Trapped in a Vile World

I heard the other guys step out from the bushes, and I clamped my eyes shut, wishing I could just disappear.

“How did everything look?” Matt’s deep voice rumbled through his chest. My breath caught in my throat. I hated the very sound of it.

“Everything looked clear,” I heard Johnny whisper quietly.

“How’s she doing?” Brian asked softly.

“Peachy,” Matt’s voice rumbled again. I shivered. I hated it so much. They must have noticed me move, because I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“I’ll take her for now,” Jimmy said quietly, gently pulling me out of Matt’s arms. I immediately felt a hundred times better, not to mention actually safe. I immediately cuddled close to him, and I heard him chuckle softly. “I missed you too,” he whispered in my ear. I smiled, and peeked one eye open to look up at him. His blue eyes were dancing as he smiled back. He set me down and sat next to me. I rubbed my eyes. Zacky came and sat on my other side, and the other three joined in a circle. They began to talk about their surroundings, strategy, and things I didn’t really know much about. I tuned it out a little, playing with the blades of dying grass that were by my feet. The guys fell silent, and I looked up. They were all staring at me.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“We were talking to you,” Brian said, holding in a laugh. I blinked, not realizing I was supposed to be part of whatever they were talking about.

“What did you say?” I asked quietly, trying to hide my embarrassment. Zacky rested his hand gently on my knee.

“Are you hungry?” Johnny asked. I nodded, just now realizing how hungry I was. “Sometimes I think we forget since we don’t need it like you do.” I smiled, understanding.

“We’ll need to make a trip to the city,” Jimmy mumbled. “Only two or three of us really need to come, though.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Zacky volunteered immediately. I smiled, and he squeezed my leg a little.

“I will too,” came Matt’s voice from across the circle. I tried not to react. I was looking forward to spending time alone with Zacky, but Matt just couldn’t keep his fucking nose out of my business. I kept my mouth shut, and no one seemed to notice my tension. Jimmy nodded, standing up. Johnny and Brian followed his example, both smiling at me before heading to the woods. Jimmy messed up my hair, and headed off after them.

It was absolutely silent. Zacky and I sat across from Matt.

“Keep him away from me,” I whispered into Zacky’s ear. Matt chuckled from across the way and Zacky cocked an eyebrow at me.

“You know you’re warming up to me, Tera,” he practically purred, holding his arms out for me. I stared, thunderstruck. He smirked, gesturing for me. When he saw me frown, his smirk became more pronounced, and I realized he was blackmailing me again. I sighed, getting up and walking over to him. He pulled me onto his lap, placing his hand very obviously on my hip. I looked over at Zacky, and I immediately regretted it. His green eyes showed how broken he felt. They screamed how much this hurt him, and how he clearly thought I’d taken him for a ride. They glazed over in anger as Matt slipped a hand under my shirt and rubbed my side. His eyes followed every movement his hand made, up and down my side, but not high enough or low enough to be a sexual move. His eyes darted from Matt’s smirk, to his hand, to my face, and I saw his jaw clench and something clicked in his brain.

FUCK. Zacky thought Matt and I had done something while they four of them were out surveying the land. I opened my mouth to say something, to explain that nothing had happened, but I was cut off.

“Something eating you, Baker?” Matt asked in a taunting voice. Zacky’s eyes were on fire, and I saw his fists clench until his arms shook. Matt leaned in to me, his lips connecting with my cheek. That was the last straw for me. I slapped him as hard as I could, and shoved away from him onto the grass. Zacky pounced, knocking Matt backward into the bushes. I heard blows and cracks that made me cringe. I couldn’t decide whether they were destroying trees or destroying each other.

A cold hand came to rest on my shoulder, and a voice just as cold spoke into my ear.

“Don’t struggle, and you won’t get hurt.”