It was a few weeks later and Marissa was on her way to a meeting at the yacht club. She was glad to get out of the Mansion and away from JR; silently cursing Tad and Cara's sham marriage for forcing her out of the Martins house and now she had to spend every day avoiding JR's advances. That man wouldn't take no for an answer.

It was very early and the marina was practically deserted. But she saw two figures coming away from Jackson's yacht and moving towards a parked car. She recognised the Reverend Torres but it took her a moment longer to recognise the woman in his arms.

"Bianca!" Marissa exclaimed.

She ran down to the dock side as fast as she could.

Bianca unconscious body was draped over the Reverend's shoulder and turning her friend's face Marissa could see it was a mess of blood. She was in such a panic about Bianca that Marissa didn't really register the surprise and anger on the Reverend's face.

"What happened?" Marissa asked reaching for her phone to ring for an ambulance, looking between the priest and her phone.

"Marissa," he said "We don't have time for a phone call. We have to get her to hospital now! Help me get her into the car."

Knowing he was right, Marissa took his proffered keys and opened the passenger door.

"Get in first and help me support her." added Ricky.

Marissa obediently climbed into the back of the car and gathered Bianca onto her lap as the Revered lowered her inside.

"She'd come to see me about the wedding and just slipped on the gang plank as she was leaving. She hit her head quite hard." explained Ricky, as he gently folded Bianca's legs into the car before closing the door. Marissa was desperately checking Bianca's pulse and breathing. Her pulse was strong but her breathing sounded laboured.

Marissa got her phone out again.

"She doesn't sound good," she said to Ricky, "We should let the hospital know we are on our way."

"Let me," said Ricky, reaching in the open car window for her phone, "You should maybe do something to stop the bleeding… Here try this."

Marissa exchanged her phone for the cloth Ricky handed her and pressed it gently against Bianca's bloody forehead. After a brief moment on the phone, Ricky got into the driver's seat and they sped away from the marina.

Marissa couldn't take her eyes from Bianca's face. Already the right side was swollen and red under the layer of drying blood. She whispered reassurances as she prayed for her friend's safety. Her best friend barely showed any signs of life. Ricky was driving at speed, probably as worried as she was about Bianca. At this rate they would be at the hospital in moments.

A sudden violent movement shook Marissa away from her best friend's unconscious face. The car was moving at pace along a rough gravel drive, heading up into the woods.

"Wait, where are we going?" Marissa asked.

"It's a short cut." said Ricky.

"This is nowhere near the hospital." said Marissa, "We've been going in completely the wrong direction."

Ricky didn't speak. He took the corner fast, violently throwing Marissa and Bianca about in the back of the car.

"Careful!" exclaimed Marissa, "Are you trying to kill us!"

The silence that followed sent a nervous chill down Marissa's spine.

"Marissa." sighed Ricky," You have really bad timing."

Marissa looked from Bianca to Ricky. She noticed for the first time the scratches on Ricky's neck and the bruising on his knuckles as they grasped the steering wheel. Suddenly Marissa realised that the man in front of her was very dangerous indeed.

"Where are you taking us?" Marissa asked unable to stop the tremble in her voice.

Ricky didn't speak. He didn't even acknowledge her question, he just kept driving.

Marissa had never been so scared in her entire life.

When the car eventually stopped, Marissa couldn't stop the muffled scream into her hand. She had been trying to be brave, but all alone with her thoughts the terror was inescapable. Scenarios kept flashing through her head. Each was more horrible than the next and all ending in an anonymous shallow grave somewhere deep in the woods.

When Ricky got out, Marissa thought briefly about locking him out of the car, but the look in his eyes gave her pause. He opened the door beside her.

"Get out." He commanded.

"I'll scream!" said Marissa, her voice sounding small.

Ricky just smiled,

"You can make all the noise you like." He said. "There's no one for miles. Now get out."

Marissa obeyed, gently moving Bianca's head from her lap. Ricky roughly grabbed her arm and dragged her the rest of the way out. He pushed her against the side of the car and pulled her hands behind her back. Marissa realised he was tying her up.

"Why?" she croaked, her throat tight with fear.

"You'll have to ask 'sleeping beauty' here if you want to know more." he said, pointing to Bianca.

Bianca's skin was bone white except for the bright blood that was still trickling from her forehead and a purple bruise spreading out under her split lip.

"Bianca," she whispered. "Bianca. Oh God, please be alright."

The Reverend just laughed.

"Very sweet." he said.

He seemed satisfied with the bindings around Marissa's wrists and grabbed her by the back of the neck.

"If you don't give me trouble you will get through this in one piece." He whispered in her ear. "If not, Bianca is the only one I need to keep alive…"

With that he grabbed one of Bianca's wrists and yanked her violently from the car. Still firmly gripping Marissa's neck, and dragging Bianca's unconscious body behind him along the ground, he marched towards a nearby cabin hidden in the trees.

Marissa didn't struggle, she didn't dare. He left Bianca's unconscious body at the bottom of the porch steps as he forced Marissa inside, passed the lounge and into the bedroom. When Marissa saw the bed a new fear gripped her, but he bypassed the bed and shoved her into the walk-in closet and locked the door. Marissa slid down the wall her heart was pounding and tears poured down her cheeks. The terror was almost unbearable.

