A/N: I had this story posted before but took it down for various reasons. However, I've decided to, after editing it somewhat, re-post. It's a little different than most of my stories and may hit a little close to home for some people; just in case, please read the warning before reading.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warning: Graphic/mature themes and possible triggers (character abuse, character death, Serious topics! consider carefully before reading!)

Tala's heart was racing faster then him as he bolted down the darkened streets, the sound of sirens blaring in the distance. His lungs seared with the pain of over-exertion but still he kept running. Further and faster he ran but he could not escape the image stuck in his head, or the words ringing in his ears like some intruding, perverse voice constantly mocking him.

"Dum, dum, honey what have you done?
Dum, dum, it's the sound of my gun...
Dum, dum, honey what have you done?
Dum, dum, it's the sound, it's the sound..."

Clenching his teeth, Tala shook his head to shake away the voice but this only worked for a few moments. Spotting a dark alley ahead, he turned the corner and hurtled down it. Noting the sound of the sirens dying away, he hid behind a large dumpster and leaned against a wall, allowing himself to slide down it as he took great, greedy gulps of breath.

Tala's got a gun
Tala's got a gun
His whole world's come undone
From lookin' straight at the sun
What did that monster do?
What did he put you through?

Tala seethed as a certain image loomed in his mind. A smug, smirking face staring down at him like he were merely a toy to be played with.

"That worthless pig!" Tala growled, his fists clenching as tight as his teeth. "He won't ever touch us again!"

The red-head's face snapped toward the front of the alleyway as the sound of sirens again drew closer. With a heavy groan he heaved himself off the ground and reluctantly forced himself to run again. In no time he reached the back of the alleyway and was halted by an obstacle in the form of a tall, chain-linked fence. This however didn't hinder his movements for long, because in moments the redhead was over the top of it and lighted unsteadily on the ground on the other side before jumping up and once more running for his life.

Tala's lungs seared more painfully then ever and he knew he could force himself to run no longer. Noting this fact, he hastily looked around and remembered an old abandoned train yard. The cold Russian air scarcely affected the redhead as he bolted for what he hoped to be his new safe-haven for a while.

Finally reaching his destination, Tala headed to a large train car that looked inconspicuous enough and out-of-the-way and dove in under it, again straining to catch his breath. When he'd finally calmed down a little, he lifted his hands in front of his face and stared at them. They shook slightly as he stared, the memory of the object which had previously occupied them searing him more then any flame ever could.

"What have I done...?" He whispered, tears beginning to sting his eyes.

As another image came to his mind, the tears in the once vibrant blue eyes finally spilled down his cheeks and a small sob escaped him. Pulling his knees to his chest, he wrapped his arms around them, his body shaking with silent sobs as he thought back to the terrible crime he'd so recently committed.

"Oh, God!" He choked painfully, a deep mixture of fear and sickening guilt building inside him. "What have I done!?"

Suddenly Tala's head jerked up again when he felt a hand on his shoulder and his eyes widened in fear at the sight of the newcomer.

"It's alright son." A gentle looking man said softly. Looking him over, Tala could tell he was a police officer. How had the man gotten so close without him having noticed? Well no matter, it was all over for him now.

The officer took in Tala's shaking frame and quickly realised the effect his hand on the redhead's shoulder was having on the teen. He swiftly withdrew his hand and gave the redhead a sympathetic look.

"It's OK." He said softly. "You're safe now."

Tala swallowed hard and only relaxed ever so slightly when the man hastily released him. The officer shuffled back a little then extended his hand to Tala.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to come with me."

Tala swallowed hard as the tears continued to cascade silently down his face in thick streams. He hesitated for a moment but finally moved and followed the man, choosing not to accept the offered help but knowing that to resist was pointless and would only be counter-productive.

They said when Tala was arrested
they found him underneath a train
The man, he had it comin' Now that Tala's got a gun
he ain't never gonna be the same.

Tala hugged his knees to his chest as he stared out the bar-obscured window. His thoughts were running wild and his emotions were a cloud of confusion. He was hurt, confused, and scared. But worst of all he felt violated, betrayed and disgusted. But the one thing he didn't feel was guilty; not anymore.

