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There's Something About Zacky	By : Need2ScreamNow Category: Singers/Bands/Musicians > Avenged Sevenfold Views: 2442 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't know the members of A7X,I'm not making any money, This Is All FICTION.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
The next day Raven was pulling on her shoes, getting ready to go out to lunch with Johnny and Jimmy, Matt and Brian were holed up in the back room with their guitars and pro-tools. A strangled note floated through the bus and Raven snorted knowingly, any time the two of them got together and started writing weird noises could be heard from the street.

She hopped up and made sure she had her wallet before hurrying to the front, both the drummer and bassist were not afraid to leave her behind if they were hungry enough. She was at the small table when the door opened and someone came up the stairs, “Will you two chill I’m coming.” She giggled. They were so impatient when it came to food, alcohol, and sex.

They finished coming up the steps and when Raven saw who it was she tried to reverse direction so fast she ended up on her butt, the Creep smiled at her, much like he had at the show, “Hello my dear, you’ve been here long enough, it’s time to go home.” He said smiling. Raven stayed rooted to the floor watching him in horror as he came closer and wrapped his fingers around her arm and pulled her to her feet. His clammy fingers closed around hers in a firm grip and he led her off the bus into the bright sun.

Jimmy ambled back to the bus after he was done talking to the drummer from one of the other bands they were touring with. His stomach growled demandingly and he decided if Raven wasn’t ready yet he and Johnny would take off without her, she knew where they were going and could catch up or meet them there.

When he was close enough to see the bus something seemed off. He didn’t change his pace but his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what it was; no one had graffitied the side, the baggage storage was closed, only two windows were open, the same that had been open when he left. He finally stopped and stared at the bus, he probably looked like an idiot but it was bugging him that he couldn’t figure out what about the bus, his home for two years at a time, was different. The tires weren’t flat or even low…Johnny wasn’t there anymore. When he left he’d been lounging against the side waiting for Raven, who now took forever to get ready, to join him. Where had the little bastard gone? Jimmy started walking again theorizing on where the bassist could have wandered off to, probably lunch, he thought when his stomach rumbled again.

As he got closer the unsettled feeling returned. Something was still wrong with the bus. He looked it over again and then scanned the ground around it thinking someone had left something by the door. Instead he saw a lump half hidden behind the front tire. He raised an eyebrow, their fans had done some crazy shit to meet them, but hiding under the bus was a new trick.

“What are you doing?” he asked the lump, then reconsidered speaking out loud, it could very well be a dog or even trash. He snorted, he didn’t think anyone would think anything of it if they found out he’d been talking to an animal or garbage. Whatever the lump was, it didn’t move. So, either the person was too embarrassed to come out, it was a dog and it was either sick or dead, or it was trash. He crouched down and looked closer at the object. “Shit, Johnny!” he cried out, he dropped to his knees and grabbed the bassist’s shoulders.

It seemed like hours before he finally had the smaller man completely out from under the bus. The side of his face was bruising badly and blood sluggishly dripped from his nose, there were scuff marks on his arm. Whoever had knocked him out had literally kicked him under the bus. Fury crackled through his body as he gently picked the small bassist up and carried him onto the bus.

“Matt! Brian! Raven!” He yelled, Johnny didn’t stir, he was out cold. Matt and Brian came out of the back with questioning looks as he set Johnny’s prone body on the couch. “Where’s Raven?” he asked before they could get a word in. Matt and Brian made it into the small sitting area and immediately spotted Johnny, “The fuck?” Matt growled. He dropped down next to him and ran gentle fingers over the swelling in his face.

“Oh baby, what happened to you?” Brian whispered.

“Where’s Raven?” Jimmy asked again getting more agitated with every second. Brian looked over at him with a blank expression, “I thought you guys went to lunch?” he looked down at Johnny again and then slid past Jimmy to get to their tiny kitchenette where he got a baggy and filled it with ice from the small refrigerator/freezer and wrapped it in a paper towel. Jimmy took the bundle from him and handed it to Matt while saying, “We were going to, Johnny and I were waiting on her. I went to talk to some friends and when I came back Johnny was under the bus…Raven’s not here?” cold stole through him, “She’s…not on the bus.” He said the words again making sure he heard them right.

“She’s not on the bus.” Matt whispered. “Fuck!”
*~*~*~*
Raven woke up in an unfamiliar room and sore all over. Self-hate and mortification warred within her, she had followed the Creep off the bus like a well trained dog. She hadn’t even tried to get loose from him until she was trapped in his gray Camry and then the last thing she remembered was his fist coming at her face. Gingerly she reached up and rubbed her sore temple and winced, the rest of her body didn’t feel any better. Carefully she got her legs under her and with help from the nearby wooden bed frame shakily stood.

A monk’s cell was more cluttered with furniture than where she was, the only piece of furniture was the simple four poster bed. No desk, no chair, but there was a solitary window covered with a venetian blind. Muted sunlight strived to get through any cracks it could and Raven was thankful for its persistence because without it the gloomy room would have been completely dark. The floor boards didn’t reflect any of the meager light and Raven guessed they weren’t finished.

As barren as the furniture was, the walls were covered, literally covered, with pictures from floor to ceiling. The walls could have been painted or wood paneled or wallpapered, there was no way to tell, every available space was crammed with pictures of every shape and size all fitted together like a bizarre jigsaw puzzle. It was too dark to make out anything more than a few feet away, but when she turned around she had an idea as to what the theme of the room was.

