You're Cute When You Scream

“Did you hear that?” Johnny murmured beside me, his chest vibrating below my head as he spoke. I groaned in response and rolled over to glance at the clock. Damn, time flies…it was already closing in on 5 PM.

Lately, Johnny and I have developed this slightly vampire-inspired schedule: we sleep during the day in an attempt to block out the chaos beyond these four walls and stay awake for a good portion of the night, often sneaking into the kitchen for snacks and loving the adrenaline rush of sneaking around.

“I didn’t hear anything,” I finally replied, propping myself up on my elbows and yawning.

Johnny was just about to relax, until another loud noise – or scream, rather – ripped through the walls like a speeding bullet. His body tensed.

“We should go see what’s going on. There’s no way I can sleep through that,” he said, throwing the covers off of him and getting up in search of clothes. I agreed.

Despite the fact that my eyelids felt unnaturally heavy, I mimicked his actions and lazily slid into a pair of jeans and a tank top. Something tells me that we’re not going to liked what we’re going to see downstairs. But, wasn’t that to be expected here?

*Chris’s POV*

I stared at Ronnie skeptically. How do I know that I can even trust this guy? Regardless of whether or not I actually assist him in his ‘rescue mission,’ I guess it wouldn’t hurt to hear this plan of his. “I’m listening.”

Ronnie nodded, “Alright, let me fill you in on who we can trust. Katie is I guess…dating…Zacky, the chubby one with snakebites.” He paused to point each of his pointer fingers at polar sides of his mouth to demonstrate what the piercing looked like.

I rolled my eyes, “I know what they are!”

Ronnie laughed a little before continuing. “My sister, Aliza, is one of the other girls and she is into Johnny, the short guy. There’s another girl too, Nikki, and obviously she’s good. Actually, let me put it this way – all the chicks there are ‘good.’ So, let’s see that makes the odds: Myra, Aliza, Johnny, Katie, Zacky, Nikki, you, and me versus three of them.”

I was a little saddened by the fact that Randi’s name wasn’t in the list. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to change that.

“That’s your plan?” I asked incredulously. “You’re just relying on the number of your allies against the number of your enemies? Look, man, I’ve seen what these guys did to my best friends. Even going up against one of them could be dangerous.”

“Would you agree if I told you they think I’m dead? It’d be a super surprise attack…”

I sighed in annoyance as I crossed my arms over my chest. “Okay, I get that your sister is in that mess and that is definitely more than enough of a reason. But why aren’t you leaving this up to the cops? If they think you’re dead, wouldn’t you want to keep it that way?”

Ronnie’s eyes fell to the ground as an unreadable emotion clouded his face. “There is more. I used to on their side, until I did something horrible to Myra. Ever since then, I just couldn’t bring myself to hurt her or anyone else. Somehow I think we both developed feelings for each other. Since then, Myra’s given birth to my baby and…I just want to get them away from that monster before it’s too late to begin a normal life.”

Almost all of my suspicions vanished immediately. There wasn’t a single hint of deception in his words – those came from his heart. He genuinely wanted to save them. I guess that would be enough for me.

I took a few steps forward and approached him with my arm extended. He stared down at it momentarily before connecting the dots and shook my hand. “Lead the way,” I said.

*Nikki’s POV*

Relief quickly consumed any panic that I’d previously endured after falling from the falls. I couldn’t believe this luck! The police really were looking for us. Granted, this guy is way off course…I guess it’s the thought that counts. The man gave me a once over, taking in every scar in detail.

“You look like you’ve been through a rough time,” he said.

“That’s putting it lightly. Look, I am so fucking glad you found us. All I want is to get out of this godforsaken forest and away from those monsters.”

His eyes widened. “You’re one of the girls that A7X kidnapped?”

“That’s right.”

“And who is this?” he asked, nodding toward Pablo.

“He’s one of my friends.”

“This is great. This will make me a hero,” he said with a broad smile as he reached into his pocket for a phone. “I’ll tell the others the news.”

