by M. R. Polish
Finally, the bus driver closed the door and we took off. It wasn’t a long drive to the canyon. The fall colors surrounded us and the scent of dry leaves filled the air. So much changed in the last couple of weeks since school started. The green was leaving and fading into reds, oranges, and browns.
Someone bumped into my shoulder. “Hey, watch it. We’re walking here.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled. I hadn’t realized I stopped the flow of off-boarding students.
Professor Priese climbed up on the steps of the bus and whistled, getting our attention. “Class, we are diving into two groups. Group A will be with me, and Group B goes with Professor Thornburg.” She called out names and assigned students to groups. “Keeley, Group A.”
I sped over to my waiting unit and two more followed, completing Group A. We started on a trail that wound up through the trees. The whole time Professor Priese kept talking about the beauty in the scenery and seeing the artistic brush of nature. I couldn’t agree more as I nodded periodically. After what I thought was at least a mile if not more, I lagged behind. I couldn’t stand to be in the middle of the throng of students, none of whom made any intention of even speaking to me.
“Keeley!”
I spun around to see John running up the trail. My class kept walking, leaving me behind. “John? What are you doing here?”
He was out of breath as he approached me. “You have to help her. Please, you owe me. It’s because of you he has her.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
He grabbed my hand and began pulling me back down the trail. “Tina, Steve’s got her and says he’s gonna kill her if you aren’t there.”
“Holy shit, John, this is serious. You need to call the cops. I can’t stop him.”
John continued to yank on my arm. “No, you know I can’t. Not now. She could be dead by the time they got here.” His grip around my wrist tightened and I tried to jerk my hand free.
“Let me go.”
“No, I can’t. You have to save her.”
I shook my head. “Where is she?”
Hope filled his eyes and he gestured with his head up the mountain. “He’s got her up there, not too far past the cutoff to Squaw Peak.”
“Okay, I’ll go.” I only hoped I was enough to reason with Steve before he hurt someone else because of me. I couldn’t take the guilt of another death.
We both ran up to Professor Priese. “There’s a sort of emergency and I have to leave. John came up here to get me, so I am gonna leave with him.”
She raised a brow at me. “Ms. Moison…”
I didn’t give her time to argue. “I promise, I’ll make up extra work Monday.”
“Alright,” she said as she turned back around the rest of the group.
“Thank you,” I said over my shoulder. I looked down at my phone, but there was no service. Too far out of town. I hoped Vahn
John took off running and it took all I had to keep up with him. I wasn’t sure what we’d find once we got there, but everything inside me screamed to run the other way. Steve wasn’t stable and there was no telling what he’d do—to Tina or me.
John slowed down and looked around. A small whimper sounded and he took off again. My heart raced even more now that we were close. I knew that sound was Tina.
John stopped dead in his tracks and raised his arms up in surrender. “It’s just me, Steve. I did what you asked. I got Keeley here, now let Tina go.”
I took another step forward, unprepared to see the scene in front of me. Steve held Tina, tied and gagged, close to him. He held a knife firmly in his hand and resting on her neck. Her eyes were wide and tears flowed in torrents as he kept telling her to ‘hush.’ Steve trailed the tip of the knife down her neck and looked up at me. He smiled. “You made it.”
I took a baby step toward him. Swallowing was hard with the lump in my throat. My whole body shook as I inched even closer, but I stayed at least five feet away. “I’m here, you can let her go.”
He shook his head. “I can’t, you’ll leave if I do.”
“No, I won’t leave. Put the knife down.” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the weapon he wielded; afraid he would use it to end Tina’s life right in front of me.
Steve looked at me then at John, back to me. “Fine, you come over here and trade her places.”
Every nerve in my body froze. I knew I had to in order to save Tina, but it was the hardest thing I’d ever needed to do. Even breathing became an impossibility. John came up behind me and grabbed my arm, pushing me over to Steve. I lost my balance from the force of the push and fell to my knees.
Steve grasped my forearms and pushed me down. I saw John and Tina running away. “Wait! Help! You can’t leave me like this!”
Steve pulled my arms behind me and wrapped zip-ties around my wrists, then sat me up. He smiled as he moved my hair off my face. “You are so beautiful.” Sweat dripped off his face and it was then that I noticed his movements were jerky, unnatural. His hands shook as he picked up the knife and a small duffle bag.
Eyeing him carefully, I watched as he paced the small area we were in. “What’s going on, Steve? I want to help you.”
“We need to move. I can’t have anyone finding us.”
My stomach flopped. I didn’t want to think of the things he wanted to do where no one could find us. “No, you can still let me go. We can go back to town and figure this out.”
Steve seized my forearms and forced me to stand. “No. We need to leave. Walk.” He waved the knife in my face. “I said walk.” He shoved me in the direction he wanted. That small moment when he let go, I made my move—I ran as fast as I could. With my hands behind me, I wasn’t as fast as I needed to be and I lost my balance. I stumbled and fell to the ground. Steve’s footfalls sounded close as I tried to get back up.
He caught me and flipped me over on my back. He swung his arm and landed a good hit against my cheek. “You bitch! I knew that you’d run. You can’t do that. I need you.”
