I couldn’t believe it. Why was he surrendering to this man? “Franklin… You can’t do this…” I was about to step forward when he suddenly sprang into action.

In the blink of an eye, he had his arms wrapped around Dean’s legs, yanking him to the ground.

He fell with a loud thud, his phone slipping from his hand and sliding along the floor. Knowing it was the source of his power, I quickly grabbed it, holding it tightly in my hand. I tried to tinker with it, but there was a six-digit code to unlock the phone. Thinking it would be better if it was just turned off, I held down the power button.

Before it could shut off properly, the two men rolled right into me. I lost my balance, falling into a nearby chair. I hit my head on the edge of it, the phone dropping from my hand and landing underneath the desk.

Dean tried to grab it, but Franklin stopped him, jerking his arm behind his back, threatening to dislocate it. Dean groaned in pain before he snapped his head back.

Crack!

Blood flowed from Franklin’s now crooked nose. He blinked, looking disoriented.

Dean once again reached for the phone, but this time, I stomped my foot into his hand. This only angered him. He grabbed me by the ankle, pulling me to the ground. Once I was close enough, his arm snuck around my throat, choking me.

I gasped for air, desperately clawing at his face, trying to free myself. He just held on tighter and tighter. I feared he would crush my windpipe.

“Franklin…” I whispered.

To my relief, he heard my cry for help, swooping in and kicking Dean’s head.

He immediately let go of me. I sputtered, trying to suck in much-needed air. My body was spasming.

I felt Franklin reach out for my hand. “Are you okay?” he asked, quickly looking me over for injuries. “You need to get out of here… I’ll take care of Dean.”

Click.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge at the sound. Slowly, I turned my head and saw Dean standing there, gun in hand.

“Don’t move, either of you, or I swear I’ll kill you both. I tried to be nice, but obviously, you two don’t want to listen to me when I’m nice. Now, both of you, down on your knees,” he growled, already pressing the gun to my head.

I whimpered, feeling the barrel against my skin. “Please… you don’t have to do this.”

“No, you’re right. I don’t have to – I want to. I want to see the two of you suffer.” He spat the last word, his teeth barred like some sort of a rabid dog. “Now, on your knees!” he shouted.

With no other choice, we both kneeled before him. I could tell that Franklin was planning something. I could see it in his eyes. For now, it was best to just play along.

Dean started to circle us, the gun still pointed in my direction. “Now, which one of you should I kill first?” he mused.

“Let us go, Dean, and I’ll make sure that this is all forgotten.”

In a flash and with a blur of gray steel, Dean slammed the butt of the gun against Franklin’s forehead. The blow was so strong that Franklin toppled over, blood spilling from the gash.

“What have you done?” I cried out, rushing to Franklin's side. Even as I shook him, he wouldn’t respond.

Was he dead?

Dean started to laugh. “I didn’t expect him to go down so easily. I should’ve known how weak he really was.” With these words, he grabbed me by the elbow, yanking me to my feet. “Come on, I think I’m going to have some fun with you.” He grinned, his lips leaning toward the side of my neck.

With all of my might, I tried to get away, but his hold was like that of a steel vice. He just laughed like a madman as I pounded my fists into his chest.

“You killed him!” I screamed, tears flowing down my cheeks. I was hysterical, trying to avenge Franklin’s death, but no matter what I did, this man wouldn’t so much as flinch.

He continued to laugh, his eyes painted with hues of insanity. “Oh, you’re going to be fun to break,” he snickered, roughly grabbing me by the chin.

I jerked my head, but he held on tight, his lips approaching mine.

“Stop it!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, but he still advanced. My stomach churned with disgust. This couldn’t be happening. This had to be some sort of a cruel nightmare. Why wouldn’t I wake up?

“You’ll learn to love it…” he whispered. “Trust me.”

All of a sudden, we were both tackled into the nearby wall. Franklin had risen from the dead. He grabbed Dean by the hair, pulling him away from me. Punch after punch flew in his direction. The gun went off, exploding into the ceiling. The two men wrestled for it, like two bears fighting in the forest.

I watched in horror, trying to think of a way to help. In that moment, I felt so useless.

All of a sudden, Dean managed to hit Franklin with an uppercut. The blow was meant to stun him.

Before anyone could stop him, he flew through the door. His footsteps thundered through the apartment as he made his getaway.

I was so stunned that I could not move.

Franklin, however, was quick to spring into action. He took my hand and started to run. We bolted down the stairs, going so fast that I nearly lost my footing. Outside, Dean was already getting into a car.

He peeled away from the sidewalk before we could reach ours.

“Get in!” Franklin yelled, already rounding to the driver’s seat. “I’m not letting him get away this time.”