Beyond the Cabin

by Dana Ridenour

“Since you ain’t leaving this island, I reckon I can tell you. I got shot.”

  “Who shot you?”

  “A security guard.”

  “Were you robbing someplace?”

  “Naw. That dumbass pilot and his rich buddy got me into a mess. I had to shoot my way out.”

  “What happened?”

  “You sure are nosey.”

  Otis Ray poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down in the chair facing Lexie.

  “I’ll tell you what. Since you only have a few more hours to live, I’ll tell you what you want to know. Under one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You tell me who you really are.”

  “Deal,” Lexie said. Her voice hoarse and weak. “You go first.”

  “Okay, I’ll give you that one. What do you want to know?”

  “How’d you get hooked up with those two?”

  Otis Ray took a sip of his coffee.

  “Money. They offered me a deal I couldn’t pass up.”

  “Are you one of those Earth Liberation Front people that I read about in the paper?”

  “Do I look like some hippy?”

  “No, but I heard there were ELF terrorists in the area.”

  “There ain’t no Earth Liberation people in these parts. That was a story that the boss came up with.”

  “But why?”

  “That land development company was trying to build a bridge over to Spirit Island. The bridge would mean more people back and forth from the island to the mainland every day. We didn’t want any attention drawn to our operation.”

  “So you guys blew up the bridge to keep people away from this area?”

  “Bingo. You’re smarter than you look, girl.”

  “What’re you doing on this island? It has to be pretty profitable to warrant going after a company as powerful as GRI.”

  “You already know what we’re doing.”

  “Drugs?”

  “Ding. Ding. Ding. Give the girl a prize. Your turn. Who are you?”

  “I work for the FBI. I provide information to them about terrorists. I work for money, so perhaps we could broker a deal. I could provide the FBI with false information about the ELF. You let me go, and I’ll work for you.”

  “You mean like a double agent?”

  “Exactly.”

  Otis Ray flung his hot coffee in Lexie’s face.

  Lexie screamed in pain.

  Otis Ray grabbed Lexie by the hair, reopening the wound above her right ear.

  “You must think that I’m a complete idiot. Well, I’m not.”

  Otis Ray slammed Lexie’s head against the wall, causing her to nearly black out.

  “I’m not sure what I’m gonna enjoy more, fucking you or killing you.”

  “What childhood nightmare turned you into this person?” Lexie asked through gritted teeth. “You’re a monster.”

  Otis Ray clenched and unclenched his hand. Spittle formed in the corners of his mouth.

  “You don’t know nothing about me. You wouldn’t have survived my childhood, little girl.”

  Otis Ray paced and sneered.

  “My daddy came home drunk every night and wailed on me. When I was fourteen, I decided enough was enough. I shot that son of a bitch with the hunting rifle that he gave me for my birthday. The law let me go cuz everyone in town knew he was a filthy, no-good piece of shit.”

  Otis Ray reared back and slapped Lexie on the left cheek, causing her right cheek to hit the wall. He grabbed a handful of Lexie’s hair and pulled her close to his face.

  “In a few minutes, you’re gonna wish you were dead,” Otis Ray hissed.

  He stormed out the front door. A few seconds later, Lexie heard the outhouse door open and close.

  It was now or never. She pulled the ropes from her ankles and tried to stand. Her weakened legs couldn’t support her weight and she fell back to the floor. She felt a surge of adrenaline as she used the wall to pull herself up. Her legs gave way and she tumbled to the ground. The room spun. Not giving up, she pulled herself up again.

  Lexie heard the slam of the outhouse door. She grabbed the hammer from the toolbox and stood to the side of the door. Hammer raised, she waited.

  Otis Ray pushed open the door. Lexie swung the hammer with all her might. Otis Ray jumped to the side, deflecting the brunt of the strike. The hammer connected with the side of his head, but not with the force that Lexie needed. With his good hand, Otis wrenched the hammer from Lexie’s grasp and threw it on the ground.

  “You’re gonna pay for that, bitch.”

