Leave of Absence (28 Days Later Crossover)

[Pukkina]

Okay...I hope you guys like this better than my last fic...don't really think a lot of ppl liked it but dat's otay!!! 28 Days Later Crossover....all five major characters from each movie (Jackson, Lisa, Jim, Selena, Hannah) hope you like...plus new characters are added and this is the fic where if you want to be a character PLEASE email me [e-mail] before it's too late!!! And....here it is!!**

Chapter One
Jury Duty

1Lisa stood in front of her bathroom mirror, once again toying with her hair. It woas one of those days. The days where the mascara clumped and the hair frizzed, where the skirts wrinkled and the shirts ripped. She shouldn’t be surprised, really. Life had been anything but satisfactory for over a month now.

The incident on the Red Eye had affected her more than she liked to admit. Her dreams were riddled with crystalline lakes and she cried at the strangest things. The Comedy Marathon, novelty pens, and airplanes were some common triggers. Of course, her friends and family questioned and worried, but Lisa shrugged off their accusations with an annoyed glance. Everyone had their different diagnosis and remedy. Joe said she was still in shock and should move home. Her mother, Susan, said her fear in men had been increased by the situation and she should see a psychologist. But Cynthia had the weirdest conclusion of all.

“You love him,” she said simply, waiting in line at Starbucks. “It was love at first sight, and you’re confused because you also hate him.”

Lisa strongly refused all of these statements, most especially Cynthia’s. She figured that none of these were accurate, and spent her days working, restlessly sleeping, and reading.

She’d given up her scrambled eggs and classic movies for books in a strange feeling that if she changed her lifestyle it would be like proving to Jack Rippner that he was wrong, she had a life. She went out with Cynthia every Friday night for drinks and dinner, and often went by herself.

Lisa finally gave up on tying her hair into a bun and let it fall loose around her shoulders. She brushed it fiercely to make it stay smooth, then slammed down her brush and collapsed to the floor, sobbing. The brush clattered in the sink as she pounded her fist and the floor and scrubbed the tears from her eyes.

“Screw makeup,” she muttered, standing back up and reapplying mascara and shadow. She put light concealer under her eyes to cover the lack of sleep-induced bags, and on her face to cover the stress-induced pimples. She straightened her skirt, grabbed her purse and left her apartment.

The hot Miami sun beating down on her head as she drove to the courtroom heightened her strength slightly. Lisa breathed in a deep breath of Miami air to calm her nerves. Jackson wouldn’t dare talk to her in the courtroom. Too many policemen and officials. And he was bound to be headed right back to jail after the trial.

Finally her Eclipse pulled up in front of the courtroom and she cleared her mind as she stepped inside.

“Lisa,” three voices shouted in unison as Cynthia, Joe, and Lisa’s lawyer, Beth, ran up.

“Are you ready?” Cynthia squeezed Lisa’s hand in sympathy.

“Are you okay?” Joe corrected her. Lisa rolled her eyes but nodded.

“Don’t worry, Lisa,” Beth assured her as they walked inside. “There is no conceivable way that he can win.”

Lisa nodded and took a deep breath as they entered the high-ceilinged room. Her mind told her to look away, to stare stubbornly at the floor, but her eyes instantly snapped to Jackson’s. He stared at her, his eyes cold and unmoving at first, then switching as he grinned c*ckily at her. Lisa swallowed hard and glared at him, then looked away. Her father took her arm as they sat down.

Lisa dreaded it. She dreaded going up there to speak, having all eyes on her, and most especially his. She recited the words she’d practiced, of being terrorized on a plane, nearly killed in her own home. And then her witnesses. Her only witness, her father. She’d tried to get some of the other people on the plane to speak for her, including Rebecca and the old lady. But of course, not knowing their full names, tracking them down was impossible. Lisa had told herself that they wouldn’t be believable witnesses anyway, as the whole ordeal had been very hushed aboard the Red Eye.

Lisa finally took her seat as her father spoke. She lightly touched the scar on her forehead she’d received from knocking Jackson down the stairs.

Jackson took the stand next, his suit neatly pressed and his hair tucked behind his ears.

Lisa turned the tables and stared strongly at him while he spoke. He stared back, as if her were talking solely to her.

“In conclusion, ever crime I committed against Ms Reisert,” he strongly emphasized her name and Lisa cringed, “was purely in self-defense. The accord on which she accused me of threatening to kill her father was entirely false, and I was not in any way connected to the explosion at the Lux Atlantic.”

Liar, Lisa cursed him under her breath. He finally nodded and sat down.

Her stomach was in knots until the judge was ready to announce the jury’s decision.

“And the jury finds the defendant...”

Lisa cheered inwardly before he’d even finished.

“...not guilty.”

Her stomach dropped as the last few words were uttered. She gazed helplessly to her father as she stood back up. Jackson looked at his attorney, who shook his head as Jackson said something, and then nodded after he said something else. Joe took Lisa’s hand and Beth muttered her condolences as they left the courtroom.

As Lisa walked through the doorway, she felt something being pushed into her other hand. She looked around for who had placed it there, but saw no one. When she was finally outside she unfolded the piece of paper.

We’ll talk again.

[Pukkina]

Chapter Two
History Repeats Itself

That night Cynthia came over to Lisa’s to pick her up for dinner.

“You know what you need,” Cynthia told her as soon as they were seated in a booth at Applebee’s.

Lisa sighed and braced herself.

“A vacation,” Cynthia finished. “Go to your mom’s, or...somewhere. To clear your head.”

Lisa thought. This might actually be a good idea. “I don’t know...maybe,” she agreed. She did really miss her mother.

The next morning Lisa called the travel agent. Her mom had recently moved to upstate New York after the death of Lisa’s grandmother.

By the next week, Lisa had arranged everything at the hotel and her home for a week’s vacation and was arriving at the airport. She hadn’t told her mother in anticipation of surprising her and was taking an overnight flight that would arrive at about ten the next day.

Lisa boarded the plane and was seated next to a kind-looking Hispanic man in jeans and a polo shirt. She smiled uncomfortably at him and buckled up.

He stuck out a hand. “I’m Nick.” Lisa cautiously shook it as the plane began to move.

“Lisa,” she acknowledged him, still somewhat wary. After all, she was sitting on a plane next to a handsome man. Can you say de ja vu? He looked about the same age, too.

“I hate flying,” he said. His voice had a light accent to it that Lisa recognized as Mexican. “My mother died in a plane accident ten years ago, so...” he smiled sadly at her.

“Sorry to hear that,” she told him sincerely. “I used to be afraid of it, too, but a few months ago I realized it wasn’t the plane to be afraid of, but the people on the plane.”

“What do you mean?” he frowned at her, but suddenly a look of realization crossed his face. “Hey, you’re that Lisa Reisert! I saw you on the news! That guy was a real arsehole, huh?”

Lisa chuckled, warming up ever so slightly. “You can say that again. And the jury declared him not guilty.”

Nick shook his head. “The justice system these days. I’m a teacher, so I’m spared of most of it.”

Lisa smiled. “Lucky you. I’m a hotel manager.”

“Yeah, I know,” Nick nodded. “It’s not all blown up?”

Lisa laughed. “Just a few suites. They’re remodeling as we speak.”

“So, are you headed to New York on hotel business?”

Were you in Texas for...hotel business?

The flashback shocked Lisa and she gasped.

Nick lightly touched her arm worriedly. “I’m sorry, did I say something to offend?”

Lisa shook her head and swallowed. “No...it just...reminded me of something he said.”

“Sorry,” he apologized again.

“But no,” she answered him, collecting herself. “I’m visiting my mom, you?”

“I’m actually going home,” he told her. “I was visiting my sister.”

“Are you...Mexican?” Lisa asked, not knowing if this was considered rude or not. Apparently it wasn’t, because he showed no sign of being offended.

“No,” he shook his head. “My parents were, but I was born in New York. My family is bilingual, however.”

Lisa nodded and looked out her window.

The rest of the flight was pleasant. Lisa engaged in amusing conversation with the charming young man and began to ease up. Not every man carried a knife in their back pocket, she assured herself.

Lisa checked her purse and realized something as the plane landed.

“sh*t,” she unbuckled her seatbelt. “I just remembered the only money I have is credit cards and a cabbie won’t take that...I was going to surprise my mom, but...guess I’ll call her.”

Nick stood up and handed her her bag. “Where do you live?”

“Quaker Road,” Lisa answered, stepping into the aisle.

“I’ll give you a ride,” he offered. “I live on that street anyway.”

Lisa smiled and thought. It would be nice to get a ride, but could she trust him? She fought her silly inhibitions and accepted the offer, but not before double-checking her purse for pen and pepperspray.

Nick politely opened her door and she sat down. His car was nice, a brand-new red Sedan. He buckled up and took off down the road.

“So your mom is going to be happy, huh,” he smiled at her.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen her for two months,” Lisa nodded, taking in the scenery. The upstate New York scenery was summery and green, but considerably colder. A dewy mist lingered in the air.

“That’s a long time,” Nick agreed, driving right past Quaker Road.

“Uh, Nick, you missed the road,” Lisa told him as he kept driving.

“I’m afraid your mom is going to wait for a while to see you,” he grinned at her and sped up

[Psyche]

Wow, great start! I'm hooked!! Please update soon!

[Pukkina]

Okay....only one comment sobs in corner LOL okay next chappie

He's Baaack
Chapter Three

“I’m afraid your mom is going to wait for a while to see you,” he grinned at her and sped up.

“Stop the car, now,” she ordered him. She’d been right.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he told her. “An old friend is very anxious to see you.”

Lisa paused, her face frozen. It couldn’t be-

“Jackson ordered me specifically to keep an eye on you,” Nick said, taking her purse.

Yup. It could.

“Let me go, right now,” she ordered, her voice deathly low.

“Or what, sweets? Your mom isn’t expecting you, your Miami friends and family don’t expect you home for a week and you, my dear, are weaponless,” he grinned toothily at her as he finally pulled to a stop in front of an ordinary brick house. He opened Lisa’s door and roughly pulled her out. She kicked at him and fought tooth and nail as he opened the door and guided her in.

