| Cleaning Up Nick’s Mess |

XXX Vanessa

Well the past couple days have definitely sucked. First we find a dead body, then we are attacked, then we try to fight back but then the creature ends up killing almost everyone, and then, of course, Nick had to come into the picture. I'm really starting to hate that boy with a burning passion.

I was so worried about Jack, I didn't hear their conversation but I knew he was in trouble. Carter and Josh, I think that's their names, took him about an hour ago and haven't come back with him. And by Jack's facial expression when they dragged him out of the lobby struggling like a wild animal, I could tell he wasn't about to be treated like loyalty.

The whole group was cut down by half from the monster, and then three were killed by Nick, so that left us about 12 in our group. And compared to Nick's group that rounded up to mabe forty, we couldn't fight back. We were all in a huddle in the middle of the lobby, everyone was tied up and only some had gags in their mouth because they wouldn't stop crying.

"Hey Vanessa." A voice said behind me. I turned around. Nick is staring at me with a toothy grin. I glared at him.

"What do you want? Huh? Want to cut off one of my fingers too?" I asked angrily.

"Not unless you want me too." He says jokingly.

"Where's Jack?" I was tired of his games.

"I don't actually know, but at least I can tell you he's probably alive."

What do you mean probably?" I snap. "You either know or you don't." I hissed.

"Uh, well I did order them not to kill him. But I did hand him over to Carter and Josh so they could do whatever they wanted to him." He shrugs like it's no Biggie. I was fuming, how dare he hurt him!

"You're a terrible person." He shrugs in response.

"I don't really care about your opinion." He replies.

"Take me to Jack. Now." He rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, I just sent someone to go get him. He's going to be an example."

"What?" I snarl at him. "What do you mean?" Nick bent down so we were face to face.

"Shush, calm down lovergirl." He tried to touch my face but I instantly tried to bite his finger off. Who did he think he was? Huh? He thought I would come running into his open arms? Nick disgusts me.

"Grumpy much?." I rolled my eyes. That was true. I haven't been getting any sleep. But I wasn't about to prove his point for him.

"Ahh. There he is." Nick says as he gets up and walks away so that the whole group could see him. My heart immediately sank. Carter and Josh were happily dragging an unconscious body.

Blood was all over his face and t-shirt, and I barely recognized his swollen bloody face. Jack! Tears swelled in my eyes as they dropped him in front of Nick, who was nodding approvingly. I jumped to my feet and bolted to Jack, with my arms still tied in front of me.

"Jack! Come on, come on." I sob while I'm on my knees next to him.

"Get her away, I'm trying to set an example, and her sobbing isn't helping me." Nick says with an annoyed tone in his voice. I'm dragged back to the group by Carter.

"GET OFF ME!" I screamed as I kicked his shin.

"OW! You little…" I kicked him in the shin again. "Ow!" I scrambled away from a very angry Carter. He grabbed a duct tape roll and stalked towards me. Pinning me to the ground, Carter tapped my ankles together. Jerk.

"You should be glad I don't hit girls." He sneered, but I wasn't listening to him, I was examining Jack. He looked like he was just stampeded by a herd of bulls. I could see him shifting slightly, and a spark of hope lighted within me. At Least he wasn't dead, I repeated in my head.

"You see your old leader?" I glared at Nick, who was now making his speech to our broken group. "He's nothing now." He says as he points at now groaning semi-conscious Jack. "He can't save you, and neither can Axel." Nick says pointing at an infuriated Axel. If looks could kill, Nick would be dead by now from Axel's glares. "You all are now a part of my group, and if you try anything, the same punishment will come to you. Be glad I am giving you all a chance, Axel, Jack, and Chase, will never get that." He smiled at the crowd. "Okay, example over, later today we can talk about the merge of our group." Nick walked towards me, with Jack being towed behind him by Carter and Josh. He stopped in front of me, and I gasped when he took out his knife. He smirked at me and cut my duct taped hands and ankles. Phew, for a second there I thought he was going to kill me.

"Go get some water and a rag." Nick ordered a random girl in his group who was sitting on a lobby couch clearly bored. At Nick's voice, she snapped her attention back to the present and scrambled away. Josh and Carter drop Jack next to me. I kneel by him and shift him on his back. My blood boiled, Josh grinned at me.

"Like our art work?" Carter says jokingly.

"You disgust me." I say with as much spite as I could. The girl came back with a water bottle and a towel, she handed it to Nick.

"Clean him up." Nick snarls as he throws the bottle in my lap and the towel in my face.

I took the cap off the bottle and began to wipe the blood off Jack's face.

"Why am I always cleaning up Nick's victims " I mumble to myself, remembering when I had to do the same thing to Chase.

XXX Jack

My head throbbed, wait..no.. My whole entire body hurt not just my head. Why did the universe hate me? I could only remember snippets of the session I had with Carter and Josh, since I was always swimming in and out of consciousness. But honestly I rather not relive those memories. Gosh you taser someone once. I could feel light on the other side of my eyelids, mhm, don't feel like getting a headache right now from the light.

Ow! Who was touching my face. Ow. My eyes fluttered open.

"Stop touching my face. It hurts." Vanessa ignored me, and continued to dab and wipe my face. Even though she was ignoring my protest she seemed relieved. I smiled, and instantly winced from my split lip. I was back in the lobby and I was free from the duct tape that bound my wrist, I could see Axel looking at me from the group with concern.

"You were worried about me." I say teasingly. She scowled.

"Of course I was! You looked dead when they dragged you back!" She practically snarled and continued to dab my face, but a little more aggressively.

"Ah. No touchy!" I slurred lifting my bruised arms, catching her wrist. "That hurts."

"Oh, look who's finally awake." I see Carter above me.

"You suck." I mumble. He smirked at me.

"Hopefully we can have round two sometime," He says as he walks away. Uh, no thank you, I don't think I would like to relive being punched and tasered every five seconds. I shuddered at what he said "Round two".

"You really scared me Jack. I thought they killed you." She says sniffling.

"Enough of that. How's Carson?"

"Fine. Stop changing the subject." I smiled at her, she had that cute stubborn face on.

"Okay, where was the conversation leading?" I say slyly, wiggling my eyebrows. Her face turned red.

"Shut up." She says half heartedly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Does it look like I'm okay?" She blushed some more in embarrassment. "Come on, help me sit up, I'm sick of looking at the ceiling." her face turned back into concern.

"That's not a good idea, I think you hurt one of your ribs." She says looking down at my chest. I looked down with a frown. Geeze. I didn't even realize my shirt was off revealing a puffy, swollen, and purple looking chest..

"Hm, that doesn't look good." I chuckled.

"Just relax. Sleep. I'll ask for Ibuprofen." I nod already nodding off. I closed my eyes and Vanessa shifted so my head was now in her lap. She rubbed my head, I could get used to that.