"Varien, wait!" I cried as he dragged me down the hall. "I won't leave him again!"

"He'll be fine," Varien repeated, never looking back. He'd draped Leo over one shoulder to pull me along.

"Please, let me go back!" I tugged on his arm, but he didn't let go of my wrist. The gashes throbbed steadily, worse with every heart beat.

Leo started to wake up, shifting and groaning softly. "What -"

I took that as an opportunity to kick Varien in the back of the knee, sending him to the floor with a yelp. In only a second, I was sprinting back down the hallway.

When I crashed back into Authorized Access, Braken had finally freed himself from Howell and was attempting to scramble to his feet, but every time he did, Howell hit him over the head with the stick. I could tell he was already extremely dizzy.

"Braken!" I called.

He glanced up at me. "J-Joel -"

Howell used his momentary distraction and slammed the end of the stick into his gut as hard as he could. Braken let out a choked scream and staggered back against the wall, breaking into a coughing fit. He fell to his knees and grasped his stomach, coughing harder and spitting out blood.

"Braken!" I screamed, running toward him.

Before he had a chance to respond, Howell hit him hard over the head with the stick and he doubled over again. "Anna, don't let Joel come any closer," the fat man ordered, raising his stick for the final blow. Braken could only cower and cough and cover his head with his arms. Some of the gashes on his back were bleeding again.

Anna caught me before I could make it to him, wrapping her arms around my chest. "Joel, please, calm down," she whispered.

"He's going to kill him," I said, my efforts weakening as I started to cry. No. I couldn't give up. I had to be strong for him.

"Hey, hey, it'll be okay," Anna said gently. Her voice was so soothing, so calm in this storm. She kept one arm tightly around me to keep me in place, but her other hand was so soft and gentle as she brushed the tears from my face. She winced as she tested her wounded shoulder, but fought through the pain. For me. "I'm here. It's okay," she murmured again and again. I couldn't fight her. I didn't have any energy left.

"I told you, freak, the next time you spoke would be the last!" Howell screamed, and the stick cracked against his back, tearing open one of his gashes.

Braken tried to scream, but he couldn't stop coughing. "I - I - I'll ne-never lose my - my power ..." He paused to take a raspy breath and spit blood onto the floor. "M-my power of - of - of v-voice."

"Braken, please," I cried. I don't know what I was asking him for. Just something. I just wanted this nightmare to be over.

"Wh-what? You - you want me to - me to st-stop talking, t-too?" Braken staggered to his feet, dizzy from the hit and gripping his stomach. He had blood running all down his face. "Look, I'm - I'm s-sorry I have a st-st-utt-stut -" His face flushed red in embarrassment as he struggled to pronounced the word.

"Oh, shut up. I don't want hear you st-st-stutter," Howell sneered, reloading his gun.

"Don't kill him!" I pleaded, feebly pulling against Anna's grip.

"I'm not going to kill him," Howell chuckled, aiming his gun right at my face. "He doesn't deserve the mercy of death."

"He's your son!" I tried to shrink away from the gun's glare, to no avail. "Don't you have enough humanity to understand that?"

Howell's expression hardened at the mention of humanity. "I suppose not. Not if I'm one of them."

I felt a cold touch on the back of my neck and heard Varien whisper something. I stepped back to face him and Howell's gun went off three times.

Bang bang bang!

I don't know what happened after that. Either he shoved me out of the way or those shots were meant for him. Whatever the case, Varien staggered backwards and fell to the ground, bleeding from three bullet holes in his chest.

"Nick!" I screamed, only able to use his real name. I shoved away from Anna, but he was already gone when I knelt next to him. His chest barely rose and feel as he breathed, and after only a moment of gasping for air, he went completely still. "No!" I wailed, tears slipping down my face. "No, no, no, no, please ..."

"That was rather dramatic," Howell snorted.

"Stop killing my friends," I tried to scream, but my voice barely came out. "Please, you can kill me, but stop hurting them."