  Blood ran down Otis Ray’s face from the impact wound. Lexie ran for the door, but Otis Ray grabbed her and threw her on the floor. He kicked her in the ribs, causing Lexie to curl up, trying to protect herself.

  Otis Ray jumped on top of Lexie and forced her flat. He put his forearm across her throat. Lexie tried to roll him off her, but he outweighed her. Her eyes watered and obscured her vision. Lexie punched Otis Ray in his injured arm. He grimaced and released the pressure on Lexie’s neck, allowing her to jerk her knee up, slamming into Otis Ray’s genitals. He grunted and rolled off, giving Lexie the opportunity to scramble from his grasp. Lexie grabbed the hammer from the floor and hurled it at Otis Ray. Blood spurted as the hammer struck him in the face. Lexie grabbed the chair and flung it at him, clearing the way to the door. Out the door, running for her life, Lexie didn’t look back.

  Briars tore at her flesh as she stumbled through the thick South Carolina swamp brush, the harsh vegetation cutting into her exposed skin with every new step and movement. Sweat covered her body, stinging her eyes and open wounds, blurring her vision. Her breath came harsh and ragged, lungs ready to explode.

  Despite her weakened state, adrenaline and fear kept Lexie moving. She hoped she was moving in the right direction, having been unconscious when she was taken to the cabin.

  Lexie ran through the Lowcountry swamp, trying to avoid the massive, low lying cypress stumps and fallen dead logs. Her visibility was no more than twenty feet because of the thick summer growth. A quick left turn put her on a dirt path.

  Which way? Which way?

  One way led to freedom and the other led back to her captor. Lexie chose a direction and pushed forward. The rutted path made running difficult, but slowing down was not an option. Every muscle in Lexie’s body begged her to stop, but she ignored the pain. If she didn’t make it back to her boat, the truth would never be known.

  The stinging sweat burned Lexie’s eyes and obscured her vision. She didn’t see the hole in the ground. She heard a pop in her right ankle as it twisted and felt the searing pain surge through her leg as she fell. She writhed in pain and briefly considered giving up, but she knew her captor would derive great pleasure from torturing her prior to killing her. Her heart pounded in her chest. She heard his footsteps quicken behind her, leaves and twigs crashing in his wake. A sudden overwhelming feeling of dread came over her. Despite the nearly unbearable pain, Lexie pulled herself up and staggered forward.

  I’ve got to make it to the water. If I can get to the water, then I can find my boat.

  Lexie heard three popping sounds behind her—the unmistakable sound of gunfire. Lexie felt an excruciating white-hot burning sensation in the back of her left arm. She knew she’d been hit. She bolted back into the wooded area for better cover.

  Her abductor followed her into the woods. She heard him cuss as he stumbled and fell, but he continued his pursuit, spraying several more rounds in Lexie’s direction. Lexie heard the bullets whizz by her as she ran. She knew she couldn’t slow down.

  Not only did she have to survive the gunman chasing her, she also had to find her hidden boat. Lexie had long given up on receiving help from the FBI. No cavalry was coming to rescue her. She was on her own.

  As she stumbled through the thick vegetation, a branch caught her on the side of the face, nearly knocking her to the ground. She paused momentarily when she heard the lapping noise of water caressing the sho
re and realized that she had made it to the water’s edge.

  Where did I leave the boat? she thought. Fuck, this all looks the same. I can’t stay out here in the open for long. He’ll find me.

  Lexie tried to wipe the sweat from her burning eyes, frantically looking for a familiar landmark. She looked left, then right. Blood poured from the wound on her arm, the pain causing her to stagger. She recognized an old dead cypress tree off in the distance. Her refuge, if the boat was still tied to the tree. She knew she didn’t have a minute to spare.

  She picked the most direct route to the cypress tree. As she plodded through the marsh, she stopped to get her bearings. She felt a pull on her feet and legs, a strange sucking feeling—she began to sink.

  What the fuck? What is happening? Oh no. Please no. This can’t be happening.

