Burn It Down

**Ember’s POV**

I was walking through the halls of the hotel, one after the other, “Matty?” I called as I went, “Brian?” The walls had been wallpapered with a light blue and dark blue pin stripes, the bottom panel was wooden. The carpet that went down the hallways were a deep red; almost a red violet color. ‘They need a better decorator’ I thought to myself as I walked down through the halls, floor after floor. Finally on the top floor I found an open door, it looked like the most expensive suite in the hotel, and I shook my head chuckling to myself.

The guys had let Jimmy book the room again, the suite was this bright white room, lined with gold and brass. The view was amazing, it overlooked the city lights. The staircase to the upstairs rooms was marble, glossed as though freshly polished. I turned around to see a kitchen with a stocked bar and on the bar sat an edible fruit basket decoration. I picked up an apple from the fruit basket and looked around taking in the view around me, there was a swimming pool and hot tub in the suite, right off of the main atrium. The lights currently turned the water a bright blue, almost the same blue as Simone’s eyes.

I looked up at the ceiling to see nothing but glass, it was night and there wasn’t a cloud in site, you could see every star that was strong enough to shine through. In the corner leading up to the library/study room of the suite was a spiral staircase, it looked vintage, almost one that you would find going up the beasts castle. They were wooden, at the top I saw a shadow; curiously I moved towards the spiral stairs, as I did, the room became darker.

I felt my stomach growl and realized I still had the apple. I took a bite and heard a loud “crunch” and instantly felt pain in my mouth, I spit out big chunks of glass. Lightning lit up the sky above as the rain came pouring down, then the power went out. I threw the remainder of the apple that was now glass down to the bottom of the stairs. As I moved forward the study, slowly step by step, I wiped my mouth wincing a bit. “Hello?”

There were footsteps coming from the bedroom across the foyer from the study. I looked around for any other sign of light, “Hello? Matty? Brian?” I walked slowly and quietly over to the hallway that housed the bedrooms.

Lightning lit up the room again and there he was…standing in the darkened room. His hair shone against the darkness, illuminated only by the lightning that was flashing every few seconds. His blue eyes pierced through me, as though his glare alone could kill me. “Why are you here?” I asked him my heart racing in my chest.

“To kill you,” His smile was stark white against the blacked-out room, the lightning showed a gleam coming from his right hand, the gleam against a knife. I quickly backed up and ran down the hallway, trying to use the darkness to my advantage.

**Jimmy’s POV**

“We’re gonna do so much when you’re out of here little fire. We’re gonna go to Europe, I’m going to take you to Romania, Amsterdam, anywhere you want to go. We’re going to take a family vacation and bring along that spunky little friend of yours. She’s really an amazing person and you’ll never—“ I was cut off by her heart monitor picking up, her monitor beeping as well as her blood pressure going up.

“Em? EM!” I raced out to the nurses station, “Please, her heart monitor is going crazy.” I pulled on the nurses arm to get her there faster.

“Mr. Sullivan, you do not need to pull me,” She said as we got back to the room. “Oh my…” she stated and shooed me out of the room to do a routine check-up, she pressed the button for the doctor and I immediately pulled out my phone.

“Zacky?” I said into the phone.

“Yeah Jimbo, what’s going on?” Zacky said into the phone, obviously waking up.

“It’s Em…you…you guys should get down here,” I stammered out nervous for the first time in awhile.

“What do you mean Jim? What happened? We’ve only been gone for a few hours,” Zacky said and I heard him gathering his keys and heard him smack Brian and Johnny I’m assuming in the head because they both cursed at him.

“I don’t know, I was talking about Europe and her heart started beating faster, like she was anxious or excited. I got the nurse and she shooed me out of the room.”

“Shit…do they have any idea what’s going on?” Zacky asked.

“Yes, because they’re so super smart that they can tell exactly what caused the rise in her heart rate. No dumbass, just get here Zack…get everyone here. I think today’s the day that she’s either going to come back or she’s going to leave us.”