The phone was one of those that kind of looked/sounded like it could be mistaken for a walkie-talkie – which meant Pablo and I got to hear every static crinkle and every word exchanged.

“What is your situation, sergeant?” a male voice asked from the receiving end of Sergeant Berry’s call.

I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion. Why did that voice sound so oddly familiar…? But it couldn’t be anyone I knew. I guess maybe the only reason it sounded recognizable was because it sounded like a poor imitation of Johnny’s voice.

“I found one of the victims at the base of the falls.”

“Excellent work. I’ll send a paramedic and squad car in your direction.”

“Roger.”

He put his phone back into his pocket before turning to face us. “Help is on the way, guys. Why don’t we hike back over to the main road so we can meet up with the ambulance?”

“That’s perfectly fine with me,” Pablo nodded, blindly following the man in uniform.

Of course, I followed. But it wasn’t until the man reached for his phone once again that I realized we were walking into a trap. His sleeve slid slightly up along his arm, revealing the bottom of what appeared to be a deathbat tattoo.

I’d seen that symbol all over that house, even tattooed on each of their bodies. I just assumed it was some band they were obsessed with – but what if it was something else entirely…like their gang symbol.

I immediately froze in place, reaching forward and gripping Pablo’s arm. His head spun around with a heavily confused facial expression. I placed a finger up to my lips, signaling for him to remain silent, hoping that we could sneak away from this man without being noticed.

I drew in a deep breath before spinning on my heel and sprinting back in the direction toward the falls.

*Aliza’s POV*

With hesitant steps, we made our way down the staircase and into the living room. I cringed at the most immediate sight – Myra and Zacky covered in their own blood, lying down at Synyster’s feet. Katie was standing alone against a wall with a concerned expression on her face. Rev was walking off toward the foyer with a phone up against his ear. Shadows was watching the scenes like a movie, comfortably propped up against the back of a recliner.

Where was Ronnie? I haven’t seen him since he was dragged along on that heist with Synyster. It’s been at least three days now. Did he escape? My eyes scanned the room once more until they landed on Katie who caught my gaze. Her concerned expression turned to one that was more sympathetic. Sadly, it didn’t take me long to realize what that meant.

I took large strides over toward her and spoke in hushed whispers. “Katie, where is my brother?”

Her eyes watered slightly as she bit down on her lower lip. Hesitantly she wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into a hug. “He didn’t make it back. Syn said that he was caught and shot at by the cops that were meeting in our old apartment.”

Tears sprung from my eyes as I clung to the back of her shirt, not believing this was happening. How is it that my brother would be shot at, but not Syn – the ringleader of this operation? Something didn’t add up.

But, even if that was the case, my mind was set. I still blamed Syn, even if he wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger. He probably set Ronnie up, wanting to get him out of the way so he wouldn’t worry about Myra cheating on him. What a selfish monster.

Rage boiled up inside of me, cleverly using my previous sadness as an unstoppable fuel. I stepped away from Katie and kept my eyes locked on Syn’s back. Johnny was watching me carefully.

Just before I was about ready to lunge forward and attempt to beat Syn into an unrecognizable, bloody mess, Johnny placed his hands on my shoulders, pushing down slightly so that it’d be harder for me to make a move.

“Get off of me, Johnny! I need to do this,” I growled.

“That’s just your emotions talking. You’re not thinking rationally,” he pleaded.

“There’s nothing to think about,” I replied, sliding out of his grip and sending my elbow flying back into his nose, perhaps a little harder than I originally intended. He fell back against the wall with a thud. Needless to say, he didn’t try to stop me anymore.

Shadows perked up in his seat with interest as he silently watched me leap forward, quickly grabbing a metal rod near the lit fireplace, sticking it in for a minute or so and then jamming it as hard as I possibly could into Syn’s back.

I watched as the heated tip slid into his flesh, melting the points of entrance as blood washed over the bubbling, distorted flesh. “You motherfucker! Why did you let my brother die?!” I cried out, feeling my grip on the iron rod strengthen.

