A/N: This story is from the book While I Live written by John Marsden. It is the part when an attack happens at Adderly, Shannon and Sam Youngs house. This story is in Shannons point of view.

Disclaimer:I do not own any of these characters they belong to John Marsden.

"Shannon?" I looked up to see Sam sticking his head through my doorway.

"Yeah?"

" I think someone's here I just heard a car at the bottom of the driveway." He said.

"Kay I'll be down in a minute, I didn't know that mom invited anyone over."

Sam shrugged his shoulders before pulling his head out of the doorway and heading downstairs.

I shoved the science book I was doodling in back into my school bag and then tossed it under my bed before I walked toward my bedroom door. As I flicked off my light I noticed the picture Ellie had drawn for me laying on the floor, it must have fell out of my school bag when I threw it. I walked toward it and picked it up and grabbed a tack off my desk and pinned the drawer to the curtain beside my bed. The drawing was of some sort of tangram and was pretty good.

Just then I heard the door downstairs crash open and people shouting in a unfamiliar language.

I rushed out my bedroom door as I heard my mother scream and my father yell, "Get your hands off her!"

"Get off of my mom!" Sam yelled before I heard a large crash and more screams.

I ran out into the hall and collided with my brother Alastair who was running toward the stairs as well.

"Shannon they're trying to hurt mom, dad, and Sam!" Alastair yelled to me and at that moment I noticed that he had his road hockey stick in his hand.

"I won't let them Alastair, go back into your room and hide." I whispered to him as I grabbed the hockey stick out of his hands.

"No, I'm not going to let them hurt us!." He said to me trying to grab the stick back.

"No Alastair get back into your room and hide I'll handle them." I said even though inside I doubted that I could take on whoever was downstairs.

Alastair stared at me for a moment before hugging me quickly before turning around and running back to his room.

"I love you Shannon." He said before he shut the door.

"I love you too." I said as I heard him lock the door behind him.

I gripped the hockey stick tighter before running down the stairs. I looked around to see five men pulling out revolvers from their pockets and pointing them at my family.

The screams suddenly stopped and the blonde man that Sam had been attacking punched him in the face quickly. Sam fell onto the floor and I couldn't help but cry out.

"Get away from him!" I screeched as biffed the hockey stick at the blonde man's head.

The hockey stick cracked off of his head and he howled in pain as be took a few steps backward as he clutched his head.

All of the four other men jumped and then turned to look at me, two of them pointing their guns right at me.

"Run Shannon!" My father yelled as he tried to hit the man closet to him.

The man ducked away from the blow and then used his free hand to twist dad's arm behind his back as he kicked him.

I knew that I should have ran but I was paralyzed in fear and also knew that I couldn't run back up stairs and have the men follow me up there. I couldn't risk them finding Alastair. I stood there not knowing what to do though now fully aware of the four guns that were pointing at me.

I looked down at mom and Sam who were staring at me with wide eyes that seemed to be pleading with me to run. I shook my head slowly before raising my hands above my head slightly and taking a step down the stairs.

"Shannon what are you doing! Run for bloody sakes run!" Sam yelled staring at me like I had lost my mind.

I shook my head slowly and kept walking down the stairs. The five men were watching me with suspicious eyes as though they thought that I was tricking them and at any moment I was going to pull a grenade out of my pocket and biff it at their heads. Mom and dad were watching me walk down the stairs as well but unlike Sam they realized that I was trying to keep the men away from Alastair who I prayed had listened to me and was hiding.

A man with black hair yelled over to the bloke that I had cracked with the road hockey stick. The man was still clutching his head and I could see that his brown hair was covered in blood. He nodded slightly before pulling out his gun and pointing right at my head as he walked over to me.

I was terrified. Sweat was covering my back and hands and I could feel the knots that filled my stomach tighten. I was glad that I had hit him with the hockey stick, but I didn't think that he wasn't going to make me pay for it.

I gulped as he made his way over. His steps were a little uneven but now he had taken his hands off of his head and was holding his gun tightly. When he reached me he grabbed my arm, and I gave a little yelp of pain as he dragged me across the room to where the other men and my family were standing.

