by Tiffany Toto
Dave allowed her to get dressed. Then she joined him at the front door. Just as she pushed the door open she heard, “Click.” She jerked her head to the cold steel that now bound them together at the wrists. She said nothing knowing he did not trust her. The slam of the cabin door echoed with no one else to hear. Birds responded by flying from the nearby trees. She was sure that by now David was familiar with the area around here, but she knew it better than anyone. Her eyes focused on the easiest way out. Downhill would obviously be easiest, but he would not expect her to go uphill. She wondered if he was aware there was a ranger station three miles away to the north; she could make it three miles, hopefully. The thought of the old abandoned tavern lingered in her thoughts as well, six miles south. The large lake had several islands, who knew how long she would last there. She would have to swim to the island first, unseen by David. All of Samantha’s ideas were coming to a dead end.
“They’re not here,” David announced to her as he paced himself along the old path. She looked at him in confusion. “Who’s not here?” She stopped slightly, jerked forward until he did. “Whoever it is you’re looking for,” he answered with a stiff upper lip, pulling her forward as he started to walk again. They made it about a quarter of the way around the path before she spoke again. “I…I wasn’t looking for anyone…” David knew she was lying as soon as the first syllable left her lips. He wasn’t much for trust. “I think I’ve had enough air, I want to go back.” She stopped and tugged on the handcuffs. “Samantha…my patience is wearing thin. Don’t push it by barking orders.” David jerked around and headed back, she tried her hardest to keep pace, even though she didn’t have a choice. She was completely winded by the time she got back to the cabin, he wasn’t even breathing hard. This is going to be harder than I thought. She told herself.
“I am going to town now. Tell me what else you need,” He told her as he unlocked himself from the cuff. “Umm…yeah…hello, are you going to undo my handcuffs?” She held up her wrist expecting him to take it off. David blew out a hefty breath. “Nope.” He grabbed her arm swinging her around so she landed on the bed, attaching the other cuff to the bed. Great…now what? “Will you at least let me use the restroom before you go?” Samantha clanked the cuff against the metal bedpost to get him to acknowledge her request. David unlocked the cuff from the bed, leaving the other half on her wrist. “Three minutes.” He warned.
Samantha hurried into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She rummaged through her makeup bag in a panic looking for something that would get her out of the cuffs. She found nothing. She reapplied lotion and baby oil to her wrists, hoping maybe she could slip through if it was oily enough. She opened the medicine cabinet to look for anything useful. Her mother’s bobby pins lay on the top shelf, untouched for years. She took a few, placing them in her belt opposite the razor. She felt like a packrat. Samantha opened the bathroom door to find Dave standing right beside it. He eyed her as she sat back on the bed. He cuffed her again to the post, using the rope to tie her feet to the other end. “Don’t want to take the chance of you leaving me….now, do I?” “Dave, you are seriously mental. Is this some kind of sick fantasy of yours? Tying me to the bed?” He ignored her snide comments, like he usually did.
Chapter 24
Samantha waited to hear the roar of a van driving down the dirt road before she attempted her escape. Listening to the silence she fumbled with the bobby pin in her hand. Maneuvering it between her thumb and index finger she finally positioned it directly into the keyhole. How hard can this be, I’ve seen it hundreds in times in movies…She stopped every now and then to listen for the van, then continued again. The pin snapped in half. Her head fell against the pillow in frustration. She tried slipping her wrist out of the cuff, it was too tightly restrained. It just dug into her skin. She let out a discouraging scream.
As she blew the hair from her eyes, a shiny object on the side of the bed caught her attention… the key! David must not have noticed it fall. Thank heavens for small favors. She picked the key up in her mouth and brought it to her hand, with one turn of the key the cuff was off. She quickly untied her feet. Samantha slipped off the bed and got her jacket from the suitcase underneath. She was already dressed from the walk earlier. Her stomach warned her not to go much longer without something to eat. She ran to the kitchen and went through the cupboards hoping to find anything she could just shove in her pockets for later.
Her eyes widened in fear as she heard the sound of the van’s engine tearing back up the road. She went quickly to the window. David was coming back, and the van was not too far away. He would see her if she went out the front door now. She did not want to botch up the chance to escape. She did the only thing that made sense. Samantha quickly put the food back in the cupboard and ran to the bed. She retied the knots for her feet and put the handcuffs back on her hand. The other was still attached to the post. She pretended to be asleep to avoid an unpleasant conversation, the only kind he knew. He opened the screen door and let it slam. She heard the sound of his heavy boots tromping along the wooden floor. She felt him watching her for more than an unsettling couple of minutes. She prayed he didn’t notice anything unusual. Samantha finally heard him slowly walk back to the door, not letting it slam shut.
Samantha heard the van start and drive off. She waited a few minutes before she attempted anything again. Not knowing if he suspected anything or not, there was no way she wanted to take any chances. She had no choice but to go through the trap door under the bed. Luckily she was small enough to slide underneath without having to move it. Moving the rug to the side, she skimmed through the small opening of the trap door, closing it gently. She instantly froze. From around the bend she saw David walking. He knew she was up to something and he had come back to catch her in the act. He didn’t want her to hear the van. From beneath the dark cabin, she watched him walk up to the porch. She heard him open the cabin door and let it slam again.
