Kay hugged herself tighter. The wind was once again blowing and each touch of the breeze made her entire body shudder. She'd never been so cold in her life. Kyle wrapped his arm tighter around her shoulders and pulled her closer. His body was the best cure for hypothermia and she tried no to think how his jacket was wrapped around her while he faced the cold.

"I can handle it," he said, as if reading her mind.

"Can we go yet?" Tom asked, bouncing on the soles of his boots.

"Just give me a second," Sam mumbled, his hands pressed against his temples.

Fortunately, everyone was up, though none of them looked happy. Jimmy had his eyes closed and his head in his hands while Jessie was white as a sheet, her lips trembling uncontrollably. Tom and Jerry were the only ones standing, Jerry putting away his bandages.

"Vodka would be pretty good right now," Kay muttered.

"Hell no," Kyle said, and he finally sounded amused. "You're a sad drunk."

"I'd at least be a warm drunk."

"It's an illusion," Jerry answered, always the scientist. "Alcohol is actually not recommended when you're very cold."

"I'm with Kay," Jessie said. "Reality sucks too much right now."

"You know what sucks more? Angie not being here. And Billy and Tina," Tom said. "We need to find them."

"We're going." Sam got to his feet with obvious effort, but stayed vertical. "They should be somewhere in front of us. If we go that way, we should at least find footprints."

"Groovy. Let's go." Tom swung his backpack over his shoulder and headed down the hill, between the trees.

Kyle stood too and bent to pick her up, but she held her hand up. As tempting as it was, she couldn't let him carry her. As much as he tried to hide it, she'd never seen more exhausted than he was now. The only comparable situation was when he'd almost drowned.

They all set off after Tom, walking slow at first, but picking up the pace as they went. As tired as she was, Kay felt a sudden need to run. It would surely warm them up and she was really worried about Angie. Billy and Tina were on her mind too, but Billy was proficient at surviving and Tina wasn't her childhood best friend.

Tom let out a sound of victorious satisfaction and Kay could soon see the footsteps, too. They continued their jog for what seemed like forever, but the fact the tiny paw prints had disappeared only gave them more energy to tread on. The others had gotten away and they were... Where?

She stumbled and Kyle grabbed her elbow to steady her.

"I'm okay," she whispered, but Kyle ignored her and picked her up. "No, really, I just tripped."

"I need you to get warm," he said, squeezing her harder against him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his chest. Tears burned her eyes for needing his jacket, for being a dead weight in his arms and enjoying it. Because there was nowhere in this world she'd rather be. Well, maybe except last night.

Kyle stopped all of a sudden and she took her face out of his chest. They'd all stopped at the top of a hill, A wooden two story cabin lay at bottom, smoke coming out of the chimney, lights pouring through the downstairs windows. The footprints led to the door.

Warmth. She pushed herself down, energy flowing through her with the end in sight.

"I wonder what it's doing here," Jerry said.

"It's probably a hunting lodge," Sam said, but whatever he wanted to say next got cut off by Tom who sprinted towards the visible entrance. "Tom, wait."

Tom didn't wait. He ran into the open, consequences be damned. When he was halfway there, the door opened and Angie stepped out. Kay's heart swelled, especially because his best friend was smiling.

"You're okay!" she called out, opening her arms as if to receive Tom. "It's a trap."

Tom threw himself into the snow mid run a second before a gunshot tore through the night. Kay dropped to her knees and pawed her belt for her gun as the forest rang with the sounds of more shooting.

A man stepped out behind Angie and shoved her out of the way. "You're dead, bitch!"

Famous last words before Tom punched him in the face. He stumbled back through the doorway, blocking the rest of the goons making their way out.

"Up there!" Jimmy called, pointing towards the two windows on the second story.

Two silhouettes were visible behind the windows. Kyle glanced that way, a look of concentration on his face as the drew his pistols.

"Go for the house," he said, kneeling in the snow and taking aim.

Jimmy joined him, also taking aim. Kay listened and rushed towards the house with Jessie, Sam and Jerry. A single shot rang from behind them and then all stood quiet.

"Thought it might be an echo," Jimmy said from behind.