"That demon deserved what he got!" Tala spat thickly, sniffling as he hugged his knees tighter to his chest.

A tall figure once again loomed in Tala's mind and his teeth clenched at the sight.

Tala's got a gun
Tala's got a gun
His dog day's just begun
Now everybody is on the run
Tell me now it's untrue.
What did that monster do?

Tala's thoughts began to wander again and his vision swam as the images he was so desperately trying to push away materialised before him as if he was re-living the horrific nightmare all over again.

Tala sat in his room with his knees pulled tightly to his chest. He was waiting; tonight was his turn. He hated what he knew was coming but he could think of nothing to do about it. With the tight security at the Abbey, there was no hope of escaping and even if he could manage, where would he go? He was stuck in place and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Shaking him from his thoughts, Tala's head snapped up to stare at his door in horror. He watched the doorknob turn with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach as he fought to keep his body from trembling. After what felt like hours, the door finally creaked open and a tall figure finally stepped into the room. Closing the door behind him, the purple-haired man smirked at the redhead on the bed and slowly approached him, taking his time like a predator stalking his prey.

Tala took a deep breath and stared bravely back at the man. He knew Boris could tell how scared he was and how much the teen hated him, but Tala was determined not to show any more fear or emotion then he could help and simply sat in place as he awaited the inevitable.

"Oh, come now Tala." Boris' voice cooed malevolently. "Don't look at me like that. I know how much you all anticipate my nightly visits, but as you know, there's more then enough of me to go around."

Tala's face screwed up in a disgusted scowl and his insides burned with a mixture of his emotions and his over-powering anger.

"I hate you!" He hissed through clenched teeth.

Boris snickered and shrugged off his jacket, reaching down then to the buckle of his trousers.

"No need for the hostility, there's no reason we can't both enjoy this. It's your own damned faults you boys don't have as much fun as I do."

Tala's blood boiled and his mind and heart ached with the warring emotions inside him; pain, fear, anger, disgust.

"I'll kill myself before I ever enjoy your company." Tala hissed venomously.

Again Boris smirked but nothing more was said as he walked over to the bed and joined the trembling redhead atop it.

He forced himself upon those poor boys
The man has got to be insane
They say the spell that he was under
the lightning and the thunder
knew that someone had to stop the rain

-;-

Tala sniffled and held himself tightly in a fetal position on his side as he listened to the happenings in the room next to his. A rebel sob and pair of tears escaped him as he heard his normally stotic lilac-haired teammate's cry's.

"This isn't right..." Tala sobbed. "It's not fair! We don't deserve this! No one deserves this!"

Tala buried his face his his arms and failed to suppress another sob.

"I have to do something..."

Cringing, Tala resisted a scream of his own as he heard Brian once again cry out from the room next door.

"If there is a God," Tala sobbed loudly. "Help us!"

Suddenly, hearing the loud bang of what was likely the bedpost against the wall next door, a thought struck Tala like a bolt of lightning and he slowly sat up in bed, sniffing as his eyes glossed over with the image.

"That's it..." He said tonelessly.

Without a second thought, the redhead jumped out of his bed and bolted for the door. He threw it open and flew from the room before running down the hall as fast as his legs could carry him.

He'd nearly reached his destination when he passed a hallway and stopped before backtracking in confusion. Taking a moment to stare, the redhead turned to face the boys in question.

"What are you doing?" He asked his fellow teammates, huddled together on the corridor floor.

Ian looked up at Tala, his eyes glossy as he huddled closer to Spenser.

"It's not fair..." He whispered, wincing as another cry was heard from down the hall.

Tala frowned and looked over his shoulder with a scowl. He then turned back to the two boys on the floor as a mixture of hatred and determination burned his his eyes.

"I've had enough too." He said quietly. "And tonight it's going to end."

The two boys on the floor gave Tala questioning looks, a glimmer of hope barely visible in their eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Spenser asked, not daring to get his hopes up.

Tala looked over his shoulder again as if checking to see that he could not be heard, then looked back down at the boys again.

"Follow me." He said simply.

