Spring break at Joey's uncle's cabin with the band sounded like a brilliant idea. One week of lounging around and having fun until they'd got back to studying for their finals which were annoyingly close.

Except the perspective kinda scared the shit out of Kyle, because he couldn't forget what happened last time they'd been at the cabin. And no, not Joey and Kelly getting laid, but his mind taking a complete detour towards the gutter.

Plus, this time, it was his big fat mouth without a filter, too. He'd actually called Kay sweetheart. Sweetheart. Out of all the non-cheesy, cool nicknames he could've called her, he had to go with sweetheart. But he hadn't been thinking. It just rolled off his tongue with ease, as if it belonged to Kay, and that's what scared him most. That his brain could no longer keep up with his mouth, with his hands.

Because he had no idea why he was doing these weird things. He was in a good place. Kay was in a good place. They were happy, comfortable and he didn't want to make it weird, especially because he didn't know why he did that stuff.

Despite all that, he found himself driving Joey's Camaro to the cabin with Kay riding shotgun while Joey and Kelly got comfy in the back. Dustin, Sonia and Vincent followed in Sonia's old Corolla. To Kay and Kelly's parents, they'd gone to Austin with the rest of the class. To Max and every other reasonable parent, they were two hours away from home.

"I can't wait to get there," Kay said excitedly. "I actually have a swimsuit this time."

"Great," he managed to say, turning up the air conditioning.

Once they got there, another problem presented itself. Two rooms and seven people. After much pleading and negotiating, the couples got the rooms while Kay, Kyle and Vincent were left to share the living area, the boys on the floor on mattresses and Kay on the couch.

It wasn't that bad, actually. They stayed up telling scary stories, laughing and joking, stargazing when the couples hinted that they needed privacy. It was like one huge camp with your best friends.

They spent the days by the lake, swimming and singing, joking and throwing each other in the water. Kyle was impressed by how good a swimmer Kay was. Actually he was more impressed with how hot she looked in a bikini, but decided to keep that to himself. But all her training was showing and he couldn't help but be proud of her, and a little of himself.

This joyful Kay, funny, straightforward and full of life, was nothing like the shadow that had been there last time. She lit up every room she walked into, put a smile on everyone's face.

So, even if he'd dreaded the vacation, as the last evening came rolling in, Kyle was sorry to go. He'd had a lot of fun and thankfully managed to keep everything under control.

Yes, Kay was amazingly hot and loved to cuddle against him, but that didn't mean he couldn't keep it platonic and just hug her back, laugh with her, push her in the water. Avoid touching her as much as possible when they were both almost naked. Simple things.

A part of him was glad to go and proud that he'd dodged the bullet. The other part wanted to stay there with her forever. As it was, they still had one more night of star gazing before them.

"Don't you find this annoying?" Vincent asked, leaning back on his hands and staring at the sky. "I mean sure, I love the stars and nature and all that, but still... We're right here."

"Nah," Kay answered. "We're used to it by now. I actually think it's really funny."

Kyle turned to her curiously. "How come?"

"We're out here. Beautiful sky, pleasant breeze, the sounds of nature, while they're in there, probably trying to not hear each other."

Kay made a good point. He was suddenly glad to be stuck outside.

Vincent seemed to think so too, because he smiled and turned back to the sky. "Maybe they're not loud."

"You have no idea how unbelievably thin the walls of that cabin are," she said with a giggle.

"Gee, thanks Vince, now I'm actually thinking about who is louder." Kyle looked toward the forest, trying to push the thought out of his head because another, much more annoying one was begging to follow and ruin the vacation.

Kay and Vincent started laughing, and after they stopped, everything was silent for a moment. And that's when he heard it. Footsteps.

"Do you--" Kay started, but he shushed her. "What gives?"

Kyle raised his hand and focused even harder, trying to tell where it was coming from, how many there were. This was a remote, private spot, and they hadn't heard a car, which made it clear that whoever was there was hostile.

"Kyle, what--?" Vincent started, but Kyle waved at him to shut up.

He heard it again. The low crunch of gravel. The swish of rubbing fabric. "Vince, go inside and get the others. Kay, come with me." He got to his feet.

"Go inside?" Vincent asked, turning white.

"Yes, there's someone lurking around." He headed for the cars, Kay on his tail.

He heard Vincent opening the screen door. As soon as it was quiet again, the sound of rushing footsteps was once again clear.

"I heard it," Kay whispered behind him.

Kyle motioned for her to follow him. They scurried behind Joey's car and ducked out of sight. Fortunately, he had the keys. Unfortunately, unlocking the car meant drawing attention to their position. And if he'd try to unlock the trunk manually, the alarm would probably go off.

