(A/N): What have we here? Another chapter in a week? Be grateful. This almost didn't happen since I have an exam tomorrow. But, I felt as though I needed to get this up ASAP, so I worked hard on this so I could get it up.
Welcome dear reader to the 'A Rush of Dog Days' Halloween special: the Hospital of Horrors! Muhahaha! Cue thunderclap. This chapter and the next few will have some creepy things happening along with the inclusion of Big Time Halloween (which is not in this chapter, but will be later). I had to get really creative to be able to add that one in since it's like a whole other universe. For this special, there's going to be a lot less Katrina and a lot more of the guys. Why you might ask? You'll see the reason in this chapter…
Thank you to these people for your reviews: MagooyiLovesBigTimeRush (I hope you haven't died while waiting for this update…), Dreamer1992 (Glad I made you laugh! Oh there will be plenty of Logan being Katrina's doctor while she's at the hospital…) and Lucy Case (More Kendall and Evan? Let me just look at my notes and see if I can add in more of their scenes. Mmm… Oh, what's this? I was already planning on giving them big scenes in the next few chapters because Katrina, well, won't be available… Due to… Things… In this chapter… I don't want to reveal it before you read it! Just know that since Logan and Katrina are now together for good, I'll be focusing a little less on them and a little more on the others and the mystery of the Zizi.)
Disclaimer! I do NOT own Big Time Rush… I think that's all that I don't own in this chapter… Yeah, the stuff in this chapter, besides the characters of Big Time Rush, belongs to me! As for Big Time Halloween, I haven't gotten to it in this chapter and I'm not sure if I will in the next one… I might start it at the end… Depends on the word count. Before I rant on too much and give away everything, here's the chapter!
Chapter 71: Sightings of the Supposed-To-Be Dead
Katrina stared blankly forward as she sat in her hospital bed. She looked slightly sick because her face had been wiped clean of make-up and her hair was a little greasy since she didn't get a shower that morning. That day was her second day at the hospital. At this point, she would have rather been asleep, resting for her surgery the next day, but a certain boy band was in her room. Logan frantically adjusted the sling that kept Katrina's leg raised up from the bed. Kendall was texting Jo who was stuck on set. There were points when he would relay good wishes from Jo to Katrina and even a few from Jett. Although with the ones from Jett, Kendall seemed to mumble something under his breath before giving Katrina those wishes. Carlos had raided the hospital cafeteria, somehow finding the crunchiest food he could. He was lying on the couch, dropping pieces of food into his mouth noisily. James was over by the door, flirting with the intern that was supposed to be checking on Katrina, leaving Logan to do the job instead.
"Katrina, your heart rate is a little high," Logan mentioned. "You should be resting. You don't want them to delay your surgery because they're afraid of complications."
"I would like to get some sleep, but I've having a little trouble," Katrina admitted.
"Probably the foreign environment," Logan deduced. "Plus these hospital beds are not very comfortable." He pressed down on it as if to emphasize it. "Maybe we can sing you to sleep?"
"Or maybe you could take the guys somewhere," Katrina suggested. "Take them to the cafeteria or the gift shop or something. Give me a chance to sleep with some peace and quiet."
"Is that what you want?" Logan asked.
"I want some quiet," Katrina told him.
"Okay, we'll go explore the place," Logan decided. He looked to the other guys, "Hey guys. Let's go look around. Maybe we can find something to cheer up Katrina." Kendall and Carlos quickly got to their feet.
"Sorry, babe," James told the intern. "I gotta go help cheer up the sick girl. Cause you know that I always want to help the sick." Carlos, Kendall, Logan and Katrina rolled their eyes.
"Oh James, you're so giving," the intern swooned. "Of course I understand."
"Alright boys, let's go," James directed. He gave the intern a quick smirk and wink before he led his friends out of the room. With a sigh, the intern stared at the door.
"I can't believe someone as smart as you would fall for someone like him," Katrina mentioned to the intern.
"Some people go for brains," the intern responded as she walked up to the bed-ridden model. "Personally, I like my men hot and dumb. Makes me feel smarter and I love staring at guys without shirts on." She tied something up on Katrina's arm. "I have to take your blood." She jabbed a needle into a vein in Katrina's arm. Katrina winced at the sharp pain.
Logan, James, Carlos and Kendall wandered around the hospital. They had already stopped at the gift shop where Logan had bought Katrina a stuffed dog after James insisted that Logan should buy her flowers. Carlos had gotten them to stop at the cafeteria so he could fill up on some more food. They reached the floor of the hospital where Katrina had been admitted back on the day of the Wolff Family Tragedy. Stopping in the middle of the hallway, they remembered back to when they were searching for Evan. Smiles started to appear on their faces.
"And to think," Kendall began. "Katrina didn't want to be found and now she's happy that she was. Evan didn't want to be found and Katrina didn't want him to be found, but they're happy they're together again."
"That mystery solving stuff was a lot of fun," James admitted.
"If only we could try to find Emily and save her from the Zizi," Carlos looked down at his feet, sad that there was nothing they could do for the blonde girl.
"That would make Evan happier," Kendall realized. "Too bad we don't have any leads." Carlos, Logan and James looked at each other behind Kendall's back.
"Right, no leads," Logan confirmed.
"Nothing that will make you play hero and save her," James added. This made Kendall turn to his friends curiously.
