Title: Isolation

Rating: M, for some language, violence, blood, and gore.

Disclaimer: I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place or any of the characters. I also don't own anything from Disney. I don't own the song that inspired me to write this which is Pet by A Perfect Circle. This is not a song-fic.! I do not own the game The Enemy Within by Rainbow Six, which also inspired me to write this.

You can imagine whatever pairing you like. I only put this under Justin and Alex, because it is centered around them.

I·so·la·tion;[ahy-suh-ley-shuhn]; noun: The act of isolating or the condition of being isolated; (of a country, party, etc) nonparticipation in or withdrawal from international politics.


"Don't worry, I'm here…Alex."

She closed her eyes tight to block gruesome image before her. She covered her hands over her ears to block away the screams that followed her. She knew though, as long as He was here, she would be fine. As long as He was here, she would be safe.


Americans were angry, and why shouldn't they be? With the increasing national debt, crippling foreclosures, corporate bailouts, degrading infrastructure, dwindling job market, and the gap between what people have and don't have. You'd think somebody would have done something before it got to this level of insanity. You'd think somebody would speak up against this chaos, but no one did. The world just had to turn into the turmoil it is today.

In response to all the disastrous erosion in the country Americans slowly started to rise up against politicians, congress, the president, and each other. Homegrown terror was becoming more and more prominent. The country was in a true civil war here, and there was nothing anyone could do or say about it. It was too late to play the hero; all anybody could hope for was this would all die out soon.

At least that's what Alex Russo hoped for. She had enough of all of this; she just wanted to see her mom and dad to be there for her again. She just wanted to see her best friend's kooky outfits again. She just wanted to see Max and all his crazy experiments again, even if they did smell really bad. Mostly though, she just wanted to see her older brother, Justin Russo, act like His normal dorky self again.

After a home invasion a month back she lost both her parents, and her younger brother Max. Her mom went to answer the door, when two people pushed her mom roughly up against the wall. Her father tried to step in, but another man pointed a gun point blank at him. When Alex, Justin, and Max heard the noise down stairs, they went to go see what was going on. When her dad tried to say something to get these murderers to go away, he was then shot, right between the eyes. Her mother tried to fight back after that, screaming 'Why?' Her mom was then stabbed to death for not complying with the murderer's orders. Everything seemed to happen so quickly, and Alex was in such shock. All of this happened in their home. Alex was sure if she went downstairs in the living room right now, she would still see her parent's blood. It made her physically sick how those murderers could take people she loved away, just like that.

She couldn't help but sob out loud then, and Justin tried to sooth her, but He was a wreck Him self back then too. Max went down the stairs, he was angry and confused. Max usually did stuff without thinking, which is probably why he started to walk down the stairs and confront those murderers. Max just wanted to know why they killed them. Why didn't they just answer normally? Why did they have to take him away from her?

Max went with them willingly though; he didn't put up any fight. Which Alex never understood why he did. Why didn't he try to fight to stay with her?

Harper was in the basement the whole time her parents were being murdered and Max was taken away. When Harper found out what happened she stayed in the basement for two weeks, only coming out to eat every now and again. She didn't want to talk to Alex or Justin; some how Harper must have believed that they didn't do enough to save Max or her parents. Alex didn't know, but it hurt to know she couldn't go to her best friend for comfort.

Finally Harper left the basement one day to confront Alex. Harper told Alex she was leaving. Harper told her it just wasn't worth it anymore. Harper told her she didn't want to be with her. Alex told her nothing.

They were in the Sub Shop the day she left. Harper stared outside, while Alex made sandwiches for Harper and Justin. Justin was upstairs, locked away in His room; most likely thinking of a way to get out of this mess. That was when He was still normal.

Harper turned to Alex, and smiled at her, almost as if she was sad Alex didn't know something she did. Her eyes were lit up too, like she just realized the most wonderful secret in the world. She walked over to the door, and before Alex could stop her, she had the door handle in her grasp. Then she turned to Alex, and whispered, "It's wonderful outside, don't be afraid." She turned back to face the door, and walked outside, never to be seen again…

As she looked out of her brother's room window now; she didn't see what Harper was talking about then. All she heard was screams of terror, and gun shots. Most of the city was on fire, and chaos was everywhere. Ugly, not beautiful.

The screams, however, were always there like a friend. They never left, they were always there. They told her everything she needed to know. How bad everyone was doing, or maybe how great everyone else was doing. She always enjoys how each scream was different than the last. One was an octave higher or lower than the last. They always sent tingles up and down her spine. She would never be alone, as long as the screams were there.