My ears rang and my head instantly seared with pain. He pulled me to my feet and pushed me again to walk. This time he didn’t let go of me.
I tried to remember where we walked, but it was hard because we were so far off the trail I wasn’t sure where we were. Steve wasn’t joking; he didn’t want anyone finding us.
My legs were tired and I stopped, not wanting to move any more. Hiking up a mountain with my hands tied behind me was a chore and something my muscles were not prepared for. “I need to stop, seriously. I can’t go any farther.”
Steve traced the tip of the knife down my cheek, cutting deep enough to make it sting. I cried out and winced. “I say when to stop.”
A drop of warm blood trickled down my face. Tears washed it away. I grudgingly allowed to Steve to lead me farther up the mountain. The afternoon sun beat down upon me, heating my already tired body to a weaker state. I drug my legs across the rocky forest floor.
The entire journey Steve kept talking to himself, but it was incoherent gibberish to me. Everything I said he either ignored or didn’t hear. Every muscle in my body ached and yearned to stop, but Steve kept pushing me ahead, holding onto my arm, keeping me from falling over—or running away. The sun faded over the top of the mountain, leaving the early evening shadows that played with my eyes as the light faded into darkness.
“I think we’re far enough.” Steve let go of my arm and I all but fell over. I hesitated for a split second, thinking I could run away. He must have read my thoughts because he grabbed me again but this time he pulled out rope from his bag. He looped it around my neck and tied a knot. The other end of the rope he tied off to a tree. “There, that’ll stop you from running too far.”
My hope left with the last rays of sunlight. I’d have to find another way.
Fourteen
It was cold and dark. It had to be at least midnight and I wasn’t sure if I would last the rest of the night. My light shirt was no match for the autumn night in the mountains. Steve con
tinued to pace and mumble under his breath. Once or twice, he stopped to look at me, almost normally, before turning crazed again.
Finally, he stopped and stared at me. “This is your fault!”
I tried to scoot back, farther away from him. He hurled himself at me, knocking me over and placing his heavy body on top of mine. His skin was clammy and even colder than I was. His breath was hot against my cheek. “Maybe I should just take what I want.”
His hand followed every curve of my body, making me cringe. I wiggled to get out from under him, but his weight was too heavy for me to fight against and my hands still tied behind me didn’t help at all. Elation filled me when I noticed I could move my legs. I lifted my knee hard and fast, hitting my target.
Steve grunted and rolled off me, screaming curses.
I shifted my weight and rolled so I could sit up, but I managed to wrap the rope around my neck even tighter. The raw burn was a steady pain from it rubbing against my skin. It choked me and I gasped for air, but each inhale burned my dry throat.
Steve was up on his knees, but he looked up at me. “What happened to you? I thought you wanted me?”
He walked on his knees over to me. I flinched back when he raised his hands, preparing for more pain, but instead he lessened it. Working quickly, he untied the rope and let it drop to the ground. I stared into his cloudy blue eyes. “Steve, why are you doing this?”
His fingers lingered close to my neck, painfully tracing the sore skin where the rope rubbed. “I want you, Keeley. You are so pure and clean, nothing like me. I used to be that way before all the crap, before the team and before the drugs, but not now. Now, I have this insatiable need to feel high and an unquenchable thirst to taste your lips. I can’t explain it, but something inside of me screams when I’m near you, like the world will stop if I can’t have you. It takes all I have not to take you right now.” He looked away and dropped his hands.
“Steve, I can help you. We can get you help. Just let me go.” Desperation to get away from him clawed at me. I knew that as unstable as he was, anything could happen and that it was unlikely I’d get out of whatever plans he had alive.
“No, I told you, I can’t. I need you.” His voice shook again, and he broke out in a new sweat.
“There’s something else. What are you not telling me?”
He spun around, rage shooting like daggers from his eyes. “I need it, Keeley, I need it now!”
I backed up until I was up against a tree. “You need what?” I asked unsteadily.
He reached down and grabbed my arms, pulling me up. His grip dug into my skin, leaving almost immediate bruises. “Give it to me. I know you’re hiding it from me.”
I shook my head. “I don’t have anything, Steve. Remember? You brought me up here.”
“Bullshit! You’re a fucking liar!” He backhanded me across the face and I stumbled backward.
“You know what? Yeah, I stole it. Whatever it was, I took it and you’ll never get it back! You piece of shit, you deserve to rot.” My heart dropped to my stomach because I knew that I just riled up the wrong kind of crazy, but if I was gonna die, then I’d die fighting.
He came at me and grabbed my hair, slamming my head into the trunk of a tree, then laughing. “How do you like stealing from me now?”
My head exploded in new pain. I could hear him talking but he sounded too far away to make out anything clear. He let go of me and I crumpled to the ground, lying on my side and watching him continue pacing.
The air felt colder and I couldn’t get my body to stop shivering. Crickets chirped and a light breeze made the leaves on the trees dance. The darkness no longer scared me, because I knew I was living in the worst nightmare. Steve stopped and glanced at me. “Did you hear that?”