  The harder Lexie struggled against the thick sludgy pluff mud, the deeper she sank. Weak, bleeding, and up to her knees in unyielding pluff mud, she felt a large hand brutishly grab her shoulder.

  I guess this is how it ends.

  26

  Lexie looked up, “Captain Meade!”

  “Put both knees down like I taught you,” Captain Meade yelled. “You need to make a platform for better leverage.”

  Lexie did as she was told, but the mud fought her every movement.

  “Grab onto the boat. I’ll pull you up.”

  The cavalry has come, Lexie thought, but only in the form of a ragtag boat captain.

  “Hurry, girl. We don’t have much time.”

  The pluff mud made a slurping noise as it reluctantly released Lexie’s legs and feet.

  Lexie struggled against the mud, but with Captain Meade’s help, she managed to climb into the boat. She collapsed on the floor of the boat. The last thing she remembered before she slipped into darkness was the roar of the motor as Captain Meade hauled ass out of the area.

  ***

  Lexie felt someone tapping her face as the darkness slowly released her.

  “Wake up. Lexie, can you hear me? Wake up.”

  Lexie forced her uncooperative eyes to open a slit. She was still in Captain Meade’s boat.

  “There you go. Open your eyes. Let me help you sit up.”

  “Water. I need some water.”

  Meade grabbed a bottle of water from the console area and held the bottle to Lexie’s lips. She grimaced as it touched her raw lips.

  “Here. Take a sip.”

  Lexie greedily drank from the bottle.

  “Easy. Don’t drink it too fast.”

  “Where are we?” Lexie asked, her voice weak and hoarse.

  “You’re safe. We’re at my cabin.”

  With Meade’s assistance, Lexie slowly sat up. He helped her up and onto the seat.

  “I’m dizzy.”

  “You’re also bleeding. We have to get you to the hospital.”

  “How did you find me?”

  “Logan called me when you didn’t show up for your date. He told me your boat was gone and you weren’t answering your phone. I remembered seeing you snooping around Cat Island a couple of days ago, so I went looking for you. I found your boat tied to the old cypress tree. I was fixin’ to come look for you when I heard the gun shots.”

  “Logan. They know where Logan lives. I need a phone.”

  Tears welled in Lexie’s eyes.

  “You saved my life.”

  “Yes, I did. Now I’m gonna take you to the hospital and you’re gonna tell me who you are and how you ended up on the wrong end of a pistol. And I want the truth.”

  “Okay.”

  “Let’s get you out of this boat and into my pickup truck.”

  “What about my boat?”

  “That should be the least of your worries. We’ll go back for it some other time. We’ve gotta bandage your arm and get you to the hospital. You’re bleeding like a stuck hog.”

  “Can you take me to my condo? I don’t have any kind of identification on me.”

  “We can stop on the way to the hospital.”

  Lexie tried to stand, but her body wouldn’t let her. The pain and injuries forced her back to the deck of the boat. Captain Meade lifted Lexie out of the boat and carried her to the house. He cut away her bloody left sleeve, revealing a nasty raw slice through the upper part of her arm.

  “It looks like the bullet grazed you. It’s gonna need a lot of stitches, but I don’t think anything vital was hit. Your head is more worrisome to me. It looks worse than your arm.”

  Meade went to the kitchen and returned with a mason jar. He poured the clear liquid on Lexie’s arm. Lexie jerked from the sting.

  “The shine will kill most of the germs.”

  Lexie nodded then tried to speak. Her voice barely more than a whisper. Captain Meade put his ear closer, so he could hear. “Can I use your phone?”

  The captain gave Lexie a cordless handset.

  “Do you … Do you have a phone book?”

  Meade opened the coffee table drawer and produced a phone book.

  Lexie managed a small grin. “I haven’t used one of these in years.”

  She reached over with her uninjured arm and with the captain’s assistance pulled herself up into a sitting position. She thumbed through the phone book until she found the main number for the FBI in Columbia.

  “I’m going to make a phone call, then I promise I’ll come clean with you. You saved my life and you deserve the truth.”

  Lexie punched in the number and waited.

  “FBI Columbia. How may I direct your call?”