They’d entered a living room that was not decorated too differently from Lisa’s. Jackson sat on the couch, but stood up when Nick and Lisa entered. Nick threw Lisa from his arms and rubbed a spot on his face where Lisa had hit him. She tumbled to the floor. Jackson towered over her so she stood up.

“Let me go,” she repeated. Jackson laughed.

“Um...no,” he told her simply, his eyes cold and mocking. She glared at him.

“What could you possibly want now?” she spat at him. “To kill me?”

Jackson chuckled and cupped her chin in his hand. He tsked.

“Now, Leese, you know me better than that,” she pushed him hard in the chest to get away but he still held her face. “If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble to bring you here.” She finally wrenched away from him and slapped him across the face. He glared at her and pushed her up against the wall. Jackson looked pointedly at Nick, who tossed him Lisa’s purse and left the room.

“No, Lisa, I just want revenge,” he whispered as she kicked for him to let her go. He opened her purse and pulled out the pen. “I’m just still figuring out how to get it.”

“Now I suppose I could,” he pressed the tip of the pen to Lisa’s neck and she fought hard to hold back the cry in her throat. “Stab you with a pen.”

“Or...” he twisted Lisa’s leg to look at her shoe. She heard her ankle snap. “Stick a heel in your leg.”

“Or better yet, maybe..” he pulled a gun from his pocket and pressed the cold barrel to her chest. “I could shoot you. Over and over then watch you die.” Lisa closed her eyes. He tucked the gun back into his jacket.

“All of which seems pretty fair,” he told her. “Considering what you did to me.”

Lisa rolled her eyes, her strength renewed. “Or Jack, I could...choke you, throw you down a flight of stairs, or headbutt you! How does that sound?”

Jackson’s eyes flashed. Lisa stared strongly back at him despite the throbbing in her ankle.

“Listen, Leese,” he slammed her head on the wall. “I won’t kill you as long as you cooperate, hear me?”

Lisa glared at him but nodded as the grip tightened on her neck.

“Peachy,” he told her, then knocked his head against hers.

Lisa awoke two hours later to the sound of someone entering the room. She was in a bed, not hers, but still comfortable, with her head and leg aching.

Jackson kneeled by the bed and touched Lisa’s ankle. She cried out and glared at him.

“Have to wrap it, Leese,” he sighed, wrapping a thick layer of gauze around her foot.

“Since when do you care?” she muttered, sitting up. He ignored her and tied it together.

“I think you sprained it,” he told her, sitting at the end of the bed.

“No, you sprained it,” she accused him, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why didn’t you just take me to the hospital?”

“You know as well as I how risky that would be,” he told her. “You’re lucky you didn’t break it. I would have had to set it, and that would be painful.”

“Oh, thanks for your chivalry, Jack,” she thanked him, her voice dripping with sarcastic sweetness. “But I think you watched one too many episodes of ER.”

Jackson dodged the insults and just smiled at her. “Actually, General Hospital.”

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Cut to the chase. Why am I here?”

Jackson sighed. “Sorry, you’re going to have to be surprised.”

“What if I don’t want a surprise?” she gritted her teeth.

“Well that’s just too goddamn bad, isn’t it?” he sneered at her. Jackson stood up. “I already told you that my ultimate plan is revenge. Now, I have some things to do, so I suggest you go back to sleep.”

Jackson left the room and locked behind him. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. For the past month all he could think of was Lisa. Revenge was number one on his list, but in a sick, twisted way, he also wanted her. Though his clients for the Keefe job had been uber-pissed, they’d decided to give him another chance. This was where he needed Lisa.

Back at Joe Reisert’s house, he picked up the phone and dialed Susan’s number. Over the years, despite their divorce and constant bickering, they’d still remained friendly.

“Hey, Sue,” he said cheerfully when she picked up.

“Joe,” she acknowledged him.

“Were you surprised?”

“Surprised?” Sue’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“By Lisa, were you surprised?” he pressed. Sue was such a ditz sometimes.

“Was..she supposed to call, or something?” she rolled her eyes. Joe was so vague sometimes.

“No, she should be there, visiting you,” Joe checked his watch. It was well past five, she should be there by now.

“No, Joe, she’s not here,” Sue’s heart thudded in her chest.

Joe thought for a minute and suddenly his stomach dropped. “It’s him. He’s got her.”

Lisa scolded herself for falling asleep. She needed to be awake and aware. She pulled herself out of bed and stared around the vacant room as the door opened. Lisa attempted to lean on her other leg, but couldn’t stand with her injured ankle. She collapsed to the bed.

“I see you’re up,” Jackson said. Lisa glared at him. “I’m glad you slept. We’ve a long journey ahead of us.”

Lisa frowned. “What do you mean?”

Jackson tossed Lisa her suitcase from the plane. “Come on. We have a flight to London to catch.”

Lisa said nothing as Jackson lifted her from the bed and carried her outside to Nick’s car. He shoved her in as they took off down the road.

“What’s in London?” she said as they pulled up to the airport.

“Your sister,” he grinned at her.

[Pukkina]

Chapter Four
Jim's Life and Lisa's Warning
“Your sister,” he grinned at her. Lisa gasped and stared at him as they made their way onto the plane and sat down.

“What the f*ck have you done to her?” she cried. Jackson laughed and buckled up.

“Nothing yet,” malice filled his voice. “And nothing will as long as you cooperate.”

“What’s your plan now?” she moaned, leaning her head back as the plane took off.

“Well, the people who wanted Keefe dead aren’t happy, to say the least,” he muttered. “So. Here’s the deal. I know for a fact that you talk to him still quite a bit. I also know that he told you he’s visiting London this week. You know what hotel he’s staying at, and you are going to tell me or your sister, what’s her name, Chelsi, goes bye-bye,” Lisa gaped at him.

“You’ve got some time,” Jackson leaned his head back against the seat.

Lisa looked out the window and her thoughts drifted to Chelsi. Her younger, sixteen year old sister, she’d always been the tomboy. She always wore her light brown hair in a ponytail, and her tall, slim figure was perfect for basketball. She was quiet to those who didn’t know her, but had an amazing sense of humor that brightened Lisa up on her darkest of days.

Lisa sighed and let herself drift to sleep.

Meanwhile in London, very different events were unfolding.

“That was more than a heartbeat,” Jim whispered, and soon was engulfed in kisses from Selena.

Suddenly he felt a crack on his head and fell back, cursing. Hannah, the fourteen-year-old orphan, stared at him. Her eyes held a strange look.

“I thought you were biting her!” she cried.

“I was kissing her,” Jim argued. He looked closer. “Are you stoned?”

“Long story,” Selena rushed Jim and Hannah from the house.

The evening culminated as Jim was shot in the chest. His thoughts were put on hold as he suddenly shot up in bed.

The gunshot on his abdomen ached as he jerked up. He breathed in and got dressed. He’d had this dream often of that memory three weeks ago.

The plane had never stopped to rescue them. It had turned, then flown right past them. Their hopes had dropped and they still lived in the old stucco house by the lake.

Jim stumbled downstairs and saw Selena. He smiled at her as she cooked dinner. They’d had somewhat of a rocky relationship. He was starting to think that he no longer cared for her in that way...they were just too different. Jim thought Selena maybe felt the same way. After all, dodging the infected probably wasn’t the best way to fall in love.

The infected came often to their home, but the trio stayed, believing that of all places it was the safest.

Lisa woke up as the cabin lights were turned on.

“How are we landing?” she remembered something.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jackson snapped.

“They aren’t landing planes in England,” she whispered. “Because of the infection.”

“Oh, the “rage”,” he said the name of the disease mockingly. “An over-dramatized ordeal. We’re not landing at the airport. We’re making a private landing.”

Looking around the plane, Lisa suddenly noticed it was a private jet.

“Jackson, I’ve heard bad things, we shouldn’t land,” she cried. “My sister called the week it began, before power was cut. I don’t even know where she is now. How do you know Keefe is even going to be there?”

“We’re going to land, Leese,” Jackson rolled his eyes as the plane began its bumpy descent. “Keefe is on a politician World Summit tour.”

Lisa gulped. This was not going to be good.

The plane finally landed on a cleared patch of land. Lisa released her breath and unbuckled. Jackson picked her up and carried her from the plane.

They had landed next to a barn. Two of his associates stumbled behind him.

Lisa squinted past the barn as something lurched in their direction. A human, possibly, but Lisa had never seen a human move like that.

“What the hell-” Jackson saw it too. As it moved closer, Lisa got a better look at it. She pulled herself to shaky feet and tried to awkwardly stumble away from Jackson, but he seized her arm.

It indeed was a human, but its face was gaunt and bloodstained, its eyes a creepy red. Lisa cried out. She knew by the description her sister had given her what it was. It was an infected.

[Psyche]

Ohh! The two stories are coming together! Very nice! Can't wait for the update!

[Pukkina]

Okay, now comes the time in the story where I will have to do POV switches...whenever a characters’ name is written in bold that is where it will switch, okey dokey?

Warning for Language

Lisa

“Jackson, we need to go!” she screamed, trying to wrench away from Jackson. He ignored her but pulled out his gun. The zombie-like creature was now only about two feet away as Lisa finally stumbled to the ground. She limped awkwardly to the barn and leaned against it. Lisa watched in horror as the infected got the associates first, attacking and biting them and filling their veins with infected blood. Lisa urged herself not to throw up as it swooped to Jackson. He shot at it and it fell to the ground, still writhing and gasping. The associates became mad with the sickness also and began to chase after her. She screamed and tried to hobble away, but blindly stumbled into a pair of arms. Lisa screamed again but the masked person stood in front of her with a bat and beat the associates dead. Lisa sank to the ground as the man (or woman, she realized) wiped off the bat.

“Were you bitten?” a new voice said. It was another masked person, but this time Lisa realized that it was a woman with a thick British accent. Both Jackson and Lisa shook their heads.

