So I've reread this story and realized I haven't updated in a year. I will start updating again. I also realized that this chapter didn't have page breaks, which bothered me, so I fixed that. For the past week I've written out every chapter up until the end. So now I just have to proof read them.

Thank you again for your reviews.


Chapter 3

- And Then There Were Seven -

It was only now that the situation at hand was finally beginning to take its toll on all of them. The danger they were truly in now seemed real, whereas before it only seemed like a hellish nightmare, one that they would eventually wake up from. But now that wasn't so true anymore. One of them had already fallen to the victim count and as awful as it was, they had to push that thought away for now because they needed to focus on not letting that count rise.

Together, they made their way back down the long hallway, leaving Daisy by the exit door. Only Sweets stayed behind, mourning for his loss. The others waited respectfully as he did his best to pull himself together. And with one shaky breath, they watched as Sweets placed a quilt over her, covering her from head to toe. In another circumstance they all would have mourned for his loss, but for now they had to compartmentalize their sorrows – at least long enough to get the hell out of there.

After what felt like an eternity, Sweets shuffled over to them, looking like a lost puppy. "I was going to tie the knot," he told them sadly

All of them gave a nod of sympathy, but only Brennan took it literally. "I don't know what that means. What knot?"

Booth groaned inwardly. "Bones, not now. Okay?"

She gave him an incredulous look, but must have sensed not to bicker with him about it because she changed the subject. "Someone is obviously in this house."

"It must have come over a loud-speaker or something..." Cam said, referring to the rhyme that spread throughout the house after Daisy had died.

"Which means someone is watching us," Hodgins finished for her.

Angela looked around with frantic eyes. "But who?"

That was the unanswered question. Who hated them enough to want to kill them by watching them turn on each other? But no one came to mind. Even Booth and Brennan who had dealt with and interrogated thousands of criminals couldn't think of one that would want to do this.

"We should split up," Goodman suggested. "Search all of the rooms, even the locked ones. Maybe we could find weapons or something."

Booth glared. "Why? So we can kill each other?"

Goodman swallowed hard, but his stance remained strong. "No… so that we can use them to get out of here or kill whoever kidnapped us."

"He's right," Sweets, who had still been in shock until now, choked out. "We should search the place. I mean, look what happened when we stayed here."

Unconsciously, everyone glanced at Daisy's motionless body.

"I hate this," Angela whispered suddenly, slumping against the nearest wall as she did so. A second after that, the wall she had been leaning on sunk in and Angela disappeared in a tornado of dust.

For a moment or two everyone stared in horror at the spot where Angela had just been. Booth was sure he heard every sharp intake of breath, every heart stop, and when Angela started to scream he heard every sigh of relief. Screaming was better than dead.

"Angie!" Hodgins shouted, running for her.

Angela screamed, kicking at the cobwebs and dust that engulfed her. Hodgins and the others wasted no time pulling her to her feet and dragging her to safety. She was coughing violently and struggling to breathe – no doubt from the dust and the sudden scare.

"Are you okay?" Hodgins asked, and Angela just threw herself at him. He caught her against his chest, whispering soothing words into her ear. "Hey, you're okay. You're okay."

Brennan watched her friend for a moment, at a loss for words. The only times she had felt like this was when she had found out that her mother had died, and again when she thought Booth had died. She didn't like it, so naturally she pulled on that mask of courage and did her best to act like everything was fine.

"Hey," Cam said suddenly. "There are steps."

Goodman stared down into the dark abyss. "It must lead to a basement or something."

"It was hidden," Booth noted. "Which probably means that there are more doors like this."

"Right." Brennan nodded in agreement, already heading down the stairs.

"For the love of God, Bones," Booth groaned, catching her wrist. "What did I tell you about heading off without a weapon?"

She pulled away from him, a glare already in place. "And how many black belts did I tell you I had?" she shot back. "Besides, you said we should split up."

