Shadows, Nightmares and New York

2 weeks later and we're getting ready to hit the road. Everyone's packing at their own pace, much to the annoyance of Dimitri and Mandala who are raring to go. I'm better now, started off badly but now I'm as good as ever. Jest is still trying to get me to help him in his mischievous plots, but I'm holding my ground. For now. He's tried everything to get me to help- He's spiked my bed with tacs, he's sent gifts, (If a chewed guitar pick and a stick then kinda looks like a person counts) and he's even done a little dance, which was very amusing, but now it's just a matter of who gives in first, which sadly I think will be me- but you've gotta admire his persistence. I'm just about to read one of the fashion magazines placed on the table, when I realize just how bored I am. For cryin' out loud, I was gonna read a Fashion magazine! I look around for any familiar faces. No-one. I decide to go explore.

The camp's bigger than I thought. I'm just passing a bus that's parked inconveniently in the middle of one of the rows of tents, when I hear music roaring from one of them...
“SHOT GUNS, SINNERS, WILD-EYED JOKERS, GOT YOU IN MY SIIIIGGHT.....”
It's My Chemical Romance's frontman Gerard Way screaming down a mic- I recognize it from the album Lily got me. I have no doubt that this is her tent. I walk in to see Lily jumping up and down headbanging the air, singing along to the lyrics.

“Lily”
“MASS CONVULTIONS, STRIKE THE CHOIR, BY THE GRACE OF GOD!” She Screams. She obviously hasn't heard me.
“Lily... Lily... LILY!”
She spins around, still jumping up and down.
“Strand!” She smiles. “Yo! How are you?” She jumps up and gives me a hug. I'm around 5 inches taller than her, so she has to. I tease her frequently about her small size. She's around 5ft 3, and has long black hair flowing down to her shoulders. She always wears band tee-shirts, and always has something to start a conversation starter (aka she's nuts). Over the last few weeks we've become really good friends, speaking to eachother regularly.
“I'm fine thanks. Yourself?” I yell.
“I'm great thanks. I'm just clearing stuff up.” She reaches over and turns down the music screeching out of the speakers.
“Cool.”
“Just make yourself at home, I'll just be a min.”
I sit down on a bean bag in the corner and look around the room. There are a few CDs scattered around the floor, a couple of ammo cases and other various pieces of, well, junk. Fumbling underneath my seat, I pull out a CD case, A box of matches and... a pair of boxers labeled “Ben- return if lost :)”. I'm saying nothing.
“OK, lets go!”
I look up and see that the room's surprisingly empty. In fact, the only thing left in it is Me, Lily, Bens Boxers and the beanbag.
“OK Midget.” I tease. She replies with a swift punch in the arm.
“How can someone so small be so strong?” I complain. She grins.
“Come on, you whuss.” She says, and then leaves. I pick up the boxers and follow her out.

Outside. After 10 minutes and many debates about what goes where, we finally get Lilys tent down. We start struggling with the packed up tent (It's heavier than it looked), but Mandala strolls over, bends down, picks it up with one hand and puts it in the back of Lily's gleaming silver Volvo.
“Thanks” Lily says.
“No problem. Glad I could help” He smiles. “ I put your tent in the bus, if that's OK with you Strand” He says to me.
“It's fine.” I say. “As long as it survives the torment of the kids” I add.
Mandala laughs. “ I wouldn't be too sure.” He chuckles, then walks on. Lily starts to smile. It soon drops, and she sprints after the African. I don't know what she's doing, until I see a Centipede-like urchin heading towards Mandala at epic speed. She unholsters the knife attached to a case on her waist, jumps onto a sedan and starts running across the car-rooves! The urchin is only around 15m away from the african. How hasn't he noticed? Lily readies her knife. The urchin jumps at Mandala. Lily dives, kicking the beast in the side. As it falls, she launches her knife at the creatures torso, piercing it's outer-shell. On her way down, she pushes off a box in the direction of the Startled Mandala. It looks like she's going to crash, but she rips off Mandalas Sniper attached to his back and pushes off his shoulder, landing on the squealing urchin. She quickly puts it to the beasts head and fires. Blood and stringy pieces of flesh and brains fly everywhere. She looks at me, then smiles. Me and Mandala run towards her, eager to congratulate her in her amazing kill and to thank her for saving the soldiers life.