Seize the Day

Lacey screamed again as the door fell away from its frame, and she dropped to the floor. Brandon was torn off her by somebody, and he was practically thrown across the room. Lacey didn't take the time to look and see who it was, but she was soon lifted gingerly off the floor.

She buried her face in whoever's neck it was, and she was handed off to someone else. She caught a glimpse of Cadey laying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding. She screamed again, and she began to cry.

"Cadey! Cadey- oh god, please- no!" she cried. "You son of a bitch! Look what you did to her!"

She was carried away, Cadey disappearing from sight. She reached back out to the room and screamed. By now, the entire dorm was out in the hallways, trying to see the chaos they were only imagining.

"What the fu-" someone said.

"Call 911," said the man carrying Lacey. She looked up at him and saw Brian. "Someone call fucking 911!"

Brian sat down on the couch in the lounge with Lacey cradled on his lap. She was shaking uncontrollably, and he pulled her closer. He felt a gash along her cheek.

"Ca-cadey...where's...she gonna be alright?" Lacey sobbed into his shirt.

"I don't know," said Brian. "The others are taking care of it."

"Where's...where's Johnny?"

"He's upstairs. He'll be down as soon as this is over. For now, you just don't think about it."

"I-I can't. What if...what if she doesn't..."

"Shhh, she'll be fine."

"This is all my fault."
----------------------------------------
Zacky lifted Cadey's head up and applied some pressure to her wound. Jimmy had managed to knock out Ben, but it had taken both Johnny and Matt to hold back Brandon. That little fucker was stronger than he looked.

Cadey's eyes, half open, rolled aimlessly in her head. She smiled up at Zacky, but she said nothing.

"Cadey, come on," he whispered. "Stay awake."

"Zah- Zacky," she breathed. "Wh-where's Lace?"

"Don't worry about her, she's fine. Right now we need to worry about you."

"N-n-no. No. Get..." Her eyes drifted again, and her breathing grew even more shallow.

"Cade, come on, stay awake!" He gently squeezed her shoulders, and she smiled again.

"Mmm...my J-Jimmy? Where'd Jim...my go?" Cadey said.

Zacky waved Jimmy over, who was standing over an unconscious Ben. He rushed to them, however, when he saw Cadey. She'd lost a lot of blood, and he was sure she was barely staying awake. She shivered and smiled at him. He took off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around her, not caring how much it cost or how much blood would get on it.

"Jimmy..." she said.

He bent down and kissed her forehead. "Cadey, you have to stay awake," he replied. "Can you try to do that for me?"

Cadey nodded slowly as Johnny stood from beside Brandon. He abruptly left the room, and Cadey smiled.

"He loves Lacey..." she said. "I'm h-hhhappy...for them."

Zacky gently touched his finger to her lips, attempting to quiet her. She took his hand and squeezed it gently.

Cadey closed her eyes, but she never fell out of her dazed state. She heard distant sirens, and she blinked away the lights shining around her.

She didn't know how, but she woke up much later in a hospital bed.