If we were wrong about this, I would never forgive myself.

The headlights of the Hyundai cut through the dark and allowed an image to surface. Memories of that infamous night replayed in my head as I took a moment to realize this was it.

As we stared at the warehouse, I silently prayed this was where we were supposed to be. If it wasn't, we would surely run out of time before we could find Anna. Sunrise was in a few hours, and if she wasn't here...

I took a deep breath and looked at Melissa.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

She stared through the windshield. "We should call someone."

"Like?"

"I don't know... Derik, Willi, my dad..."

It would take them at least an hour to get here, which wouldn't disrupt any plans Paige had. But a lot could happen in an hour.

"I'm calling Derik," Melissa claimed.

"Alright," I said as I exited the car.

The lights from the car showed me a path as I made my way through the forest. A vague familiarity touched my brain as I recalled the assault rifle I had carried down this exact route. How, with our team, we had captured my father and Dave Stanley in one of the biggest drug busts. How it had all started here, in this old, abandoned warehouse.

And hopefully, by sunrise, it would all be over.

I heard footsteps approaching my side as Melissa fell in next to me. We had parked in seclusion, in case Paige was here and watching us. At least she would believe I was alone. At least we had the upper hand.

When we made it to the back entrance, the door was locked. We decided to check the fire escape as well, which was also locked.

"She wants you to go in through the front," Melissa said.

"What about you?" I wondered.

She flashed her lock picks. "I'll manage."

We gave each other a smile, but this seemed to be where we would part.

"I'll go in through here and scope out my area from the bottom. She won't have a clue, okay?" Her hands grabbed my face. "We're gonna get Anna out of here."

Standing here, outside the warehouse where the nightmare called my life had started, made me realize it might be time for it to finally end. And I had a bad feeling this could very well be the last time I would get to embrace the brunette standing in front of me.

I pulled her into me. My lips sealed off hers as I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment. I could feel the soft skin of her face under my palms as they traveled over her jaw and neck. For some reason, her bottom lip was trembling, but I assumed it was from the cold. She couldn't possibly know that I believed this could be our last kiss, could she?

When we pulled apart, I couldn't see if she had tears in her eyes, but I had some in mine. If not for Melissa, a lot of my life would've been normal. But now that we were here, past all the lies and betrayal, I realized it was because of her I had survived a lot afterwards.

"I love you," I whispered.

She smiled. "I love you too, Alexa."

Then I backed away from her and turned towards the front entrance of the warehouse. The pain in my heart was great, but I had to keep my head straight. One task at a time. Find Anna. That was task one. Everything else that happened after would be dealt with as it came.

As my hand rested on the door, I realized I was shaking. I wasn't cold. If anything, my body was burning up with anticipation.

Then I let myself inside.

It was dark other than the occasional flickering of the small supporting lights that hung on the wall. The smell of sawdust filled my nose as my boots hit against the cement floor. It was eerily quiet as I searched around for any signs of movement.

I paced around with my gun already drawn at my hip. The pounding in my chest threatened to make me sick, but I held it in. I could feel the adrenaline burning through my veins as I steadied my breathing.

I rounded a corner and held my gun up in case, but there was nothing but darkness. It was creepy how quiet and still things were. Where the hell was she?

I figured if Melissa had found anything downstairs on her side, she would've made it clear, but there was nothing. I took this as a bad sign.

My shaky legs led me upstairs. The sound of boots on metal echoed quietly through the warehouse. They had to be here, was all I kept thinking. Where else could they be?

Once I made it upstairs, it became even darker. There was a horrible feeling in my gut that told me to run. To run far, far away and never look back, but I couldn't leave. Not without making sure my sister wasn't here.

When I peered over the edge and searched for Melissa, I couldn't find her. Was she still at the bottom? This place seemed small from the outside, but inside it was massive. She could be anywhere, and so could Anna.

My hands gripped my gun with a force that was filled with angst and fear. Even when I blended in with the dark, I felt like an obvious target. Was Paige watching me? Was she waiting for the perfect time to catch me off guard? To strike and kill me before I got the chance to save my sister?