Exchanging quick glances, Ian and Spencer scrambled up off the floor and bolted after their team Captain as he raced down the hall at an almost impossible speed.

Tala flew up a flight of stairs and down a number of other corridors and hallways before finally stopping at the door he'd been making his way too. Moments later his fellow teammates arrived panting as well, just as Tala retracted his hand from the doorknob with a mighty curse.

"Damn it!" He hissed angrily. "I was in such a hurry to actually get here that I never actually thought about what I'd do when I did!"

Spencer took one look at the redhead, then looked back at the door and understood. He didn't know why Tala wanted to get into Boris' room but he knew the redhead had a plan and at that moment, he was willing to try anything.

"Move." The blonde grunted.

Tala moved aside and the burly teen extracted something from his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole. After only a few moments a small click was heard and Spenser grunted again.

"That arrogant sicko." He said angrily. "He thought we were so scared of him that we'd never consider something like this. Every other room in the Abbey is reinforced with so much security it makes the local prison look like a playground, but he's just got a plain old lock on his."

Knowing there was no time to waste, Tala pushed Spencer aside and opened the door to the room. He didn't hesitate as he bolted into the room and began rummaging around. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for under Boris' mattress and immediately grabbed it.

"Come on!" The redhead yelled. Not giving the other boys time to see what he'd acquired, he bolted from the room and once again retraced his steps.

Finally stopping at a certain familiar door, Tala's heart began to pound wildly in his chest and his stomach threatened to betray him. His throat was bone-dry and his breath was suddenly coming out in great heaves that had nothing to do with over-exertion.

"This is it..." He whispered breathlessly.

Hesitating only a moment, Tala reached for the doorknob and turned it, just as his two teammates again appeared behind him. The other two watched with bated breaths as Tala opened the door and walked into the room. Exchanging another look, the two boys cautiously followed him in, sticking to each other and keeping one foot behind them ready to bolt if the need arose.

Boris stopped his disgusting criminal act and looked up at the three boys in the doorway with a smirk.

"Come to join in on the fun boys?" He sneered maliciously. "As I always say, there's plenty of me to go around."

Tala's teeth clenched and his body began to tremble as he glared a hole through Boris' corrupted soul. His hands lifted from his side and both clasped together as his finger slipped into the trigger of the revolver gripped between them. The smirk was instantly wiped from Boris' face as he scowled at the boy.

"You wouldn't dare!" He snarled savagely. "You don't have the guts!"

There was a tortured expression on Tala's face and his eyes were blurred so badly with the pooled tears that it was hard to see. Blinking them back angrily, he clenched his teeth tightly against the onslaught of emotion, and finally a single pair of tears escaped their confines as he cocked the gun in his hands with shaky fingers.

"I might be joining you eventually..." Tala choked with a strangled voice. "But I hope to God, He sends you straight to hell where you belong, you demon!"

The explosive sound of the firearm seemed to vibrate through the entire facility, and Boris fell forward onto Brian, his last scowl etched forever onto his evil face.

Brian stared at the corpse in utter shock for a few moments, until what had happened finally sunk in and he heaved the body off of him with a disgusted grunt.

All eyes turned to Tala, whom was trembling violently with wide eyes and a crazed look, as the small projectile slowly slipped from the hands now at his sides and fell to the floor with a cold, frightening bang. Tears were streaming down the redhead's face by now and his already pale skin had turned ashen.

After getting up and yanking on a pair of pants, Brain darted over to Tala and pulled the teen into a tight embrace.

"You did it, man..." He choked, his own voice thick and strained with emotion as well. "You did it... You made it stop, Tal... It's over, it's finally over..."

Tala didn't return the embrace but he allowed himself to be held as he sobbed into his teammate's arms while the other two dropped beside them and placed their hands on the redhead's shoulder with bowed heads.

"If there really is a God, Tal..." Ian said, his voice cracking. "Then I think He'd forgive you for this..."

"You saved us, man..." Spencer choked. "You said it yourself; the man was a demon... he had to be..."

The four teens stayed on the floor for what felt like hours, neither able or willing to move, but eventually a shrill sound in the distance snapped them out of their reverie. Brian's head snapped up as his eyes widened in terror.

