A couple of hours into the night, Nicky was still in Red's safe arms. They both were sleeping soundly when all of a sudden, Nicky began to shake.

"Hey, Nichols. I got something I want to show you." Piscatella yelled from across the hall.

"It's dinner time, if I'm late I'll get a shot." Nicky reasoned, knowing this guy was nothing but trouble.

"Either way you'll get a shot. Come with me."

Nicky, not really seeing any other options, obliged to his unnecessary request.

"Where are we going?" she asked after a couple feet from where they started.

"Outside."

Nicky had a gut feeling. One of the bad ones. What could possibly be outside that they needed? The garden was already taken care of for the day. Come to think of it, they weren't even allowed outside at this time of night.

"Go down there, where that hole is in the fence. I'll be there in a minute. I'll get the tools; we are going to reattach the fence in that spot so no one else can escape. Got it?"

"Aye aye, captain." Nicky saluted to him, trying to lighten the tense mood for her own piece of mind.

Nicky walked down and examined the hole that, indeed was there, in the fence. She still didn't know why they were doing this at night. She thought it kind of made sense that this be a task that she would do, considering she knew both electricals' tools and the garden's tools; but still didn't get why this time of night was a good time to do it.

Without warning, a very hard grasp clapped onto Nicky's upper arm and she felt herself being pushed through the hole.

She turned around and saw Piscatella, and her gut feeling grew far, far worse.

"What are you- "

"Shut up."

They walked another 150 feet or so.

Nicky began to shake. She was scared and didn't know what was going to happen, although she had an idea in the back of her mind that she hoped against hope was not going to come to pass.

"Where are we- "

He stopped their walk and turned around to face her. "What did I say?" And he put both hands around Nicky's neck, ringing it like a dirty rag.

Nicky started to choke. She reached her hands up to her neck and tried to pry Piscatella's but it was just impossible. He dropped her and she fell hard to the floor, landing on a large rock; both choking and screaming in pain. He quickly dove to the floor and grabbed onto her neck again, pinning her down with one of his knees. He let go with one hand, and grabbed Nicky's fingers and twisted them in such a way that he could move her however he wanted. Piscatella brought Nicky's hands up to the one he had on his neck and managed to have a finger from each of her hands and her neck all in one giant death trap that was his massive hand.

Nicky couldn't talk, she couldn't scream for help, she couldn't do anything. Her panic had reached an all-time high and her heart was beating dangerously fast as the amount of fear and terror she was feeling grew and grew.

She was preparing herself for this to be the end of her short lived life. She desperately searched her mind for the happiest memory she had of Red, her mother whom she loved more than anyone in the world. She remembered what the last words they had spoken to each other were,

"If you need me, Nicky, I'll know it. I always have in the past and I am positive I always will in the future. You have this way about you, a mother knows."

"I believe that, Red. And I love you for it."

Nicky began to cry harder and realized she was satisfied with that. And Lorna...

Nicky's thoughts, which felt like minutes but were truly only short seconds, got interrupted when she heard the sound she most feared: a belt buckle.

With Piscatella's free hand he had undone his belt buckle and started to unzip his pants. He reached for the top of Nicky's pants and started to pull them down but her struggling made it difficult. He made sure she was pinned down so tightly that she wouldn't be able to escape. He let go of her neck and she coughed violently. Her tears were unstoppable as she realized there was no way she would be ok. She coughed furiously and struggled to breathe. She began to wheeze in a very uncomfortable way and felt that that alone would kill her. She was so light headed and dizzy.

Her pants were down and she could feel the weight of his body settling on hers. Her eyes were shut tight and she only wanted one thing: Red. She wanted her mother because she would make this all go away. She would get him off of her. She would make everything better. She would save her.

"Are you ready?" Piscatella asked in a tone that didn't even give her the option to protest.

"Please don't. Please…Please…"

"Yeah, keep begging for it." Piscatella was so close to her.

"Stop…" Nicky was desperate but knew there was nothing that could be done. Her cries and screams were blood curdling. "Mommy!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. "Mommy!"

"She can't hear you; no one can hear you."

"Mommy! She yelled once more before it became a soft whispered whimper. "Mommy…"

He had started; she had quit. His grunts were loud; her cries were silent. He didn't want his finish yet; she did want her mother now. He was in heaven; she was in hell. He was alive in the moment; she was dead inside.

Once he finished he said "Thank you." And he slapped her on the cheek. She thought it was the slap but she heard thunder as well and looked up to the sky to see lightning in the distance.

"Stay here until someone finds you." He got up and stated to walk but turned his head and said "If anyone finds you." He spat in her face and walked away.

"Leave me alone…" Nicky whispered. "Get away from me…" she was crying in her sleep.

Red woke almost immediately. "Nicky!" Red sat up and began to shake her daughter awake, but to no avail. "Nicky! Wake up! You're dreaming."

"No! Stop! Please...Mommy…"

Red was finally able to wake the horrified girl before her. "My girl, it's ok. It was only a dream."

"Where am I?" Nicky wondered, tears streaming down her cheeks, looking around everywhere but in Red's eyes, obviously very distraught.

"With me." Red said these two words in a such a way, that Nicky completely stilled, forgetting her previous horrific nightmare and looked into her mother's eyes as if seeing her for the first time in years. This was her mother speaking to her. This was her mother here with her. Nicky was safe, she knew.

"He was there…and I was… he choked me…it hurt so bad…couldn't get away…" Nicky rambled as she cried all the more, throwing herself into Red's waiting arms.

"Shhh." Red soothed, stroking her daughter's hair and rubbing her back. "You're safe with me. That is all over now. You're with me."

Nicky looked to the night sky. It was lightning like mad and out of nowhere a giant rupture of thunder occurred. Startled, Nicky began to shake. Red pulled her closer and tightened her arms around her girl.