The thoughts were managing to get to me. I knew thinking so much was bad, but I couldn't help it. There was nothing but dead silence and my deafening thoughts accompanying me.

I squinted through the dark and continued to walk through the upstairs part of the warehouse. It all felt so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. It had been many months, but I could still remember the pain from seeing my dad and being betrayed by Derik. This wasn't just a place that had ruined Paige's life.

It had been part of my own downfall, too.

And if I hadn't been so focused, I would've missed it. The door, on the far wall of the second floor. Almost as if it was meant to be a secret. For some reason, my instincts were bringing me to it.

My hand fell on the knob and turned. The pounding in my chest amplified as I pushed the door open. I could feel the presence of someone, and I could only pray it was my sister.

And when I peered inside, my heart nearly fell out of my chest.

There she sat, hands and feet tied to a chair with duct tape over her mouth. Her messy brown hair was in a pony-tail, but loose strands fell around her dirtied face.

"Anna," I whispered.

It felt like I couldn't move fast enough. Her eyes were wide as I approached her, but she didn't look happy to see me. Why wasn't she happy to see me-?

A hard blow to the back of my head sent me spiraling into another dimension. Stars and fuzziness floated around my vision as I fell forward, my gun clattering to the floor.

I heard Anna attempt to yell, but the tape around her mouth muffled it. I turned onto my back as Paige emerged from the shadows, a metal pipe dangling from her right hand. The stain of red made me realize that, that was my blood.

"So glad you could finally join the party, Alexa!" Paige mocked. "Too bad it's gonna be over soon."

I watched through my blurred vision as the metal pipe rose in the air, threatening to smash in my cranium. When she brought it down, I forced myself to move.

I heard the banging of metal to wood as I dodged the blow. Anna was whimpering behind me in fear. The pain in my head amplified at the sudden movement. The warmth of blood covered the back of my skull.

As my vision refocused, Paige lifted the pipe and threatened me with another blow. This time, I couldn't move fast enough to evade it.

It made contact with my torso, sending spirals of pain through my body. Without thinking, my instincts forced me to grab the pipe and shove it into Paige's body. This at least knocked her off balance as the metal pipe clattered to the floor.

But Paige was fast.

That's when she straddled my hips. Before I knew it, her hands were wrapped around my throat and pressing hard into my vocal chords.

I struggled against her grasp as I kicked and tried to get her off of me. I had not come all this way just to die at the hands of this lunatic!

I remembered my training and released Paige's hands and shoved my fingers into her eyes. This at least got her to release me for a moment as I delivered a nice punch to her face.

But she didn't release me. Not enough for me to get out of her grasp completely. She brought her own fist up and delivered a hard blow to my face, but I couldn't let her win. I just couldn't.

I flailed dramatically, which forced her off balance and gave me enough of a window to throw her away from me. I frantically backed away from her. In the moment that she stood, I reached back and repossessed my gun.

Then, with my gun pointed towards her, we stood and faced each other. The only reason I hadn't pulled the trigger was because of that stupid smirk on her face that made me believe she knew something I didn't.

"Go ahead," Paige coaxed. "Do it."

I clenched my jaw as my finger teased against the trigger. This was justifiable. This was revenge.

"What are you waiting for, Alexa?" Paige stepped towards the door. "Isn't this what you've been dreaming of?"

My hands shook as the gun trembled in the air. All I could see was my sister. All I could think was that, she would see me so differently if I pulled the trigger. The blood. The brains. Everything she would see would never leave her memory.

"That's right," Paige continued. "Show Anna who you really are. A murderer. A low-life nobody that she looks up to out of ignorance."

But I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill her. Not in front of my sister. I couldn't let Anna see that side of me. The side that she would never be able to forgive.

I dropped my gun as Paige seemed to relax a little. Her shoulders dropped as she smirked.

"Wow," she mumbled. "Maybe you have a heart after all."

That's when she backed out of the room and slammed the door. I wanted to chase her and kill her. I wanted to make sure she would never be able to hurt me or my sister again, but I couldn't leave Anna.

I tucked my gun away and turned to my sister. She was crying, but I tried to look past that and ignore the pain.

