A/n: I'm going to end this story a bit sooner than I'd planned. I think there will be more one more chapter after this one.

Chapter 11: Escaping

"Get up," a rough voice commanded. Chad obeyed without thinking; the drugs hadn't quite worn off yet. He was extremely tired. He couldn't remember where he was right now; his head ached so badly. His first thought was home, but he realized this could not be true. He opened his eyes. It was strangely dark, but they were still in the empty storage room. His head popped up.

"Get away from me!" he pushed the figure who had just helped him up away.

"Kid, listen to me! Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!" the man held his hands in a surrendering kind of pose. Chad didn't buy it.

"Just leave us alone! Just let us out of here, and then I'll believe you don't want to hurt me!"

"That's what I'm trying to do you idiot!" the man shouted. Chad looked shocked.

"What?"

"I'm going to get you out of here," the man said simply.

"I don't believe you," Chad retorted. This had to be some kind of trick, maybe to separate them again.

"Fine, bye," the man made to walk away. Chad glanced at his sleeping friends, dark masses lying on the ground.

"Why would you help us?"

"Because, no one was supposed to die," the man said quietly. Chad couldn't see the man's face, he had no idea if this man was lying or not.

"Well, too late now!" his temper rose.

"I know, I'm sorry," the man's voice was almost too soft to hear.

"You're sorry?" Chad screamed, "They're dead and you're sorry?! I can't believe you people!"

"Well, that's why I'm trying to help you, dipshit!" the man yelled back. "Now shut up and help me wake the others up so I can get you out of here."

Chad reviewed his options. He could refuse to do anything; that was if he thought the guy was lying. What if he wasn't though? From his voice, he did sound deeply sorry, but he could just be a good liar. But what if he was just trying to separate them so as to more easily control those who remained? What more could they lose? What might happen if he trusted this guy? They could get out, or be killed trying. Or they could sit here and probably be killed anyway. Freedom looked better.

Chad, ignoring the pain in his foot and his pounding headache, started shaking the dark mass that was Troy, who soon woke up. Troy was as wary of trusting the kidnapper as Chad, but agreed they didn't have many other choices.

"Where are the others?" he asked the man who was in the process of waking Zeke up.

"They wanted to get out of here for a bit. They're buying some more cigarettes and beer. I think we're guaranteed another good thirty minutes if we hurry."

"Could we turn on some lights or something?" Chad asked, rubbing his sore head again.

"How many lights do you need?" the man asked, not even looking at Chad.

"What do you mean?" Chad was really confused.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked concernedly, "There's plenty of light in here."

"Then why is it so dark?" Chad countered. A growing sense of dread was weighing in his stomach. He looked over to Troy, who was a dark figure. He could see everyone's figure, because they were a darker black than his surroundings, but he couldn't see any details in the dark. He assumed it was night.

"Chad?" Troy was really worried now. There was he light hanging from the ceiling. It was a bright, fluorescent thing that was attracted many flies. Troy looked at Chad's face. His normally deep brown eyes had seemed to turn a much lighter shade. His pupils were smaller than normal. A thought entered Troy's head. Chad had probably sustained a concussion. Being knocked out, being punched in the head and falling over could not have helped matters. "Can you see?"

"Am I going blind!?" Chad was getting scared. He could see Troy's outline moving towards him. He saw the man raise his head in his direction.

"Does your head still hurt?" Troy asked, peering into his best friends eyes.

"It hasn't stopped. It peaked a few minutes before we got the food, but it feels better. That must mean its going away, right?" Chad looked hopefully at Troy. "You think it'll go away in a few minutes right?" he was like a child seeking reassurance. Troy didn't know what to say, so he nodded. Chad tired to calm himself. He put his hand to his face, hoping to see each individual finger. He was disappointed in only seeing a dark blob inches from his nose.

About ten minutes later, everyone else was awake. Neither Chad nor Troy felt the need to tell any of them about Chad's newly developed disability. Chad uncomfortably noticed that the figures of his friends seemed to be getting more and more blurred, instead of clearer, like he'd hoped. It somehow kept getting slightly darker as the minutes wore on.

To hide the fact that he could barely see at the moment, Chad wasn't moving around much. He was looking down at the ground while the others were convinced to trust the man, who Chad learned was named Eddy.

Sharpay, thinking Chad was trying not to cry or something, held his hand, which he was glad of as she led him to the door. The plan was to go out one of the back doors. Eddy would point them in the right direction, but could not come with them. He would give the story that they'd escaped on their own, so as to save his own neck. Once in the nearest town, they were to contact the police. Eddy was ready to take responsibility for what he'd done. Hopefully the cops would find and capture them before they'd gone.

Eddy explained how Bobby had basically gone crazy and that if they stayed, he would probably kill them all. If the teens escaped but the kidnappers did as well, Eddy told them that Bobby was not one to give up; he would follow them and try to kidnap them again. Some of the others would follow his lead, but Eddy thought one or two of the other men might not.