“Alright, I’m gonna call Simone and we’ll be there in 10.”

“You said 5 earlier,” I argued anxiously.

“I said no such thing Jimmy, that was Gates.”

“Just get here.” I hung up the phone and looked on biting my nails as the neurologist and nurses check out Ember. “Come on little fire…pull though this…wake up.”

**Ember’s POV**

I could hear him getting closer to me, his footsteps heavier it seemed with each step he took. The storm only seemed to get worse, the suite looked menacing. “You know they’re not here to save you this time little girl. You have to come play with the big bad wolf all by yourself.”

I held my breath as he passed in front of me and when the lightning lit the room I noticed a heavy statue to my left. I picked it up as he moved back up the hallway checking the room in between the little nook and the first bedroom. I silently moved up the hallway and set the statue down right as he stepped out of the room. “Hello there Ember.” He smirked and I felt dirty as he said my name. He hit me hard and I fell to the floor in front of him, “You really should learn how to fight…this is just too easy.” He kicked me in my ribs and I let out a cry of pain then looked up at him.

“I’m not afraid of you Scott. You don’t get to control me,” I stammered out glaring at him. I was nervous and anxious but I knew at this time, it was over. I needed to face him, I needed him to go away. I subtly picked up the statue as I stood to face him.

He smirked, “Stupid Bitch,” and tried to swipe at me with the knife, I dodged narrowly and hit him across the head with the statue. He fell to the ground unconscious and I grabbed the knife moving towards the stairs, hoping this was over. I wiped at my nose with the back of my hand and found blood as the lightning streaked across the sky.

I got to the first landing and felt him crash into me, pinning me against the railing, “Good try you stupid whore.”

I groaned in pain and tried to get out of his grasp. To my advantage he spun me around to face him and I quickly kneed him in the balls and tried to get back up the stairs. He grabbed my ankle and I fell, the knife falling onto the stairs hidden by my chest. I realized then that I had it.

He flipped me around getting ready to pull his pants down and I used the inertia of him spinning around and stabbed him in his chest, right where he’d stabbed me. Then he fell over the railing and into the pool, hitting his neck on the barrier that separated the pool from the hot-tub. I heard the crack of his neck and I fell back onto the platform trying to grasp what just happened.

Almost immediately the storm seemed to weaken, the clouds slowly dissipating…the stars were back, the power came back on…the suite not looking as scary. I slowly pulled myself up to my feet and walked down the stairs. This time where the door stood open, there was an elevator with a white light. I knew it was time to go…so I entered the elevator letting it take me, the most beautiful melody “Love me or Leave Me” by Robyn playing.

**Jimmy’s POV**

The guys had just arrived as her heartrate bottomed out, they called for a crash cart. I stared horrified by the scene before me. No, No, No, she can’t die. I looked up at Matt’s eyes as Larry and the Berry’s joined us.

**Matt’s POV**

I got the call from Zacky, Simone having been asleep. I immediately jumped up and woke her and met the others in the car. We got to the hospital and I saw them rush a crash cart into her room. I ran the rest of the way with Brian to her window, we stood next to Jimmy. “No…Ember…don’t do this.” I whispered under my breath.

I felt the tears creeping to my eyes and I felt Simone wrap her arms around my waist in an effort to comfort me. I held her tightly by my side as her tears wet my shirt. She can’t die…we need her here. Please, it’s not her time. I silently prayed as we watched them work.

**Brian’s POV**

I felt myself drop to my knees from pure exhaustion. I watched them work on her through the window, feeling as though I was going to be sick. She’s my everything. I’d do anything for her, she couldn’t be dying…she had to come back. I closed my eyes letting the tears fall as I heard the beep of a regular heart beat come through the monitor and looked back into the window and what I saw…I’ll never forget.

