Vibrations

by Wood, Lorena

  “It’s right in that drawer,” the boy said, using his eyes to indicate which one.

  Whitney focused her mind and tried to absorb energy from the boy and Nick. They wanted to save her. They were trying to help her. The boy was scared to move but he was trying to help. She rolled herself over and got onto her hands and knees.

  “That’s it. You can do it.” Nick said, busy trying to free himself even though he wasn’t making much headway.

  Whitney crawled toward the desk and smiled down at the boy. As she leaned over him and put her hand on the desk she realized her bare breasts were right in his face. “Sorry”, she whispered. The boy giggled a little.

  Nick laughed. “Quite a sight for a little guy.”

  “Nick hush! He’s just a kid.”

  She stretched up and opened the drawer. It was full of knives. Grabbing two small ones she crawled back toward Nick. She was starting to get her strength back but she needed more time. Even if she got them loose, they were all in need of medical attention. How could they fight a madman?

  Once Nick’s hands were free, he put his arms around Whitney and held her. Leaning back he ran his hand over her cheek. It was turning black and blue already. He wondered if the blow to her head had caused a concussion. Giving her a soft kiss, he let her help cut the rope from his feet.

  “You did it,” he said when the ropes were off. “Now you just rest and I’ll get us out of here.”

  He finished freeing the boy and did a quick search for weapons. The only thing he found was the drawer with the knives. He helped Whitney get dressed and put on her boots.

  “Where’s my shoes?” The boys question came out in a tearful whisper.

  “We’ll have to find them later honey.” Whitney took his hands and pulled him to his feet.

  They both looked at Nick.

  “I saw him go out the back,” Nick said stuffing the knives in his pockets. “We have to risk it and go out the front door. Be as quiet as possible and quick as you can manage. We’ll all help each other.”

  They held their breath as Nick opened the door. So far so good. Nick lifted the boy into over his shoulder and carried him off the porch. Whitney followed. He put the boy down when they were past the tree line. Nick decided going back on the trail was a bad idea, so they started heading west down the other side of the mountain.

  “We’re heading away from the search parties,” Whitney complained. She didn’t like that idea.

  “I know. I’m sorry. We can’t risk going back the way we came. I heard helicopters this morning. If we can get to an open place maybe we can build a fire. We can’t sit in the open because he’ll probably come after us with that rifle of his.”

  Chapter 17

  Nick was determined to get them back safely. He’d rescued them from the madman. That was the hard part. Now he just had to get them back to the search teams. The problem was that his legs felt like rubber and his head was spinning. He concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other without letting the pain show on his face. The boy seemed to be doing better. He was walking on his own and talking about seeing his mother again. Whitney seemed to be getting her strength back. He just had to keep up.

  Whitney watched Nick struggle to keep going. She knew he was at the end of his reserves, and she didn’t know how to help. She wanted to let him sit and rest, but they were too close to the cabin. Derrick would be looking for them, and they had to find a place to hide.

  They were halfway down the mountain when they heard him screaming. Dustin dropped to the ground and curled into the fetal position.

  “He’s coming. He’s going to get me again.” The boy’s eyes were staring off and Whitney couldn’t get his attention.

  She touched his forehead and spoke softly, “It’s okay. He’s far away and he won’t find us. Let’s get up and find a good place to hide until the police come to help us.”

  His eyes fixed on hers and he started crying. After a hug and some encouraging words he stood and agreed to keep moving. Whitney took a few steps and turned to see why Nick wasn’t in the lead. She saw him dragging his injured leg with his good hand, but the next two steps were too much and she saw him crumple into a heap on the ground. Her heart clenched as she ran back to Nick, realizing the loss of blood and bullet wounds were finally catching up to him. He needed help just to lean up against a tree.

  “Come on Nick. We’re almost there. You can do it.” She was trying to wrap his arm around her shoulder to pull him to his feet.