"Emily?" Carlos tilted his head, confused.
"That's right, Carlos," Logan told the Latino. "That's the girl that we don't have any idea where she is so we can't go find her."
"Uh, she's right there," Carlos pointed straight ahead. Kendall, James and Logan quickly turned around. Poking her head out of Katrina's old hospital room from the day of the Wolff Family Tragedy was Emily. She was dressed up in a set of scrubs with her hair tied back in a ponytail. The girl's eyes were slightly wide at the sight of the boys. Still as stone, the two sides stared at each other.
Suddenly, Emily broke into a sprint down the hallway, away from the boys of Big Time Rush.
They watched her run for a second before Kendall instructed, "Get her." The guys rushed forward, chasing after Emily. Doctors, nurses and patients that Emily was able to avoid had to get out of the way for the guys barreling through the hallway. Things got harder as Emily would move stuff from the side of the hallway to the middle, blocking the guys from racing after her without moving the stuff again. But somehow, the boys were able to keep her in their sights. Emily reached the door to the stairs. She stopped as she looked back and saw them still following her. Swearing under her breath, Emily went through the door. The guys reached it with enough time to watch her head down the stairs. Kendall led the way after her.
Emily got off on the last floor and so did the boys. Once they stepped out of the doorway, they noticed that Emily had disappeared and they were in the basement. The place was deserted and looked like it hadn't been used for a while since cobwebs hung in the corners. The little bit of light that was there was dim and flickering. Stains of brown covered the walls and some doors were hanging off their hinges. The guys peeked into one of the rooms to find a hospital bed torn to pieces and writings on the walls in what looked like blood.
"I don't think we're supposed to be down here," Logan realized.
"Which means that Emily's not supposed to be here," Kendall responded. "But she's still here somewhere. We have to find her and figure out why she's here. Come on." Kendall started down the hallway while the others hung back. Carlos, James and Logan looked at each other before they followed Kendall.
As a group, the guys turned a corner only to stop in their tracks. In front of them was a man, wearing a red as blood hoodie that covered his head so that they couldn't see his face. The man had his hands in the pockets of his hoodie as he stared forward.
"I've been waiting for you, boys," the man spoke to them. He pulled his hands out of the pockets revealing a knife in one of them. With determination, the man swiftly stepped forward.
"RUN!" Carlos screamed. Logan, James and Kendall screamed too as the four guys raced back the way they came. They didn't relax until they were safe outside Katrina's current hospital room.
"I think we just found one of the Zizi's hideouts," Kendall realized.
"Think Evan knows about it?" Logan asked.
"He never told us about it," Carlos mentioned.
"He never tells us anything about the Zizi," Kendall pointed out. "He doesn't want us or Katrina involved."
"Are we going to tell him about this?" James asked.
Kendall looked over his friends before he admitted, "I don't know. Evan knows more about the Zizi than all of us, but if he goes down there he might get killed. I really don't want to send my cousin to his doom. Plus, Katrina would kill us if we did."
"So, what do we do?"Carlos, Logan and James looked to their leader for guidance.
"We keep this a secret for now," Kendall decided. "We might tell Evan eventually, but we're not telling Katrina. She doesn't need to be any more stressed before her surgery tomorrow. Agreed?"
"Agreed," his friends nodded.
As a group, they went into Katrina's room to find her asleep. She was sprawled out on the bed with the blankets scrunched up around her. Head tilted to the side, her mouth was open and her tongue stuck out. She looked like she had passed out from exhaustion. The guys looked around the room and noticed that she wasn't alone. Standing at her bedside was a boy about their age. His chocolate hair was a little longer than Kendall's, but shorter than James's. A creepy grin was plastered on his face as he stared down at the sleeping model. He wore a black turtleneck sweater and black sweat pants while holding a black ski mask in his left hand. Using his free right hand, he reached over and moved a strand of hair out of Katrina's face.
"You're so beautiful," the boy declared. "And you don't know it yet, but one day, you will be mine. After all, I can protect you better than anyone else. You, my dear, sweet Katrina, belong to me and none of those small town wannabes from Minnesota or your brother can change that."
"Small town wannabes?" James caught. "I resent that!"
The boy turned to the band with a smile, "I see I finally get to meet all four of you." He looked back to Katrina. "Don't you guys agree that Katrina is the most wonderful, gorgeous, talented, special person on the planet?" The guys exchanged glances, wondering who this person was.
"Uh, who are you?" Carlos asked.
"And how did you get in here?" Kendall added.
"Yeah, only family and friends are allowed in here," James mentioned.
"Oh, I'm her future husband," the boy insisted. He walked up to Logan with his creepy smile still on his face. "And you, Logan Mitchell, better break-up with her soon or I will cut you." Logan backed away a bit from the guy who never lost that creepy smile. Like a clown, it seemed painted on.
Suddenly, Evan and Brandon walked into the room. The two boys took one look at the unknown boy and their smiles fell.
"Chase!" Evan exclaimed in surprise.
The boy's smile disappeared as he looked at Evan and Brandon, "Crap. Gotta go!" Before anyone could stop him, the boy raced from the room.
Evan leaned out into the hallway, yelling, "MORE SECURITY FOR THIS ROOM!" He turned to the guys who were staring at the door, confused about what had just happened.
"How did that guy get in here?" Brandon asked the boys. They shrugged, still wondering what they just witnessed.
