A/N Tis a sad, sad day indeed when I allow a story of mine to go so long without an update. My most sincere apologies to you all.

Thanks to All Reviewers!

Dedication: To Ella for her amazing review. :)

Disclaimer: I own nada.

How could this happen to me
I've made my mistakes
got nowhere to run
The night goes on as I'm fading away
I'm sick of this life
I just wanna scream
How could this happen to me

Flashback

"I'm going to offer you a special reward." Garrison remarked with a benevolent smile. I struggled to maintain a neutral expression on my face. "I'm going to allow you to pick ten individuals in this room to free, excluding your fellow cheerleaders of course."

"What's the catch?" I asked warily.

"I'm going to kill two more people in exchange. And you're going to choose those as well." He said gleefully.

"And if I refuse?" I asked, because I fully intended to refuse, if this guy thought I was going to play judge and jury for the people in this audience he had another thing coming.

"Then, I will simply kill fifteen people, as opposed to sparing ten." He replied angelically.

I gaped at him in horror. "Please." I whispered. "Don't make me do this."

"The choice is yours, Miss Corinthos, either select two people for me to kill, or watch as I kill fifteen people at random."

"Fine." I said after a pause. "Release the ten I choose first." I demanded.

"Of course, select your ten, then." Garrison waved a hand in the general direction of the bleachers. I surveyed the crowd, wondering if I should save my own loved ones first, however, as I thought it over I came to the conclusion that I should save those people who I knew Garrison would be most likely to find unworthy. And, I had an idea that he would preserve Jason and Sonny if solely for the purpose of using them as leverage over me.

In the eight remaining rows of bleachers, their were approximately eighty or so people. I surveyed them looking for people I knew he would eventually kill. I selected ten people after as long a period as I could manage to delay it over, which was about fifteen minutes as Garrison grew bored and commanded me to make my final decision or he would begin shooting at random.

In the end, I selected three slackers from my school, an elderly couple, and five small children. True to his word, Garrison ushered them out the door, dragging me with him to serve as his shield from the cops stationed outside.

"I kept up my part of the bargain, Miss Corinthos, and now you must keep yours." He reminded me with a smile.

To his surprise, I responded with a grin of my own. And, deliberately pointed at his two fellow gunmen.

He responded with applause. "Well played, Courtney, well played indeed." He was amused. "However, you have to know that I am not going to shoot my own men. But, as a reward for your intelligence, and because I am violating a portion of the agreement I will allow you to choose ten more people to free."

I selected ten more children to free, as they seemed to be one of his favorite targets. Once they were escorted out of the gym, we were left with sixty people or so in the bleachers, twenty-four basketball players, twenty cheerleaders, six coaches, an announcer, two referees, and a concession stand employee.

The sound of Robin's ring-tone echoed through the largely silent gym, the twenty minutes had elapsed. Garrison held out his hand for the phone, Robin deposited it there before swiftly backing away.

"Hello?"

"This is Police Commissioner, Mac Scorpio."

"Ah, yes, Commissioner Scorpio...your niece makes splendid company, you know?"

"Leave Robin alone." Mac ordered through gritted teeth.

"You're in no position to be making orders, Commissioner." He replied in a sing-song voice. "Besides, after all the people I've so kindly released, you would think you could be a little bit nicer to me."

"What do you want?"

"You cut to the chase, I like that. Much like my new friend, Miss Corinthos." Garrison beamed at me and I resisted the urge to hurl. "What does anyone want? Recognition, of course. I simply desire the admission that my new world order is brilliant. That is all. And the elimination of the unworthy people of course."

"I was hoping for a request of a more tangible variety." Mac commented.

"Were you?" Garrison inquired pleasantly. "Alright, get me a news crew willing to come in here and broadcast my views, I will swear immunity for them, and I will release thirty of the hostages."

It was an excellent offer as far as such offers went, but not one which the police would like to accept, they were not in the practice of allowing civilians to expose themselves to danger, even to save other civilians.

"Suppose we just get you on the phone with a newscaster?" Mac asked.

"Not good enough."

"Alright, what if we get a camera in there, and you speak to the reporter via phone, so that they can question you, but you have the camera there so you can be assured your message is being spread as well?" Mac compromised.

"Fine. You have half an hour to make it happen, otherwise I will kill thirty hostages instead." With this last remark the call was ended.

End Flashback

I thought that as more hostages were freed it would mean the end of our ordeal, instead it simply meant that he had gotten rid of those people whom he viewed as largely unnecessary to his little game, allowing him to have more fun with those who remained. I was one of the lucky ones, I survived, but can it really be called surviving when I live a live trapped amidst these terrible memories? I don't believe so, anyway.

A/N Review! Updates will occur on Saturdays in compliance with the schedule posted on my profile.