Sam bypassed the rest of them and rushed to help Tom and Angie who were making sure the dogpile in front of the door was preserved. It only lasted until Kyle and Jimmy caught up with the rest of them and charged in, creating a carpet of goons in front of the door.

Sam and Tom followed together with Jerry, but Angie stayed behind, three pistols in her hands, obviously snatched from knocked out men. Kay and Jessie stopped as well right inside the door and Kay couldn't be more grateful when Jessie kicked the door shut behind them.

They'd ended up in what looked like a seating area. A staircase led to the upper floor which looked down on the entrance from the semblance of a balcony. Kay immediately pointed her gun that way, making sure the men already waiting there didn't have the high ground advantage. Jessie and Angie followed her lead, and once Kay was sure the stairway was secured, she took in the current situation.

The sitting room was filled with Snitch Gravel's men, most of them already pointing rifles. A massive fireplace against the left wall seemed to mark the border between good and evil. Kyle, Jimmy, Sam and Tom had their guns out and pointing while Jerry, even if armed, was scanning the room, most likely looking for Tina and Billy.

"Long time, no see."

The voice made shivers go down Kay's spine, and as much as she willed herself to keep her eyes on the men above them, she couldn't help it. Her eyes found Snitch Gravel who'd just entered the room through a door placed opposite from their entrance. Two burly men followed him, dragging Christine along. She was alive! And a welcomed distraction from the man Kay really didn't want to see.

"Sam!" she called out, her voice filled with relief. She struggled to break her bonds, but it only managed to get the men to shake her.

"Christine!"

In what could only be described as a moment of complete insanity, Sam passed his guns to Tom and tore through the crowd towards her. The men grouped closer, obviously not wanting to let him through, but Sam forced his body between them until he came close enough to take Christine's hand. Then, instead of pulling her to him, he pulled himself towards her and caught her in a hug.

"I knew you'd come for me," Christine sobbed into his shoulder. "I knew it!"

"Adorable, but God, are you stupid." Snitch Gravel snapped his fingers and Sam and Christine were pulled apart. "You don't really think I'll just let you have her and be on my way."

"That's exactly what we think," Tom retaliated. "Your numbers give you no advantage in a tight space like this." He nodded back towards the girls. "We kind of have it covered this time."

Snitch Gravel huffed. "Maybe I'd take you more seriously if I didn't know you carry those guns just for show."

"Really now?" Jimmy asked, his tone cold and deadly. "Because I recall differently."

Snitch Gravel narrowed his eyes at him. "Ah, yes. The killer. You actually have one of those now."

Kay jumped when Jessie shot from right next to her. One of the men at the balcony toppled over and landed at Snitch Gravel's feet, knocking two more goons down.

"Maybe there's more of us," Jessie said, her tone just as even, just as deadly.

Kay scanned the fallen man, but as she'd suspected, Jessie shot him with the rubber bullet gun, counting on the fact that the fall would be spectacular enough to stop people from checking right away.

"Allow me to rephrase," Snitch Gravel said, his tone showing the slightest tinge of annoyance. "You might suffer a bit more if I shoot these two than I would if you shot all my men." He pointed at Sam and Christine who were both immobilized.

"What if we just shoot you?" Kyle asked, aiming one of his guns at Snitch Gravel's head.

Snitch Gravel's grin was pure evil. "Then all bets are off. You're smart children. I think you've figured out by now that my orders are the only thing keeping you alive. "

The knot in Kay's stomach tightened and her head swam, but she did her best to keep her gun steady, hoping she wouldn't be required to shoot it. Just like the rest of them, she was aware she would eventually have to, but not when she was half frozen and exhausted. Not when she couldn't even think clearly and the only discernible feeling was fear.

"Why thank you, benevolent god," Kyle replied, his tone filled with sarcasm. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

Snitch Gravel's eyes narrowed, but he looked amused. The look on his face made a shiver run down Kay's spine because once again, he looked too human, too familiar.

"Die, most likely," he replied. "And then your father would finally learn about consequences. Though I'm starting to doubt he'll care that much." He shook his head in pity. "My, my, he doesn't even try to pretend he likes you, does he? Keeps you away from the girl you love, belittles your every action, always criticizing... Is he really worth this blind devotion of yours?"