  “No sweetie. I can’t,” he said softly, pulling his arm away. “I’m sorry,” he said brushing the tears from her cheeks. “You need to take the kid and go find a place to hide. You can’t carry me and I just can’t go any further. I’ll try to rest and maybe I can catch up with you later.”

  “No. I can’t leave you here. He’ll be looking for us. I’ll drag you if I have to.” She pulled on his good arm again but he didn’t budge.

  “Whitney, you know you wouldn’t get far. And we’d make too much noise. Help me get to that big tree and cover me with some leaves. I’ll sit quiet and hope he can’t find me.”

  Whitney was crying now. “Nick, I can’t. I can’t leave you. I love you and… I just can’t.”

  “You have to. You have to save the boy. It’s your job. And you couldn’t live with yourself if you didn’t.” He tried to push to his feet but his legs still wouldn’t work.

  Whitney had to drag him to get to the large tree where he wanted to go. Helping him slide down until he was flat on the ground, she covered him with leaves. The boy sat rocking back and forth on a stump and she knew he was going into shock. His mind wasn’t able to handle the horror any more, and it was shutting down.

  “I’ll get the boy to safety and I’ll come back for you. You’d better stay alive for me or there’ll be hell to pay.” The laugh that came out was hollow and forced.

  “I’ll be here. Just get going. If I feel better, I’ll try to follow. Let me know how you’re doing. And Whitney…if anything happens to me…keep going. Remember I love you and I want you to keep going.”

  “Just don’t die. You hear me?” She stood up and made sure she couldn’t see him under the leaves. Tossing more leaves and branches on the path they covered their tracks.

  She silently sent him her good-bye. “I love you Nick. I’ll be back.”

  “I love you too. Get out of here.”

  Whitney and Dustin hiked swiftly down the side of the mountain. It was tough going through the brush. They made sure not to follow a trail so Derrick wouldn’t be able to follow on his ATV so easily. Whitney sensed that trying to get the boy to talk would be fruitless, so she let him walk in silence. She was glad he was able to walk and keep up. He probably hadn’t eaten in days and would soon be wearing out on her too.

  At the bottom of the mountain Whitney decided to risk it and head back toward the search parties. Derrick would probably pursue the same route, but she had to find help. She kept checking on Nick and looking for Derrick with her mind. She couldn’t find him, and that worried her. Maybe he’s just meditating to try and fool me. If he is, then he won’t be able to follow us.

  “Maybe he got so mad he shot himself,” she thought hopefully. No. They would have heard it. She would kill him herself if she could. She had never felt quite like this. At first she had felt sorry for him, but knowing all he’d done, leaving Nick behind in his path, and having had his thoughts in her mind, she felt sure she could pull the trigger if given the chance. She’d never handled a gun, but she’d pull the trigger and try her best.

  They were heading toward another steep slope that wound back up to the rim. It looked like a long hike. She needed to get somewhere and make a signal for any planes and helicopters to see. They terrain was starting to climb again when she became aware that Derrick was moving. He was trying to keep his mind clear, but his anger was flashing around him like a beacon. He’d loaded up the ATV with weapons and was heading down toward Nick.

  Whitney tried not
to panic as she encouraged Dustin to try and go faster. They climbed for a while until they found a boulder to hide behind. Whitney told him to sit by her side while she took a little break. She sat quietly and linked to Nick.

  “How ya doing big boy?”

  “I itch all over. I think I fell asleep for a while. How long has it been?”

  “A couple of hours now.”

  “I feel a little better. I was thinking of trying to move farther away from the cabin.”

  “No. Just stay there. He’s on the move now. He’s coming your way.”

  “Thanks for the heads up. I won’t move a muscle. Are you out of the way?”

  “We’re heading up the rim. It’s a long hike from here. We walked around the bottom of the mountain you’re on and headed southwest. Now going up again. I’ll try to signal for help when I think the boy’s safe.”

  “Wait Whitney. Not yet. Get farther away. I can’t help you now and he could find you first. Keep going and don’t worry about me.”