Her, her sister actually, was in every picture she saw. From when she was only a toddler to full womanhood, every picture she was the center. There were other people in them sometimes, a man and a boy, but always they were off to the side. A tendril of dread curled through her, she recognized the Creep, the only thing that had changed since he was a boy was his height. She assumed the older man was his father, he had the same characterless brown hair and face. The dread quickly turned to sickness, these people, these things had taken and kept her sister. No matter what the age of Caitlin, every picture had her in a simple dress as nondescript as her captors wearing a smile that never touched her eyes. Hollowness, the emptiness of someone who has let hope die stared at Raven from every picture. Tears welled in her eyes and brimmed over, she turned to the fading sunlight and ran toward it.

After only a few steps her feet were yanked out from under her and she hit the ground with a teeth jarring thud. She lay there for a second absolutely winded, but finally musty air rushed into her lungs and she rolled onto her back and looked down at her feet expecting to see the Creep holding her ankle. Instead there was a thick length of chain fastened around her ankle. Fury percolated through her, misting her vision red. She had no doubt her sister had been bound the same way. The scum had kept her chained in a room like a pet, had she ever been allowed out any time they didn’t need her for a happy family portrait. The son of a bitch was going to have kill her before she submitted like that.

As if cued by her thoughts the door squeaked open and the Creep poked his head in, “Hello love.” He said softly, “I heard you moving around and thought you might be hungry.” He stepped the rest of the way in with a tray filled with fruit and a muffin and a glass of orange juice. Raven’s stomach growled but she ignored it, “Fuck off you piece of shit!” she snapped. The Creep stared at her shocked, “Caitlin, you know better than to speak like that.” He scolded. In a rage she barred her teeth at him like a feral dog and growled, “My name is Raven, no, my name is Zack, Zackary fucking James Baker.” Offhandedly she thought if Matt had said those words the guy probably would have shit himself, but her lighter voice carried an edge that only women could use; the promise of painful death should he make her angrier. Creep’s mouth set itself in a deep frown, “Your name is Caitlin and you’re my wife.”

Raven’s hands curled into fists, “I can’t even imagine how much she hated you, how often she dreamed of butchering you like a deer.” She seethed. She knew better though. The woman in the pictures was past hate, past sorrow, past anything but an antipathic resignation to her fate. Creep set the tray down and stomped toward her, Raven crouched down ready to strangle the son of a bitch once he was close enough.

Violence radiated from him and she matched it, but before she could lunge at him a clipped series of words had her standing against her will. Her eyes widened in surprise, her arms dropped to her sides and her hands unclenched. Creep backhanded her with enough force to send her sprawling across the floor, “Your Name, is Caitlin and you Will Not speak to me like that Ever again.” He said each word slowly emphasizing each. Raven still couldn’t move, but the fight couldn’t be knocked from her so easily, “Go fuck yourself.” She growled. Creep kicked her in the side winding her and sending shockwaves of pain through her already battered body.

“Apologize.” He demanded. Ragged breaths tore in and out of her and she decided retreat was the best strategy since she couldn’t lift a finger to defend herself, “I’m sorry,” she panted, “you son of a whore.” Why did her mouth not listen to her brain? Creep finally lost all patience with her and kicked her in the head. Her vision swam and darkened, warm blood trickled down her temple into her eyes.

“I’ll be back when you’re behaving.” Creep said, he said something else to her, but it turned into the garbled speech of Charlie Brown’s teacher as she slipped into darkness.
*~*~*
After the police left the small hospital room Jimmy leaned his head back against the white wall and closed his eyes. Raven was missing and Johnny, who had been beat badly enough to warrant a hospital stay until he woke up, was the only one who could give the police any leads on who took her. The detectives had looked grim when they saw the small bassist’s unconscious body. They hadn’t said anything, but Jimmy had grown up in the rougher parts of town and knew there wasn’t a good chance of finding Raven alive.

Someone slid onto his lap and he wrapped his arms around a familiar body, Brian rested his forehead against his neck. He was still angry at himself for not hearing anything, there wasn’t anything he could do now, but that didn’t stop him from blaming himself for each of Johnny’s bruises. Jimmy rolled his head forward and looked at Johnny’s pale face again. The small ice pack they had put on the bruise hadn’t made any difference, the skin was tainted black and blue from his temple to his jaw line. His nose was fractured along with several ribs, and his liver and spleen were speckled with cuts that had caused internal bleeding which was why they had brought him to the hospital. After a CAT scan the doctors decided the cuts would heal without need of surgery but wanted to keep him over night in the likely possibility more wounds would develop by morning.

“Jimmy,” Matt’s soft voice pulled his attention away from Johnny’s battered body, Brian’s breath was warm and even against his neck and he didn’t stir when Matt spoke, “can you remember what that guy looked like?” his eyes were on his face, but focused elsewhere, he got the same look when he was working through lyrics. Jimmy thought about his question for a moment before quietly replying, “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about Shads.”

