and look cute."

"You think I'm cute?"

Jessie ignored his comment choosing to focus on the roar of the engine and the growing targets. S.C.R.A.P.P.Y started to pick up the pace as they got closer, peppering holes into the rear of the jeep. Nix ripped up some more metal to use as a makeshift shield from the bullets.

They watched as their new rescue ducked behind Nix, pulling a bag up from behind him and pulling out a weapon. Colt grew nervous as the threat grew with each second. He watched in fear as the man smiled before tossing the gun behind Nix.

From the shadows arose a beautiful purple tuff of hair. The dreads shifting with the wind in jagged movements back and forth. From behind Nix rose the self-proclaimed queen of The Dunes. Her face showing clear disdain for the occupants of the car before her. From beside her, they saw Poco playing a song on his guitar. An epic ballad of sorts with a strong baseline being the driving force of the song. Like the boss music you would hear for the final fight in a videogame.

Shelly reached out a fist, sticking her thumb out to the side. She teetered it back and forth as if it were wobbling on a scale. Colt's heart dropped when her thumb visually stabbed the ground below them.

Her hand reaching back to grab a golden shell from the new member. Colt instinctually let go of the gas, the car now keeping pace from the raw momentum alone. Jessie and Tyler looked on in fear at the threat before them, unsure of her strength but aware of the change in mood with her appearance.

Shelly took a knee beside Nix, aiming with her shotgun. A steady breath leaving her mouth before she murmured something soft in another language, "Para los niños, que Dios bendiga sus almas. Al sheriff, te veré en el infierno."

As the words left her mouth, Colt slammed on the brakes to avoid the attack. Jessie and Tyler braced themselves by grabbing hold of one another. Just before the trigger could be pulled the jeep hit a large dip in the road knocking Shelly's aim off.

She accidentally pulled the trigger. The super shell exploding the ground between them and the squad car. Colt still smashing the brakes tried to avoid the giant hole her attack made but ended up driving nose-first into the ground. As the car began to tip Jessie and Tyler screamed at the top of their lungs clenching each other for life.

The squad car had been launched into the air, flipping upside down before landing on its roof, crushing S.C.R.A.P.P.Y. The sound of the car's alarm blaring as they sat upside down in the middle of the desert.

Shelly and crew watched as the car laid motionless in the sand. They continued driving without taking their eyes off the squad car. They continued to drive in silence as the squad car started to turn into a dot in the distance.

"YYYYEEEEAAHHH HAHAHA!" Sam was the first to burst into laughter. He cheered and shook Poco violently as he celebrated losing the cops. Poco joined in along with Nix and Veronica as they all celebrated in their own ways. Veronica sharing high fives and hugs with Sam, Nix giving Poco a noogie through his sombrero, and Shelly staring off silently where the squad car was still laying.

Nix approached her slowly placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, boss, what's wrong. We won. You saved us."

Shelly didn't look towards Nix, she looked frustrated. As she looked into his eyes his heart stopped, a terrifying scowl across her mug. "I was aiming for the sheriff's head."