  Nick sat quietly trying to listen for the sound of an ATV. They hadn’t followed the trail, so he would probably go in the other direction, but Nick knew he wouldn’t give up easily. He heard a plane in the distance and tried to will it to find Whitney and Dustin. The plane droned away in the other direction, and it was quiet again.

  Another hour passed and Nick couldn’t take it anymore. He spent his time thinking about Whitney, her house, her body, and even her birds. Then he pictured Teddy’s reaction when he’d heard Nick was missing. He’d probably think Nick had it all under control but he would still be up on the mountain searching for him. Nick was sore and tired, and extremely thirsty. He had to get up and move. The leaves were tickling his nose and he desperately had to relieve himself.

  Another plane came by and was heading in his direction. Nick thought about jumping out and trying to flag them down. He wiggled his feet to be sure he could move them and then listened again. Suddenly he froze in place. It wasn’t a plane. It was an ATV. He tried not to move and hoped he hadn’t wiggled the leaves off his legs.

  “Whitney, I can hear him. Are you there?”

  “Yes, we’re taking a break now. He won’t find us here. Be careful Nick. He knows we’re not on the trails.”

  “I heard the ATV, but it’s quiet now.”

  “He’s on foot. He’s following the messed up leaves and broken twigs we left behind. He knows how to track and he’s heading your way. He knows the woods Nick and he’s found our trail.”

  Nick was hardly even breathing as he listened for footsteps in the forest. They hadn’t been very careful getting down. His injured leg had probably left a trail pointing right to his hiding spot. It had been dragging pretty bad right before he collapsed.

  “It’s hard to believe I’m a detective right now,” he thought. “I’m so stupid! I just left a perfect trail for the killer to follow. At least Whitney and the boy will be safe.”

  The birds were chirping and the bugs were starting to crawl over him. He was sure that if something crawled into his pants trying to get out of the sun, he’d have to move. He was busy listing all the poisonous insects in Arizona when he heard the leaves rustling. After listening for a while he thought maybe he’d imagined it.

  “Whitney. What’s happening? I thought I heard him close by.”

  “Nick, he thinks he’s onto you. You both seem like you’re in the same place. Be careful.”

  * * * *

  Whitney couldn’t stand it. Nick needed her and she was running away. Derrick wouldn’t follow the boy if she went back. He was too obsessed with her at this point. She tried to make Dustin understand she was going back for Nick.

  “Dustin, I need to go back. Can you wait here for me?

  He shook his head no and clung to her arms.

  “You can’t leave me here alone. I’m scared.”

  “You’ve been through a lot, and you did great. You’re a strong boy. I need your help to make sure he doesn’t kill Nick. Can you help me save him?”

  He didn’t answer, but his grip loosened a little.

  “I’m going to find a cave for you to hide in.”

  “Not a cave.” He was crying again.

  “Okay, you’re right. Not a cave. How about you sit right here behind this boulder and don’t move. I’ll come back for you or send your mommy. Okay?”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  He let go of her shirt and curled up on the ground next to the boulder. “I won’t move. Come back and get me soon.”

  “I will,” she said kissing his head. “I’m going to start a fire for the planes and helicopters to find you, okay? Can you try to keep it going and make it really smoky?”

  The boy sat up and looked more hopeful. “I’m good at fires. I always try not to make them smoky so I know what to do. I can use wet leaves and stuff, right?”

  “That’s perfect,” she said patting his head. “Just don’t go far and don’t let the fire spread.”

  “No problem,” he said, attention shifted to his new task. “You can count on me.”

  She helped with the fire and then started climbing back down the mountain. Opening her link to Nick, she held back the fact that she was running back into danger. He was still alive but she could feel his heart racing as he tried to keep his breathing quiet. He could hear Derrick kicking around in the brush.

  Whitney heard him thinking, “Why did I think lying down was a good idea? I’m helpless.”

  “That’s because you couldn’t stand up,” she thought back to him.