"Anna," I muttered through tears. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry..."

As I slowly pulled off the tape around her mouth I could tell she had seen some shit herself. Those hazel eyes that were once so warm and bright were dull and nearly lifeless.

Paige had done that. And I had allowed her to do that.

"Alexa, she's gonna kill us," Anna mumbled. "She's gonna kill us, we have to get out of here-"

"She's not gonna win," I interrupted. "You understand? I'm getting you out of here no matter what."

I quickly worked on the rope around her feet and her hands, nearly ripping my fingertips apart from frantically pulling at the coarse material. They were burning and aching, but eventually I got her free. And when she was, her arms flew around my neck.

My arms wrapped around her as I held her close. Tears ran down my face while she hugged me as if she would be ripped away again once she let go.

"I-I thought I would never s-see you again," she sobbed.

"I've been looking for you since you went missing," I confessed. "I never stopped looking. I never gave up."

I could feel her body trembling in my arms as I pulled back and inspected my little sister. She was thinner, her face was dirty and her hair was tangled. I could tell Paige hadn't been easy on her, but my sister was strong. Stronger than I ever would be, even at fourteen.

That's when I smelled it. The scent of burning wood. It lingered in the air and caused my heart rate to sky-rocket.

I stood and paced over to the door, but Paige must've locked it on her way out. I pulled and banged but it didn't budge. I even went as far as to throw my battered body against it, but there was something blocking the exit.

I turned and saw the frantic look on my sister's face, but I couldn't let her see my panic. If anything, remaining calm would be key in this situation. I just had to think.

The window. I could smash the window and we could get out through the roof. But the window was high. Use the chair. I could use the chair to reach the window.

"Stand back," I ordered as I grabbed the pipe and the chair.

Anna stepped back.

I climbed onto the chair and brought the pipe down, hard. Shards of glass sprayed against me, causing little cuts to ride over my skin. The smell of fire grew stronger as I cleared the remaining pieces of glass from the window seal.

I jumped and pulled myself to the window's edge, only to see that there was nowhere to go. There was a fire escape, but the drop was long. I could make it and probably only sustain minor injuries, but Anna...

"What is it?" she asked from below.

Shit, I thought. There wasn't enough time for me to think!

I faced her. "I have to jump, but I can make it."

"Can I make it?"

The thought of leaving my sister behind, even for a minute, made me want to find another way out. But this would work. I knew that I could make it to the fire escape, climb back down to the floor level and open the door from the outside. I just had to leave for a minute. I just had to move fast.

"I'll be right back," I promised. "I have to unlock the door from the outside, okay? But I'll be really fast."

"Don't leave me!" Anna pleaded. "Please, I can make it, Alexa, but please just don't leave me again."

The tears in my eyes were clouding my vision. I knew she wouldn't even be able to pull herself up to the window seal, much less jump to the fire escape. We were wasting time. I had to act now if I wanted to save her.

"Anna, trust me," I said. "Just trust me, okay?"

The look on her face would forever haunt me. The tears were spreading across her cheeks that glistened through the dark.

Then she just nodded her head, despite her fear.

"I'll be right back," I said through clenched vocal chords. "I promise."

Then I turned and readied myself to jump. It was a stretch, but I could do it if I got enough leverage. I could make it, I just had to get it just right...

That's when I swung myself off the window's ledge and fell into gravity's hands. I felt my legs impact on the metal, which sent shockwaves of pain up my shins, but I moved into the fall.

I was stunned for only a moment as the pain in my head and torso grew. My body gasped as I rolled onto my back. Then, after a moment, I was able to pull myself back up and climb down the rest of the way. When my feet hit the California soil I darted back around the building. I could make it. I could so this, I just had to be fast. I could be fast. I had to be.

But when I opened the door, orange and yellow flames surrounded me.

The smoke was thick as I pressed forward. It was difficult to breathe because now every time I did, black smoke choked my lungs. I coughed as I raced back upstairs towards Anna.

When I made it to the door I noticed another metal rod was jammed between the door and a giant crate. I had to kick the rod a few times before it finally gave. When it did, it clattered loudly against the floor.