“SON OF A BITCH, I KNEW IT.” He rushed back out to the porch and yelled at the top of his lungs. “I WILL FIND YOU, SAMANTHA…DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU CAN’T OUTRUN ME!” She could hear his intense anger through the cabin floor just above her. She tried her hardest not scream at the many things she felt crawling on her. Waiting for the right moment to take off, she had thought she had more time, but her plan was altered when he had come back unexpectedly. Her fear overcame her as she started to tremble, tears poured down her flushed cheeks. She would rather die than be caught by him again. It was no way to live, in constant fear for your own life. Escaping into the wild animal infested woods around her was a chance she was willing to take. She heard him stomp back into the cabin, where he became exceptionally quiet, too quiet.
Samantha lowered her head watching for him, just in case he came back out. There was no sign of him. She listened very carefully for any presence of him. She looked up at the trap door and there he was. The force of his hand on her neck made her jerk. He managed to grab as much of her hair as he could muster. She shrieked as she looked up to face him. He knew about the trap door and had snuck up on her. He gripped her hair tightly but she managed to shove her thumb right into his eye causing him to react and let go. She heard his curses followed by threats as she heard him toss the bed over to its side. Shuffling out from underneath the cabin, she bolted downhill through the trees towards the tavern. She did a quick observation over her shoulder to see how far he was behind her. He was just crashing through the cabin’s front door. She could not help but think that this was some awful horror movie with the maniac chasing her through the woods. Her feet already felt like butter underneath her, but she pushed on. She heard him closing the gap behind her. He had more endurance and was definitely faster. “Turn here!” Roger pointed left at the fork in the road. “Her cabin is fifty miles from this point.” They looked behind them at the small town that made its mark against the oversized mountain. James swerved to the left. The road was rough and curved. He made each turn at the maximum possible speed
without flipping the vehicle. They made their way up the mountain in good time.
“WATCH OUT!” Roger warned as a large elk grazed in the middle of the road. James swerved, going off the road and flipping the vehicle. It rolled several times before landing on its side against a tree.
“You ok?” Roger asked climbing out from the SUV. “Yeah…Damn it...Just a few scratches I think. Nothing serious. This is going to set us back at least a couple hours, maybe more.” James climbed out the other side. He made a mental note of their approximate coordinates as Roger removed the duffle bags from the back. He tossed James his gun holster as he fastened his own around his back. He latched on his ammo belt and canteen, slid the compass in his side pocket and supported the sniper rifle over his shoulder. “Ready.” Roger finalized his gear. James double-checked both his guns. Both were fully loaded with ammunition. Roger carried the belt and canteens. “Let’s head up north, it seems that’s the way the road curves.” James led the way with long running strides up the mountain en route to the cabin. They cut across the road more than twice as they went up, occasionally stopping for unfamiliar noises.
Samantha glimpsed back over her shoulder at David. He was hot on her trail. He caught up with her, snatching the necklace she wore around her neck. It snapped off and fell to the ground unnoticed. He managed to tackle her and bring her down to the ground with him. Hastily, with all her might she fought him, kicking, hitting and screaming. She managed to find a rock and smashed him in the head with it, rendering him unconscious for the moment. She knew it would not last and that he would wake up more furious then he had ever been with her.
Slithering out from beneath his thick body she used the rocks for a makeshift foundation to get back to her feet. She ran as far away from him as possible, before he could get up and start after her again. Her sides stung and she was out of breath but she pushed herself even harder. He was catching up to her again even more furious then before, his legs much longer and stronger than hers. She slid down on some leaves and tried to pull herself up before he reached her. He rushed her grabbing her ankle and pulled it from under her. She fell again to the ground with a thud. Screaming at the top of her lungs she lifted her leg and kicked him right in the jaw as hard as she could.
He let go of her, holding his jaw while blood trickled from his mouth. “BITCH!” He mustered all his brute force and hit her with the back of his hand. He sent her into a flying roll down the mountain. He watched as she tumbled over the edge and vanished. He quickly made his way down to the edge and looked over. She had fallen into a ravine and there was no way to get to her and no way for her to get out. He called to her. She was unresponsive to his voice, she was out cold. He had no way to get down to her without trapping himself as well. He knew he needed some kind of support. He started the hike back to the cabin, it would be late afternoon by the time he could come back for her. He had some extra rope in the van. He would have to hike up to where he left it and drive it back to the cabin.
Chapter 25
An hour later James and Roger came across a van in the road. There was no evidence of anyone inside. They came around either side, guns in hand, no one. They continued on and reached the point where they had the cabin in view. They took a breather and kneeled, watching carefully for any movement around the cabin. James heard a quick whistle and turned his head in Roger’s direction. Roger tossed him something, he snatched it midair and recognized it as Samantha’s necklace that her father had given her. It had his and her mother’s wedding rings as a charm. She never took it off, yet he held it in his hand. He tucked it deep in his pocket for safekeeping. They waited for nightfall to proceed to the cabin. He just hoped David would come into view so he could take him out with his rifle. It would be simple, quick and deadly. As dusk approached the anxious soldiers heard the rustle of footsteps far to their right.
