A/N: Slight sexual content in this chapter, and this is the second to last chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 35 - Analise

    It had been a week. It was a whole week since I'd seen my friends, been able to wrap Drew, Alisha and Bella in a hug, and kiss Will.

Will...

I missed him so much it hurt, which was the entire reason I didn't want to love anyone. Did he miss me as much as I missed him? Was he thinking about me as much as I was him? How was school going for him? Was he doing alright without me? I hated that I loved him, and would now have to hurt him. Love...

I was in love with William Gryer, and now I'd never get to tell him.

By now, I'd decided my fate would be dying here by the hands of people I once considered family and their gang members. Whoever decided to take the final move that killed me, I wasn't sure, but I knew I'd die here. I knew it was a week since I'd been taken because Ashlynn reminded me every day before she left for school to 'comfort will.' The thought made my stomach clench anxiously and bile to rise in my throat. Ashlynn had always been a heartless bitch, that much I knew, but she'd taken it too far this time.

I missed my family, I missed my friends, and I missed my boyfriend more than anything. I'd finally agreed to let myself have a normal life, and Ashlynn and her psychotic brother had to rip that out from underneath me. Why wasn't I allowed to be happy and enjoy my life? Why did everything have to be so complicated?

The sound of commotion outside the door to the stairs infiltrated my ears and I strained to hear what was going on. I wanted to move towards it, but not only was I tied up so I couldn't move, but I was so badly beaten I couldn't even lift my head. Every day had been a painful reminder to just how I made Ashlynn and Raelynn feel when I'd beat their asses and they were dishing it back ten fold. I could hardly open my eyes to look around, it was so bad.

The door to the basement opened and Tommy jogged down them, his eyes briefly holding pity before they turned sinister. He walked right up to me, picking me up gently before leaning in and whispering softly in my ear. "They're going to kill you today."

My eyes attempted to widen in alarm, but all I could do was slightly enlarge one eye in alarm. I attempted to open my mouth to speak, to tell him to redeem himself and get me out of this hell, but my mouth felt like it weighed a ton and I couldn't open it. I simply managed a light head nod, showing him I was still alive and could hear him, but barely.

"I'm sorry, Ana," Tommy murmured, his eyes trailing my face guiltily. Slowly, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine in an unreciprocated kiss and I couldn't even scoff in disgust I was so shocked. He pulled away, pressing his forehead to mine and looking into my opened eye. "I've wanted to do that for so long."

I forced myself to open my mouth and my voice came out in a rasp. "Why won't you help me?"

He looked down briefly before catching my gaze. "It's not that simple. I've fucked up, and I can't make up for it; but they have you now and it's too late."

If I'm being honest, I was surprised I wasn't dead already. Besides the numerous beatings I received every day, they didn't feed me anything and I got a dixie cup of tap water every day; that was it. I was treated like trash, and truly I felt like I deserved it for all the hell I'd put everyone through in all my seventeen years of life. And now karma was biting me in the ass, hard.

"It's not," I paused, trying to clear my dry throat. "It's not too late, Tom."

I tried the nickname, hoping it would push him in the right direction to help me but it served it's purpose in doing the exact opposite. His eyes clouded over in lust and he brought his lips to mine again in a hated one-sided kiss, pushing his tongue into my mouth. I bit it, effectively making him pull away but it only fueled his anger.

He began trailing kisses down my neck, going towards my bloodied and torn shirt before ripping it open completely. He stared before looking back up at me and smirking. "If you're going to die anyway-"

"Don't," I cut him off with the loudest voice I could muster, which still came a couple octaves below my normal one. "Please."

He ignored me, trailing kisses down my stomach before getting to my bloodied and dirty jeans. He pulled them down, kissing down my legs to my feet before coming back up and kissing my mouth once more. He went to forcefully push his tongue in my mouth once more before pulling back and staring at me in the eyes. "If you so much as think about biting my tongue again, I'll kill you myself."

He began kissing me again, pushing his tongue into my mouth and groaning in approval when I didn't bite down on it. I wanted to, believe me - but I was hoping to buy myself a little more times in the event that maybe Drew and the gang was close to finding my whereabouts. Tommy pushed his fingers into my underwear, rubbing furiously and I had to repress the urge to vomit in his mouth.

I faintly heard the door open, but Tommy didn't stop assaulting me until the one voice I never thought I'd hear again shouted, "Get the fuck off of her."

Slowly but surely, Tommy removed his hands from me and turned around. I struggled to see around Tommy since I couldn't move, but once I did I was shell shocked. Standing there with a murderous look on his face was Will, whom I'd never heard cuss a day in his life. But there he stood, breathing heavily with his fist clenched, looking like he was out for blood.

Behind him stood Drew, Justin, Mallory and Toby, Quincy and some other members of our gang with the same looks of disgust, but Drew made a move first. He lunged for Tommy, knocking him into the wall beside me and sending his fists flying. Will was in front of me in a flash, running his hand through my hair matted with blood with the most worried look I'd ever seen him possess.