I could only hope there was something or someone out there to make a noise. “Help,” I tried to call out just in case, but it came out weak. My head throbbed even worse with the noise.
“You shut up.” Steve glared at me with a threat in his eyes that didn’t need to be spoken.
“Keeley!”a voice hollered. My eyes teared up, and immediately I knew my knight in shining armor had come.
“Vahn,” I whispered.
Steve took out his knife and walked back over to me. After forcing me to stand, he held on to me because the world spun so much I had to close my eyes and concentrate extremely hard not to fall over. He pulled me back against his chest and lifted the knife to my neck.
“You can’t have her!” Steve screamed into the night air.
Not too far, I could hear running footsteps. Please help, I pleaded silently.
“Let her go, Steve,” Vahn demanded as he stepped out from behind a tree. I wanted nothing more than to run to him, wrap my arms around him, and never let go.
Steve chuckled. “Never. She’s mine.”
“Over here,” Vahn hollered over his shoulder.
“Who are you yelling at? There’s no one else with you. You’re just trying to trick me.” Steve pressed the knife deeper against my throat, and I cried out. Between that and the already awful pain from the rope, it was too much.
“You think I’d come up here unprepared? I won’t take a chance on losing her. So, trust me when I say, I am definitely not alone.”
For a split second, Vahn broke eye contact with Steve to look at me. His gaze told me everything I needed to know. Tears filled my vision as they streamed from my eyes and he became nothing but a blur.
Steve backed up, taking me with him. “I’ll kill her. Stay away. If I can’t have her, no one can.”
Those words made the tears fall faster. No way was I dying like this. I’d been through so much, and I was just learning that I could live again. The blade broke my skin and I could feel the metal cut, enough to barely break the skin.
“See that? I’ll do it. Don’t make me.”
“Please don’t,” I whimpered.
“Shhhh, my girl, don’t worry. We’ll be together some way, even if it’s not here,” he cooed in my ear.
“I don’t want to be with you, Steve. Please, just let me go.” I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than the blade digging into my neck. I caught Vahn’s gaze and held it in my own fearful stare. “I love you,” I whispered to Vahn, hoping he heard me.
Vahn took a step forward, but Steve shouted at him. “You come any closer and it’s all over. Don’t you see? You won’t win. I will have her.” He pulled the knife away quickly and stabbed me in the side. I screamed as pain seared through my body. Steve had to hold on to me tighter as my legs gave out from the unexpected wound. He brought the knife back up to my neck. “See? I’ll do it! I swear I will!”
The pain was excruciating and took my breath away. I wasn’t sure how deep he stabbed me, but I could feel hot blood seeping down my side. It hurt so badly that it was hard to concentrate on anything else, but I had to. I knew right then that if I didn’t do something Steve was going to kill me.
I summoned all my strength and stomped on his foot, catching him off-guard enough to give me time to get away. As soon as the knife was far enough away, I ducked and ran. Vahn darted forward and almost got to me but Steve jumped on me from behind making Vahn land where Steve once stood.
Steve flipped me over. I kicked and thrashed around, but I was too weak to escape once more. Vahn barreled into Steve and tackled him to the ground. I scooted back and tried to sit up, holding my side. Backing up against the tree I had been tied to for support, it took all I had to stay conscious as the pain took over my concentration. My sight darkened and all but faded away.
I could hear Vahn and Steve scuffling and then a gunshot rang out. I froze and my heart stopped. “Vahn!” It was too dark for me to see him and know he was okay.
In seconds, Vahn was by my side. “It’s okay, Baby. I’m here.” I relaxed a little knowing it wasn’t him who was shot. He moved my hands from my side and applied pressure. “Over here! She’s hurt, get the paramedics.” He lifted me into his arms and carried me away.
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“I love you, Keeley. Don’t you die on me.” It was all I heard before I let the darkness consume me.
Fifteen
I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision enough to focus. White lights and beeping alarms came at me from every direction. An oxygen mask rested over my mouth and nose. I pulled it off and coughed slightly, making my whole body hurt, but not more than my side. My throat was dry and it felt like someone took a hot poker to the outside of my entire neck. A searing pain flared in my side, bringing me more to consciousness and aware that I was in a hospital.
Someone squeezed my hand. Vahn sat beside me in a chair, his hand clinging tightly to mine.
“It hurts,” I whispered. Even the smallest action took Herculean effort.
“I know.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead, then pressed the call button for the nurse. A voice came over the speaker and asked, “Can I help you?”
He smiled at me. “She’s awake.”
I licked my lips and carefully swallowed the dry lump in my throat. “Thirsty.” My voice cracked.
He ignored my small plea for anything liquid. “Oh God, Keeley, I was so scared.”
The nurse came in, followed by Dr. White. He smiled at me as he entered. “You know, you could’ve told me the truth when Vahn was in here. That would’ve saved you and everyone else a lot of grief. Between Vahn and your father, I haven’t been left alone, but neither have you.”
My father? I scrunched my brow. “What?” I had no idea what he was saying. All I wanted to know is what happened.
“Your dad will be in momentarily. One of the nurses just got a hold of him. I believe he’s downstairs talking with a few police officers.”