After moments Ricky returned, an unconscious Bianca draped over his shoulder. He dropped her roughly and began to tie her up as well. As he was binding Bianca's wrists, Marissa noticed her shoulder seemed misshaped; Ricky had probably dislocated it dragging her from the car. He then tied Bianca's feet tightly together. Ricky looked up at Marissa when he was done.

"So glad you're not giving me any trouble." He said a cheerful smile on his face, the falseness of which was sinister. He then proceeded to tie Marissa's ankles together, she didn't struggle. Marissa then found herself pushed onto the floor and turned her onto her front. He pulled her legs up behind her and tied them to her bound wrists, hogtied like a rodeo calf. "That should make sure it stays that way."

Marissa rolled onto her side with difficulty. Ricky was still smiling as he began unfastening the cap from a water bottle. Then he grabbed a handful of Marissa's hair and poured half the bottle down her throat. Marissa swallowed what she could and tried not to choke on the rest. Ricky then tried the same with Bianca, unsuccessfully; in the end he settled to simply pouring it over her face. The shock of the water must have had an effect on Bianca as she let out a small groan.

"That should keep you going until I get back." said the priest matter-of-factly.

"You're leaving us here!" gasped Marissa.

"You're my insurance." he said simply, before slamming the closet door, plunging Marissa into darkness; the only light coming from the narrow slats in the door panels.

Ricky's footsteps could be clearly heard walking away. After a while she thought she could hear the sound of a car driving off. At that moment Marissa breathed for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

Marissa knew the only hope they had was escape. Her arms and legs were already starting to cramp but if the circulation would return to her aching limbs, maybe she could unfasten the ropes.

Bianca was definitely coming too. She was no longer still and silent; in fact she was thrashing in her bonds and muttering as if trapped in a nightmare. Marissa thought she would be reliving Ricky's assault until she whimpered the name 'Michael'.

"Get the hell off me!" Bianca screamed, waking up with a jerk.

Marissa tried to sooth Bianca with her voice while her friend recovered her senses. Bianca wasn't hearing her,

"He's here." she muttered, still lingering in her nightmare, "It's happening again."

Marissa continued to talk softly and tried to reassure Bianca that they really were alone. It was hard to tell in the dark if Bianca was hearing her or not. Marissa was relieved when her friend's next response was more direct, although still clearly terrified.

"We're alone for now – But Ricky's coming back." said Bianca, biting back a sob, which was followed by a quiet groan. It took her a moment to continue in a whisper, "He's just like Michael…"

"Wait, who is Michael?" Marissa asked confused. "What is going on, Bianca? Why did Reverend Torres tie us up and drag us to a cabin in the middle of nowhere?"

Marissa felt a chill when Bianca focussed on her in the shadows and said,

"Because it wasn't safe to kill us yet…"

"Are you okay?" Bianca's asked. "Are you in pain?" This startled Marissa out of her morbid contemplation of Bianca's last words.

"I'm fine physically." said Marissa. It was a lie, her arms and legs were cramping and her neck ached, but she knew compared to what Bianca had been through she had no right to complain. "I just don't understand why this is happening."

Bianca nervously explained that Ricky was a murderer and responsible for Zach's death. He had figured out that Bianca knew the truth and gone after her. Bianca then paused, realising that her sister Kendall was still in danger – alone with this mad man.

"He could come after her." gasped Bianca, "like he came after us!" Her voice then dropped to a quiet sob, "Or worse he could do what Michael did to me."

Marissa quickly tried to calm her friend again.

"No, no. Bianca, she's strong just like you, don't forget that."

Bianca took a deep breath once again, holding in her fear, only to end with a whimper; she was obviously in a lot of pain.

"Who is Michael?" Marissa asked after a moment, "You keep bringing him up."

A moment of horror flashed in Bianca's eyes but she did a good job of covering it.

"I can't… It doesn't matter now." she said in a cautious tone.

Marissa couldn't let it drop. Partly because she wanted the whole picture; she needed to know why this nightmare was happening. But mostly she just wanted Bianca to keep talking. Blood still trickled from her forehead and Marissa was terrified that if Bianca passed out again she would never wake up.

Bianca looked close to breaking down again, but it was the edge of anger in her voice that surprised Marissa most.

"I hate this – How does this bastard keep doing this to me?"

"Michael Cambias," continued Bianca, whispering the name like a swear word. "He was horrible – he stole from my mom, but when she and Kendall nailed him for it, he… took it out on me."

"Took it out on you?" Marissa asked. She wasn't entirely sure what this story had to do with their present predicament. Had Bianca been kidnapped before? Beaten up?

The sorrow in Bianca's eyes was painful to witness when she answered,

"He raped me."

"Bianca!" gasped Marissa, never expecting that horrendous answer.

"I'm okay." said Bianca, gathering strength from Marissa's concern. "Or I was until..."

"Oh God!" said Marissa, catching her breath, "Ricky didn't do anything like that to you did he?"

