"This is why you should always check the fucking backseat before getting in the car," Karmin hissed at Maddox as they drove through an unfamiliar road surrounded by trees.

The entire drive so far was silent and tense. Karmin had turned on the radio to ease the feeling of looming death, but pop music only did so much. As a matter of fact, the songs only made Lance more murderous with his snarky remark about the failing music industry.

"How was I supposed to know that two murderers would be back there?" he whispered to her frustratedly.

Karmin glanced back briefly to see Lance glowering at her. Ares on the other hand was lounging in the back seat as if they were driving to a cute little picnic, and not their tombstones. She smiled at them awkwardly to turn back around and muttered, "Well, maybe if you did, we would know."

"Why didn't you?" Maddox questioned back as he glared at her.

"Because..." she hesitated, "I was busy planning out our slumber party."

"You should start planning out our funerals, instead," he retorted.

"If either of you have any cultural or spiritual funeral requests, do let me know," chimed in Ares. "I'll be sure to pass them on."

"Oh great, we have an inclusive, culturally sensitive gang leader. Never see those, nowadays," grumbled Maddox with a scowl.

Karmin smacked his arm, mouthing him to stop talking. She shifted to face Ares once more and started by saying, "Listen, we're sorry for... um," she faltered, unsure of what to say.

"For backstabbing me and trying to get me arrested?" Ares said with a raised brow. "It's a little too late for that."

"Is there anything we can do to make it up to you?" she choked out as her fingernails bit into the palm of her nails. "A bouquet of flowers? Maybe a Starbucks gift card?"

"Stop offering gang leaders Starbucks," Maddox said, exasperated.

"Everyone loves chocolatey beverages," she fired back.

He shook his head at her. "I'll start fighting for you, too," Maddox added.

"Those sound like great propositions," Ares hummed, "but you know what's even better? Death."

"I thought you might say that," she sighed as she sank into the passenger seat. She kept her eyes wide open to look for any sort of sign that would tell her where she was, but she had lost track fifteen minutes into the drive with the insane number of turns.

"Take a left here," grunted Lance.

Maddox obliged, taking a sharp left onto a dirt road. The drive was uneven and rough as bushes and branches scraped the car from the sides. Thick trees and foliage formed a web-like cage, preventing her from seeing the dark sky. The night was deadly quiet, and there was nothing in sight for miles.

They drove for a few minutes with nothing special catching her eye. Everything looked the same. Navigating their way out of here wasn't going to be easy. Only if they managed to escape in the first place.

"We're here. Turn off the car and give me the keys," barked Lance as he stuck his hand out for their only means of transportation.

Maddox gripped the keys tightly as his jaw clenched angrily. But eventually, he shoved them into Lance's hand with the pointy part of the key scraping into his palm.

Lance winced slightly, causing Maddox to smirk and carelessly mutter, "My bad."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Karmin's face from his petty behavior. However, her lips turned down when she heard Ares slam the door. She glanced up to see him waving, gesturing for them to follow.

"Get out," instructed Lance.

With one last fleeting glance at Maddox, Karmin swung open her door, her feet landing on the dirt ground. It was a chilly night as her eyes wandered around her surroundings, but Lance pushed her forward. Well, that was rude.

She glared at him but kept her mouth shut as she started to stumble down the path. Talking wasn't going to get her out of this. Karmin walked up to Maddox, keeping him in close proximity as they followed Ares and Lance down the trail.

"Do you know where we are?" she whispered to Maddox as she kept her eyes forward.

Maddox shook his head but quietly said through the side of his mouth, "I have my phone. They probably think we're home, so I just need to find the chance to call my Mom or even Cesar."

"I'll take care of that," she said shortly as they stumbled through the foliage of trees. Lance kept a sharp gaze at them as he trailed slowly behind.

"What you're not going to do is talk and get yourself shot because you annoyed Ares," remarked Maddox.