Lisa looked at Jackson. He was covered in blood not his own, and his suit was completely ruined.

Good, she laughed in her head despite the trauma she’d just experienced.

Jackson shook his head again. “What the f*ck was-”

The woman cut him off by curtly saying, “Follow me.”

Jackson looked at Lisa with a confused glance as the two strangers led them into a stucco house nearby.

The woman threw open the door and took off her mask. “Hannah, come here.”

The other figure took off his mask and his eyes met Lisa’s. She almost gasped. He looked shockingly a lot like Jackson, expect with short hair and a bit skinnier. His eyes didn’t hold the fierce cruelness that Jackson’s did, although they were the same crystalline color.

A girl entered the room. She looked to be about fifteen, with light brown hair and a pretty face. She looked shyly at the floor.

“Who are you?” the woman asked the Americans.

Jackson spoke before Lisa could open her mouth. “We came to meet a Mr. Keefe in London. We’re from America. I’m Jackson Rippner, and this is my girlfriend, Lisa Reisert,” he roughly seized Lisa’s arm. “We made a private landing.” Lisa glared at him.

“I’m Selena, this is Jim,” the black woman said. “And that was the dumbest thing in the world to do.”

“sh*t idea,” Jim muttered, shaking his head. Lisa looked at Jackson with a look that clearly said, Told you so.

Jim

Jim knocked on Hannah’s bedroom door and let himself in. The woman named Lisa sat on the windowsill. Hannah sat on her bed next to her, making polite chatter. Lisa looked pale and shaky.

“I’ll go get some tea,” Hannah looked pointedly at Jim. He nodded. Perhaps he could figure out what was wrong.

“Hi,” he said politely in his strong Irish accent. “Can I sit here?” He gestured to the spot next to Lisa. She nodded.

She was pretty, he thought, looking at her long auburn curls and brown eyes. His heart leapt a bit. She looked nice, not cold and sometimes uncaring like Selena often was...he was sure that she wasn’t the dainty type that couldn’t take care of herself though, she just suspected she had feelings...though looking at her face he could see a past more troubled than his own.

Stop, he told himself. She has a boyfriend. Suddenly he noticed the tears sliding down her face.

“You alright?” he asked worriedly. She shook her head and looked out the window.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she began. Jim frowned.

“What-”

“I met him..on a plane,” she began the story. “He seemed like such a nice guy at first...then as soon as we’re up in the air he tells me his...plot. I have to call the hotel I work at and tell them to switch Mr. Keefe’s room so he can be assassinated, or...he’ll kill my dad,” she fought back further tears. Jim looked at her. “I made the call, but as soon as the plane stopped I...um, well I jabbed a pen in his throat and ran away. I called the hotel to have them get everyone out of the hotel, because it was going to be blown up, and then I go home, and my dad’s okay. So I get ready to go over to the hotel and Jackson is standing in my kitchen and then basically he tried to kill me in my own home.”

Jim stared at her, dumbfounded. f*cking hell. “Whoa.”

“Oh, that’s not all,” she rolled her eyes. “I eventually won after he threw me down the stairs. He went to court with a hole from a heel in his leg, a hole in his throat, and two gunshot wounds, one caused by my dad. But at the trial, they declared him not guilty. No f*cking way do I know how he got out of that, but then when I got on another plane two days ago to visit my mom in New York, his associate kidnapped me and brought me to Jackson’s house where Jackson told me we were going to London to try and assassinate Keefe again and if I didn’t help him he’d kill my sister Chelsi. And now...I don’t know what to do. Even with all this infection sh*t he’s not going to stop trying to get to London to Keefe’s hotel...and frankly, Jim, my sister is going to die. I’m so scared.” Her tears fell in a torrent and she leaned her head against the window.

Jim looked at her. He wanted so badly to hold her and tell her she’d be okay. But he couldn’t. She hardly knew him. It wouldn’t be fair to cause her even more confusion.

Jim peered into her eyes. “It will be okay,” he told her softly. “I can help you.”

[Pukkina]

Teehee, here's another.

Warning for Language

Jackson

Jackson sat tapping his fingers on the kitchen table across from Selena. She was pretty. Not like Lisa, but in a tomboyish, fighter-girl sort of way. He knew she took no sh*t, and none of that manipulation stuff.

“So,” he leaned back in his chair. He’d already told her his purpose for being in London. After all, with the whole of England f*cked up over this infection sh*t, who would waste their time investigating an assassination plot? “We have a lot in common.”

“Like?” she rolled her eyes and he chuckled.

“We both kill.”

Selena stood up and clicked her tongue. “No, I kill to survive. You kill for money,” she argued.

“Touche,” Jackson chuckled again. “So. I need to leave. Thanks for the little chat. I’m leaving, Lisa is coming with me.”

“You’ll die,” a voice said from the doorway. It was that girl, Hannah. Jackson hated children.

“What did you say?” he asked her. Selena looked at her. Hannah’s thin frame leaned against the doorway.

“You’ll die if you go out by yourselves,” she told them. “You don’t know London, and you don’t know anything about how to survive. You’ll die. They all do.”

Jackson rolled his eyes. “Listen, little girl, I am a lot bigger than you. I can survive. I have guns. Do you know what guns are?” He spoke to her as if she were a child and he could see he was making her angry.

“No, do you know what a brain is?” she shot back. “I think they forgot to give you one.”

Selena attempted to hold back a laugh and snorted.

Jackson angrily kicked the table and moved to push past Hannah.

Selena cut him off. “She’s right. It’s too dangerous. You need people to go with you. And you cannot by any circumstances travel at night.”

Jackson sighed. Maybe she had a point. “We go tomorrow then.” He rolled his eyes and slumped back down at the table. “You, me, and Lisa.”

“And Jim and Hannah,” Selena added. “We don’t split up.”

Jim. The name annoyed Jackson. He had noticed the shocking similarities in their features, but he also had realized that Jim was a weakling. A do-gooder. He could see it in his face. Life was all sunshine and roses for him. Jackson wasn’t worried about him corrupting his plans, however. He could easily take him down, same with the Hannah brat. The only problem was that the only person he actually needed other than Lisa was strangely attached to them.

Hannah

She wanted to scream, wanted to smash this man over the head with a chair and kill his c*cky smile forever. He knew nothing of what hell was, of what it was like living day to day in constant fear. Yet he thought he knew everything. Hannah angrily marched upstairs to her room.

Lisa and Jim were still seated on the windowsill talking. She burst through the door and when she saw Lisa’s tearstained face she shrank back.

“Sorry,” she muttered, turning to leave. Jim stopped her.

“Wait, Hannah,” he gestured her over. “Come here. Lisa has something to tell you.”

Lisa told Hannah everything about Jackson, all of what he had done to her. Hannah sighed when she was finished.

“And I thought my life sucked because I was almost raped,” she shook her head. Lisa jerked around to look at her.

“What did you say?”

Hannah looked into Lisa’s eyes. They held fear and remorse, two feelings Hannah herself knew well. Hannah told Lisa her story. Watching her father die, being tricked by the soldiers.

“You’re one of the lucky ones, you know,” Lisa whispered. Jim and Hannah looked at her. “I was raped two years ago.”

“I...I’m sorry,” Hannah felt like such a child. She was so selfish. Compared to what Lisa had been through, her own life was like a paradise.

“It’s okay,” Lisa smiled weakly at her. “I kind of...kind of needed to get it out. It makes me feel better.”

Hannah suddenly remembered what she’d heard downstairs. “Ms Reisert, there is kind of a problem. Jackson said he was still going to kill Mr. Keefe or your sister, and he is leaving for London tomorrow. With you, and all of us. Selena agreed.”

“Selena agreed?” Jim stood up and angrily paced the floor. “Why the f*ck are we letting him do this?”

Hannah shrugged. “He’s going to go whether we go with him or not,” she pointed out. “And he is taking Ms Reisert with him either way. I actually think it’s better that we don’t let him take her alone.”

Lisa nodded gratefully at Hannah. “Call me Lisa, please.”

Hannah nodded at her. She liked Lisa. She seemed to be a nice person, and they had quite a bit in common. Lisa would probably get along well with Selena, though Selena would probably think Lisa to be weak.

“Well, I guess,” Jim reluctantly agreed. “If he lays a hand on anyone, you, Lisa, or Selena, I will knock his brains out from here to kingdom come.”

Hannah nodded fearfully. Jim was so protective sometimes.

Lisa

Lisa looked at Jim. He seemed to be a sweet guy, so different from Jackson despite their physical similarities. Selena and Hannah also seemed like nice people, though Selena was a bit rough around the edges. Lisa finally asked the question that was prodding at her brain. She knew it was a rude one, but she couldn’t contain it in her throat.

“Are you and Selena, um...” she couldn’t find the right words, but Jim seemed to know what she was talking about. He shook his head, rubbing his head.

“No,” he told her. “We were, but..we broke up. It’s no big deal, we’re...just too different. She’s a great friend, though.”

Lisa nodded, and felt the slow blush creeping up her cheeks. She was so stupid.

“So...you and Jackson aren’t either...” he affirmed. She looked at him.

“That jackass? God no,” she laughed. Hannah looked at her.

“Good, good,” Jim chuckled. Lisa looked at him. She saw something like relief in his eyes.

“I still...have no idea how I’m going to get out of this situation,” Lisa groaned, suddenly remembering her problem. She had no time to be engulfing herself in girly fantasies while her sister sat hostage god knows where in London.

“Well, first of all, Hannah should probably help us,” Jim began. Hannah smiled. “Selena would be a f*cking load of help, but I have a feeling she won’t care. Jackson is probably more a worry to her than letting some politician die. She’ll just try to talk us out of it.”

Lisa nodded.

“I really don’t see all that we can do other than play it by ear,” Jim shrugged. “Catch him off guard, or something, until you tell him Mr. Keefe’s room number, and then we can.. I don’t know. Do something to save him and your sister.”

Lisa nodded again, this time a little more defeated.

“Right now, though, Lisa,” Jim looked at her. “Don’t worry about Keefe. I can see you caring about your sister, but...” he looked at the floor. “You need to worry more about the infected than you do Rippner.”