"What do you think is going on?" Kay asked in a low voice.

"No clue." Which was why he had to risk it.

So he unlocked the car and popped open the trunk. He lifted the lining and pulled out a shotgun and a pistol. Thank God he'd had the foresight to move the weapons from his trunk to Joey's.

Kay took her weapon without comment, even if she frowned. The moment Kyle slammed the trunk shut, the front door of the cabin opened and the others poured out into the rectangle of light, Sonia wearing a robe, Dustin in his swimming trunks, Kelly wearing Joey's shirt and Joey, thankfully, fully dressed.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Vince said there's someone lurking around."

"Yeah, we definitely heard someone. Get inside. Kay and I will check the surroundings." Kyle popped the shotgun open to make sure it was loaded, even if he could tell it was from its weight.

"I'm coming, too." Joey motioned for the others to go inside and strode to him and Kay.

"Is there any chance that someone might be here for a legitimate reason?" Kyle asked.

Joey shook his head. "My uncle uses this place to hide his affairs. There are very few people who know it even exists."

"My thoughts exactly," Kyle mumbled. "Let's spread out and search. But be careful."

Kay nodded and rushed around the house, her steps quiet like a cat's. Joey hurried to the patio to get inside and grab his uncle's rifle. Kyle circled the cars and headed towards the lake.

He kept his steps measured and silent, straining to hear any odd movement. There was nothing. By the time he came back up the hill, circled the cars again and reached the front door, he was sure the intruder had left. Joey and Kay came back empty handed too, and they locked themselves inside.

For a few hours, they all stayed in the living area, discussing who it could have been and why, but no one had a clue. Finally, they concluded that it could have been an animal, and retreated to sleep.

Kyle didn't buy it. And not because he was one hundred percent sure he'd heard the swish of fabric, but because he had an extremely bad feeling about it. And no animal could've caused that.

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"Well, this was a weird way to end what was otherwise an amazing vacation," Joey said, pulling the car out of the gravel parking lot and driving off, leaving the cabin behind.

Kay hugged herself in the back seat and looked to Kyle who sat next to her. There was still a frown on his face and he seemed worried. It was his mood that made her feel uneasy as well.

"Stupid animals," Kelly mumbled. "Ruined a perfectly good night."

"I know how to brighten up the end of our little adventure," Joey said, his tone once again joyful. "We'll take the scenic route instead of the boring highway."

"That's a great idea," Kelly said clapping her hands together.

Kay smiled. It was a great idea. She didn't want to go home anyway, and more forest scenery was more than welcome. Kyle nodded, too, a weak smile on his face, but she could tell he was still tense.

"We'll just take the first exit off the highway. If I remember correctly, it's a beautiful winding road through the forest. It will delay us by a couple of hours."

"Great, scenic route it is," Kay said. Once Joey and Kelly started fighting over the music, she turned to Kyle. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he said, though his eyebrows were still drawn together. "I just can't shake this weird feeling that something's wrong."

"It was a pretty freaky night."

"I don't understand what happened, and I think that's what bothers me most. Why? Why would anyone sneak around without making contact?" He looked out the window at the zooming vegetation as Joey sped on the highway.

"Maybe it really was an animal," she whispered. But even she didn't believe that. It had sounded human.

"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe I'm just being severely paranoid. Maybe nothing happened and--" He slid on the seat and rammed into her as the car made a sudden right off the highway.

Her other shoulder hit the door roughly. She gritted her teeth to keep in a cry of pain.

"What the hell, Joey? Brake before swerving," Kyle said, pulling himself off her.

"I don't think I can." Joey's voice was strangely blank. He'd straightened in his seat and grasped the wheel with both hands.

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked.

"The brakes aren't working."

The words registered like a death sentence to Kay. The brakes. Whoever had skulked last night had cut off their brakes. Kyle had been right. She grabbed the seatbelt, and pulled to fasten it, but it was stuck.

Kyle leaned in between the front seats. "Engine brake, idiot."

"Not at this speed..."

"Fuck the car, Joey!"

And then it happened. Joey swerved as they reached a curb and the car skidded. They were going too fast for him to gain control and take the next curb. The car shot off the road, into the ravine below.

For a few seconds, everything was in slow motion. Kay reached out her hand desperately as the car floated in midair. She only managed to brush the back of Kyle's t-shirt before he went flying  between the seats and through the windshield, smashing it into pieces. Joey and Kelly threw their hands out in front of their faces as the airbags popped out.

The seatbelt slipped out of Kay's other hand before she could fasten it. She heard the sound of breaking glass, screaming, felt the smell like gunpowder from the airbags. She flew off her seat and her head hit the opposite window. And everything went black.