"That guy was Chase Macintyre," Evan explained. "He's Katrina's stalker."
"I knew something wasn't right about that guy," James admitted.
"Yeah, he was once a mental patient," Evan continued. "He was able to convince the doctors that he wasn't insane and was freed. Then, he came to our high school where he accidently dropped a piece of paper on the ground while walking through the hallways. Kat was passing by so she picked it up, gave it back to him and went on. Chase became obsessed with her after that. He somehow was at every model shoot, family vacation and press conference that Kat had to go to. We filed a few restraining orders against him, but he never followed them. He always was able to evade the punishment too. Let's just say he's very good at popping up when you least expect him and acting like a bee that won't go away."
"Don't you mean fly?" Logan corrected. "If someone annoys you, but is harmless, they're compared to flies."
"Yeah, I know the saying," Evan assured him. "But I did mean a bee because he will sting. I once blocked his way so that Kat could get away and Chase stabbed my arm with a pen." The boys winced.
"Can you guys be quiet?" Katrina's voice made them turn to the girl lying in the hospital bed. She was awake, but glaring at the six boys with tired eyes. "I'm trying to sleep."
"Sorry," the boys told her simultaneously.
"I got you something from the gift shop," Logan told her, presenting the stuffed dog for her. Katrina smiled and blushed as she took the toy.
"Thank you," Katrina responded, squeezing the animal in her arms. "I love it."
"More than you would a bouquet of flowers?" Logan checked.
"Oh definitely," Katrina nodded. "Flowers will die in a few days. Stuffed animals last years."
"HA!" Logan told James.
"But I wouldn't say no to flowers," Katrina continued.
"Haha," James laughed happily.
Katrina looked back and forth between Logan and James, "I just got in the middle of one of your stupid arguments again, didn't I?"
"Yep," Kendall and Carlos confirmed.
"I'm not getting any sleep any time soon, am I?" Katrina asked.
"Not likely," Evan and Brandon admitted. Katrina groaned in frustration, falling back to let her head hit her pillow.
Evan and Brandon walked into the hospital cafeteria. They had been sent there by Katrina since she wanted to eat something other than the pudding the hospital gave her. Over at one of the tables, Katie and Mrs. Knight were taking a break from being around the injured teen. As Brandon went over to the line to get some food, Evan sat down with his cousin and aunt.
"Don't bug me," Katie told him, not looking up from her video game. "I just found the secret majesty level in Castle Bashers. My knight has to find a potion that will turn the dragon back into the princess before she burns him to a crisp."
Evan raised an eyebrow before turning to Mrs. Knight, "Aunt Jenn, I've been meaning to ask you something."
Mrs. Knight put her romance novel down on the table, "I'm all ears."
"It's about my dad," Evan went on. Mrs. Knight raised her eyebrows slightly, but didn't say a word. "Did you know that he changed his name?"
Sighing, Mrs. Knight looked down at her hands, "I should have known this would come up eventually. Yes, I did know that your dad changed his name. All because of your uncle."
"Dad made Uncle Dominic change his name?" Katie assumed, pausing her game to look up and join the interesting conversation. Evan leaned forward eagerly, hoping to hear something about the mysteriously missing Mr. Knight.
"No, not your dad," Mrs. Knight assured her daughter. "I'm talking about Uncle Dominic's twin brother."
"You KNEW about his twin brother and didn't tell me?!" Evan exclaimed.
"Your parents told me not to," Mrs. Knight responded. "Since I'm your mom's younger sister, I listened to her and her gorgeous boyfriend that was your dad." Evan's and Katie's eyes twitched as Mrs. Knight sighed, thinking about Dominic Wolff. "When they first told me though, I thought it was a game. I didn't realize when he said his brother was dangerous and he needed to get as far away as possible from him that he was telling the truth."
"My dad's brother was dangerous?!" Evan caught.
"Jealousy can be a powerful thing," Mrs. Knight shook her head. "Your father, back when he was Damian Witkowsky, and his brother, Darrell, had this bet between them. They both wanted to be famous. While your father wanted to be famous behind the camera, Darrell wanted to be in front of it. So, they each bet that they could get famous before the other. Obviously, your dad won."
"What'd they bet?" Katie asked, starting to really get into this story.
Mrs. Knight chuckled, "They bet the chance to ask out Penny."
"My MOM?!" Evan screamed.
"So, Uncle Dominic, er, Uncle Damian, uh, Uncle Whatever-His-Name-Is won the bet, became famous, got the girl and probably ended up with a whole bunch of money while his brother ended up with nothing?" Katie summed up. "I could see why he would want some revenge."
"He wasn't thinking that at first," Mrs. Knight explained. "First, Darrell gave in and let his brother have the moment. Once some time passed though, Darrell started to get impatient when his own career didn't take off. He asked his brother for help. Damian gave it to him, trying to find his brother a job. Well, he failed. Whenever Darrell did get a job, he would ruin it the next day. After a year of this, Damian gave up, telling his brother that he did all he could. Darrell threatened his brother after that, said that he was going to make him regret it. Damian didn't think anything of it until Darrell broke his arm on purpose. As he did it, Darrell swore that he would seek revenge and Damian, Penny and even I wouldn't be safe."
"Why you?" Katie asked.
"Because I was the one that stopped Darrell from killing Damian that day," Mrs. Knight explained.