Matt’s eyes focused more on him, “The guy that’s been bugging Raven, he’s got brown hair…and that’s all I remember.” His focus drifted again and Jimmy slowly nodded, “Yeah, okay, I know who you’re talkin’ about now.” He searched through his memory, he’d seen the guy before, twice, but his face eluded him. He did have brown hair, what color were his eyes though? They were brown too, or were they hazel? His face was round? No, it was long…or was it more heart shaped? Growling at his lack of memory made Brian stir, but with only a few quiet words he settled him back into sleep.

“He had a scar, on his hand.” Matt said. Jimmy looked up at him, a lot of people had scars on their hands. He told Matt so but the singer shook his head “No, this one was…it was like the skin had been peeled off, like he caught it in a machine or something.”

Jimmy closed his eyes and tried to remember the identifying mark, “The first night we saw him…yeah, I remember seeing that too. Think it’s enough to give the police something to go on?” he asked. Matt shrugged, “It’s better than the nothing they have now.”
*~*~*
For the second time that day Raven woke up on the floor, this time though the pain was more than a mere throbbing, it was a shooting, tearing pain radiating from her head and abdomen with every breath and blink. She lay there in the dark on the rough wood floor slipping in and out of consciousness. When she could she turned her head to where the window was, the moonlight wasn’t as strong as the sun, but a few whispery strands of silver made their way inside. The darkness of the room was complete, she couldn’t see the leg of the bed that was only a foot in front of her.

With a small squeak a shaft of light pierced the gloom and Creep was back, his good humor restored. He flipped on a light and Raven closed her eyes tightly against the strident glare that made her headache flare up. Creep made little noise as he came closer, but since she was on the floor she could feel the subtle vibrations of his feet. “Are you hungry Caitlin?” he asked softly, “I brought your favorite; cantaloupe, cherries, grapes, and kiwi with an orange peel muffin.” There was a tiny clinking sound as he set the tray down. Raven scowled, she hated cantaloupe and kiwi and orange peel muffins. But since she was facing the window Creep couldn’t see her expression. She decided to stay that way and didn’t bother to respond to him. Creep sighed wistfully, “I’m sorry I punished you like that Caitlin but you’ve been gone with those other men so long you’ve forgotten your manners.”

Raven scowled, once those ‘other men’ found him, he was going to wish for death. After another minute of silence from her Creep left the room saying, “Once you learn to behave again you can come out.” And then he shut her in the dark again. Slowly Raven pushed herself up and reclined against the hard frame of the bed, once she learned to behave again…she could bullshit that. And once she was out she could head for the front door and find a phone to call her friends. Unless he froze her again. The thought deflated her bubble of excitement but she didn’t have to be so obvious about what she was doing. Or maybe, she looked down at where her leg was and the chain attached to it. Jimmy was the master lock picker, but she had broken into enough garages and warehouses and whatnot with him that she’d picked up a few tricks as well. She reached up to her head gritting her teeth against the flare of pain from her stomach and felt around on her head. She’d started wearing bobby pins in her hair when it was in a pony tail to keep the stray whisps from tickling her neck. She knew she had put three in that morning.

She pulled the pins free and twisted them in to what she thought was the right shape and fumbled around with the cuff until she found the key hole and set to work.

By the time the soft light of morning worked its way through the blinds she had her plan. Sometime in the night a glorious click had reached her ears, followed by the muffled clatter of the cuff and chain hitting the floor. Once she was free she had followed the chain to its attachment point and started working on that. Now she had three feet of heavy chain to work with. Once some of the gloom lifted from the room she loosely set the chain back in the wall and made sure she could pull it loose unhesitatingly and did the same to the ankle cuff.
She had to wait longer than she thought she would for Creep to come in with breakfast, but that was okay, she needed to sleep since she spent most of the night picking the locks and reviewing her escape plan. A knot of tension twisted in her stomach, she had no contingency plan, if this didn’t work she had no idea she would do.
*~*~*
The sun was barely up when Johnny jerked awake scaring the Jesus out of everyone else in the room. Jimmy grabbed one of his thrashing arms and gently held it down while Matt held his chest and Brian whispered to him calming him down. Once he was convinced he was no longer in danger Jimmy and Matt let him go and stroked his bruised skin soothingly. Brian ran his fingers through his short hair and quietly asked him if he could remember who had attacked him. Only half conscious he’d muttered something and then passed out again.

Now the sun was up and Jimmy stared at the bassist desperately wishing for him to wake up again. Brian was back on his lap and asleep, but he was restless and nothing Jimmy did could drag him out of nightmares into more pleasant pastures which only added to his tension. Brian whimpered again and his arms tightened around Jimmy’s neck, a shudder went through him and Jimmy gave up trying to fix his dreams and instead tried to wake him up.

The nightmare didn’t let him go willingly, when he was finally completely awake he clung to Jimmy like something was going to pull him away. He looked around the room warily before relaxing his grip and letting Jimmy breathe again, the drummer inhaled deeply and pulled his fingers through Brian’s short hair at the nape of his neck quietly murmuring to him, “It’s all right, just a nightmare.”

Brian’s forehead pressed against his temple and nodded uncertainly, “Felt real.” He muttered. Jimmy rubbed his stubbly cheek against his drawing a quiet snicker from Brian, “Fucking sandpaper face.” He didn’t move though and at last relaxed completely in Jimmy’s arms. Jimmy repeated the gesture and made him laugh again, “You have no room to talk.” He smiled, Brian laughed again.

