There comes a time in everyone's lives when we suffer regret over a choice we've made. My father used to say that if you had nothing to regret, then you haven't lived.

That did not mean that I got away with anything when I was younger. Dad always gave me that little talk after he dealt out my consequences for stupid stuff, like sneaking out of the house or drinking alcohol for the first time. I didn't always appreciate his wisdom back then, but each year I've understood his advice better and apply it to my life. I miss hearing his voice.

Tonight I won't worry about regretting my choices, because the ones I make tonight will be my last.

I won't regret my decision—only what might have been.

***

As I drive to my destination, I busy my mind with how surprisingly easy it was to sneak out when Adam left. I'm sure the last thing he expected was that I would leave without telling anyone where I was going. Just as Zac had said he would, Adam left a few minutes after eleven.

He is a creature of habit.

Knowing I'd have precious little time to leave the building before Adam returned, I was prepared when the moment was right. My clothes were on under my robe, and my bag was stuffed with items that I thought I might need, but doubt I'll have time to use.

Random thoughts of my parents keep running through my mind as I drive down the dark streets of Phoenix. Mingled among the fear and doubt regarding my choice to meet Zac, I cling to a tiny sense of peace, knowing I'll be joining them soon. I've missed them in my life like an ache that never goes away, even with time. I wonder if they know what's happening to me now, or are they blissfully unaware. Maybe they're up in Heaven, expecting me to live a long, full life before joining them.

Won't they be surprised?

It's one thing to say you're willing to give your life for another, but an entirely different mental battle to actually do it. I've racked my brain for the last four hours trying to figure out a way to not have to go through with this. They all end with Dayna suffering, and ultimately dying because of my choice.

I can't let that happen. Even though my fear screams at me to run away—telling me I want to live, I know I wouldn't be able to go on knowing I could have saved my oldest, dearest friend from a certain death. I'm not wired that way. Guilt would kill me slowly.

Okay, I sound morbid and depressing, even under the circumstance.

I won't let Dayna suffer because of me. That thought is pure and simple. It's my fault she's in this situation. She's as close to a sister as I've ever had. And she shouldn't have to know what Zac is or what he does.

My GPS says I'm getting close now. I feel perspiration break out over my body, and suddenly I'm cold and shivering. My hands shake, and my stomach is so tight I may throw up at any moment.

I pull up and park in front of an old apartment building that looks as though it's scheduled to be demolished soon. Wire fencing surrounds the dark, forgotten property. In the moonlight I can see graffiti on the walls, along with broken or missing doors and windows on many units.

I lay my head on the steering wheel and try to calm my nerves. Even though I know I'm doing the right thing, it's still taking everything I have to make my body take that first step out of the car.

"Pull it together, Sam. Dayna is alone with that monster, and you need to get moving," I say to myself.

I reach into my bag and pull out the vial Gabe left for me. Staring at the crimson liquid within, I wonder what it is. I have a strong suspicion that it's blood, but from who or what I can't even imagine. Not wanting to think about its origins any longer, I twist off the small black top and put it to my lips. In one quick motion I toss it back and swallow it all in two gulps.

Yes, it's definitely blood. Hard to mistake the coppery aftertaste as anything else. I start to gag violently, and it's all I can do to breathe though my nose to prevent it from coming back up. Shaking, I grab a water bottle and drink long, cleansing swallows until the taste is gone and my revulsion subsides.

I leave my bag in the car, slide my cell phone into my back pocket, and slip a small can of pepper spray in the front pocket of my hoodie. As I start walking the perimeter of the fence, looking for a way in, I touch the pendant hanging around my neck. He'll make me remove it, but it buys me a little bit of bargaining time.

Finally, I come to a small separation in the chain-link fence that rises three feet from the ground. Dropping on my hands and knees, I crawl through the opening, only to have my hoodie catch on the sharp edges. It takes a few extra moments to free myself.

Not knowing where to begin, I walk toward the empty, forgotten pool in the center of the complex. The water has been replaced with trash and debris. The apartment building forms a U shape around the pool.

My eyes are darting everywhere. I expect something to jump out at me around every corner.

Does Adam know I'm gone?

I locked my bedroom door, hoping it would buy me some extra time. If I'm lucky, he won't know I'm gone until Gabe arrives in the morning and I fail to come out of my room. I feel bad thinking about the two of them. They've both tried so hard to keep me alive. I won't even allow myself the pity-party of what could have been.

