My heart began to race until it was beating so fast that I thought it would explode. The ally was still dark and it smelled disgusting, as if it were behind a bar and this was where everyone came to throw-up. It was hard to make out the features of the man in front of us, but there are some things you just know. And I knew he was the one that we were looking for.

"Are you Dr. Reed?" Kelly asked through gritted teeth. She had taken up a defensive stance with her legs spread slightly apart and her arms poised to take immediate action.

"Why, yes, I am. I see you made it past my friend..." He replied, grinning like a maniac. He seemed like the type of person to have an evil cackle just by the way he was enjoying himself already.

"You're the one who sent the hit man?! People could've died! Or we could've been caught! What were you thinking?" Kelly blurted out, acting impulsively.

"It was a test." I told her quietly, still in the back. "He wanted to make sure that we were good at what we do."

"Very good... What is your name, love?" Dominic asked me. I had to keep from gagging when he called me 'love'. You'll regret that later... I thought to myself.

"Cameron." I said as quietly as possible. Any louder and I would've spat it in his face.

"Cameron... Come into the light, dear. It's hard to have a conversation with someone when they are hiding in the shadows." I obeyed and walked farther up in front of Kaleb.

"Seems to me like you have your own little friends." I told him, gesturing to the men behind us. "So why do you need us?" I was genuinely curious.

"I'm so glad you brought that up. I've been looking for a chance to bring that into the conversation." Dominic nodded back at them, and I heard them moving closer.

On instinct, I whirled around just in time to see them surround us. The first one grabbed Brandon from behind and I ran to him, ready to fight. Kelly and Kaleb had already engaged in combat, but I was trying to get to Brandon. I managed to sidetrack the man, making him set Brandon down. There were five of them, three of us. We would've been able to fight them off if Brandon hadn't been with us. The whole time, my focus was on him. A second man began countering every move I made, making me have to turn to him, letting the first one slip away, with Brandon in his hands.

Just as I started after them once again, I felt something enter my neck. I pulled the dart out of my neck, but it was too late. I was already getting weaker and falling to my knees. I fought to stand up, but I was becoming paralyzed. I couldn't make any noise as I fell backwards and watched the whole scene start spinning. Kaleb and Kelly needed help desperately, as they were fighting four people. Everything began to fade, but before I blacked out, I saw the dark eyes of Dominic Reed peering into mine; a smile on his plump face.

~xxx~

I woke up with a massive headache as I slowly picked my head up from the dirt floor. Around me, everything was dark. There was no light at all. I could tell enough to know that the room I was in was pretty small and I was all alone. From how stiff I was, I was assuming that I had been out of around seven hours. I sat up, slowly, and began retracing the day, trying to regain as much of my memory as possible. As soon I thought I could stand up, I did.

"Hello?!" I shouted, trying my hardest to project. Not that I was expecting an answer, just trying to make it known that I was awake. What I really wanted to know was where the others were.

Not long after, a door opened and I heard a thud as something hit the floor. The light flooded the room, practically blinding me until it was shut once again. But I had at least found the door. It wasn't until I heard movement that I realized that someone else was in the room.

"Hello?" I asked again, much quieter this time.

"Cam?" I heard a muffled voice reply. I immediately recognized it as Kaleb's. I ran over to where the sound had come from.

I crouched on the floor next to him, having to feel around a bit to find him. He was barely moving and his breathing was shallow. He was in pain.

"What happened? Did they torture you?" I said, remembering when I had been tortured as a training session. It had been the worst thing I had ever had to endure and it had only been a training exercise. I couldn't go through that again.

"I'm fine." He lied as he struggled to sit up. I could hear the anguish in his voice. I was already beginning to shake just thinking about it. I forced myself to calm down before speaking again.

"No, you aren't. You can't lay in the dirt, the wounds will get infected. That will only make it worse." I muttered to myself, trying to think of a way to prevent it. "Where are you hurt the worst?" I asked him, beginning to think of a minor solution.

"My right arm and leg." Kaleb grunted.

I was almost in tears just listening to him, but I still continued to rip up my skirt, knowing I had the shorts. I wrapped the pieces around as many of the injuries as I could, making a semi-wrap so that not as much dirt would get in. He was silent as I worked.

"It's going to be okay. Things will be worked out before then. They won't get to you." Kaleb assured me, guessing that I was reliving the last time when I had been tortured with the screams of my best friend as well as physically tortured.

"What do they want to know?" There had to be a reason they had captured us and were now torturing us.

"Nothing. It is officially a hostage situation. They are holding us over the Australian government as well as our own. Since there is proof of both, they figure they can get double the money." Kaleb told me, heavily.

Not only was he having trouble talking through the pain, but it also meant that we might not be leaving, Hostage situations didn't always end well. I wanted to ask about Kelly and Brandon, but I sensed that he couldn't talk anymore. I could tell from his breathing that he had fallen asleep so I crawled back to my corner and began to think of what would happen if we never left. After a while, I had come to the conclusion that our fate was to die in the room at the hands of the murderer of my family. He will have killed off a whole family by the end of the month...I was beginning to get really scared when the door opened again. I knew that they were there for me. I went willingly, knowing that fighting would only make it worse. And there is never any point in fighting when you have given up hope.

Sorry, I forgot that yesterday was Friday. I know that it's a lame excuse. I would love your feedback, so please review!