Anna raced into my arms when I opened the door, and I pulled her towards the staircase. By this time the flames had started to burn away the walls and make their way up to the story we were on. The smoke continued to thicken as we raced back down the stairs, Anna's coughing becoming harder and harder. Her smaller lungs weren't capable of withstanding this like mine could.

"Alexa..." Cough. "I can't..." Cough. "Breathe..."

"Ssh," I said. "Don't talk."

When we made it to the ground floor I looked up and saw the flames had made their way to the ceiling. I also looked up just in time to see a piece of wood crack and fall towards us.

I pushed Anna and fell out of the way, able to avoid getting killed. Little ashes and flames danced and sprayed my arms that had instinctively covered me and my sister.

My arms pulled Anna up, but she was growing weak from the lack of oxygen. I knew it wouldn't be long till she collapsed. I had to get her out of here!

But when we made it close enough to see the front door, Paige emerged with a gun pointed straight at me.

"Did you really believe I'd let you have a happy ending!?" she shouted. "Did you really think I'd let you leave here alive?"

I pushed Anna behind me at the sight. If Paige was going to shoot me, I wanted Anna to get the hell out of here, but it would require me to fight.

"You don't get a happy ending, Alexa Cortez!" Paige shouted. "You don't get a happy ending after ruining my life!"

That's when Melissa emerged from behind Paige. She pulled her into a choke-hold, which inevitably caused the gun to fall from Paige's hands.

But Paige was skilled. She used her tactical moves to escape Melissa and shove her away. Then, Paige turned for me.

I went to pull my gun but that was knocked from my hands immediately. A hard blow to my stomach doubled me over, and I fell into Anna.

Before Paige could cause any more damage, Melissa controlled the situation and pulled her off of me. The struggle between them granted me enough time to turn and see my sister sprawled out on the floor. Had she passed out?

I scrambled to my feet and picked her up, ignoring the fatigue I was experiencing. The oxygen deprivation was getting to me now, and it wouldn't be long until I passed out myself. I had to get us out of here.

"Go!" Melissa shouted as she held Paige. "Go! And don't look back!"

My heavy arms carried Anna bridal style as I realized Melissa was fighting Paige with all she had. They would both pass out from lack of oxygen as well, but as much as I wanted to protest, I couldn't.

"Go Alexa!" Melissa shouted.

This time I nearly ran towards the exit. Anna's arms and legs swung loosely as I made it to the door and pressed my back against it, shoving my way out. The California air hit my skin as I took a deep breath.

Put Anna in the car, I said to myself. Put her in the car and go back for Melissa.

But it was so hard. My legs were so heavy and my chest was tight. I looked down at my sister and tried my best not to drop her. She needed me to stay strong. She needed me to not give up on her. To fight until I absolutely couldn't.

I could see ashes floating around my head from the massive fire burning behind me. It was like a black Christmas. As if the night sky was falling down in pieces around me.

"Hold on, Anna," I whispered. "Just hold on for me, please."

That's when an explosion went off behind me. The heat from it barely touched my back, but the force was enough to startle me as I tripped forward.

My arms seemed to give as I tried to hold onto my sister's limp body, but I couldn't.

I just couldn't.

We fell forward onto the cold ground. I couldn't breathe. My limbs were so heavy that I couldn't even lift my head. All I could stare at was my sister, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully on the ground besides me.

The tears that fell down my cheek caused my sinuses to swell. Breathing became even harder as I found just the smallest sliver of strength to reach out and graze my sister's face.

"Anna," I whispered. "I'm sorry."

I tried to spot the trembling of her eyelids, or something that would indicate she was still alive, but nothing.

The darkness was surrounding me as I felt the cold of the atmosphere wrap around my body. My thoughts were scattered as I stared at my sister and wondered if Melissa was dead. Had she sacrificed herself to save me and Anna?

None of this was supposed to happen this way. No one was supposed to die.

No one but me.

My fingers grazed Anna's cheek one more time, then the darkness just became too much.

"I'm sorry, Anna," I whispered through the night. "I'm so sorry."

Thenbefore I knew it, everything went black.