No Matter What

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^*Zacky’s POV*^
I started waking up with the sun in my eyes, and I sat up, noticing Jimmy wasn’t in the room. He must’ve slept on the couch downstairs or something. I got up, ready to go tell Matt to make breakfast, and see if Johnny was up. My vision was still blurry so I stopped as I got to the closed door, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I blinked a few times, bringing my hands down, and then went to open the door, but as I did- WHAM. The door shut back, and I jumped back, nearly falling as a guy I was all too familiar with came into view. Crunch. Fuck. He chuckled as he stepped in front of the door.

“Long time no see, huh buddy?” He asked and I glared.

“How the fuck did you get in here?” I asked and he grinned.

“Marsh and I saw you and your little friends sneaking out during the big fight a few days ago, and we decided to see if the grate was still loose, and it was, so here we are. Or, well, here I am. Marsh should be around soon.” He said and I got up off the floor, almost afraid of him.

“How did you know I’d be here?” I asked and he sighed, sounding like he thought I was stupid almost.

“Johnny wasn’t just your best friend, Zacky. He was mine too, and still is. I mean, the three of us robbed a bank together, we’re inseparable.”

“It used to be four of us.” I growled and he hissed. “Remember? You shot your little brother.”

“Oh god, right, right, how could I forget little Arin? Poor kid…” He shook his head, but I knew it was all an act. “But I didn’t really have a choice, he would’ve gotten us all in trouble.”

“But Markus-”

“Don’t call me that, you little shit.” He growled suddenly and I smirked.

“Markus Henslee, shot his little brother, fell into a depression, and then got thrown in jail for killing his moth-”

“I said shut the fuck up.” I froze as he pulled a pistol from the back of his jeans, pointing it right at my head. I swallowed audibly, and help my hands up.

“Okay, okay Crunch, cool it.” I said and he shook his head.

“No, no I won’t fucking cool it.” He snapped, and started taking a step towards me, making me step back, and I did as he kept walking forward at me.

“You know, man, I haven’t done shit to you.” I said and he shook his head as I felt my back hit the slightly open bedside table drawer.

“You let Arin drag me to that robbery, Zacky. You let him pull me into that, and then I shot him because of the pressure and nervousness.” He said, and I began slowly putting my hands down, shaking my head.

“No one pulled you into anything, Markus.” I whispered, and snaked my right hand into the drawer, hoping that Johnny was just the way I remembered, him; a safety freak.

“I wouldn’t be this way if it wasn’t for you.” He said and I forced back a smile as my hand came in contact with the barrel of a glock. I slowly began retrieving it as Markus’ eyes began getting watery. “I didn’t want to end up like this.” He whispered and I nodded, fighting back tears of my own as I thought back to the old days where he used to be one of my best friends, along with Arin. I know he didn’t want to shoot Arin. But he did anyways. I brought my left hand up to the one that he had his gun in, and slowly took his wrist, pulling his arm down.

“It’s gonna be okay, man.” I said and he nodded and started crying, and I did too, the past too much for me as I brought him into a hug, the pistol still in my right hand. Maybe things would be okay. I know he’s done the other guys pretty bad as well, but he really wasn’t the bad guy he had to be to keep up a status in prison. Or so I thought. But I was wrong.

“You know Zacky, there’s something I’ve always wanted to do.” He whispered, his voice thick but only for a second.

“What?” I asked, and he pulled away, a grin now on his face.

“This.” All emotion was gone except for a sick attitude, and just as he raised the gun I turned mine, and we pulled the triggers at the same time. My bullet went into this back and through his body, and I felt it hit my stomach and I felt the bullet from his gun go into my left side and tear out my right. Both of our faces went blank, but as we fell away from each other, I found the strength to bring my gun up again and shot him right in the head. As I hit the ground everything was foggy in my head and my vision as all fucked up. I laid there, staring at the ceiling, my hearing all watery, and the pain in my abdomen nearly unbearable. The weird thing was, I could feel the pain, but yet again, I felt numb. It was like I was here, but I wasn’t. Like I was okay, but everything had been taken away and I was far from okay. But I definitely heard the door burst open, and all of the voices, and the first person I saw was Matt on my left, and Jimmy then over on my right, both extremely close and looking even more than concerned, with Johnny, Brian and Madison over me. They were all frantically talking, and Matt took my face, yelling at me, but I couldn’t really hear their words that well. I was fading fast, and I hated the thought of dying because of a guy I once considered a best friend.

