"Lock the door. I'm not about to let you get any help," Dover sneered.

Eyes still on his enemy, Rowen stepped back and turned the lock to prevent any access to the room. Upon hearing the lock, the others began shouting for him to let them in, but he ignored them. "Of course not. This is our fight, after all." Rowen looked at the weapon still aimed at his chest. "But it's not much of a fair fight with a gun pointed at me," he said.

Dover didn't lower his weapon. "It's not a fair fight for a seven-year-old to fight a soldier," he retorted.

Rowen pursed his lips, annoyed by the reminder of his follies.

Despite his protest, however, Dover brought the gun down to his side. "But that wouldn't make me much better than you, would it?" Dover tossed the gun aside. "We'll do this like equals," he said.

Rowen's eyes drifted over the gun for a moment. He had no intention of fighting dirty, but he wasn't above snatching up that gun if he needed it. Kevin's life was at stake, and he wasn't about to be beaten. "If that's how you want it," he replied.

Only a second of calm passed between them before Dover lunged for Rowen. Rowen ducked and wrapped his arms around Dover's torso, pushing him back. Dover braced against the floor and punched Rowen's ribcage until Rowen released him to stagger back. They glared at each other from their opposite positions across the room. Dover swung a punch and Rowen stepped back; Dover swung again, and Rowen moved back again. Dover jumped forward and grabbed the front of his opponent's shirt, pushing Rowen to the floor. Rowen grunted when his head hit the unfinished cement flooring with a bang! Muttering a swear under his breath, he forced Dover to roll over, putting Rowen back on top. He punched Dover in the face two or three times before he grabbed the man's throat and squeezed.

Dover narrowed his eyes and kicked up, hitting Rowen between the legs. As the man fell to his side, Dover shoved him off and scrambled to his feet. Rowen barely had a chance to right himself before Dover took another swing at him. This wasn't going well.

Outside the room, the others could hear them fighting. Rick was banging on the door, trying to break it down, and Zane stood next to Cliff as they watched anxiously. 

"Damn it," Rick snapped. "What the hell is wrong with him? He's going to get himself killed, and for what? A stupid revenge! This is exactly why we're in this mess in the first place."

Cliff glanced down at Kevin, still in and out of consciousness. He was shivering, but thankfully, the bandages Cliff had found in the car seemed to have temporarily stopped the bleeding. He was still a horrible mess to look at though. Zane had practically shouted when he first saw the condition of his friend.

Rick turned to the others. "We need to get this door open," he said.

Cliff shifted nervously, unsure how to proceed. Zane, however, took one glance at the door and hurried away. Moments later, Zane came running back, a sledgehammer in his hands. He passed it to Rick. "I saw it earlier when that fucker dragged me in here," he said. "I hope that works."

It would more than work. Rick gripped it firmly. As he slammed it down on the door's handle, the doorknob broke off and fell to the floor. He then burst into the room, stumbling into view of the fighting men. "Rowen, enough!" he yelled, grabbing a surprised Dover and pulling him down to the floor.

Zane and Cliff quickly entered as well and watched as the three of them pummeled each other around the room, throwing punches that landed and ones that didn't. Knowing this was going nowhere fast, Cliff set Kevin on the floor and grabbed Zane. "I have to help. Watch Kevin," he instructed.

Zane nodded and Cliff rushed to help Rowen and Rick. By that point, Rowen had Dover by the collar, and Rick was trying to pull Rowen away as he shouted at him to stop or he "really would kill him". Cliff wondered if Rick realized that was the point, but he also grabbed Rowen's arm, and together, they yanked him away from Dover.

He growled and swung at Cliff, just barely missing his jawbone. "Get off! I'm gonna wring his neck!" he snarled.

"This isn't going to help!" Rick insisted.

Rowen wasn't in a merciful mood, and Dover seemed to express the same bloodthirstiness as his foe. He punched Rowen in the stomach, and both of them tumbled to the ground again. Rowen's lip was busted and Dover had a cut above his left eye. Both were growling and snapping at each other like rabid dogs. 

Cliff didn't know what to do. He'd seen Rowen angry and it had never ended well, but even those times were never as bad as this. Rowen was too far gone to listen to reason, same for Dover. They wouldn't stop until one killed the other.

Still lost in panic, Cliff was startled when Rick grabbed his arm. "We have to pull them apart," he stated.

"Yeah, I know," Cliff snapped irritably. He glanced at the fighting pair. "You grab Dover and I'll get Rowen."

"Cliff!"

Before either man could make a move, Cliff heard his name being called over the shouting and ruckus of the fight. He glanced back at Zane who was crouched next to Kevin. The bloody body was shaking violently. Forgetting the fight for a moment, Cliff hurried over. "What happened?" he asked, checking vitals and peering into Kevin's eyes to see if they were dilated. 

"I don't know. He opened his eyes for a minute, then he started to thrash around," Zane said. He was pale as a ghost and looked ready to run out of the room. "I don't know what to do," he said.

Kevin was moaning to himself. "No... Stop, please... Please..."

"If he stops shivering, rub his cheeks to get blood flow to his head," Cliff said. "If he starts shaking worse, make him lie down and make him stay there. Try to keep him from moving too much."

Before Zane could ask any more questions, Cliff ran back to the others. "Ready?" he asked Rick.

The other man nodded and they rushed in. Cliff wrapped his arms under Rowen's shoulders, locking his hands behind Rowen's head to restrict movement as much as possible. Rowen jerked around, swearing at Cliff to let go, but he did not. Rick, who had Dover in the same position, yelled over him. "Shut it! You guys need to calm the fuck down!"

Calm was the farthest thing from either of their minds. Rowen, breathing hard with eyes like daggers, glared at Rick. "This isn't your fight!" he said.

Suddenly, Dover dropped all his weight to the floor, making it impossible for Rick to keep a hold on him. The moment Rick lost his grip, Dover yanked himself free. In seconds he was across the room, pulling a knife from a tucked-away place on his hip. He sliced it across Cliff's arm. As Cliff let go of Rowen, Dover pushed him to the floor, raising the knife above his head.

"You're mine," Dover hissed, and brought the knife down just as a single gunshot rang out through the room.

*******

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