Evan seemed speechless at this while Katie was concerned, "Does that mean Kendall and I are in as much danger as Katrina and Evan?!"
"Probably not as much," Mrs. Knight mentioned. "But definitely more than the normal person." Katie looked down at the table as she tried to process what she just learned. "Anyways, after that, Damian Witkowsky became Dominic Wolff. He and Penny got married and moved out to California while I stayed in Minnesota, even though Dominic insisted that I go with them for safety. At the point that Kendall, Katrina and you, Evan, were born, Dominic had a run-in with his brother. He got scared and demanded that I stay away for my and Kendall's safety. Of course, I didn't listen until Darrell showed up on my doorstep. For Kendall's safety more than my own, I moved from my hometown to a nearby small town. I only kept in contact with phone calls from payphones. And now you're caught up."
"So, my uncle is probably one of the Zizi," Evan deduced. "Unless he was the one killed instead of my dad."
"Probably," Mrs. Knight considered.
"Man, what I would give to find someone that was at that party they went to on their last night and find out what happened," Evan mumbled.
Suddenly, Brandon came over and sat opposite Evan, "Don't make any sudden movements."
Evan froze, "Why?"
"Your dad's standing across the room behind you," Brandon revealed.
Completely ignoring Brandon's warning, Evan turned around in his seat. Sure enough, right at the entrance to the cafeteria, Mr. Wolff stood there, staring at the group. Mrs. Knight covered her mouth in shock. Katie narrowed her eyes as she glared at her uncle across the room.
"Dad," Evan breathed.
It didn't take much more than eye contact between father and son for Mr. Wolff to leave the cafeteria, running away.
"DAD!" Evan called out, getting up so fast that he knocked over his chair. He raced after the running man. Brandon groaned before he got up too, following his best friend. The two best friends raced after Mr. Wolff, calling after him. The man never let up on his speed, running through the hallways. Like when Big Time Rush chased after Emily, people had to evade the running trio. The older man started to slow down, running out of energy, allowing Evan and Brandon to get closer. They followed him around a corner only to run right into Camille. The boys had to skid to a stop so they wouldn't run into the actress.
"Hey, I wanted to wish Katrina good luck on her surgery and kind of mend things between us," Camille explained. "But I don't know which room she's in. Can you take me to her?" She bit her lip slightly as she waited for Evan to answer, but the boy seemed distracted by the fact that his father was running away.
"Not now, Camille!" Evan exclaimed. "I'm in a hurry!" He leaned down, gave Camille a quick kiss on the cheek and then ran off after his father. Brandon's eyes went wide at the exchange.
"Uh, sorry Camille," Brandon told her. "Gotta go!" Brandon ran after his best friend.
Camille turned around to watch the boys flee from the scene. She suddenly seemed angry, "Oh, you are not kissing me and then running away, Evan Wolff!" That said, she chased after the boys.
The group chased after Mr. Wolff, reaching the door to the stairs. Through the window in the door, Evan, Brandon and Camille watched as Mr. Wolff went down the stairs. Before Camille could ask what was going on, the boys raced down the stairs. Sighing, Camille went after them.
Arriving at the basement, Evan, Brandon and Camille got off the stairway and looked around. There was no sign of Mr. Wolff. The hallway was dark and shadows seemed to creep in the corners. The three of them looked around, wondering what they had gotten themselves into.
"What is going on?" Camille asked.
"Be quiet while I figure this out, Hun," Evan told her. Camille looked confused at this while Brandon's jaw dropped. "Brandon, where do you think he went? The rooms around here look dusty, so I don't think he went into any of them."
"Did you just give me a pet name?" Camille caught. "Are we dating now or something?"
Evan groaned, turning to the girl, "Just shut up, Camille. Later, I'll answer your questions and then we can make-out. But for now, be quiet!" Brandon stared at his best friend in disbelief, frozen with the shock of Evan treating Camille like a girlfriend.
Camille blinked a few times before she shrugged, "Okay."
"Brandon," Evan turned to his still frozen best friend. "Snap out of it so you two can help me look for him."
Brandon had to shake his head to snap out of his stupor, "Okay, should we split up?"
"No," Evan shook his head. "I'm getting a bad feeling that this is a trap. And before I came back from being on the run, I was usually right about that."
"So, why are we going on if this is a trap?" Brandon asked.
"Because that's my dad!" Evan pointed out. Without another word, he grudgingly stormed forward in the hallway.
Camille whispered to Brandon, "I thought his dad was dead."
"I thought so too," Brandon admitted. "But I guess not. Come on, let's go make sure that Evan doesn't kill himself." Brandon and Camille quickly caught up with Evan. As the trio searched for Mr. Wolff, they noticed that while most of the rooms seemed dusty and unused for years, others were recently walked around in. Those ones seemed to be the messiest, trash littering the floor and blood stains on the walls.
"This is like a haunted house," Camille noted. "Kind of fits since Halloween is coming up."
They rounded the corner when Evan turned to the actress, "What did I just say about talking, Camille?"
"I think we have more problems than her talking," Brandon mentioned. Evan and Camille looked at the boy for a second before they turned forward. Standing at the end of the hallway was Mr. Wolff, but he wasn't alone. Evan's father was being held against his will by a taller man in a blood red hoodie, hood covering his head enough that the trio couldn't see his face. The mysterious man held a knife up against Mr. Wolff's neck.