Still...

I hear a noise from across the courtyard on the other side of the pool. There is a faint glow in one of the windows. My legs don't want to move, but I force them forward. Walking toward the light, I find it hard to breathe. Moonlight bathes the buildings and smaller objects in soft gray-blue light. Darker shadows look even more suspicious. I try to ignore them all, except the window with the light.

The door and window on this unit are still intact. Tattered curtains hang in front of the window, offering a limited glimpse inside. I stand at the window looking into the apartment, but can't see enough of the room to know where the light is coming from. I don't see Dayna.

Placing my hand on the doorknob, I turn it slowly. It makes a small amount of noise, but opens easily. The door hinges creak as I slowly push the door open wider and peek my head into the apartment. I scan the main room, but it's empty. The light is further in, and I move toward it with a lump in my throat. My flight urge is set on high, and I'm having to battle my own natural instinct to turn and run screaming from this house of horrors.

Coming to the hallway, I can tell the light is coming from one of the three doors at the other end. I'm feeling claustrophobic as soon as I move into the narrow corridor with its low ceiling and close walls. I want to call out Dayna's name, but my throat is so dry I'm not sure anything discernible would come out.

It seems an eternity before I reach the doorway with the light. Inside is an old plastic crate with a thick three-wick candle burning on top and Dayna lying on the dusty floor.

A pained sound escapes my throat, and I rush to her side. Tears fill my eyes. I clumsily brush them away with the back of my hands. Dayna is lying on her side as if sleeping. I brush the hair out of her face and call her name. She doesn't respond. I look her over quickly, but see no obvious marks or injuries. She's wearing navy slacks, a tan silk blouse, and her shoes are missing.

Placing two fingers to her neck, I feel for a pulse. It takes me several tries, but I finally find it beating steady and strong. Relief almost overwhelms me and I choke back a sob.

I have to get her out of here.

I try to shake her awake, but she's out cold.

"She's sleeping, Sam." Zac's smooth silky voice floats in from the doorway.

I jump up, not wanting to be on my knees with him in the room. His angelic face smiles at me like a long lost lover. Nothing about him fits, and it only adds to the eerie atmosphere of the situation.

"What have you done to her?" I ask, unable to hide my fear. He steps into the room but I hold my ground and don't shy away. I keep myself between him and my friend.

"I've simply commanded her to sleep. I can make her forget this ever happened. Would you like that, Sam?" The offer is tempting.

His voice is like a caress that makes my skin crawl. I'd like to protect her from all of this ugliness, but I don't know if her ignorance will keep her safe. Secrets didn't keep her safe. My betrayal eats at me.

I may have one regret after all.

"No," I say, deciding that I don't want him to touch her again. "I'm leaving her my cell phone and car keys. How long until she wakes?" I ask, looking down at her.

"She'll wake within the hour," he says next to me. I flinch, but still hold my ground. He hasn't touched me, and we both know why.

"You'll need to remove the pendant to fulfill my terms for Dayna's safety," he says, sounding pleased with himself.

"Not until we are safely away from her. Then I'll remove the pendant," I say, holding my ground. The pendant, and insuring Dayna's safety, are the only reasons I'm still able to stand.

"You drive a hard bargain, Sam, but I can see that you will not concede this demand. I took a gamble that you care enough about your friend's life to trade your own. You have a warrior's heart. There are so many facets to your character that I admire. Such a gem among the rocks, a rose among thorns. I may not be willing to part with you after all," he says in my ear, still not touching me.

"I'd rather you kill me than have to spend another moment in your presence."

I take my cell phone and car keys out of my pockets and place them on the floor next to Dayna. It's cold, and I want to cover her, but getting him away is the best I can do. I move some hair from her face before I rise, and turn to see him watching me with a look that I don't understand. It still hurts to look at his face. He doesn't look capable of the atrocities I know he's committed.

He steps back and makes a gentlemanly gesture for me to lead the way out of the room. Having him at my back makes my knees want to buckle. He won't touch me until I remove the pendant. My last hope is that the liquid I drank buys me a little time, but I'm not banking on that to change the outcome.

We walk across the courtyard toward the front of the complex. I'm focused on where my feet fall and nothing else. Don't need to worry about monsters, since I'm walking beside the scariest one.