Eddy had to get them out of here with a decent head start. He guessed they had about fifteen minutes to get as far away as possible before the others would be back and try to capture them.

They got to the door. Hardly daring to believe this was true, the teens exited. A forest stretched out in front of them. They made their way as quickly as possible, all the time wondering when they would hear the sounds of their kidnappers chasing after them.

--

Eddy watched the kids disappear. A feeling of relief and of fear swept over him. Would Bobby kill him, his own brother, as easily as he had killed those two girls? Eddy thought that Bobby would do anything now. He wasn't the same brother he'd grown up with. It's not like Eddy had ever had great expectations of life, but kidnapping teenagers with his crazy brother? That was below low.

Eddy went to go set up the ploy. He was to knock himself out in the room where the kids had been. Bobby would be furious, but at least he wouldn't think Eddy had let them go.

He turned into the office that preceded the storeroom. The door was open. He stopped when he heard voices.

"How the hell did they get out?" he heard Bobby's voice roar, "Where is that no good ass brother of mine?" Eddy decided it would do no good to hide. He made up his mind in one second. He would have to improvise.

"Bobby!" he panted, as if he'd just run a mile, "I tried to stop them! There were too many! I couldn't handle them on my own! I'm sorry!" Eddy had never been the best liar. He refused to meet Bobby's eyes until after he'd spun the lie. When he did, he saw a look of dawning comprehension on his brother's face.

"You..." He pointed at Eddy, "Did you do this?"

"No, they got past me, I was knocked out in the other room, I only just woke up!" Eddy was beginning to panic. The other men were looking at him strangely, some suspiciously, others pitying.

"Where are your bruises then?" Bobby asked quietly. His voice was too calm.

"What?" Eddy's stomach dropped. Almost all of the other men had at least one visible bruise. Eddy, having stayed out of most of the fighting, did not.

"If they knocked you out or beat you, you would surely have some sign of a struggle," Bobby was still talking abnormally quietly. The other men were starting to realize what he was getting at.

"Did you let them go Eddy?" Lou asked incredulously.

"No, I didn't…." Eddy was starting to stammer. He was shaking.

"I thought I'd taught you better," Bobby raised his arm. Eddy saw a gleaming black gun in his hand.

"No, Bobby, you wouldn't! I'm your brother! Bobby come on! You wouldn't do this! I didn't let them out! Guys you have to believe me," He was begging now. Sweat lined his face; he knew it was no good. He made a break for it.

He felt a sharp blow to his skull before he knew no more.

--

"Let's go get those bastards," Bobby growled, stepping over his brother's body. A few of the men looked contemptuously at their dead friend, as if he'd gotten what he'd deserved. But one or two of the others refused to look at him at all. How could Bobby have done that? To the kids was one thing, but to one of them?

"I'll bet they left through the back door," Lou said as they half-sprinted towards the said door.

"I can't believe the traitor did that," Hal said furiously. "Was he trying to get us all killed or something?"

Bobby was silent. He looked out to the forest in front of them. It had too many trees to use the cars. They would have to follow on foot, and quickly because the kids had a head start. "Come on," he growled.

--

"Chad, come on!" Sharpay yelled, "Why are you going so slowly? They could be coming at any second!" the panic that had risen within all of them over the past few minutes had brought about changes in all of them. Chad was extremely nervous, as he still couldn't see, his vision getting worse and worse. Gabriella was sobbing. Troy was trying to lead everyone but could not keep the panic out of his own voice. Zeke was set and determined to get everyone out of here now, he would feel fear later. Sharpay was talking again, but in a unnerved voice. Ryan was stony faced as he brought up the rear of the party.

"Chad what's wrong with you?" Ryan asked. He'd noticed how Chad had barley looked up once since they'd woken up. It worried him.

"Nothing," Chad insisted, still looking at the ground, "Let's keep moving."

"Chad, look at me!" Ryan was getting really scared now; Chad had just tripped over a huge branch. Chad obliged, he looked up at Ryan, who gasped. Chad's eyes were completely gray now.

"Oh my god, Chad!" Sharpay yelled, also seeing his eyes.

"It's nothing, and don't shout, they could hear you," Chad tried to move forward again but slammed into a tree trunk. "Fuck!" he rubbed his head. Without a word, Sharpay grabbed one arm and Ryan grabbed the other and they led him forward into the forest that he could no longer see.

"Guys, do you hear that?" Zeke had frozen. Everyone else stopped alongside him, turning back to the direction they'd just come from. They too could hear the distant disturbances of the forest. The kidnappers were coming.

A/n: Bum, Bum, BUM! Suspense! The end is near. Next chapter is last! Review, you've only got one more chance to do it!