by different author
Disclaimer: I don't own anything involved in this story.
Chapter 7
Kendall, Carlos, and Logan lounged around the apartment, trying to be quiet. Mrs. Knight and Katie had left a few minutes earlier and James was asleep in his room. "So what are we going to do now?" Carlos finally asked. The others looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" Logan asked. Carlos sighed. "No matter what we do Stenwell always manages to find a way to get to James, and I'm not sure that he can take much more of it. I mean, look at him. He's not as happy and full of energy as he used to be. You guys saw him the other night, and remember how he was in the hospital? Stenwell is really getting to him. So what are we supposed to do?"
Before either of them could answer they heard a shout from the hallway. They looked at each other in confusion. There was a bunch of thuds and a few muffled sounds and then everything was silent. "What-" Suddenly the door flew open and in stepped… Samuel. The boys gasped and jumped back, staring at him in fear. "W-what are you doing here?" Kendall asked shakily. Behind Stenwell they could see two bodies lying motionless on the floor. They silently prayed that they were still alive, but with Samuel the chances were slim.
"You can't be here," Carlos said boldly. Samuel raised his eyebrows and took a step forward. Carlos backed down and terror flashed through his eyes. Samuel pulled out a gun and played with the trigger, tossing it from hand to hand. "Why would that be?" he asked curiously. Carlos said nothing, watching the gun with wide eyes. It was Logan who answered his question. "You've done enough damage," he said coldly. Samuel laughed menacingly. "Oh, I'm just getting started," he snarled, raising the gun so that it was inches from Logan's forehead.
"Now…" he said, narrowing his eyes. "Where is James?" No one answered and he cocked the gun angrily. "I said," he spat, "Where. Is. James?" They didn't even have a chance to answer him because a door opened down the hall and James appeared in the doorway. "Hey, guys, what's going-" James froze where he stood, staring at the scene in horror. "James," Samuel grinned. "So nice of you to join us."
"James, get out of here!" Logan screamed. Stenwell spun around and swung the gun, catching him square on the chin. With a cry, Logan fell back, and would have hit the ground if Kendall and Carlos hadn't caught him. Samuel glared at him, now angry. "That," he said icily, "was not a smart move." He raised the gun again, pointing it Kendall, Carlos, and Logan. "Now James, if you would be so kind to come over here." James didn't move. He was frozen in fear as he stared at his friends. No, no, no…
"I said," Samuel snarled, "Get over here!" James jumped and slowly walked towards the man he feared most in the world. As soon as he was close enough Samuel lashed out and grabbed James' arm in an iron grip. "Nice to see you again," he whispered. James closed his eyes as they filled with tears. No, no, no…
"We'll be seeing you boys real soon," Samuel said, dragging James towards the door. "And don't even think of trying to be heroes, because if you do, someone will die." The boys watched helplessly as James was taken right in front of them. James opened his eyes and gave them a look that clearly said "listen to him." With heavy hearts they stood back as James was taken from them once again.
Samuel's fingers dug painfully into James' bicep as he pulled him towards the elevator. He pushed James in and hit the button, much to James' surprise. "W-we're going through the lobby? With a-all those people around?" Samuel laughed at the boy's puzzlement. "Might as well. There's nothing anyone can do to save you anyway," he said, smirking as James looked down. The doors opened with a ding and Samuel grabbed him, dragging him out.
Camille, Jo, and Stephanie were standing right next to the elevator. "Hey, James, what's going on?" Jo asked with a smile. James didn't get a chance to answer as he was dragged towards the door. "James?" Camille asked, taking a step after him. Samuel growled in frustration and spun James around, pressing the gun to his head. Jo screamed and Camille and Stephanie gasped. Everyone in the lobby looked up and the chaos began.
People started screaming and running around, trying to take cover. Stephanie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The kids at the Palm Woods were way too easy to scare. James was the one with a gun pointed at him, and they were scrambling like he was firing wildly at them. She quickly turned her attention back to James. He was staring at everything with innocent, tear filled eyes, and she instantly thought of Carlos. She'd seen the same look when they'd watched sad movies together, and now it was mirrored on James' face.
I'm sorry, he mouthed. She shook her head, looking at him with all the pity she could put into one look. It's not your fault, she mouthed back. James tried to smile to show her appreciation at her words, but it turned into a grimace as Samuel pressed the gun harder into his skull. "No one try anything," he ordered threateningly, slowly backing up and pulling James with him. They passed Mr. Bitters, who had a donut hanging out of his mouth. Then they passed Buddha Bob, who froze and nearly dropped his chainsaw. James had a brief fantasy of the maintenance man saving him with the chainsaw, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had come as he was pulled through the doors.
Samuel dragged him to a waiting car and opened the trunk with the push of a button. He shoved James toward the open trunk and hit him with the butt of his gun, shoving him roughly inside. James was knocked unconscious almost instantly, but before the darkness enveloped him he had one last thought. Oh crap.
