When I finally came to, my head was in such agonizing pain that I thought it was cracked open. Looking down at my shirt, I saw a lot of blood. I looked up and saw a bright light shining down on me and could see nothing apart from Jake to my immediate right.

He was strapped to a chair and his shirt had been ripped open. I could smell burning fur and saw a car battery next to him. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together. His face seemed battered and bloody, and his hands were tied behind his back. I tried calling to him, but my voice came out in a garbled mess.

Straining, I did my best to struggle against the ropes but it was no use. I tried glancing behind me but I couldn’t see much. I had no idea what to do. I sat there in silence and let my mind wander.

The first thing my mind went to was my parents. I didn’t think that I would ever see them again. They were so angry last time. I might never see them again, and the last thing I said to them was something so angry and spiteful. Then my mind went to Sophie. She’d have to grow up without me. She would be so crushed by the news;

I doubted that she would come out of her room for a month.

Then there was Jake…

It was entirely my fault we were here. Laney wanted me, not him. She’d probably kill him to get to me. Make me watch as she kills the love of my life. I knew it was no good to think negatively, but how the fuck was I supposed to keep optimistic in a situation like that? I mean, who the fuck could be optimistic here?

My stomach growled and shook me from my thoughts.

If I were to judge just by how hungry I was, it had been at least a day. My stomach was hurting like a punch to the gut.

Trying to ignore it, I focused on how I could get out of here, but I soon realized there wasn’t much chance of that. I leaned on Jake and closed my eyes, letting the pain drift away in the comfort of Jake’s shoulder.

* * *

“Brent, wake up,” I heard a voice say. I opened my eyes and there was Jake. He looked confused now that I could see his face. I could tell he had been beaten as well; his face was matted with blood and bruised to boot… possibly with a boot. His pupils were like saucepans.

“What’s going on? Where are we?” he said, tears forming at his eyes.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember. I… I…” Suddenly it all came back to me. “Laney captured us, remember?”

“N-not really. I remember the club… and, uh… t-that’s about it. What the hell happened?”

“She jumped us. I… I don’t really remember for sure what happened. I… I have no idea how long we’ve been here, or even where we are. I just woke up and saw us like this.”

There was silence for a while as Jake took everything that I said in. He processed it and I put my head on his shoulder again, trying to be comforted by the familiar presence. He leaned his head back on me and I sighed.

“Well, Brent, you sure know how to show a girl a good time,” he said, smile marred by the blood that knotted his fur.

I laughed a little.

“We’ll get through this, babe. We’ll figure out a way out of this.”

“N-no we won’t. This is entirely my fault. I… I should have just joined her fucking club. I could have kept you safe. I could have—“

His lips silenced me in a kiss that shot through my system like a hit of adrenaline. I broke the kiss and he smiled at me. I loved seeing his eyes with that hope… even if I could see the fear behind that. He was positively terrified. I think Jake knew that we weren’t going to get out of it. I certainly knew it.

We didn’t say much else after that. Everything that we could have said didn’t really need saying. It was the sort of thing we would do sometimes at lunch, just not say anything. Nothing needed to be said, frankly. Eventually, one of us would fall asleep then the other. We slept a lot, not that we were exactly tired but it was a way to pass the time.

I don’t know how long it was before the door opened and we got our first visitor. He came in with a water bottle which he would use to shoot water down our throats as held our jaw open. After a few ounces made their way into us, he left, without saying a word at all.

He came and went at least five times, administering water in the same manner. Once he gave us bread that was so stale I thought my jaw would break. It wasn’t much, but it staved off death for a little bit.

I guess death isn’t something I should really make light of, given the predicament we were in. Although…

I guess I can drop the past tense shit, huh? I mean, who am I kidding? I’ve been sitting here for maybe a couple days and I doubt I’ll be able to get out of this alive. Jake and I are still here. You’re caught up to the present. Congratulations, you get to see how I’m going to die. I hope it was worth all the pain I put you through with will we/won’t we get together. We’re together, how wonderful. Now we get to die together.

Now, if you don’t mind, I want to get some sleep so maybe I can choke on my tongue and die before I have to face whatever hell that bitch, Laney wants to put me through.