Part of the Pack (Daniel Sharman)

Hoechlin When You Need Him

"SHIT!"

Despite the times, everyone laughed. "My thoughts exactly, Dyl," I said to him, my smile fading.

Dylan looked freaked out of his mind, staring at the incoming wall. "We're screwed." He stated.

"Thanks for the optimism." Tyler said, stepping over the garbage to reach the closing wall. He pushed against it with his entire body, trying to stop its pursuit.

But it still pushes onward.

"Now what?" Tyler panicked, stepping back next to the rest of us.

"We're screwed." Dylan repeated, still staring blankly at the disaster in front of us.

Everyone ignores him. "We just need a plan B...." I told him.

"And what do you suggest?" Holland asked, crossing her arms.

I shrugged.

"Great!" Dylan said, exasperated. "Anybody got any better ideas?"

No one responded because no one did.

Finally-"Guys, maybe we should try to break the doorknob with one of the sharp objects in these bags..." Danny suggested, starting to rummage through the bags.

Dylan's eyes widened. "That's actually not a bad idea." He dropped down on all fours and started tearing the bags open, throwing useless garbage about.

We all joined them, except Holland, who refused to go through the garbage. I tossed aside random objects; cans, bottles, paper, dirty plastic utensils, banana peels, apple cores, anything that wasn't useful.

The wall was still approaching, and it might have been my imagination, but it seemed to be gaining speed as it grew closer.

My heart thumped wildly, trying to run out of my chest and save itself.

And then-"Whoever through this away knew exactly what was gonna happen to us." Danny's voice breaks the silence. We all turn, to see him holding up a half of a hammer, the top half.

"Perfect!" Crystal yelled, grabbing it and running to the door.

We all followed anxiously, staring at the door.

Crystal hammered away at the doorknob but nothing happened. All of the boys have it a shot, but it would not break or budge even an inch. We finally gave up when a scream form Crystal erupted throughout the room. "My foot!"

Her foot was stuck under a used animal trap, the blood from remnants of the captured animal seeping over her leg. "Help me!"

Tyler launched himself at her and tackled the trap, using all his strength to pry it open.

Crystal's foot popped out and she immediately grabbed it around her ankle and let out a breath of air. "Pfff."

"Are you okay?" I asked, dropping to the ground next to Crystal.

Crystal nodded solemnly, obviously not okay.

"Guys! Look out!" Dylan jumped and grabbed Crystal and I, dragging us back a few feet, away from the danger of the wall. My bare back scraped against something hard and pointy and I let out a small shriek.

"We need to do something! And fast!" Holland exclaimed, grasping Tyler and Dylan's hands for dear life.

I was still attached to Daniel's hand, but I was sitting in Dylan's lap, his arms wrapped protectively around me. His bare chest pressed against my back, making me shiver a little, his back to the wall.

Danny sat down next to him, shielding Crystal's body. Tyler plopped down too, pulling Holland into his lap, making sure she was blocked from the wall.

"You do realize," Crystal said slowly, "that you won't stop us from getting crushed, right?"

The boys exchanged glances. "Yea," Daniel said, tightening his grip on Crystal's body. "But at least we'll prolong it."

We sat in silence, watching the walls close in. They were considerably close, we could smell the grinding metal. There were only a few feet away.

"Guys," Dylan says shakily, "if anything happens, I love you guys. You're the bestest friends in the world."

Holland started to cry, her sons making her lurch in Tyler's lap. "Oh, Dylan," she said through tears, "we love you too."

Everyone was silent again, until Danny leaned over to me, his voice quivering. "Tessa?"

I nodded, not able to form a word.

"I love you, Tessalyn Thalia Tucker."

He what? I'm pretty sure my heart leapt clean out of my chest at that point.

And then, on that happy note, the walls reached us, scrunching us against the wall.

The three boys screamed, their bare backs getting scraped and scorched.

And then, it stopped pressing us in, it stopped moving, it stopped making noise. Everything stopped.

And then a gruff voice boomed from the open doorway, a hammer that looked oddly like Thor's in his hand. "No one gets away with messing with my friends."