"How heroic," the man laughed. "I'll kill you once everyone else is dead. It's the one thing I can do for you, once I've taken everything away."

"I don't understand you, Howell," Leo said softly behind me. "I've survived you for seven years, and I still don't get you. Why do you hate us so much?"

"I'm protecting the rest of the world from your destructive tendencies." His eyes hardened. "And I'm getting even with this freak, for killing my wife."

"I - I didn't -" Braken started, but Howell lashed out and drove his knee into his gut, sending him into another coughing fit.

My eyes flickered across the room, and though my vision was blurred by tears, I noticed the sword among the assortment of weapons. The one I used to kill Laszlo. I could end this now.

"You shut up!" Howell pointed his gun at Leo as he started to speak.

"Listen to me," Anna said softly, slowly walking toward him. I climbed unsteadily to my feet, my knees barely strong enough to hold me.

"You want to save him, too, don't you?" Howell screamed, adjusting the gun to point at her. Somehow, I managed to pull myself across the room. My wrist was burning worse than before.

Her voice hardened as she spoke. "Of course not. He's a murderer, just like the rest of them."

I resisted the urge to argue with her, and instead shuffled near-blindly across the room, reaching for the sword. Almost there. Almost there.

"L-like you're - you're any bet-better," Braken growled, doubled over in pain, but still glaring up at them.

"Is that right?" Howell said, amused. He slowly lowered the gun to press it roughly against Braken's neck. "One wrong move, George, and I swear I will kill you and every one else in this room."

George. Braken tensed up at the mention of that name. "D-don't call - don't call me -"

Howell flipped him over and pinned him down onto his back, jamming the gun against his throat. "I will call you whatever I want."

Braken narrowed his eyes, trying to look fierce, but he was starting to give up. He knew if he even brushed his hands against Howell, he'd get a bullet to his neck. He knew he was beaten.

"Please, don't hurt him," Leo whispered. He stayed frozen where he'd been a few minutes ago.

I reached the sword and quickly picked it up. It felt heavier and more off balanced today - or my arms were just weaker. I could barely lift it.

Howell suddenly started to laugh, pushing the gun harder against Braken's throat. "Are you going to cry, little boy? Are you afraid? You know you can't touch me."

From here, I could see Braken squeeze his eyes shut and bite his lip. He shook his head slightly. "I - I'm not -"

"I said DON'T TALK." Howell shoved the gun down and Braken made a soft choking noise. "You remember everything, don't you? You remember every word spoken, every scream, every snap and rip and gash. You know I'll do it again."

"What are you talking about?" Leo asked softly. He'd backed up. He was useless and a coward. Then again, so was I. I could barely bring myself to drag the sword over.

"Tell him, freak. Tell him what I did to you. Tell him what you learned." Howell sunk his knee into his stomach, one hand holding the gun and the other digging into his hair to keep his head in place.

I glanced at Anna, but she was staring with a blank expression on her face.

Braken took a deep breath, a few tears slipping down his face. "I - I ..." He swallowed hard, and Howell chuckled. I lifted the sword, gathering my courage. "Ev-very time I ... every time I s-spoke," Braken started, his voice shaking as well as his words, "he'd give me - give me th-three lash - three lashes, per - per word and ... and - and he -"

"Why'd I do it?" Howell said with a sickening smile. "What's wrong with you, George?"

Braken winced and I remembered all the scars on his back. Every single one of them was because he'd been caught speaking. I felt that anger rise up in my heart again and readied myself for the charge. This time, Anna noticed.

"Well?" Howell demanded, giving him another push with the gun.

"B-because I st-stutt-st-t-t ..." He had to pause to take another breath. Howell started laughing as he struggled again.  "Stut-t-t-t ... I - I stut-st-stut-t ..." He started to cry again, even though he tried to hide it, and his face flushed red in embarrassment. He'd lost that strong fighter act he'd put on when he first walked in, and now he was back to that quiet boy I knew best. He suddenly squeezed his eyes shut and raised his voice. "I HATE YOU!" he screamed.