  “Well, I’d rather be upright and facing him when he finds me. Shhh now. I have to concentrate on not moving. Don’t talk right now.”

  Whitney knew Derrick would find him soon so she had to move fast. She tried to run but the rocks kept tripping her up. Her mind was racing. She had to come up with a plan. This guy had guns, knives and strength. What could she use against him? He was crazy, which should help. He probably wasn’t thinking logically right now. He was angry and in a hurry to find them before they escaped. He also knew Nick was injured.

  She realized he must have been quite shocked to find them all gone. He thought she was dead. Maybe he thought Nick dragged her all this way. She hurried across the small valley and started back up the mountain toward the cabin. She needed to look for another weapon, a gun or a bigger knife. Maybe he had a phone and she hadn’t seen it. She slipped again on the way up and landed face down on her belly.

  Rolling onto her back she sat up and froze in place. A huge rattlesnake had slithered just inches from her left foot. She tried not to move, but her legs started cramping from the overload of adrenaline. The snake’s tongue was darting out and tasting the air, but then it just turned and slithered away. Whitney sprung to her feet and raced back up the mountain.

  * * * *

  Nick was getting desperate. He hadn’t moved for so long, his muscles were twitching in pain. Derrick was so close he could hear him making noises of frustration and anger.

  The noise stopped and he heard Derrick muttering, “Whitney, where are you? I’m coming to get you. Bitch!”

  Nick hoped he’d find the strength to beat the crap out of the sick man when they finally finished this deal. Except, if he didn’t have the strength, and he knew he didn’t, then Derrick would win and next he’d be after Whitney. Hopefully they were far away by now. The sound of footsteps on the leaves and twigs got closer. Nick held his breath and prayed for a miracle.

  * * * *

  Whitney continued climbing and tried not to think about how badly she needed water. Her legs were getting shaky and she hadn’t eaten much in the last two days. When she finally found the cabin she had to stop to catch her breath. She tried contacting Nick to see if Derrick was still close, but he didn’t answer.

  Whitney thought about trying to make noise at the cabin to get Derrick away from Nick. He was spending hours in that same area searching for their trail. Whitney had covered the mess they made dragging Nick to the
tree, but Derrick kept looking around in that spot because the trail ended so abruptly.

  Before she drew his attention back to the cabin she had to find a way to defend herself. The screen door on the front was ripped off the hinges and tossed onto the porch. Stepping inside the first thing she did was search for a phone. There were no phone lines, and no phone. She checked the desk, but all the knives were gone.

  After searching the front room completely, she moved on to the kitchen. There were rows of water bottles in the refrigerator. Whitney downed a whole bottle while she checked all the cupboards. The little hall off the kitchen led to the back door. She opened a closet to find a dirty yellow backpack. Thinking she could fill it with food and water, she dumped its contents on the floor.

  “A radio! Oh my God. We’re saved”. She scooped up the radio and turned it on. First, she had to know if Derrick was listening on another one. She reached out with her mind.

  “Nick. Just listen to me. I know he’s close. I’m back at the cabin and I found a radio. I’m going to say something. Let me know if he hears me. I need to know if he has another radio.”

  “Okay.”

  Nick’s answer was short and crisp. As if his stalker would hear him thinking. He was so close that the slightest movement would give him away. He listened for the sound of a radio, but didn’t hear anything. Whitney contacted him again and Nick told her it was all clear. He was not happy that she’d come back for him but he didn’t have time to tell her because his attention turned to the sound of laughing right by his head.

  “I found you. So that’s where he dragged you. He’ll probably be back to get you when he thinks it’s safe.”

  Derrick brushed the leaves back from Nick’s face and jumped back in surprise.

  “Boo.” Nick couldn’t help saying it when he saw the look on Derrick’s face. It was as if he’d just uncovered a ghost.

  “Not funny.” He pointed the rifle at Nick’s face and ordered him to stand up. Nick could barely feel his legs and Derrick had little patience left.