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Chapter Five – And Then There Were Five

It didn't surprise them to see Cam dead on the floor, but it did surprise them to see Zach hovering over her with a rope tight in his hands. He looked up at them, eyes wide with fear, and then just like that he started panicking. Horror began to take a hold of him, and the team could only watch as he cried in despair.

"Zach," Hodgins began, the only one willing to strike up a conversation.

Zach cradled his head in his hands and shook with such force that the others thought the effects of the virus were finally beginning to take hold of him. "I… I… tried to follow her," he gasped out, "but she went to a room that I didn't see her go into. I couldn't find her, and then I heard struggling… Oh...I saw someone." He looked up at them, his eyes boring through them like an arrow. "I saw someone."

Hodgins knelt down, so he could see face to face with his friend. "Come on, Zach. It's okay. We can talk outside in the hallway." He gave a nervous glance at Cam, whose eyes held the same blankness as the others. But this time, Cam's death got to him. And quickly, before his sorrows and tears could break his mask, he held them back. so he could hopefully get Angela and him to live another day.

It took some time and reassuring from the others to get Zach out in the hallway, but once they did they all slumped down on the ground in defeat. If the other deaths hadn't got to them yet, Cam's death surely did. Only Booth stayed behind, desperately trying to sort out his feelings.

He blinked back tears and looked up at the ceiling as if the wall above held all the answers. "Why?" he shouted. "Why are you doing this to us?"

"Booth?"

He didn't have to look behind him to know who it was. "Yeah, Bones?" There was a crack in his voice and he couldn't help but to suppress a wince.

"I…I'm sorry." And then just like Angela had taught her, she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

It surprised him, he wasn't going to lie. His partner who was so bad at comforting people during times of loss was doing her best now. "It's okay, Bones." He turned his face, and she subconsciously moved her hand to his cheek to wipe a few tears away. When she realized what she'd done she pulled away, but he only snatched her wrist and pulled her back. "Don't… don't go…"

"Booth?" she asked, her voice filled with warning.

When he looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes were filled not with despair, but with hope and lust. "Bones, this might be the last time…"

"No. Not now. I can't… I can't deal with this now." And as quickly as that, she pulled back and raced out of the room, leaving Booth no option but to follow her.

-Bones-

"What did he look like, Zach?" Sweets asked calmly.

"I… I think….I…"

"It's okay," Angela added kindly. "Take your time."

Sweets, who was always the logical one, said, "Well, let's go over what we know."

And because he couldn't help himself, Booth said, "Zach, in the kitchen, with the rope."

Brennan narrowed her eyes at him. "You never did explain that to me," she pointed out, remembering the last time he made that joke.

"It's Clue, Bones. We went over this the last time."

"What clue?" She asked, annoyed. "Just because Zach was holding the rope doesn't mean he killed her. We should go about this logically –"

"I'd say it's pretty logical to say that Zach killed her with the rope, Bones," Booth argued.

Zach looked up at them accusingly. "I'm right here."

"Zach wouldn't kill Cam," Brennan whispered.

And before he could stop himself the words were out of Booth's mouth. "And what about the other man he killed, Bones? I think – just think – that if he killed one person, he could do it again."

"And what about you Booth?" Hodgins snapped. "How many people have you killed?"

There was a beat of silence, one that Sweets chose to break. "Zach didn't kill that man," he suddenly revealed, and every eye turned to him in confusion "Never did. It was all a lie so that he didn't have to go to prison."

Zach looked mortified by this little piece of information. "No… no…You can't break patient confidentiality…"

"What?" Brennan shot a glance back at her ex-student. Her eyes held nothing but remorse and Zach had to look away from her penetrating gaze.

Sweets scoffed in utter despair. "Zach, look around. Does it look like I care?"

"Well, no, but –"

"One of us is going to die, Zach. Maybe we both will. I just don't care anymore," Sweets spat out as silent tears fell from his face. The truth of those words sat heavy on everyone's shoulders and nobody could seem to push that fact aside.

"Sweets," Angela began, tears already forming in her own eyes. "Please don't cry. Don't cry."

"I'm just saying," Booth continued, "that Zach –"

Zach cut him off. "I think I know –"

"And what about you?" Hodings inserted angrily. "Where were you when Dr. Goodman died?"

Brennan took a step forward. "With me. He was with me the whole time."

"No," Zach said suddenly. "I was talking to you. But that's not the point. I think I know who –"

"No. It wasn't Booth," she said, though her voice was frighteningly on edge.

"I saw," Zach tried again.

"Enough!" Angela shouted. "Enough. Don't you remember what Cam said? This is what he wants. All of you just stop. Stop it! I can't… I can't do this anymore." It didn't take long for the tears to come and for Angela to shut herself off. Just like that. She even pushed away Hodgins.

