Damn... The struggle was real when it came to writing that last little bit. I had a moment of doubt, and almost talked myself out of it but I didn't want to repeat the whole dead/not dead thing from the ending of Just Say Yes... So I needed to do it this way otherwise it would have altered the ending of the story, and it's just too late to do that. I need to stick to the plan even if it is breaking my heart to do so.

.Enjoy.

Thomas Campbell

I screamed trying to sit up but was pinned down by strong hands. The sound of my elbow popping back into place was sickening- "FUCK!" I fell back onto the mattress trying to breathe through gritted teeth. "Son of a bitch."

"You'll live," One of the guards said slapping me on the shoulder attached to the broken arm and dislocated elbow. Fucker. "I'm going back to the show downstairs."

"Alistair told us to look at his brother?" The second guard argued.

"Look at him, Brah. He isn't going anywhere anytime soon." The first guard argued already out the door. "Besides, you're way better at kissing boo-boos than I am. Have fun babysitting the bastard."

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. "Everything hurts."

"Serves yourself right," The guard muttered. "What did you think would happen if you kept antagonizing your brother?"

Exactly what I thought would happen. "Where is my niece?"

"She was passed out in her own vomit last I saw." The guard actually chuckled. "She's awfully weak… I'm actually disappointed. The way some of the guardian's talk of her makes her sound like some kind of boogey man- or is it bogeywoman? It doesn't matter, I expected more from somebody trained by the great Guardian Campbell."

The guard shrugged and turned to dump the bag of bloody gauze into the bed. I sat up grinding my teeth together to stop from making a sound- my eyes darted to the first aid kit and I saw the surgical scissors on top next to the bandages. I made sure my grip on the scissors was good before I attempted to stand- it'd all be for nothing even if I couldn't even hold myself up.

"I guess you didn't fuck her then," The guard continued his back still to me. "I have a theory that she slept her way through trainers-" The guard turned at the last second but it didn't matter. The scissors cut through his carotid artery and I used my body weight to push the guard against the wall and smother his cries as I lowered him to the ground.

"A piece of advice for the next life," I whispered as I searched his body for a better weapon… Jackpot. The guard had a Smith and Wesson sd9 ve, semi-automatic hidden at the small of his back and a blade about the size of my hand on his belt. The entire blade fits in the palm of my hand and after a quick glance at the dying guard's hands, I knew it'd been a custom job. "Don't be a douche bag."

I knelt by the guard until his eyes closed and stood up. I cringed favoring the right side of my ribs, and my left ankle. Fuck. I need to get out of here. Stop. Breathe. Plan.

I needed to find Rose and Dimitri- Could they even walk? What had Alistair done to them? Could I escape and get word to Ibrahim? No. Fuck. I can't just leave them; Alistair would kill them both in his tantrum.

I'd once promised to protect Rose and I'd done all that I could do to keep that promise. Even when it was no longer my duty to do so… She's family; she's my niece. She's not 12 years old anymore. It didn't matter though. I'd sworn to protect her… I could practically hear Sean's voice in the back of my head screaming that I'd also made him a promise.

Goddamnit; Sean was going to be pissed.

One door. One exit. One entry. I steadied my breathing and reached out to the door handle. One, two, three; I opened the door and shot the first guard I saw standing on the other side. I stepped over the guard's body and pressed my back against the wall as I eased my way down. Another Guard another bullet.

I'd taken down three guards when I heard a woman's scream coming from the direction of the longest hall. Shit. I followed the screaming and tried not to think of what Alistair could be doing to them… The door was open and looking down on the basement where Dimitri was lying on his back being tended to by one of the guards.

Alistair was standing in front of Rose and was caressing the side of her face before tilting her head back. I couldn't see her face but I could hear Dimitri's agonized voice as he begged Rose not to do it.

None of the guards had noticed me yet and I had a clear aim. I could end this here and now… The gun was raised and my aim was true. All I had to do was squeeze the trigger and Alistair's brains would paint the cement. So why couldn't I do it?

I promised Janine I'd protect Rose. I promised Sean we'd settle down after this was all done; I promised him a future of great sex, walks on the beach, and a fucking golden retriever named Ace.

I could pull the trigger and kill my brother and keep my promises… I'd kill the guards and save the day by getting Rose and Dimitri out of this hellhole and we'd all get to go on with our lives… And Alistair would be dead.

At that moment I broke all the rules; I hesitated.

I pulled the trigger my aim dropping to his shoulder… My aim shifted to the guards and I dropped each of them as they fired back. I had the luxury of using the wall as a cover but the guards below didn't have such a luxury.

I descended the steps as fast as I could with my crappy ankle and bruised/broken ribs. I made sure all the guards were down before I made my way to my niece. I eyed my brother as he laid face down on the cement. "Is he dead?"

