The old white, wooden door with peeling paint was strange against my hand after all this time away. I had grown accustomed to the loud metal door from the Northside. At this moment, I missed it.

Slowly, I pushed the door open and stepped into the large bright room.

Time seemed to freeze.

"Spencer," growled Matt who grabbed my arm immediately throwing me into the middle of the room. "Where the fuck have you been?"

I stumbled and landed in the floor. My body tensed in anger. I shoved myself from the floor.

"Not here," I snarled, glaring him.

Eddie appeared from the kitchen, his eyes wild and bloodshot. He wiped his arm across his dripping nose. He had taken a line of snow. His dark brown eyes were fixed on me. He stepped over and grabbed my arm, yanking me up. His strength almost ripped my arm from its socket.

He swung his fist, and connected with my face. His fist was hard against my jaw. A loud crack rang in my ears. Pain shot through my neck. He dropped me back to the floor. I grabbed my jaw, holding it. Blood filled my mouth. An iron taste on my tongue took over my whole mouth. I spit it out onto the floor.

"That was for choosing a bitch over your brothers," he spat at me, kicking me in the leg.

I glared up at him, a strength filling my chest. "Is that all you got, bitch?"I growled in response, attempting to push myself up.

Eddie shoved me back down. My body slid across the force from his power. I slammed into the wall, exhaling a loud breath.

He cracked his knuckles."Oh, you want more, Spencer? Trust me, I can give you more," he snapped. The rush of the fight heightened his high.

He picked me up, slamming my back into the wall. His eyes were filled with a crazy rage. He swung his fist again connecting with my nose easily snapping the cartilage beneath his knuckles. Blood leaked down my face. It coated my shirt. He dropped me back to the floor like a rag doll. His foot connected with my side, causing me to curl into the fetal position.

Matt grabbed his shoulder. "Eddie. Enough."

Eddie looked at him, his breathing heavy as his jaw locked. He turned to look back at me. "Little bitch. Better be glad," he said, wiping his hands clean of my blood against his pants.

My eyes followed him. Matt moved towards me, and motioned for someone to retrieve Cayden. Michael disappeared around the corner that lead to the hallway.

"Cayden has been waiting for you for a long time, brother. I am sure he can't wait to hear of your arrival," Matt said, gripping a fistful of my hair.

I struggled against him, but he gripped my hair tight. His thick arm wrapped around my throat and breathing became difficult. "I'm sure he has. Distance makes the heart grow fonder," I gasped.

Matt growled, growing annoyed by my games. "Fuck, I wish I could just snap your neck right here, Spencer," he said, glaring down at me.

I struggled against him again. Voices echoed in the hallway.

Then he appeared.

I met Cayden's eyes as he rounded the corner. The raging sea of anger crashed against my chest.

Cayden was flanked by Rodney who had a wide grin on his face. Rodney wore a red bandana around his forehead, pushing his dreads back. I growled, but was unable to move.

Cayden looked different than the last time I had seen him. His hair was gelled into a mohawk that ran down his head. His tattoos extended onto his face instead of halting at his neck. A gold chain hung around his neck, matching the golden gun protruding from the top of his pants. He puffed on a cigarette. When he saw me in Matt's grasp, an evil smile crept onto his face.

"I am so glad you decided to come to us. I really didn't want to waste my energy trying to bring you back," he snarled, his dark eyes filled with pure hated.

"Fuck you, Cayden. Fuck everything you stand for," I barked.

Rodney lurched forward, but Cayden stuck a hand out to hold him back.

"Chill. Let him get it out. This is between me and him," he said, glaring at Rodney before continuing," I warned you the day I initiated you what would happen, Spencer. You were tied to the gang for good. You would be loyal. You would do what was asked of you. Well, look what has happened... You ignored my warnings. So, looks like we both fucked up, huh?" he asked, tilting his head as he blew a deep gray smoke out.

I snarled at him and pushed against Matt's arms that held me firmly in place. "No, Cayden. You fucked up. You've never seen true leadership. You are a worthless son of a bitch. You keep secrets, and you lie. You've killed innocent people just to get revenge on someone. You can't blame Jeff for leaving. You wanted out too."

"I do blame him for leaving. He was my brother. He was supposed to help me," he growled.

"You don't care about anyone, but yourself."

Cayden laughed as he dropped his cigarette onto the floor of the apartment and smashed it with his boot.

"Oh. So, you've spent some time with our allies in the north and think you have it all together huh?" he growled, stepping forward to put his eyes level with mine.

I spat blood out onto his face.

Anger filled him. His brown eyes flickered. I could see the demon hiding inside him. The same ghostly look I got that night he told me about James. He reached forward to wipe the blood off his face before bringing his knee up to my stomach hard, causing me to double over in pain.

He grabbed my chin, his fingers wrapping around my face."Such a waste. You would have been a perfect OG until that bitch corrupted you."

I winced in pain. My jaw was still sore from Eddie's previous punches. "She just showed me the flaws in your system," I snarled.

"Is that what you think, Spence?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded my head before he continued to speak.

"Let's take a poll then. Who in this room thinks this gang is in shambles like Spencer here believes it is?"

