LILY ANN

I had been driving for more than two hours on CA-91 East, the cool, metallic voice from my GPS leading me towards Big Bear Lake. I had been there a few times when I was younger, briefly reminiscing to the summers and winter breaks at Reggie's parents' cabin. It had been a long time since I had been out here, and the moonless night sky wasn't helping my vague memory of the twists and turns.

"Turn left in one half mile onto Coon Lake Drive. Your destination will be on the right," the feminine voice relayed to me. I squinted through my windshield, my high beams illuminating the wooden sign. From what I could tell, there was only one, rather large cabin as my car crept through the trees. I didn't see any vehicles parked in the driveway, but I could see a few lights shining through the lower level windows, signaling occupancy.

My car gently squeaked to a halt and I sat motionless in my front seat, the earlier surge of adrenaline fading quickly to nervousness. I had stopped by my condo before coming here, unwilling to enter a caustic situation without some form of protection. I caressed the large hunting knife that lay across my lap, another gift from a father I never knew. I chewed on my bottom lip, but stepped out of the car anyways, knowing that there was no way I would be able to back out now.

I slipped the sheath of the knife into the back of my jeans, using the little metal clips to secure it to my waistband before climbing the wooden steps of the porch. Placing my hand on the doorknob, I eased the door open and walked into a beautiful, rustic cabin that was lit up by electric lanterns along the wall. The artificial flickering light cast an almost ghostly effect as I crept through the house, straining my ears to hear something, anything, to signify that my friend was still alive.

As I turned the corner into a cavernous living room, I spotted AJ sprawled on the couch, her mouth slack and her hair covering most of her face. As I came closer, I let out a heavy sigh of relief when I noticed her chest softly rising and falling. I nearly sprinted the rest of the way, kneeling down next to her and brushing her hair away. "AJ, wake up. It's Lily Ann, please, wake up," I whispered, shaking her slightly.

Suddenly, I heard a slow clapping sound from behind me, and my a cold chill crept up my spine. I slowly stood up and turned, locking my blue eyes with his green ones as he leaned against the door frame of the living room, one foot crossed over the other and a rather smug look on his face. "Well done, Lily. I was really starting to doubt whether or not you'd come alone."

I sneered at him, standing protectively in front of AJ's unconscious form. "How do you know I'm alone?" I asked in a challenging tone, and he simply smirked. "Because, baby, Brian has already made it to Matt's house to let him know that you picked me up so that you wouldn't be alone," he winked, and I wanted to spit in his face. How could someone so amazingly gifted and so seemingly sweet turn out to be such a fucking monster?

He took a step forward, and I instinctively took a step back, trying to keep my wits about me. He frowned slightly, the gesture marring his handsome face and he took another step toward me, forcing the backs of my legs to bump into the couch and one of AJ's limp arms. "Lily Ann, come here." His voice was tantalizing and chilling at the same time, the sinister, seductive edge seeming completely out of place with his composed, classy exterior.

I shook my head, keeping one hand slightly outstretched in the void between us and the other near my hip so that I could get to the hunting knife. He wasn't stupid. He knew I was hiding something, but he just didn't know what. My phone was shouting at me from my pocket, but I was certain that as soon as I went for it, he'd make his move. "Don't you want to get that?" He asked, his brow arched and his hand lazily gesturing toward my pocket.

I shook my head again, stepping away from him towards another doorway, my eyes never once leaving him. He scoffed, dropping his hands and started walking casually toward me. "Lily, this is fucking ridiculous. Just sto-" He froze, stopping maybe an inch from the tip of the hunting knife that I was brandishing in my outstretched hand, my eyes locked on his in a challenging manner. I slashed it, forcing him to take a step back.

"Get the fuck away from me, you sack of shit!" I shouted, gripping the knife handle like it was my life support. From the darkened gaze I was receiving from Zacky, I wasn't sure that that analogy wasn't entirely accurate. Suddenly, the silence was broken with the sound of his laughter, the look in his eye screaming unhinged. I felt myself trembling as I started to back away again, stepping into the kitchen. I kept my free hand behind me to feel my way around so that I could keep an eye on him.

He hadn't moved from his position, but his laughter had died down and his eyes were still locked on my face. "Lily Ann. Come. Here. Now." His tone was slow, calculating, and if this wasn't such a fucked up situation, I would melt with how fucking sexy it was. But this was a fucked up situation, and he was a psychopath intent on raping me, killing me, or both. So, the knife remained and I continued backing further into the kitchen, praying that I would find something else to help me.

Why wasn't he following me? Why did he look so god damn beautiful? Why was he smirking? Ah hah! I found a door knob and pushed it open, the cool night air caressing the back of my neck and ruffling my hair slightly. The floor dropped slightly and it appeared that I was standing on a porch. Suddenly, he started moving towards me again, this time with no hesitation. I quickened my pace, feeling around frantically and praying I didn't trip.

