Demons

Not long after our outburst, the previous Avenged Sevenfold left the room, leaving Payton and I in an even worse situation with the current members. And judging by the harsh grip that Vengeance had on my arm, I was in trouble, and there was no doubt in my mind that Payton was in trouble too.

"So that's why you kept us around so long." I spat, savagely ripping my arm out of it's tight hold and taking a few steps away from the group. "You want to fucking brainwash us into being your little assassins."

"Not just for that reason," Vengeance glared at me, sending me a message with his green eyes that clearly said: 'If you don't stop I'll have to hit you.' I didn't doubt his threat for a minute. We we're actors now and this room was our stage. He had to be the ruthless captor his friends and brothers thought him to be, and I had to be the daring yet snappy captive that he got to wail on.

"What other fucking reason then, Vengeance?" I hissed, clenching my hands into fists. "Want to make us your personal sex slaves too? Your punching bags for when another rebellion springs up? Please fucking enlighten me as to what the fuck you could possibly want us for."

I could see Payton sending me those 'if you don't shut the fuck up your going to get yourself killed and then I'll have to go to the afterlife and kick your ass myself' looks, but I was ignoring her. I was pissed, and Payton of all people knew how I got when that happened.

"We want you to rule alongside us, Jessa." Rev spoke calmly and quietly, like a mother cooing to her child. I narrowed my eyes as I looked at him, Payton looking up at him with a glare of her own. "We want you and Payton to join us, become a part of Avenged Sevenfold. With your training and knowledge, we'd be unstoppable. You could change the world, make things better than the hostility and violence on the streets. Isn't that what you want?"

"We can do that by killing you too." I hissed, folding my arms under my bust. "The violence that's on the streets is because of you. You kill innocent people who speak out against you because deep inside, you fear them." I took a daring step toward him. "I would never join you. So you might as well kill me now, I won't be of any use to you."

"Jessa!" Payton snapped. I knew why she was snapping at me. If I gave them enough momentum, they would kill me without a second thought. She was worried about me.

"Vengeance, control her." Shadows snapped.

Vengeance shook his head and met my gaze. He was angry at me, that much I could tell, but his eyes were swirling with so many emotions that I couldn't pick anything else out. He walked forward with fast and calculated steps, backhanding me across the face and sending me down to the floor. I landed on my good side but that didn't stop the pain from coursing through my bad one. I hissed and bit my lip as he picked me up by my hair and held my face just inches from his.

"I told you, Jessa." He hissed. His fist struck out, catching me on my left cheek. I winced visibly, keeping my cries of pain to myself; until, that is, he decided that my punishment would be delivered better by punching my broken rib.

I cried out, my body curling in on itself automatically to protect myself from further damage. He released his fistful of my fiery locks and let me crumple to the ground in a heap. I landed on my knees, bowing forward so that my forehead was almost touching the floor. I could hear the rest of them chuckling from behind me as I wrapped my arms around my stomach.

Vengeance leaned down to my ear, his snakebite piercings brushing against my earlobe and his warm breath trashing down on the back of my neck. My own breathing was shuttery, my eyes closed tightly as I rocked back and forth slowly.

"Had enough, Princess?" He whispered, brushing his fingertips over my spine.

"Fuck you," I breathed, lifting my head enough to glare at him. His green eyes turned cold as he stood up and aimed a swift and precise kick to my stomach, lifting me from the floor for a few precious seconds before letting me crash back into it.

"Leave her the fuck alone!" Payton shrieked. She was thrashing in Rev's arms while he tried to tell her that I was getting what I deserved. I knew no matter what he said she wouldn't calm down, not until Vengeance stopped wailing on me.

"Get them out of here," Christ snapped as he walked past, pausing long enough to aim another swift kick to my ribs. Vengeance growled at him, a sound that had even my skin crawling, before he bent down and scooped me up in his arms.

I wanted to fight, God knows I wanted too, but I was in to much pain to do anything but throw curse words at him. He carried me up the stairs and into the hallway. I rolled my head to the side, looking behind us to see Rev carrying Payton over his shoulder, kicking and screaming the entire time.

Vengeance put in the code for the door and clicked open the locks, kicking the door open with his foot. He walked into the room and laid me gently on the bed.

"Jesus Christ, Jessa." Vengeance ran his hands through his hair. "Why did you do that? You knew I'd have to hit you!"

"What did you fucking expect me to do?" I groaned. "Sit there and be like Val or Michelle? I'm not happy here, I don't want to be here. I was not going to sit there and make you all think I was perfectly fine with being your little fucking assassins!"

"You just don't know when to shut up, do you?" Vengeance spat.

"No, one of my many glorious fucking quirks." I hissed as I tried to sit up. He was at my side in an instant, his eyes caring and worried as he used his finger tips to wipe at the blood that had slipped down my chin, over my jaw and down my neck.

"Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck!" I groaned as I tried to sit up.