Karmin rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering the courage to speak up despite Maddox's comment. They no longer had the ability to make a swift escape with the car and running through the woods sounded risky. Cardio wasn't her forte and she would most likely give up and let Ares take her.

Not to mention the notion of getting hunted and tracked down in the forest was giving her serious Katniss Everdeen vibes. She had always thought she could survive The Hunger Games with her quick wit and skillful moves, but honestly, she wouldn't make it a day in the woods. Karmin had never gone camping once in her life. Brown people didn't do that shit, and she would probably be the contestant that died from a lame situation. Death by poison berries was an embarrassing way to go.

"Shouldn't you be on your way to Mexico?" called out Karmin before she could convince herself not to. "I think killing us should be the last of your priorities. If I were you, I would pack my bags and get out of New York. Right, Maddox?"

Maddox sighed and glared at Karmin tiredly. "You make me want to rip my hair out," he muttered to her.

She ignored him and repeated, "Right, Maddox?"

"Yeah, right," he agreed with a bored voice. She poked him in the side for him to continue, provoking a scowl out of him. "I'd personally go to Greece or something. I think Mexico is too basic."

"Don't worry about me," drawled Ares as they stepped into a clearing. "I assure you that once I kill you, I'll be leaving the country."

Karmin gulped nervously. She really wished he was one of those gang bosses that would keep their upcoming death a secret. Having someone straight up tell you they were going to kill you was chilling.

The wall of trees had finally cleared, opening into a body of water with a small, broken down pier. The wood was decayed and looked as if it would crumble at the slightest weight. Moss and weeds entwined the legs of the short bridge as a ladder with lost handles led down to the calm lake. There were a few waves here and there, but it was nothing like what she was feeling inside.

"Sit down," ordered Ares as he rolled up his sleeved of his black coat. He jutted his chin out to a pair of large boulders that sat by the edge of the woods.

Karmin slowly sat down with Maddox slumping into his seat, and his hands shoved into his pockets. He had a permanent frown on his face, and frankly, he looked terrified. She was betting that she had the same expression on her face.

"I feel like we should talk about this," Karmin said with her voice shaking. "In a respectful, non-murderous way. Communication is key in any relationship, after all. Even if the relationship involves two impressionable kids and a wanted criminal," she chuckled stiffly.

"Should you really be preaching about communication? From some of my men, I heard that you two were having a rocky relationship," retorted Ares with a raised brow.

"What?" Maddox asked with his brows scrunched up in puzzlement.

"Something about Maddox over here being confused with the things he likes. I think pie was brought up in that conversation," he explained with an amused smirk.

"That was entirely Maddox's fault," blamed Karmin with a shrug as her face burned with the idea of My Brother's Keeper gossiping about her relationship. I guess everyone loved to gossip, no matter their profession.

"Yeah?" Maddox pressed with a low voice. "You could've said something without being passive aggressive."

Karmin kissed her teeth, giving him a side-eye. "Do you really want to start something?" she threatened. "Right before we're about to die?"

"Sounds like the communication still isn't there," snarled Lance from his position by the pier.

"Oh, fuck you, Lance," Maddox scoffed with a frustrated sigh.

Lance grunted, taking a few aggressive steps towards Maddox, only for Ares to stop him with a simple wave. "But you are correct, Karmin. We should talk about this," he said.

"See, I knew you weren't irrational," she smiled awkwardly.

Ares grinned, pulling out his gun from his back pocket and clicking off the safety. In the silent night, the sound boomed in her ears.

"Let's start with how you got Cesar to help you."

***

Author's Note:

Hi everyone!

I hope you all liked this chapter! It was a fun one to write hahaha!

I only have a few more chapters to write and I hope I get the chance in between classes and homework. Just next week, I got two midterms, two assignments, and a presentation... yeah, so we're over here trying not to have a mental breakdown.

Have a great week... I know I won't lol

Until next time - m.k.t