His gleeful expression annoyed me, and terrified me, and that's when I felt it. I tried not to display the defeat I was feeling on my face, but from the broadening of his grin, I realized it was too late for that. I swiped the hunting knife defensively at him, but I could see the shakiness of the blade, and I knew he could too. "Nowhere to go, little mouse," he whispered, stepping onto the porch.

I glanced over my shoulder at the fucking railing that I had bumped into, and my eyes traveled along the banister, realizing that there was no stairs leading out towards the lake. This was a fully closed porch for meals and whatnot, and I was fucking screwed. Unless...

I charged at him, the knife still welded to my hand, and I screamed wordlessly. I felt like Xena, the fucking warrior princess, and he looked shocked, to say the least. I slashed the knife, slicing open the inked flesh of his bicep and catching sight of the blood as it rolled down his arm. It felt like the whole world had slowed down to just flashes of images. His rage contorted facial features. The warm light of the living room. His hand wrapping into my hair. A distant scream that turned out the be my own. A gash appearing across his cheek from the tip of the knife.

When life decided to return to real time, I was scrambling across the floor, my hands slick with blood that could be mine, could be his, could be both. I heard the door slam shut, the glass panes shattering from the impact, and his boots clomping across the floor. "GET BACK HERE!" He roared, and I shrieked when I felt his hand vice down on my ankle. I kicked my feet furiously, hearing a grunt and feeling the grip loosen on my leg.

I shot a desperate glance at AJ, who was still unconscious on the couch, and turned right down the dark hallway. I heard some crashing and banging in the kitchen, and took the opportunity to throw myself through a door way to my right, trying to ease the door shut as quietly as possible. I flinched when I heard the lock click into place, and scrambled under the large bed, the knife clutched in front of my face with one hand while the other was clamped over my mouth to hold in the irregular sound of my breathing. I was sweating, or crying, or both, and I blinked the stinging saltiness away in time to hear footsteps in the hallway.

I saw the hallway light flash on from under the door, and I squeaked into my hand. I heard him opening door after door. "Lily? Come out, come out, wherever you are," he called in a sing song voice. I was biting down on the inside of my cheek so hard that I tasted the coppery blood and knew that I had two options. I could either stay exactly where I was and wait for him to find me so that I could attempt to do more damage with the knife. Or I could go on the offensive and call someone before fighting for my life. Neither option really seemed to assure me that I was going to make it out of here unscathed or alive, but at least the second option would give me a little hope.

I slid the phone out of my pocket as quietly as I could in my cramped position and pressed redial for whoever was my last call. Apparently, it was Matt. "Hello? Lily Ann? Is everything okay?" I desperately turned the headpiece volume down so that Zacky wouldn't be able to hear it. "Matt?" I whispered, laying my head down on the phone so that I could hear him. "What the fuck is going on?" His voice was frantic and worried, but I also knew that he was two steps away from hunting me down to help me.

That's when the door burst open, throwing golden light over the previously dark room, temporarily blinding me and forcing me to flinch. When I opened my eyes up wider, I was nose to tip with his boot as he glanced around the room. I could hear the soft buzzing from my phone, indicating that Matt was still talking, but the decreased volume made it hard to hear what he was saying over Zacky's belligerent actions. "Lily Ann, I know you're in here. This is the only room that was locked," he called, stepping around the bed and casually opening the wardrobe, the closet, and checking behind various pieces of furniture.

Suddenly, I felt myself being dragged from under the bed by my feet, and I screamed at the phone. "ZACK! NO! LET ME GO!" I tried to struggle, but the bed kept my upper body from writhing around and my legs were held securely by Zacky as he pulled me towards him. Before I even had a chance to strike out, I felt a searing pain spread through my arm as he stomped his boot down on the hand that held the knife, forcing me to drop it. When he snatched me off the ground, he pulled me in close to his body, snapping my head back with his hand full of hair.

"Oh, you silly girl, did you really think you could hide from me?!" He asked, his eyes crazed and his face streaked with blood and sweat. I shoved me backwards, and I landed on the bed, my head snapping from the impact and a throbbing pain forming in my neck from the whiplash. "YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME, LILY ANN!" He roared, throwing himself down on top of me.

I screamed, squeezing my eyes shut and pushing my hands out defensively. His weight crushed me and his large fingers pressed uncomfortably into my throat as he choked the life from me. The last thing I saw before my starry vision went black, whether from the lack of oxygen or the shock, was a ceramic lamp shattering against the side of his head.

KAYLA

I didn't like this. Not at all. I sat on the edge of Matt's couch, a fuming Reggie sitting beside me, and my eyes followed Matt's pacing form to and fro, to and fro, to and fro. I felt like one of those Felix the Cat clocks, where only my eyes were moving. Finally, Reggie let out a frustrated sigh-like scream, and sat forward. "We can't just fucking sit here! That psycho could be killing her right now!"