“You two could probably find a janitor’s closet or something if you want.” Matt said getting up and stretching. Jimmy flipped him the bird and Brian stuck his tongue out at him. Matt snorted, “You lovebirds want any coffee?”

“Black.” They said at the same time. Once Matt was out filling their orders Jimmy nudged Brian, “I can’t feel my legs.”

“Sounds like a personal problem to me.” Brian mumbled, but got up and went over to check on Johnny. Jimmy groaned at the unfamiliar feeling of blood actually reaching his calves and thighs, Brian looked over shoulder at him and rolled his eyes, “It’s not that bad you wuss.”

Jimmy got up and stood next to him and watched the small bassist sleep, “C’mon Johnny, wake up.” He whispered gently running his fingers down his neck. Brian was quiet again, his good humor gone, “Why would someone hurt him so bad?” he asked hugging himself, “That blow to the head would have knocked him out cold, there wasn’t any reason to keep kicking him.”

Jimmy slipped an arm around his waist and tried to think of something comforting to say, but he didn’t know why someone would hurt him like that either, unless they just wanted to be cruel. He held Brian closer and opted not to say anything. Brian reached out and ran his fingers through Johnny’s short dark brown hair. His eyelids trembled for a second and then flicked open and quickly closed again, “Guys?” his voice was only a hoarse whisper but the fear in it was tangible. Brian didn’t stop his fingers but crouched down so he didn’t loom over the bassist, “Yeah, Johnny, it’s us.” He murmured. Jimmy considered crouching too, but his legs were still sore from holding Brian’s weight all night, “You’re safe Johnny.” He reassured gently wrapping his fingers around Johnny’s.

“I hurt.” He whimpered. Brian stood up and kissed his forehead, “I know baby.” He whispered. Gently Jimmy rubbed his thumb across his knuckles, “Johnny, do you remember what happened?” he asked. A shudder trembled his body and he licked his dry lips, “Kinda, I…waiting for Raven and I was gonna go inside to see what she was doing…I couldn’t move.” His breathing hitched and he shuddered again, Jimmy reached up and ran his fingers down the unbruised side of his face, “It’s okay, you’re safe.” He whispered. Johnny relaxed again, “That’s it…that’s all I can remember. I couldn’t move.”

Jimmy felt more than heard someone come up behind him. He spun around ready for a fight, and then relaxed, “Dammit Matty, can you make some noise or something when you come it?” he snapped. Unruffled, Matt handed him a steaming Styrofoam cup and also one to Brian. He went to the other side of the bed and crouched down next to Johnny, “Hey brat, how you feeling?” He whispered. Johnny’s eyes cracked open and closed again, “Everything hurts.”

Matt sighed and gently rubbed his neck, “I know,” he stood up and reached across the bed and pressed a button, “that’ll help. Night Johnny.” He whispered. Jimmy watched with alarm as Johnny slipped into unconsciousness again, “The fuck did you do?” he breathed. Matt didn’t answer for a moment, not until Johnny was asleep again, “Morphine. You two were getting dinner when the nurse explained it. Push the button and it gives him a dose.”

Jimmy relaxed, “Okay,” as long as the little bassist wasn’t in pain, “he said he didn’t remember who attacked him.”

“I think we know who it was.” Matt said quietly. Jimmy nodded, “He better pray death finds him before I do.”
*~*~*
When she woke up again the meager sunlight was stretched as far as it could across the floor. She rolled her neck and shoulders and gently prodded the sore spots on her abdomen, her ribs didn’t ache as much but her body was still stiff. Gingerly she stood up trying to stretch out the worst of the kinks. She considered taking off the ankle cuff and walking around the tiny room but quickly dismissed the idea, she could never get the cuff on properly in time.

She sat on the bed and stared at the door annoyed, he wouldn’t leave her alone yesterday and now when she actually wanted him in the small room with her she didn’t hear a peep out of him. Should she call him? Would he suspect something if she called? Was he even there? She muttered a curse under her breath and continued to glare at the door.

The door didn’t squeak open until the light on the floor was almost gone. She was dozing on the bed but sat up with her heart beating erratically. Creep walked in naked smiling broadly, bile rose in Raven’s throat but she forced it back. This could work to her plan’s advantage. She slid off the bed and did her best to look alluring, it was much easier with Jimmy and Matt, but whatever she did worked. Creep prowled toward her, the chain was heavy on her ankle and her fingers itched to grab it. She sat back on the bed and in a flash of movement he was on top of her, “It’s been so long Caitlin.” He whispered running his lips down her throat. She held back a shudder and instead slid her fingers down his side and hip, bringing her leg up and reaching further down until the cold metal touched her fingers. Chapped lips pressed against hers and a slimy tongue pushed into her mouth. She grabbed the chain and yanked it, with a loud clatter it pulled away from the wall and her ankle.
Creep stopped the assault on her mouth and jerked his head up in surprise. She whirled the cuff around and cracked him in the side of the head. The blow knocked him off of her and opened a gash on the side of his head. He was dazed but not unconscious, she cracked him again and his eyes rolled back. Quickly she cuffed his ankle and reattached it to the wall and darted out of the room.

