by Sharon Dunn
She forced the words up her throat. “Please, don’t.” Even as she spoke, she could imagine her body falling through the air and bouncing off the rocks.
His grip lightened a little.
“I’ll be good. I promise.”
“It’s too late.” He pressed on her shoulder. “We’ll die together.”
She took a step back as rocks and dirt cascaded down the cliff.
He lifted her up by the waist as though he were going to toss her like a ball. She screamed and kicked. He drew nearer to the cliff.
Please, God, help me.
She screamed again. The ground below her disappeared. She saw rocks and her life ending. Her last thought was of Zach and that he would never know how much she cared about him.
* * *
Zach heard Elizabeth’s screams from halfway down the mountain. He pushed through the thick undergrowth, pumping his arms and legs. When he came out into the open, he saw Kenny dangling Elizabeth over the edge of a mountain.
He darted across the open area and body-slammed Kenny. All three of them rolled down the incline of the hill away from the cliff. Kenny grabbed Zach by the collar with one hand and punched him with the other. He landed a second blow to his stomach, which made Zach double over.
With the wind knocked out of him, Zach took a moment to recover. When he looked up, Kenny was dragging Elizabeth back over to the cliff face.
“I’m a witness, Kenny. Don’t do this—you don’t want to go to jail.”
“There’ll be no witnesses.” The look in Kenny’s eyes was crazed. Was it even possible to reason with this man?
Kenny’s arms wrapped completely around Elizabeth, locking her arms in place. Elizabeth looked at Zach, eyes pleading.
Zach eased his way closer. “You don’t want to do this, Kenny.”
“I wanted Elizabeth and me to be together. This is the only way.”
Kenny swung in a half circle, so Elizabeth dangled over the cliff edge. Zach lunged at Kenny kicking the back of his knees. Kenny crumpled to the ground, letting go of Elizabeth. Zach caught Elizabeth’s hand. Kenny was on top of them. Zach landed a blow hard across Kenny’s jaw and then administered a jab to Kenny’s throat that made him gasp for air. Kenny fell on his side clutching his neck.
Knowing he had only seconds before Kenny recovered, he grabbed Elizabeth’s hand and took off running. They made it ten yards before Kenny hurled a rock at Elizabeth’s back and she went down.
Kenny closed the distance between them. Despite the difference in their sizes, Zach went after him, managing to knock him to the ground, stunned, by slamming a log against the back of Kenny’s head.
Zach pulled Elizabeth up. They ran down the mountain. He saw movement through the trees. The police were down below, but not within shouting distance. The terrain evened out some though none of it looked familiar. It was too much of a risk to get back on the trail. Kenny would find them too easily.
They ran through the woods in what he thought was the general direction of the trailer, where he knew he’d find the police. He waited for something to look familiar.
Elizabeth gripped his arm. “Behind us.”
Kenny was moving through the forest surprisingly fast for a man his size. Then again, his rage and delusion probably fueled his strength.
The trees opened up to rockier terrain. Zach ran only with the intent of getting away from Kenny. Elizabeth kept pace with him. The rock turned to shale and a treacherous loose rock caused them to lose their foothold, sliding hundreds of feet. He could not tell up from down. Rocks hit and bruised his body as he rolled through space until the ground evened out and he came to a stop. The dust cleared. He saw Elizabeth’s prone body twenty feet away. He crawled toward her, praying that she was alive.
* * *
Elizabeth opened her eyes. Zach’s arms cradled her as the dust settled around her. She let out a breath waiting for her heart to slow down.
His hands warmed her cheeks. “You all right?”
“My head hurts and it feels like I was in a dryer with bricks.”
He laughed. “Close enough.” His knuckles brushed over her cheek. A more-than-friendly gesture, but she didn’t recoil from his touch. “Are you okay to walk?”
She nodded.
“I think we shook Kenny but we’ve gotten way off course.” He turned slightly away from her. “We can’t climb back up that way.”