"So nice to see you, Evan," the man in the hoodie spoke. "Looks like I found your father for you. Now, you can tell your sister some good news before her surgery. You two aren't orphans! Yet at least." A chuckle came from the man and Mr. Wolff gulped.
"DAD!" Evan exclaimed, taking a step forward.
The man pulled Mr. Wolff back a step with him, "I wouldn't come closer if I were you. You would have some explaining to do to Katrina if your dad was killed right as you found out he was alive."
"Why are you doing this?" Camille asked. "Can't you see how much you're hurting Evan and his family?"
"Aw," the man's head mocked. "Evan, looks like you've got a new girlfriend. I wonder how Emily will react to that." Evan's face fell. "Maybe I should call her in here." There was a silence as he considered it. "Nah, it'll mess up the plans we Zizi have laid out for her. Anyways, I gotta go, but I have a few messages for you to deliver. For your cousin Kendall, tell him to back off playing hero. It'll get him in a worse scenario than you. For your aunt, tell her to get herself ready to lose you and Katrina, but not in the way you might think. For your cousin Katie, tell her to stop searching for our hideouts." Evan seemed surprised by this one. "We've had to pack up and move three times already to avoid the cops that she sent on anonymous tips. We're getting pissed about it. You know how dangerous we can be when we're pissed. For Logan, tell him that he better break up with Katrina before he gets his own heart broken by her getting broken. For James, tell him that almost going solo with Hawk was probably the worst thing he's ever done for himself." The trio tilted their heads, confused why the man would bring that up. "For Carlos, tell him he's going to need more than a helmet as protection from what's going to happen next. And for Katrina, tell her to relax and let it take effect."
"Wait," Evan spoke up. "What do you mean with that last one? Let what take effect."
"That plan is already in motion," the man revealed. "You'll find out soon enough. I have messages for you three too. Brandon, unless you want to be on the Zizi's hit-list, it would be best if you moved out of the Palm Woods and never spoke to a Wolff again." Brandon shifted around uncomfortably. "Camille, it's dangerous to date a Wolff. They're an endangered species. And if you're dating one, it raises the possibility of becoming one and becoming endangered as well." Camille glared at the man, unfaltering. "If you're still determined to go after him, think about this. The last girl that dated Evan ended up kidnapped and everyone thought she was dead." Camille didn't move. "As for you, Evan. You've become a very big pain in the Zizi's side. So much so that we're willing to make a deal. If you surrender to us and kill yourself, we'll leave everyone else alone. It's their terror of the possibility of getting killed or your life ending by your own hands. Choose wisely because if we're the ones that kill you, all deals are off. Think about it." Evan stood between Brandon and Camille, grinding his teeth in anger at the man holding his father hostage. "I hope to never see you again." The man guided Mr. Wolff into a nearby room and disappeared. Once they were out of sight, Evan, Brandon and Camille raced forward to the room, but the man from the Zizi and Mr. Wolff were gone.
Evan slammed his fists against the wall in frustration, "I can't believe I let them get away!"
"He had your dad," Camille placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "There was nothing you could do."
A tear fell from one of Evan's eyes, "They've got plans for all of us. And it seems like it's up to me to save everyone. With a single gunshot I could save everyone."
"Evan," Brandon stepped forward. "Don't you dare talk about suicide. If you kill yourself, Kat would be so devastated that she'd kill herself too and you know it. Then, the Zizi would win. As long as you two are alive, they are failing. They're trying to get the easy way to a success. Don't give it to them. Continue to defy them and they will continue to fail."
"Plus they're the Zizi," Camille pointed out. "They lie. And you know that their ultimate goal is to get rid of all famous people. As long as you're in their way, they won't go after the other celebrities. You and Katrina are stopping them from going on with their plans. You can't give up. We'll help you any way that we can." Brandon nodded his head.
"Thanks," Evan mumbled, but he still seemed a little unsure about it. "We should go talk with the others." Brandon and Camille nodded and they followed Evan out of the basement.
"This is so not fun," Katrina complained. She had her arms crossed as she watched James and Carlos toss a pudding cup back and forth between them. Since they were on opposite sides of Katrina's bed, she could only watch as they tossed it over her to the other person.
"I don't know," James spoke as he passed the pudding cup to Carlos. "This is entertaining to me."
"Me too!" Carlos exclaimed, tossing it back. "And you said to be entertaining!"
"To me!" Katrina pointed out. "I'm bored out of my mind!"
Carlos caught the pudding cup as it was returned to him, "We could leave the room so you can make-out with Logan." Quickly, he tossed it back to James.
Logan looked up from reading Katrina's medical report, "When did I get pulled into this?"
"When you started dating her," James replied. He tossed the pudding cup a little too hard and Carlos was unable to catch it. The boys and Katrina watched as the pudding cup fell to the floor, splattering all over the place. They stared at it for a few seconds.
"Look what you did!" Katrina pointed at the mess on the floor.
"It's alright!" Carlos exclaimed. He grabbed another pudding cup off the tray next to Katrina's bed. "We've got three more!" Katrina put her hands to her head as a headache started to come on.
"Guys, maybe you should stop," Kendall suggested. "We don't want to get Katrina more stressed out before her surgery tomorrow."
"It's called preoperational anxiety," Logan stated. "Basically, being scared of the surgery. If she's too stressed out while they're preparing her for the surgery, then it can cause her to feel more pain overall than if she was calm."