The room she ran into was cluttered with ragged furniture and a coffee table littered with spare papers, magazines, and cans of beer. Further out, there was a kitchen with dirty linoleum and dishes spread out on the counter. She ran to the kitchen and searched the limited counter space and walls for a phone and found nothing. She ran back to the living room and did a cursory search of the clutter without seeing a phone, “Fuck it.” She muttered. She headed for the door and clawed at the various locks before yanking it open and darting into a hallway. She stopped startled and confused until she realized she was in an apartment, she shut the door and memorized the number and ran for the stairwell. She considered stopping to ask one of the neighbors for a phone, but how long had Caitlin been chained in that room? She couldn’t fathom her never attempting an escape, for all Raven knew the neighbors were in on the Creep’s plans.

She hit the street and cursed, non-too-quietly, and the homeless person sitting on the curb gave her a startled look. The street was deserted, aside from her homeless friend; the building across the street was boarded up but had been burned out before the fresh plywood went up, the other buildings on the street were tagged with several layers of paint and grime, the street was in desperate need of patching, and the sidewalk had knee high weeds growing up the plentiful cracks. The sun was on the horizon and quickly plunging into the earth the east was already a deep blue and the first of the stars were emerging.

Deciding to chase the light she headed for the sun at a sprint. It wasn’t until she was half a block away that she realized she didn’t have any shoes. Broken glass, rocks, and thistly weeds dug into her tender feet, she gritted her teeth and tried to avoid the sharp pieces but the street didn’t have any working lights and as night covered the city it became harder and harder to dodge them.

Gasping, limping, and hurting all over when the brightly lit oasis lit up the horizon, a twenty-four hour gas station. A somewhat hysterical laugh bubbled out of her and she pushed her aching body the final few blocks to the station. She stepped under the bright lights and limped over to the doors, once she was inside she made a beeline for the counter. The young man working watched her warily, “Can I help you?” he asked, one hand was under the counter and she could have laughed, the sooner the police found her the happier she would be.

“I was abducted.” She said without preamble, “Can you call the police for me, or give me a phone.” Her abdomen was aching again and her feet felt like they were on fire. The kid stared at her as if she’d grown another head and then his eyes narrowed, “Yeah…yeah you do look familiar, you’re the rocker chick that’s been all over the news.” He reached down and pulled out a cell phone and punched in three numbers and came around the counter, “C’mon, you can sit in the back while you wait. It might be awhile.” And then he turned his attention to giving the operator information.

The back wasn’t much, a steel desk and a rickety rolling chair and a closed circuit TV took up most of the available space. She sat down gratefully in the chair and examined her feet and winced, they were peppered with cuts and gashes, “Sorry, I didn’t know I was bleeding.” She whispered when she saw the bloody footprints leading into the room. The guy waved it off, “I’ve gotta do the floors anyway. The police should be here in like ten minutes.”
*~*~*
Jimmy jerked awake when his phone rang, he’d been in and out of sleep almost as much as Johnny during the day. Groggily he held the phone to his ear, before he could say anything the excited voice of a detective informed him that they had found Raven. Jimmy was out of the chair before his brain registered the movement, the detective told him Raven was on her way over to their hospital and would be there in an hour or so.

“Jimmy, you okay?” Matt asked tiredly, his eyes were sharp though and Jimmy nodded and tried to control his breathing, “They’ve got Raven, she’ll be her in an hour.” He breathed. Matt stood up too and even Brian roused himself, “She’s okay?” he asked. His eyes were a little bloodshot, the only evidence that he wasn’t sleeping well or often. Jimmy walked over and pressed a kiss to his forehead, “She’s okay.” He wasn’t sure how true that statement was, but if it would get his friend to sleep more than five minutes he’d tell him the moon was made of cheese.

Matt was pacing around the room like a big cat on the prowl, Jimmy watched him counting the laps and checking his watch ever two minutes. They had another ten minutes before the hospital would supposedly arrive at the hospital and then they had no idea how long it would be until they could see her. Jimmy bounced his head off the drywall in a steady beat to match Matt’s steps.

“Oh my God, both of you!” Brian hissed, “You’re driving me crazy, Matt sit down and Jimmy knock it off!” He closed his eyes again once the room was quiet. Matt didn’t sit down but went over to a corner to stand and sulk, Jimmy stopped banging his head against the wall and got up and started pacing. Brian sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his head in them.

An eternity later Johnny’s doctor came in, “Raven is on her way up, she wasn’t too badly injured a few fractures and some cuts but really, given what could have been done she’s in great shape.” He said as he looked over Johnny’s beaten body. He sounded cheerful but Jimmy took everything with a grain of salt, he would be the judge of how in shape Raven was.

Before the doctor was done scribbling things on his chart a nurse knocked on the door and came in closely followed by a police officer and Raven, two other officers remained in the hallway. Jimmy, Matt, and Brian pounced on her.

“Ow, ow, ow! Jesus Christ, down boys!” she giggled hugging each of them when they gave her some space. The doctor and nurse left the room and the officer, after dipping his head at Raven, also left, giving them some privacy. Raven wiggled out of the middle of the group and sat gingerly next to Johnny, the bassist made an indistinct sound but didn’t wake. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Matt stood next to her and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, “It looks worse than it actually is.” He whispered. Raven nodded uncertainly, “Bad enough.”

“He’ll be happy to see you.” Brian said standing behind Matt and wrapping his arms around his waist, the singer reached back and pulled him close. Jimmy stood on her other side and reached out and ran his fingers through Johnny’s short hair. “How bad are you hurt?”