[Pukkina]

Confrontation

Selena

Selena, after assuring Jackson they’d leave tomorrow, walked upstairs to find Jim. She saw him walking out of Hannah’s room.

“We need to talk,” Jim sighed, taking her arm and leading her to his room. She sat on his bed.

“What’s up?” she asked as he collapsed in a chair.

“This Rippner guy,” Jim stated. “He’s a killer, we have to get him away from us, Hannah, and Lisa. He won’t hesitate to kill any of us.”

“Nah, he won’t kill the Lisa girl,” Selena waved it off. “I think he has a thing for her.”

Jim felt his heart twitch a little. “Regardless. He’s going to get all of us killed somehow, and he has threatened her before. She told me. He’s trying to kill this Keefe guy, now...”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Selena sighed. “He told me already, Jim, and frankly, there isn’t much we can do about it. We need to worry about us and Hannah. That’s all.”

Jim sighed and shook his head. “Well, what about Lisa?”

Selena looked at him. “Jim, we hardly know her. Why do you care so much about what happens to her?”

Jim didn’t say anything just looked away.

Oh, she realized. That was it. Despite the fact that they’d recently broken up, Selena didn’t care much that Jim had fallen for someone else. She’d realized that what she’d felt for him wasn’t love...it was a bond much stronger than that, of purely friendship and not lust.

“Oh,” she smiled at him. “You have a thing for her, don’t you?”

Jim looked at her, an annoyed expression on his face. He bit his lip. “Come on, Selena, now why would you think that? I mean, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever-yes, I do,” he surrendered.

Selena chuckled. “I see. Well, I’ll try to help you save your girlfriend, but frankly I don’t think we’re any match for this Jackson character. He’s got too many behind him, and too much cunning ingenuity. All we can do is hope.”

“Why don’t we try the plane? Sneak off with Lisa and Hannah, leave that bastard here to die,” Jim offered. Selena shook her head.

“First of all, neither of us know how to fly a plane, and second of all, it’s out of gas,” she said. “I checked.”

Jackson

The morning broke with a burst of sunshine as Jackson stretched on the sofa downstairs. He yawned and pulled himself to his feet. Today was the day he’d finally finish off Keefe.

Hopefully, he could still achieve his other goals after. Those mostly followed as Lisa, Lisa, and Lisa. Staying alive wasn’t really a concern of his. He’d fought policemen and hitmen before, a few civilians who’d gone a little schizo wouldn’t throw him off in the slightest.

Selena stumbled down the stairs, her eyes bleary and her hair flying in all directions, not like how it had been forced down in the bandanna last night.

He snuck up to her and poked her on the shoulder. “Hello.” She jumped and swore.

“What the f*ck you think you’re doing?” she brandished the knife she always kept in her belt loop at him. “You almost got yourself killed.”

“Why are you so jumpy?” he laughed.

“You still don’t realize what it’s like,” she rolled her eyes and abhorred away from him. “You don’t understand that you really should have some fear of the infection. One bite, one drop of blood is all it takes, Jack. You should be a little more worried about dying than your f*cking assassination plot and getting that girl to like you.”

He shrank back and angrily eyed her. “What did you say?”

“You were saying her name in your sleep last night,” Selena crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s so f*cking obvious, even in the way you look at her. You want her bad.”

Jackson glared at her and tugged his shirt collar down to expose his pen wound. “You see this?” he pointed at the scar. “She did this to me. Why-why would I want that?” he spat. It was almost like he was asking himself that question.

“Say what you’d like, but a fact is a fact,” Selena shrugged and retreated to the kitchen. Jackson followed her angrily. She’d ticked him off, and he knew that she knew it. “But face it. She’ll never like you, all you’ve done to her. She has too much common sense. Just because you’re cute doesn’t mean she’ll go out with you.”

Jackson paused as Selena complimented him. He smiled. “You think I’m cute?” He ran a hand through his hair. Though she wasn’t Lisa, she was very pretty...

“Oh, shove off, you arrogant f*ck,” Selena rolled her eyes. “I think Jim is cute, too, but I don’t want him.”

Jackson froze at the name. He already couldn’t stand the bastard. He’d seen how he had looked at Lisa. Lisa was his, and no one else’s. It was like a strange feeling he had that she was his property. And Lisa would open up to anyone who listened. Just not himself.

Hannah

Hannah was awake later than everyone except Jim. He always slept late. She rolled over in bed and noticed that Lisa was awake, too.

Hannah stumbled out of bed and dressed as she heard Jackson’s angry voice downstairs. Selena’s, quieter, but also angry, shot back. She sighed. Jackson was to be quite frank, a jerk. She hated the way he treated everyone...like, he controlled them.

He doesn’t control me, she thought happily back to the retort she’d made yesterday at his annoying comments. Hannah just hoped that Lisa would be okay. Jackson seemed to have something like a hypnotic power over her, and scared her to no end. Selena wouldn’t take any crap, though. She was too tough for that.

Hannah crept down the hallway so as not to wake Jim and saw Jackson and Lisa down the hall. She hid her body in the shadows of one of the doorway, close enough to hear them talking, but too hidden to see them. She knew from before, though, that Jackson had Lisa slammed against the wall.

“...any funny stuff today, Leese, and I swear to God,” Jackson’s voice was hushed and angry. “They all go. I don’t care about any of them, and all of them have annoyed me at least once, so it will be a good little revenge, huh?” His voice was now mocking and Hannah could practically hear Lisa’s frantic breaths.

“Jackson, please,” Lisa whispered tearfully. “They haven’t done anything...this is between us, not them...this is your revenge against me, remember? I don’t know them either...it doesn’t affect me at all...” Hannah realized this as a bluff.

“Oh, come on, Lisa,” Jackson scoffed. “I know you better than that. You can’t stand letting anyone innocent die. You always have to be the hero, Leese, and that’s your downfall. Anyway...that’s a lie. I saw how that bastard Jim looked at you.” Jackson had caught it. He was just way too intelligent, Hannah realized.

“Well, guess what Leese?” Hannah heard his voice hush slightly and she could practically feel him moving closer to her. “You are mine, got it? You belong to me, and always will, even after we get the f*ck out of this hellhole. Forever.” Lisa let out a strangled cry and Hannah clenched her fists.

“How the hell do you get off on that notion, Jack?” Lisa said his name with a particular venom and then cried out. He must not like that name for some reason, Hannah realized. Jack Rippner...Jack Ripp- Jack THE Ripper, she figured out.

“Well, Leese, I know just about everything about you,” Jackson muttered. “And I know something about myself, too. I want to be with you, and you are going to do what I say, because well, I have the upper hand here.” Hannah’s body was filled with mad anger now, so much that she wondered if she’d somehow contracted rage.

“No..no..no,” Lisa struggled against him. “I hate you...” her voice became muffled and Hannah’s body tensed. What was going on? She peered around the corner.

“Now, Leese,” Jackson’s singsong voice pierced the air. “I’m going to put you back in your bed, like you were sleeping, and when you wake up, we are going to get these people to take us to London, got it? I’m afraid that they also are somewhat capable of protecting us from the nuts out there, so you could say we need them,” His hands were wrapped around her throat. “And I’m not going to tell anyone about this little meeting, are you?” Lisa shook her head and Hannah could see she was drifting from consciousness as her breaths decreased. Hannah gasped and darted quietly to Jim’s room.

He lay on his bed, asleep, his breaths long and loud. Hannah rushed over and shook him roughly.

“Jim, wake up!”

Jim

Lisa’s eyes began to shut as Jackson kept talking. “Once we kill Keefe and get your sister, we’ll go back to Florida and find ourselves a place...you and me,” his face floated in front of hers. “Because you are mine, Lisa. I want you, and I always get what I-” his words were cut off as he was suddenly struck over the head.

Jim pummeled the man as hard as he could. He wanted to kill the sick bastard...kill him because of all he’d done...for what he’d done to Lisa...for daring to even try to manipulate him on his home turf, after they’d saved him from a very painful death.

Hannah ran to Lisa and tried to urge her back to conciousness. “Wake up, Lisa, come on...” her voice was desperate as Lisa blearily opened her eyes. “Can you walk? Come on.” Hannah attempted to pull Lisa to her feet, but it was to no avail.

Jackson finally got the upper hand and pinned Jim’s arms to the ground. He struck him on the head and blood gushed from his nose.

“Give it up,” Jackson whispered to him. “You’re helping us, or she dies.” He jerked his head at Hannah.

Jim angrily thought, annoyed. He couldn’t possibly help them...after all, this man was a killer...but if he didn’t agree Jackson would just take Lisa and leave...and Jim didn’t want to put her in danger, nor did he Hannah. He finally nodded, succumbed, and stood up.

“Just tell precious Selena that you ran into a door,” Jackson laughed. “I don’t think she’ll care.”

Jim looked at his retreating back and wished beyond wish that he’d had his bat with him.

Deception and Mixed Emotion

Hannah

Her temper raged with every breath she took. She felt like a complete idiot. What was she thinking, involving Jim in this? Jackson was obviously stronger than him, or at least more prepared, and plus, what good would it do even if Jim did win? She contemplated this as she brought water to Jim for his bloodied face.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, sitting down on the bed where he was perched.

“It’s not your fault, Hannah,” he stared at her dumbfoundedly. She sighed and looked away.

“Yes, it is,” she argued. “I shouldn’t have told you, and now look at you, and now that jacka-” she stopped the swearword as soon as it had left her mouth. Jim had never heard her swear before. She blushed and cleared her throat. “Jackson is in complete control. There is nothing we can do.”

Jim sighed. “Don’t give up on me, Hannah. Please. We need to keep thinking. We may have to let him kill Keefe, if he’s not already dead, but I will die before I let him take Lisa.” He stopped short, a confused expression on his face.

Hannah c*cked her head at him. “Jim? Why is Lisa such a big deal to you? You just met her.”

Jim bowed his head and bit his lip. Hannah looked closer. She saw the answer in his face.

