Silence seemed to radiate through the entire building. Charlie felt as though her ability to hear had shut off completely. Her eyesight faded and then flared as if someone shot a gun in front of her face. Cold sweat drenched her, and her eyes snapped to Jonny, wide like a curious owl. Was that fear on his face? Surprise? Or excitement? No, it couldn't be...he is helping her!

"Don't listen to him," he whispered desperately. "He's only trying to separate us."

She searched his face from his eyebrows, tugged close and low over his eyelids, to his lips, trembling as if ready to shatter. He had been so normal, so nice. Nothing about him had raised any flags. He had even helped her...

Jake, on the other hand, was a straight up shit. He showed no compassion for Tamara at all. He seemed narcissistic--and what was that saying Charlie heard? "Not all narcissists are serial killers, but all serial killers are narcissists." She couldn't remember where she heard it, but she'd bet her flatscreen at home that it was true.

"He's evil," said Jonny as if he knew her thoughts. "He scares me..."

The words stabbed her through the stomach. If Jonny was afraid, someone of his own flesh and blood, that shows the very type of person Jake was. The kind that no-body can trust. The kind that would kill anyone that got close to him and not bat an eyelash.

"Shay! Are you there? Come on, girls!" shouted Jake. "Shay! Charlie! Say something for fuck's sake!"

His words seemed innocent enough, but his voice crawled up her spine and spread out through her scalp like a thousand spiders. He was closer. Charlie looked at Shay desperately, knowing he would come for her the moment he couldn't find Charlie. He would try to use her to draw Charlie out, just like he used her to get Charlie away from the crowd and there to begin with.

"Help me!" she whispered to Jonny.

Together they fought with the bindings; Jonny on the left and Charlie on the right. A door creaked open somewhere out there. When the crazy girl started shouting, "She got away! She cheated! I tried, I did! Not my fault. She cheats! Now she gets sun and I don't!" Charlie knew that he was right across the hall. And if she had any doubts at this point, wasn't the crazy girl begging him to believe her? Wasn't she explaining why she didn't do what he'd ordered her to? Did the girl think he would kill her If she didn't convince him?

Charlie's fingers were like melting rubber and she couldn't get the darn knot out of the rope on Shay's wrist. She could practically feel Jake breathing down her neck. He's coming, he's coming! Her thoughts cried. She whimpered.

"Hurry, hurry," she coaxed her uncooperative hands. The rope could have been superglued together for all the progress she was making.

Across the hall, the door shut out the crazy girls ranting once more. Jake mumbled. He was probably cursing her for failing him. Cursing her for letting Charlie get away so that he has to hunt her down again.

"Charlie!" he yelled, then she heard him mumble something under his breath that sounded like, "I'll kill him."

His footsteps were drawing near. (Or was that her heart pounding in her ears?) it was so hard to concentrate on her task. . . . A sweat drop fell from the tip of Charlie's nose onto Shay's limp arm.

"Come on, come on," Shay mumbled, but the ropes weren't cooperating with her frantic fingers.

"You're too nervous. I'll get her," Jonny said. "You go secure the door." He nodded toward the crowbar and Charlie was relieved to take it.

The handle was cold in her hand, but its weight was comforting. Something solid to cling to. Something hard to protect. The doorknob twisted. Jake/Jack was on the other side. She wanted to hit him so hard that he would fly back to the year he tried to kill her and then she wanted to hit him again to make sure he never touched little Charlie...she knew she couldn't, but the desire to do so powered her swing. The door opened and his blonde head came into sight. He sunk like the titanic when she slapped him across the cheek with her ice-cold steel. Safe! Triumphantly she looked to Jonny.

Jonny was half obscured by darkness. Blackness covered his eyes so that he seemed to be cut off from nose up. It didn't matter, because everything she needed to see was in that grin. A terrifying, twisted smile that reached from one side of his face to the other. The kind of smile that says, fooled ya again, Charlotte Shultz.

--

A/N: So it was Jonny the whole time, the sneaky shit! Be honest...were you surprised at the reveal? If I were a reader, I think I would have put my bets on Jake for sure. I considered making Marge the baddie, but I thought the gender swap big reveal thing had been done too many times...right? Ah, but most importantly, were leaving Charlie in quite a pickle. She's once again at the killer's mercy. Thanks for sticking with me! XO, Sam