Reggie had spent the last hour and a half attempting to convince the guys that Zacky was behind all of this. When Brian had showed up at the front door, an exhausted and frantic look in his eyes, and asked for Zacky and Lily Ann, she nearly lost her shit and tried to claw his eyes from his face. Which explained the seating arrangement. I sat on one side of Reggie and Matt sat on the other to keep her in place, while Jimmy, Johnny, and Cole sat across the room with Brian on the sectional. The two kept locking eyes with each other, and I noticed a small smirk on Brian's face from time to time, that quickly switched to a look of defeat whenever one of the guys turned their attention to him.

This smelled like shit, and I would bet my life that Reggie was telling the truth. But what could we do? Neither one was answering their phones, and the last Matt had heard from Lily Ann, she was screaming and asking for help and shortly afterwards Zacky had called with a shaky voice saying they had been attacked and had no idea where they were, but that he had found AJ. That was it. No further explanations. No reassurances. Just that and the fucking dial tone. Were Reggie and I the only ones that saw through this bullshit? Even Johnny's faith had wavered upon seeing the emotionally distressed Brian. Emotionally distressed, my ass. This motherfucker should have an Oscar with the performance he was pulling.

"Reggie, sweetheart, calm down," Matt said, patting her hand gently. He was always so level-headed, and had become even more so once he had gotten over his initial breakdown. Now he was all business. She snatched her hand from him and pointed at Brian. "I'll calm down when that fucking monster tells me where my fucking best friend is," she hissed, her white teeth contrasting sharply with her red lipstick. Matt sighed and dropped his head in his hands.

Brian sucked his teeth in Reggie's direction and scoffed. "I'm a fucking monster?! What about whoever has my best friend and your best friend AND Matt's girlfriend? Huh? What about that shit you self-centered cunt?!" He shouted, and I barely caught Reggie's arm as she launched herself at him. "FUCK YOU, YOU ASS WIPE! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU AFTER THE SHIT YOU PUT ME THROUGH!" She screamed, her expression feral, looking more at home in the wild than in Matt's pristine living room.

I watched, my lips pursed, as Jimmy and Cole dragged a flailing Reggie back to one of the lower level guest rooms to try and calm her down. I was more worried about her fresh wounds, like the hole from her chest tube that wasn't fully healed yet. I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a frustrated sigh before looking back up and locking eyes with Brian from across the room. Before I could snap at him, a knock at the door sounded and Matt pushed himself up off of the couch. "That'll be Larry and the new PR," he sighed.

Apparently everyone had remembered the meeting just enough to be here, but no one was really in a business frame of mind at the moment. Friendships were crumbling, relationships were stretching, a band was crashing and burning. No one was really concerned about public relations at the moment.

When Matt returned from the door, he was trailed by Larry, whom I had met a few times considering my work on the video shoots as their main make-up artist, and a petite, striking girl who held a folder and a clipboard, her eyes scanning the room in an almost manic way, which didn't match the composed way she stood, a pen poised behind her ear. I watched her touch the tip of her tongue to her glossy lips as she glanced between Matt, Johnny, and Brian, and then sneer at me. Oh no the fuck she didn't.

"This is Mackenzie Ray, the public relations specialist we spoke about on the phone," Larry said as Mackenzie went around the room shaking hands, insisting that they call her Mack. Fuck her. When she took my hand, she squeezed down much tighter than necessary, and I clamped back just as tightly. If she wanted to turn this shit into a pissing contest, I'd show her that my dick was in fact much bigger than hers.

She finally let go, baring her teeth at me before spinning on her heel and flashing the guys and award-winning smile. This bitch was crazy. Just wait until she met the firecracker in the back room. I nearly vomited as I turned around and left Matt and Larry to work out the legal details on how Mackenzie would fit in with this little fuck-up family of ours. I knocked on the guest room door before opening it, half-expecting Reggie to come clawing up the door frame like a rabid tiger.

Instead, I spotted her sitting on the bed and crying profusely against Jimmy's shoulder, Cole's hand stroking her red hair and whispering soothing words to her. I felt a clenching sensation in my heart, knowing that this was destroying. "Hey," I said softly, gaining their attention. Reggie immediately started mopping up her mascara laced tears with the sleeve of her hoodie, laughing nervously. "Hey, Kayla, what's up?" She asked, her eyes still swimming. I shrugged, leaning against the door frame and flashing her a playful smile. "Oh nothing. Just got introduced to the world's biggest psychotic cunt. Want to play?" I winked at her, and a devilish smirk passed over her face.

"Yes, let's," she said, standing up. Cole and Jimmy smiled appreciatively at me and I shrugged, following Reggie out the door. This was going to be hilarious.

Notes

I've been fighting myself with this story, but this chapter came out easier than I thought it would. It's going completely left field from where it was originally going, but ah, fuck it. :)

Enjoy, my loves. We shall see smut in the next chapter. Love it. ;)

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