Vanishing Acts

|| Eight ||

I was alone when I woke up, an unsurprising fact. It seemed as if Dominic woke up before the sun every morning, and after the entire month of nightmares, I had yet to see him asleep. Jesse was the polar opposite; I'd wake up and he'd be snoring beside me, still completely passed out.
I wasn't even alone for a total of five minutes before the door opened, something that still caused my blood to run cold as I feared who it was. As always, it was Jesse carrying food. I watched that door anyways, terrified of the thought of Alex or Blake walking in; they never did. I was still stunned by the fact that Dominic had somehow kept his word, I hadn't seen Alex or Blake once in the past four or five weeks. As promised, it had been specifically Dominic and Jesse in the room. It was the only reason I was making some form of physical process. I could sit up on my own without crying out in pain, that in itself seeming like a miraculous change. I had needed this break; I'm not sure I would've survived without it.
I needed to stay in one place and to see the same people, I needed the reliability that I wasn't going to be hit everyday before I went to sleep. I was still paranoid that Blake would come in, but Dominic's attitude forced me into thinking he would truly carry out the threat of killing him if he hurt me again. Dominic and Jesse were so incredibly different than Alex and Blake that the difference was staggering. Hell, most of the time, they'd sit outside my room for hours because I couldn't handle looking at them. If everything hit me once again, and reality was too much to handle, Jesse would easily give me space and wait outside until given actual permission to come back. Dominic was different; he hardly ever left me alone in those moods. Whether Jesse left, or Dominic stayed.. Both options somehow helped. I had a voice again. My opinions, my safety and my decisions were all immediately listened to. "Morning." Jesse nodded, setting the tray of food beside me as he pulled up the chair next to the bed.
I nodded back, throwing my hair up into an elastic as I looked at the breakfast while he asked the same question that he did every morning, "How are you feeling?"
It was almost a ritual; he'd walk in and give me breakfast, ask how I was feeling. I sat up fairly easily, careful not to shift my weight too much as I nodded for that reason, "Okay."
He smiled lightly in response, "Good."
I leaned back against the headboard as I quietly ate my food, glancing over at the clock. It was ten. Jesse kept his eyes on the ground, something worrying obviously on his mind as he fidgeted with his hands, "Did you sleep alright? You were up late."
I nodded in response as the door opened once again, still putting me on edge. Dominic stepped in carrying something that worried me: crutches. He walked in quietly, setting them against the bed as I stared at them foreignly.
There was a simple, tiny pair of crutches that had always been in the room, but I had hardly used them. There was a washroom in there, and I hadn't needed to go anywhere else. It turned out that I was in Jesse's room, although he was staying in a room a few doors down, same as Dominic.
They were steadier, more comfortable and reliable crutches that he set against the bed. I swallowed nervously as I feared what they meant. I sensed Jesse shift his weight, seemingly uncomfortable as well as he dropped his gaze to the ground. Dominic glanced over at him, but he refused to move his eyes. Dominic eventually spoke up because Jesse wasn't going to. "You can't stay in here Quinn." He said finally.
I wrapped my arms around myself, curling back weakly against the headboard as I forced out a question we all knew the answer to, "Why?"
Dominic leaned back against the wall, once looking at Jesse but he still kept his head down. "It's not good for you to stay."
I lied down and looked up at the ceiling again, muttering under my breath, "I'm fine in here, I don't see a problem."
There was a tense silence before he finally went out and said it. "Alex said he doesn't want you in here constantly."
I shut my eyes and bit my lip; I knew it. Staying in one place with people that wouldn't hurt me... That was just too good. Too safe. Too humane. "That's too bad for him, isn't it." I mumbled bitterly, opening my eyes again.
Jesse spoke up, "C'mon Quinn, they won't hurt you. We'll be with you the entire time, at least go out to eat instead of eating every meal in here."
I picked at the hem of my shirt uncomfortably, some part of my brain listening to him yet most of it tried to ignore them, "I don't want to..." I whispered.
Shit.
