1Selena

Selena, after assuring Jackson they'd leave tomorrow, walked upstairs to find Jim. She saw him walking out of Hannah's room.

"We need to talk," Jim sighed, taking her arm and leading her to his room. She sat on his bed.

"What's up?" she asked as he collapsed in a chair.

"This Rippner guy," Jim stated. "He's a killer, we have to get him away from us, Hannah, and Lisa. He won't hesitate to kill any of us."

"Nah, he won't kill the Lisa girl," Selena waved it off. "I think he has a thing for her."

Jim felt his heart twitch a little. "Regardless. He's going to get all of us killed somehow, and he has threatened her before. She told me. He's trying to kill this Keefe guy, now..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Selena sighed. "He told me already, Jim, and frankly, there isn't much we can do about it. We need to worry about us and Hannah. That's all."

Jim sighed and shook his head. "Well, what about Lisa?"

Selena looked at him. "Jim, we hardly know her. Why do you care so much about what happens to her?"

Jim didn't say anything just looked away.

Oh, she realized. That was it. Despite the fact that they'd recently broken up, Selena didn't care much that Jim had fallen for someone else. She'd realized that what she'd felt for him wasn't love...it was a bond much stronger than that, of purely friendship and not lust.

"Oh," she smiled at him. "You have a thing for her, don't you?"

Jim looked at her, an annoyed expression on his face. He bit his lip. "Come on, Selena, now why would you think that? I mean, that's the stupidest thing I've ever-yes, I do," he surrendered.

Selena chuckled. "I see. Well, I'll try to help you save your girlfriend, but frankly I don't think we're any match for this Jackson character. He's got too many behind him, and too much cunning ingenuity. All we can do is hope."

"Why don't we try the plane? Sneak off with Lisa and Hannah, leave that bastard here to die," Jim offered. Selena shook her head.

"First of all, neither of us know how to fly a plane, and second of all, it's out of gas," she said. "I checked."

Jackson

The morning broke with a burst of sunshine as Jackson stretched on the sofa downstairs. He yawned and pulled himself to his feet. Today was the day he'd finally finish off Keefe.

Hopefully, he could still achieve his other goals after. Those mostly followed as Lisa, Lisa, and Lisa. Staying alive wasn't really a concern of his. He'd fought policemen and hitmen before, a few civilians who'd gone a little schizo wouldn't throw him off in the slightest.

Selena stumbled down the stairs, her eyes bleary and her hair flying in all directions, not like how it had been forced down in the bandanna last night.

He snuck up to her and poked her on the shoulder. "Hello." She jumped and swore.

"What the fuck you think you're doing?" she brandished the knife she always kept in her belt loop at him. "You almost got yourself killed."

"Why are you so jumpy?" he laughed.

"You still don't realize what it's like," she rolled her eyes and abhorred away from him. "You don't understand that you really should have some fear of the infection. One bite, one drop of blood is all it takes, Jack. You should be a little more worried about dying than your fucking assassination plot and getting that girl to like you."

He shrank back and angrily eyed her. "What did you say?"

"You were saying her name in your sleep last night," Selena crossed her arms over her chest. "It's so fucking obvious, even in the way you look at her. You want her bad."

Jackson glared at her and tugged his shirt collar down to expose his pen wound. "You see this?" he pointed at the scar. "She did this to me. Why-why would I want that?" he spat. It was almost like he was asking himself that question.

"Say what you'd like, but a fact is a fact," Selena shrugged and retreated to the kitchen. Jackson followed her angrily. She'd ticked him off, and he knew that she knew it. "But face it. She'll never like you, all you've done to her. She has too much common sense. Just because you're cute doesn't mean she'll go out with you."

Jackson paused as Selena complimented him. He smiled. "You think I'm cute?" He ran a hand through his hair. Though she wasn't Lisa, she was very pretty...

"Oh, shove off, you arrogant fuck," Selena rolled her eyes. "I think Jim is cute, too, but I don't want him."

Jackson froze at the name. He already couldn't stand the bastard. He'd seen how he had looked at Lisa. Lisa was his, and no one else's. It was like a strange feeling he had that she was his property. And Lisa would open up to anyone who listened. Just not himself.

Hannah

Hannah was awake later than everyone except Jim. He always slept late. She rolled over in bed and noticed that Lisa was awake, too.

