The two men had been walking for hours on end and still they found nothing. The last time something eventful happened to them, it turned into disappointment when the bag next to the dead blonde contained no money at all. They knew that two of them were dead and now their search was for the remaining three.

The tall dark one had told him that they were famous but he had no idea who they were. Matt wasn't into the whole Hollywood thing anyway and forgave himself for being ignorant. He had nothing to eat for the past three days and had survived only on the snow that they drank. He was getting irritated and swore that he would not have second thoughts in killing the remaining three if he ever laid eyes on them again. If it had not been for the money, he would have long deserted the woods.

He remembered the man who had fallen into the pit. Brad had banged him up pretty good. He wondered if his wife had any clue what had happened to him. Matt had seen the ring on the man's finger. Had would have stole it for himself if it hadn't been for Brad who stopped Ted. He had envied the sandy hair the man had worn short and curvy, he had always wanted that haircut but figured a bad guy shouldn't have too clean a cut. With his shoulder length unkempt hair, people would take his threats seriously.

The young blonde they found further down the woods looked much younger. He felt sorry that he had to die. He could have done more damage on that pretty face. The good-looking ones are always the snobs. He knew because he had encountered many during his childhood days. Blame his parents for not being good looking. He was just taking up their genes.

That's okay, Matt thought. He still has at least two more to find and torture. He promised it's going to be one, slow death. There's no other pleasure he cherished most than the yelling and squirming of his victims begging for mercy.

"Matt, see that?" His attention went back to the real world. Ted was pointing at an object about a few meters away from them.

"What is it?" Matt asked.

"Look, I think the boys left something behind." Ted smiled nastily and started to break into a small run towards the object. Matt followed closely behind. Upon better inspection, the object turned out to be a bag.

"Quick, open it up." Matt ordered. Ted needed no second reminder and started to unzip it. There was nothing there except for some towels with blood on them.

"Damn it! Of course it's not in here. Would they leave it behind if it's money?" Ted cursed.

"Fuck! This is the bag we saw next to that dead blonde just now!" Matt exclaimed.

"What? Are you sure?" Ted asked.

"Yeah! Someone was watching us the whole time when we were there! Someone was hiding somewhere!" Matt cried. "I'm going to kill them!"

"Hey look, I think we might just have the thing to lead us there." Ted claimed.

"What?" Matt asked. Ted pointed to the snow-covered ground.

"Footsteps!"

I take back my words. Kevin didn't need his head checked. The thing I'm certain of was that I had to have my head checked. Of course Kevin would want to open the manhole no matter what we said. It could be Nick or AJ down there that I've been trapping beneath me. I will never forgive myself if they die from suffocation.

Kevin and Howie tried pulling it up but nothing moved. So I joined in and dug my fingers under whatever small space there was on the lid and on the count of three, pulled it up again. But three days of malnourishment had taken the toll on us. Soon, more rescuers came to our aid.

We tried calling out to whoever was down there but he never said anything. Or maybe he did but there were too many things going on at the same time so I couldn't tell. What I know for sure was that the pounding was getting weaker and fading. I just hoped that whoever was down there was strong enough to hold on for dear life or it would be a long way down to certain death. I had geared myself as to what to expect. If it's any of the bad guys, I'm thinking of a hard smack on the head with the coffee mug will do just fine for now.

It seemed like eternity but it only took ten minutes to pry it open. Kevin, Howie and I were standing at a distance when I heard someone calling out to help him to pull the person out. We waited with bated breath, wanting to catch at least a glimpse of the person. The mug was in my clutch, ready for ammunition. Then, something they said made me drop it instead.

"Careful! His shoulder is hurt!"

We looked at each other, speechless. For a second, it felt like I was in a game with Kevin and Howie, guessing the expression on our faces. I don't know if I was able to read anything, I was just plain shocked. Then, a wide smile carved on Kevin's lips and Howie had the same expression painted on his face. It was a contagious smile because I found myself wearing the identical signature on my face too.

"AJ!" Kevin cried. We wasted no time and ran towards the crowd. Well, at least Howie tried to.

Two men had proceeded to lay him inside the tent, covering him from neck down with folds of blankets and an oxygen mask covering his face. We waited patiently (if you call a little shoving and cries of "Let us through! Let us see him!" count for being patient anyways) until the two men moved away and we took their place next to him.

He was pale, all color drained out of his body and yet he was burning to the touch. He was trying to take off his mask but Kevin kept putting it on.

"Breathe AJ, talk later." Kevin whispered. But AJ being AJ was stubborn. He mumbled in his semi-conscious state, not wanting to give up.

"What Bone? Are you trying to tell us something?" Howie asked. AJ nodded his head. I pulled out his mask without thinking twice. Kevin shot me a look. I didn't care. "What is it?"

"Nick...down...waiting...can't move..." I placed the mask back and got on my feet as quickly as I could.

That, was a bad idea. People with serious head injuries shouldn't be allowed to move around so much or make sudden movements. They should have strapped me down.

"Don't move." Kevin instructed me and quickly rushed to the rescuers. "I need help. There's one more down there, he can't move!"