  “This is Special Agent Alexis Montgomery. I’m working with Agent Don West from the Myrtle Beach RA. Can you please patch me through to his cell phone? This is an emergency.”

  “One minute, Agent Montgomery.”

  Lexie looked over at Captain Meade and shrugged.

  “Well, shut my mouth. I knew something didn’t add up, but I never thought you were an FBI agent. Good Lord.”

  Lexie heard the alarm in Don’s voice as he picked up the transferred call.

  “Lexie. What’s going on? Why haven’t you been answering your phone? Where are you?”

  “I’m going to be all right, but I’m headed to the hospital.”

  “Hospital? What’s the matter?”

  “I, ahh … I don’t know where to start. I was conducting surveillance on Cat Island. Long story short, I was abducted, beaten, and shot. Three people held me hostage: Otis Ray, the seaplane pilot, and some guy named Jack. The seaplane pilot and Jack left me on the island with Otis Ray, who beat me and tried to kill me. I escaped, but he shot me in the arm. Captain Meade found me, rescued me, and now he’s going to take me to the hospital. Otis Ray destroyed my cell phone and I don’t have any identification on me. I’m going to have to use my real name to be covered by insurance. Oh shit, I don’t have my condo keys on me. They took everything from my pockets.”

  Silence filled the air.

  “Don? Don, are you there?”

  “I’m here. I’m trying to think. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m talking to you, so that must be a good sign. But listen, they know where Logan lives.”

  “Who’s Logan?”

  “I rented my boat from him. He’s an innocent party and you have to get word to him to leave his house.”

  “What’s his address?”

  Lexie’s head ached and the room was spinning around her.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been to his place. His name is Logan Burkhart and he lives near Georgetown. Please Don, you have to send someone to his house immediately.”

  “I’ll call the Georgetown County Sheriff’s office and have a deputy go by his house. You go straight to the Waccamaw Hospital. I’ll stop by your apartment and pick up your ID from the safe. Is everything that you need in the safe?”

  “Yes. Bring my whole wallet please.”

  “Does the captain know your true identity?”

  “He does now.”

  “That’s a problem.”

>   “The man saved my life. I think my secret is safe with him.”

  “I’m not worried about him knowing. I’m concerned about his safety. Keep him at the hospital with you and I’ll figure something out. What’s his cell phone number so I can reach you?”

  “He doesn’t have a cell phone.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. He has a home phone with an answering machine. Says that’s all he needs.”

  “I’ll pick up a new phone for you and get a loaner for the captain, too.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  “Go straight to the hospital. Zach and I will be there as soon as possible.”

  ***

  Lexie’s head lolled to one side as the captain’s beat up, old pick-up truck bounced along the rutted dirt road. Each jarring movement sent white hot pain searing through Lexie’s body.

  “Sorry about that,” Meade said. “We’re almost to the paved road.”

  Lexie opened her eyes and looked at Captain Meade.

  “I’m sorry I got you in the middle of this mess,” she said.

  Meade looked over and smiled.

  “Wildlife photographer, huh?”

  “Captain, I’m afraid I may have put your life in danger. Otis Ray knows I’m friends with you and he probably saw you pull me out of the pluff mud.”

  “Don’t you worry about me. I can take care of myself. Those old boys come after me, they better come right.”

  “These guys are dangerous,” Lexie said. “They’re using that plane to run drugs. Otis Ray nearly killed me. He also tried to rape me.”

  Captain Meade swerved as he looked over at Lexie.

  “What?”

  “He tried. That’s when I escaped. But he’s a sociopath. He enjoyed torturing me. He would’ve killed me if you hadn’t been there to save the day.”

  “When I get my hands on him—”

  “No! Promise me you won’t go after him. He’s crazy. Please, Captain, promise me.”

  Captain Meade muttered something under his breath.

  “All right. All right. I’ll leave well enough alone. For now.”

  “At some point, I need to call Logan. I’m glad that he called you. I’ll have to get his number from you. Otis Ray smashed my cell phone and all my numbers were in that phone.”