“How far are we from the trailer?”
He craned his neck, looking around. “I’m not sure. The police are at the trailer and I saw them in the trees. It seems like they would have brought in search and rescue by now.”
How far, she wondered, had they veered off from the predictable path. Would search and rescue even be looking for them in this part of the forest?
Zach tilted his head. “I haven’t seen any air support either.”
Every muscle screamed in agony as she pushed herself into a sitting position. “Let’s just keep moving. They’ll find us or we’ll find them.”
Or Kenny would find us.
Kenny had seen where they’d gone and probably knew a way around the shale.
She rose to her feet. He reached out a hand for her and led her through the trees and across an open area. Nothing looked familiar in descending darkness. If they could make it until daylight without running into Kenny, they had a fighting chance of getting out of the forest alive. If only she could believe they actually would...
Zach backed up to a tree and pulled her to him. He made a shushing noise. Now she heard it. The sound of footsteps. Someone moving through the forest. She pressed close to Zach, her hand on his chest. His heartbeat pushed back against her palm.
The footsteps grew louder. If it had been a policeman, he would have a flashlight. She held her breath when a dark, hulking figure passed them—then stopped walking and turned in their direction.
She squeezed her eyes shut and stood as still as a statue.
Please, God, don’t let him see us.
A long moment passed before the footsteps continued then faded. Even after the human noises faded, she and Zach remained, still facing each other, not daring to move. His breath was soft on her face. She felt herself relax. She tilted her head.
“It would be all right if you kissed me,” she whispered.
He kissed her forehead so gently, it felt like butterfly wings brushing her skin. Then his lips touched the tip of her nose. Her heart fluttered with a mixture of fear and excitement. His mouth covered hers as light as a feather, and she felt herself melt into his touch. He kissed her again tenderly.
Despite the danger they were in, the world felt completely safe as long as she was with Zach. Her hand rested against his chest as she tuned in to the beating of his heart. Everything else seemed to fall away and nothing else mattered.
He kissed her again on the forehead and drew her close. “I’ll get you out of here alive, Elizabeth. Whatever it takes.”
“I know you will.”
He held her for a long moment. She relished the warmth of his embrace and wished that she could stay in this moment forever.
He whispered in her ear. “We know which direction he went. So we’ll move in the opposite direction.”
That might not get them to the trailer, but avoiding Kenny was more important. They headed back through the forest and the encroaching darkness. Both of them stepping carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible.
His hand slipped into hers. The warmth of his touch radiated through her skin straight to the marrow of her bones. Him holding her hand felt like the most natural thing in the world.
They made their way through the dense trees and undergrowth. Zach pulled her back as she heard the sound of rocks and dirt falling by her feet.
She stared down into a deep hole. “Wh
at is this?”
Zach looked over the edge. “Maybe someone had a mining claim.”
The whop whop whop whop of a helicopter broke the silence of the forest.
She tilted her head unable to see anything but tree branches.
“We need to get out in the open so they can see us.” He grabbed her hand and ran.
Tree branches seemed to be everywhere, slowing their progress. The helicopter sounded like it was getting louder. She spied an opening to her right and ran toward it. As the forest thinned, she increased her speed.
The trees opened up into a grassy meadow.
They both jumped up and down and waved their arms.
The helicopter banked and turned in the opposite direction.
She shouted and waved her arms anyway even as hope ebbed.
The mechanical clang of the helicopter became less distinct and then faded altogether.
Elizabeth shrank back toward Zach, and the quiet surrounded them once again.
“Let’s go toward where it went,” Zach said.
She appreciated that he was trying to remain positive. She turned to face him just in time to see the shadow behind him that raised a thick log and brought it down on Zach’s head.
FIFTEEN
Zach heard Kenny’s approaching footsteps and whirled around. He blocked the blow with the log by putting his arm up. Pain burned down his arm. The two men covered some ground as they exchanged blows, but Kenny finally drove Zach down, then grabbed Elizabeth by the collar and dragged her away.