The room seemed to grow colder as Kyle stiffened. Kay did too, aware that Snitch Gravel had hit a nerve.

"This has nothing to do with my father," Kyle answered, his voice calm. "This is between you and us. You knocked our father out of the equation a long time ago."

"You're apparently forgetting your motivation," Snitch Gravel growled. "I thought this was a family war."

"It is a family war," Jerry said quietly. "But we are the family. Our parents have long forgotten about you."

Snitch Gravel let out a sarcastic laugh. "Is that what they're trying to make you think? Believe me, they haven't forgotten about me. You five remind them of me every day." He grinned in good humor. "You two," he said, nodding towards Jimmy and Tom. "Your simple presence in that house is a reminder of how I took you in the first place."

Kay lowered her gun, tilting her head in surprise because he made a very good point.

"You." Snitch Gravel indicated Jerry next. "So stiff, so serious because you were raised in a house filled with fear. And you." He turned to Sam. "So grown up for your age because you had to be. And..." He turned to Kyle, his grin pure evil. "You have no idea just how much you remind them of me by simply existing."

"Are you going to clarify on any of that or just taunt us?" Tom asked.

"You should know this better than anyone," Snitch Gravel answered. "Oh, but wait. I think you might have forgotten some things."

Tom took a step forward, gun pointed, but Kyle reached out to stop him.

"Don't mind him. He's just trying to get to us because he's pissed Mom and Dad don't give a shit about him."

Snitch Gravel narrowed his eyes again, looking like a snake about to charge. "You'd be surprised how proficient your parents are at lying."

"It doesn't matter," Sam said, his voice calm and collected, as usual, as if he weren't drowning in a sea of goons. "That's not why we're here. It's between you and us. Except you're a ghost."

"A ghost, am I?" Snitch Gravel growled.

He took out his gun, pointed it at Sam, and before any of them could react, pulled the trigger. The gunshot tore through the room and rang in Kay's ears. Sam doubled over as the bullet hit him in the stomach and fell over. Snitch Gravel turned back to face the others, his gun held out, the same annoyed snarl on his face.

"Sam!" Christine cried, struggling to get to him, but her guards held her in place.

"You're getting cocky. Now drop your guns or the next bullet tears through his head."

"You freaking shot me!" Sam wheezed from the floor.

Jerry put his gun away instantly, but Jimmy, Kyle and Tom held their position. Kay wondered if she should lower hers, but since Jessie and Angie didn't, she held her ground. After all, Snitch Gravel hadn't been talking to them and they were much needed backup.

"You think I won't do it?" He reached his hand back, the barrel of the gun pointed at Sam's defenseless head even if his eyes stayed fixed on the others.

Kyle lowered his gun first and Tom and Jimmy followed.

"Put them on the ground," Snitch Gravel instructed. "And cuff him," he added, nodding towards Kyle.

Kay's hands tightened against the handle of her pistol until it hurt. Her shoulders shook and she could see Jessie and Angie tensing alongside her, their guns still pointing towards the men on the upper floor. She couldn't anymore, her aim had dropped to the room, trying to find Snitch Gravel in the crowd, at least be confronted with the choice of pulling the trigger.

They complied and one random goon stepped out of the crowd and closed the handcuffs around Kyle's wrists.

"Where are Billy and Tina?" Jerry suddenly asked.

Snitch Gravel's gaze flitted to him. "Upstairs. You'll most likely join them soon."

"Or not," Tom said, taking a side step as if he wanted to get further away from Kyle.

And at that moment, Kay felt it, the chill filling the room, filling her, creeping through her soul, trying to freeze her heart. Distracted and nervous as she was, it took her a while to notice the tensions in Kyle's back, the way his entire frame spoke of danger.

"Oh shit," Jessie whispered.

"What's going on?" Angie asked, confusion and panic battling in her voice, so innocent.

Even the goons stepped back, and even if Kay couldn't see Kyle's face, she could tell it was worse than ever. Exhaustion grabbed hold of her, threatening to keep her pinned to the floor, but she couldn't let this happen. She put her gun back in its holster and propped her fingers on the floor, ready to push herself to her feet.