She looked down at the street below, and noticed someone running from something. She always liked to guess the stories that followed them. He was running for the sake of his family. He ran to get food and water, and brought a gun for safety. Or maybe he was running away from everything. She closed her eyes, and imagined. She usually didn't like looking down at the streets usually though. They were filled with dead bodies, people she use to know, and talk to at school or at the Sub Shop. It always tore her up inside. She use to puke just seeing them. Justin told her not to be afraid of them, though, because He would protect her from them.

She tried to picture them happy, but it just made her want throw up. They could never be happy again. They were dead. They were murdered…

The curtain closed quickly in front of her eyes, and now all she could see was the dark curtains, nothing from the outside. She turned around to see her older brother behind her. He was tense, but she knew He was trying to act like nothing was wrong. She didn't understand how He could act like nothing was out of the ordinary, because outside was a living hell.

He was the only one left; the only one who really stayed with her this whole time. She closed her eyes; she didn't like to see Him distressed with her. It made her want to do anything to make Him feel better. Maybe so He could smile at her like He use to?

She felt Him grab her lower jaw, and push her face in His direction. "Step away from the window Alex." She locked her eyes with his. He was trying to be caring. She knew this whole civil war had Him on edge. That's why He wasn't acting normal. That's why He wasn't His normal dorky self. Right? "Go back to sleep Alex."

She kept quiet, she didn't want to make Him think she was disobeying Him. However, if He thought her dreams were her escape from reality, He was wrong. They held the same nightmares as reality. He seemed to think it was her only escape from all of this though. There was no escape from all of this however; they were trapped in his bedroom. They smelled, they were hungry, they sat here everyday, and for what? To die? To join the screams outside? Alex knew better than to start an argument with him though. He would just slap her, or knock her out, or worse. So she stayed quiet.

She knew He didn't like to slap her or even hurt her, He was just angry about what was going on outside. Everyone was, and she knew she wasn't helping anything when she started to argue. She felt more pressure on her jaw, and another bruise forming. He still wasn't letting go of her. "Lay down Alex."

She looked up at His face again, and took a deep breathe in. It hurt to talk. "The screams," she rasped. The screams sometimes kept her awake.

"No one is going to hurt you." He stepped away from her, and looked at the curtain covered window. "Do you remember how mom use to have us count sheep if we couldn't sleep?" He looked at her in time to see her nod. He opened the curtain for her again, and she turned around to look outside. "If you like looking outside so much Alex, how about you just count the dead bodies instead of sheep! Would that help you go to sleep? Huh? Alexandra?" He was seething, and she knew she disobeyed Him by looking outside. That was a rule Justin put forth, and she knew she would be punished for this. Never look outside, otherwise you could be caught by the Rebels and killed. It was for protection, protection He gave her, but she still liked looking outside. Freedom was outside, and maybe that's where Max and Harper were? Her chocolate eyes met His steely grey eyes. She quickly tried to sway her head back in forth to tell Him no.

He bent down, and took her small hand in His. "You didn't listen to me Alex," He whispered. She quickly squeezed His hand, and closed her eyes. She nodded her head in agreement, and readied herself for the pain. She heard Him take a deep breathe in, and then she felt His hand connect with her face. Her head snapped to the side. The slap echoed through the room. Her face felt inflamed, and she felt tears well up in her eyes as usual. "I'm sorry," she rasped to Him as a tear slide down her face.

"Go to sleep Alex." He sounded calmer now, and she closed her eyes tighter, and nodded in response. He was still holding her hand though, and wouldn't let her get up. "Don't listen to the screams Alex. They mean nothing Alex." She nodded again, and felt Him smooth down her hair. "Go to sleep Alex." He let go of her hand, and she sprinted into His bed. Curling under the covers, she tightened her eyes. Imagining if the world could be happy again, she slowly drifted off to sleep.


When she woke up, she heard someone talking on the other side of the room. She opened her eyes slowly, and looked up at the ceiling. The ceiling was the white, the way it has always been, but yet it was so different.

She turned her head to look around the room, but didn't see anybody. She felt uneasy, and quickly moved into a sitting position. Once she saw Justin mumbling beside His dresser, she blew a sigh of relief. He was holding His wand, and He kept mumbling to it. Probably just hoping it would turn on, magic wasn't working either. "Justin?" She rasped. He quickly looked up at her, and she noticed His eyes were blood shot.

He needed sleep. Before she could suggest that to Him, however, He walked over to the side of the bed, and bent down next to her. "Don't listen to anybody Alex." He was only going to calm her down. She didn't need to be calmed down though, she had Him. As long as she had Him she was calm. "They don't care about you Alex." He told her this everyday since Harper left, and everyday she felt the same pain afterwards. "Did Harper care about you? No, she left you. Did Max care about you? No, he didn't put up a good enough fight to stay here with you. Did mom and dad care about you? No, they went down without a fight either." Her heart clenched. "Can't you see Alex? I'm the only one who fought to be with you." He was right as always. "No one cares about you Alex." She looked in His eyes, and knew He was speaking the truth. He never lied to her. "Not like I do Alex." She bowed her head, and closed her eyes. Letting out her pain in a little sob, she felt so dirty and worthless; as usual. Her heart ached as she realized the only person she could have ever trusted was Him. He grabbed her jaw, and made her look at Him. "You're safe with me Alex. From the pain and the truth," He whispered the last word to her.