“Let go of her.” Zach fought to recover and get to his feet. He wasn’t going to let Elizabeth die here today.
She clawed at Kenny’s hands as the fear in her eyes intensified. Zach reached out for her as he fought past the images of losing her.
Kenny wrapped his arm around Elizabeth’s neck. “Come any closer and I’ll just break her neck right now. It doesn’t matter—nothing matters anymore.”
The terror Zach saw on her face made him crumple inside.
Elizabeth spoke in a calm voice. “Do what he says. It’ll be a whole lot better for both of us.”
Zach wasn’t sure what Elizabeth had in mind, but he held his hands up and took a step back. “I’m backing off.” She had emphasized the word whole...meaning hole! He had to find a way to lead Kenny back to the hole.
Kenny hoisted Elizabeth over his shoulders and disappeared into the trees. Though he couldn’t be sure, Zach thought he was headed in the direction of the cliff face where he had wanted to kill himself and Elizabeth earlier. He hadn’t saved Elizabeth’s life by backing off, only bought her time.
Zach saw flashes of color as he followed Kenny through the trees. Zach moved with stealth, careful not to give himself away. Several times, Kenny stopped, dumped Elizabeth on the ground and stood listening. Zach pressed himself against the tree not even daring to breathe. Kenny must know that Zach would follow them.
Elizabeth tried to crawl away. Kenny grabbed her foot and dragged her back to him. She kicked Kenny in the face and struggled to her feet. Zach burst through the trees and grabbed her hand.
He had only seconds to orient himself to where the hole was. He let go of her hand, so they both could go faster. Kenny was right on top of them.
Zach recognized the boulder they’d passed right before the hole. They entered the grove of trees. He kept running though he couldn’t see Elizabeth. She had to be close. He could hear Kenny behind him. Then he saw a flash of color in his peripheral vision. Elizabeth. He heard her scream. And then Kenny screamed. Zach darted to where the hole was. Both of them had fallen in.
Kenny had become rabid. Clawing at the soil and roots jutting out the side of the hole and then lunging at Elizabeth as she tried to climb out. He pulled her down to the bottom of the hole and jumped on top of her, his arms around her neck.
Frantic, Zach searched from something to throw at Kenny to get him off Elizabeth. Elizabeth sank her teeth into Kenny’s hand. Kenny yowled in pain as Zach picked up a rock and threw it at Kenny’s shoulder.
Elizabeth used the distraction to race toward the side of the hole where she might be able to climb out. She’d made it halfway before Kenny had recovered and grabbed her feet.
Zach reached down. Their hands were only inches apart. Kenny pulled on her foot while she anchored herself to a root with one hand and reached for Zach with the other. He dare not back off to find a tree branch to hold out to her. At the risk of falling in, he leaned over even more and grasped her hand. He could feel the blood rush to his head as he tried to pull himself back up and hold on to her. She reached up and grabbed another root.
Kenny had to jump to try to grip her foot.
Rocks and dirt cascaded down the hole as Zach strained to yank Elizabeth up. Elizabeth grasped for his other hand. He leaned back and pulled her up. Down below, Kenny groaned and clawed the sides of the hole and then placed his hand on his ears and rocked back and forth.
Zach held her tightly in his arms. “I thought I was going to lose you.”
She clung to him, gripping his shoulder with her hand.
He heard noises behind him. A police officer emerged from the trees and ran up to them.
Still holding Elizabeth close, Zach tilted his head. “He’s down there.”
“We’ll get a rescue crew in here.” The officer walked a few paces away from them and spoke commands into his radio.
Within minutes, the helicopter had landed. Search and rescue showed up shortly after that. Kenny was pulled out of the hole and forcibly sedated.
Elizabeth stayed close to Zach while Kenny’s limp body was put in a litter a lifted up by the rescue team. They carried a conscious but sedated Kenny to the chopper and loaded him in.