Booth frowned. "Fine. We'll split off. Bones and I will take the basement…"

"Angela and I will check this floor," Hodgins offered, which earned a muffled cry from Angela.

Cam nodded. "I'll check the locked doors."

"I'll help," Goodman said.

Sweets slumped down on the ground, completely miserable. "I'm staying here with Daisy. Someone should stay anyway to make sure no one comes."

Brennan's eyebrows fused together. "The likelihood of our kidnapper coming back is extremely low given that–"

"Fine," Booth cut her off. "That's fine, Sweets. Meet back here in fifteen minutes. If something goes wrong scream like there is no tomorrow. Okay? Good."

And nobody argued.

-Bones-

"Ugh, Bones," Booth huffed. "Where are you? I can't see a damn thing."

"I'm right here," she called out, as if he could see her.

"Not helping, Bones. Just stay behind me," he whispered. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, and he wondered how the hell this darkness didn't scare the shit out of her.

"Why are you whispering?" she asked, yet whispering herself nonetheless.

"Because we don't know what's down here," he told her, reaching for where he thought she was. "Now, just stay –"

And then the room was engulfed with light and thinking the worst, Booth tackled Brennan to the ground to protect her. He pulled her close, protecting her head as they hit the hard ground and so as not to crush her with his weight, he broke the fall with his hands. And for what he prayed wasn't the last time, he breathed in the scent of her. But the explosion or gun shot, or whatever the hell he had been expecting never came.

"Oh," the startled voice gasped. "I'm sorry… I didn't expect…"

Booth glanced up to find Zach standing with his hand over a light switch. Now why hadn't they thought of that? "Zach, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Nobody gave me a partner, and I wasn't going to just sit up there with Sweets while he cried over Daisy. I followed you guys," he told them, looking like a small child in that ridiculous uniform. "However, I see that you two would like a moment to yourselves."

Booth glanced down at Brennan, who was underneath of him. Only now did he realize what it looked like and feeling his cheeks flame, he pushed himself off of her. "Nothing is going on," he said as he brushed himself off.

"But…"

"Nothing," Booth insisted, before shrugging off to the far side of the room.

Brennan seemed unfazed by the situation, for she just hauled herself to her feet and gave a weak smile at Zach before going in the opposite direction of where Booth had gone.

"Why?" Zach asked suddenly, coming up from behind her.

She turned, eyebrows raised in question. "I don't know. This is a depraved individual..."

"That's not what I meant," Zach interrupted her; still not letting his head lift from its bowed position. "I meant you. Why did you never come to visit? Everybody else did. Even Booth. But you… You never came."

Brennan closed her eyes. She had known the question would come. It had just been a matter of time. Ever since the… accident… she had convinced herself that Zach had transferred to Canada or somewhere far away and was unable to be reached by phone. Couldn't he see that she wasn't willing to accept the truth of what had happened? If she went to visit him then it would make the situation real, and she wasn't sure she could live with that.

"Zach... I don't think this is the time and place for this."

"Then when is?" The young man's head snapped up and he gave his former mentor an accusing stare. It was so uncharacteristic of him, it caused her to freeze. "Of all people, Dr. Brennan, I-I never thought..." Zach couldn't continue because of the lump in his throat. So much had happened in less than an hour, and so many emotions collided inside him.

"Are you alright?" she asked him, sensing that he was going to be sick.

He quickly pushed that feeling aside. "I just want to know why…"

"I… I'm sorry," was all she managed, but Zach never heard those words because he had already turned his back to her and was running up the stairs.

-Bones-

Hodgins kicked down one of the locked doors on the main floor. It led to another pair of stairs, but this time they headed straight up into the unknown. He gave an uneasy glance at Angela before swallowing hard and pushing himself to move on. With one last shaky breath, he raised the poker he had found up to shoulder height and ready to attack, then made his way up the creaky floorboards. This room, like the other three they'd been in already, was basically empty.