I did what I came to do, and I feel a strange sense of peace about it all. I won't allow my mind to wander any further than that. Thoughts of what's to come could destroy what's left of my sanity.

"My bike is parked down the road." My eyes widen with the realization that I'll be that close to him. "Don't worry. I have a helmet for you," he says.

His smirk says he knows what I am thinking. Now I am going to be sick. He leads me to a completely different opening than the one I found. Through this entrance, we barely have to duck to avoid the sharp edges of the fence.

"You'll need to remove the pendant now. Don't forget our agreement, Sam. I can make it to Dayna and drain her in less time than it would take you to run back to her," he says, standing next to his bike.

His bike is a red Harley that I'm sure many would drool over. I'm dreading taking off the pendant and sliding onto that bike with him. My heart is racing, and my stomach is a hard knot. Reaching for the chain, I slowly lift it over my head. Gathering the chain and pendant into one hand, I look at it longingly. Not wanting to part with it, I hang it on the metal fence, hoping that Gabe finds it.

Before I can turn from the fence I'm slammed hard from behind. My body hits the chain links, and my face scrapes against the cold metal. I half expect the fence to topple over with the force of my body and his added weight. Zac is pressed against my backside like a second skin. His hand is in my hair pulling my head back in a painful position, while his other arm is a vise grip below my breasts. He takes a deep breath next to my neck. I cry out, but it's muffled by the angle of my head and the fence pressing into the side of my face.

"You've been a truly naughty girl, Sam. Making me wait—calling the shots. Well, not any more. Now we play by my rules. You have me so worked up that I must have a taste before we go." His words are breathless, as if he's out of control.

I hear someone scream, or maybe that's me. Blackness threatens to overtake me. Maybe that's the best I can hope for. In a flash of intense pain, his teeth sink into my neck. My torment is so complete that I feel my mind start to separate from the moment.

I hear a painful scream, and suddenly I'm alone against the fence, barely holding myself up. Struggling to turn myself around, still using the fence to remain standing, I see Zac is the one screaming in pain.

Dark smoke is coming from his mouth, as though he's chewing on coals from a fire. I'm horrified by the dark blood on his mouth and face as I realize it's mine. My hand goes to my throat, and I apply pressure, even as I try not to think about my mangled flesh.

Zac is cursing at me, and spitting the blood from his mouth in turn. There is nothing beautiful about him in this moment. He looks like the monster he is. With his eyes glowing in the darkness and small tendrils of dark smoke still coming from his mouth, he looks like the devil himself. My fear doubles.

He seems to recover enough that he is directly in front of me in the blink of an eye. "You, stupid whore! What did you do to me?" He screams the last sentence while shaking me nearly senseless. He stops shaking me, only to backhand me so hard I'm sure my head will leave my body.

My body does leave the ground, and I'm weightless for several moments before I land hard in the dirt. I hit the ground so violently I'm certain bones have broken in several places, including my ribs, making it difficult to breathe.

I don't know how I'm still conscious. Trying to shake the cobwebs from my head, I try to stand. I manage to make it to my feet. Zac, looking surprised that I'm standing, moves toward me with purpose. Surprised or not, he's going to kill me here and now. Maybe that's for the best. I'd rather die quickly than be tortured slowly.

He reaches me and grabs the front of my hoodie with both hands as he pulls me up off the ground and over his head, only to body-slam me into the ground on the other side. Pain explodes in my head. I think he must have broken my back because I can't move my arms to shield my face from his fist as he pulls it back to punch me while gripping my hair.

He's in a blind rage of pure hate. Zac is screaming at me as he beats me, like a child who's been denied a special treat or their favorite toy. I don't even know what he's saying anymore. His words no longer make sense.

An explosion of light and sound washes over me. What sounds like the roaring of the sea in a storm fills my ears, while lights flood my eyes until I can't see more than fuzzy images. The roar of the ocean is now a numbing dull hum that is void of all other sounds. Occasionally, what could be muffled voices are heard, but I don't know what they're saying. Zac must still be scolding me. I try to smile, thinking how pissed off he'd be to know I can't hear him, and can no longer feel the pain he is trying to inflict.

My body feels like it's floating. Fuzzy images pass through my vision. I think I see a man carrying a woman, but I can't be sure about either detail. It's only an impression.

My last thought is of Dayna. Did he go back for Dayna when he realized he wouldn't have me anymore?

I think I'm dying.