The man that was death gripping my arm said something to one of the men who had his gun pointing at Sam. The man nodded before he walked over toward the door and bent down and picked up a bunch of rope that was laying there. He cut the rope and gave the pieces to a man that had his gun resting at his side. He took the rope and then he said something to the men who were watching Mom, Sam, and Dad. Each of the men nodded before they grabbed everyone's arms and lead them down the hall with their guns resting on the back of their heads.

I was shaking as I thought of how easily one of the men could pull the trigger and each of there lives and judging by the look on each of their faces I think they all knew as well. Mom's face was whiter than a sheet and her eyes were the size of golf balls, Dad was sweating hard and he look like he wanted nothing more than to give them his life if they would let the rest of us go, and Sam. Sam looked like he wanted to rip each of their throats out one by one very slowly. I had never seen him look so angry and cold in my life, I was so used to him smiling all the time, now he looked like the murdered from a horror film.

I waited for the man that was holding my arm to begin taking my up the hall as well but he didn't he just stood there watching his mates lead my family away.

"What are you doing to them!" I yelled at him and tried to hit him.

I had no idea if he understood what I was saying but he glared at me before kneeing me in the back. I bit my lip to keep from yelping in pain but even if I did I think that it wouldn't have been over Sam angry shout.

"Leave her alone you bloody bastard!"

The man that was holding Sam shouted something and then kneed him in the back as well.

Suddenly I was pulled backwards and into the living room. As the man shut the door behind him I heard more shouts from the hallway. I even heard mom trying to convince the men to let me and Sam go. I know that she was including Alastair when she said that but she wasn't stupid enough to let them know that someone else was hiding upstairs.

The brown hair man let go of my arm and pushed me toward the couch.

"You sit." He said pulling out his gun and letting it rest on my head once again.

I shuttered before slowly walking toward the couch without taking my eyes off of his gun. I didn't know why but I had a feeling that he wasn't going to shot me. It could have been the fact that the gun was hanging somewhat loosely in his hand, or it could have been because of the way he was looking at me. I don't know how to describe the way he was looking at me but I didn't like the way his eyes were travelling up and down my body.

I watched him as he continued to stare at me and suddenly I understood the way he was staring at me. I little out a whimper before pressing myself farther down into the couch trying to get away from him as possible. As though he realised that I understood he smiled, a slow smug smile.

I looked around the room quickly trying to find something I could use to defend myself but there was nothing except a large framed mirror that was on the other side of the room. I squeezed my eyes shut and squeezed my hands into fists.

I hated these people. They came in and tried to take over our country, they came in and tried to take over our lives. They all were disgusting and horrible. They killed my friends, and tortured the rest. And after the war was over and they got more than they deserved of our land they weren't satisfied. They just got together and tried again. They kidnapped, killed , and tortured as though they didn't get enough violence throughout the whole bloody war.

I opened my eyes quickly as I heard the door opened and the four other men come into the room without Mom, Dad, or Sam. Tears formed in my eyes as I realized that they could be dead. I hadn't heard any shots but you didn't need a gun to kill someone.

I knew that I should keep my mouth shut but I couldn't.

"Where are they! What did you do to them!"

The men all ignored me while I yelled at them and then four of the five left the room once again and I was left with the brown haired man once again. I relaxed for a moment as I saw him point down his gun on the coffee table but then fear spiked through me once again as he gathered up the ropes that the others had left and walked over too me smiling once again.

I jumped up off of the couch quickly and tried to get away from him but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back over to him. I screamed and trashed around violently trying to get away from what I knew was coming but I couldn't he was too strong. He yanked me against him and I looked up at his face which had dried blood from the hockey stick covering his hairline. I felt a sense of pride for what I had done but that pride was replaced almost immediately by terror as he grabbed my shirt and ripped it off and over my head. I yelled out once again only to get a his fist connect with the side of my head I fell backwards but the man didn't let me fall, instead he took advantage of my dazed stat to strip the rest of my clothes off of me. I winced in pain as he then threw me onto the floor and then whimpered as he advanced toward me his hands moving toward the zipper of the danks as he did.

When he finished with me he grabbed the ropes and tied them around me tight enough that the broke the skin around my wrists and ankles. As he did this I just layed there sobbing as he laughed when he seen me wince at he tightened the ropes. When he cut the end of the rope he got up and left the room. I layed there sobbing quietly on the carpet. I was shaking and my skin was filled with scratches where he had placed his hands trying to keep me still.

" Ah let me go!"

