Speechless.

Amelia was trying to make her feet move, to move that little bit toward the door and get Mickey back. It was all to tempting to just burst through that door only several feet away and snatch the girl away from this horrible place. Of course, it was easier said then done. It was easier to say, ‘lets charge in, both guns blazing and take what’s ours!’ then to actually do it. Especially when the only thing Amelia was armed with was syringes full of a heroine cocktail and Cougar’s pocketknife that Viper had stolen.

“I don’t mean to sound like a downer or anything,” Metallica began. “But how exactly are we going to this?” It was one of the many reasons why Amelia loved the girl with the blonde dreads, Metallica was usually up for anything Amelia wanted to do—even if it was a dangerous rescue mission.

“I’m working on that part.” Amelia mumbled as her chocolate eyes scanned the hall for threats. She strained her ears, waiting to hear a third voice to signal more than just Mickey and Viper within the room but she heard none. Instead she heard something else entirely.

Footsteps, soft carefully placed footsteps, were creeping up the stairs Amelia had just come and she bristled at the sound.

“Jag…”

“I hear them. “

The two girls crept to the basement door and waited. It was then that Metallica produced her own pocketknife; it had once belonged to Ellie before she died. Amelia’s fingers itched to grab the switchblade in her own pocket. Amelia didn’t want anyone to get hurt, she really, really, didn’t need that kind of thing on her conscious right now. The knob turned, Metallica’s voice hitched, and Amelia herself stopped breathing, growing absolutely still.

Amelia’s eyes widened in horror at who stepped through the door; Amelia didn’t see the tall dark haired tattooed man at first, only the lanky figure behind him.

“John,” She whispered, her breath rushing out of her lungs as fear took her. Not fear for herself mind you, but fear for John; fear of what John would think of her, fear of him getting hurt, fear of Viper using John against her. There was a reason why Amelia had ditched Cougar, John, and Matt—this was precisely why.

Metallica’s hand shot out, knife in her grip, but the tattooed figure caught her wrist before it could make purchase on her target.

“You should watch where you point that thing, someone might get hurt.” He stated easily while pulling the knife from her grasp.

“That was the idea,” She snapped, her eyes glaring.

“Synyster,” Amelia gawked in surprise. What the hell was going on? What was he doing in the middle of Viper’s apartment building?! And why was John here? Why did innocent John have to be involved?

“Hey sunshine,” He grinned.

“What the hell, Syn?” Amelia demanded. Although she had grown friendly enough with his band it still didn’t make it right for him to be here now. Amelia had grown friendly with many of the bands on the Warped circuit but that didn’t constitute bashing through the basement door and raising a little hell at the risk of bodily harm.

“Renee said you may need some help?”

“Some help?” She echoed, then narrowed her eyes angrily. Amelia pushed the thought of Renee from her mind; she would deal with her later, right now there were more pressing matters. “So of course the first thing that came to her mind was the lead guitarist of Avenged Sevenfold. You do understand that doesn’t make any sense right? It’s like the most random thing-“

“Are you really going to complain about a guy trying to help save your ass?”

“I don’t need saving.” Amelia growled, her eyes still locked with Syn’s as she did her best to ignore John. Maybe if she just refused to look at him he would just disappear after awhile, although it’s not like that theory ever worked in the past.

“I’d beg to differ.”

“Don’t start with me, John.” Amelia hissed her head suddenly snapping in his direction, her eyes blazing.

“Look, I don’t mean to interrupt,” All eyes turned to Metallica, “but first of all, Mr. Tall-Dark-Handsome-Tattooed give me back my knife.” She ordered. “As for the rest of you, could we kindly take this somewhere that isn’t the middle of Viper’s hallway.”

Amelia pushed Syn and John into the shadows around the corner from the room containing Mickey. It was much easier to conceal two petite girls in shadows then it was to hide two girls and two guys in it. Amelia could only pray that none of Viper’s minions walked past them.

“Renee has a theory,”

“What else is new?” Amelia scuffed rolling her eyes.

“Could you shut up for two seconds?” Syn asked kindly and when she fell silent he continued. “Renee has a theory that with someone who looks as equally as intimidating as this Viper fucker he wont try anything. He knows what he’s doing is illegal and he won’t risk being caught.”

“Oh I see, so she suggested you come and bring along someone the body mass that is the equivalent of your right arm?”

“Hey!”

“Actually,” Synyster began cringing slightly.

Two more figures appeared through the door and Amelia threw her hands up in exasperation. Metallica reached for the strangers and pushed them into the shadows wordlessly.

“You picked a hellova time to get popular Mia.” Metallica grumbled as her eyes scanned the halls nervously, before her eyes narrowed on the growing number of guys.

“What the fuck is this?” Amelia demanded angrily. “This isn’t a game. We aren’t playing cops and robbers here. You shouldn’t be here, any of you.” Was Renee trying to get them all killed? Plus she would really like to know who was going to explain to Kevin how the lead singer of The Maine and half of Avenged Sevenfold were currently missing.

“It’s my understanding that there is a little girl in there in the hands of someone who terrorized you for years.”

“Shadows-“

“Look Mia,” She turned to the man with eyes like sea foam. “We’re here okay? We aren’t going anywhere. We all want the same thing, we all want to help you get Mickey back.”

Amelia opened her mouth to retort something nasty but she hesitated and sighed, giving up on arguing. Amelia didn’t know how to ask for help, she had been in over her head plenty of times in the past but she just could never bring herself to ask for help. It was like admitting defeat for Amelia. In her mind it made her weak. This was one of those times when Amelia needed help—desperately; and she had gotten it in the form of a tattooed muscular rock band.“Thank you, Zacky.”

“So wait, you’re all friends of hers?” Metallica concluded, as she gestured to the group of guys.

“Friends is a very loose term at the moment.” Amelia grumbled looking away.

John pulled her toward him. “You can be so ungrateful and so goddamn difficult sometimes you know that.” Amelia frowned at him but John was feeling bold as he kissed the corner of her lips that pulled down. Amelia eyed him for a moment before she pulled away from his grasp and moved to Metallica’s side.

“Listen to me because I’m only saying this once,” Amelia began, her voice sharp. “do not listen to anything Viper tells you, understand?” She didn’t need Viper filling their heads with lies or worst of all truths.

“Yeah that’s really not going to be a problem,” Synyster stated.

Amelia nodded shortly before she sucked her lower lip in between her teeth nervously. How could she be doing this? Placing people who had no ties to the ongoing fight was wrong. But Amelia was done fighting the people who chose to help her, she was done with the life she had once lead, and most of all she was done with Viper.

“Okay,” She whispered as she stopped to glance at each person in turn. “Let’s go.”