Justin's heart races as he holds his breath. What the fuck am I going to do?. The footsteps had stopped and Justin knew he had to make his move. I need him to waste his bullets. I need to run...I need not to get shot. Fuck! He quickly scans his surroundings. The phone rings in the bedroom. Justin knows immediately who it must be. It was too late to be anyone other than Brian. Oh God, Brian... He needed to get out. He needed...a fuckin' miracle.

Crawling to the other side of the counter, Justin peers out to see where the gunman is. He draws back just in time before the bullet hits him. "Shit!" He hisses, taking his own gun and shooting blindly in the direction of the last shot.

"Missed me again."

Shit! Closing his eyes, he knows what he needs to do. I can do this. He knows he won't be able to make it out the front door: too many broken shards of glass and large pieces of wood to climb over. He'll shoot me before I can jump over the first fallen panel. No, he's only chance was running to the back of the sofa, and then back behind the counter. He'll definately waste all his bullets then...I just have to move fast...very fast. Swallowing hard, Justin pushes away the notion that he's exhausted and his head is killing him. He ignores the fact that his entire body is throbbing from being thrown backwards from the explosion. Just run. The phone rings again, startling Justin momentarily. His eyes immediately well with tears. This is not how it's going to end. I don't fuckin' think so: not like this. Taking a deep breath, Justin stares at his mark behind the sofa stay low to the floor...slide across if I have too...I can do this... Biting his lip, he nods to himself. Now. Taking off, Justin speeds across the room and dives under the couch as bullets fly past him.

Slamming hard against the wooden floor, Justin inhales sharply, trying hard not to scream. The man laughs, "Quick little shit, aren't you?"

I have to be. Justin stays down to the floor, listening.

"Here kitty, kitty," he teases, walking towards the sofa.

Without a second thought, Justin whizzes back across the floor, sliding down and behind the counter as one bullet actually manages to tear past his shoulder.

The pain didn't register at first. All he felt was coldness dripping down his arm. Looking down, he sees his ripped shirt and the blood streaming down his arm. Then the pain came. Oh my God, I've been shot!! He stares at his shoulder in disbelief. It wasn't a serious wound, but it hurt like a bitch. That fuckin' asshole! All Justin could feel was pure rage. That asshole shot me! He fuckin' shot me! Footsteps begin to make their way towards the counter and all the anger Justin had felt moments ago quickly turns cold as he freezes in his spot. Oh shit. He can't have more bullets...he can't. His gun must be empty. It has to be! Sitting up on his knees, he raises his head, aims in a quick glance and shoots. The man flys over the sofa, landing with a grunt. Did I get him? Did I shoot him? Silence. Oh fuck. Come on...make a sound! Anything... He waits. More silence. I know I didn't kill him. That much I know..but is he wounded? Is it safe to get up? Justin wills his hands to stop shaking as he cautiously crawls to the corner of the counter. He couldn't see anyone. Justin's heart raced in his ears. The sound was deafening. Fuck...fuck...fuck... Carefully, he scoots a bit farther out. I only have one bullet left. He must be out. He has to be. Maybe I can make a run for it...maybe I can run out and call Brian?... but Brian is in a fuckin' plane! Who can I call?... Names and faces swarm in his mind when suddenly he hears a sound.

Ducking back behind the counter, Justin waits. The man's footsteps sound heavier. He's wounded. Thank God for small favors. Holding his gun up, Justin knew this was his only chance. Jumping to his feet, Justin shoots as the man dives over the counter and tackles Justin to the floor. "Oh shit!" Justin screams, falling backwards. His head slams against the marble floor and lights dance across his eyes.

Immediately pushing the man off him, Justin tries to roll to his side, when his arm is grabbed. Oh shit, he's alive! The man takes hold of Justin's throat and for the first time Justin is able to actually look at his assailant. His brown eyes are cold, and it's at that very moment that Justin believes that there really is a devil: and that devil was in this room, slowly taking his life away from him by pressing down on his throat.

Arching his back, Justin tries to make the man lose his balance, however all he it ends up doing is making the man lie over him. He grins, "I'm going to enjoy watching you die."

With all his strength, Justin throws his head forward, slamming his forehead against his enemy. His opponent stumbles back, rolling to his side. Ignoring the horrific pain in his head, Justin jumps up, grabbing hold of the counter for support. Oh fuck..that hurt...that fuckin' hurt! Before he can make a run for it, the man grabs Justin by the ankles, knocking him back down to the floor.

Landing hard, Justin comes to the sudden realization. There is a good chance I might really die tonight. His enemy quickly grabs hold of Justin's elbow. Oh shit! Squirming, he tries to move away, knowing that in this position, the man could easily break it with the backside of his hand. Kicking his leg out, Justin kicks his heel against the man's' temple. The stranger falls, disorientated for a moment, but quickly tackles Justin once again before he's able to get to his feet.

Justin screams. He screams for three reasons. 1. To confuse his enemy 2. To take in more oxygen in his bloodstream and thus affording him more strength 3. Because he didn't want to die

On his stomach, Justin tries to wiggle free from the larger man's grasp. Twisting his body around, Justin sees that his enemy's thigh is bleeding profusely. Ah-ha! That's from when he jumped over the sofa. I knew I shot him! Bending forward, Justin jabs his finger into the assailant's wound. He screams in pain, releasing his vice on Justin and tumbling backwards.