The room remained silent. Nobody moved. Their eyes remained on Cayden as he let out a laugh, thinking he'd won. Suddenly, a hand flew up. My eyes widened.

Mason stepped out in the open. "I do..." he responded.

Cayden turned his head. His eyes narrowed on Mason. "Mason? Really?" he scoffed.

Alex and Tex grabbed Mason by his arms and pulled him forward to the front of the group, tossing him on the floor by me. My eyes flickered to him as he pushed himself up. His face was plastered with worry. I struggled against Matt. Cayden paced back and forth in front of us, his heavy boots caused the floor to creak.

"Cayden, can we fucking get this over with?" I snarled, causing Matt to tighten his grip around my throat.

Cayden hissed as he stepped over in front of me. His hot breath was against my face. "Don't talk to me like that, Spencer. Don't forget who your boss is," he spat.

I stared him down. "A liar."

Cayden glared at me, but a dark evil smile spread across his face. "You know Spencer, I've missed this grit. You always got shit done. It'd be nice to have you back. We can start fresh." He held his hand out to me as he looked at Matt.

As Matt's grip loosened, I took in a deep breath. I rubbed the back of my neck as I stared at Cayden's hand.

I looked at him and took a step back. "No." I shook my head. I refused to do this any longer.

A look of confusion flickered across Cayden's face as he pulled his hand back, resending his offer. His piercing eyes narrowed on my face. "Excuse me?" he snapped. His teeth ground together. Mason's weight shifted beside me.

"I said no, Cayden. I want out. I'm done here. I am ready to move forward with my life." I said, motioning around the room. "I don't want to be apart of the brotherhood any longer." I reached to help Mason up off the floor.

Mason looked at me got to his feet. For once in my life, I was being the one looked up too. I inspired him with my touch; his eyes said what words could never say. He was transfixed in the moment. He looked to Cayden with his fists clenched at his sides.

"I'm done too."

Holiday and Damen had entered the room while we were speaking. They stared at me from their spots on the wall. Damen looked nervous while Holiday nodded in approval.

"Well, if that's the case..." he said, flicking his hand to Tick in the back of the room.

Tick yanked open a drawer in the kitchen and pulled something out. It was made of metal and shimmered in the few rays of light. He strolled over beside us. There was a jab to my neck. A thick liquid was pushed into my skin. My vision blurred. I lost control of my body. Dizziness swarmed me. My eyes landed on Cayden's form.

His words echoed in my ears. "It's time for the pit." It was the last thing I remembered before the darkness consumed me.

                                                                              ~

My body was shoved against the cold, rough concrete. I ran my fingers along the cracks. Breathing was difficult. I gasped for air. I still couldn't see. Thick fabric was tied across my eyes, blinding me from my surroundings. Heat radiated beside me. There were heavy footsteps against the concrete. I had lost time, but I wasn't sure how much. It could have been a few minutes or a few hours. I reached my hand out and hit something. I ran my fingers along the object. It was smooth and warm like a person's skin. Then he spoke.

"Spencer?"

It was Mason. "Yeah bro. It's me. You ok?" My voice was strained.

"Yeah. I just have a headache. I'm not sure what's happening," he mumbled. He was jerked from his spot beside me. He groaned in protest.

I reached my hand out further, but felt nothing. "Mason!" Someone grabbed my arm and yanked me in the opposite direction.

An evil laugh came from the mouth of my assailant. I struggled against the grip before being thrown in a wood chair. The cold, hard chains were tied around my wrists and ankles. They rubbed my skin and restricted my movement. Then, there was Rodney's voice. His lips were against my ear.

"You have no idea how much I am going to enjoy this, pretty boy. I've been waiting a long time for this moment. I want to watch you suffer," he breathed. A sharp blade sliced my bicep.

I gritted my teeth and let out a groan. "Fuck you, Rodney," I snarled.

My muscles tightened. There was blood gushing from the cut. It was warm and sticky as it dripped down my arm. The evil laugh filled the room again. Then it fell silent apart from the crackling of a fire. The fire had to be the source of the scorching heat that filled the room. Beads of sweat swelled on my forehead and rolled down my face. Cayden spoke. I would know his voice from anywhere.

"Tonight, my brothers, we gather to lose two of our own. They were weak and unable to uphold the rights and laws of our brotherhood. They became traitors of our secrets and unworthy of our support. They wish to leave our brotherhood. They wish to wash away their ties."

I struggled against my chair, but the chains constricted around me. They held me firmly in place. I thought back to Adrienne. Her blonde hair and blue eyes. Her soft pink lips. The smell of summer and coconuts. I thought to her encounter with Nix. She endured three days of torture and months of suffering. If she was strong enough to survive that, I was strong enough to survive this one night. I could do this. For her and for us. Cayden started speaking again.

"They wish to rid their minds of our memories and rid their bodies of our mark. They wish to leave us behind."

Random shouts echoed in the background. The fire seemed to burn hotter. It was like a monster being fed. The nape of my neck became wet with sweat. My shirt was ripped from my body, exposing my chest and back to the room. I gripped the arms of the chair, my nails digging into the rough wood. The speech continued in the background. He recited from the Bible.