"I need to stop him," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

"No." Jessie grasped her shoulder to hold her in place. "We need him like this. It's our only chance to get out of this. Jimmy can't--" The rest of the words died in her throat once she raised her eyes. "No," she whispered.

"What?" Kay looked forward too, but it was hard to focus on anything outside the growing threat that was Kyle. But when she followed Jessie's gaze, she finally understood.

Even if almost impossible to discern given the much bigger source of fear, there was a chill surrounding Jimmy as well, and Kay could actually see half of his face. She recognized the glazed, unfocused look, the dilated pupils... Her body shuddered, out of control. What the hell was going on?

"Guys?" Angie asked, her voice small, actually taking a step back.

Tom had pulled against the wall, looking from Kyle to Jimmy to the goons. Jerry had also pulled away, backing towards the staircase.

"Um, boss?" one of the men said, the fear obvious in his voice.

And Kay couldn't blame him. She wanted nowhere near Kyle at the moment and she was in love with him. Being on the receiving end of a potential hit must make things a million times scarier. And then there was the matter of Jimmy presenting the same killer potential.

Snitch Gravel didn't answer. He watched the scene with a mild frown, as if he found it morbidly fascinating. The gun in his hand fell slack, his full attention on what was in front of him.

Kyle half turned so he was facing Snitch Gravel completely, and Kay caught a glimpse of his face. It sent her body in desperate tremors. His eyes were completely black, glazed over, and the grin on his face was twisted, evil, unnatural. He raised his cuffed hands and, with a small jerk of his wrists, broke the chain between them.

He broke a freaking chain.

Snitch Gravel let out a curse. "Take them out," he called.

There was general confusion as the men debated whether that meant they should shoot everyone or get Sam and Christine out of there. The answer became apparent once Snitch Gravel made his way through the crowd of men and out the door, indicating that his guards should follow with Sam and Christine. That still left a shitton of goons behind.

It didn't seem to matter. Like they had one mind, Kyle and Jimmy charged forward, delivering a killer punch apiece to the nearest goons. The two men doubled over and flew back, Kyle's further. The other men watched with wide eyes as Kyle charged forward. Jimmy changed direction and headed after Snitch Gravel, but his way was blocked. He didn't seem to mind much as long as he got to hit someone. He started tearing through the right flank while Kyle demolished the left.

Paralyzed by fear, it took the goons a few moments to pull themselves together and fight back. Jimmy and Kyle both half retreated until they ended up back in back, their insane focus on taking out whoever dared pull a gun on them.

They made it look so easy, punching and kicking left and right, using each other for momentum and cover as if they'd practiced their entire lives, as if they could read each other's minds. It took Tom a few moments to pull himself together, but he pushed off the wall and joined the fight, more focused than Kay had ever seen him. And as she stared, she couldn't believe it.

She'd never gotten the chance to see them fighting together properly, not outside training, and hadn't appreciated how well Kyle and Jimmy could protect each other, how Tom's parkour skills meant he could prop himself up on walls and climb on the shoulders of men to bring them down.

It was like watching a very complicated dance routine by a crew with three members. They moved so fast, so fluid, the goons didn't even have time to shoot. Kyle's hits were obviously uncensored, and for once, neither were Jimmy's. It took only a few moments for the goons in the back to stop trying to aim over their comrades and abandon the sinking ship like so many rats. In a wave of panic, a few of them threw smoke bombs into the room.

Once the smoke reached her, Kay almost choked. It appeared that a body which felt twice as heavy than it should wasn't the only consequence of the dive into the frozen lake. Her lungs hadn't fully recovered and she collapsed next to the stairs.

"Come on!" Jessie called out, and Kay could feel her and Angie making their way forward towards the fight.

Leaving her alone.

❄❄❄

Not the best cut off place, but the chapter is already long so there you have it. I promised action and I'm hoping I delivered.

You got to see your old pal Snitch Gravel in this one. I know you missed him. And as always, I'm curious about he interaction with the main cast.

Also, did I creep you out enough? I want to make sure the level of fear is justified and that it would make sense for the fight to go the way it did.

Also... Sam got captured like and idiot 😅 But at least he's with Christine.

Here's to hoping for an update soon. Hit the star for support, comment for the love.