Howell narrowed his eyes and tightened his finger on the trigger. I knew it was now or never. Without thinking, I charged and thrust my sword forward. Anna must've alerted him, because just as I reached him, the sword in position to stab through his back, he twisted and jerked the blade down, right into -

Right into Braken.

We both screamed, and then Howell yanked me backward and blood squirted from Braken's knee. For a moment, I was slightly relieved. I was afraid I'd stabbed him somewhere more fatal, but the relief was short lived. Howell had shoved my blade under his knee and twisted it as I pulled it out, probably permanently damaging him.

Braken's screaming melted into sobbing, and when Howell released him to shoot at me, he curled up and grasped his knee tightly. There was already blood everywhere. The guilt threatened to swallow me whole.

Howell shot at me twice, and I barely managed to duck out of the way. He was angry, and his aim was off. He turned and fired at Leo as he ran for Braken, and nearly hit him, but Leo stumbled on his bad leg and got lucky as the bullet flew over his head.

"Anna, kill him!" the man ordered, pointing at Leo.

"No!" I shouted.

She grabbed a knife from the wall and lunged for him without question. Howell shot at me again and I felt the bullet whistle past my ear, just barely missing me. I tried to charge him, but every time I got close, I had to leap back to avoid getting shot.

I glanced at Leo and Anna for a split second, hoping one of them would help me. Leo had his fists lit up, the flames trailing behind him like they always did in the games. His grace and fluid technique almost distracted me. This time, Howell's shot hit the sword, taking a chip out of it.

I quickly redirected my attention to escape him. He was close, and his aim was getting better. My wrist was burning and blood trickled down into my palm, making my grip on the sword sticky.

Howell shot again and I flinched, but kept moving. I swung my sword over my head and brought it down as hard as I could. He dodged and I just managed to catch his left arm. I stumbled forward, unbalanced, and he slammed his gun against my forehead and pinned me back against the wall, grinning like a maniac. "Lights out, Joel," he whispered.

Just before he pulled the trigger, ready to end my life in a split second, he let out a blood curdling scream and whirled around. I noticed a knife - Anna's knife - buried in his back, near his neck. Leo tripped over Braken as he tried to escape Howell's rage, but somehow, for some reason, Howell kept moving, despite the knife lodged in his spine. I'd watched a cop show once like this. The guy didn't really feel he'd been stabbed because his body knew he was going to die. I thought that was just dramatic fiction. I guess I was wrong.

Now that Howell had gone after Leo, screaming vulgar phrases at him, Anna moved for Braken. He was still curled up on the floor, his knee gushing blood, but he was no longer sobbing. Tears still fell down his pale and bruised face, but he was quiet. 

"Anna, no!" I shouted. She only glanced at me. I tried to lift my sword to help him somehow, but suddenly, pain shot through my hand, more intense that it had been before. I screamed and dropped my sword, bringing my hand up to my chest. My wrist was bleeding heavily, not from the gashes, but from a nasty hole just under all of my wrist bones. There was a bigger hole on the other side.

I'd actually been shot. I almost couldn't believe it. Why hadn't I felt it before? The pain was making me dizzy.

Left hand. I still had my left hand. I tried to pick the sword up again, but I couldn't move without pressing my fist against the wound in my arm. I was useless. I tried to tell myself that if Braken could stand that kind of pain, I could, too. It didn't work. I couldn't do it.

All I could do was watch as Anna flipped Braken onto his back and pinned him down, holding his wrists in place so he couldn't touch her. "Some day, George," she hissed, smirking as he scowled at her, "I will rip you apart."

"If-if you live - live long e-enough to - to try," he growled, and even with his stutter, I felt chills run down my back. He meant every word he said.

"Braken, don't -" I started to say, but my voice didn't quite come out.

Braken narrowed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and managed to kick her off of him with his good leg, letting out a scream of agony as he moved his other. Leo glanced at him from across the room and managed to twist around Howell and end up right behind her. I knew what was coming, but I couldn't find my voice to scream.