The minute Kendall heard Jo scream he jumped up and ran out of the apartment. He remembered Gustavo's words from the time he'd stayed at the apartment while his mansion was flooded "You guys should have taken the stairs! Much faster!" He instantly headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. He burst into the lobby and looked around wildly, finally spotting his girlfriend. "Jo!" he cried, running towards her. She was standing with Stephanie and Camille, and she was silently crying. "Jo, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. "J-James," she whispered. Kendall's heart sank and he stared at her in shock. "He brought James through the lobby?" he asked in horror. Jo nodded and started crying again. "W-what happened?"
Kendall answered his mouth to answer but was interrupted as Carlos and Logan stumbled down the stairs. "Guys!" Logan gasped. Camille jumped on him and pulled him into a hug. "Oh Logan," she sobbed. Logan knew she was extremely upset because she didn't even attempt to slap him. "Shhh," he murmured, trying to control his own tears. "It's okay, you're okay," he said softly. Camille buried her face in his shoulder and continued to cry.
Stephanie stepped towards Carlos and stood there awkwardly. Stephanie had never been one to cry, and even now no tears were falling. But she was still insanely worried about James and completely freaked out, and Carlos saw that immediately. Wordlessly he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back, trembling. "Oh my God," she whispered.
Finally everyone pulled apart and the girls looked at the boys worriedly. "What happened?" Camille asked quietly. "Stenwell got into the apartment," Kendall answered, grabbing his hair in frustration. "Are you guys okay?" Jo asked, scanning the boys. The nodded grimly. "But he has James again," Carlos groaned, biting his lip. They all looked at each other in distress. "What are we going to do?"
James opened his eyes slowly and instantly closed them again as a wave of dizziness washed over him. He was tied hand and foot, and it felt like he was sitting in a hard, wooden chair. A door opened somewhere right and he heard loud footsteps coming near him. "Oh good, you're awake," Samuel said, his voice filled the room and echoing. Echoing? James thought to himself. He kept his eyes closed, hoping that Samuel would just go away, and that he would have a little time to prepare himself for whatever Samuel might do. He had no such luck, and the next thing he knew a hand was striking him hard across the face. His eyes snapped open and he bit back a cry of pain, looking up at Samuel's amused face. "You might be a somewhat good singer," he said, earning a hate- filled glare from James, "but you're a terrible actor. And besides James, I know you to well." He grabbed James by his hair and pulled. James cried out and tried to jerk away, but that only increased the pain. Finally he just sat still, staring at his kidnapper helplessly.
"What do you want?" he asked softly, already knowing the answer. "You," Samuel said coldly. "I want to make you suffer for all the problems you've caused me. You nearly got me arrested again, and you got the two idiots that were helping me thrown in the big house. Plus, I still need to make you pay for everything else you've done. I promised I would, right?" he said angrily. He was breathing heavily and his fists were clenched, but he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He smiled at James evilly and continued. "But I'll get my revenge soon enough. In fact, I even have a plan." James frowned up at him, looking puzzled. "A plan?" he asked nervously.
Samuel's grin widened. "Oh, you better believe it. See, when I was watching you and you're friends," James' eyes widened a bit at this, "I realized something: no matter what I do to you, you'll always get better as long as you have your friends." James stared at him in horror as he realized what he was saying. "No!" he screamed, struggling in the chair. "You can't!" Samuel chuckled as James thrashed around desperately. "Oh, but I can. And I will. That's the only way that I will truly break you. And as I'm torturing them, making them scream and beg for mercy, you'll know that it's entirely your fault."
James continued to writhe in his chair, much to Samuel's amusement. Tears poured from the boy's eyes as he struggled and screamed. "No! You can't, they have nothing to do with this! Please don't hurt them!" he sobbed. "Oh, but they have everything to do with this, James. Who did you call when you first escaped? Who was by your side every second you were in the hospital? Who saved you several times when I came after you? Don't say they have nothing to do with this, because you and I both know that's a lie. Now," he muttered, just loud enough for James to hear him, "how to get them here."
James glared at him. No, no, no. The thought ran through his head over and over again. Not them, anyone but them. He heard Samuel gasp in delight. "Of course!" he shouted. He turned to James and gave him a smile that chilled him to the bone. "I think you'll be seeing your friends very soon, James," he said wickedly. "NO!" James screamed again, but he knew it was useless. Samuel disappeared from view for a few seconds, and suddenly something slammed into the back of his head. No… was his last thought before he was thrown into a world of darkness.
Kendall and Logan sat on the couch in subdued silence while Carlos paced back and forth in front of them. "What do we do?" Carlos demanded. Their guards had woken up and were now downstairs filing a report and going over the security tapes. Mrs. Knight had already been called, and the last thing Kendall had heard from her was her breaking down and sobbing. Now the boys were all alone in the apartment, waiting for something, anything, good to happen. There was a knock on the door.
Carlos stopped pacing and ran to the door, flinging it open. There was no one in the hall, but on the floor was a small DVD. On the label it said: For Kendall Knight, Carlos Garcia, and Logan Mitchell's eyes only. The boys exchanged looks and ran for the DVD player, quickly putting it in. An image appeared on the TV, and they all stared at the screen in horror.
