I blinked my eyes, trying to adjust my vision in the dark.

I was wide awake by now, and Devin stood there, hovering over us, aiming the gun at me and Castle, "Stop harboring any illusions that I won't shoot because I will."

"Why are you doing this?!" I asked.

Before I could comprehend what was happening, he grabbed my arm and forced me out of bed, pulling me taut against him. I yelped and flailed, but he had a chokehold on me, the gun now digging into my jaw.

You couldn't tell what Castle was thinking. His face was blank. He looked resigned and tired. Calmly, he said, "put the gun down, Devin, and let her go."

"What was it you said before that accident, Castle? Oh right, I remember. You said you would ruin me! Me! Devin Montgomery! You son of a bitch! How does this feel?"

"Don't be stupid." Castle said in a dangerously low voice, "If you put the gun down, I promise we can forget this twisted revenge. I'll leave town if you want. You can have all of this. Just...let her go."

"Fuck you!" Devin spat at him, and chuckled, "she's coming with me."

He pushed me towards the door by force, almost making me trip against the carpeted floor.

My heart jack-hammered against my chest.

This is it then...

This is how it's finally going to end...

He jabbed the gun against my neck. "don't try and act smart, Millie, or I'll shoot and your brains will paint these walls and I really don't want to do that. The wallpapers are fucking expensive."

"I'm walking! Stop hitting me!" I yelled at him.

A silhouette was visible on the upper level of the floor. I looked up long enough to catch a glimpse of Dayana.

"Devin! Stop!" she screamed from above. "Let her go! I've talked to—

"Dayana, stay there! Do not come down or I swear I will kill her right this very second!"

She was kneeling against the banister on the floor, staring at us with haunted green eyes. I couldn't see anything because we were going further down. "Devin, please..." she said helplessly.

Chandler had materialized on the floor wearing his bear print pajamas. He saw his brother pointing the gun at me. Fear was clear on his face. "Where are you taking Millie?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Go to bed, Chandler!" Devin said.

"Don't take her..." his voice wavered.

Was Chandler going to cry? I never thought the brat would ever cry for me.

Castle was right behind me, following Devin as he dragged us out of the mansion like a pair of kitchen rats.

I remembered everything that led up to this moment. Running away from my uncle's home, taking up the job, marrying Castle. Tears clouded my vision as I realized all was for nothing.

All that planning and Castle regaining his memories had led to Devin finally losing it.

Devin would pull us outside, shoot me first, and then Castle. Or he would shoot Castle first and then me. I didn't want to live if Castle would not survive this. It made no sense to go on living without him.

There was no Millie without Castle.

Devin brought his mouth close to my ear, his breath fanned my cheek, "if you hadn't been so taken to him, maybe I would have let you live, but I had seen it. Your fascination for Castle the second you met him. You were not supposed to fall in love, you were supposed to notice me!"

"I'm sorry, but why am I being held responsible for this? You got me married to him forcefully, didn't you? Do I have to remind you of that?"

"That was part of the plan!" he seethed. "But if you hadn't fallen for him, it would have been me by your side. Me with you! Not him!"

"So you're just going to kill me as revenge for loving your brother?"

"Shut up and keep walking!"

Finally, we made it downstairs, and he led us outside of the mansion, into the mansion gardens. Theo was nowhere in sight. He was probably sleeping, unaware of what was going on. Chandler would be confused when he learned we were dead. I felt bad for them. They would find out their oldest brother was gone and their sister-in-law slaughtered in the process.

What would happen to Theo after we were gone? Devin would no doubt make his life miserable.

We stood facing each other in the mansion gardens.

The moon remained hidden behind the tall pine trees. The gust of wind reminded me of how thin the gown's fabric was. It didn't matter what I was wearing anymore; I was going to be buried in the family cemetery on the grounds. I wouldn't be allowed outside of this property even after death. The irony was laughable and sick in equal measures.

I hated this place. It reminded me of a luxurious prison, but I had hoped with the return of Castle that it would change. I had wanted a good life for us.

Castle and I both deserved it.

