MINE

Chapter 25

COLE'S POV (Last chapter from his POV)

After a long night of pacing back and forth and yelling at Jenny to shut up I finally fell asleep. Zac was keeping Emily somewhere in this house. My guess is in the basement, but I'm not sure. I heard her yelling as Zac dragged her back in the house yesterday.

My heart broke as I felt the disappointment coming from the voices in my head.

What was I going to do now?

My dreams were filled with emptiness. I couldn't help but wonder if Emily was falling asleep? How was Zac keeping her? Tied to a chair? On the floor? There wasn't much to the basement if that's where she was. Nothing really goes on down there unless we need to keep someone alive but out of sight.

The last person down there died, it was a long time ago. I was just getting into this lifestyle when my dad was still here. One of his "brothers" was threatening to leave. So they locked him down there and "forgot" about him. He starved to death.

He used that story to scare me from ever leaving.

"Don't even think about it - unless you want to go to the basement. You want that?" He would tell me.

click click I was woken up from my slumber. Something had awoken me but it took a second before I could sit up and take a look. Nothing or no one was in my room. I must be hearing things.

I scratched my head, forgetting for a second that I was battling the voices that whispered to me about Emily.

I stood up desperately needing to pee. When I entered the bathroom I took a long look in the mirror. Who was I? Who did I want to be?

I finished up my business and left the bathroom stopping like a deer in headlights as I needed to process what was in front of me. It was her. It was Emily. She was staring at me. Was this real?

I could feel the blood leaving my body, my face probably turning as white as the walls by now.

What did I think? That'd I never see her again? Of course I knew I would. At some point Zac would bring her back up and she would be like a broken doll, another girl that just follows us around until we're bored with them.

How did she get here?

"I-" Emily started to speak. I put my finger to my mouth motioning for her to stay silent. Jenny was still sleeping. If she were to wake up, I can only imagine the terrible way things would go down.

Her head tilted in obvious confusion. What was my plan here? Let her walk out of this room? Where would she go? What was her plan of escape? Was she trying to escape? The coats in her arms made it clear to me, that she was in fact trying to leave. The chip on my shoulder told me to help her. The chip, also known as my guilt - didn't let me think about anything else.

After everything is girl has been through, she still somehow stands here before me not broken. Still trying to escape just like the first day she arrived. She had never given up, and I have. There was no chasing after her, or trying to save her once she left this house.

I pointed to the bed to let her know that I was trying to help. I took a deep breath in and stepped to the side allowing Emily to walk past me and leave without trying to stop her.

"COLE! WAKE UP WE HAVE SOME HUNTING TO DO!" Zac screamed from the other side of the bedroom door that Emily was about to open.

Panic set in as I clung to the last bit of emotion I had. Emily could not open that door - or leave without Zac seeing her. She knew that too. She stood tall on the opposite side of how the door opened and I walked to it.

I opened the bedroom just enough for Zac to see me and talk. Hopefully he wouldn't push his luck.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"That bitch Katie that we took, she survived the night. She threw a fucking rock through our window!" He replied.

"How do you know it was her?"

"Who else could've done it?"

"You know the survival rate of those woods....are you sure?"

"I'm fucking sure." Zac spat almost a bit too fast.

"Okay. You need to calm down. If she did survive the night then we know he chances of surviving ANOTHER one is slim. Are we really going to go and hunt her down? For what?" I was trying to convince Zac not to go find her. Emily would be with her for sure. Or at least be trying to find her as well.

"To show her that WE'RE in charge! What the hell is wrong with you?" Zac took a step closer to me. I didn't move. He was now closer to me than I was comfortable with but I stood as stiff as a statue.

"Fine. I'll grab a coat and be down in a few." I sighed.

"Hurry. I don't want her to get far."

The door closed. I took a glace at Emily. Her face softened knowing that Zac was gone. She had a better chance now. Thanks to me. I walked to the closet and grabbed a heavy coat to survive the couple of hours I would be outside with Zac. Jenny didn't have many options for a warm coat, Emily took the best of the best. I hope it'll keep her warm.

I walked past Emily and out of the bedroom. This would probably be the last I saw of her. Once I reached the living room Zac was pacing back and forth ready to leave as soon as her saw me.

"What are we doing, man?" I asked causing him to stop and walk over to me. His breath hit my face, it smelled of cigarettes.

"We're going to fucking GET HER." he seemed troubled.

"All I'm saying is we never go after them! It's been a rule even before any of us were even born! Why are we breaking it now? Does that girl really get under your skin that much?" I heard myself sounding upset.

Why was I upset? Was it because we'd be breaking our own rules by going after this girl? Or am I upset because I know if we find her - we're probably going to find Emily too. What would happen then? Was I upset because I was sick of this life?

"It's not her that bothers me. It's Emily. Her sorry excuse for a sister is going to pay and Emily will watch. I will break her." Zac backed up and opened the front door motioning for me with his eyes to hurry up and get my ass moving.

I hope Emily made it out and has already ran far away from here. She would need the head start. Zac is out for blood.