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Chapter 12

“Are you going to be able to make it?” Brian’s forehead creased with worry. A sudden wave of
nausea had just seemed to hit his wife. Hard.

They had been at the beach since 7 that night, having a great time messing around with each other,
forgetting their situation for a few moments in time. Things seemed to be going nicely for the couple
up until around 11 o’clock rolled around. Sara’s face had washed with a shade of pale and she had
shut her eyes tight, hoping Brian wouldn’t notice. As the hour rolled on, however, it became more
obvious that she wouldn’t make it until midnight without being sick.

Now, Brian wouldn’t leave her alone. Although he had said nothing, the man was almost sure that
Jenn’s sickness had been caused by something having to do with Rick and Kara. If they had done
something to Sara, he would kill himself for not saying something in the first place.

“Yeah Bri, I’m fine. If you wanna wait down here…” Sara held on to the railing as she climbed the
steps to the building. “I won’t be long.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever Sar.” He rolled his eyes towards his stubborn wife, pressing the button to the
elevator and stepping in. “Besides, the fireworks will be nice from our balcony. Maybe…make some
little fireworks of our own.”

Brian wiggled his eyebrows as he lowered his head to gently kiss his wife’s neck, a soft attempt to
ease her nausea. Sara leaned her head away from his and softly played with the curls in the back of
his hair, almost able to enjoy the moment before the sick feeling hit her again. As luck would have
it, the elevator doors slid open at the same time and she burst from his grasp and turned the corner
down the hall and to their room, letting a small word of apology escape her lips.

Running a hand across his face, Brian followed his wife’s path. He had just found their door when
his cell phone began to ring. After a few seconds of digging in his pocket trying to find the object, he
pulled it out to find Nick’s name flashing across the screen. The man’s finger brushed over the
receive button twice, contemplating whether to answer it or not. Maybe Nick had come to his
senses, wanted to apologize. Then again, what Nick had to say could ruin Brian’s whole night.

Brian Littrell entered the hotel room and laid his phone down on the table.

Unanswered.

Without another thought, he traveled the length of the room and open the balcony doors and then
halfway back to the bathroom to check on his wife.

He wouldn’t find that there was a message left on his phone for at least ten more minutes.

----

“Bri.” Sara called into the kitchenette where Brian was gathering glasses and the champagne bottle
to take outside.

“Yeah? You okay?”

“Yessss.” She growled. “I was just going to let you know you have a message on your phone.”

“Oh. Well, Nick called earlier and I didn’t answer. Go ahead and check it for me.” Brian called to
her, scouring the cabinets for crackers that might coat his wife’s stomach.

Suddenly though, Sara appeared at the door with a horror stricken look painted across her face. “Br-
Bri..” That’s when he noticed her body trembling slightly with what seemed to be fear.

“Baby, what…” He went over to calm her when she held out a shaky hand towards him. In the hand
was his cell phone. Whatever Nick had said had really shaken Sara up and he would sure as hell
kick Nick’s ass tomorrow. Wrapping one arm around his wife, Brian pressed the replay button and
listened to what his ‘friend’ had to say.

But the voice didn’t belong to Nick. The voice made Brian’s heart shrink in fear, his blood curdle
with anxiety and the arm that he held his wife with become more protective than ever before.

“Hello pretty boy. It’s almost 12 o’clock. Time is running out. Do you know where your loved ones
are? Tick..Tick…”

The voice gave a small laugh full of hatred and abruptly clicked off the phone. Brian caught the
breath that was stuck in his chest and swallowed the sour taste in his mouth.

“Stay here, honey. I…I’m going to…g-go check on…N-nick.” He headed for the nearby door when
he realized Sara wasn’t letting go of him. His head snapped back toward her.

Those brown eyes pleaded, screamed at him not to leave her alone. Brian was torn. He knew Sara
shouldn’t be by herself but, Nick and Jenn. Something was wrong there.

“Okay, come on, but hold on…tightly to me.”

They quickly walked down the hall to where Nick and Jenn were staying, the room furthest away
from the Littrells’. On the way there, they had run into AJ, who picked up the smell of fear
surrounding the couple and followed them, believing that if there was something behind the Carters’
door, that they couldn’t handle it alone.

Brian knocked on the door of 508 twice before opening it himself. Strangely, it was unlocked,
making him feel all the more queasy. The three walked into the room and immediately sensed in
the air that things were not right at all.

That’s when AJ saw the shattered glasses on the floor. And what he saw next made him have to sit
in the chair closest to him.

Drops of blood on the bedroom floor stained the cream colored carpet.

Sara covered her mouth, obviously disturbed by the scene, and turned to head for their bathroom.

Brian stood still, swallowing, taking it all in. They were gone. Nick and Jenn had been taken by
those bitches. The sudden release of the tight grip on his hand brought him back to reality.

“I should’ve answered the goddamn phone!” The southerner’s voice sliced the silence with
harshness.

“C’mon Bri. We’ve…we’ve g-gotta check other places. M-maybe t-they went to g-get the first aid kit
off of the b-bus.” AJ struggled to find his voice.

“Sara!” Brian called to his wife, still shaky from the appearance of the room that should’ve been
holding his two of his closest friends.

“Yeah.. I’m coming. S-sorry…” The woman emerged from the bathroom looking more ghostly than
Brian had ever seen her.

“Maybe you should go ba-”

“Shut up, Brian. Let’s go.” She grabbed his hand and they were out.

The harsh January air had seemed to change since they had been out on the beach just an hour
before. It was almost as though the weather had changed with the mood. Something frightening,
fearful, and anxious wafting in the air.

In their hearts though, they all held a desperate hope that everything was okay. They were all lying
to themselves.

10...

The crowd of people on the beach were beginning to count down.

9...

Sara stopped for a moment, dizziness hitting her, hard.

8...

Brian slowed down, feeling Sara stop. She doubled over in nausea. AJ stopped behind her,
concerned for her health.

7...

Brian’s blue eyes went between AJ and Sara and the bus less than ten feet away. Lights were on.
Maybe everything was okay.

6...

“GO BRIAN!” Sara screamed at him.

“I can’t go without you!”

“Then…don’t go.” She couldn’t lose him again.

5...

He went back and lifted her into his arms, praying his legs wouldn’t give out. It would be their luck.

4...

“Put me down, Brian. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“You need medicine. On the bus.”

Yes, that’s why they would go to the bus. Nothing was wrong.

3...

Steady pattering on the pavement. Heavy breathing appearing as clouds of smoke hanging in the
air.

2...

“They’re okay. Everything’s okay. Everyone’s okay. You just need medicine, baby.” Brian mumbled
to himself under his breath.

AJ ran to the front to open the door for the couple.

1...

“Happy New Year, pretty boy.” The laugh would be etched in his mind forever. “Boom.”