I jumped as I heard Alastair's yell fill the silence.

"Alastair, no." I whispered as I listened to him yell and one of the men yell as well.

"Get off of me!" he screamed and from his voice I could tell that he was close to tears.

I thought I was going to start crying again but I didn't the panic in his voice made me unable to do anything. I wanted nothing more than to jump up and go out there and kill the man that had found him. This whole time I was thinking that maybe Alastair would have been safe where he had been hiding, but apparently nowhere was safe anymore. Not even in your house could you live without the fear of someone waiting for you to appear around the corner so they could torture you.

"Alastair!" I tried to yell out to him to let him know that I was still here but it came out of nothing more than a quiet squeak. "Alastair!"

Then the door opened and the four men came in carrying piles of jewellery, money, picture frames, and anything else that looked expensive. They all looked at me and smirked as they placed the objects on the floor into four piles. After a moment the door opened again and the brown haired man came in again carrying his own pile of valuables. Seeing me still laying there on the floor he smirked as well before saying something to his mates.

The red head suddenly and advanced on me as well, knowing what was coming a gave another whimper and closed my eyes wishing that I someone could help me.

--

After the all had finished with me they all stood around drinking grog that they must have gotten out of our fridge. I stared at them as I layed there shaking wishing that they would suddenly grab all of the valuables they looted and take off, but I knew that these guys wouldn't be leaving for a while. The looked like they were feeling pretty safe out here, and honestly they were. With no neighbours for about 2 kilometres and pretty much no traffic they had no reason not to feel safe. I looked around at them all again and realized that there was only four men standing around drinking and have a good laugh. I tried to remember if I heard the man leave but I couldn't remember. I hoped that he had left and went anywhere as long as he wasn't in the basement doing god knows what to my family.

Just then I heard the door open and I glanced at it quickly to see the brown haired man leaving the room and yelling something. I didn't realized what he was doing for a moment but then I got it, he was yelling to his mate.

The other three men suddenly started roaring at something and then the red head turned and looked at me once again. He smiled and walked over to me reaching for his danks as he did, I shuttered realizing what was about to happen once again but just as the man started to bend over a sounds of shouts rang out from upstairs.

All the men run towards to door quickly and I felt as though my body had gone numb.

No,No,No! They just killed someone. Who was it? Mom, Dad? Sam? Alastair? They wouldn't kill a little boy would they? Then I shook my head. The shot had come from upstairs, they put everyone in the basement. I was shocked what in the hell was happening? Obviously whatever was it wasn't planned because the way the men ran something had to be wrong. Thoughts swirled through my mind but nothing made sense.

The men were all yelling for a few moments but then they stopped quickly when there weren't any yells back. What in the hell was happening? The door was open but not very much so I could only see the front door from where I was laying. What had scared these men? What was in here that they were scared of?

Someone from our side.

I felt my eyes widen as I realized that someone might be here to save us. I didn't know what to think so I just layed there straining to hear any sound coming from outside the living room. For a few minutes there was no sound except the creaking of the stairs but then more gun shots ran out and then I heard someone jumping down the stairs. I stared through the doorway to see the red headed man running for the door. He whipped it open and then slammed it shut the look on his face was of pure terror. I didn't move a inch as I layed there listening for anything to break the silence and then I heard more footsteps on the stairs.

Just then the door opened wider and Ellie and Homer walked in.

Both were in my classes from school and go on my bus but never in a million years was I so glad to see anyone. When Ellie saw me her face went white and she rushed over to me and began untieing that ropes. When Homer seen me he went pale as well but he turned away quickly and stared at the wall with his arms folded.

Ellie said something to him but I didn't hear what she said, she said something to me to but now nothing was registering. I had been terrified before but now I just lost it. I started sobbing, shaking, whimpering, and nothing Ellie said was registering. I barely even noticed that she left the room and brought me soap, water, and towels. I just layed there sobbing.

I only looked up when mom rushed in followed by Dad, Sam, and Alastair. Mom looked hysterical as she grabbed the blanket off the couch and covered me with it. Everyone began hugging me but I still was barely registering anything, I did notice Ellie leaving though and I whispered 'Thank you.' but I don't think she heard.

Shaking still I thought of everything, this war was the worst thing in our lives, it killed you, tortured you, and stole everything from you. Your life, your happiness, your dreams, your innocence.