“Oh.” Jim nodded.

“You may not understand, now, Hannah, but...” he looked into her eyes. “You will, I promise you.”

“I do,” she nodded, smiling. His eyes reflected somewhat of a sadness. “Is that...how you felt with Selena?”

“I felt something with Selena,” he agreed. “But it was something else...not...love,” Hannah saw him struggle to say the word. “I’m not sure. Lust, maybe.”

Hannah blushed. This was going to an uncomfortable zone...

“But I shouldn’t expose you to that,” he laughed. Hannah turned obstinate.

“I’m nearly fifteen, you know,” she said indignantly, despite her discomfort.

“I know, Hannah, but you know what I mean,” he chuckled and patted her hand. “You’ll find someone someday.”

“Does...Lisa love you?” Hannah asked, serious again.

Jim shrugged. “Who knows? Doubt it. She hardly seems the type for love at first sight. But...appearances can be deceiving, I suppose. I don’t even know if she likes me at all... hard to say.”

Hannah nodded. “Everyone likes you, Jim.”

Lisa

Lisa awoke on the makeshift bed that Selena had constructed to her on the floor and groaned. A splitting pain ripped up her throat.

Not again, she sighed. He f*cking knocked me out again...well, choked me. f*cking bastard. Lisa opened her eyes, trying to recall the incidents of the early morning.

Jackson...threatening her...telling her...

As his admittance to his feelings for her resurfaced in her brain, she moaned and rolled over.

Not this...no...

Lisa sighed as another picture flashed through her brain. Jackson falling to the floor, someone...Jim, was it? Slamming his fists into Jackson...yes, it was Jim. Lisa smiled and then inwardly yelled at herself. What was she doing? Had Jim won? Hopefully...what was to become of everything now, she wondered. Suddenly Jim’s face flashed before her mind.

Blue eyes...so beautiful...his face...cheekbones...

Lisa tried to figure out what the hell she was thinking. Did she...she forced herself to think the word...have feelings for him? Was it possible? He was a stranger, yet it was so hard to ignore the fluttering feeling in her chest...if only Jim were Jackson...

If Jim were Jackson you wouldn’t be in this situation, she reminded herself as the bedroom door opened. She jumped up, startled. It was Hannah.

“Sorry,” she apologized. Lisa shook her head and smiled at her. She was a nice girl. “Do you feel alright?”

“I’m fine, but...” Lisa tilted her head and gestured to the hallway. “What...happened out there after I passed out?”

“Well, you weren’t completely passed out, but you were pretty much out of it,” Hannah giggled. Then her face solemned. “I...saw the whole thing. I went to get Jim because I was scared...he was hurting you...” Her face darkened. Lisa knew what had happened.

“Jim tried to win, but...Jackson beat him,” Hannah sighed. “He said we all had to bring him to London or bad things would happen,” she looked pointedly at Lisa. “You get the idea, I assume.”

Lisa nodded. “Yes, I do.”

Jackson

Jackson stood in front of the mirror that was placed in the kitchen of the stucco house and straightened his suit. Today...today...

Finally his plans would be finished, and he could retire early with Lisa...Lisa.

His thoughts focused on her for a moment. Indignant, caring, beautiful. If only she loved him back.

Well, that’s half the fun, the challenge, Jack, he reminded himself. His mind flashed to Jim.

Little bastard, thinking he could beat me up...he’s just a child...perhaps the same age as myself but no match by any means, Jackson’s conceited thoughts were interrupted when Selena entered the room, her face flushed with anger.

“I saw Jim’s face,” she accused him. “What did you do to him?” He noticed the knife in her hand. Ah dear...

“I didn’t do anything,” he flashed her a charming smile. “Klutz probably...ran into a door, or something.”

“Like hell,” she said angrily.

“Look, even if I did, can’t the bastard defend himself instead of having his girlfriend do it?” Jackson snorted, and went back to fixing his hair.

“So you did, then?” she concluded. Jackson sighed.

“Look, if I say I did, will you shut the f*ck up?” he retorted. “He took a swing at me, first.”

“Jim doesn’t do anything to anyone unless they’re doing something to piss him off,” Selena explained. “What did you do?”

Jackson stared at Selena, an idea beginning to form in his mind. “Lisa decided she wanted to get a little heroic and, for the life of her sister, I told her how the cards were going to be laid out.” It wasn’t a lie. Lisa had tried to check the plane for her cell phone to call her father, and Jackson had caught her. He didn’t mention that he told Lisa he loved her and choked her...oops.

“Really courageous, beating up a f*cking woman,” Selena rolled her eyes. Jackson grinned. Quite outspoken, this one.

“Who said I beat her up?” he flashed her another one of his winning smiles.

“Well, the bruise the size of Asia blossoming up on her neck gave me the first clue,” she said.

“Nice job, Sherlock,” he laughed, and, finally satisfied with his appearance, gave his hair one last flick and turned to look at Selena.

“Oh, thanks for your support, do I get a cookie now?” she said sarcastically. Jackson chose this moment to act and swooped down, kissing her strongly on the lips. At first she backed away, confused, but then she let the kiss grow and Jackson’s suspicions were confirmed. She was attracted to him, and this meant he could use her to help his plan. Eventually he broke the kiss and used his charming dewy-eyed look to send into her eyes.

“No, you get that,” he whispered, smiling. She smiled back, broken.

Selena

She had to admit, while the whole kiss thing from Jackson was lovely, it was slightly confusing. Selena did have what one might call a “crush” on the man, but didn’t he have a girlfriend? She shrugged off her inhibitions and tried to feel happy that a guy she liked actually liked her back (Selena, despite her brusque manner, was indeed quite self-conscious).

Jackson retreated upstairs and a few moments later returned with a very annoyed looking Hannah, an angry-looking Jim, and a frightened-looking Lisa. Selena almost laughed at the fact that Jackson could stir all of these emotions in people.

“Time to go, Leese,” he told Lisa in a singsong voice, wrenching her arm. Lisa cried out softly and Jim glared at Jackson. Selena, wondering what the hell was going on, saw Jim’s fists ball up. She quickly pulled Jackson to the side for a moment.

“Jackson,” she whispered harshly. “I would NOT do that if I were you.”

Jackson laughed sharply. “Why? Afraid he’s going to whack me with his teddy bear?”

“No,” Selena answered him, glancing in Jim’s direction. “He put a guys’ eyes out with his fingers, Jackson. I’d watch yourself.” Selena wondered why she was warning this strange, slightly evil man of Jim’s capabilities.

“Fine, fine, I’ll make sure little Jimmy doesn’t try to gouge me, kay?” Jackson rolled his eyes and moved back to Lisa, pushing her out the door, but this time a little more gentle.

The odd-looking group of five got into the old cab and began the slow, long drive to London.

“So,” Jackson turned to look at Jim, who sat protectively on the other side of Lisa in the back. Selena drove and Hannah sat up front next to her. “Tell me, James, what do you do for a living?” He said Jim’s full name mockingly. Jim angrily looked at the floor.

“I’m a bicycle courier,” he said quietly. Jackson laughed harshly.

“Wow,” he said, feigning impression. “That sure is a big boy’s job! Did they take off the two-wheels, and everything?”

Lisa smacked Jackson hard in the face, and all the occupants of the car turned to look at her in shock. Jackson recollected himself and seized her wrist.

“Leave him the hell alone,” she reprimanded him. “We can’t all be psychopathic murderers.”

Jackson twisted Lisa’s wrist around and sneered at her. “I don’t kill people, Leese, I manage their deaths.”

“Same f*cking thing,” she hissed. Jackson released her wrist with a sharp yank and rolled his eyes.

“She got you,” Hannah remarked from the front seat a few moments later.

“Hannah,” Selena scolded her softly. Jackson heard her, though.

“What did you say?”

“I said, she got you,” Hannah remarked, turning to look at him. Her face held no fear. “Feeling upset that a woman half the size of you got the better of you?” She smirked at him. Selena marveled at the fact that full-grown adults cowered in Jackson’s presence but Hannah remained unmoved.

“Listen, you little biatch, I’d appreciate it if you’d stick your nose in things that actually concerned you,” Jackson snarled. “Like Barbie dolls and nail polish.”

“Hm, and what things concern you?” Hannah retorted. “Football and recliner chairs?” Jackson rolled his eyes angrily at her. Jim stifled a laugh. Selena turned to stare at Hannah.

“Hannah, I mean it...” her statements went unheard.

“Listen, if you’d like to get out of this alive, I’d suggest you keep your pretty little mouth shut,” Jackson stated. “Or else you’ll soon be joining your precious old dad.”

Hannah stared to gape at Selena.

sh*t, Selena thought. She’d told Jackson Hannah’s story, not even thinking about how much Hannah hated this man...now he could use it against her.

“You told him?” Hannah cried. Selena noticed the tear welling up in her gray-blue eyes.

“Hannah, I’m sorry, I didn’t think-”

Selena’s apologies were cut off when Hannah just shook her head and looked tearfully out the window, her thoughts far too complex to be understood.

[Pukkina]

I Love You...No, YOU!

Hannah

Hannah stared forlornly out the window. Why did Selena feel the need to tell this Jackson character everything? Surely...surely she didn’t like him...did she? Hannah would’ve thought Selena to be above a slightly school-girl crush. Selena was above her emotions.

She sighed, feeling weak. She told herself to remain awake in case they were attacked. The cab continued to roll slowly down the road.

Hannah looked quickly back at Lisa and saw that her face was red and blotchy, as if she were fighting tears. Hannah sighed and instinctively patted Lisa’s hand sympathetically, a gesture Hannah’s mother had often used on her.

Lisa looked up, surprised, at Hannah, and softly smiled. And then she began to cry, as if missing something from the past. Hannah instantly felt sorry and opened her mouth to apologize.

“It’s okay,” Lisa interjected. “It’s not you, I just...miss my dad.”

Hannah saw Jackson roll his eyes outside of her peripheral vision.

“Suck it up, Leese,” Jackson ordered, running a hand through his tousled brown locks.