The officer approached Zach and Elizabeth. “There’s room in the chopper. It’ll get you to town faster than anything else. I’m sure you folks have been through enough and would like to be out of these trees.”
While the blades sliced the air and overwhelmed all other sound, Zach and Elizabeth jumped into the two available seats. Kenny lay on the stretcher behind them. The chopper lifted into the air. The forest, deep hole and the rescue crew grew smaller and smaller.
Zach’s hand slipped into Elizabeth’s. She squeezed his fingers.
The nightmare was over. She was safe.
He remembered the kiss they’d shared. Maybe they might have a life together as more than friends.
The helicopter gained altitude. Within minutes, the outskirts of Badger came into view.
An arm came up from behind and wrapped around Elizabeth’s neck as a syringe rolled around on the floor of the chopper. Kenny must have shot himself full of adrenaline from the first aid kit.
“She’s mine,” a crazed Kenny shouted. “We’ll be together forever.”
He pulled Elizabeth toward the door of the chopper.
Alert to the situation, the pilot banked the other way. Kenny and Elizabeth crashed against the wall of the helicopter. Zach pulled Elizabeth forward, but Kenny fell backward toward the open door of the helicopter. He disappeared as he slid out. Zach hurried across the short length of the chopper. Kenny clung to one of the runners of the helicopter. The wind intensified to hurricane force as Zach reached out a hand to help Kenny.
Kenny stared down at the ground below. Was he thinking of suicide? He seemed to want that only if he could take Elizabeth with him. It didn’t matter what Kenny had done. His life meant something to God. Zach leaned out of the chopper and grabbed Kenny’s hands.
Elizabeth grabbed hold of Zach’s feet, so he wouldn’t slip out. The pilot tilted the chopper to enable them to pull Kenny in. Once inside, Kenny collapsed. The adrenaline must be wearing off. He’d lost his will to fight.
“Let’s get him tied up. That should have happened in the first place.”
They worked together to turn Kenny over and restrain him. They climbed back into their seats. Elizabeth’s hand intertwined with his.
The helipad on the hospital roof came into view. The pilot brought the helicopter down to the landing pad. Before the blades had stopped spinning, a crew of nurses and doctors appeared.
Kenny was loaded onto a gurney.
A nurse reached out her hand to Elizabeth. “Let’s get you both inside and checked out.”
Zach followed them into the ER. The nurse pulled curtains to create private exam space. “Each of you can take a room. A doctor will be with you shortly.”
Elizabeth grabbed Zach’s arm, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. The look of pure affection in her eyes warmed him to the marrow of his bones. They’d come so far. She trusted him. She cared about him. He’d go through the whole ordeal again, if it was what it took for her to open her heart to him.
She let go of him and disappeared behind the curtain wall. Zach hoisted himself up on the exam table and stared at the ceiling. Praising God that the ordeal was finally and truly over.
* * *
Though she knew Kenny was incapacitated, anxiety coiled inside her like a cobra waiting to strike. The only thing that had eased her worry was being close to Zach. When she was with him, she felt like whatever they faced they could conquer as long as they were together. And she knew there was still another danger to face.
Kenny had been taking orders from someone. And she still needed to find out who.
The curtain slid open. A male nurse stepped in. “I heard you had quite the ordeal, Miss Kramer. Do you mind if I examine you?”
She’d jumped when he appeared. Her heart hammered in her chest. The man was in his early forties and had a genuine smile. Still, old fears returned.
“Actually, I think I would prefer to have a female nurse do the exam,” she said.
He studied her for a moment before nodding. “I totally understand. It’ll be just a few minutes.”
She waited, listening to medical staff joking and barking orders, the beeping of machines and carts being rolled across the industrial-strength floor. There had been no time to tell Zach of her suspicions. She hoped they would have a chance soon. Even talking to him would alleviate much of her fear.
