Hey guys! I'm back with chapter twenty five! Thanks SO MUCH for getting me over 200 reviews! You have no idea how amazing that is! I never expected this much feedback or for the story to get this long! Sadly, this story doesn't have too many chapters left, and will soon be ending. A sequel might be in question, but only if I get LOTS of people requesting it, because I've never written a sequel before, and I don't know how well I could take on that project. Anyways, back to this chapter, Read & REVIEW! :D

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ALLY'S POV

Nothing was clear. My mind was whirling with everything imaginable, yet solid blank at the same time. Sound was long gone. Vision had left as well. I was floating in empty space. Or at least that's what it felt like. The world was quiet and still. What had happened to me?

The last thing I remember was Trish handing me the phone after calling the police. Just seconds after that, the mystery guy had entered the room, somehow unlocking the door. His gun was pointed at us both as he moved closer, slamming the door shut behind him. At that point, fear had taken over my body completely. I closed my eyes, shutting myself out the world, trying to wake myself up from this awful nightmare.

Whoever had busted in, had me in a chokehold now. Something was put under my nose, it smelled funny. Then that's how I ended up here. I didn't know if Trish was okay, if I was alive, or if anyone knew what was going on.

Somewhere in the fogginess of the empty space I was in, I saw my mom walking towards me. I tried to get to her, but I kept getting pulled away from her. She called out to me, yelling my name, but her voice became distant and vague. I cried for her, but my screams were silent. My dad had also appeared. He was sane and alcohol free. He also tried and failed to get to me.

I had to be dead. So far, the only people around me were dead people. I felt like I was back in the woods, dying. Everything was the same here as it had been there. Except for seeing my parents.

Sound was slowly returning to my ears after what felt like a lifetime. I heard police sirens, gunshots, and screaming. I then weakly opened my eyes, the light from the balcony window pouring in, momentarily blinding me. Once my eyes adjusted, I found Trish propped up against the wall opposite of me. She was lying unconscious with tape over her mouth, and hands tied up with rope. Her forehead was bleeding. I cringed and looked down at myself to find a similar outcome.

The first thing on my mind was escape. I saw no sign of the predator as I looked around. I lifted my tied hands up to pull the tape off of my mouth. My hands were stained with blood from the tight scratchy rope. I used my teeth to untie the rope. It hurt more than anything to get off, but fear was blocking out the pain right now.

Once I was free, I stood up slowly and cautiously, examining everything in the area. I wondered if I should try and help Trish as well. Of course I wanted to, but she was still unconscious, and I barely even knew how to get myself out of here. I tried waking her up, but had no luck. I took the tape off her mouth and untied her hands though. I heard footsteps returning down the hall, and my fight or flight instinct kicked in. Flight was my instinctive option.

"I'm sorry." I whispered to Trish. I ran out onto the balcony scoping out the area quickly before jumping over the handrail, climbing down the side of the hotel, balcony by balcony.

Once I hit sand at the bottom, I shot off. I ran full speed ahead, not slowing down for anything. I didn't care about anything except getting the hell out of there. I ran, mile after mile, not thinking twice about where I was going. I didn't focus on a single thing around me. I was blinded by adrenaline, the only thing keeping me alive right now.

I finally rested under a boardwalk at the ocean. Sweat was dripping off my forehead onto my shirt. I noticed that it was red though. I reached up and wiped off my head to find my hand full of blood. My head must've been cut, like Trish. I walked to the water and drenched myself in it. The salt water stung my cuts like boiling water, but I knew it would help heal it.

Once the pain had subsided, I tried to find my bearings. It wasn't until then that I noticed that this dock was the only thing around. No hotels, houses, stores or restaurants. Nothing. I must've ran further than I thought. I fell to the ground in the sand, wondering why everything bad in life always happened to me.

AUSTIN'S POV

Ally was in that building. With a killer. Being held hostage. This was not happening.

"Sir, I have to get inside! My best friend is in there!" I protested to the police officer.

"Sorry kid. I know you want to help, but you're doing her a favor by staying here. Do you even know how a hostage situation works?" He said trying to hold me back.

"But she called me to help her! I need to help her!" I yelled, continuing to try and get in the hotel.

He said no more, just sent other officers to push me away. I fought and struggled to get out of their grip, but it was no use. I sat on the asphalt in the parking lot, staring at the hotel. My heart ached to get to her. Gunshots sounded from in the hotel, and I felt like the bullets were hitting me. Tears were running down my face, and I couldn't help but think this was my fault.

I ran away from the scene. I couldn't be here witnessing this. I stayed at a local diner for almost three hours before walking out on the beach. I stood with my feet in the sand, waves gently rolling over my toes. People were out here enjoying their vacations, unaware of the horror going on elsewhere.

I figured I had been gone long enough, and made my way back to the hotel to see if progress had been made. I got there to find the same thing I had left from. The officer that had stopped me before, approached me.

"The murderer has been shot and killed. As far as we know, he was the only criminal. There have been five deaths and seventeen injuries reported. There is one girl at the ambulances who says she knows you, if you want to talk to her. You are now free to enter the hotel at your own risk if you choose." He told me.

I nodded and ran over to the ambulances hoping to see Ally. I got there but saw no familiar faces. Some random bystander pointed in the direction of a girl on a stretcher. I didn't bother to ask and made my way over to that girl. I found that the girl was Trish. I was disappointed not to find Ally, but hopeful to find someone that might know where she is.

"Trish? Are you okay?" I asked, genuinely concerned for the person who once was my friend.

"Yeah, just a little dazed with a few cuts. I'll be fine." She answered weakly.

"Do you know where Ally is?" I asked, my voice cracking at the mention of her name.

She wiped away a tear that was beginning to form in her eye, and replied with a very unstable, "No."

My heart dropped to my stomach and the world disappeared around me. I took one swift motion to bolt towards the hotel. There was blood, bodies, and everything imaginable in the scene. But I blocked all that out, as I traveled to the penthouse room. I found a dead man in front of the door. I pushed the door open and scanned the room. No sign of Ally. Just blood. Lots and lots of blood. I turned back to find that the dead man in front of the door was the killer.

My fists clenched, my blood boiled, and a roar of rage ripped through my gut, and out of my mouth. I knew who he was. I punched, kicked, and beat whatever was left in this guy, out of him. I knew he was already dead, but I needed some form of revenge. He killed Ally. He deserved to be dead.

I went back into the room, trying to find something. A piece of her to hang on to. I found nothing. I wondered why her body was gone, instead of laying around dead somewhere. I walked out on the balcony and found bloody handprints on the railing. Small, Ally size handprints. I looked down to find the same bloody handprints on every balcony railing below. My mind connected the dots.

She escaped. She's alive.

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So? What did ya think? I absolutely LOVE reading all the reviews! I hope you love reading this story as much as I love writing it! Sorry, but I can't give a preview of the next chapter this time! You'll have to just be patient and wait for the next update! My apologies, see you next time! :D