LILY ANN

I wiped at my tired, sore eyes and unfolded myself from the chair, stretching out my cramped muscles and freeing my skin from that dreadful green vinyl. I shot a glance at the clock on the wall. 7:37am. I yawned, rubbing my face roughly with my hands and sighed.

I hated this place. I hated the beeping sounds. I hated the fucking metallic voice that floated every so often from the intercom speakers that were placed strategically in the hallways and in each room. I hate the sickly white, mint green, and rosy pinks that clashed together in a battle to make this god awful color scheme. I hated the smell of the overly processed food that was wheeled by on carts to be delivered to those who wanted it. I hated the god damn tubes that pierced her hands and her arms, the yellow hose that fed her basic nutrients through her right nostril, the obscenely large tube that did her breathing for her.

I angrily wiped the tears from my face and stepped over to the small mini fridge that the hospital had allowed me due to the ridiculous amounts of money that Zacky had offered up to make sure I was as comfortable as I could possibly get in this sanitary bubble. If only he could get rid of the odor left behind from those hygienic products that they covered every surface with. It smelled like plastic and death here.

It had been about two months since that fateful night at Exposure, where I had allowed my best friend, my sister, to be abducted. From the fucking bathroom, no less.

"LILY ANN! LILY! GOD DAMMIT, MOVE!" I heard shouting from behind me, and I turned just in time to see AJ barreling towards me through the crowded dance floor, her face tear soaked and panic stricken. Eyeliner and mascara marred her pretty features, and it looked like she had been tugging at her neatly curled hair.

I frowned, seeing her through clouded eyes and under the influence of entirely too much alcohol. "AJ?" I slurred, reaching out and grabbing her shoulders for support so that I could look her squarely in the eye. "Whatsa matter?" Fuck, my words were starting to meld together. There was no way I was going to be able to deal with whatever chaos that was about to be unleashed.

"It's Reggie!" She shouted over the music, and I felt the gripping hold of the alcohol loosening its grip, like a hand retreating in fear. "What about her, AJ?" I said, suddenly serious. I locked my blue eyes on her emerald ones, demanding an answer. "What the fuck is it, AJ?!"

Her mouth opened and closed for a moment as she looked for the right words to say. I felt Cole and Kayla flank me on both sides. Before AJ could continue, Kayla stepped forward. "Come on! Let's get back to the table!" I nodded, never dropping my gaze from AJ's face as we walked together. I wasn't even sure where I was going until Cole eased me into the booth.

"Alright AJ, what--?" "THEY TOOK HER!" She cut me off, the fear in her eyes spilling over in the form of tears, and she began to sob. "I tried to s-s-stop t-them, but t-they put h-h-her in a c-car!" Her voice hitched and she gasped, trying to find enough air.

I felt all of the color drain from my face, and I was certain that things was crawling on me and inside of me, urging me to shed my skin to rid myself of this awful feeling. I was hot. I was cold. My chest hurt. My heart hurt. My head hurt. I wanted to cry. I need to cry, but my eyes were bone dry. As was my mouth. So this is what a panic attack felt like.

"Who?" I asked slowly, already having a good clue. She shook her head, graciously accepting the water that Kayla handed her and taking a huge gulp, trying to clear the knot that was in her throat. I was going to need something harder than water. Like a fucking sledgehammer.

"I don't know," she said after catching her breath, her voice a little steadier. "I was going to check on her because she had been gone for a little while, and I saw someone dragging her through the emergency exit. I tried to catch them, but I couldn't run in these stupid fucking shoes!" She cried, viciously ripping up a cocktail napkin. "When I finally got outside, they had her in an SUV and drove away before I could do anything. There had to have been at least two people, because she was still fighting against the first one when they started to drive off," she screamed in frustration, shredding the napkin into confetti.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Cole asked, looking between the two of us. "We have to go find her!" I glanced over at her, flashing her a small, dull smile. "Where can we even start?" I asked quietly, feeling defeated. I was never the one that put together the reasonable plans that got results. Reggie did that. Reggie was my rock, and without her, I felt like I was being swept away.

"We'll call the fucking police first," Kayla said, snapping me out of my depressed reverie. I nodded, feeling lifeless, and followed them silently out of the club and to my car. AJ took the wheel, considering she was the only one sober, and I hear Kayla on the phone with the LAPD while Cole called Jimmy, frantically relaying the nights events.

My head lolled to the side, and I stared out at the passing buildings and cars, watching the pedestrians as they carried on with their lives, so unaware of the turmoil that filled this one car alone.

Reggie was found a week later, bruised, bloody, and broken. She had suffered eight shattered ribs and a punctured lung. Her right femur was broken in two places and had required emergency surgery to repair it with a rod and screws. Her ribs had been plated, and the chest tube that stuck out of her left side was disturbing to look at. Her jaw had been broken and was wired shut, and she had suffered extensive vaginal bruising and tearing. Her skin had been mottled, varying shades of purples and sickly greens, and her eyes were swollen shut. She had also suffered severe head trauma, which explained the coma that she had been in for the past two months.

The longest fucking two months of my life.