"Annie..." He whispered softly, trailing off at the end to wrap his arms around me gently. I flinched at the contact since I had bruises covering every inch of my body, but let him hug me nonetheless. I needed his hug. "What have they done to you?"

I opened my mouth to speak to him, even if it was one word so he'd know I was alright and I was alive, but it was soon cut off by the booming voices of our enemies. Mallory, Justin and Toby came to stand next to where I was sitting, and Will hardly paid a glance back to the voices before I motioned for him with my eyes to turn around. These guys weren't the type to turn your backs on. He sighed, ripping his hoodie off of him and covering up my bra-clad chest before turning to see Nev, Buck, Ashlynn, Raelynn and Colin.

"Wow," he muttered before raising his voice. "You guys are a bunch of traitors, aren't you?"

I glanced over as well as I could to see Tommy laying on the ground, beaten, bloody and unconscious, and a sense of pride washed over me at my brothers actions. He would protect me at all costs, even if it meant something happening to him.

"That was some show," Buck called, clapping his hands mockingly. Agonizingly slowly he made his way to the bottom of the stairs, everyone else trailing him. "Really, bravo on the performance."

"Let my sister go," Drew demanded, his eyes furious and his tone of voice stone cold.

Nev put a finger to his chin, pretending to ponder the demand. "Can't do that, Andrew."

"Drew..." I murmured softly. He looked over at me, and I chose that moment to continue. "Their dad killed Mom and Dad."

"Look at her!" Will shouted, motioning to me. "You've already beat the shit out of her and this asshole was about to rape her! You don't think she's been through enough?"

Buck shook his head. "No, I don't think she has."

Slowly, Raelynn pulled a gun out of her pocket pointing it straight at me. Drew and a couple guys from my gang were quick on the draw, pulling their pistols out and pointing it at the enemies. Nev's gang descended and they easily outnumbered ours, all wielding different weapons. "Put the guns down, Southside."

"You first," Quincy muttered, glaring daggers at Buck. When he saw they weren't backing down, he sighed, lowering his gun.

In a flash Nev had Mallory in his grip, a knife to her neck. "The rest of you lower your guns, or the hostage gets it."

Drew decided not to call his bluff and lowered his gun, followed by the rest of the guys in our gang. "Drop them and kick them over here, all of you!" Buck called out, and the guys complied to his request. They knew by now what would happen if they didn't. Nev released a crying wide eyed Mallory who ran to Toby's open arms, sobbing into his chest.

"Move, William," Ashlynn instructed Will who was half blocking me.

"Over my dead body," Will insisted, his eyes staring straight down the barrel of Raelynn's gun.

"That can be arranged," Nev informed him, smirking.

I shook my head with as much might as I could muster, nudging Will with my finger softly. He turned at the contact, his eyes softening upon contact with me. I gulped, whispering, "Don't be a hero."

"I will never not protect you, Analise Loughty. I love you too much to let you die without trying to stop it."

My good eye widened at the confession, and I murmured, "I love you too. But if you love me, move, please. If you get shot because of me, I'll never forgive myself."

Will's eyes widened in shock at the confession before shook his head in protest. Nev grabbed his shoulders and yanked him away from me, restraining his arms and facing him towards me as Raelynn advanced on me. I stared down the barrel of the gun before looking around. Every one of my brothers guys was restrained by someone, including my friends and Drew, who was restrained by three guys. They were all struggling, yelling; trying to get free to come towards me, but I drowned everything out as if it was just me in the room.

Raelynn suddenly turned on her heel, smirking widely before thrusting the gun into Colin's awaiting hands. "Shoot her."

His eyes widened as he looked from Raelynn to Ashlynn, who wore matching smirks. "Huh?"

"Shoot her," Raelynn insisted, nodding towards me. "She's known you since you were toddlers. It's going to hurt a lot more coming from you. Tommy already assaulted her, I pointed the gun at her; you shooting her will be the icing on the cake."

Colin's hands were shaking, that much I could see from here. I could hear my friends and fellow gang members yelling my name, yelling Colin's name, asking for this to stop. But still, my eyes were focused on my childhood best friend who was shakily holding the gun. He looked up at me and his gaze met mine briefly before he nodded.

"For me," Raelynn furthered, watching as Colin raised the gun towards me. I closed my eyes, mentally telling Drew and Will how much I loved them and how I wish I could go back to before this ever happened. I sent a prayer up - even though I've never been religious, just hoping I'd be reunited with my parents where ever I was going.

I'll see you soon, mom and dad.

The sound of a gunshot went off, and I waited for the pain to take over. When it didn't, I opened my good eye cautiously to see an open mouthed Colin, standing over the person he'd just shot with wide eyes and a pale face. He looked towards me, murmuring, "I couldn't kill my best friend."

Raelynn clutched her stomach where Colin had shot her, falling to the ground before all hell broke loose.