He spotted a baseball bat partially hidden in the shadows of the room. Retrieving it he shoved it into Angela's hands, all the while feeling a little bit safer now that she had something to protect herself with if he failed like he had done in the past.

"You know," he told her, "I never stopped loving you."

She gave him a weak smile. "This isn't the time, Jack."

He turned around, his eyes glistening with tears. "Then when is?"

-Bones-

Cam stayed close to Goodman as they explored the rooms along the hallway. The poker was their only weapon, and Goodman held it tight and high above his head as he took a few steps into the first room. Cam didn't know the man, nor had she ever met him prior to taking over for him. To this day she didn't know why he had resigned, and after working with the team for almost three years she found it even harder to understand why he had left.

"Why?" she asked him. "Why'd you leave?"

Goodman just shrugged. "I have twin girls," he told her. "I didn't spend enough time with them."

She nodded; the answer was good as any. As Goodman stepped into what seemed to be the master bedroom, he raised the poker in front of his chest, ready for anything.

But the sudden blow came too fast and he never saw it coming.

The sharp pain he felt as something sliced its way straight across his throat paralyzed him. Dropping the poker on the floor the man clamped his hand on his throat, but when he felt his fingers sink into open flesh, he slumped back against the wall.

A gargling sound emerged from Goodman's mouth as it opened to call out for Cam to get away, but his cry never came.

"Goodman…?"

He could hear her voice, but it was distant and vague. And soon, her pleas became completely drowned out and were replaced by a dull echo in his head. The lack of oxygen got to him, making him drop to his knees. Blood pulsated over his fingers as he desperately tried to gain a single breath of air.

"Oh my… Stay with me!" Cam screamed.

Mouth gasping for air and his eyes wide in terror, he slumped over on the floor, clawing at the floor below him. Moments later he was still, and a last gargle could be heard as blood continued to pour from his throat.

All that could be heard was the hysteric screaming of Cam, echoing throughout the house. And maybe, if she hadn't been screaming her heart out, she would have heard or seen the ominous figure exit through the closet door with a knife in hand, which no doubt led to another hidden passage.

Everyone heard the horrifying scream as it pierced the dull silence of the mansion. Dropping all at hand – except their weapons – they ran to the place where the unending screams originated. Sweets and Zach arrived first, followed by Angela and Hodgins. What they found would haunt them in their nightmares forever, should they be so lucky as to live through the night.

Dr. Goodman lay sprawled on the dusty floorboards where a pool of blood had formed under his head and chest. His eyes had the same glazed look that Daisy's had held earlier. Cam was hunched over him, screaming in panic and desperately trying to stop the blood flow with her hands.

Booth and Brennan raced into the room, a wooden stick in Booth's hand. Where he got it the others couldn't be sure, but none of that seemed to matter now. Brennan crouched down, feeling for a pulse, but found none.

"He's dead, Cam," she told her.

Cam stifled back a sob, as did Angela who ran out of the room. The others followed suit, leaving Goodman in the empty room. Sobbing into Hodgins's shoulder, Angela tried to regain some form of composure, but the panic and devastation inside her made it impossible.

"I..." Cam managed to press through her lips. "Someone killed him! Someone killed him! Oh, God… I was there and I didn't…" She was hysteric, tugging at her hair as she slumped against a wall.

"Calm down, Cam," Sweets tried to soothe, when in fact he wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of his lungs himself.

"Did you see who it was?" Booth crouched down beside her.

"No…I didn't see."

All of a sudden the melodic, whispering voice returned; sweeping through the house it made everyone freeze and listen as the hair on their necks rose. The simple childlike rhyme made everyone wince in anxiety.

"Eight little friends searching for an out

They surely won't find one, there's no doubt

But one was the fool and got a ticket to heaven

His throat was cut, and then there were seven."


*Evil music plays* (Please don't hate me. haha)