I looked up at the mansion's top-floor window and noticed a dark figure against the glass. Grandpa Hugh continued to watch us as his mad step-grandson held us at gunpoint.

"Get down on your knees, both of you!" Devin commanded.

"Dev,can we talk this out, please?" Castle asked him. "I promise you no games."

A gunshot roared through the air, and I yelled loudly. A bullet was shot in the ground, "down, or the next bullet goes through her."

Reluctantly, I kneeled.

Castle kneeled with me, his hands above his head.

What was all the staff doing? Couldn't they hear the gunshot? Where was Winston?

I imagined Devin could have threatened them to ignore tonight's occurrence. It wasn't unusual for Devin to threaten people to get his way out.

I had images of our bodies on the ground next to each other. And the news headline that I'd killed him and then killed myself.

"Devin, you don't have to do this."

"Sure I do." He said, his face contorting in anger. The veins in his forehead almost popping, "this is all your fault, if you hadn't acted so smart, if you hadn't meddled in my family business, you wouldn't be here and Castle would have been dead like he should be."

"You can kill me, but let her go." Castle said.

"Not a chance." Devin snapped.

"I just need to know something. You carried out those rituals, didn't you?" Castle asked.

"So what if I did?!" Devin was breathing hard, still holding the gun to me. "Grandpa needed someone to carry out the rituals, the cult needed to move forward with a leader and I was the perfect candidate! The best!"

At this point, I wondered if Devin was not just crazy, but also delusional.

"I know what you're doing, talking to me like this. You're buying time." Devin chuckled, "it won't work. The police want nothing to do with us, Cas. You of all people, should know that. They are aware of the power we wield, and nothing that happens here tonight will make it out of these gates."

Castle and I exchanged looks. He wasn't giving me any signal, nothing that could prove that we were getting out of here alive!

Had he given up so easily? Was he only trying to gather information so he could die knowing the truth?

"What do you want, Devin? Name it and it's yours."

Devin laughed again. "You know what I want? I want you dead! I'd considered killing you since you lost your memories, but what's the fun in that? I wanted to look into your eyes and put a bullet in your head as you recalled how you ruined my family! I wanted you to remember every goddam thing!" He said, his voice dripping venom.

He had become completely deranged as he took a swing at Castle, who did not react. The hit was too hard because Castle spat blood, but he continued to regard Devin with the same coolness. "Stop this foolishness."

Devin was circling us, but he was distracted enough. He wouldn't notice...

It was a gamble.

I could get killed.

When he walked behind me, I gathered up all the force and the courage to stab my elbow into his crotch, hard.

That made him groan loudly, and he lost the grip on the gun as I watched it flying out of his hands and falling onto the tiled pathway in the gardens. I crawled away from there and got up on my feet.

"Millie! Run!" Castle shrieked.

Feeling my heart jumping out of my chest, I blindly ran into the labyrinth garden maze.

The ground was all mud, and tall trimmed shrubs surrounded by all sides with English roses blooming; pink and yellows. It was a maze, stretching on all sides, circular and huge. It looked breathtakingly beautiful in the morning.

Theo, Chandler, Castle, and I used to play here all the time. Theo would always win because he was at an expert level for finding the routes and knew all the corners. I was the only one who would always get lost.

I darted through the maze walls without looking at which way I was going.

I came to a space I thought was safe. I hid there. Running so fast had consumed my energy, I was barely left with breath.

Then I heard it, the sound of the branches crunching..."

"Ooooooh Millie..." came Devin's teasing voice. "Come out, come out..."

I heard the gun being reloaded.

"We can play this all night, if you want, but I'm not leaving until I find you."

I could hear his voice drawing closer.

I started moving away from there when something tugged my gown. I stopped to find the thorny stems of rose jutting out and tearing into it. I jerked at it angrily, tearing the fabric a bit.

And then the sound of gunfire filled the air.

My heart almost stopped completely.

Who had Devin shot?

Castle!

I sneaked out of the space desperately. He couldn't die like this! Castle wouldn't go down without a fight. I turned the corner and stopped short, gaping at the scene before me.

Dayana lay on the floor, her eyes vacant, blood pooling on the ground. 

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