**Ember’s POV**

I slowly saw the white light fade out and I saw a bunch of doctors and nurses around me, I saw the guys through the window, their eyes were red and tear tracks were down their faces. Brian was kneeling next to Jimmy staring at me. I started trying to breathe on my own and they had to take the tube out quickly. I gasped out getting a full lung full of air.

The doctor’s began asking me questions, checking my vitals and the neurologist once he was done said, “Welcome back Ember, you gave us all quite a scare. We’re good to see you awake.”

I nodded anxiously wanting to see my family, I’d only been out a few hours right? Enough time for the doctors to get the knife out. “How long have I been out?”

The doctor gently patted my hands, “You’ve been out for about 3 weeks, they brought you in unconscious, and you didn’t wake up after the surgery until now.”

It shocked me and I sat there, taking in why everyone looked so weak and sickly. Knowing them they hadn’t left the hospital much, if at all. “Can I see my friends?” I asked the doctor. He nodded and went to the door opening it, I heard him tell them that they could see me but that I shouldn’t be worn out.

Brian, Jimmy, and Matt were the first ones to run into the room. Brian immediately at my left side, Matt at my right, and Jimmy invading personal space and climbing on the bed at my feet. I let each of them hug me as everyone else came in. Simone’s eyes were a bright blue standing out from the redness from crying. “Why are you all crying?” I asked and everyone except Brian and Matt avoided their eye contact with me.

“Babe, we almost lost you,” Brian whispered and gently stroked my head dressing from the surgery.

“You coded out Em,” Matt added and kissed my forehead.

“I’m sorry I worried you guys, I didn’t mean to. Is he locked up?” I asked.

Larry spoke up, “He’s been moved into a jail cell without bail. Trial starts next week, but we won’t need you to testify on the stand. We can have a written statement and all the guys will be there and tell their story. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”

I nodded as Jimmy hugged me tightly, “Now we can do everything that I promised while you were sleeping.”

I laughed and nodded wincing slightly from the soreness in my chest. “That sounds good, but I don’t know what you promised me so I don’t know if I should be scared or not.”

“It’s Jimmy, you should always be scared,” Zacky laughed poking fun at Jimmy.

“No joke, he may have told you that he would pour beer all over you, he did that to me once…when I was drunk, I didn’t realize what he said until it happened,” Johnny reminisced.

“Point being,” Jason said. “We’re happy you’re back here with us.”

“Yeah Em, don’t scare us like that ever again,” Matt B agreed.

“We would never be the same without you,” Simone smiled and hugged Matt’s side.

I smiled, “I’d never be the same without you guys either, I wouldn’t be here without you guys.”

The doctor stuck his head in, “I’m sorry to cut this so short, 1 of you may stay in the room with her at a time, but she needs to relax without all the excitement.”

They all nodded and agreed that Brian should get the first stint with me. I moved over in my bed slightly and Brian squeezed himself in the small bed with me, careful not to crush me. He held me in his arms, my head resting on his chest. “Em…” Bri whispered looking down at me.

“Yeah?” I asked and looked up at him.

“You asked me that day if I saw a future with you…You’re my happily ever after, you’re the only dream I’ve ever had. I love you and I want you to be my future,” Brian said looking in my eyes. His hand going to his pocket and he pulled out a ring.

“Brian…” I looked at the ring in shock.

“I know this isn’t what you’d expect, we’ve been dating less than a month, but I don’t want to waste any more time of this short life. I almost lost you and I’m not going to ever do that again. You’re the most important person in my life and I need you by my side…forever. Will you marry me?”

I smiled and looked up into his eyes, “Yes, Brian. I will be your future.” He smiled and slid the ring on my left ring finger and kissed my lips tenderly. The perfect kiss, the perfect ring, the perfect timing. What more could a girl ask for.

Notes

Alright guys, this is the final installment of Burn it Down. Be looking for a link to the sequel as soon as I have the first chapter written. You guys are amazing.