"Let's move ladies!" Nat shouts, pointing in opposite directions. "In and out, then back to the party!"

I can't help but laugh at her drill sergeant routine. By the time we arrived, she had the store divided into thirds and assignments for each of us. Becca is getting the ice cream, I'm getting the fruit and toppings, and Natasha is straight for the booze.

Leo waves as we race into the store,-no doubt waiting for his regular to finish shopping. He laughs as we fly by, giggling like a pack of pre-teen girls at a slumber party. I flash him a quick smile and grab our baskets before splitting up. Even Igor is grinning as he waits at the entrance.

I rush to the produce section, zipping up and down the aisle as I add strawberries, blueberries and bananas to my basket. An elderly lady gasps and clutches her necklace as I slide around the corner, losing traction on the water-slicked floors from the veggie misters.

"Sorry!" I squeal out over my shoulder as I race away.

Becca stands in the central aisle, enthralled by the wall of ice cream while Natasha rushes back to upgrade her basket to a shopping cart. My grin grows wider as I see victory in my grasp.

I push my legs harder, searching for the baking and treat aisle and end up sliding by it in my haste. My heart hammers as I backtrack and slam on the breaks in front of my goal.

Caramel squeeze, chocolate drizzle, strawberry sauce and every colour of sprinkle beg to come home with us. Knowing Jonathan's sweet tooth I go big, grabbing one of each and tossing them into my basket before racing towards the cashier.

Shopping cart wheels screech on linoleum behind me as glass bottles clank together, warning that Natasha's hot on my heels. I can't breathe as I cackle like a maniac, parking my basket on the conveyor first.

"You cheated!" Nat whines. Her cart is literally full of booze and chips, more than anyone could possibly eat in a night, let alone a small BBQ party.

"I won fair and square." I flash her a toothy grin, only earning a deeper scowl. "I nearly wiped out like three times for this, I'll have you know!"

Natasha rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. "Fine." She looks back down the main aisle towards the way we came from and sighs. "Where's Becca?"

My grin dissolves as I follow her gaze. Becca had the easiest job. She should have been back first.

"Get started, I'll go find her." I slip past her and head back to the freezer section where I saw Becca last.

Shouts come from the front of the store and freeze me in place as the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end. I can't make out the words but they sound angry and frantic. My cell goes off, making me nearly jump out of my skin as I fumble and drop my phone.

I crouch down and reach under a display, seeing Jonathan's picture flashing on the screen. My heart starts to race as I drop to my knees and crawl under the stand to reach it.

"Izzy? Izzy!" Jonathan shouts. Panic wells in me as I hear his engine roar in the background.

"Jonathan?" I whimper.

"Angel, where are you?"

"At the store still." I stand up and look around but see nothing, yet every fibre of my being is screaming to run.

"Where, Izzy?" Viktor shouts.

"Um... near the back, I'm looking for Becca-"

"I need you to listen carefully to me Izzy," Jonathan starts. His voice is deathly calm but there's something very wrong. "Get out of there-"

Shots ring out and I drop my phone as I hit the floor, throwing my hands over my head. A woman screams and the sound of people running, knocking stuff over echoes in the store.

"Izzy!"

I reach for my fallen cell, crawling across the aisle but just short of it a man runs it over, smashing it to smithereens. More shots ring out and I cover my head as I hide against a freezer.

Someone grabs my arm and quickly throws a hand over my mouth to stifle my scream. Leo hunches next to me, wide eyes locked on mine as he draws a finger to his lips, signalling for me to be quiet.

"We can't go that way," he whispers, pointing to the entrance. As if to prove his point, more shots ring out.

I can't hold back the tears that well in my eyes, knowing it must be Alec... he's come to finish what he started.

"Come on, we can't stay here." Leo stands up and looks around before pulling me up and ushering me ahead of him. He keeps a firm grip on my shoulder as he guides us away from the shots and chaos out front.

"Becca!" I whisper shout, darting over to my terrified friend. She's huddling beside the meat counter.