“Just because you don’t feel normal human emotions outside of anger doesn’t mean she can’t,” Jim snapped quietly. Selena shot her gaze sharply away from the road and to Jim, then back to the road.

“Don’t believe I was talking to you,” Jackson said curtly.

Jim rolled his eyes.

Lisa

They finally stopped about two hours outside of London.

“Lunch,” Selena said simply. She pulled the keys from the ignition and hopped out.

Lisa snapped her head up and looked around. They were in a grassy field dotted with remains of old buildings.

“Hey, Selena, we’ve stopped here before, right?” Jim frowned.

“Yea, seemed as safe as anywhere,” she shrugged and began pulling out boxes of food.

They began to sit down on the cool grass when Lisa felt Jackson’s grip on her arm. She tensed.

“What do you want now?” she snapped. He pulled her aside behind a thick stone wall.

“I have to tell you something,” he said, a different tone to his voice.

“What?” she spat as he pushed her against the wall.

“This,” was all he said before he kissed her gently on the mouth. Her brain fell out for a moment and the only thing her mind could function to think was,

Parking lot.

“I love you,” he whispered as he broke away. Lisa stared at him, brown eyes unblinking.

“Um, yeah, now would be the time to say something,” he raised his eyebrows.

Lisa’s brain finally kicked back in and she punched him hard in the face. She pushed past him.

“Stay away from me,” Lisa ran, tripping over her own feet and injured ankle until she finally could run no more. She finally collapsed about two yards away from Jackson and let the dirt soak into her skirt. She let her head fall into her hands and sobbed long, gut-wrenching sobs.

Though it was just a kiss, it was too hard to forget the rape, especially seeing who the gesture was coming from. A man she truly hated, the hatred so intense that she didn’t know it could exist. Just because he thought he was good-looking he thought he could get any girl he chose...

Lisa felt a hand on her shoulder and screamed instinctively. Instantly she was wrapped up in an embrace.

“Shh, Lisa, it’s me,” Jim whispered. Lisa’s sobs increased. “Come on, what’s wrong?”

Jim

Jim looked down at Lisa’s panicky, tear-stained face, and felt his stomach drop. She shook her head as if trying to rid herself of a memory.

“Jesus, Lisa, he didn’t-” Jim couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

“No,” she choked out. “He just...kissed me...and told...me he loved me.”

Jim stared into her eyes. “Do you...feel the same?” he asked quietly, though he thought he already knew the answer.

Lisa shook her head furiously. “God, no! I’m in love with y-” she cut herself off quickly, horrified at what she’d almost said. But Jim caught it. He knew what she’d said, and he tried to ignore it at first. Then he took Lisa’s hands and he noticed that she didn’t shrink away.

“Lisa,” he gazed seriously into her eyes. She looked away and bit her lip. “Do you...love me?”

She paused, slowly bringing her gaze back to meet his.

His heart stopped. Maybe he’d been wrong. What the f*ck was he thinking? Just because she’d said ‘y’ didn’t mean she was going to say ‘you’. He felt so f*cking stupid-

His thoughts were cut off as she slowly nodded. Jim’s heart soared, and he pulled Lisa closer to him. Their faces nearly touched. He could feel her deep, panicked breathing against his chest. Before he knew what he was doing, he kissed her.

Shoot Me Now, Sailor

Jackson

Jackson angrily kicked a rock and rubbed his eye. That had really f*cking hurt. Where did she get off, hitting him after he’d confessed and kissed her?

Well if your kidnapper wanted to start a new life with you, you’d be angry, too, a little voice in his head told him. He shook it off to go looking for her.

Lisa

Lisa knew he was kissing her before it actually happened. She felt her heart soar in a giddy sort of highschool way.

For once, things were going great. Jim. He was in love with her. She loved him. And he was kissing her.

For once, she wasn’t nervous, she was happy. This kiss didn’t remind her of the parking lot incident. Jim was so sweet, and everything she wanted.

It seemed to last forever until Lisa finally broke away. Jim leaned his forehead against hers and smiled.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you to-” she began to murmur back, but stopped when she looked past Jim’s shoulder.

Jackson, staring at Jim angrily. Jackson, who held a gun loosely in his hand. He raised it and Lisa jumped in front of Jim.

“No!” she cried. “Shoot me, not him.”

“You’re f*cking mine, Lisa,” Jackson sneered, tearing her away from Jim. She kicked him but he didn’t relent. “This bastard isn’t ever f*cking touching you again. You’re mine.”

“No,” Lisa moaned, trying to pull away from Jackson. Jim breathed heavily.

“Hold on, now,” he said in a low voice.

Suddenly a flash of brown in the left of Lisa’s vision announced Selena’s presence. She yanked the gun from Jackson’s hand before he even saw her.

“Do that again, and you’re gone,” she breathed heavily and held up her machete. Jackson stared at it, then Jim, then Lisa, and finally back to Jim. He curled his upper lip at him.

“Fine,” he agreed in disgust, pocketing the weapon that Selena handed back to him.

Lisa pulled herself up and tried to run to Jim, but Jackson flung up a hand.

“If I can’t have you, Leese, no one will.”

Lisa didn’t look at him. She looked instead at Selena, who’s eyes looked rather watery. Then she knew that Jackson, the manipulator, had won again.

Contemplations of Obsession

Lisa

She knew what she needed to do. She needed to set aside her feelings for Jim and just do the f*cking job before he got hurt. She loved him, so much, but she cared more about his safety. And Jackson + a gun bad news, even if he was a lousy shot he was still fueled by sweet, sweet revenge.

Lisa let her head knock against the cab window as they continued down the long England road. She once again pondered how the hell she had gotten into this situation. She should have never agreed to take a vacation, never, it was all her fault, really. She felt horrible and despite her best efforts to restrain it a tear slid down her face.

“Lisa?” Jim asked next to her. “Are you all right?”

Lisa just nodded absently. Why burden him further with her problems?

“I know we’d all be a lot happier if...” Hannah began irritably but Selena shot her a look and she shut up.

Jackson

He could kill him. He could wring his neck, really.

But he couldn’t. Not yet, anyway. For the time being, he still needed that biatch Selena’s help. After they’d gotten rid of Keefe, he’d force her to take them to the airport. Sweet promises of taking the trio with him and Lisa would be made but once they arrived they’d be dead. Jackson didn’t have the gun anymore, but he sure as hell still had a knife. He was quite skilled, too, when he needed to be. After they were rid of them, he’d get Lisa on the plane and they’d fly back to the States. Oh yes, Jackson could fly planes, too. It was just another training session for the organization necessary for hijackings. A rare job for the organization, but still often occuring.

Once they’d landed he could take Lisa to his ocean house in California. It would be difficult to make her comply into wedlock but she loved her father, didn’t she? And then...all of this rage-fueled mess would be a distant memory. Hell, maybe he could even make Lisa fall in love with him. He could do anything that he set his mind too, after all.

Jim

He hated being docile. In all honesty, he didn’t care if he was alive or dead. But he did care about Selena, Lisa, and Hannah, and he would do anything to keep them alive, something he obviously couldn’t do if he was dead. He had to keep up with this struggle no matter what. The one thing he did know was this: Either Jackson died, or he did. Simple as that.

Selena

She was still inwardly shaking from Jim’s near death experience. It was now that she realized she’d underestimated him greatly. She knew he had killing capabilities. But she hadn’t really thought he’d make an attempt on Jim’s life. And over Lisa.

That was another thing. She was kicking herself for letting herself get suckered into thinking Jackson liked her. Why would he? She’d noticed the way he looked at Lisa. Anyway...why would anyone want her, a hardened little English girl with a killing capacity? Even she didn’t want herself.

She sighed and tightened her grip on the steering wheel as they passed the sign announcing they’d soon be in London.

Hannah

The car finally stopped on a street of London and Hannah was anything but sad that the ride was over. The less time she had to spend breathing the same air as that unimaginable arsehole, the better. She stumbled out of the cab as soon as it pulled to a halt and helped Lisa out.

They stood for a moment, stretching and blinking in the bright afternoon sun until Selena took the lead.

“Come on,” she said flatly. “Downtown is this way, where most the hotels are.”

“He’s not going to be there,” Hannah pointed out. “He’s either already dead or back overseas.”

“Listen, little girl, just stay out of this,” Jackson snapped. “It’s adult business.”

“You know what, go f*ck yourself,” Hannah spat before she could stop. She blushed as everyone stared at her. Lisa bent down and whispered something in her ear.

“My feelings exactly.”

Hannah giggled as they continued walking down the street.

Selena withdrew her knife as they searched for the address Lisa gave her. The Crystal Swan Hotel.

Hannah sighed. She was tired. It was trying thinking up ways to kill someone. Especially a very tall, old someone in a business suit.

“Jackson,” Lisa finally said. Her voice was begging. “Please don’t do this.”

“Lisa, I’m going to tell you something that someone should’ve said a long time ago,” Jackson said sweetly, and then his voice hardened. “Grow the f*ck up. Just because you ask me in that sweet little Strawberry Shortcake voice to not kill Keefe I’m not going to. It’s called a job. Get one.”

“I happen to have one, Jack,” Lisa replied menacingly. “It just doesn’t involve slicing people open.”

Jackson rolled his eyes and just kept walking.

[Pukkina]

Escape

Jackson

Jim stepped up on the staircase of the Crystal Swan and hesitantly peered up. Selena shined her huge flashlight in front of them and Jackson dragged Lisa next to him.

“Jackson, you idiot,” Lisa snapped. “They’re not going to be there. Look around. The hotel is empty. Why would you think he’d be up there?”

“If he knew he couldn’t get a flight back, he’d have barricaded himself in the room,” Jackson said irritably. “Jesus, a moron could figure that out.”

“Thanks, arsehole.”

Jackson smirked. Good Lord, he couldn’t wait to bring Lisa back to the States and “civilize” her. It would be amusing.

They slowly ascended the stairs and when they reached the top Jackson began to swiftly kick open the hotel doors lining each wall. They hit against the walls with a resonating bang and with every loud clamor each member of the group winced. Selena ran up to Jackson with her machete drawn.