Katrina blinked as she stared at him, "Why are you reading my medical report?"
"Just making sure that there's nothing fishy about it," Logan responded.
"Why would there be anything fishy about it?" Katrina asked. "It's not like the Zizi can get in here and mess with it." The boys suddenly laughed nervously. Katrina's face fell. "Oh my God, you're hiding something from me again!"
They were saved from having to tell her what they were hiding by Evan poking his head in the room, "Guys, can I talk to you out here?"
The guys raced for the door, but froze when they heard Katrina threaten, "If you leave this room without telling me what you're hiding, I'm going to get up and run after you." They slowly turned to face the injured teen girl, knowing her threats were real.
"It's okay, guys," Evan told them. "I got this. Camille!" The boys and Katrina tilted their heads curiously as they watched Camille poke her head in the doorway. "Go make sure Katrina doesn't get out of bed."
"Like she can keep me in this bed," Katrina laughed.
"I might need a little help," Camille turned to Evan.
Evan seemed to consider this before calling out, "Freight Train!"
Suddenly, the large bodyguard came into the room. He stood right inside the door, staring at Katrina. The model gulped.
"Crap," Katrina mumbled, knowing that there was no way she'd be able to take on Freight Train. Camille stood next to Katrina's bedside, happy for the extra help. In the blink of an eye, the guys were all out in the hallway. Katrina looked up at Freight Train, "There's no way you're going to eavesdrop on them and tell me what they're saying, right?" Freight Train didn't move. "What about you, Camille? It'll be a nice start to repairing our friendship!" She stared at Camille expectantly.
"Sorry," Camille let the girl down. "I've been told not to do anything that could give you stress." Katrina let her head hit her pillow, sighing in discontent.
Out in the hallway, Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan faced Evan and Brandon, wondering what was going on.
"There's a Zizi hideout in this hospital," Evan revealed.
"Carlos!" Logan, Kendall and James looked to the helmet-head accusingly.
"I didn't tell him!" Carlos insisted.
"Wait, you knew about this and didn't tell us?" Brandon realized.
"What is wrong with you?!" Evan exclaimed. "I'm like the Zizi expert! I could've come up with a plan!"
"We wanted to make sure you wouldn't do something stupid and get yourself killed," Kendall explained.
"Like go downstairs to free Emily when she has a plan to escape," Carlos added. James, Logan and Kendall slapped their foreheads in disbelief.
"You saw Emily?!" Evan seemed even more shocked than before.
"You didn't see her?" Carlos asked. "Whoops." He winced as he gave an apologetic look to his friends.
"No, I saw my dad," Evan told them.
"You saw your DAD?!" Big Time Rush yelled.
"Shh!" Brandon responded. "Keep it down! We don't want Kat to hear! She'll just get more stressed out."
"I thought your dad was dead!" Logan mentioned.
"Oh my God," Carlos muttered. "It's around Halloween. The Zombie Apocalypse is starting!"
"Carlos," James turned to his best friend. "For the fifty-sixth time, there's no such thing as zombies!" Evan and Brandon each raised an eyebrow.
"So, what happened?" Kendall tried to get the conversation back to where it was supposed to be. "How did you find the Zizi hideout?"
"That's not important," Evan replied. "What is important is that the Zizi gave me some messages to deliver." The boys stared at him expectantly, knowing that every message from the Zizi was crucial. "They were basically threats. Kendall should stop playing hero, Logan should break up with Kat and Carlos should find more safety gear than his helmet. James, yours was a little weird. Something about how you should regret almost going solo with Hawk."
"I'm glad I didn't," James mumbled. "That would have been terrible."
"Yeah, well, I'm just giving you the messages," Evan told him. "And then there's the one for Aunt Jenn to warn her that she's going to lose me and Kat, but not in the way we think."
"With the Zizi, it's killing you off," Logan deduced. "So something other than that? Maybe kidnapping?"
"Who knows?" Evan shrugged. "We've just gotta keep an eye out for something like that. As for Katie -"
"What about Katie?!" Kendall suddenly went into overprotective brother mode. "She's not doing anything wrong! She's just an innocent bystander! Why would she be a target?!" Evan and Brandon winced as they looked at each other.
The two boys weren't able to give the warning before Katie walked past them, playing her video game. She was about to go into Katrina's room when Evan stopped her, "Hold on, I've got something to talk to you about."
"Can it wait until I get my knight to the Well of Discord to get some Stun Potion to give to the enemy king?" Katie asked. Evan raised an eyebrow and looked at the guys. They shook their heads, not knowing what Katie was talking about.
Evan reached forward, grabbed Katie's portable game system and shut it, "No, I have to talk to you now."
"Hey!" Katie exclaimed. "I just got out of the Forest of Distress! Do you know how many elves I had to destroy to pass that level? Now, I have to do that all over again!"
"The Zizi know that you're the one sending anonymous tips about their hideouts to the police," Evan went straight to the point.
"WHAT?!" Kendall, Logan, Carlos and James screamed. The four boys looked at the preteen in surprise.
"Oh," Katie winced. "That. The Zizi are a more formidable opponent than I thought."
"Katie, what were you thinking?" Kendall asked his little sister. "The Zizi kill! They're the reason Katrina's in the hospital! Why would you want to get on their bad side?"