Below him, Zacky had regained consciousness and peered up at me with a look of gratitude before he redirected his attention at a very distracted Synyster. A small growl grumbled out of his throat as he sent his fist into Synyster’s jaw – the shock of a double surprise attack sending him reeling onto the ground.

Myra stared at me with a look of absolute surprise. I guess I’d probably look the same if I were in her position. I beat down on Syn’s back a couple more times, using the side of the rod like a baseball bat before stepping around his body and helping Myra up to her feet.

She was about to say something, when her eyes widened and she shouted, “Look out!”

I glanced over my shoulder to find that Synyster made a ridiculously speedy recovery. He tugged on my hair, sending me stumbling backward and into his arms. He kept one arm wrapped tightly around my throat while simultaneously bending down and reaching for something on the ground.

He shoved me backward toward the marble-tiled encased fireplace. The back of my legs met the edge, causing me to trip. My back end was mere inches away from the flames. “Let’s see how you like being burned,” he snarled, using a single finger to push me even closer.

My skin tingled as heat washed over me. I used my arms to keep myself from falling into the fire entirely. He continued walking until there was no longer any space between us.

“Don’t look so scared, Aliza. Think of it this way – at least you’ll get to see your brother real soon,” he smirked.

In a flash, he opened the pliers and jammed them into my neck, one end above and below my collarbone. The metal of the tool was cool in comparison to the flames behind me; the metal seemed to cling to my skin due to the drying, sticky portions of someone else’s blood on the tips.

“Snap…crackle…” he whispered before bringing each end of the pliers together, creating the pop.

I cried out as I felt the bone snap like a brittle twig under the pressure. Synyster had broken the skin as well, causing a divide between the previously connected layers of skin. Blood leaked out and dripped down along my chest.

With a trembling body, I somehow managed to glance down and see that the blood had coated the white fragmented bone in its crimson flow, creating a bit of a pink tint.

“You know, that just didn’t satisfy me as much as it should have,” he mumbled, glancing above the mantle.

I already knew what was up there. They had a “decorative” display of two katanas crossed over each other to form an ‘X.’ Anything involving those can not be good in any way… He grabbed one of the swords off display and unsheathed it. I could see my own horrified expression in the thin, shiny metal.

He distanced himself slightly so that he could get a good enough aim, I suppose. Just as the blade was about to come down, Johnny leaped in front of me. Synyster didn’t have enough time to stop – although something tells me he wouldn’t stop even if he did have the time.

The tip of the blade pierced Johnny first, making its gut wrenching way through his body and into mine. The katana was coated in Johnny’s thick blood before it pierced me in the heart…somehow the angle worked so that Johnny was pierced in the shoulder because of his stance.

I screamed in agony, feeling my heartbeat increase drastically as the foreign object cut through the organ. The length of the katana kept Johnny and I standing closely together.

Weakly, I reached forward and took his hand in mine. Synyster ripped the blade out in the absence of a proper warning, allowing both of us to sink to the ground.

It was becoming hard to breathe, to see, to live. I gripped Johnny’s hand as tightly as I could as tears further worsened my vision. “I-I’m sorry for what I said and did to y-you earlier. You were right,” I said shakily.

Johnny pulled me into his lap and held me in his arms. Tears fell from his eyes and landed on my cheeks, slowly sliding down to blend with the puddle of blood that had accumulated.

There was a sudden burst at the front door, which caused my heart to leap unintentionally. I groaned as the additional pain racked my body. I could distantly hear Ronnie’s voice shouting my name. I blinked away the tears and managed to make out his form slightly.

He…he wasn’t dead? I whispered his name, but I don’t think he heard me. I couldn’t feel my heartbeat any longer. My grip on Johnny’s hand slowly weakened as he fell further from me.

I glanced up once more and took in his features. Light glowed around his head, making him look like an angel. I wanted to say goodbye. I wanted to kiss him one last time. I wanted to hate myself for dying in vein.

But I couldn’t do anything. I was numb. I was lifeless.

*Ronnie’s POV*

It took about fifteen minutes to walk up the hill to their house. Chris and I exchanged stories and managed to confirm our alliance and potential friendship by the time we stepped on the wooden porch. I glanced over at him. “You ready for this?” I asked.

