Dimitri Volkov; Erin Wild; Maxim Kazakov

It was early morning. The rising sun was giving everything an orange glow. It was the perfect time for a walk, and that was just what Erin and Max were doing.

The young couple always stopped by the church. Erin was a very religious person. She actually felt a bit guilty, though, for being pregnant at 14. Max assured her that it was nothing to worry about.

But Max knew he had to worry. Damian would be after Erin, and of course, Dimitri didn't like the fact that Max got his half-sister pregnant.

So far, so good. They kept walking, about to round the corner when Dimitri grabbed Max and slammed him against the wall. "Look at what you've done to my sister, Kazakov!" He shouted. Max tried to squirm away, but Dimitri was quite a bit bigger and stronger than he was. "I'm sorry, Dimitri! I just--"

"Sorry isn't good enough!" Dimitri interrupted, trying to keep himself from strangling the kid.

"Dimitri..." Erin mumbled. "Just let him go. It's fine."

Dimitri looked at his half-sister. "It's not fine, Erin. You know what Damian will do to you." He stated.

Seeing his chance, Max punched Dimitri in the face before quickly realizing why that was a bad idea. He knew not to start a fight with Dimitri. But it was too late. Dimitri, with blood seeping from his mouth, whipped out his pistol and aimed it at Max's head. "Maybe I should turn you over to my father, Kazakov. You want that?" He scowled. Max shook his head, eyes wide.

Isabella & others

Isabella came into veiw to see a man, a girl, and a boy. Her eyes narrowed as she seemed to recognize the guy, Dimitri. However she couldn't place him. She watched, remebering the sword on her back for a moment. It was the same sword she always had. However she didn't step in yet when she saw another man come on the scenes.

"Stop, please. I don't want any violence at my church, people are suppose to feel welcome here." The voice came from Tom, the pasture, of the church. He hurried up holding a bible in his hands. He had been inturrupted during his practice sermon hours. Around his neck was a cross necklace that shown brown. He attepted to get the man to put down the gun, but he didn't use force. Tom was not about violence.

"Pasture Tom, don't. Dimitri don't shoot him." Spoke a young woman as she came hurrying up. It was Dawn, Isabella's half sister. She knew Pasture Tom from her own praying time here. She came here to pray for Isabella's memory back, but her sister didn't know this.

"Stop following me around, Dawn. Honestly your worse than a dog, sis. How many times do I have to tell you, I don't know Rose or any of those other people. Their not my family or friends, in fact I think your making the whole thing up. Wouldn't I know if they were my family?" Isabella spoke in tempered manner. She didn't know that she once knew Dimitri, or that his family had taken her in for a small amount of time. They had cured her bad temper the best anyone could hope for. Or the fact that Dimitri's other brother had saved her life, but of course she didn't remeber any of it.

Dimitri & Others

Dimitri, with blood on his face from the blow, looked over at Tom. Dimitri had a cross on a chain around his neck too, but he certainly wasn't as faithful as Tom. "Don't hurt anybody, Dima," his mother would always say. "Real Christians turn the other cheek." Dimitri did turn the other cheek, and it just got him deep into a pit.

"Sorry, sir, but this kid got my sister pregnant and now my father is going to kill her. That's what he does to his children. He kills them as soon as they spread his lines all over the Valley." He said with a hint of sarcasm.

Erin looked at Dimitri and Max, worried. "You know... Maybe he's right, Dimitri. If you start fighting, Damian wins." She suggested.

Dimitri loosened his grip on Max and put the pistol back in his belt. Max then pushed him away. "Get off my case, Novokov." He said with a grin.

Erin glared at Max, stunned. One thing you never do is call Dimitri 'Novokov.' He wasn't a Novokov anymore, and he refused to be placed in the dysfunctional family.

The name Damian Novokov, which the trio had been spouting off now and then, would probably ring a bell to everybody around, even if they never met him. He had been on the news multiple times for all his crimes. They never caught him, though, and they likely never will.

Dimitri, after being associated with his father by this little fool, grabbed Max by the neck and shook him violently, bashing his head against the wall.

"Dimitri!" Erin shouted, running to her brother and pulling him away. "We're all in danger. You, Max, me, Dawn, Isabella, and even the pastor. We're all in this together, and if we don't work together, we'll all die alone. Our father is a dangerous man, Dimitri, and fighting isn't going to make us any safer."

Max, seeing his chance, ran to Tom. "You have to hide us! You have to! Damian known we're here! He's gonna kill us all! We have to hide!" He pleaded, falling down on his knees. He put his hand on his hair and felt blood. He'd need to be bandaged too, to prevent blood loss and infection.

Isabella

Isabella shocked when the girl said her name turned to her. "How do you know my name? I never met you before, or your friends" Her voice was so certain, even though she was doubting herself. Dimitri was ringing something in her mind, and Damian's name was as well. Something about him scared her though, or that's what she figured when goose bumps came to her arms.

Dawn came forth nodding her head as they spoke. She believed them when they said their was danger. She grabbed Isabella and made her come with her as they followed the pasture.

Tom was a bit unsure, but he only nodded his head. He notted the injury on the boy, but it would have to wait till they got inside. "Yes you may come in. We can discuss everything inside." Once inside he lead them through a door, down a flight of stairs, and into another door. They were inside the basment, which Tom hadn't be able to clean out yet. The old pasture must of had trouble because their were a few weapons about such as guns and knifes. Something unusual was that their was a girl in here as well who was sitting down on a chair staring at nothing.

Melany, 15 years old girl, looked up when she heard the door open. Although she made her gaze slightly off to the side, so that she appeared blind. Her blond hair hid her right eye which was green, but her left baby blue eye shown. No she wasn't blind, but she acted like it, and she was very good at acting. This little girl had many secrets that she didn't tell anyone.