Raven shrugged, “Nothin’ too bad. Two fractured ribs, minor concussion, bruises everywhere, and I tore my feet to hell when I got away.” She said looking down at the bandages. Jimmy scowled at the white bindings, “And they let you walk up here?” he said incredulously. Matt snorted, “I doubt they had a choice.”

Raven swatted at him but was smiling, “They wanted to put me on a gurney and bring me up here.” Her nose wrinkled in disgust, “Not gonna happen. If I can beat off a psychotic kidnapper I can walk my ass to the elevator and down a hallway.”

Jimmy chuckled and slid an arm around her waist, “Tough girl,” He murmured affectionately, “why don’t you lay down and go to sleep.” He gave her a gentle hug, careful of her fractures, and let go. Surprisingly she lay down without an argument and snuggled close to Johnny, she looked up at them, “What? It’s been a rough couple of days.” She said defensively and then she rested her head against Johnny’s and closed her eyes.
*~*~*
Jimmy woke up the next morning with a god awful crick in his neck and he groaned rubbing at it, he reached into a pocket pulled out his phone. He had a dozen voicemails, an ungodly amount of text messages and he ignored them all. They were all probably from Warner or reporters and he definitely wasn’t awake enough to be fielding their questions. He logged on to the internet, the people he was awake enough to talk to were their fans who they had been ignoring for the past couple of days. He felt a little guilty about that, but they really had other things on their minds, still, he could give them a quick update and it would give him a chance to organize his thoughts before he tackled the label’s questions.

Their myspace, predictably, was flooded with comments and e-mails, he stared at the daunting number for a second before opening the mail first. Most of them were clones of the first he opened, people wanting to know what was going on and if Johnny and Raven were all right. Twenty messages in though he came across one from Amelia. Hers was still concerned but said her teacher was ready to fix Raven whenever they got her back. He checked the date, it had been sent a day ago, he sent her one back telling her where they were and asking where they needed to be. He knew Raven would want to get this over with as soon as she could.

“What’re you doing up already?” Brian asked working out his own kinks and aches. Jimmy rubbed his sore neck again in sympathy, “Amelia e-mailed us, I think we can get Raven fixed tonight if we can sneak out.” He said. Brian woke up a little more and looked over to the comfortably sleeping Raven, “Surely you can sneak outta here.” He said. Jimmy chuckled, “No problem, we’ve just gotta get Raven out.”

“This could be your most challenging escape yet.” Brian snickered.

“Fuck off both of you.” Raven said snuggling closer to Johnny. Brian and Jimmy jumped and then laughed. Matt rolled his head forward and ran a hand down his face, “It is too damn early for you two to be up.” He muttered. Jimmy checked his watch, “It’s almost noon Shads, we’re right on time.”

Matt sighed, “What’re you waking the rest of us for?” he leaned his head back again. When Jimmy told him about the e-mail though he rolled it forward again and nodded slowly, “Okay, we can just say she needs to go to the bus to get some more clothes.” He said thoughtfully.
*~*~*
“Okay Raven, we gotta ditch the suit.” Jimmy whispered once they were on the bus. Raven gave him an annoyed look and he ducked his head with a devilish grin. The plan was for her to feign sleepiness, not anything that would be too difficult since she’d fallen asleep in the cruiser on the way over, and tell the cops she would spend the night on the bus with Matt and Jimmy.

Putting on her best sleepy baby face she poked her head out of the bus, “Hey guys, would it be all right if I stay here for the night?” she batted her eyes for good measure and after a short conference the two officers gave the okay. She strutted back onto the bus with a shit-eating grin on her face, “Done and done.”

Matt snorted, “Good, let’s give ‘em ten minutes and then we’re outta here.” He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her neck, “Or we could wait a little longer.” He murmured. She giggled and squirmed away from him, “Forget it horn dog, the sooner this gets fixed the less paranoid I’ll be.” She said. Matt sat on the couch, “Fine, fine.” He yawned. Jimmy came in a few minutes later tapping on his phone, “Brian says Johnny’s awake and feeling better.” He informed them, the bassist had slept heavily through the day, and Raven was glad to hear he was finally awake.

“You guys ready to go?” Raven when she thought she would go mad with waiting. Matt got up and Jimmy nodded and peeked out the window, “No black and whites.” He said. Matt led the way off the bus followed by Raven and then Jimmy, they had an hour and a half drive and then the fun would start.
*~*~*
Amelia bounced over to the car when it came to a stop and Raven got out smiling, “Hey, are you guys ready?” she asked, her excitement probably rivaled the other girl’s. Amelia nodded and skipped over to two other people that were standing in the small clearing. More carefully Raven, Matt, and Jimmy picked their way through the tall razor grasses, they were hemmed in by trees and bushes and the night was thick around them. Raven smiled at the two older women as they approached and held out her hand, “Hi, I’m Raven.”

A steel haired woman held out her own hand, “Elise, and this,” she said gesturing to the other woman, maybe a few years younger than her, “is Lee.” The other woman smiled and shook her hand as well. Raven looked around warily, the old feeling of being watched was back. Matt picked up on her mood, “What is it?” he asked looking around. She glared into the dense underbrush, he was out there, somewhere. She shook her head and opted to ignore him, “Fuck it, the sooner I’m a guy again the sooner he’ll crawl back into whatever hole he crawled out of.”