She let out a little sob again, knowing He is right. He let go of her of her jaw, and wrapped her in a hug. Holding her tight, He brought His head into the crook of her neck. She didn't hug Him back, she just cried. Why did He have to be right? He didn't let go of her until she was done crying. Every breath she took, she felt like she was just wasting away. Couldn't they go find Max or Harper? She knew better than to bring this up though, because the last time she did she got slapped.

When He finally let her go, He looked her in the eyes. "See, they don't give a fuck about you Alex. Not like I do." She looked down at the bed, instead of his face. It hurt to know He was right. Harper, Max, her mom and dad, they didn't care about her. They never did. Only Justin. It was always Justin.

She closed her eyes tight to get over the pain. Justin was here, and that's all she ever needs. Right? He got in bed next to her, and wrapped His arms around her waist. She already felt tired again from all this revelation. She felt him run His hands up and down her back, while she slowly closed her eyes to the rhythm of the gun shots outside. He brought His mouth down to her ear, and whispered to her. "Stay with me Alex." He took a soft breathe, and continued to mumble to her. "You're safe with me Alex. Go back to sleep Alex."

She heard voices coming from downstairs, but she chose to focus on His voice. His voice was better than any dream or reality. "I'll be the one to protect from a will to survive and a voice of reason Alex." She could hear footsteps in the hall, and the voices grew closer. His voice was lulling her to sleep. "Just count the bodies like sheep Alex." She heard a thumping on Justin's door. She could also hear Justin's heart thumping, it was nice. "They're coming Alex." She focused on her breathing, slowly in and out. Her eyes slowly came to a close. "Go to sleep Alex." He kissed the side of her ear, and she heard the door burst open followed by shouts of order. She felt Justin climb on top of her, but she was almost asleep. Maybe she could fall asleep forever with Justin by her side?

She heard more voices, and shouting. He was shouting back; threatening them if they came any closer He would kill them all. Her eyes were slowly opening again. What was going on? Another home invasion? She was starting to panic, but Justin's body weight kept her still. She tried to let out a scream, but she noticed that His eyes stared intensely back at her. She knew she would be punished if she didn't keep her mouth shut. She tried to wiggle out from under him when she heard the men in the room speak again. "Stay with me Alex." His eyes gave her a pleading look so she stayed still, only for Him. "You're safe with me Alex." His arms were on either side of her face, and she bit her lip to keep from screaming. She felt the copper tasting blood in her mouth from biting too hard.

She heard a shout followed by the explosion of a gun going off. "Go back to sleep Alex." He groaned. She knew He had been hit, but she still kept quite, silently crying as His grey-green eyes slowly turned into a dull grey. She heard the murderers curse, and leave. They were going to leave her here all alone? She was going to be alone? They couldn't kill her too? Was she going to be alone forever, with only the screams to keep her company?

Justin didn't love her; he was going to leave her like everyone else. She heard Him moan something, and rest his head in the crook of her neck. She stilled her cries, feeling him get heavier and heavier. She couldn't do anything except be stuck underneath him watching him die before her eyes. She saw his back covered in blood. What did she do to deserve her family being taken away from her?

"Don't worry, I'm here…Alex."

She closed her eyes to block away the gruesome image before her. She covered her hands over her ears to block out the screams that followed her. She knew though, as long as He was here, she would be fine. As long as He was here, she would be safe.


A/N: I have to admit this is really sad. The song I got the inspiration for this story is called Pet by A Perfect Circle. The song is great, and I think you all should listen to it if you have the chance. Again this is not a song fic, I was just inspired by the song. Also the video game The Enemy Within by Rainbow Six sounds good. I don't have the game, and I'm not even sure if the game's out yet. I just read an article on it, and it sounded really good. So if you feel the need to spend money on any video games, I would suggest The Enemy Within. Out of the whole story I have to say I liked the end the best. I like how I ended it lol. Did it make me cry? No, I barely cry at anything, but it really had my heart clenching the whole time. Also I Kinda Can't Live Without You's new chapter is up. I made that story so go on my page, and check it out if you feel like? In advance I thank all of you who took the time to read and review, and all that jazz. Means a lot! Thanks :)!

A/N: This was beta'd by the awesome JazzyKanani! Thanks!