I knew it would have to be said eventually, that it would have to be done. Alex was too stubborn and territorial to give me so much space, and I knew that this would've happened sooner or later. I just didn't want to hear it. For five entire weeks, I had been surrounded by two people. For five entire weeks, I stopped flinching when someone brushed their hand against my arm accidentally, or handed something out to me; I stopped flinching because I realized that they wouldn't hit me. For five entire weeks, in all honesty, I didn't have to see either Blake or Alex. And I was perfectly fine with that. "I can't go through that again.. Please..."
It was a line of defeat. I couldn't hide in here whether I wanted to or not; if Jesse or Dominic didn't make me leave, Alex would come in and get me himself and I wasn't nearly prepared enough to handle that.
Jesse smiled lightly and nodded, "I swear you won't."
Dominic took a step closer to the bed, holding his hand out but I only stared at it foreignly. I couldn't kid myself; even five weeks spent in this room didn't prepare me to leave it. I had no idea how to handle leaving, although by the time he helped me to my feet, the shaking had returned from a month ago. He held his hand on my back to steady me, handing me the crutches. He watched me for a moment, something he'd occasionally do. He'd watch for fear or pain, checking to make sure that neither of them were going to high for me to handle. In the past month, he had checked on me more than Jesse but had spoken less.
By the time I approached the door, my breathing was in sharp quakes as I turned around, shaking my head, "N-No I don't want to, I don't want to do this-"
"Quinn, you've been in the same room for five weeks." Dominic said firmly.
It was a sickening thought, but it sounded so goddamn safe. He pressed his hand against my back again, comforting me yet reminding me that I was out of options. I had to go.
I cringed as I took my first step into the hallway, and I probably didn't stop until I was sitting at the island in the kitchen. Jesse sat beside me, Dominic on the opposite side of the large island. I had hardly sat down before I heard the footsteps behind me; I didn't turn around partially because I didn't want to, and partially because I couldn't.
My palms were sweaty as I quickly lowered my head, keeping my eyes on the ground as I tried to make sure my shaking wasn't visible. "Look who decided to show her face. At least it isn't broken that much."
Alex's voice was calm, holding a cold edge to it although his gaze was colder. I felt it even if I didn't look up at him. I listened to his footsteps as he walked towards the fridge, pulling out a bottle of beer as I looked over at him. I couldn't keep the harsh glare off my face; I had been given so much time to mull over how much I despised him. The fact that he stood there with a grin on his face was repulsive. He shut the fridge door with his elbow, leaning back against it as his grin fell into a dangerous smirk, "Someone's quiet." He muttered, taking a swig of his drink.
I dared to look at him for a few more moments, making eye contact as I forced whatever bitter hatred I could into my eyes. I eventually dropped my gaze before I could put myself in danger again. "You'd think that after all this time, she'd speak when spoken to."
I flinched instinctively at his cruel, menacing voice as my hand trembled. Moments later, Blake had walked across the room to stand beside Alex and I felt the panic begin rising in my chest. Jesse reassuringly squeezed my hand for comfort, an action that neither Blake or Alex could see because they were on the other side of the island. "Apparently." I snapped, regretting it immediately; it sounded rude, and I didn't want to piss them off any more than I already had.
I quickly dropped my gaze, expecting Blake to hit me for it. I expected him to try; I didn't expect him to succeed. Alex's expression fell into an amused grin, something he always wore as he realized how afraid I was. But that wasn't the case. I was scared as hell of the both of them, but I genuinely doubted that both Jesse and Dominic would stand by and watch them hit me. As I snuck a glance at Dominic, I realized there was a greater chance of Blake being punched than there was of me being hit.
Dominic leaned onto the island, his hands clenched tightly into fists and his entire body seeming tense. I had been around him long enough to know that he was ready to snap at any given second, and I had also learned to never be around him in that mood. Once he was angry, there wasn't much you could do to calm him down.
I dropped my gaze to the floor again as I felt someone watching me, knowing fully who it was. His gaze was just as menacing as in my nightmares; just as cold and hostile. Blake stared at me like he'd love nothing more to wrap his fingers around my neck, and I didn't doubt for a second that he would. It must've been ten minutes before he walked from the room, first sending such a harsh glare that probably would haunt me after.