"Jessa, sit down," Vengeance hissed pushing me down forcefully yet gently.

"Why should I do anything you fucking tell me?" I snapped.

"Because I don't want to have to kill you!" He snapped. "Don't you fucking understand?! If you don't behave we'll have to kill you. I don't want to do that, not to you! So either you start fucking listening to me or they'll kill you and leave Payton to fend for things on her own. Is that what you want? Do you want to leave your best friend alone in all of this?"

I glared at him but kept my mouth shut, he shouldn't be able to shut me up like that. It was something that he could use against me in the future and it meant trouble for me.

"That's what I thought." A knock came at the door and he sighed angrily before opening it, nearly pulling the damn thing off it's hinges. "What do you want?" He snapped at Matt Berry who rolled his eyes and muttered something incoherent to my ears.

"Shadows wants you all downstairs for a meeting," his eyes slid over to me laying on the bed. "just you. She stays here."

"Fine, I'll be down in a few minutes." Vengeance shut the door in Matt's face and turned to look at me. I glared at him and bite my lip, forcing myself to sit up and swing my legs over the bed. A small hiss of air slipped through my lips and Vengeance was at my side in an instant, palm open with two white pills in view. "Take them, they'll help with the pain."

I looked up at him in disgust but remembered Payton's warning and took them from his hand. I had to behave. I was already skating on thin ice and I knew my life would be on the line if I acted up again. I wouldn't leave Payton alone like that, I couldn't.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"I'll be back later." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and walked out the door, locking it behind him.

I sighed and stood up with little difficulty. Hobbling my way to the bathroom, I flushed the pills down the toilet. There was a snowballs chance in hell that I was taking those. It could've been fucking heroin. The last thing I needed was to be high and vulnerable. I huffed and wobbled back into the bedroom. I had nothing to do now. There was no form of entertainment in this room and I would go completely insane if I had to stay here again.

But then I realized I didn't have to stay here again. I wobbled to the door as fast as my ribs would allow me and pressed my palms against the door. There were four locks, three of which I could pick with my handy dandy bobby pin and the other that required a specialized code; a code that I now had in my possession.

Reaching my arm back, I plucked the bobby pin from behind my ear and set to work. I bit my lip and remained perfectly still, hoping and praying that Vengeance didn't need to come back for anything and catch me. If he did, I was as good as dead.

The soft click of the first lock nearly made me jump out of my skin. I removed the bobby pin and worked on the second one, and then the third, until the only thing separating me from freedom was the fourth and final lock.

I reached my hands up and pressed in 6661 and held my breath, waiting for the alarms and sirens to go off and signal my death. But when the soft beep and the click of the door opening met my ears, I could have cried with relief.

I pulled the door open and cringed when I heard it squeak. I hovered for a few minutes, waiting to hear the pounding footsteps coming up the stairs with guns in hand. But no one came. I pulled the door open farther without any noise and stuck my head out, checking in both directions to make sure no one was coming. When I was satisfied that I was in the clear, I tiptoed out of the room and closed the door, making my way quickly and quietly to Rev's room; to Payton.

I got to the door and put in the same code, getting that obstacle out of the way before picking the other three locks. When I opened the door, Payton was laying on the bed, her back to me. I stepped in and I heard her sigh angrily when I closed the door.

"Can't you just leave me the fuck alone?!" She snapped irritably.

"Afraid not, Pay." She whipped her head around and grinned a mile wide. She jumped off the bed and sprinted toward me, wrapping me in a hug that nearly threw me off balance. I hissed in pain but hugged her back just as hard.

"You fucking idiot," She smacked me upside the head and I glared at her.

"What was that for?!" I pouted.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?! You're supposed to be listening to them, not making a fucking scene!" I knew it was hard for her to yell at me in the limited time we had, but I also knew she was scared for me. I was scared for her too. I've seen what Rev could do to her, I've felt the worry that came with it, and I didn't ever want to feel it again.

"I'm sorry, Pay," I smiled an easy-going smile. "you know I've always had a bad temper. It's part of the redhead spunk."

She laughed and pulled me in for another hug, one I gladly returned. When we pulled away, she grabbed my hand and dragged me to the bed. I sat with my legs crossed and my elbows on my knees, staring intently at Payton as she ran her fingers lazily through her hair.

"We have to get out of here, Jessie." She looked at me with a calculating stare.

"I know," I agreed, pulling my fiery locks and tieing them back with a hair tie. I winced when my hand brushed over the still sore wound on my temple from where Vengeance hit me with the gun. "but we can't get out of here if we're not in top shape, Pay. Look at us. I have a broken rib and you have a fucking concussion. We need to wait before we can even think of leaving, we have to heal first."

She nodded in agreement. "But we can't actually heal if they keep beating us up," she shot me a pointed look. "we have to listen to them, Jess. If we don't, we could get hurt, or worse."

"But you know just as well as I do that listening to them is harder than it looks," I pointed out.