Hannah stumbled out of bed and dressed as she heard Jackson's angry voice downstairs. Selena's, quieter, but also angry, shot back. She sighed. Jackson was to be quite frank, a jerk. She hated the way he treated everyone...like, he controlled them.

He doesn't control me, she thought happily back to the retort she'd made yesterday at his annoying comments. Hannah just hoped that Lisa would be okay. Jackson seemed to have something like a hypnotic power over her, and scared her to no end. Selena wouldn't take any crap, though. She was too tough for that.

Hannah crept down the hallway so as not to wake Jim and saw Jackson and Lisa down the hall. She hid her body in the shadows of one of the doorway, close enough to hear them talking, but too hidden to see them. She knew from before, though, that Jackson had Lisa slammed against the wall.

"...any funny stuff today, Leese, and I swear to God," Jackson's voice was hushed and angry. "They all go. I don't care about any of them, and all of them have annoyed me at least once, so it will be a good little revenge, huh?" His voice was now mocking and Hannah could practically hear Lisa's frantic breaths.

"Jackson, please," Lisa whispered tearfully. "They haven't done anything...this is between us, not them...this is your revenge against me, remember? I don't know them either...it doesn't affect me at all..." Hannah realized this as a bluff.

"Oh, come on, Lisa," Jackson scoffed. "I know you better than that. You can't stand letting anyone innocent die. You always have to be the hero, Leese, and that's your downfall. Anyway...that's a lie. I saw how that bastard Jim looked at you." Jackson had caught it. He was just way too intelligent, Hannah realized.

"Well, guess what Leese?" Hannah heard his voice hush slightly and she could practically feel him moving closer to her. "You are mine, got it? You belong to me, and always will, even after we get the fuck out of this hellhole. Forever." Lisa let out a strangled cry and Hannah clenched her fists.

"How the hell do you get off on that notion, Jack?" Lisa said his name with a particular venom and then cried out. He must not like that name for some reason, Hannah realized. Jack Rippner...Jack Ripp- Jack THE Ripper, she figured out.

"Well, Leese, I know just about everything about you," Jackson muttered. "And I know something about myself, too. I want to be with you, and you are going to do what I say, because well, I have the upper hand here." Hannah's body was filled with mad anger now, so much that she wondered if she'd somehow contracted rage.

"No..no..no," Lisa struggled against him. "I hate you..." her voice became muffled and Hannah's body tensed. What was going on? She peered around the corner.

"Now, Leese," Jackson's singsong voice pierced the air. "I'm going to put you back in your bed, like you were sleeping, and when you wake up, we are going to get these people to take us to London, got it? I'm afraid that they also are somewhat capable of protecting us from the nuts out there, so you could say we need them," His hands were wrapped around her throat. "And I'm not going to tell anyone about this little meeting, are you?" Lisa shook her head and Hannah could see she was drifting from consciousness as her breaths decreased. Hannah gasped and darted quietly to Jim's room.

He lay on his bed, asleep, his breaths long and loud. Hannah rushed over and shook him roughly.

"Jim, wake up!"

Jim

Lisa's eyes began to shut as Jackson kept talking. "Once we kill Keefe and get your sister, we'll go back to Florida and find ourselves a place...you and me," his face floated in front of hers. "Because you are mine, Lisa. I want you, and I always get what I-" his words were cut off as he was suddenly struck over the head.

Jim pummeled the man as hard as he could. He wanted to kill the sick bastard...kill him because of all he'd done...for what he'd done to Lisa...for daring to even try to manipulate him on his home turf, after they'd saved him from a very painful death.

Hannah ran to Lisa and tried to urge her back to conciousness. "Wake up, Lisa, come on..." her voice was desperate as Lisa blearily opened her eyes. "Can you walk? Come on." Hannah attempted to pull Lisa to her feet, but it was to no avail.

Jackson finally got the upper hand and pinned Jim's arms to the ground. He struck him on the head and blood gushed from his nose.

"Give it up," Jackson whispered to him. "You're helping us, or she dies." He jerked his head at Hannah.

Jim angrily thought, annoyed. He couldn't possibly help them...after all, this man was a killer...but if he didn't agree Jackson would just take Lisa and leave...and Jim didn't want to put her in danger, nor did he Hannah. He finally nodded, succumbed, and stood up.

"Just tell precious Selena that you ran into a door," Jackson laughed. "I don't think she'll care."

Jim looked at his retreating back and wished beyond wish that he'd had his bat with him.