Alex of course took his time in leaving, making sure I was forced to be around him for as long as he could manage. Eventually, he walked up to me; closely enough that I felt his breath against my neck, frightening me enough that I nearly jumped away from him. "I know our visit is short but don't worry, I'll make up for it." He hissed, leaning over me long enough for my breathing to become short and my hands to shake.
He smirked at me as he walked out of the room, nearly sending me into a spiralling panic attack. I had needed the time away from them, but it only created more issues and conflict. Jesse put his arm around my shoulder, "You alright?"
I took a quivering breath, ignoring the question until I could respond with a nod. "I'm okay." I said eventually, shutting my eyes as I tried to convince myself I was telling the truth.
"C'mon." Jesse said abruptly, hopping off the stool as he gestured me to follow.
I watched him walk down the hallway in confusion, glancing over at Dominic. He glared at the ground for a moment, seemingly thinking things over until I slowly watched him relax. He looked up at Jesse and back to me, nodding with a light expression, "Just follow."
I did, still confused as we stepped into the game room. "Jesse?" I called hesitantly, looking around.
Nothing was out of the ordinary, and I didn't have the slightest clue as to what they were up to. I watched Jesse walk across the room without giving an explanation, reaching into a cabinet to pull out a few pool sticks. I watched him for a few seconds, realizing he was setting up a game.
Confused as hell, I turned around towards the door only to watch it be shut in front of me. Dominic leaned back against it, crossing his arms as if he tried to be intimidating but you could see him suppressing a grin. I gave him a bizarre look as Jesse elbowed me lightly, "Ladies first."
I gawked at him as he walked back towards the pool table, "You're not... Serious." I questioned skeptically.
He walked around to the other side of the pool table, leaning against it as he clasped his hands together. He smiled at me, "It's a game, Quinn. One tiny little game, and you need to laugh. Just a small bit or else you'll go insane."
"This is insane." I countered, dumbfounded by the idea.
He grinned, "Yes. Definitely is." He retorted simply, fixing up the game.
I stared at him, completely bewildered as I felt something brush against my waist. I was too busy looking at Jesse that I jumped as Dominic wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me over to the table. I stared at them both as if they were insane, which they very well may have been.
I had a sprained ankle, I was still held here against my will, Alex and Blake were somewhere in the house and somehow, I found myself playing pool. It could've easily been deemed crazy, stupid and illogical but as the small game got started, I realized I didn't have any reason to object. I needed to be reminded that humanity still existed, I needed to be reminded of a time where I wasn't fighting for my life. It took away devastating loneliness and gave me the opportunity to breathe. I stood back for a moment, watching them. It would've been so much easier to accept them as petrifying monsters, but that wasn't what they were. Jesse was too dramatic and spontaneous, Dominic was too protective and empathetic. They didn't feed on the pain of others and they weren't driven by power; that was the sole difference between them and Alex and Blake. It was harder to accept them as people, which rightfully I shouldn't have bothered to but in those moments, it was impossible not to. All they were attempting to do was help keep me sane. And after a moment, I realized something that nearly shook me.
I wasn't going to make it out of here on my own.
"What?" Jesse blurted out, gawking at me.
He seemed so stunned that I didn't even recognize what had happened. Something was happening, and it took me five minutes to abruptly realize it; I was laughing.
Jesse stared at me with such a bewildered expression, looking at the pool table, "You cheated!" He accused playfully.
Laughter was such a foreign concept, to hear and especially to laugh myself. I hardly believed that I actually laughed for the first time in months. It was only for a few seconds, but it still happened. Although, it wasn't only my laughter that was unexpected.
Jesse and I were both surprised to hear an unfamiliar noise. I had heard him laugh before, but I had never seen Dominic laugh so genuinely, and so hard that he had to clutch his sides and lean onto the pool table. He finally spoke between his fits of laughter, "She kicked your ass Jesse!"
