I'm so sorry I haven't updated in almost a year. It's been a stressful year and I haven't had time. But I missed writing and I did like this story, so I've decided to finish it.

Thank you for your reviews and for those who have still stuck with me after a year.

Chapter Four

– And then there were Six –

Hodgins was the only one even semi-willing to go back to where Goodman lay dead. Leaning against the wall, he took a moment to compose himself. Dr. Goodman was a good guy and though Hodgins felt some hatred towards him for leaving them, he knew that Dr. Goodman didn't deserve this. Running his hands over his face and wiping away the salty tears from his pale cheeks, Hodgins gave a sigh of defeat. There was nothing he could do. Dr. Goodman was gone, lying in a pool of blood and no one had been able to help him.

He felt so helpless. Was there nothing he could have done?

The others were still in the hallway trying to calm Cam down, but she still seemed to be in a state of dissolution after watching Dr. Goodman die before her eyes. She kept screaming that it should have been her, and between sobs and coughs she called out his name in despair.

Hodgins shook his head. This was pure insanity. Pushing a few brown curls out of his face he drew a deep breath and ventured out into the dim hallway.

One by one, he thought. We're dying one by one.

When Hodgins finally returned to the group, he wasn't surprised to find them in the midst of an argument. Booth was looking accusingly at Sweets, and though Hodgins didn't know what the young doctor had said, it was clearly something pessimistic because the next words out of Booth's mouth were, "Well, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"At least I'm trying to do something," Sweets shot back.

Booth took a menacing step towards him, but before he could utter a word, Brennan cut him off. "I don't know what that means." And the sad part was that she was completely serious. "It doesn't matter which side of –"

"It's a saying, Bones," Booth told her, and the exasperation in his tone shut her up.

"Look," Sweets began, "all I'm saying is that there's obviously no –"

"There's gotta be something, Sweets!" Booth shouted back.

"Enough!" Cam yelled suddenly. "Enough!" Every eye turned to her with horror. She was still shaking uncontrollably and they couldn't be sure if that was from the virus or from just having watched a man die. "Can't you see? Can't you understand that he wants this to happen? He wants us to fight and yell so we turn against ourselves. We are doing exactly what this freak wants."

The silence that washed over them was both agonizing and heart-shattering. How could they have let themselves fall into this maniac's trap?

"Cam," Angela said, breaking the silence.

"No… I just want to be alone." And with those words said she took off down the hall.

Zach watch Cam walk away with horror in his eyes. "I thought you said we shouldn't be alone…"

"And thanks for volunteering," Booth said in mock happiness.

"But I wasn't –"

Booth just ignored him. "Thanks."

Sighing in defeat, Zach slumped his shoulders and went after his ex-boss in the direction he thought she went.

As soon as he was gone, Booth looked around to make sure that no one was paying attention. "Bones," he whispered in Brennan's ear, lingering a little longer than necessary.

Despite herself, she had to bite her lip to hold back a sob. Even now, in the devastating situation they were in, she wondered how he managed to have an effect on her at a time like this. But if only one could live, then only one would make it out alive. What would she do without him?

"What?" she whispered back. Even she could hear the strain in her voice.

He took her by the wrist and quietly pulled her down the hallway so the others wouldn't take notice of them. "I want to give you something." He looked casually behind his shoulder to make sure that nobody had followed them. Her breath caught in her throat at the sudden closeness and she wondered if he knew that the only thing separating him from her heart was that stupid line he drew so many years ago.

"What could you possibly have to give –" She stopped abruptly at the feel of cold metal being shoved into her hand. "Booth… I don't understand… how?"

Booth glanced down at the gun that was wedged in between their hands. "I found it downstairs in the basement when you were talking to Zach. There are two bullets in it." He looked up at her with wide, warm, and trusting eyes. "If it comes down to it… I want you to use it. Okay?"

She looked at him in shock before casting an uneasy glance at the rest of her team, who weren't too far away. "I… I couldn't do that. And they wouldn't do that to us… especially Angela."

He locked her eyes with his cold gaze. "I'm not worried about Angela."

"Hodgins?" she asked, slightly agitated that he was accusing her team.

"I never said who I was worried about," he pointed out. "You did."

She just glared at him, wondering how the hell he managed to do that. "I can't," she told him, looking away.

"If it comes down to it…" Booth pressed harder. "For me. Please?"

For years she had complained how she never got a gun, but now that he was giving one to her she didn't want it. "I can't Booth. I can't do that."

"For me," he begged. "Please. I'm not saying you have to kill anyone… Just if it comes down to it… use it. For me? Promise me."