Howell shot, aiming for Leo, but he pulled Anna in front of him and the bullet sunk into her chest. I dropped the sword and ran to her with a silent scream, catching her just as she fell. I started to say something, but she had just enough life left to lift herself up, her lips brushing over mine in one last kiss before she fell limp against my chest.

I didn't know what to do. I sunk to the floor in despair, hugging her lifeless body close to mine. Maybe I had loved her, just a little. Even if I hadn't, I hadn't wanted her dead. She was the one person connecting me to a life beyond this one, the one I could take from my past to help me through this nightmare. And now she was gone, and I'd never gotten to tell her how I really felt, how grateful I was for her help, her friendship. I guess you never know what you have until it's taken away from you.

"Please, just let this be over," I begged, my voice staying stuck in my throat. I don't know who I was talking to, but to me, I thought that I'd get an answer.

Braken was crying again. I looked up at him and my heart ached worse with every passing second. He had his fist against his chest, slowly making a circle. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Howell let out a strangled cry of fury. His movements were slow and jerky. He wouldn't stop this until he was dead. He had another knife in his hand, and he was coming toward us faster than I'd expected. Leo tried to intercept him, but the man threw out his hand and he froze, unable to break past Howell's Gift. The man's furious eyes were fixed on Braken.

I had to do something. I gently set Anna down on the floor, and my own rage filled my soul. I would not let any one else be killed because of me. I would end this now.

I scrambled to get the sword, the pain in my wrist drowned by the rage. The world seemed tinted red, though maybe that was just the blood covering the floor.

Howell reached Braken and raised his knife. I forced myself to stumble forward, but I didn't make it in time. Howell slammed the knife down into Braken's soft stomach and he let out a choked cry of pain, trying to curl up, trying to grab him, but Howell used his Gift, freezing his hands in time before he could stop him. The man yanked the knife out and stabbed it down into his gut again, a ruthless grin on his face as Braken tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Before Howell could pull the knife out to finish him off, I lunged forward and thrust the sword into his back, the blade running through his heart and lungs and protruding out his chest.

At first, no one made a sound. We all just stared at him. Then Howell gasped, shuddered, and collapsed on top of Braken.

I pulled the sword out, throwing it off to the side, and pushed the dead man over. I had to do something to save Braken. His face was deathly pale and his skin was cold. He was dying, and fast. The knife was still buried in his stomach, but I didn't take it out, hoping that that would maybe keep some of the blood in. I had to stop the blood flow to buy time. I knew someone had to be coming.

Braken was barely conscious, but he was trying to say something. I pulled my shirt off over my head and wadded it up into a ball, and he let out a weak cry of pain as I pressed it against his bleeding stomach.

"L-Leo ..." he breathed, repeating himself over and over. "My ... m-my best f-f-friend ..."

"Yeah, I'll get him," I mumbled as I worked. I was getting my own blood from my wrist all over him, and I hoped I wouldn't give him some disease or something. I turned to look over my shoulder. "Leo, can you -"

He quickly jerked to look at me, his eyes wide in terror. He had Howell's gun in his hand, pointed at himself.

I knew exactly what was happening. "Leo, no!" I screamed, dropping my makeshift bandage and scrambling to my feet. I stumbled, dizzy from the pain, but I ran as fast as I could.

He took three steps toward the door, but I ran into him and grabbed the gun, trying to pry it out of his fingers. We were both screaming - him about how pathetic and worthless and horrible he was, that he couldn't even help me save Braken, that I needed to let him go, and I was begging him to listen to me. I was his friend, and I could help him. It was over. We'd won. I don't know exactly what happened, but somehow, we ended up hunched over, and then suddenly the bang of the gunshot silenced our struggle.

I fell to my knees, numbed by shock, and pressed my hands against my gut. Blood poured over my fingers, rushing out of the hole in my back. No, no, no, no, no.

"Leo?" I whispered.

"I'm sorry," he breathed.

I didn't have to see it to know what happened when the gun went off again.