He nodded, and pulled a gun out of his pocket. “Let’s make them pay,” he confirmed.

I reached forward and turned the doorknob. We took a few steps inside, instantly freezing at the sight before us. Myra was over in the corner, barely moving. Aliza was covered in blood and lying on top of Johnny. Synyster was standing above them with a bloodstained sword in his hand.

I ran into the room, ignoring everyone’s various surprised/relieved expressions. I cried out my sister’s name, but she didn’t respond. I was too late… I failed her.

Katie ran over to us, greeting Chris with a warm embrace. “I thought I’d never see you again,” she cried. “Is Pablo okay?”

Chris shrugged, “We split up a while back. I guess he’s still in the woods.”

Myra gripped the edge of the couch and forced herself to her feet, stumbling toward us. She smiled weakly at Chris before approaching me.

“You’re alive,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “You can see the baby now…”

I stole one last glance over at Aliza just in time to see her draw her last breath. I squeezed my eyes shut, biting back tears. Myra reached forward and pulled me up against her.

*Nikki’s POV*

It didn’t take long for him to realize that we weren’t following him. In fact, the distance that we had made didn’t seem so much like distance any longer because he was quickly on our heels.

“What the hell do we do now?” Pablo asked frantically. “The falls are coming up soon. There’s nothing but agua.”

My mind raced with ideas. The stream would undoubtedly take us away from this area, but I’m sure this guy knows how to swim…and how to drown people. On the way down, my body collided with something hard every now and then – almost like some sharp rocks sticking out from behind the water. That was it!

“We’re going to rock climb the waterfall.”

“Say what?!”

“There are some jagged rocks behind the water; we can climb up using those.”

“You do realize that waterfall is at least fifty feet tall…”

“Do you have any better suggestions?” I smirked.

“No,” he mumbled in defeat.

We made our way into the water, fighting against the current. The ‘sergeant’ had stopped chasing us and instead contacted whoever he was talking to earlier, I presume. Water splashed up onto my face as I fought against nature. Pablo was directly beside me the entire time, which was good because I wasn’t sure if he’d be able to keep up with me or not.

The base of the falls seemed to be even worse than the current. Water was spraying everywhere. I shoved my arm through the water and made contact with a rock, just as I suspected. I took the lead, crawling up the waterfall, swallowing mouthfuls of water and nearly choking in the process.

About a quarter of the way up, I glanced down to make sure that Pablo was still with me. I kept going, realizing that I probably shouldn’t look down anymore because eventually the height is going to become extravagant.

Once we reached the halfway point, I heard something whiz past me. Wait…was that a bullet? I glanced over my shoulder, taking special precaution to not look down at the ground, and saw that that guy did in fact have a gun in his hands, and had quite a few bullets to share with me.

I found myself crawling at a faster pace, thinking that if I moved faster then, I’d become a harder target. I don’t know what kind of gun he was using, but damn did it have a warehouse of bullets! I could see the top of the fall coming into range now. Just a few more steps…

Suddenly, I wasn’t able to lift my left arm. An additional wetness began coating my shoulder blade. I struggled to lift my arm but it just wouldn’t move! Meanwhile the fast-moving flow of water, causing it to become very slippery, was pelting my right hand.

I screamed as I lost my balance and began plummeting.

*Shadows’ POV*

Boy, talk about a dramatic evening. I could get used to this – just sitting back and enjoying the bloodshed around me. No one ever said I had to be the one doing all the dirty work to get enjoyment out of the deed.

Shortly after the wonder twins made their appearance, the back door suddenly creaked open. Now who the hell could that be? Had Jimmy already met up with Jason to retrieve our runaway? That would be pretty fucking speedy, even for him.

The door closed shortly after opening and a pair of heels could be heard across the floor. I really, really hope that isn’t Jimmy…

Eventually a blonde woman stepped into the dimly lit room. Just the sight of her made my heart stop.

“Val?” I breathed out. “You’re supposed to be dead.”