"Because you guys are too public to do it!" Katie defended herself. "You guys can keep secrets from Katrina and each other. That's it. Everyone else knows everything that's going on. You talk about the Zizi in the lobby or at the pool. The people there are not deaf. They can hear every word you're saying and will talk about it. The Zizi can easily disguise themselves and find out all the latest gossip by just asking someone there or listening to you guys blab about what you're going to do. Look where we are now; a public hallway where anyone could be the Zizi. And even when you're talking in the apartment, you check for Katrina, but you never expect me to figure out what's going on. I've realized that you guys can't be sneaky enough to do what needs to be done with the Zizi, so I'm doing it for you. Although, now I'll have to figure out something else since they caught me."
"Katie, you're on their hit-list now!" Evan exclaimed. "You've got to stop!"
"I'd be on their hit-list anyways!" Katie pointed out. "Don't you remember what my mom said earlier? She's in as much danger as your mom and dad! They'd go after me and Kendall anyways! I want to get them before they get that chance." She grabbed her video game from Evan's hands. "And you idiots are going to make everything worse until you figure out a way to shut your mouths around people and add Katrina in your loop. The reason she keeps getting hurt is because she can't keep herself safe when she doesn't know all the details that you guys have. Plus, if you include her, she might find some connection that you guys missed. Idiots." Rolling her eyes, she opened her game and started it up again, walking into Katrina's hospital room and leaving the boys stunned.
"Well, she's got a point," Brandon agreed. "Katrina's as much a part of this as we are."
"But Katrina can't get stressed out," Logan insisted. "If we start telling her things now, her surgery's not going to go well."
"We'll tell her after the surgery then," Kendall decided.
"There was a message for Kat too," Evan revealed. "To relax and let it take effect."
"To let what take effect?" James asked.
Evan shrugged, "I don't know. All I know is that the Zizi already have it in motion." The boys stared at Katrina's door, wondering what was going to happen.
The next day, the doctors were fussing over Katrina, getting her ready for her surgery. Her eyes darted back and forth as the doctors scrambled around her. She was being poked by needles and prodded as whispers rang in her ears. Blood kept getting drawn and checked while the monitors hooked up to her were beeping constantly. Logan, Kendall, James, Carlos, Evan and Brandon stood to the side, watching her and noticing that she was getting frantic as time went on.
"Logan," Katrina called over to her boyfriend. He rushed over to her side. "Are you sure they won't let you in there? I want to make sure nothing horrible happens while I'm under. Like giving me the wrong surgery or something."
"Sorry, Katrina," Logan shook his head. "Only doctors, nurses and interns allowed."
"So, you can't become an intern in the next five minutes?" Katrina asked.
Logan laughed slightly, "It's a little more complicated than that. But don't worry. There's a viewing window right outside the surgery room. The guys and I are going to watch and make sure nothing happens that shouldn't be happening." Katrina nodded, but she still seemed scared. Logan reached over and grabbed her hand, rubbing it slightly with his thumb. "Don't worry. It's only minor surgery." Katrina let out a deep breath that she didn't know she was holding.
"Okay!" one of the doctors called out. "We're clear to take her to surgery!" Logan had to let go of Katrina's hand so they could roll her bed out of the room and down the hallway. The boys followed close behind, listening to the last minute preparations that were going on.
Another doctor leaned in to talk to Katrina. His only identifying feature was his green-yellow eyes since he wore the scrubs that the other doctors were using, his hair was covered by a surgical hat and most of his face was covered by a surgical mask. "When it comes to the anesthesia, don't fight it. Just relax and let it take effect." This caused the six boys to freeze in their tracks. They stared with wide eyes at the man. He turned to them with a glint of success in his eyes. A second later, the group of doctors and Katrina were gone past the doors into the surgery room.
"Crap," the boys mumbled, realizing that the man was part of the Zizi and Katrina was in more trouble than just complications due to surgery.
Watching through the viewing window, Logan, Kendall, Carlos, James, Evan and Brandon watched Katrina's surgery nervously. Katie, Mrs. Knight, Camille and Jo, who had shown up while Katrina was being put under anesthesia, watched the boys, wondering why they were so nervous. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened yet, but the boys didn't want to take any chances. They watched the surgery on edge, waiting for something to happen.
"Guys," Jo broke the silence, "These doctors are professionals and some of the best in the nation. Nothing's going to happen."
"There are a lot of medical lawsuits based on surgeries," Camille revealed. "A lot of law and medical shows prove it."
"Not helping, Camille," Jo replied.
"Sorry," Camille told them. "I'm just remembering the time I played a patient that died because she was given too much anesthesia." For some reason, this made the guys more anxious than they were before. Logan stared at the monitors attached to Katrina, biting his nails as he waited for something bad to happen. Carlos pressed his face up against the window, glaring at the doctors as though that would make everything okay. James sat down with his head in his hands, not watching the scene, but hoping that nothing would go wrong. Kendall and Evan were pacing back and forth, passing each other each time. Brandon hyperventilated so much that he had to use a paper bag to help calm himself down. Camille turned to Jo, "Maybe I shouldn't have said that."
"You think?" Jo retorted sarcastically. She looked to the boys, "Ignore her. Everything's going to be fine. Look, they're finishing up." As the doctors stitched up their work, the lead surgeon came out to speak with the family and friends.