"I know who it was," Zach managed at last, and just like that the room went silent again.

Booth, being the first to recover, took a step forward. "Explain."

"It… I think… it was... it…."

"For the love of God, Zach," Booth huffed. "Just spit it out!"

"Gormagon," he said in a mad rush. "Gormagon. I saw Gormagon."

"Gormagon?" Booth asked in a way that clearly said he disagreed. "You saw Gormagon?"

"Yes."

Booth's face contorted into pure anger. "You know what, Zach? That's just great, 'cause you know I just saw Puff the magic dragon not too long ago. Oh, and how could I forget about Hannibal Lector in the basement?"

Zach looked down to avoid his gaze. "I saw him."

"You know, that'd be great if the guy wasn't in jail," Booth snapped, and before he could do something he would regret, Booth took off down the hallway pulling Brennan away with him.

"No," Sweets said suddenly after they were gone. "Zach's right. I'm mean, Gormagon knows all of us right?"

"Not Dr. Goodman," Hodgins said.

Sweets shrugged. "Maybe it was spite."

"I saw him. It was Gormagon," Zach insisted.

"Then how did he get out of jail?" Hodgins asked.

"I don't know," Sweets told him honestly, "But then again, how did Zach?"

-Bones-

"Booth," Brennan scowled, "what the hell has gotten into you?"

He turned on her so suddenly that Brennan jumped back in surprise. His eyes were dark, almost phantom like, and where there should have been tears or hope, there was only despair and hopelessness. "What the hell has gotten into me? Me?" he snapped. "We are all dying and I can do nothing to stop it."

"Booth, it's not your fault."

"Then how come it feels like it is?" he asked.

"But it's not."

"Bones, you don't understand. How could you?" Booth met her gaze then, and as if that were all it took, he softened immediately. "I'm sorry, Bones. I'm so sorry. Do you know what it's like to not know if the person… the one you love is okay?"

She considered this. When Booth had been kidnapped by the gravedigger and when he was shot by Pam the only thought running through her mind was that if he died, then she would too. After all, you couldn't live for very long without a heart. "Yes. I know."

Her answer surprised him, but he gave her a weak smile all the same. "I became an FBI agent to save people," he told her softly. Sighing, he looked over her shoulder at the others and then locked his dark eyes with her icy blue ones. "But I should have named names."

-Bones-

"I'm so thirsty," Sweets rasped out. He couldn't remember the last time he drank or ate and the side effects of not eating dinner the night before were finally beginning to its toll. And unlike the others, who had eaten a good meal in the past twenty-four hours, he wasn't sure he could make it much longer. He was dizzy, dehydrated, and felt like he was going to collapse at any moment.

"There's a kitchen in there." Zach pointed to the door where Cam was.

Sweets swallowed hard. "Do you think there's anything in there?"

Zach shivered at the thought. "I'm not going back in there."

"Well, he can't go in there alone," Hodgins said.

Zach held up his hands in defeat. "No. I'm not going in there. Remember the last time I went after somebody? I'm not going."

Hodgins huffed as he hauled himself and the young doctor to his feet. Angela murmured something in her sleep. It hadn't taken long for the artist to collapse with exhaustion. "Fine. I'll go. Zach, stay here with Angela."

With some help from Hodgins, Sweets did manage to stand, but with that being said it didn't take long for a wave of dizziness to overcome him. As much as Sweets wanted to believe that it was only from dehydration, there was a little voice in the back of his head that told him it was the virus. Now, all of them were beginning to experience symptoms. They were minor effects, but they were there, which was just another reminder that they did not have enough time.

"In here," Hodgins said, closing the door behind them. They were careful not to look at or trip over Cam. The slightest of glances her way could have caused both of them to empty their stomachs of an earlier meal. "Check the fridge."

"There's nothing."

Hodgins waited patiently as Sweets searched the fridge and the various cabinets. "Keep looking. I'm sure there's –"

But he never got to finish his sentence because at that moment a hand latched over his mouth, muffling his silent pleas. Sweets, hearing the commotion, turned around. Hodgins watched the young man's eyes grow wide in fear, and there was no doubt in Hodgins's mind that Sweets recognized the attacker. However, before Hodgins even had a chance to fight back, the attacker slammed him into the nearest counter and he slumped down to the floor.

Hodgins felt his world turn into a blur; there was a warm liquid flowing down his face. He could still hear the sounds around him, but only shadows danced before his eyes. Sweets was struggling, fighting for his life, but no matter how hard he tried to call out for help, all he could do was to lie on the floor and listen.

And the last thing Hodgins heard before losing consciousness was that child-like rhyme.

"Six little friends, want to live another day,

They turned against each other along the way.

The rest remain with the wish to survive

But one lost his breath, and then there were five."

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