No one knew what had happened to her, or who was responsible. I had immediately suspected Brian, considering the odd feeling I had had about him that night at Zacky's barbeque, and the way they had reacted around each other. I had suspected Zacky as well, seeing as he was suspected of drugging my drinks. However, those suspicions had died quickly when they had both showed up at my apartment that same night that she went missing, and Brian had panicked and cried almost as badly as I had. Either he was innocent, or his act was worthy of a god damn Oscar.

I sighed, running my hand over her forehead and cheek gently and taking a long drought of my Red Bull. "Hey, baby girl. I've got to go into work for a few hours, but I promise I'll come right back here when I'm done. Don't you go anywhere," I half heartedly teased and bent down to kiss her forehead. This had been my routine for the past two months, with the occasional visits with the guys and girls and my regular work schedule. Usually, Zacky would just come to the hospital and sit with me.

As I drove to work, I stared numbly at the other cars on the highway and barely listened to the old school Korn that was leaking out of my car speakers. I took a long drag off of my L&M menthol, allowing the nicotine fix to wash over me. After Reggie had gone missing, I gave up my precious clove cigarettes and switched to full on menthols. They helped me cope with the stress a little more.

I pulled into my reserved parking space at the mall, crushed my cigarette butt under the sole of my Converse sneaker, and drained the last of my Red Bull before heading into the mall and clocking into work. This was the absolute last place I felt like being today, but I couldn't just stop living. Reggie would kick my fucking ass if I did.

I walked back to the stock room and pushed my way through the heavy door, seeing AJ hovering over one of the palettes and gathering up merchandise to put out on the shelves. "Hey, AJ," I sighed with a tired smile, straightening my lanyard and letting myself into my office so that I could review any management e-mails. I used to have so much fun here, but now I systematically clicked through my inbox and shuffled through papers on my desk. I was a fucking robot.

"Hey, Lily," she said, sticking her head through the doorway. "How're you feelin' today?" She asked with a warm smile, leaning her head against the frame with her arms laden with packages. I shrugged, looking up at her with a lazy smile. "As good as I can be, I guess. You?"

She shrugged back, smirking. "Same, I suppose. Hey, Matt wanted to know if you wanted to come by tonight and have dinner," she said. I opened my mouth to decline, but she cut me off. "Come on, Lily. It's just dinner, no drinking. We're worried about you, and you know you can't live off of that spongy hospital bullshit forever." I mulled it over for a moment and then nodded. I couldn't say no to that face, nor could I refuse the thought of real food after gorging myself on vending machine Combos and that microwaved MSG that the hospital served. How was it even fucking legal to serve that shit? Were they trying to kill off their patients? Budget cuts, maybe?

"Alright, alright, I'll be there." I submitted and she brightened, pivoting on her heel to set out the products on the sales floor. "Great. Dinner is at six." I nodded, watching her saunter away. Damn her and her give-a-shit nature. As bad as I wanted to wallow in my misery, I couldn't close myself off forever. I needed to get back out there and find out what the fuck happened to Reggie.

Unfortunately, I was constantly plagued with the fear that whoever attacked her would come to the hospital to finish the job they started. Or that she would wake up and I wouldn't be there, and she would think she was all alone. Dammit, Lily Ann, don't do this to yourself! She'd kill you if she knew you just rolled over and died instead of trying to peg the mother fuckers that did this...

I pushed myself up out of my chair and headed out to the sales floor, grabbing a Red Bull on my way by the staff fridge and plastering on my best salesman smile. God dammit, this was going to be another long day...

REGGIE

It was dark here, and warm. I liked it here. I felt like I was cuddled up in my favorite blanket, dozing off and on in bed all day. I liked the feeling of dozing off, because it helped muffle the screams.

On and off, I would hear screaming in the dark. Screaming, begging, pleading. I couldn't make out who was screaming, or why, but she sounded scared and I wanted to help her so badly. But I was so warm.

For some reason, today the screams were a lot louder, and my blanket wasn't so warm anymore. Instead of being comfortable, I was hurting, and badly. I frowned, my breath hitching, and I shivered against the chill that enveloped my body like a humid, winter breeze.

The screaming was more vivid this time, and I could hear things. "No, please! Don't! Arrrghhhh!" I choked again, trying to reach up and rub my throat, but I felt like I was being held down. "You're hurting me, stop! Why are you doing this to me?! I didn't do anything wrong!"

The shouting broke my heart, and I tried calling back to her, but I gagged on something and suddenly I couldn't breathe. I clawed at the darkness, but it was no use. I was going to die here, in this dark place. All alone, with nothing but that poor screaming girl to keep me company.

"W-what are you doing? Brian, stop! JUST FUCKING KILL ME ALREADY!" My eyes snapped open, and I was momentarily blinded by the harsh fluorescent lighting and the stark whiteness. It wasn't anything like the darkness. It was cold and unforgiving, and I scanned the room wildly, my eyes flashing white.

I was still choking and gagging, and my hands were still tied down, only this time, I knew where I was. I could hear the screaming of the heart monitor, the annoyingly persistent beeping of the blood pressure cuff that wasn't attached to my arm. I recognized the blurry images of hospital personnel flooding into my room.

I was in the hospital. And that screaming girl had been me.

Notes

Aaaaand, this is what happens when you dream about your own fan fiction during your all too short power nap. Flash forward 2 months, and we're now closer to that once confusing but now easy to relate to prologue.

Love me? <3