"I-I," she stammers, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I just wanted to get Tony those sticks he likes." She clutches a bundle of pepperettes and ice cream like a shield.

I throw my arms around her and squeeze hard. "We're gonna get out of here, but we have to move."

Her words fail her but she nods. Once more, Leo stands and takes a look around as more shots ring out. He motions for us to follow him and leads us along the back wall.

My heart drops as he slams to a stop, throwing his arms out to shield us behind him. A man stands in the way, having come out of the employee hallway.

"Max?" I gasp. My eyes go impossibly wide as look at my old next-door neighbour.

"Izabella! What are you doing here?!" He flinches and dives for cover with us as a fresh round of shots echoes in the store.

Becca fights back a sob as we huddle together. My heart hammers, hearing the shots and commotion getting closer.

"We're looking for a way out," Leo cuts in. He nods to the doorway that Max just left. "Is there a back door?"

"Yeah, I was just doubling back to help anyone nearby." Max waves at us to follow him and takes off, back towards the door. Leo nods ahead ushering us first and takes up the rear.

The dark hallway leaves me disoriented as I feel along the wall, and listen for his direction. Becca holds onto my other arm and I hear Leo shuffling behind us.

"Just a little farther," Max coaxes. "I can't believe you were here!"

Max stops suddenly by a door, causing us to crash into him. He throws the door wide, blinding us with the sunny day on the other side.

"Only one problem." Max's voice takes on a chilling tone as he stands in the doorway. Faster than I can comprehend, he swings his fist, clocking Leo in the temple and crumpling him. "You were supposed to be alone."

I try to hide Becca behind me as reality sets in. Max stands over an unconscious Leo with a pistol in his hand. He waves it at us, motioning for us to head outside.

"Max?" I blurt out as tears stream down my face. "What are you doing?"

"Outside!" He snaps, jerking the gun at us.

My legs move of their own accord, taking us through the threshold into the bright afternoon sun. I keep Becca tucked behind me, afraid to let him near her.

The faint sound of sirens rings out in the distance but they're too far away. Despair threatens to swallow me whole as the pieces fall into place, painting a hopeless picture. Suddenly Marilyn's words come echoing through my mind.

'It's okay to be afraid, but you have to keep a level head and not let that fear control you.'

If he wanted to kill me, I'd be dead already... I just need to stay alive long enough for Jonathan to find me.

The back door bursts open and the man from my nightmares stands there. Suddenly Marilyn's words lose all meaning.

In my distracted state, Max grabs me and Alec pounces on Becca. She screams as he pins her against the van and points a gun at her.

"No!" I scream. "Don't hurt her, please, just let her go!"

"A bit late for that don't you think?" Alec growls. His face splits into a sadistic grin. "Double your pleasure, hmm?"

"Get them in the van!" Max's fingers dig into my arm as he whips the back door of the van open.

Becca panics and starts to scream and claw at Alec. He pulls his hand back and slaps her with such force that her head whips back then hangs limp as her whole body turns into a ragdoll.

"Becca!" I scream, desperately clawing at Max to get to her.

Tires screech and Alec throws my unconscious friend in the back of the van like a dirty rag. Max drags me in and climbs up, slamming the door behind us.

The van roars to life and starts to move, sending me crashing to the floor with Max over me. Suddenly bright light fills the van as we speed away and the back door flies wide open.

"Izzy!"

"Jonathan!" I fight as hard as I can, pushing against the dirty floor that my face is pressed against. In an instant, the weight holding me down vanishes and time slows.

I manage to turn over in time to see Jonathan rip Max off of me but his eyes go wide as the lock behind me somewhere. A deafening bang explodes, echoing around us and Jonathan gets thrown back first out of the open door.

My heart stops as I watch him hit the pavement and roll, coming to stop in a crumpled, unmoving heap. "Jonathan!" I wail, reaching out for him.

A rag covers my nose and mouth sending me into full panic mode. I kick and scratch wildly but in no time, my arms and legs get heavy as darkness swallows me.