"No." I placed the gun in her lap and pulled the blade from my belt. I cut the ropes from her wrists and moved to her ankles. Rose rubbed her wrists and picked up the gun before she tried to stand- her legs gave out beneath her and I struggled to catch her and keep myself on my feet. "We need to get out of here."

"I'm okay," I might have believed her if I hadn't felt her body tremble against mine. She steadied her legs and tightened her grip on my arm. "Let me go, Thomas." The moment I let her go; Rose swayed slightly before she straightened herself and made her way to Dimitri. Slowly at first before running to his side and dropping to her knees as she eased him onto his back cradling his face in her hands. "Comrade? Look at me- we're getting out of here. Can you stand?"

I watched my brother struggle to get to his knees and tightened my grip on the knife in my hand. "Rose- Get out of here."

"I'm not leaving without Dimitri!"

"Rose!" Alistair was almost to his feet now. "Get. Out. Of. Here!" I don't know what she did but I heard Dimitri groan, and the sound of shuffling feet moving towards the stairs.

Alistair laughed clutching his shoulder as he turned to me. His green sweater soaked with blood from the gunshot wound. "You should've killed me, Tommy."

"There's still time to learn from my mistakes."

Alistair straightened and looked behind me pointing a finger at Rose and Dimitri. "Go. Consider this a head start before the hunt begins. You should remember, Little Mazur, how much I like to hunt." Alistair turned his blue eyes to me and held out his good arm and gestured around him. "…Well? What are you waiting for?"

"It didn't need to end like this, Brother."

Alistair's smile faltered as he stared at me with a look of regret in his eyes. "You're right, Brother, it didn't. You had the shot didn't you?" I nodded. "You hesitated? Why?"

"You're my big brother."

"Your sentimentality is going to get you killed," Alistair launched himself at me so quick that I barely had time to react. I moved at the last second and used the momentum to swing and kick him in the ribs causing him to double over. I screamed in pain as all my weight went onto my bad ankle and I stumbled a step. I blocked out the sound of Rose's screams for me. I needed to focus.

I was already at a disadvantage- I was hurt, badly. My arm was broken, my elbow dislocated, and I had several broken ribs and at worst a badly sprained ankle. Alistair might only have one arm but that was where the disadvantages ended. Alistair swung out with his good hand and punched me in the jaw- I stumbled back but didn't fall. The knife was still in my hand- if I could get close enough…

I'd barely thought it before Alistair was standing in front of me twisting the wrist that held the blade and turning it inwards and thrusting it upwards into my stomach. I froze at first, I didn't feel anything and then it hit… All the pain came to the surface as I stared into my brother's eyes.

"Alistair…" I could taste blood in the back of my throat… My knees buckled and Alistair fell to his knees with me; I looked up into his face as his arm wrapped around my shoulders and tears welled up in his eyes.

"This wasn't your fight," Alistair murmured as he twisted the knife in my stomach. "You should have stayed out of it, Little Brother."

"I promised…" I flinched as Alistair withdrew the knife and tossed it to the side before pulling me into his lap. "…I promised."

"Shhh… I know." Alistair raised his bloody fingers to my cheek. "Close your eyes, Thomas."

"I'm afraid." Admitting that reminded me of when I was a boy, and still afraid of the dark. If Janine wasn't home I'd sneak into my big brother's rooms and curl up at the end of their bunks.

"You don't need to be afraid, Tommy."

"Alis."

"Yeah?"

"It wasn't a fair fight."

I felt him chuckle as I lost the fight to keep my eyes open. "I still would have kicked your ass."

"I-I want…" I want to go home... I want Sean... I want the future I'd promised him. I want not to die in my brother's arms... I want to go back and have taken the shot that would have ended it all.

"Shhh…" Alistair whispered his grip tightening on me. "…I'm sorry, Tommy." The last thing I heard before everything went black was the sound of a bullet being loaded into a chamber… "I'm so sorry." BANG.

The End
At least for Thomas
.R.I.P.

...To Be Continued...

Mhmmmm. I loved Thomas Campbell sooooo fucking much! Killing him was a hard decision for me. I know he wasn't a main character and was only a minor side character but I really didn't intend to kill him when I first wrote him into the story but when I saw his death a few months ago I knew it was a neccessity.

Unfortunately, Thomas' death is only the first of many death's to come.
I've been referring to his death as the domino affect; the first of the dominos to fall and crashes into the others until all but a handful remain up right.

Side Note: During a conversation with another writer friend she jokingly told me to write a letter to her character to tell her to stop being such an ass... It gave me an idea to write a letter to Rose... And her response really cemented the ending of this story but also the life once it's over.

I also asked for advice on what to do with Thomas' and all she asked was that I give him the Mercy of a quick, honorable, death and I hope that I have done that.

Next Point of View is Rose herself.

Xoxo

Thanks for reading & don't forget to review.