The two older women were looking around as well with narrowed eyes, Amelia was even a little subdued. Elise addressed Raven after a close scrutiny of the night, “I have to agree with you my dear, take your shoes off and step into the circle.” She said pointing to a circle of scraped earth that Raven hadn’t noticed before. The grass was still long around the edges, but once she stepped into it she saw that it wasn’t a massive circle, only about four feet wide but at each compass point there was a smaller circle, maybe a foot in diameter, that held different items. One had a dish of water, another had a pile of polished and rough rocks and crystals, another was filled with half-melted candles, and the last had rows of incense sticks stuck in the ground.

“All right Amelia, get everything lit.” Lee said handing a lighter to the young girl, she nodded and went over to the circles of candles and incense and quickly lit everything careful not to step into either of them and then scurried back over to her friends and the other women. Elise said something to Matt and Jimmy and they backed up a few steps with Amelia. Then she and Lee stepped forward and began chanting in a low droning manner. Apprehension twisted through Raven, the chant reminded her of the nightmares that had plagued her before her weird change.

The air around her began to hum and crackle with electricity, the longer the two women continued to chant the louder the hum and the more static the air became. The chant began to change, becoming more musical and the humming dropped an octave, Raven could feel it coming up through the soles in her feet. She swallowed nervously and told herself that as long as she stayed in the circle A) Creep couldn’t get to her and B) She’d be a guy again soon. Bright white mist began to creep up from the edges of the circle and surround her, she looked up at Amelia for some reassurance and the girl gave her a quick thumbs up and a smile. Raven returned the smile weakly and then yelped when the white mist coalesced into a wall of blindingly white light. She panicked when she couldn’t see Amelia’s reassuring face or her friends.

“Zacky, it’s all right.” A lilting female voice said. She blinked and looked around, there was no one else in the circle with her, just her and the whiteness. But there, in the wall of light a form began to emerge, she started to back up a step but froze, she had no idea what would happen if she hit the wall of light. So she stayed rooted to the spot in fascinated horror.

“Don’t be scared Zacky.” The voice said again, although this time she could see the face in the wall was speaking. The form took on life and suddenly Raven was staring at her mirror reflection, “Caitlin?” she whispered tremulously. The woman nodded, “It’s nice to finally meet you Zacky.” She said smiling warmly. Tears pricked Raven’s eyes and on impulse she reached out and hugged her. Caitlin laughed quietly and hugger her back, “Don’t feel guilty Zacky, nothing of my fate is your fault, and now that you’re free of him I am too.” She gave her a small kiss on the cheek, “Be happy little brother, I’ll be keeping an eye on you.” She gave him another kiss on the other cheek and then her solid form began to fade into the wall of light again. Zack watched her go and then the light became too bright to look and he squeezed his eyes shut. The light grew brighter and brighter until even with his eyes shut he could see it. And then there was a loud crack and the light was gone.

Jimmy stared at the column of light in awe and a little fear, Raven was in there somewhere and he had no idea if she was okay or not. He took his cues from Amelia though, and she seemed absolutely delighted by the turn of events and watched the light happily. He assumed that meant everything was going according to plan. He glanced over at Matt, the singer was watching the light with a wary intensity, like a lion not quite sure what to make of the torches of people. Then, as quickly it had appeared it was gone again with a thunderous crack.

Jimmy blinked to clear the spots from his eyes and shook his head to clear the ringing, when both senses finally came back he saw Matt was already at the boundary of charred earth and kneeling next to a naked form in the dirt. Jimmy’s heart thudded in his ears as he ran over to them.

“He’s okay Jimmy, just unconscious.” Matt said calmly when he came to a skidding halt next to him. Jimmy dropped to his knees and let out a breathless laugh when he saw familiar inked colors and designs on Zack’s arms, steel piercings glinted in the limited light the still burning candles cast. Gently Matt got his arms under him and hefted him up, Zack groaned quietly but didn’t wake. Probably a good thing. He thought, the shy guitarist would be mortified if he woke up naked and surrounded by people.

“Ah, I love it when a spell goes off without a hitch.” Elise said happily. Jimmy turned to look back at the women, grateful beyond words. They both looked exhausted but content, Amelia was once again buzzing around excited words bubbling out of her. Jimmy smiled and watched her pelt the two older women with questions. The scene was almost surreal after the light show.

“Jimmy,” Matt called pulling him from his thoughts, “can you get the door?” he didn’t look like he was having any trouble carrying the guitarist, but Zack had to be at least a hundred pounds heavier than his female form. He jogged over to the car and opened the back door for him, “Thanks.” He grunted. Once Zack was safely in the car he stood up, “We should’ve brought some sweatshirts or something.” He said. Jimmy shrugged, “Too late now, we should probably get him back to the bus before sunrise anyway.”

Matt nodded, “Let’s make sure they get out of here okay and then we’ll get back.” He said nodding toward the three women. Jimmy agreed and they waited for the tiny group to walk over to them.

“Do you three have a ride?” Matt asked when they were close enough. Elise nodded, “We parked the broomstick by the road.” She said. Jimmy and Matt stared at her unsure if she was joking. Amelia saved them, once again, and giggled, “That’s what she calls her car. We don’t actually ride broomsticks.”