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Kyle's got to his hands and knees, teeth gritted, eyes shut tightly, trying to manage the pain and gain control of his body. Breathe, just breathe. The car, the brakes, falling off the road. Kay. Breathe, damn it!

His breathing finally evened out and he focused on his injuries. His side hurt like hell, where he'd smashed into this tree that had stopped his flight. Probably broken ribs. His forearms stung. Glass from the windshield. He'd flown out with his forearms crossed in front of his head, which was probably the only reason he was still conscious.

He opened his eyes. Dead leaves and branches. His vision swam for a few seconds, but fortunately cleared. Which meant he hadn't hit his head too hard. The car. He looked over his shoulder. The Camaro had stopped its death roll against a tree and now stood perched on its right.

Kyle scrambled over on all fours, trying to stand on the way. His right thigh really hurt, but it felt like muscle pain, so he guessed his leg wasn't broken. Doing an awkward limping run between trees and bushes, he reached the car. His heart pounded against his chest, sending fresh waves of pain to his damaged ribs, but adrenaline had started pumping too and made it easy to manage.

His mind had found its focus. Get them out of there. Get Kay out. He knew it was stupid, that movies had it wrong and cars didn't explode after crashing, but he couldn't help hearing a clock ticking inside his head.

He grabbed the edge of the car and hoisted himself on it. All the windows were shattered. Joey and Kelly were still in their seats, held in place by their seatbelts, limp like puppets. Kay was a crumpled mess against the opposite door.

"Joey," he called. His voice came out weak and croaky.

He needed Joey up, because he couldn't decide who to get out first. Kay. No, Joey's right next to you. A distant voice yelled in the back of his head that he shouldn't move them. But what if the car exploded? It already reeked of gasoline.

Fortunately, Joey stirred and turned to face Kyle. His eyes widened and he moved his hand to his head which was bleeding.  Then, he screamed in pain.

"Hey!" Kyle called. "Focus! Are you okay?"

Joey started at him, eyes wide and bloodshot. " You're not dead. Where...?" He winced. "I think my arm's broken."

"Which one?"

"My right."

Kyle reached out through the broken window. "I'm going to unlatch your seatbelt. Hold on to the door and I'll help you crawl out the window."

"No, don't. I'm afraid I'll fall over Kelly."

Kyle clenched his jaw. "I have to get Kay out. I'll make sure you don't fall over Kelly."

Joey nodded. Kyle reached out and undid Joey's seatbelt, then helped him crawl out of the car. He then dived down for Kelly, and without Joey in the way or her dangling in midair, it was much easier. Once they managed to get Kelly out, Kyle turned his attention to Kay. He didn't even know how to grab her and not damage her, because pulling on her arms seemed like a terrible idea.

Finally, he squeezed half his body between the front seats and managed to sneak one arm under her head. His ribs screamed in pain and his vision darkned, but he forced himself to focus. He pulled Kay against him and tried to ease her between the seats. The car screeched loudly and trembled from the movement.

"Be careful." Joey's head appeared above through the driver's side window.

Kyle looked up at him, all hope seeping from him. He didn't see how they could get Kay up. He'd pushed Kelly to Joey, but Kelly, even if unconscious, had been strapped to her seat so it was less likely that she had borken limbs. Kay on the other hand...

"Get help," he siad. His voice came out tired and strained. His entire body burned as the adrenaline started fading. He felt so heavy, so tired. "Sonia, Dustin and Vincent." They must have seen them driving off the road. How much time had passed? It felt like forever.

"They're on their way down," Joey said. "Police and an ambulance are on their way."

"Good." Kyle held Kay tighter against him. She still smelled like lilies, a scent he'd come to associate with peace and happiness.

She was too soft, too limp. Maybe he should try getting her out. His hands shook. This was too hard. Moving Kelly had been Joey's decision, but Kay was his. If he hurt her in any way, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. But not doing anything was not an option. He had to be able to help her in some way.

Save her. He had to save her. If she died, he would lose it.

He checked her pulse, but couldn't feel anything. He checked her breathing and his entire world seemed to fall apart inside a totaled Camaro.

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Ah, look, a lovey-dovey chapter about spring break. BAM! Brick in the face. You're welcome.

I'm taking you into dark territory now. Hope you're enjoying the ride. If not... Well I'm sorry.

So... thoughts? Theories? What will happen next? Is this the end? Am I really that evil?

My updates will be all over the place as I reace towards the finish line. So we no longer have a schedule, ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy the crazy ride. (And no, I totally did not finish writing yet).

Next chapter title: Grow up, Kyle

Thanks for reading, as always. Vote, comment, share, as always. Luv you guys!