My eyes swung back to AJ. His breathing was getting normal again although it would take some time before he would gain the color back on his face. What had they gone through? How far had they walked to find the sewers? How could Nick have walked all the way there? How did AJ help him when he was hurt himself? To think that they went through all this because of me.

"I don't know how you guys did it but thank you! Thank you for not dying on me! I love you guys so much! I don't know if I could ever forgive myself if you had died. Don't ever do this again. Don't ever do this for me." I whispered in his ears. I'm not sure if he heard me but I just didn't care. I broke down next to him and cried my eyes out. I felt Howie's hand on my shoulder, squeezing it a little to let me know that I was not alone.

"You're saying that Nick Carter is down this sewer, Sir?" Mr. Michael asked as rescuers prepared for another mission.

"Yes, and he can't move. We don't have much time, his injuries are internal and he is very critical." Kevin replied.

"Sir, the paramedics have arrived!" Another police officer interrupted their conversation. Kevin turned to the direction the police were pointing to and saw two ambulances approaching to a stop. He wondered why he couldn't hear the blazing of the siren before. It was deafening his ears now.

"Great, perfect timing. We will have your friend out in no time Sir." Mr. Michael assured Kevin. "Could you please follow me sir?"

Kevin followed the officer to one of the paramedics who had just alighted from the van. She looked young, Kevin assumed she was still quite new to the job, and if she was, she knew how to hide it very well.

"Julia, we have another victim down the sewer. Mr. Kevin here will explain to you in detail of his condition." Julia reached out a hand to Kevin and he took it.

"Mr. Kevin, if this is of another situation less life threatening I would have hugged you but I need to know about the victim's condition. If you don't mind sir, please walk with me as you talk." Kevin knew right away that she was indeed young. And she was a fan.

"From what I gathered, he broke some ribs and has internal bleeding." Kevin replied.

"How bad is the injury Sir?"

"He's coughing up blood." Julia stopped for a second and looked at Kevin in the eyes. Realizing what she had just done, she shook her head and continued walking. Kevin had to keep up with her fast pace.

"Is he able to move sir?"

"No. He's condition is critical Ms. Julia." Kevin claimed.

"Thank you Kevin, you've been very helpful." Julia quickly turned towards her team mates and ordered instructions out.

"We cannot use the helicopter because there's zero visibility so we have to bring the stretcher down the sewer. We will have one of our men go down there and treat him hands on. We will know more about his injuries this way." Julia explained.

Another paramedic, a male in his late twenties, was running towards the manhole with a stretcher.

"We need something that can carry him up." The paramedic said. "It's very deep."

Julia had only a split second to think of a way and then shouted, "Okay people, we need to send in the firefighters ASAP!"

"Why are they calling the firefighters? It’s snowing." Brian asked dazedly.

"They have to carry Nick out through the manhole. Don't worry Bri, they're experts, they know what has to be done." Howie consoled him.

Kevin was still following Julia closely to keep himself informed of the rescue. He couldn't bear just sitting around knowing nothing at all. He looked over to three Backstreet boys and saw that two paramedics were already approaching them for assistance.

"I have contacted the fire department, they're on their way." Mr. Michael informed them.

"Great, we're moving in." Julia declared as she approached her colleague.

"Julia, this hole is too small to bring two grown men up, what with the stretcher and all. You have to take my place." The paramedic informed.

"I'll do it. Come on, we have no time. Jack, once the firefighter comes, you bring down the stretcher. Hook one end to the extended ladder from their truck and you'll have to pull the victim out manually." Julia said.

"I will. Good luck Jules." Jack said and passed the medical bag to her. She was submerged waist down into the sewer when Kevin called her.

“Julia!"

"Yes?"

"Who's your favorite?" Kevin asked.

"Not the perfect time to be asking me this, but Nick." Julia blushed.

"Well, his life is in your hands now. Bring him back alive, please."

Alpha One reporting to Alpha Two Kevin turned to see where the sound came from. He felt foolish after realizing that it came from the radio transmitter Mr. Michael was holding.

"Alpha Two here, what's your position over?"

Sir, we saw two unidentified men suspected to be the robbers about to go into a sewer. Approaching suspects now, sir.

"Approach with caution, they are believed to be armed and dangerous. There is an injured victim in the sewer, probably on the first turn of the tunnel, get there ASAP, his life is in danger. Out!"

Kevin tried to swallow the new information as calmly as he could. The bad guys are hot on their heels for Nick and he couldn't move himself. Then his thoughts came to Julia. She wouldn't know what was waiting below her.

"Mr. Michael, if the bad guys are in there, then Julia must be informed." Kevin said.

"Don't worry; everyone carries one of these, including Julia. They can hear every single transmission we have. She knows." Michael assured him.

"Oh, thank you then."

"Kevin, you're tired. I suggest you go back to your friends and let us handle this. Nick will be fine, don't you worry. It's time that you get yourself checked by the paramedics. I believe your friends need you to be there." Michael suggested. Kevin nodded his head in understanding.