Matt and Jimmy let out a relieved laugh, Jimmy leaned against the hood of the car, “We can drive you over.” He said. He still had the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. Elise and Lee looked around the clearing with sharp eyes, “That would be nice, but, give us a moment more and we can make the night a little safer.” Lee said. Then she and Elise said a quick line of words in unison, as if they’d rehearsed it.

From the bushes an angry yell echoed through the clearing and with the clamor of breaking branches the bland guy came stumbling into the clearing cursing and spitting out words and phrases Jimmy couldn’t hope to translate. Elise snorted, “All talk and no magic.” She muttered. Matt growled low in his throat and took a step toward the thrashing man, Lee caught his arm, “No need for that, we’ll take care of him.”

“Can you turn him into a worm?” Jimmy hissed. Lee laughed softly, “No, no, that’s all hocus pocus. But we can bind him.” She said.

“I hope it’s painful.” Matt growled still glowering at the man. Again Lee laughed, “No, no pain. But it will keep him from using magic for as long as he lives, and some time after.” She explained. “He will no longer hold power over Zack.” And with that she and Elise walked over to the now panting man without fear of his violent glare. As one they started another chant and the man’s eyes widened, “No! You can’t do that! You can’t do that! I’ve done nothing wrong!” he shrieked. They didn’t falter with their chant and, like with Zack, a mist started to form around him, this one was a light blue though. He continued to scream curses at them and strange chants but the mist continued to thicken. Then the mist twisted into thick bands of light and wrapped around the man’s body over and over again like a mummy. The bands glared brightly and then faded into his body.

The entire process took maybe five minutes and when it was over the man dropped to his knees moaning something about being a prisoner. Jimmy felt no pity for him and wished he could have bled some. Elise and Lee looked him over and then nodded satisfied, “Another success.” Elise said and then the two turned and walked back to them. Amelia was watching them with wide-eyed fascination, “This is the best night of my life.” She breathed. Jimmy looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. She caught him looking and blushed, “Two big spells in one night, it’s almost never done. Back in the day, ya’ know, when most everyone was pagan they would do big spells during holidays and stuff but now, there’s no reason to do it.”

Jimmy nodded but really had no idea what she was talking about. Matt addressed the two older women, “He can’t hurt Zack anymore?” he asked without taking his eyes off the still moaning man. Elise shook her head, “Nope, he’s harmless, magically at least, now he’s just a regular psycho.” She said cheerfully.

“Great.” Jimmy said a touch sarcastically. Lee chuckled, “The police will be able to find him now. The only reason they couldn’t before was because he was using cloaking magic. They’ll probably pick him up before sunset tomorrow.” She said. Jimmy nodded, “Okay, I can live with that.”

“You ladies ready to go?” Matt asked. The three witches nodded and they all got in the car. Matt sat in the back with Zack cradled on his lap, the guitarist was still out cold. Jimmy drove the three women to their car and thanked them for helping Zack. The two older women accepted the thanks but told them it wasn’t a problem, Amelia was thrilled to have seen her teachers in action and took that as thanks enough.
*~*~*
Jimmy dragged himself back onto the bus, behind him Matt had Zack who was fighting for consciousness but not quite there. Matt set Zack in his bunk and covered him with the blanket, the guitarist grumbled and snuggled further into the sheets. Matt smiled and stretched his arms, “I forgot how heavy he was.” He muttered.

“Go to bed Matt, I’m gonna call Brian and tell him everything is good again and then I’m crashing.” Jimmy coaxed. Matt looked up and smiled tiredly, “Good deal, I’ll see you in the morning.” He yawned. He pulled his shoes off and rolled into Brian’s bunk and dropped off into sleep. Jimmy smiled and pulled out his phone and hit Brian’s number. The sleepy hello came on the third ring, “Brian, it’s Jimmy, Zacky’s back.” He said. Brian made a surprised sound, “He’s back, he’s okay?” he asked in an excited whisper. Jimmy nodded though he couldn’t see, “Yeah, he’s passed out in Matt’s bunk but by morning he’ll be good as new.” He said.

“Thank god. I’ll see you tomorrow Jimmy.” Brian whispered. “Night Bri.” He said quietly.
*~*~*
Zack woke up the next morning with a start, the last thing he remembered was talking to Caitlin and then the blinding light…he rolled over and let out a strangled yelp when he rolled into air and then crashed to the floor. Matt was by his side before he even knew what was going on carefully pulling him against his chest, “It’s okay Zack.” He murmured. His soft voice relaxed him and after a moment he was reoriented, “I’m okay? I’m Zack?” but even as he asked he knew the answer, his voice was lower and looking down his naked torso he could see his flat chest and the colors of his tattoos.

“Yes, you’re our Zacky again.” Matt whispered. Zack turned in his arms and buried his head in his neck and closed his eyes, he smelled like Black Magic and cologne.

A/N: Tada! First off: Thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful reviews! You guys are, as always, amazing. Chocolate cake and ice cream for everyone :)

Secondly: I am going on temporary writing hiatus. I’ve got a full schedule this semester and I need to focus more on getting schoolwork done instead of updating fiction. I’m going to start on the next story, it just won’t be posted…probably until November or so. I’ll still be here reading and reviewing, because I can’t stay away, lol, but that’s about it.

Thank you again for reading and reviewing, much love!
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There's Something About Zacky