A/N: you taryn at six, is a magnificent beta! Reviews are much appreciated. :)

I felt even more vulnerable as I peered into his gray eyes. The cold glare in them gave me chills, and his sinful grin had my stomach twisting in knots. I knew I was screwed; my head in a whirl, my sweaty palms, and my heart pounding so hard that I could barely hear anything around me was enough of a hint.

"Why so quiet, my dear?" Jeff whispered.

I gaped, but nothing came out of my dry throat. Looking stupidly at him would be of no help - and I knew that - but the fear was furthering, slowly pulling my senses away.

"Aw, Danni-Dear. What's wrong?" he asked, staring intently.

I shook my head and tightened the grip I had on Jake.

The table above us was hauled off the ground and flung to the side as if it weighed nothing. Body beginning to tremble, I remained silent and scooted back against the far wall. As of now, I could only imagine how Jake was feeling, the poor kid.

He gave me a confused, sleazy look. "What's wrong, dear?"

I avoided those stony-hearted, gray eyes and tried looking for an escape.

"Dear, don't be scared." He lowered himself in front of me to brush a lose piece of hair out of my face. "There's no need to be scared, okay?"

Our eyes meet.

His breath ran down the nape of my neck, engendering goosebumps along my arms. I shivered, eyes immediately averting his glare.

Jake's fists balled up, and he began to whimper.

Brow furrowing, Jeff looked down at the kid. "What's wrong, little one?"

"Jeff," I murmured. "Please."

He gently grabbed my chin and jerked it up to meet his eyes.

I blinked, holding my breath.

His lips twisted. "Hello."

I wriggled from his grasp, his immorality flooding through my ears.

"Don't be like that," he spoke. "Play nice, huh?"

"Go to hell," I grumbled, gritting my teeth.

He rose, and I held my breath, waiting for his next move. The gun freely dangling from his hand made me wary of saying the wrong thing. When someone holds that to you, you better watch your mouth. To even step out of line one time, your head would be blown away in a matter of seconds. You wouldn't even have time to beg for mercy.

"Now, that wasn't very nice," Jeff teased, wagging a finger.

I looked up. His cunning smile looked down at me. "Just…just let me go."

He clicked his tongue as he paced around the room. "No can do. Looks like you got yourself in a bit of a jam here."

I watched as he walked around like he didn't have a care in the world, like he hadn't just shot two people. Two people that were still lying helplessly on the cold floor, surrounded by puddles of their own blood.

"What're you gonna do to me?" I demanded.

He glanced at me from behind his shoulder. The ends of his mouth curled up. "It wouldn't be much fun if I told you now, would it?"

I glanced toward the unmoving bodies, their chests still, giving no signs of breathing. That could be me. I would want help, to see my family and friends and life again, much like they would.

Get up and help them. Do something. Don't just sit there.

I could feel hot tears run down my face. There was no controlling them now. My legs shacked from underneath me. I felt my heart getting ready to pound out of my chest.

Thump, thump, thump.

Jeff mumbled something as he looked at me.

My head popped back, realizing what was happening. "Wh-what?"

He fully looked over at me and smirked. "Looks like you're in a real pickle there."

"Jeff, I-"

"How'd you pull this off anyway?" he asked, sitting down in one of the dining chairs. "I mean, it's kind of funny if you really think about it."

Funny? Funny wouldn't be the first word to pop up in my mind.

My eyes wondered back to the limp body hidden behind a table. The only thing I could make out was her thick, black hair being drenched by a pool of blood. She was slowly dying.

"Come on, Dan, talk to me."

My head turned to meet him. His legs were crossed and the gun layed on his lap. His mannerisms were not that of a killer. No, he wasn't a killer. He was a monster.

"Why?" I managed to choke out. "Why are you here?"

He shrugged and looked back at his gun. "Were you not listening? I had a job to finish."

I watched him play with the weapon in his hands. A Remington handgun. Dally owned one of the same ones. They had a big blow out sale not too long ago and sold a bunch for just a few dollars because ol' Mr. Copper had just got busted for drugs and was going to the big house.

The bottom of the handle was a deep black and the silver was rusted. A hook was on the back to load the gun, and then there was the slim bar that came out from it. The slim bar that could put any man to permanent rest in a matter of seconds.

He sat there and played about with the trigger, as if tempting himself to pull it back and end me.

"Ain't much of a talker today, huh?" he asked.

I glanced up as he walked back over to me. My eyes narrowed as he inched closer.

"What's the look for?" He bent to my eye level. "Come on. No wise comments today?"

I glared.

The baby in my lap had been oddly quiet through this whole thing. Somehow he knew of the danger we were in.