Jesse's expression finally faltered back to his grin, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, "Screw off, she beat you too!"
Dominic was honestly struggling to speak, "I haven't even played pool before!"
They both seemed so amused and happy that I found it to be contagious. It was hard not to grin as I listened to their laughter; so real and content.
I was calm enough that I hardly felt the pain in my ribs as I hobbled over to the couches, although Jesse called out to us as we sat down, "I have to go but I swear Quinn, you cheated. I have no idea how, but next time I'll drag you down and beat you fairly!"
I grinned slightly as he walked out of the room, everything about his bright attitude so amusing. I lied down beside Dominic, my head resting just beside his waist as I laid on my back, staring up. "Do you want to go back?" He asked.
I shook my head; no matter how stubborn I was to leave that bedroom... It was driving me crazy. I didn't want to step back in that room, not yet. I needed a gracious amount of time and distance from it.
The warmness of the laughter and smiling soon died off, and I was left to the cold realization that I was still stranded in this house and was God knows how far from home. I glanced up at Dominic, my view completely upside down because of how I was lying on the couch. He was staring across the room, seemingly thinking things over as well and I didn't even realize I was speaking before the words were already out in the open, "What are you doing?"
It wasn't a simple, literal question. As he glanced down at me, we both realized what I meant. It was something I had harassed myself with questions about; Dominic and Jesse acted so empathetic and understanding. They wanted to help me... Yet I was still here. "It's not simple." He answered eventually.
"It's not that hard, either." I responded, bitterness flooding into my voice.
I sat up, uncomfortable to be sitting next to him as I felt anger start to boil. I sat at the edge of the couch, biting my lip as I shook my head, "You're angry at Blake for hurting me when you could've brought me home the second that you met me."
He didn't deny it, "Quinn, there's things that you don't know yet. If you tried to get home, you wouldn't be able to-"
He was cut off by a loud, blaring alarm; it wasn't the fire alarm. It was significantly different. "For Christ's sake." Dominic snapped, immediately getting off the couch.
He quickly picked me up without my consent, something I had never seen him do before but I didn't have time to react before there was another loud noise crashing through the air... Gunshots.
"Don't panic." Dominic said calmly, although I could feel how tense he was.
I realized that as he opened the door, I had no idea what I would find. There was a dizzying mix of shouting, gunshots and the alarm ringing loudly in the air as we stepped into the hallway. I looked down the hall and for that slightest second, I saw someone else and for that tiny moment, I imagined getting out of here. That hope shattered as the man started shooting at us with his pistol.
I screamed fearfully, covering my eyes as Dominic instinctively dashed around the corner, everything becoming a hazy mess as he abruptly opened the door to a small closet, setting me in quickly. He bent down on one knee and nodded towards me, "Don't make a sound and don't move until Jesse or I come back to get you. You're going to be fine."
He had tried to sound reassuring, but his voice was agitated and grave. There was hell beginning that I knew nothing about. Stutters and questions poured from my lips, demanding to know what on earth was happening but he had shut the door and ran off. My breathing was heavy as I backed against the wall of the small closet, panicked and bizarrely confused as I listened to the world outside of the these walls. I dug my palms into my eyes, panting as I focused on staying calm when I heard another rush of footsteps; I knew immediately it wasn't a single person. It sounded as if half a dozen people had passed the door, panicking me immensely as I listened to them pass... Most of them.
After a minute, I watched in horror as the doorknob turned open. I wrapped my eyes around myself and curled further back against the wall, breathing heavily onto my knees as a man searched the closet, his eyes landing on me. I dared to look up, being met with dark hazel eyes and a machine gun. "Hold up!" He shouted over his shoulder, "There's a kid in here!"
He turned his attention back towards me, snapping at me to get out as he snatched my arm and pulled me to my feet. Immediate pleas poured from my mouth, "W-Wait, please don't hurt-"
He smacked the back of my head, digging the barrel of the gun into my side, "Shut up."