“Jackson,” she whispered fiercely. “Stop. The infected will hear you!”

Jackson playfully pulled the knife from her hands. “Aw, poor Lena worried about the scary infected coming?”

“Give it back, Jack,” Selena ordered. Jackson ignored her and slid it easily into his beltloop, beyond her reach.

“Nope.”

Selena continued to chase after him and Lisa ran up too.

“Jackson, give her the goddamned knife!”

Jackson grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him better. “No, want to know why? Because know that I have her only leverage...I’m in control.”

Lisa glared at him. “You’ll never be in control.”

“Is that so?” he was amused.

“Yeah.”

“Well,” he raised an eyebrow. “Look around sweetie...because I think I am.”

“No, you’re not,” Jim’s voice resonating behind him was the only thing he heard before everything went black.

Jim

Jim dropped the pipe with a clatter and grabbed Selena’s machete from where it had fallen back from Jackson’s waist.

“Come on,” Lisa yelled. “Let’s go before he wakes up!”

“No,” Jim poised his shaking, knife-bearing wrist over Jackson’s unconscious form.

Silence. Anxious, unsure breaths racked the air. Jim’s anger surged over him and he shook. A few moments later he felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

“Jim,” Hannah said quietly. “Come on. Just leave it be.”

Jim looked into her warm blue eyes and bit his lip. Finally he sighed and pocketed the knife.

“Okay.”

Hannah

They quickly left the soon-to be-infected Crystal Swan hotel and ran to the cab.

“sh*t,” Selena cursed loudly. “It’s out of gas!”

“What?” Lisa cried.

“IT’S OUT OF GAS!” Selena screamed, whipping her head around to face Lisa.

“Selena, calm down,” Jim took a deep breath and guided the girls back out of the cab. The sky was rapidly turning dark and they needed to find a sanctuary for the night, at the very least. “What should we do, and think fast because we’re in the open right now.”

“Let’s go to the airport,” Hannah offered quietly. “We can bunk out in one of the lockdown utility closets or something and in the morning we can see if any of the planes have fuel.”

Selena blinked and looked at Jim, who nodded. “See guys, just use our heads and we have a chance. Come on.”

Lisa

Her thin arms began to form a new outcropping of goosebumps as the wind picked up. She shivered involuntarily and quickened her pace to match Jim’s. He glanced at her and took her hand. It was what she’d been hoping for.

“Jim?”

“Yeah?”

“What are you going to do...after...everything?”

He sighed and licked his lips. “I don’t know...go to the States, obviously. Uninfected. Maybe...”

“What?”

“Maybe I can spend more time with you.”

Lisa looked at him and slowly smiled. “I think I’d like that.”

“Really?”

She nodded and blushed as they arrived outside of the airport. Hannah ran up next to them.

“Ready to go in? Selena’s going to sweep it first.”

“No, she’s not,” Jim said impatiently. “I am.”

Selena tapped him on the shoulder. “Jim, stop being so young.”

“Well, Selena, needless to say, I don’t entirely trust you right now,” Jim snapped. “You let yourself get manipulated by that sadistic little bastard and nearly got us all killed. So right now I’m not putting anything past you. I’ll do the sweep, you’ll stay out here with Lisa and Hannah.”

“No. You can’t go in by yourself.”

Jim sighed. Lisa glanced quickly back and forth. Selena did have a point...not that she entirely wanted to remain outside by herself with Hannah.

He grumbled and irritably opened the airport door. “Fine. Come on, then.”

Jackson

He rolled over and pulled himself to his feet, cursing profoundly. He felt a hot liquid at the base of his neck and wiped blood away, growling slightly. Jim had hit him with something...he spotted the broken pipe nearby and grabbed it, running to a window in one of the open hotel rooms.

They were out there, way down the street, he could see them. Lisa’s bright pink skirt wasn’t that difficult to spot, after all. At...the airport, was it? Yeah, he saw the wings in the background. But it looked like just her...and the younger girl, Hannah, or whatever. Where were Jim and Selena?

He thought. This could be an opportunity to get those two alone. But Keefe...Keefe was still in here, and so was Lisa’s cousin. He sighed impatiently. Get the job done or get Lisa uninterrupted, away from the other people?

He knew what he should do, but what he did do was a different story entirely. Keefe and Chelsi could wait.

For now, it was time for a little R and R with his favorite Valentine.

Capture

Lisa

She crossed her arms over her chest and wished she’d asked Jim to borrow a jacket before they’d left the house. It was freezing, especially since it was supposed to be springtime. The wind picked up speed and Lisa huddled over to Hannah for support. The tiny girl ended up wrapping her arms around Lisa, partially as a hug. Lisa smiled.

“Hey,” she giggled.

“Hey,” Hannah laughed back. “I’m happy.”

“Why?”

“Because we got rid of him.”

“Yeah, we did,” Lisa agreed. “It’s partially because of you, you know.”

“How so?”

“You found the pipe,” Lisa chuckled. “Remember? Handed it to Jim?”

“Oh yeah,” Hannah recalled. “Wow. It happened so fast, I forgot. I knew it could help us but I didn’t want to knock him out myself, you know?”

Lisa nodded. She could relate not wishing to be a killer by default.

They fell silent and stood just swaying in the cold wind. Hannah finally spoke impatiently. “What is taking them so long?”

“Wait. You don’t think...”

“The infected?” Hannah’s eyes grew wide. “I don’t think so. We’d have heard something.”

“Yeah, I guess, but...” Lisa began to argue back but suddenly something caught her ear. The sound of rustling fabric. Rustling suit fabric. She quickly turned around, back to face the direction they’d come in, to see something she thought she was rid of.

Jim

Jim growled angrily and stepped over a dead body in the airport lounge. He couldn’t wait to get out of London and this nightmare of a country. He still held the broken pipe tightly in his hand. It wasn’t much, but it would suffice in the case of an emergency. His eyes nervously scanned the rest of the lobby.

“Jim.”

He looked up at Selena. Her eyes looked regretful and sad, the brown looking uncharacteristically warm.

“I’m sorry.” Jim just raised an eyebrow and didn’t answer. For once he felt like being the immature little boy he was.

“I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have...let my emotions override common sense. You know I usually don’t.”

“Well, why make an exception now?” Jim snapped. “Because he’s gorgeous? Well, snap out of it Selena! He’s a murderer! He was using you to get to Lisa!” Selena was silent as she looked at the floor, and instantly Jim felt guilty. He put a hand on her shoulder.

“Jim, I get it. I’m a f*cking moron, but you don’t need to keep telling me.”

“Selena...let’s just...just forget it, okay?” he sighed. He needed her help, and as much as he was irritated with her right now was as much as he wanted to forgive her. She smiled weakly and nodded. He began to speak again, to tell her they needed to go check the planes, when they heard a scream.

Hannah

Hannah spun around as Lisa screamed. She gasped and Jackson grabbed her arm, pulling her to his body and successfully knocking his head to hers. She screeched once and fell to the ground.

She felt a cut forming on her forehead and her vision went hazy. She heard Lisa scream several more times and exchange words with Jackson but it was all too mingled for her to comprehend. Hannah tried pulling herself to her feet to help her but she couldn’t, was too weak.

“Jim..” she moaned as Jackson began pulling Lisa away. No one heard.

“Daddy, please help me...”

Selena

Selena grabbed Jim’s arm as the scream pierced the air. He shook her off and ran to the window.

“What was that?” she asked quickly.

“I don’t know,” he replied worriedly, turning back to face her. “You don’t think it was Lisa or Hannah do you?”

“Well, whatever it was, it’ll be drawing infected,” Selena spat. “Come on, let’s hurry up and check the planes, then go and get-”

Another scream. This time Jim began running towards the door.

“Jim, wait...”

“That was Lisa! I know it!”

“But...”

Selena grumbled irritably and ran after him as he took off down the stairs and back outside. Her heart stopped beating when she saw the fourteen-year-old body on the streets.

“Hannah!” she screamed and fell to her side. She was breathing. Just knocked out. A small cut was forming on her forehead. She began to awaken as Jim ran about nervously.

“Hannah, where’s Lisa?” he asked as soon as she’d regained consciousness. She frowned in confusion and suddenly realization dawned on her young face.

“I don’t...no, Jim, Jackson!” she began sobbing. “Jackson came, he got her!”

“No...” Jim slammed his head into his hands anxiously. Hannah stood up weakly and leaned on Selena as they hobbled over back onto the dingy sidewalk. Hannah was absolutely frantic now and even Selena couldn’t ignore the tight ball of apprehension forming in her throat.

“We have to find her,” Jim demanded, pacing the pavement. Selena shook her head.

“No,” she argued. “Wherever they are now, it doesn’t matter. We’re safe. That’s all that counts.”

“Selena, would you stop thinking about yourself for one f*cking minute and realize that Lisa is in danger!” Jim yelled. Selena jumped. “He’s going to either kill her or else force her to marry him or some bullsh*t like that.”

“So?”

“So, I’m not letting her go!” he shouted. “I love her, and she loves me.”

Selena fell silent. Oh.

“Now, come on.”

“Where are we going?” Hannah asked sleepily.

“Back into the airport. As far as we know, its relatively safe and it has elevated floors so I can scan below for Lisa and Jackson, wherever they are they’re still on the streets. They have to be.”

Selena nodded dejectedly. Time to just play along again.

Lisa

Lisa fought at his arms as he began to drag her down the street but it was to no avail. He glared at her and shoved her inside a building nearby. She glanced down the street and noticed Hannah was lying, unconscious, on the pavement. She began to scream in a fear that she was out forever. Jackson sent her a backhand to the face and Lisa quieted for a moment, beginning to yell again for Jim but Jackson covered her mouth.

“Did you think I’d die that easily, Leese?” he said liltingly. “You seriously are getting more and more idiotic as the day goes on.”

She glared at him, her speech impeded at current time.

“Now come on. We’ve got a flight to catch.”