"That's very disappointing." He sighed and stood back up. "Tell me something, Danni. Did you ever figure out that little problem you were having trouble with?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I whispered.

He cracked a laugh and rubbed his chin. "Yeah." He glanced behind him at Angela's body. "You were fair, my dear. But her... Damn she was something. It's a shame, really."

I kept my eyes focused on him, afraid of what would happen if I looked away.

He swiftly turned back around. "That was a magical night, you know?"

A sly smile crept onto his face. "Still don't remember?" He took a step closer. "Aw, that's too bad. I thought you were a little wiser than that."

He kneeled back down, a few inches from my face. I meet his blank stare, not daring to look elsewhere.

"Let me give you a tip, my dear. It's not too smart to take drinks from strangers." He rose back up, giving me a minute to take in what he just said.

Drink from strangers? The whole night he was referring to was just a blur in my mind. I could vaguely remember him being there...but a drink from a stranger?

My head shot back up. "You...you drugged me?"

He chuckled cold-heartedly. "Well that would be very obvious, now wouldn't it? But wrong again; I did no such thing."

My mind began racing. He did not such thing. Tim wasn't there that night. That much I remembered. It was the night I sucked down about ten beers and we had a big fight, then he just left me there to find for myself. If it wasn't Jeff or Tim, who could've possibly done it?

"Still not clicking, huh?" He sighed. "Let me tell you a story, then."

I looked up as he fiddled with the gun in his hand. Out of instinct, I fidget.

"You see, what I told doll face over there was partially true. I'm not much of a liar. That's a sin, right?" He looked back down at me.

Silence.

"Well, it was one of my first nights in town... and well, I was looking for someone to…fill my needs, I guess you could say. I strolled over to ol' Bucks and found little ol' you just sitting on the couch crying your eyes out."

I gazed at the baby cradled tightly in my arms. He hadn't taken his eyes off this man either.

"See, I was just trying to be nice. I went over to you and you shooed me away. Told me to take a hike, if I remember correctly," he went on. "That's something you don't know about me, dear. I don't like to be told 'no'."

I tried to focus my attention on something other than him and this conversation.

"You remember Rich, right? In fact, I seem to remember you taking a liking to him not too long ago. Am I right?"

I remained still, refusing to look up again.

"He was with me that night. I had noticed you eyeing him a couple of times, so I thought of a plan. Since you wouldn't give me the time of day, I'd get you to give it to someone else." I could hear him smirk. "You liked him. Giggled your head off at every little joke he told you."

His footsteps echoed as he came closer to me. I held my breath and waited.

"Like I said, hun; you shouldn't take drinks from strangers."

I blinked a couple of times and looked back up at him. "He drugged me?"

"Bingo." His lips snapped together as he said it. "The rest of the night... well, you get the picture."

I took a minute to think it over. No. No, I'd never seen him before until a few months ago. He was lying; it was written all over his face.

"So you… raped me?"

He sat back down on one of the chairs. "That's a bit harsh. I wouldn't call it rape; it was more of an act of passion."

I looked away from him, it now finally clicking in my mind that he wasn't lying.

"Now, don't be that way. You seemed to enjoy some of it. That is, after you stopped that screaming stuff. Then we all had a grand time." He chuckled.

My head snapped back around. "We all?"

He rolled his eyes. "Once again, I really thought you were wiser than this."

"Rich," I whispered.

He clapped his hands together. "Congratulations, my dear; you have figured it out. Bravo."

I stared blankly at him. "You two…Both of you?"

He grumbled and stood back up. "I had to make some sort of deal. I don't mind sharing." He winked at me.

I was taken aback for a minute. They took advantage of me.

I scooted back farther against the wall. The more I thought about it, the dirtier I felt. I shivered as new goose bumps appeared on my skin.

What had he done to me?

"Too bad your lil' boyfriend couldn't help you out then," he went on.

"You…you and Rich raped me."

He grumbled and stood back up. "Yes, yes, we all know this. I'm a horrible person - blah, blah, blah. It's in the past, dear."

I shook my head. "How….how could you do that to me?"

He took a glance at me and chuckled. "I just shot two people. I'd say my conscience is good."

I stayed as close as possible to the wall as he walked around the tiny room we were locked in. My mind was racing. All I could do was sit here. Sit here and not even attempt to save the lifeless bodies on the floor - or even myself.

"Jeff," I whispered. "Please, can we talk about this? I can talk to the police; just…you have to let me go. We have to get help. They're gonna die. Jeff, please!"

He chuckled from where he stood. "It's too late, my dear." He turned on his heel. "She's already dead."