"That's Melany. She lost her parents at a early stage, and I help her out now and again. She's blind, but other than that she's okay. Now will someone please explain to me what's going on?" Tom spoke looking at all the people in his church's basement.

Dimitri & Others

Dimitri simply glanced at Isabella. He said nothing, though. He grabbed Erin's arm and led her into the basement. Max followed.

Dimitri looked down at Melany. "I lost my mother when I was 7... My father killed her. He still tries to kill me. I was blind for a while, but somehow I was healed." He nodded to Erin and she walked into the room, followed by Max.

"I'll explain the whole thing with as much time as we have." Dimitri stated. "My father is Damian Novokov. Yes, the infamous serial killer and rapist. Let it be enough to say that he's very dangerous. He rapes his victims, and if he doesn't kidnap the rape children, he stalks them."

He looked down at Erin. "This is my half-sister, Erin Wild. Thanks to Max the idiot, she's pregnant, and that's never a good thing if you're Damian Novokov's child. He's coming for her. He'll kill her as soon as the baby is born, and he'll either kill the baby or take it as his own. This is why I have to protect my sister. This is why I should just turn Max over to Damian."

Max was about to speak, but Dimitri hushed him. Dimitri then continued. "I fear that Damian has teamed up with another local criminal. Their aim is to kill me and my girlfriend." He wanted to think Hunter is safe, since he thought Hunter was with Konstantin. But he never thought that maybe she wasn't so safe.

Erin looked up at Tom. "This is why we need protection. My father is dangerous. He'll kill me and Dimitri whenever he gets the chance." The odd-eyed girl said, looking at the pastor with one glacier blue eye and one deep brown eye.

Melany

Melany looked to the right of Dimitri pretending like she thought he was their. When he finished speaking she spoke up, her voice soft and innocent. "It's nice to meet you sir. Perhaps I will be lucky to get eye sight." Her hand rose to move her hair out of her eyes, revealing her emerald one. Even though no one knew but her and Tom, was that Tom was her father.

The pasture went to one of the shelves before getting bandages and such to take care of Max's wounds. Once Dimitri finished he spoke up. "Your welcome to stay here, and use these weapons. The church is open to anyone that need it, but I'll do my best to keep this Damian out. Is there anyone you would like me to try to find and bring back here?" Tom never used a weapon except for a shotgun in his life. Tom would never be so frightened, that he wouldn't leave his church, and he wasn't afraid to die either. Melany would take over the church when he did, though.

Melany had been down here practicing on the guns for quite awhile. The bull's eye posture was on the wall, and fresh holes were their from many different guns. Melany had even learned how to shoot while still pretending to be blind.

Isabella and Dawn stood togather. "Is their any hope that we'll survive or is he too dangerous?"Dawn asked fear in her voice. She could always call Rose and the others for back up, after all they were allies to Dimitri's family. However Isabella wouldn't think Dawn.

The guns were there because the old pasture had a brother in law that was into guns, and sent him shipments and such for free.

Dimitri & Others

Dimitri nodded to Melany. He had a suspicion that she wasn't really blind, but he kept his mouth shut. She probably had a good reason. Hey, they might even become friends.

Dimitri looked around the basement. Damian could get in here. He was having second thoughts, especially with two young teens like Erin and Melany here. "Actually, I was thinking we might pack some weapons and head for the island. I've got a house there. I have a panic room too. I change the combination every day. Would you and Melany, by any chance, want to head there for maximum security?" Truthfully, it wasn't only about the security. One of his last memories of his late mother had been at a church, and the same went for his late sister. They both died on a Sunday after church. It was just too hard for him.

Erin helped bandage Max's head, and when that was finished, she looked up at Tom. "I'm going to pretend you just said yes, sir, because it's safer at my house. And I'm afraid that my neice might be left alone there. We have to get back to my house. Pack up weapons and go."

Dimitri looked at the stash of weapons. "You have quite a selection here, sir. You must have a military gun ownership license. Or, if you're like me..." He turned around and grinned at Tom, "...you don't care what the g-men say." Dimitri actually had a military gun ownership license, having spent some time in the military, but he didn't really have many guns.

"I'm taking these." Erin said, holstering two Colt .45 automatic pistols and shouldering a pump-action shotgun.

Dimitri lifted an M249 SAW off of a shelf and held the heavy gun, along with a few strings of ammo which he put around his shoulders. He also grabbed an AK-101 and shouldered it, and made sure he still had his trusty pistol.

Max picked up an M4 carbine rifle and a Beretta 92FS pistol.

They were practically ready for war.

Dimitri nodded to Tom. "Pick your weapons, sir. I'd suggest a shotgun or an assault rifle against Damian and his...henchmen." He then looked down at Melany. "You ever used a weapon?"

Tom

Tom watched as they moved and talked each of them seeming to know what to do. He nodded his head showing that he agreed. Tom picked up a shotgun and bullets, before he looked to Dimitri showing that he was ready. Since he was responsible for Melany, he was going to walk beside her.

Melany simply gave a wink to Dimitri at his question. She didn't mind if he knew that she wasn't blind. For some reason she had a feeling he wouldn't tell. The teenager girl grabbed the only RPG-7 gun that was there along with the bullets that she placed around her body. She knew from memory it was there, and she often took practiced shooting it.

Dawn grabbed a simple arm length knife for close combat, and a MP-40 submachine gun with bullets. Isabella grabbed a few odds and ends of knifes such as 2 Sog Daggert 1's, 4 Cutlery Hibben Cord Grip, and the one that hung on her back. The others she placed in her shoes and pockets.

Dimitri & Others

Dimitri looked around at the others. "I take it we're ready." He said. "I've got a boat waiting for us at the bay that can take me to my island."