"Everything went fine," the surgeon revealed. "She should stay off her leg for a week. Then, she can use crutches. After two weeks with crutches, she'll be back to normal. We'll want to see her before she starts using the crutches and before she gets rid of them to make sure that everything's going smoothly." The boys relaxed once they realized that Katrina was going to be okay.
"Told you everything would be fine," Jo reminded them.
Suddenly, someone from the operating room came in to whisper to the surgeon. The surgeon's face went grim.
"Are you sure?" the surgeon asked. The person nodded. "Crap, this is gonna cause a lawsuit." Everyone held their breaths at this statement. The surgeon turned to Katrina's family and friends, "So it seems that not everything went fine. There was a numerical error on the anesthesia record and she was given too much. She's still alive, but she's in what we call a medically induced coma. We aren't sure when she is going to wake up. I'm deeply sorry for this." The surgeon walked back into the operating room.
"I failed," Evan mumbled. "I failed as her brother. I'm supposed to protect her."
"I should've caught the number on her medical record before she was given the anesthesia," Logan shook his head. "I'm a failure as a boyfriend and a future doctor."
"You two couldn't have known," Mrs. Knight assured them. "Evan, you couldn't go into surgery for her. This was something she had to do on her own. Logan, you haven't been to medical school yet. Those numbers shouldn't look weird because you don't know what they mean."
"Guys, she's not dead," Kendall pointed out. "She's just an injured player on our team! Her coma may not be a win for our team, but it's not a win for them either. It's a tie!" Carlos, Logan, James and Evan nodded, knowing that Kendall was going to use hockey to explain the situation they were in. Camille, Jo, Brandon, Katie and Mrs. Knight looked at each other, not getting the analogy. "The game has ended in a tie. That means we are going into overtime. We are going to win it here on their home ice! We are not going to let this get to a shootout because they are better at one shot tricks while we can outlast them. All we need is one goal. All we need is to find one weakness so that we can score a point past their goalie, that man in the red hoodie. They may have treachery and trickery on their side, but we have something too. We work great as a team. Now, who's with me?" Kendall put his hand out.
Carlos put his helmet on his head, a determined look on his face, "They're going down." He placed his hand on Kendall's.
"I'm in too," James added his hand. "The Zizi are going to pay for trying to destroy our team."
Logan reached out to put his hand on top, "This time, it's personal." The four boys turned to look at Evan expectantly.
A smile appeared on Evan's face, "You don't even have to ask me. Overtime rules state that you need five players: four regular players and one goaltender. I'll be your goaltender." That said, Evan placed his hand on top of the stack. The five guys cheered as they lifted their hands in their air.
"I'll never understand boys," Jo told Camille.
"Tell me about it," Camille mumbled. They watched as the guys huddled together to come up with a plan.
(A/N): Uh oh… Katrina's in a coma! And someone from the Zizi is responsible for it! Who could this be? Guess that the boys have a mystery to solve before the Zizi strike again! Three mysterious people are back: Emily, Mr. Wolff and that mysterious figure in black that is now known as Chase Macintyre. Now that Evan knows about Emily being in the hospital, is he going to search for her? What about Camille (who he actually kissed instead of waiting for her to kiss him)? Remember that Emily still thinks that Kendall is Evan. What's going to happen when they meet face-to-face and actually get a chance to talk? Is Emily going to insist that Kendall's Evan or will she realize her mistake? And what about Carlos? I mean, she DID kiss him… Mr. Wolff is being held by the Zizi. Is that why he hasn't gone back to see his family? Are they going to be able to save him before it's too late? And why is it that he's not dead and his brother is? Or maybe he is the one that's dead and his brother is pretending to be him! That would be confusing… Chase seems kind of… creepy… Is he a part of the Zizi or just some freak that's obsessed with Katrina? What's he going to do now that she's in a coma? Is security really going to be able to keep him away? One of the Zizi hiding places has been located! In the basement of a hospital… That explains why Katrina's had to go back there so much… Are the boys going to be able to find some clues down there or will their investigation lead to a dead end? The Zizi now have some faces… From the man impersonating a doctor to the guy in the blood red hoodie… And they've given some warnings. Pay close attention to those warnings… Kendall still seems intended on playing hero. Is that going to hurt him later? Logan doesn't seem to be breaking-up with Katrina any time soon, even if she was awake. How will the Zizi take that news? Does the warning for Carlos mean that he'll be the next one to get hurt or is it just a threat? James doesn't seem bothered by the Hawk threat. Should he be? Hawk's locked up, right? Katie doesn't seem to be bothered by the Zizi figuring out what she's up to. What will her next plan be? Will she include the guys or does she still think that they can't keep a secret? The Zizi have warned that Mrs. Knight might lose Evan and Katrina, but not in the way you might think. So, not being killed… Is Logan right that there's going to be a kidnapping attempt or is there something else more devious coming up? Is Brandon going to forget about his friends and run off or sick by them till the end? Is Camille going to leave Evan alone for her own safety or is she going to continue to pursue him? Is Evan going to kill himself or is he going to continue to fight against the Zizi?
Kendall's right about this being a game. And with a key player, Katrina, off the ice, are the boys going to be able to add a win to their team? Or will an upcoming betrayal send them into the losing column? You'll have to wait and see what happens next on the 'A Rush of Dog Days' Halloween special! Until then, happy reading!