I peered out the window and swallowed nervously. “T-this is where you left them at?”

“Creepy looking place isn’t it?”

Leaning back on the seat, I pulled my billfold out of my back pocket and pulled out the last of my money - a wad of ones and a twenty dollar bill. “Will this be enough?”

Carl accepted the money from me and fingered the bills. “Yeah, plenty. You need me to stick around?”

The thought sounded inviting to me since this place looked spooky and I was beginning to wonder what I would find when I got in there but I shook my head and declined the offer. “I got my cell, I can call for a cab when I need a ride out of here.”

“Suit yourself then kid, good luck to you and your friends, hope you find them, that building is pretty big.”

“I will, thanks.”

Hesitating only for a moment, I finally pulled myself from the cab and watched as the driver sped off. Adding a dramatic effect to the whole situation, the wind picked up and stirred the sand in the road, blowing it in my face. “Just peachy,” I mumbled as I looked at the hotel.

I approched the obvious - the front door and gingerly pulled on the handle. The steel door groaned in a loud protest as it opened and slammed shut behind me when the wind pushed against it. I jumped and my heart started racing. When the door shut I was cast into total darkness for a moment until my eyes adjusted to the lack of sunlight.

The lobby of the building was strewn with litter, beer and soda cans. I felt a chill go up my back as I looked around. Five freakin stories and they could be anywhere. A rat screeched as it scrambled across the floor twenty feet from where I stood.

Eyeing the stairs, I determined that they had to be safe, there wasn't any other way for anyone to get up to each level of the building. I decided to start from the top and work my way door, floor by floor until I found them. I took a deep breath and slowly and cautiously started my climb.

"Lizz? Wake up honey," Brian soothed as he gently nudged her with his shoulder.

"Ohmygod!" she gasped as she woke, her breathing was labored and her hair was soaked in sweat.

"You had a bad dream, it's okay now."

Lizz shook her head. "Oh god it was awful."

"It was just a dream," Brian assured as he shifted his body trying to find a more comfortable position against the wall.

"But it seemed so real. Agnes said she was going to kill him...."

"Kill him? Nick? Was that what the dream was about?"

Lizz nodded, unable to go into the details of the nightmare that she was afraid that would come true.

"Well, it's just a dream, it's going to be okay," Brian tried to convince Lizz as much as he was trying to convince himself at the moment.

Lizz hoped it was true but the dream still hung in her thoughts, not going away. She decided she had to talk about it, it was breaking her heart keeping the thoughts inside. "They had him on his knees and a gun pointed to his head...and I never got to tell him goodbye, I never got to tell him that I love him," Lizz whispered.

Brian turned his head slowly to look at Lizz. He thought he heard the last phrase, but she whispered it so quietly, he wasn't certain. "You'll see him again soon. It's going to be okay. You can tell him then."

"I hope so," Lizz squeaked before the tears started to flow again.

"Awe sweetheart--"

Brian's words were cut short when the door to the room was flung open and Brady appeared.

"I'm supposed to take one of you to Agnes. Which one should I take?" Brady snickered.

The handcuffs clanked as Brian inched his way up the wall to a standing postion. "Take me, leave her alone!"

Brady laughed at Brian's determination. "A Backstreet Boy with some guts. I like this, you would have never suspected that from you!"

"No, don't take him, take me, it's my fault, don't hurt him!" Lizz protested.

"I'll be back to get you soon doll, just one at a time, that's all Brady wants to take right now, come on boy," Brady urged as he approached Brian and took his arm.

The look on Brian's face scared Lizz. She could see the fear and the apprehension of the unknown in his eyes.

"It'll be okay Lizz, just sit tight," Brian called out as he was led out of the room.

Brady laughed at the statement and then kicked the door shut and the next thing Lizz heard was the sound of a key being placed into a lock.

The search on the top floor was a waste of time, I decided as it turned up nothing but empty hotel rooms. One floor down four more to go. There was something about the fourth floor that was different though. It 'felt' as if it were being used. Hearing a door closing, my heart skipped a beat.

I ducked into a room, leaving the door cracked open as I waited to see what would be walking down the hall. I listened and tried to breathe quietly so I could catch any sounds or voices that would hopefully lead me to my friends.

There were distinctive sounds of chains from handcuffs and heavy footsteps and the sounds of some lighter footsteps of someone that was being taken someplace against their will. Funny how when you can't see something your hearing seems to become more sensitive to sound.

My breath caught when the owners of the footsteps came into view. A huge black man was pushing Brian down the hall, his hands were handcuffed in front, his face looked weary. I decided I would slip out of the room behind them when they past my door. Just a few more feet and I would take my position....

The plans were abruptly ended when the ringer on my cellphone loudly announced I had an incoming phone call.

Shit.