Youngbloods of the World, Stand Up and Fight

The Pheonix

The ever present thud of her heart against her chest made Hope even more anxious. Just a few hours ago, she was getting ready to perform with a Fall Out Boy cover band. Now, she was helping Fall Out Boy literally save rock and roll. It was enough to make her excited to no end, and also make her want to throw up at the same time.

Patrick must've noticed all the color draining from her face as they walked out of the building, because he offered her an encouraging smile as they neared the front door. "Hope, you just need to relax. Look nonchalant. Don't break stride as you walk. Remember: the key to confidence is to act like you own the world."

She smiled back, nodding. "Thanks, Patrick."

"Anytime."

Biting her lip, Hope reached forward, and put her hand on the doorknob, but hesitated to open it. After a second, she whirled back around to face Pete, who was standing right behind her, as she took a piece of paper out of her pocket. "Pete, if anything happens to me, at all, go to this address. The garage will likely be open, there'll be a band playing. Talk to the guitarist. She can help," she said, shoving the piece of paper into his hands. Without looking surprised at all, he nodded, folding the paper up and tucking it into his pocket.

"Good luck, you two," he said, as Hope and Patrick both stepped out of the house. Without another word, the door was slammed shut, and the two were standing in the street alone.

"We'll come and get you as fast as we can," she said quietly, looking up at him, while hugging the case to herself. "I promise."

Patrick just smiled. "I know you will. Now go, before it seems too suspicious."

She nodded once, and then turned, walking in one direction while Patrick walked in the other.

Almost immediately, she reached for her headphones, and put one in, turning on The Phoenix as she walked down the street.

Don't look back, don't turn around. Don't look back, don't turn around, she continuously repeated to herself in her head. Any moment now, she expected to hear the sound of a taser, followed by a thud, but the sounds never came. Starting to grow the slightest bit anxious, she quickened her pace, making her short-term goal the next street across.

Just as she was about to step onto the street, her legs were kicked out from underneath her.

With a half-scream half-yelp, Hope fell to the ground, scraping up her palms and elbows in the process. The sound of low laughter sounded above her as she felt her backpack get ripped from her back and her body yanked off the pavement.

"You think you're so smart, but guess what? We are too," a soft, feminine voice whispered in her ear.

In the event of pure panic, Hope did the only thing she knew how to do.

She screamed.

Obviously caught off guard, the woman tried to silence her, but she only struggled more and more as she was dragged backwards.

"PATRICK!" Hope shrieked, still kicking back at her captor. "PATRICK HELP!"

At the other end of the street, Patrick heard the screams echoing across the space. Feeling his heart skip a beat, he instantly turned and started sprinting in her direction, going as fast as possible.

"PATR-" she gurgled as the woman securely clasped a hand over her mouth as she moved backwards towards a black van that was parked on the edge of the street.

Hope could see him running down the sidewalk, but she knew it was hopeless. No way he could get there in time.

Before she knew what was happening, the van door slammed shut in front of her, and the entire world went black.

~~~

"I'm such an idiot!" Patrick exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table, before burying his face in his hands. "I never should've even considered dragging fans into this, let alone a kid!"

"Pat," Pete said quietly, putting a hand on his best friend's shoulder, "She seems like the kind of kid who has and can put up with some serious crap. We'll get her out of there."

He shook his head, still hiding his face from the rest of the band, utterly mortified. "I told her not to worry. I told her, that everything was going to be fine. And now look at the mess we're in."

"She knew the risks, but she did it anyway. The kid's got guts. That's all she needs," Joe mumbled, although he himself didn't sound too convinced.

"It doesn't matter if she can handle it or not. What matters, is that we need to rescue her before anything bad happens," Andy piped up. "We can't waste time blaming ourselves. What we need to do, is get out there, and fix this. Make sure Hope is safe, then worry about the briefcase."

"Which is why, we're going to do this," Pete said, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket, and laying it on the table in front of them. "On this paper, is an address where we can find one of Hope's friends. She told me, before she left, that if anything happened we should go here, and speak to the guitarist. Another Youngblood, I'm guessing."

Patrick slowly looked up, his eyes laying to rest on the paper. "And then what? Just five of us can't stand up to the cult alone. Even if the person we're looking for is worth their salt."

"Which is why, she's not the only person we're going to be looking for."

The three of them fell silent, all pairs of eyes staring directly at Pete.

"What are you talking about?"

"We can't do this alone. That's a no-brainer. We need more Youngbloods. Daring Youngbloods. People that can help. If we have more of us, the cult doesn't stand a chance."

"Pete, are you insane?" Patrick questioned, looking up all the way with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "We already lost one, we can't lose anymore."

"Patrick's right, Pete," Andy agreed, scratching the back of his head. "I don't think it would be wise to drag more people into this..."

"They don't have to come," Pete said, crossing his arms. "Just like Hope didn't have to come. She just did. Because she wanted to. And we need to honor that bravery by doing everything we can to get her back."

Silence blanketed the room, for a good five minutes before someone finally said something.

Patrick stood up, crossing his arms and looking Pete dead in the eye. "Alright. Where are we heading, then?"