I jumped wildly, nodding my head as I prayed he wouldn't pull the trigger. I looked around as tears steadily streamed down my cheeks, realizing there was three of them surrounding me. I'd never seen them before, each of them seeming in their mid-twenties and each of them clearly armed with some sort of gun. The one that had dragged me from the closet locked his fingers around my wrist, "No talking and no running."
He shoved me forwards roughly before I could reply, and I couldn't help but cry out in pain as my foot hit the ground. I saw anger flash through his eyes and immediately explained to him, "I-It's my ankle, it's sprained and it's hard for me to walk on it-"
He took a menacing step towards me, suddenly slamming me back against the wall as he shouted in my face, "You'd better not be lying!"
I flinched and shook my head frantically, screaming as another gunshot went off. I looked around in confusion; it wasn't the three of them shooting. I had no idea who the hell was shooting, but eventually the three men in front of me began swearing furiously and shooting back. I instinctively slid to the ground, covering myself with my arms as I cried harder; everything became too confusing to keep up with. I couldn't keep track of the bullets that flew through the air.
I screamed in fright as someone grabbed my wrist, pulling away as I heard a familiar voice, "It's me Quinn! It's just me!"
I opened my blurry eyes, sobbing desperately, "J-Jesse what's happening?!"
He automatically picked me up off of the ground, "Just breathe Quinn, I'll keep you safe."
I buried my face into his shoulder, mortified and shaking so hard that it was wondrous that he could still hold onto me. I looked up as the gunshots became louder, making me realize that they could be coming close to us. We had come to an intersection of hallways, Dominic standing in one of the halls as he shot in a direction that was hidden from our view. He shot down the hall that was couldn't see, waving his hand as he saw us, "Get her to the garage Jesse!"
Jesse nodded as he took a step forwards, trying to go down the hall as I saw a rush of men coming that direction. I panicked as Jesse turned around, realizing they were behind us as well. We were entirely surrounded by gunmen. He ducked down, trying to hide me as deafening bullets whizzed over our heads. He set me on the ground, pulling his gun into his hands as he stood up in front of me, shooting down both directions. Dominic had run to help him, the two of them nearly back to back as they each tried to take care of a specific direction. I curled back against the wall, trying to go unnoticed but that wasn't the case; I was too late to realize what was happening. One of the gunmen had snuck up on me, easily able to pick me up and throw me over his shoulder, his arm holding me by the back of my knees. It happened in the blink of an eye, and by the time I screamed for help, the gunmen had already taken me down the other hallway.
"Let go of me!" I shouted, furiously hitting his back until he stopped abruptly.
He dropped me roughly onto the floor, smashing my head against a coffee table as I looked around fearfully with tear-blurred eyes. I was in the living room along with at least six or seven of them standing over me, each talking quickly to each other although they seemed to focus their attention on me for a moment, "Who the hell is that? She's with Alex?"
One of them must've nodded because the blonde spoke again, "Good. Kill her."
"What?! Wait p-plea-"
One of them had stepped forward, whipping me across the face with his pistol, "Shut the hell up!"
Blood poured from my mouth as someone began pulling my arms behind my back, regardless of my furious struggling and screaming. I cried harder as he nearly aimed his gun, believing that my life was honestly going to end within seconds until another round of gunshots went off and the chaos began again. The man dropped his hold on me, and the other gunmen were too busy taking care of who was shooting at them. I crawled behind the couch, feeling my lip swell from the hit as I pressed me back against the couch, daring to glance out. It was the first time I had ever been thankful to see Alex, and I assumed it would be the last. Dominic was by his side, the two of them strategically shooting into the room that had triple the men than them, although I looked away before I could see anything else. I wrapped my arms around myself, sobbing miserably as I wiped the blood from my mouth. I was a mess by the time Alex had picked me up, pulling me into the garage and pushing me into the backseat of his car. With Dominic in the driver's seat, we were speeding away from the house in seconds.
"Goddamnit!" Alex shouted, throwing his gun onto the ground.
"Why wouldn't you warn us about Elliot?!" Dominic exclaimed frustratedly, looking back at Alex while he only pressed harder and harder on the gas pedal.