“Don’t leave us, Zacky! Don’t! Just hang in there!” Jimmy’s voice suddenly hit me, but his words didn’t match up with his lips.

“We’ve got to call nine one one or he won’t fucking make it for sure!” Johnny’s voice hit me next, but once again nothing was matching up.

“No, if we do we’ll all be fucked, we can’t- we ca-” Brian just ran his hands through his hair, his lips moving and his words delayed, but he looked close to tears as Madi just kept a hand over her mouth.

“Ev-everyone shut up.” I managed to mutter, and Matt smiled some.

“That’s it, that’s it, stay with us, just…don’t die on us, Zacky.” Matt said, taking my hand and squeezing it hard, and Jimmy smiled a little, but shit started fucking up again, and my vision got bright, prompting me to close my eyes for a second, and I felt two pairs of hands on me, shaking me, but I opened them back up, and everyone’s faces were still just as worried.

“I’ll…I’ll be fine.” I muttered, shaking, wanting to fight the pain and fight through this, but damn…there was so much against me.

“I-I don’t know about that, Zacky. There’s just…too much damage.” Madi’s voice was quiet and broken as it cracked.

“Then…then just let me…go.” I whispered, my voice shaky, and Matt’s hand tightened on mine again like he was trying to keep me here.

“Oh god…” Matt’s voice cracked, Madi started crying, and Brian and Johnny just kept watching on with pained expressions as Jimmy tried to keep a strong face towards me.

“Just…” I had to take a deep breath, feeling the pain dimming and everything starting to fade even more. The pain beginning to stop…that couldn’t be a good thing. “Don’t let them take you guys back…there alive. Don’t…don’t give up.” I whispered, and Matt looked at me through watery eyes. The last thing I wanted was for them to get taken back to that prison. “You guys have to fight.” I whispered, and I couldn’t keep up my breathing anymore. I wouldn’t be going back to that prison, I didn’t even know where I was going, but I let myself slip away as I let my eyes close, my last breath slipping past my lips as my life slipped away.

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^*Brian’s POV*^
I felt my heart break as Zacky’s eyes closed. He was gone.

“Zacky?” Matt’s voice was so quiet it wasn’t even funny as he let go of Zacky’s hand, shaking his arm. “Z-Zacky, d-don’t…don’t go.” He whispered and Jimmy started crying, leaning back against the bed with his hands over his face. “Zacky!” Matt screamed, taking Zacky by his shoulders and shaking his body. “You can’t fucking leave us! Please!” Matt snapped, sitting back as tears streamed down his face. He realized Zacky was really gone.

“Why the fuck did this happen?!” Jimmy yelled, and I just closed my eyes as Madison got up from Zacky’s side and came over, wrapping her arms around me and I wrapped mine around her. We had all become so close…and this killed us all a little on the inside. I heard a sob rip past Johnny’s lips as Madison cried into my chest. It took everything to keep my tears of my own, but even then I couldn’t stop them.

“H-how the fuck did-did Crunch get in here?” Matt asked, his voice cracking and breaking and full of anger.

“Crunch? You mean Markus?” Johnny asked, his voice tear soaked. Everyone got themselves together slightly at this and looked at Johnny.

“Markus?” I asked and Johnny nodded.

“Um, he was with Zacky, Arin and I at this bank robbery when Zacky got arrested. He shot Arin, followed me out a fire escape and I never saw him again until now.” Johnny said, looking back down at Crunch, who was apparently this ‘Greg’ guy that Zacky was talking about last night. Zacky knew him, and his real name was Markus. He used to be Zacky’s friend, apparently, and he was also the guy that shot Arin, an accomplice in the bank robbery Zacky was involved in.

“This is ‘Greg’.” Jimmy said, piecing it together.

“The guy Zacky was talking about last night.” Matt muttered, before any of us could do anything, the sound of a door opening downstairs caught our attention.

“Shit.” Johnny said quickly, and looked at all of us, and Madison pulled away from me slightly.

“Who the fuck could that be?” She asked and Johnny took a shaky breath.