It struck her as ironically as the same thing he’d told her before their flight to London, and that he used quotes from their past a lot.

And for some reason, this absolutely terrified her.

Plane Flights and Bloody Fights

Jim

“f*ck! Where’d they go?” he paced the street anxiously, tugging absently on his sleeves.

“Jim,” Selena set a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Come on. Calm down.”

“I can’t,” he cried. “I can’t...calm down..when I know she’s alone with him...with that...that sociopathic murderer...”

“You don’t know that...”

“What? That he’s a murderer? I do know. I know.”

“You just met him.” Jim grabbed Selena’s shoulders and shook her.

“Selena! He’s a f*cking assassin! And a murderer! He killed...”

“Who?”

Jim shook his head. It hurt way too much. Never mind that. Not now. He wasn’t 100 sure...he didn’t want to think about that.

“Come on.”

Jackson

Things were shaping out nicely. .. For a while. They’d almost reached the plane when Lisa decided to get cute. She stuck out her leg (the already injured one, he noticed...how shockingly quick she’d recovered) and sent him tumbling. He cursed as she began to dart away, still slightly delayed though. He tackled her before she got back into the terminal and dragged her to the plane. He chose the first one they saw, one that already had the steps down. Once inside, he slammed her against the wall to speak to her. Seemed the only way possible, actually, without getting injured...

“Lisa, Lisa, Lisa,” he crooned. “You’re not excited? Why, I would be.”

“For what?” she said through clenched teeth. “Getting to be with you the rest of my life? Well, give me a f*cking sweetie.”

“You know, you’re lucky I decided to leave now while I’m still breathing,” Jackson threatened. He saw the look on her face. Her sister. Sighing, he pulled out a paper. A letter.

“I’ll read to you, Lisa,” he sighed. “Dear Lisa: I managed to get on a flight out. Right now I’m in Boston, staying with some friends who flew over with me. I hope to speak to you soon, and please don’t worry. Love always, Chelsi.”

Lisa’s face looked white and shocked.

“I...I don’t...”

“She was never here, Leese. My plan had several huge holes in it, I’ll admit. I, or my company, for that matter, never touched a hair on your blessed sister’s head. Keefe’s not there. He’s dead or back in the States. The plan sucked to begin with, for the company, anyway.”

“So...she’s...she’s safe,” Lisa confirmed, exhaling a deep breath. “She...”

“Not now,” Jackson sneered. “I wisened up on the plane over. Right now, coincidentally, she’s being watched by my guy, in Boston. Aren’t you grateful for my cleanup?”

“arsehole,” Lisa snarled. “Leave us alone. Why is that so hard for you?”

Kiss. Jackson’s lips met with Lisa’s. She tried to push him away but the hands on his chest meant nothing.

Selena

They ran to the first plane they could find. The one with the stairs down was their best bet. She saw Jim freeze as soon as they entered the cabin, and then he angrily flew at Jackson.

He was in the middle of kissing Lisa, obviously something she wasn’t consenting to as she shoved at his chest.

Selena pulled the knife out and flew at Jackson. Obviously this was something that should have been done a long time ago. Lisa darted away and looked for a weapon of some sort. Jim continued pounding on Jackson as Selena stepped back a distance. Let Jim have his “avengence” while there was time.

She suddenly noticed that Lisa was gone. And Hannah.

Lisa

“Lisa!” Hannah cried. Lisa ran over to the young girl and spotted the harsh bruise running up her temple. “Come on! Let’s go!”

“Why?” Lisa frowned. If they left Jim and Selena and Jackson alone...

“The plane! We need to fly it!”

That made no sense. Lisa wrinkled her eyebrows again at Hannah and Hannah frantically pointed out the window. Lisa crouched down to look.

“Oh god,” they were coming. About six of them, the infected people.

“Go!” Lisa shrieked, pushing Hannah to the c*ckpit. With shaking hands she attempted to figure out the controls as she heard the heavy pitterpatter of the people on the stairs.

“Come on...” she found the control to raise the stairs. Unfortunately two infected had already made their way in and she heard Selena and Jim scream. Throwing all caution to the wind she began steering the plane down the runway.

Once they were in the air she handed it over to Hannah (after all, neither of them were exactly skilled. Would it exactly make a difference if the teen or the adult was handling it?) And ran back into the cabin.

Jim was hunched back against the wall, clutching at a wound on his stomach. Jackson and Selena were temporarily united against fighting off infected. Lisa ran to Jim.

“Jim...Jim...oh god, what happened?”

“Jackson...had...a knife...hidden...” Jim croaked. Lisa looked wildly around as the last infected screeched and fell.

Selena faced Jackson. Now. The moment of truth.

Selena

She raised her knife to Jackson’s. They both were armed. Both were roughly the same height. Both were skilled. Who would go?

Her answer came as Lisa tackled Jackson from behind. The knife flew out of his hands as Selena snatched it up.

“I hate you,” Lisa was sobbing as she hit his already bruised face. He pushed her off and pinned her arms down, peering into her face.

“I hate you,” she repeated.

“Lisa,” he rasped.

“Hate...you...”

“Lisa,” he rasped once more, trying to talk to her. As she made another attempt to fight him off Selena drove the knife into his back. He gasped once and rolled off. Lisa rose on shaky feet and stared down into his face.

“I...love you.” The last words lingered on Jackson Rippner’s mouth as he gasped his final breath.

[Pukkina]

Finale

Jim

As Lisa wrapped the gauze around his waist he breathed in several deep, uneven breaths. He was conscious, and alive. The wound wasn’t too bad, just f*cked with his vision to an incredibly extent. She finally finished and sank back into a plane seat. Selena glanced once to check that they were settled, and joined Hannah in the c*ckpit, mumbling something about having pilot training once. Jim sat gingerly down next to Lisa and tried to take her hand. She jerked away sharply and it was then, with his less than perfect vision, that he noticed the extreme tremors shooting through her body.

“Leese?” she didn’t answer, tears streaming steadily down her cheeks. She turned her back and leaned against her seat, her back against the armrest.

“Lisa?”

“He...” she broke off, shaking her head. “He loved me and I killed him.”

“You didn’t. Selena did...” Jim felt hurt. Why did...why did she care?

“I didn’t give him a chance...” Despite his fading strength Jim grabbed Lisa’s shoulders.

“Lisa! He was a murderer! You don’t give murderers a second chance! What’s wrong with you!”

Lisa looked fearfully into Jim’s eyes, then glanced once at the body. “You’re just like him. He hurt me, and you will too.”

“Lisa, what’s wrong with you? You’re acting like a crazy person!” Jim shook his head and swallowed hard.

Lisa ignored him and moved to the plane door. She opened it and glanced back at Jim once more, sorrow filling her warm brown eyes. He stared at her in disbelief.

“Goodbye, Jim.”

And then she jumped.

Selena

Jim’s yells filled her ears as Selena began to take over the controls from Hannah. Instantly she was back into the cabin and saw Jim leaning out the plane door. Selena shrieked and grabbed his legs. Coincidentally his other arm was attached to Lisa’s, who was in tears.

“Come on,” Selena grunted and with a heave helped the couple back inside. Jim breathed heavily as Selena shut the door and Lisa collapsed to the floor. Selena stared at Lisa, then at Jim.

“What the f*ck was that about?”

“She jumped.” Selena froze and looked at Lisa. Her face looked blank.

“Why?”

“Don’t deserve to live.” Lisa answered solemnly, quietly. Jim didn’t say anything for a moment, just tried to walk over to her. She shook him away.

“Jim,” Selena muttered softly. “Go sit with Hannah for a while. Give us girls some time, eh?”

Jim sighed in defeat and nodded slightly, trudging off to join Hannah. Selena sat on the floor next to Lisa.

“I know how you feel.”

Lisa looked up. “No, you don’t.”

“When the infection first starting spreading, my family and I didn’t do anything. We thought it was just another common spread, like Mad Cow or something equivalent. But..it wasn’t. They all...eventually they all were killed,” Selena licked her lips sadly. “And guess who’s idea it was to stay?”

Lisa moved a bit closer. “Yours?”

Selena nodded mournfully. “I’ve had to live with that the past four years. Its not easy. But I have to tell myself that this guilt, what I’m feeling, is normal. Everybody feels it with every death they experience. Jackson’s wasn’t your fault, by any means. And Lisa...after all he did...its what he owed. It was his repayment to God for all the lives he’s reaped.”

Lisa chewed her lips. “I guess.”

“Don’t take it out on Jim. He loves you. I thought...I thought he loved me once. He didn’t. This is different, with you. He genuinely cares for you. You mean the world to him, that’s all there is to it. And he wants something with you.”

“He’s just...he reminds me too much...”

“Of Jackson? How so? Well, okay, I can see their physical traits, but...Jackson was harsh, cold, demanding. Jim is nothing like that, Leese. Completely different person. He’s sweet, gentle, and caring.”

“I just feel...”

“Like a $l*t? You never had anything with Jackson, Lisa. He wanted you. He was forcing this thing on you, something you didn’t want. Don’t ever think that what you want with Jim is wrong.”

Lisa finally cracked a smile, and let Selena envelope her in a hug. It felt odd for Selena. She hadn’t hugged in so long.

Lisa

The plane carried on until later that night, and Jackson’s cold blue eyes still seemed to be staring at her from the body on the floor. Finally Lisa stood with a sigh.

“Get it out,” she demanded. “I want to get that out of here.”

Selena rose next to her with a yawn. “We’re over the ocean still. We can dump it.”

Lisa repressed a shudder. She wouldn’t get over this for a while...it was going to take time.

“Okay.”

They opened the door again and Lisa helped Selena lift the corpse without looking at it, squeezing her eyes tight and trying not to inhale the smell of decay.

Jackson’s body tumbled down when they dropped it, down into the sea...making a silent splash. Selena turned back to go wash her hands, and Lisa stood at the door for one more moment.

“Goodbye, Jackson. I thought I loved you once. Back in the airport. But that wasn’t you.”

She turned, beginning to shut the door.

“That was Jim.”

The End