"We've got to get out of here!" He exclaimed in a panic.

The lilac-haired teen bolted over to Boris' still naked body and scowled down at it with the utmost hatred and disgust. Reaching down and yanking a key-card off the corpse's neck, he spit into the dead man's face as he stood before grabbing his coat on a nearby chair and running back over to his teammates. Grabbing the still dazed Tala's wrist, he yanked him up and ran from the room and beckoned the others to follow.

"They'll be here any minute, we've got to get as far away as possible!"

The four teens flew down the many long hallways and ran for the exit as fast as their legs could carry them. In no time the four were outside and their panic skyrocketed as the sounds of the sirens rapidly got louder and louder. Spenser turned to his teammates with an expression swirling with emotion.

"We've got to split up." He choked, his voice cracking with the raw emotion in his throat. "They'll have a harder time catching us if we all go different ways."

Pulling them all into a tight hug, Spencer took Tala by the shoulders and gave them a tight squeeze.

"You've got to run Tal!" He said firmly. Then his voice softened and his eyes glazed over with unshed tears.

"You're not in this alone OK? We're all in this together and we'll meet up again soon. You did nothing wrong, you gave that sick psycho what he deserved, and no matter what, that was going to happen sooner or later - if not by you then by one of us. Do you understand?"

Tala stared at the blonde for a moment, then swallowed hard and gave him a single nod.

"Good." Spenser said solemnly. He then pulled the other three into a quick embrace before releasing them and giving them a single nod. Without another word, he turned and ran, soon followed by Ian, then Brian and eventually Tala.

And so they did what any frightened and confused teen would do.

They ran.

Run away, run away from the pain yeah, yeah yeah yeah
Run away run away from the pain yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Run away, run away, run, run away

Tala's got a gun
Tala's got a gun
His dog day's just begun
Now everybody is on the run

As he sat in his cell, staring out his window Tala couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the rest of his team - his friends. Had they been captured too? Had they managed to escape? Were they now on the run considered dangerous fugitives?

Tala shook his head. No, his friends were safe, they were OK, he was sure of it. Taking a deep breath, he allowed himself some comfort as he remembered Spencer's words.

"You're not in this alone OK? We're all in this together and we'll meet up again soon."

He knew this was true, his team would never abandon him alone after what he'd been through - after what they'd been through. He knew he'd see them again.

What did that monster do?
It's Tala's last I.O.U.
He had to take him down easy and put a bullet in his brain

Thinking about his friends got the redhead thinking about his trial the next day. Right then he had been simply placed in a holding cell until the trial was over. If the judge ruled in his favour then he was OK, but if he ruled against Tala... well, a holding cell would be the least of his worries. If he were sentenced - for he was old enough to go to prison - then the things Boris did would likely be child's play compared to the things that would be forced upon him where he'd was headed.

Tala shuddered and hugged himself tighter. No, that wouldn't happen, he'd make sure of it. He'd done the right thing, no one could possibly miss someone like Boris, and once the judge heard their story, he'd have to rule in Tala's favour. He just had to...

He said "I'll make them all believe me. The man was such a sleaze.
He ain't never gonna be the same."

Run away, run away from the pain yeah, yeah
yeah yeah yeah
Run away run away from the pain yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Run away, run away, run, run away

Tala sighed as a silent tear ran down his cheek, the last one he swore to himself he'd ever shed. None of them had been for the rapist man himself, but more for himself and his friends; for their predicament and undeserved and unnecessary pain. No, things were different now, things had fixed themselves and no matter the outcome, Tala knew he never would - never could - regret what he'd done.

No more tears, he had to be brave now; both for himself and his friends, for he knew they couldn't run forever. Just like him, they had no where to go.

Tala uncoiled himself and sat up straight. Closing his eyes and taking a deep, calming breath, he turned back towards the window with new resolve and determination. He'd wait bravely and confidently for tomorrow, and when it came, he'd welcome it with open arms; for whatever it brought, it was a new beginning and a new start, one that meant he was free, no matter what the judge's decision turned out to be.