AJ, Brian and Howie were already moved into one of the ambulances. AJ was lying in a stretcher while Brian and Howie sat next to him. He realized that Brian's bandage was replaced and this time, the bandage was nicely done. Howie still had his old bandage on; Kevin assumed that the paramedics would want the doctors in the hospital to handle that. He approached them and climbed up into the van.

"You guys okay?" Kevin asked.

"How's Nick?" Howie asked.

"He's gonna be all right. They're taking him up as we speak." Kevin lied. Brian and Howie nodded their heads.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Kevin asked the paramedic who was sitting on the opposite side. He was applying a towel under AJ's injured shoulder. Kevin saw the raw flesh glaring at him.

"He'll be okay. How about you Kevin? I believe we haven't met with your bandaged arm." Kevin looked at his tag, Daniel. He is funny, Kevin thought.

"He's sleeping, I'm sorry." Kevin joked.

"That's okay; can I take a look at it?"

"If you want to." Kevin replied. He went up next to the paramedic and offered his arm. Daniel proceeded to cut the bandage and inspected the wound.

"It's burnt?" Kevin nodded. "From the bus." Daniel said to no one in particular. He poured a colorless liquid on it and let the chemical drop on the floor of the van. He wrapped a towel around it and told Kevin to hold it in place.

"That will do for now. Your wound is infected but it's not bad. A few graphic skin surgeries and it'll be perfect again." Daniel said.

"Thank God it isn't the face." Howie joked.

"Ah...but I see there's a lot of small cuts on your face Kevin." Daniel pointed out.

"You should have seen him when the glass was still poking his face. He looked like the devil from Hellraiser." Brian remarked. Daniel had to laugh.

"Nothing that the surgeon can't handle. It will heal with time. No scars." Daniel assured him.

"How come you guys aren't bringing AJ to the hospital first?" Kevin asked.

"The blizzard is too strong, we can't risk it. We will have to wait for a while. Don't worry, AJ's condition isn't life threatening. It's a good thing that the police acted fast and treated him while we were MIA. It could have been a totally different story if they hadn't."

"What happened?"

"A shot has been fired from down there!"

"Alpha Two calling Alpha One, report at once!"

"What's the situation? Anybody knows?"

"They're not responding to our calls, we know nothing!"

Kevin turned at the sound of the commotion. Everyone was suddenly rushing to somewhere. People were talking all at once and he couldn't comprehend the whole situation. Why are they panicking? Did something happen?

"Oh no..." Howie moaned. Kevin turned to him, wanting to know why.

"They heard a gunshot from down the sewer. Nick!"

"The prints stopped in front of this sewer." Ted said, studying the shoe prints that had guided them there.

"So, they think they could hide in here huh? Come on Ted, let's have us a reunion." Matt hissed as he took the first step into the sewer.

"This place is so cold, they will never survive here." Ted remarked as his own body shivered at the touch of the icy water on his feet.

"I hope they're not dead, it would ruin everything." Matt said.

"Save a bullet for me will ya?"

"Don't worry bro; I have lots in my jacket." Matt assured his partner in crime. All sorts of bodily harm crossed his mind. The grin on his face widened.

"Come out; come out, wherever you are." Ted mocked in a ghostly voice. Matt laughed.

"You want to play hide and seek? Well, hang on, here we come..." Matt dragged his sentence, hoping that the chilling effects would get to them.

"You can run but you can't hide, we will come and get ya!" Ted added.

Matt saw the first turn to the left and stopped to inspect it. He was rewarded. The young blonde was there.

"I thought he was fucking dead back there!" Matt hissed.

"He tricked us!" Ted screamed.

"He's never gonna live to see the daylight again!" Matt shouted as they made their way to Nick.

Matt grabbed his chin roughly and checked his heartbeat. It was faint but still beating. He saw the blood on his sweater and noticed the bluish tint on his lips. He slammed Nick's head back against the wall and he didn't even wince in pain.

"He's too far out, there's no point torturing him. We'll just have to end him I guess." Matt said as he stood up and took out his gun. He aimed it at his head and clicked. Bang.

"Aw...you're lucky there's no bullet in that one!" Matt wailed. "Let's try again shall we? Russian roulette has always been a favorite game of mine! What a rush!"

This time, Matt aimed the gun at his chest. Nick didn't even make the slightest move.

"If you're playing dead, you better wake up now or you'll truly be dead once I pull this trigger!" Matt shouted.

"Just shoot him Matt!" Ted urged him on.

"Okay Blondie, I'm sorry it has to end this way. If you're truly as popular as your friend said you are, I'm gonna be so famous after this! I killed a celebrity! That's a jackpot! And to think we didn't even know you were in the bus! You must be someone special that your friends tried to hide you from us. Well, you're gonna be famous forever now. In the Celebrity Obituary Section that is!" Matt laughed.

He pulled the hinge back, aimed the gun once again and took a deep breath.

"Good bye dumb blonde! See you in hell!"

Matt pulled the trigger. It was followed by a gunshot that ringed through the empty tunnel, sending piercing sounds across the walls.