I blinked a few times, trying to calm myself. I could see the puddle of blood start to get larger and larger with every passing second. The baby in my arms began to whimper once again. I looked down at his innocent face. There lay his mother, his mother that was dying right in front of him.

"Why, Jeff?" I asked raising my voice. "Why her? She never did anything to you but love you, even when you beat her, lied to her, and treated her like shit! How could you just do that to her? She has a baby, Jeff. A baby that is going to grow up without his mother! Why, Jeff, why?" Tears freely dribbled down my face and into Jake's black hair.

I watched as the terrible being stared blankly at his gun, refusing to acknowledge me. My heart beat faster and faster the longer he remained silent.

"We have to help her," I spoke through tears. "Jeff, she is dying. Please don't make me watch her die!"

He glanced over at me, his eyes filled with anger now. "Fine, I won't make you watch."

He started to walk toward me.

I sighed with relief. "We need to... we need to call. There's a phone inside; you can go get it while I stay here with her."

He didn't stop. His footsteps were starting to get closer to me.

"Jeff, please go get help," I begged one last time. "We need to do something. Save her."

The ends of his lips curled upward. "I'm not going to make you watch her die. That'd be cruel."

I looked up into his deep gray eyes as they sparkled with the light. Those eyes were once so beautiful. Once filled with so much life.

"Go get help," I whispered.

He shook his head with the evil grin still plastered on his face. "No, my dear; I'm not going to make you watch." He took a minute as if to collect himself. "I'm going to let you join her."

He raised the gun up pointing it at my head.

I felt my voice go away as my heart seized to beat. The small child sitting in my lap stared up at the man with tears running down his flushed, chubby cheeks.

"Why don't we put the child down, Danni?" He said calmly. "He doesn't need to be hurt in all of this."

I bit my lip as my chin began to quiver.

"Go ahead, Danni. You don't want to be responsible for his life too. Now do you?" he asked. "You've already let two other people die."

I slowly shook my head. "No, Jeff. Please?"

He simply rolled his eyes and waved the gun towards me. "Move it along now. I really don't have time to hear your pleas."

I looked to the floor. My whole body began to shake with fear. Could I just sit here and die?

"I'm doing what you asked," he said with a bite in his tone. "You said you didn't want to watch her die, so here's a solution."

My mind was rushing with ideas, but none of which were useful for me or the two lying on the floor. No one would hear my screams; he'd end them before I got a chance to even let them out.

"I can help you, Danni."

I glanced back up, unsure if it was him who spoke those words.

"Mommy and Daddy are waiting for you. I'm going to bring them their only daughter. Their little angel is coming home. I thought you'd be happy about that?"

I slowly breathed out. "Don't."

"They're waiting, Danni. It's your lucky day. Just put the child down, and it'll all be over."

I tightened my grip on the one thing that was keeping me alive. "No."

"Come on, now," he cooed. "You know you want to see them. I know you, Danni. What exactly do you have to live for? Do you really think that family of yours cares if you die? They've moved on with their lives. You're just a burden to them."

"Stop."

"Life would be so much easier for them if you were to just….disappear. I'm doing everyone a favor!" he shouted with excitement. "Now, no one will have to deal with you any longer."

"Stop it."

"Dally doesn't care, either. You let him walk out that door. He treated you badly? How about how bad you treated him? You were quite a little bitch to him." He shrugged. "He's gone now. Probably off fucking another whore right about now. He can't save you today, my dear."

"Please stop." I shield my eyes.

"Put the baby down, Danni. It'll all be over soon."

I repositioned Jake on the edge of my thigh. "No."

"Put the baby down!" he shouted.

"No."

The noise rang through the quiet room. A bomb had been set off. I winced at the sound, but felt nothing. My body was filled with adrenaline.

The world seemed to stand still at that very moment.

In an instant, my entire body was filled with an ungodly pain, a pain that I had never felt in my life. Fire. It felt as if there was a fire burning my insides, slowly eating away my life. I grabbed my upper thigh, feeling a warm liquid seep through my fingers.

My screams were silent. My throat still dry and unable to utter a single sound. My eyes were still glued shut.

I wouldn't look. I couldn't allow myself to see the wound. The pain sent chills down my spine. Never in all of my years had I experienced such pain as this.

"That should give you some momentum." He snorted. "Now, are we going to cooperate?"

My hands clasped my wounded leg.

The child's screams were silenced along with mine. Not a sound filled the room.

"Put the child down, dear, or I'll shoot you both," he growled. "Do it now."

Tears ran down my face and into my burning wound.

"Do it now!" His voice rang.

I let out a shaky, deep breath. "Jeff... please."

The gun clicked as he reloaded it, and I prepared myself for what was to come.