David.
They watched him like a hawk would its prey. He was coming from the far side of the mountain, his shirt stained with blood. Both men sat tight as David walked past them towards the van, disappearing around the bend. Roger started to rise. James told him to hold his position; he knew David was coming back. Approximately ten minutes later David drove up in the van, just inches from the porch. They approached the cabin with extreme caution. Neither of them took their eyes from David, who now wandered aimlessly around in the cabin as though he were looking for something. The inside of the cabin was dark. James entered the front door with Roger backing in behind him. Inside, Roger stepped into the corner darkness near the door in case David came back in. James stepped forward easily, careful not to disturb anything. He noticed the ropes and pair of handcuffs attached to the bed.
“She isn’t here…” James whispered. Roger looked on, still keeping watch. His quick whistle came as sudden warning. James stood furtively receding into the shadows, his manifestation fierce, relentless and bursting of vengeance. His hands shook, he was so pumped full of adrenaline. He clenched his fists several times before he reached for his gun. David had no idea how bad the wrath of god was about to come down.
David swiftly came through the door and dropped the wood he had collected in front of the fireplace, leaving the door open and unattended. He heard it shut behind him and swung around nervously…nothing. Must have been the wind he thought to himself. In the shadows James drew his gun vigilantly from his holster holding it steadily at his side. David fumbled around in the dark for a set of matches to get a fire going. He needed light to be able to find the cabin again if it got dark before he came back from retrieving Samantha. He got some kindling going and threw in some larger pieces he had cut with the machete he laid beside him. He rose to his feet, picking up the blade. He turned to the side to stack the rest of the wood.
The figure of a familiar man came forward as cunning as an assassin. His magnum set firmly between David’s eyes. David attempted to shift the machete. “Don’t do it son. You’re not that quick,” Roger hissed, stepping up behind him. Another gun pointed directly at the back of his head. “She told you I was coming, yes?” James solicited coldly. David’s lips stiffened and he said nothing. He felt the barrel of a gun tap the back of his head. “He asked you a question.” “Yes.” David’s lips turned into a snarled curl, his fists tightened. “You should have listened to her, she mostly likely told you I would find you…and I would kill you.” “You kill me now and you will never find her,” David promised smugly. “You have two seconds to tell me where she is before I make the back part of your head a wall decoration” Roger released the safety on his gun “What did you do to her?” James’s tolerance was wearing thin but David knew he would not kill him until Samantha was safe. He used that to his advantage. “Why would I tell you, if you’re just going to kill me anyway once you get her?” James pushed the gun tighter against his forehead. David suddenly felt the urgency to speak the truth. “She fell into a ravine.” A strong silence fell over the room.
“She fell…with your help I’m assuming…” Roger was waiting for his confirmation. “She ran, I ran faster…and I caught up to her.” David showed no remorse for his actions. “I want to finish you off so badly, I can taste the satisfaction…you’re nothing but a spineless excuse for a man.” James’s safety clicked off. His blood was boiling; however, he stayed cool, calm and collected. “You two have the guns and you’re calling me spineless?” “I don’t need a gun to get rid of you. I will do it with my bare hands with the utmost gratification.” James stepped up to David’s face almost begging him to make a wrong move as he put his gun back in the holster. James’s lips thinned, his eyes portrayed a new terror within him.
David got in James’s face even closer. “What kills you is I tasted her pure, sweet innocence first.” David’s empty eyes spoke the truth that James did not want to hear. “Roger, put this piece of filth in the van, if he even looks like he may sneeze put a bullet in his head. And try not to get his blood everywhere.” Roger did a brief assessment for injury. “He isn’t bleeding.” James swiftly s
eparated his pistol from its holder and fired at David’s bicep forcing him to drop the machete. David winced in pain as he took a hold of his injured arm. His teeth clenched not making a sound as the hot metal of the bullet burned inside his flesh. The perspiration on his face revealed his agony. “He is now…” James stated, sliding his gun back into its holster. “The only thing he tastes now is lead,” Roger smirked and tapped him on the back of the head again. “Move it, Ike.” David stood tall as he led the way to the van concealing the pain with his arrogance.
James did a quick skim through the cabin before he shut the door behind him. Samantha’s essence lingered inside. He joined Roger at the van. David sat putting together a makeshift bandage from his shirt, obviously not offering any information. “We have two ways of doing this. One way ends up with a dead rotting corpse, the other ends up being someone’s bitch in prison. Neither is very pleasant, however still a choice.” Roger explained to him. “I think I like option number three. I show you were she is and you let me walk.” James thought for a minute. “Option 3 it is.” Roger looked over at James knowing his thoughts without even conversing. David felt uncomfortable; he accepted the offer way too easily. “Let’s go.” James motioned him out of the van.