"Trust me, I know," Payton sighed, running her hands through her hair and tugging at the tresses stressfully. She took a deep breath and looked at me again, "Jessa, can you do something for me?"

"Anything," I agreed almost instantaneously. Payton knew I'd do anything for her, she didn't even have to ask. But the fact that she did ask meant it was a serious topic.

"Listen to Vengeance." I opened my mouth to argue but she held her hand up and I let her finish speaking. "I know I've made you promise it to me already, but you and I both know that you didn't keep it. So, I'm going to ask you again. Promise me that you'll listen to Vengeance. We can't afford to take anymore hits and they'll kill us if we provoke them enough. If we listen, they'll think they can trust us and we'll get more freedom. And with that, we can plan and execute more efficiently. So, promise me."

"Payton," I groaned. "I'm trying, but it's hard. You know I can never hold my mouth."

"Jessalynn Barrett, pinky promise me you'll listen to Vengeance and not cause trouble." She looked at me square in the eyes and I sighed. Pinky promises may seem childish to some people, but for us it was the childhood we never had and were held sacred. So when Payton asked me to pinky promise, she was completely and utterly fucking serious.

"Payton Leigh Hendrix, I pinky promise you that I won't cause trouble and that I'll listen to Vengeance and only Vengeance, but you have to promise me that you'll listen to the Rev," I stared her down but she didn't object to my condition. So I raised my hand and she hooked her pinky with my own.

"I pinky promise you that I will listen to the Rev and not cause trouble," She grimaced but I knew I could trust her to keep the promise to her last breath. I opened my mouth but she quickly clamped a hand over it and placed a finger to her lips, "do you hear that?"

I strained my ears hard to hear what Payton had heard. It was quiet for a few moments, but then the faint sound of chairs scraping across the floor met my ears and my heart jumped into my chest. They were finished their meeting. They were coming back upstairs.

"Go!" She hissed, giving my shoulder a shove.

I jumped off the bed and raced to the door, pulling it open and checking the hallway to make sure it was all clear. Once I knew it was fine, I stepped out into the hallway before turning back to Payton.

"I love you, Pay. I'll see you as soon as I can."

"I love you too, Jess. I'll be seeing you," She smiled sadly and waved. I closed the door and made sure all the locks were exactly the way they had been when Rev left before darting down the hallway.

By the time I got to my door, I could hear their pounding footsteps on the stairs and my heart was beating in time with it. I fumbled with the bobby pin too many times, costing me precious seconds as their footsteps got closer. When I finally got to put in the code, I could see Vengeance's shadow against the wall as he was just about to turn the corner.

The door popped open and I slipped in, shutting it behind me quietly and making sure all the locks were bolted before flicking off the lights and running toward the bed. I pulled off my jeans half way across the room and threw them on the floor, leaving me in a shirt and underwear before I climbed under the bedsheets and snapped my eyes closed.

I was rigid and I had to force myself to relax, to bring on the illusion that I was asleep, but it was difficult. I was too tense, my heart was beating to fast. That was far to close for comfort. I was nearly five seconds away from getting my head blown off in the hallway. I had to be more careful.

"Make sure you keep that bitch in check, Vengeance." Shadows booming voice sounded as soon as the door was opened. I wanted to jump out of bed and give him a punch he would feel for years to come, but I had two problems: One, I promised Payton I wouldn't cause trouble. And two, I was way to under dressed to even think about leaving these sheets.

"She won't be any trouble, Shadows," Vengeance replied, stepping inside and closing the door. I heard all the locks click into place and an agitated sigh not long after.

His heavy footfalls were moving closer and closer to my bed and I internally cringed at every loudthud but forced myself to stay still. The part of the mattress in front of my stomach sunk down as Vengeance sat quietly beside me, his fingers brushing through a few escaped strands of my hair. The action almost made me relax out of comfort, but I forced myself to remember that it wasn't my mother or father doing it to help me sleep. It was a murderer who was forcing me and my best friend to become a part of his gang, his own personal assassin.

I couldn't hold back a wince as his fingers danced along the wound on my forehead that had never been properly cared for. He sighed, but the sound was almost.. hurt, like he regretted doing everything he did. I didn't believe it for a second.

"I'm sorry, Jessa." His soft voice met my ears. I panicked for a moment, thinking that he had realized I wasn't actually asleep, but when he didn't snap at me for not opening my eyes, I assumed that he believed I was still out of it. "I never wanted to hurt you, but you just make me so mad sometimes. You've got spunk and I like it, but spunk will get you killed here and I won't be able to save you." He sighed again and let his thumb trail across my cheek gently. "I wish I could tell you this when I know you'd hear me, but please, for me, just behave. I don't want to see you killed, Jessalynn. I'm so sorry,"

He moved from the bed and I couldn't hear him shuffling around. But a few seconds later, I heard the squeaking of the door and knew that he had left me alone for the rest of the night.