A/N: I'm so sorry. -facepalm- This sucks so bad, I know. And it took forever for me to get it out, too. Sorry about that. XD

Disclaimer: I don't own Avenged Sevenfold. They are the complete proud owners of themselves and their music.

Buried Alive

"Remember; we need him alive."

Johnny grunted as a sign that he had heard. He pulled a ski mask over his head, making sure not to muss his dyed hair. He heard a snort beside him and turned to see his teammate Zacky smirk at him.

"It doesn't need to be perfect, pretty boy," he chuckled, "With any luck, this mission will be over with quickly."

"What, you aren't psyched for this one, Zee?" Brian, the second in command, asked.

Zack shrugged, "I'd rather be at home."

"It will be over soon. Then we'll be able to relax and not worry about being caught."

The three's heads turned toward the driver seat where their leader, Matt, sat. They nodded in agreement and went back to their business.

Being relatively new to the team, Johnny double-checked his silenced pistol. He remembered when, a few months prior, he had been working at a coffee shop. It wasn't his preferred job, but he had little money for much else.

Then he met Matt.

The man saved Johnny from being mugged, and when Johnny tried to repay him, Matt offered him a place on his team. Matt didn't really give much information about it, but after his first mission, Johnny was well aware of what they were.

Murderers.

Luckily the rest of the team accepted him easily. He became fast friends with Zack and Brian, who helped him overcome his nervousness with killing. Soon, he considered himself just as heartless as the other four.

A hand upon his own jerked Johnny out of his daze. He glanced up and saw Jimmy raise an eyebrow at him.

"You okay?"

Johnny realized he had been subconsciously twisting the suppressor on his weapon. He nodded quickly and grimaced as the older man turned around. Jimmy was the psycho on the team. He didn't act like it off-mission, but on-mission was an entirely different story. When he was calm, he didn't really open up. He wasn't rude or mean or anything, but he rarely spoke. Johnny worked his hardest to get emotion out of him, usually in the form of praise, but Jimmy only ever regarded him with a blank stare.

Soon, they arrived at their destination; a large, quaint house. It was painted light yellow and a white picket fence surrounded the property. The lawn was cleanly cut; the bushes neatly pruned.

It made Johnny's blood run cold.

He had been debriefed hours ago, and his shock level was back to normal, but here laid one of his friend's houses. He apparently found out who Johnny was working with and what they were doing. They were disposing of him before he said something that was better left secret.

Johnny tried to keep his anxiety down as they silently approached the house. He averted his eyes from the familiar mailbox when they passed it. He knew he might lose his will if he saw the Ilejay painted on the side. He saw Matt give him a small thumbs up as he picked the lock; something he had done the past several times now.

Johnny paused when he heard the signature click of the door unlocking. He quickly slipped inside, the others following right behind. Navigating through the familiar halls, he felt guilt eat at his insides. When they reached the master bedroom, Johnny motioned for Jimmy to go inside. It had been originally planned that Matt, Jimmy, and Brian, the strongest of the five, collect the target, and have Zacky and Johnny guard the door.

Johnny found he preferred this plan when the sound of his friends struggling began.

"What the – Who are you? What do you want?"

After that, the man's questions were cut off. He had been gagged. When he was carried out of the room, the man struggled even harder at the sight of Johnny and Zack. Fortunately, the masks hid their faces.

Soon enough, they had the man secured and were heading off again. Though tied up, the man sat and glared at them, as if daring them to touch him. Eventually, they reached a field a few miles out of town. Brian sent a sinister grin in Jimmy's direction as they unloaded.

Johnny shook his head at their eagerness; their bloodlust, and whispered, "I'm sorry, Arin."

Arin seemed to have heard. "How do you know my name?"

His expression was scared, almost as if he knew the answer. Johnny didn't acknowledge him as he climbed out of the van. He tried to block out Arin's indignant cries when Matt pulled him out, but was unsuccessful for the most part.

Jimmy took Arin from Matt's grasp. "Don't worry; this will all be over soon," he growled into the smaller man's ear. Arin slightly pulled at his restraints as Jimmy led him to a large hole in the dirt. It was human-sized and the sight of it made Johnny nauseous.

"Are you alright, Jay?"

Johnny started at Zacky's tentative voice. He turned to his friend with a dismal expression and pondered Zack's question. Was he alright? Would he ever be alright after this? Arin was one of his best friends. They had shared so much. Was he ready to give that up?

"I'll be fine."

The answer was obvious. Even if he tried to save Arin, his past crimes would eventually be brought to the surface. One right wouldn't make up for all of his wrongs.

Zack patted his back soothingly and watched the events unfold. By now, Arin had realized what the hole was for and his writhing had increased ten-fold. They were far enough away from the city that no one could hear Arin's screams, so they had removed his gag.

Johnny watched as Jimmy wrestled the smaller man into a wooden box, his emotions too powerful to be contained, and a tear stained his mask. Brian handed Jimmy a cover and stepped back as Jimmy's animalistic side took over. He quickly nailed the box together and knocked on some of the sides, taunting Arin. Even from so far away, Johnny could hear his muffled cries of desperation.

He averted his gaze when Matt assisted Jimmy in lowering the box into the ground and Brian began yelling pointless insults and threats at Arin. Zacky draped an arm around Johnny's shoulders, a poor attempt at trying to comfort the small man.

xxx

A few hours later, Johnny was feeling a little calmer. His mask still hadn't completely dried, but his tears had ceased. The other three had just finished covering the box with dirt and were making their way toward Zack and Johnny.

Jimmy stretched sleepily before exclaiming, "And that's why you keep yourself out of other people's business."

While the other three cheered in agreement, Johnny flinched. He now knew how true that statement was.

"Nice job tonight, Jay," Was that Jimmy speaking? "I honestly didn't think you had it in you. You proved me wrong, though, and I'm proud of you."

So that's what it took. Earning Jimmy's approval took watching your friend get buried alive. A flash of pride washed over Johnny, though he was bewildered and ashamed. He finally had Jimmy's praise, after months of working for it. But he couldn't help but ask himself; was it really worth it?

EDIT: All I did was change a few spelling/grammatical errors. :P