Brennan hesitated, but eventually took it from his hands. Never in her life had metal felt so heavy, so wrong. "I…I promise." She made a move to rush past him, more than angry at him for even bringing up the subject, but to her dismay, he caught her wrist.

"And Bones," he said, pulling her closer still.

"Yeah?"

"You're going to get out of here alive. I'll make sure of that."

For the longest time she just stared at him. For once she could defy the laws of physics and reality to read his mind. But that was irrational. You couldn't read minds and her team wouldn't kill anyone…but would Booth? How far would he go to ensure her safety? Sure he took a bullet for her and saved her from the gravedigger, but could – would – he do more than that?

"And what about you?" she asked him in a hushed whisper.

When he only gave her a sad-eyed smile before walking away, it suddenly dawned on her. Only one. Without him she was nothing. The thought burned inside her head and crushed her heart. Booth and her weren't one person, so how come she felt like they operated as one?

-Bones-

"Angela," Hodgins said, coming up from behind her and making her jump. "Sorry."

She sniffed before blinking back tears. "It's fine."

But she wasn't fine. She was shaking almost uncontrollably, she was having trouble breathing, and he hadn't missed the way she coughed up blood a little while ago. They were all symptoms of the virus, and he felt his stomach drop. If Angela died he wasn't sure what he would do.

She must have caught the way he was looking at her because she soon added, "There's nothing you can do, Jack."

He looked down almost in defeat. "No... I can do something." Hodgins gave a nervous glance over his shoulder. Bones and Booth had wandered off down the hallway and were now talking passionately from the looks of it. Sweets sat huddled on the floor, and - well, looked like he always did. "What?" Angela almost snapped at him. "What could you possibly do?"

Hodgins shoved the weapon into her hand with force. "Take it."

It took her a moment to realize what it was, but once she did, her eyes widen in fear. "W-where… where did you get this?"

"I found it…" he told her honestly. "It was lying by the closet where Dr. Goodman was."

If Hodgins wasn't holding her hand she would have dropped the knife. "I can't… I can't use it…"

"Yes," he urged, his blue eyes drilling a hole into her soul. "You can and you will if you have to."

Angela glared at him. "How could you even suggest that?" She looked over at Brennan, who seemed to be scowling at something Booth had said. "Brennan… they… would never."

"It's not Dr. Brennan I'm worried about."

Her eyes rose with horror. "Booth? How could you possibly think that?"

"I never said who I was worried about," he pointed out in a harsh whisper.

Taking a deep breath through her nose, she closed her eyes. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, she couldn't help but feel some doubt. If only one could live then the odds of her getting out alive were practically zero. But did she even want to live if all of her friends were dead? "Jack…"

"Use it if you have to," he pressed. "For me."

"I can't make that promise."

Hodgins locked his eyes with hers, and never had she seen them filled with so much devotion and desire. "I'm going to get you out of here alive."

"You can't make that –"

"But Angela, I can and will make that promise." And before she could argue, he squeezed her hand reassuringly and walked away, leaving her alone with the taunting knife.

-Bones-

Cam power-walked down the long hallway. She knew Zach was following her and she desperately wished that he would just stop. Him of all people… She was pretty sure she would rather Dr. Brennan over him, which was saying something. Sighing, she made a quick move towards a closed door that they had yet to enter. Maybe she could lose him. It's not that she didn't like Zach, it was just, well… She hadn't been lying when she said she wanted to be alone. And it wasn't like Zach was a people person anyway.

She looked around the room. Unlike the other rooms, this one at least had something. It appeared to be an old kitchen, yet all the cupboards were opened and empty. What kind of sick game was this? The door clicked open then, and she sighed in defeat. So he had found her. What could she do about it?

"Go away," she tried, but a reply never came, only the heavy footsteps from behind her. "I said go away." And just as she was about to whirl around, a thick rope wrapped around her neck. Automatically her hands went up to clutch at it, but she couldn't loosen the grip. She could feel her attacker from behind now, and though she could have easily fought back she chose not to.

From the moment she had heard that tape play, she knew that she was going to die. Why? Because she didn't want to be the only one to survive, to be the one left to deal with the aftermath. How could she live with herself? So when the rope pulled tighter on her neck, she closed her eyes and let the darkness take her.

They knew that someone had died as soon as that perverted child's rhyme once again swept through the house, along with a cold wind of despair. And though they didn't know if it was Zach or Cam it didn't matter, because either way they lost a life; they lost another friend.

"Seven little friends with a wall at their back

Some take sides and break the pack

One ran out because she didn't stick.

She lost her sight and then there were six."

Again: Sorry for the long wait. I promise that the next update will NOT take as long. Hopefully it was okay.

I'll update soon! Please tell me what you thought.