Too Perfect
When
I regained consciousness we were still in the truck. I had no idea how
long we had been driving or how long I had been out.
“Hello?”
I said groggily, calling out to basically anyone.
“Lisa!?”
Brian's voice sounded urgent.
“Yeah?”
I replied still kind of out of it.
“Thank
God you are all right,” he said.
You
could hear the relief and emotion in his voice. I moved my arm while
adjusting position. I screamed as the pain came shooting back.
“Lisa?
Baby, are you okay?” Brian sounded panicked.
“I
think it might be broken,” I gasped through the tears.
I
could hear him shuffling toward me using the sound of my voice. Then I felt his
body next to mine. I could barely make out the outline of his
frame. I leaned against him. There was small comfort in being next
to him. Just his presence helped.
“I
just wish I could hold you,” His voice cracked, he had obviously been crying
too. Brian was so great. My heart ached slightly.
“I
wish I could hold you too,” I replied.
“Pathetic,”
I heard A.J. grumble.
“Pathetic!?”
Anita replied. “What the hell is wrong with you!?” she was practically
screaming now. “They love each other, they are supporting each
other. And you are doing nothing. I'm not even sure you care about
me anymore!” she finished.
I
was taken aback. Where had this ferocity come from? Something must
have happened when I was unconscious. Once again everyone was
quiet. I wished I could comfort Anita or tell her that A.J. did love her
he was just dealing different then we were. Or at least I hoped he
did. But I couldn't say these things with A.J. only a couple feet
away. So instead I simply asked, “How long was I out for?”
"I
have no idea.” Brian answered. “I have lost total track of time.”
“Me
too,” Anita said apparently having calmed down a bit. “But, it feels like we
have been driving forever.”
As
if on cue the truck stopped. We all tensed. At least if we had kept
driving they couldn't do anything to us. But now that we'd stopped
anything could happen. The door slid open and the light of the full moon
filled the truck. Jeff, Paul, and Rick walked in with pairs of
shears. For a sick moment I thought they were bizarre tools to stab all
of us with. Rick neared me and I filled with fear.
“Don't
bother trying anything,” he hissed as he cut the ropes.
I
didn't have the emotional or physical strength to do anything. Pulling
out a gun he ordered me to get up. I complied but almost immediately fell
back down. My legs were weak and numb from not moving for so long.
Rick grabbed my hurt arm and yanked me up, I wailed in pain. He pushed me
out of the back of the van. The raining had stopped but the earth had
been turned into one huge mud puddle. I barely managed to walk through
the muck.
Once
again we began a trek through the woods. It was more than apparent that
we were in the middle of nowhere. The air was cold and harsh from the
rain and I didn't even have a jacket. As I examined my arm I discovered
it wasn't broken but severely bruised. The black and blue colours looked absolutely disgusting. We walked for
at least another two hours. It was hard. We were already exhausted
from the first walk and our legs were weak. By the time a cabin came into view
the first light of dawn was peaking over the horizon.
The
four of us and the three men entered the wooden structure. It was a
fairly small cabin. There was one large room with two couches a coffee
table adorned with a lamp. Off to the far side was a small kitchenette
with a table and four worn chairs. To my left there were two doors both
open revealing a bathroom and a closet. The flight of stairs to my right
led to a sort of loft. You could see the hall protected by a railing,
which had two doors, presumably a bedroom and something else. They
ordered us to sit down on the couches.
“Listen
up,” Rick said to us. “Don't bother trying to escape. There is
nothing around for miles. You'd die in the woods before you found any
sign of civilization. Making this of course the perfect hideout.”
Then
he pointed the gun at me. The fear that consumed my body at that moment
is nothing that you can describe in words. I was certain I was going to
die. I heard the gun go off. I heard my friends cry out. I
waited for the pain to consume my body. But it didn't come. I
opened my eyes. The bullet was lodged into the wall behind me.
“Remember,
that could have been you,” he said looking straight at me.
At
that moment I almost did want to die. It was absolutely horrible. I
broke down into a fit of tears. Brian gently took me into his arms,
careful not to touch my arm. Gently he murmured words of comfort.
But at the moment there was nothing he could do to make me feel any better.
***