“After this, it could be anyone. You stay here with them, and none of you move an inch, I’ll be back.” Johnny darted from the room, and Jimmy stood up, along with Matt.

“We’re all going down, man.” Matt said as he sat on the bed, shaking his head. This new Matt was a complete turn-around from the badass, ‘I’ll fuck you up if you even breathe in my direction’ Matt we’ve all been around in the past. “I swear, Zacky’s dead, Crunch’s dead, and if Crunch’s out then I think we all know that fucking Marsh is somewhere as well.”

“Well you heard Zacky.” I said, and Madison nodded, along with Jimmy. Matt just kept his head in his hands.

“Zacky told us to fight. He said we have to. And I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to do just that. I will not get taken back to that prison.” I said and Jimmy took a deep breath.

“Even if we die trying to escape?” Jimmy asked and I nodded.

“But Brian, you have Madison, and Madison, you still have parents and your brother. Brian, you can’t just go get killed.” Matt said, standing up. “Jimmy and I…we don’t really have anyone, but you and Madison have each other and…I don’t want to see a bullet come between that.” Matt said and then looked over at Jimmy as Jimmy nodded.

“He’s right. You two…you two need to get out of this alive.” Jimmy said, looking down at Zacky once before looking up at Madison and I.

“You guys can’t just give up because you want us to stay together.” Madison spoke, her voice soft as she stood by my side. “Matt you’ve become like a second brother to me, and Jimmy you have too. I don’t want you guys to get hurt trying to save us.”

“But if you guys get killed then I don’t want to-”

“Brian, fucking listen to us.” Jimmy stepped up, taking my shoulders. “If you, Madison, and Johnny can get out of this, Matt and I can die happy.” He said, his words hitting me as his eyes darted back and forth from mine. “If you three can get out of here, and flee the country, you can guys have a good life, especially you and Madi. Matt and I don’t have anyone, really, and we’re not getting taken back to that prison, and you aren’t either. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to what you and Madison have, and I know Matt doesn’t either, so just work with us h-” Jimmy was cut off, and as he was his blue eyes went wide with what interrupted him.

“GUYS GET OU-” Johnny’s frantic, teary scream was cut short by a gunshot. A gunshot that silenced him.

“JOHNNY!” Madison screamed, crying already, and I turned, ready to grab her, but Matt already had his arms around her, one of his hands over her mouth as she cried. There was a hard knock on the door.

“Open up, motherfuckers!” Marsh’s voice rung through, and Jimmy’s eyes glazed over slightly.

“Oh god.” He muttered, and I swallowed the lump in my throat as I turned around, looking at the door and Jimmy let go of my shoulders.

“Oh shit.” There was more of a dreadful tone in my voice than I had hoped as I took a step back to where Matt and Madison were on my left, and Jimmy was on my right.

“Just be quiet.” Matt whispered as the knocking continued, and let go of Madison, letting her fall into my side, our arms around each other in a second as her face was buried deep inside my shoulder, and I felt Jimmy lean down, taking the gun from Crunch’s hand, and a noise slipped from his lips as I looked down to find him picking up the other glock from beside Zacky’s body. He handed the glock to Matt, and Matt looked over at me, and I nodded slightly, not liking the situation as I took a few steps back with Madi.

“You guys can’t stay in there forever, the cops are already on their way, I called ‘em before I came up the stairs!” Marsh sounded half cheery, half pissed off and impatient.

“Jimmy, go open the door.” Matt said, and Madison reached for his arm.

“Matt!” She whispered frantically, and I looked over to Jimmy, shaking my head.

“Just work with us, Brian.” Jimmy said, and Matt let Madison’s hand slip from his bicep as he stepped over directly in front of the door, gun raised, and Jimmy got behind the door, one hand on the doorknob.

“Oh god…” Madison whispered as I pulled her over towards the far corner of the room, not taking my arms from around her.

“They’ve got this.” I whispered, knowing they were fast, and could handle it, and she shook her head, burying it back in my shoulder as I put a hand on the back of her head, wanting anything but for her to see if anything went wrong. Matt nodded to Jimmy, and as soon as Jimmy opened the door, Matt started firing, but as soon as he fired four rounds, he stopped. We all froze. He hadn’t shot Marsh.

He had shot someone far more meaningful.