"Because I didn't know he'd raid us like that!" Alex shouted back.
Dominic hastily snapped curses at him, driving at uncomfortably dangerous speeds as his eyes flickered up to the rearview mirror. He abruptly pulled over to the side of the road, "Drive." He snapped at Alex coldly, clambering out of the car.
"What?!" He burst out, aggravated.
Dominic opened his door, "I said drive." He ordered.
"Jesus Christ..." Alex muttered, angrily shoving passed him to get to the driver's seat.
Dominic got into the back beside me as Alex sped off driving again, my mind attacking me as I realized how close I was to dying. Seconds. Less.
I was hyperventilating as Dominic wrapped an arm around my waist, "It's oka-"
"W-What was that?! What the hell was t-that?!" I cried.
"Quinn, you're alright. Breathe."
"Tell m-me what that was!" I shouted furiously at him. 
My heart was rattling my entire body as Alex snapped at me from the front, "God, just shut up Quinn!"
It took less than three seconds for Dominic to snap back at him, "Leave her alone."
He looked down at me, lightly rubbing his thumb against my profusely bleeding lip. He held his arm around my waist, a habit he had gained whenever he tried to calm me down. "It's over, now take a breath."
I nodded shakily, not daring to speak again; Alex was incredibly angry and I didn't want him to take it out on me.
I looked out the windows, although it was pointless. It was pitch black outside and the only thing I could recognize was trees, not offering any assurance or knowledge. There was a tense silence in the car as we drove for at least half and hour, questions nagging in my mind as I quietly whispered to Dominic, "W-Where's Jesse?"
"He's with Blake. We're meeting up with them soon."
He peered down at me, "Are you hurt?"
I hesitantly shook my head, still afraid to speak up. My head pounded and my lips were still coated in blood, but it wasn't even comparable to the other horrors I had endured inside that hell of a mansion.
By the time the car slowly stalled to a stop, I had nearly fallen asleep on Dominic's shoulder. I groggily lifted my head, looking around in confusion but Dominic assuringly held his hand on my back, "It's alright."
I looked behind us, watching as two figures climbed out of the car. I nervously ducked back down, not at all wanting to face Blake. I hadn't stopped shaking since we had left the house, and I didn't need him making it worse. Someone opened my door, but it wasn't what I expected. I had never heard a more grateful relieved sigh as Jesse glanced at me, but that wasn't quite what took me off guard. He held out his hand, helping me out of the car but instead of letting go, he pulled me closer into an embrace, "Jesus Christ Quinn, you scared the living hell out of me, I'm so sorry."
I looked at him in surprise, immediate and immense fear and worry in his voice. I didn't pull back even if I should've, my breathing still heavy as he spoke again, "C'mon, you can drive with me."
I nodded at him, though Dominic had walked up to us and picked me up instead of letting me walk to the car. My ankle stung badly whenever I walked, but it wasn't impossible. He lied me down in the backseat, taking off his jacket for some attempt at a pillow before he climbed into the passenger's seat. After Jesse shut his door, we were off driving again and the air had automatically changed. I didn't have to be afraid to talk, something I truly despised Alex for because I didn't get that with him. I rubbed my eyes tiredly, too disturbed to sleep, "Why did they want to kill me.." I mumbled quietly.
They exchanged looks for a moment before Jesse answered uncomfortably, "They knew you were with Alex somehow, and figured that killing you would piss him off."
I hated the answer; it reminded me of how I was tied to Alex, no matter how badly I wanted nothing to do with him. "Where are we going?" I asked later on.
"There's a cabin we're going to hide out in for a bit. It's only a little while." Jesse responded.
I nodded slowly, staring out the window as my thoughts wandered. They eventually suggested that I got some sleep, although even as I lied down, sleep was a luxury that I wouldn't be known to. My mind was still buzzing, and there was still the adrenaline coursing through my body. A thought struck me as I lied there, attempting at falling asleep. No cabin could've ever been as high security as the mansion... I glanced over at Dominic and Jesse and realized I'd be able to run.