Justin quickly backs away, struggling to his feet only to be slammed down once again. "Oh fuck!" Trying to push the man off of him, Justin feels a hard vest under his enemy's shirt. Shit, he's wearing a bullet-proof vest! No wonder I didn't kill him when he flew over the counter!! This was why Justin usually aimed for the head or throat. Shit..shit...get the fuck off me!!! Fists fly from both directions as the two men throw punches at one another, trying to overpower each other. Justin finally manages to slide away long enough to jump to his feet and take a few steps back.

"You've got spunk: I'll give you that," the man says with a half-smile, wiping the blood off his mouth.

Justin narrows his eyes, keeping his chin down and feet spread shoulder-width apart. On the balls of his feet, Justin bends slightly at the waist and stares the man down. I'm ready. I will not go down without a fight. I will not go down at all.

The man chuckles, amused. "You want some more?"

Bring it on.

Still smiling, the man walks to the side of the counter, not taking his eyes off Justin.

Justin runs through his possibilties. Eyes to blind; Nose to break, temporarily blind or maybe even kill; Adam's apple to die; temple to possibly die; upper lip to lose consciousness; ears to deafen or kill; spine to paralyze, kidneys to kill... okay then...aim for nose, throat, temple and kidneys. I can do this.

He watches the man open one of the drawers and pull out a knife.

Shit. Justin was nowhere near a knife. He reaches for the coffee maker. Good enough for now.

The man laughs softly, and then charges at him.

Trapped in the kitchen, Justin slams the coffee maker against the man's outstretched hand and they both collide against the other side of the counter. Justin remains steadfast on his feet.

Knife still in a now-bleeding hand, he tries to stab Justin in the throat while Justin holds the man's wrist back. No..no...no... The larger man was much stronger than Justin, and Justin knew he had to act fast in order to get away.

Standing on his toes, the knife's direction lowers to his sternum. You will not kill me. Meeting his thumb with his other hand, Justin presses both thumbs against the back of his opponent's hand, bending it at a right angle.

His opponent hisses, releasing his grip and tipping forward as the knife falls to Justin's feet. Justin immediately kicks the man in the groin. He falls forward and Justin knees him in the stomach before slamming the heel of his hand against the man's spine. He falls to his knees, and Justin runs.

He makes it to the debris near the loft entrance, when he's tackled once again to the floor. "Ow!" he shrieks, his knee landing on a broken panel. The man grabs Justin by his injured shoulder, twisting it. Justin screams in pain, closing his eyes. Reeling from the pain, he tries to ignore it and fight on, but the man rolls him over, punching his jaw. Oh God...stay awake! Stay awake! His mind spins and he blindly pushes at the man with one arm as the other lies limply at his side.

Laughing, the man snatches Justin by the hair, throwing him across the floor. Justin slides and slams against the kitchen counter. Oh God...please...eyes, just open... Justin struggles to remain conscious. Opening his eyes, he watches the man limp towards him, the blood dripping down his pant leg. Justin pushes himself up with his hand. This isn't over. Reaching for a shard of glass, Justin cautiously stands up. His movements were slow, but now so were his opponent.

The man grins, ignoring the blood sliding down his forehead and into his eye. "I must say, Justin, I am truly enjoying myself."

Sick bastard. "Who hired you?"

He laughs, and Justin knows that he won't learn the truth. At least not tonight..if he survives tonight. He watches the man pull out another knife from the cabinet.

Justin tightens his grip on the shard of glass in his hand, causing his palm to bleed. Stay focused.

He charges at Justin, and Justin quickly moves to his left, stabbing the man in the shoulder as they both tumble to the floor. Justin gasps in pain as the man's blade pierces through his stomach. "No..." Justin tries to scream, but no sound comes out, only a muted cry. The knife is pulled out, and then stabbed in once again. Justin doubles over in pain, his entire body throbbing. Forcing his eyes to stay open, he spots another piece of glass on the floor from the broken coffee maker.

With all his strength, he reaches for it, trying to stab the man in the throat but missing and cutting his cheek. The man laughs, punching Justin in the face. Blinded, Justin doesn't move. In fact, he isn't even sure if his eyes are still open. But his hearing remains, and what he hears brings all his energy back in full force. The man's knife cuts through the air, and Justin, still holding the glass, stabs it in front of him, hoping and praying for a hit.

The man gasps, dropping the knife and covering his throat as he starts to choke on his own blood. Justin's vision begins to return and he quickly pushes the man off him. His opponent falls back, dropping to the floor, spitting blood before his eyes glaze over. He was finally dead.

Justin closes his eyes. He felt cold. No... His head felt light. No...I can't...I can't die...this isn't right...no... He could no longer feel his own body, just coldness. He fights to stay awake. Please, no...this isn't over...this isn't over...I have to stay awake. I have to get up. I need to call for help. I can't die. I can't die. No matter how hard he tries, his eyes won't open and the blackness begins to overpower him. Brian... Opening his mouth, he tries to speak. Brian...Brian...Brian, I love you.