"Then, I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection." he said, a dark tone filling his voice.

It burned. The heat raced across my skin. I couldn't stop it. The pain had an unpleasant warmth to it, eating at my stomach. There was nausea too, just enough to cause me to grip the chair tighter. My breathing was ragged. I prized myself in ignoring pain, but that wasn't possible right now. It owned me, dominated every thought, controlled every action. I couldn't see what had touched the skin on my back, but it spread across my skin like a wildfire. I struggled vigorously against my chains. They rattled, but all I could focus on was the screams coming from across the room. Mason. His torturous screams filled my ears. If I had the ability to shiver, I would. The fire dove deeper beneath my skin. I was being burned alive. My skin melted and bubbled beneath the flame. Then suddenly, the heat disappeared. But the sting remained. I was raw. My breathing was heavy. I wanted the pain to lessen, but it remained. I gritted my teeth as I fought to stay awake. My brain wanted to shut down. It wanted to welcome darkness, but I fought it.

This is for Adrienne. Adrienne. She's waiting on me.

The blood curdling screams across the room never ceased. They mutated into a shrill, a painful screech which shattered glass back into the sand it was made from. The piercing cry dug deep within me, going through anything and everything. I dropped my head. What had I gotten Mason into?

Cayden's voice came back. "The fire of the Devil will cleanse your body of your affiliation with the gang. It will take away the growing infection you believe we have planted on you."

I ground my teeth together. Rough hands forced my back against the wood chair. My raw wound was scraped against the chair. I yelled out as I pulled hard against the chains. I wanted to break free from my torture.

Cayden spoke from the Bible once more. "And throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

The fire returned, but this time it came across my chest. The burning happened again. It raced across my skin and threatened to consume me. It wanted to swallow me whole. I wanted to let it. I wanted it to end. The putrid stench of my burning flesh flowed into my nostrils. I tried to turn my head to avoid it. The pain returned in increasing in waves, small lulls giving false hope of an end. Each peak stole my ability to speak, sending pulses through my body. My blood had become acid, intent with destroying me from the inside out. All I could do was writhe, the occasional whimper escaped to echo off the walls. To my luck, the fire was removed once more.

But the process continued for what seemed like an eternity.

For a moment, my eyes flashed open. I wanted to see again, but I remained blinded. Losing your sense of sight is like losing connection to the world around you. I was thrust out the of the chair and onto the floor, my raw exposed wounds rubbed against the concrete. I flinched in pain. The agony was unreal. I struggled to remain conscious. Strong hands grabbed my throat, easily cutting off my air source. I gasped as I dangled there, helpless and limp. The next sound made my body immediately recoil because I knew pain would come next.

"Let us take a moment to remember the sins of the un-loyal. Let us put you to rest for good." Mason's cries started again.

Then they were cut short. Silence overtook the room. My dark lashes brimmed heavy with tears; my hands clenched into shaking fists, in a desperate battle against the grief. A lone tear traced down my cheek, the first one in ten years. Was Mason was gone? I feared for my life. Doubt crept into my mind. Why did I ever believe they would let me live?

I gasped for air. My lungs emptied faster than they filled. The anticipation was killing me. I was dropped from my dangling position. I hit the ground hard, attempting to catch myself with my hands. A large boot shoved me down against the concrete. It hovered above my left arm. I struggled weakly to pull my arm away. The boot twisted, and there was a sharp crack. I groaned out in pain. I lost feeling in my arm. A warm body knelt beside me, grabbing both my arms and tying them behind my back. The zip tie was tight enough to cut off circulation. Cayden's voice returned as he quoted the holy book again.

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit."

It was cold. The blade met my flesh, soft and pudgy, and made an agonizing squish as the tip of the blade sank deep enough to my stomach to make me scream. He twisted the blade, allowing it to sink deeper and deeper. My skin was tearing to shreds as the knife rotated. My breath caught in my throat as my body arched up. I ground my teeth together, fighting back a groan. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of my pain, but it was growing unbearable. The taste of iron overwhelmed my mouth. I tilted my head to the side to cough it up. The jagged blade was jerked from my stomach, but the sharp sting returned in a different place. Over and over. It was a never-ending malicious cycle. His breathing was hard. The cruel laugh consumed him.

He shoved the the blade into my stomach. "You were weak, Spencer," Cayden snarled.

"No, Cayden..." I mumbled, trying my hardest to form words.

His hand wrapped around my throat. He squeezed. "What was that?"

"You are weak..." I breathed out, spitting out more blood. " You turned into exactly the man you always swore you hated."

Cayden snarled as he lifted his hand around my throat. He slammed me back against the pavement. I expelled a breath. He thrust the knife into me again.

"I would rather be him then be dead."

I shook my head as I gasped for what little air I could get. "At least I will die trying to be the man I want to be."

He growled. His anger could be felt with the twist of the blade as he yanked it from my body. The darkness crept back into my mind. I was too weak to fight it anymore. I'm sorry, Adrienne. I love you.

Then, it all went black.