Bianca's eyes brimmed with tears,

"No…" she whispered. "Maybe it was just the way he came at me… the feeling like there was no way out… " the tears began to flow properly as Bianca sobbed, "I promised I would never go through this again!"

The silence that followed Bianca's admission was hard to break, neither woman knowing what to say next.

"The Miranda Centre makes so much sense now." said Marissa at last. She'd always admired Bianca's dedication to the charity she'd founded for women and children in need. Now she understood why it was so close to her heart.

"She was the product of that nightmare," explained Bianca, the ghost of a smile appearing on her face as she thought of her daughter. "It's amazing isn't it, how something so beautiful could come out of something so ugly."

Marissa felt her heart ache for Bianca, she always admired her friend, but now…

"No, no, no, what's amazing is you! I mean how did you do it? How do you get through a trauma like that?"

"I picked up a gun and killed the man who hurt me."

The statement was flat and emotionless, but the sobs followed as Bianca went on to explain.

"He was going to hurt me… rape me again. I went to tell him it was over; that I was pregnant. My baby was proof he had violated me. He only saw the baby as a way to get hold of the Cambias fortune. He thought he could keep the baby, and keep hurting me. When he came at me I had to stop him."

Marissa wasn't sure how many more of these harrowing confessions she could bear to hear from Bianca's lips. Bianca had been through hell, but apparently come through it all. She was a wonderfully kind, compassionate and loyal woman, who had fast become one of Marissa's dearest friends. The thought of any one hurting such an amazing person was abhorrent to Marissa, and yet it seemed to have happened again and again.

"Mother of two - Founder of the Miranda centre - Murderer. Quite a résumé." said Bianca.

"There is a difference between self-defence and murder." insisted Marissa.

"Spoken like a true lawyer." said Bianca with a trace of self-pity.

"No! Spoken like a friend."

The smile returned to Bianca's battered face and Marissa's heart melted again.

"You don't have to pretend like this is normal." said Bianca.

"I'm not." said Marissa surprised by the statement, "I definitely wouldn't call this normal. But God Bianca! If I was in awe of you before! I mean how do you…? You have it together all the time, how?"

"I put it behind me." she said, tears threatening to return again," It didn't happen overnight but I finally got there."

"You are the strongest person I know!" sighed Marissa. Even beaten half to death Bianca was the one comforting her and Marissa didn't have a scratch on her.

"If I'm so strong." sobbed Bianca, unable to push down the fear any longer, "Then why do I see Michael Cambias' face every time I close my eyes?!"

Marissa knew this was the moment she had to be there for Bianca. She had to be the strong one. Her friend was barely holding it together and after what she had been through she shouldn't have to.

"You're seeing him because we are in a really messed up place right now. Because what Ricky did has brought up a lot of stuff and sometimes emotions take over. You can't be in control all the time."

"If you haven't notice," said Bianca, trying to lighten the mood, "I'm not very good at giving that up."

It felt like Marissa had been picking at the ropes binding her wrists for an eternity. She couldn't get much purchase except with her finger nails. Her finger tips were bleeding but the ropes were still just as tight.

Bianca shivered.

"Cold." she said, "Are you freezing? It's freezing in here."

The temperature had certainly dropped perhaps night had fallen; it was hard to judge in the dark of the closet. Marissa had been feeling the chill through her jacket. She suddenly realised Bianca was wearing a lot less than she was.

"Cold is one of the symptoms of shock." said Bianca, her teeth chattering.

"Shock is one of the symptoms we've got." said Marissa with a melancholy smile. "Here let me get closer. It's going to be alright"

Marissa wriggled forward, the ropes digging into her skin. She pressed herself up as close to Bianca as possible trying to share every inch of body heat she could.

"Is that better?"

"Thank you." said Bianca although the edge of discomfort was evident in her voice. Marissa tried to nestle into a more comfortable position only for Bianca to gasp in pain, something nasty had definitely happened to her shoulder. Marissa tried again, moving onto her side, this time she was rewarded with a sigh from Bianca, her breath cool against Marissa forehead. Lying as she was now, Marissa's shoulder was protesting, but she would go through any amount of pain to give Bianca the comfort she needed.

Marissa was concerned; cold could also a symptom of blood loss or head trauma. She was in no real position to help Bianca if she got any worse. Neither of them had dared to mention out loud Bianca's head injury. She was fairly lucid at the moment but Marissa was petrified about the very real possibilities of concussion. She had to keep Bianca talking more for assurance that her friend was still alright than anything else. As determined as ever, Marissa picked at the ropes with bloody fingers.

"I'm sorry I got you into this." said Bianca.

"I'm not!" insisted Marissa. Then she realised her statement might have sounded a little weird. "I mean don't get me wrong, it's not my idea of fun to be bound and locked in a closet."

"Party-pooper." said Bianca, Marissa could feel the smile against her brow.

"Yeah, that right there is why I'm not sorry. The way you're dealing with this…"

"I'm not sure I would say dealing."

"I would." said Marissa. She knew if she'd been through just half of what Bianca had suffered she'd be a complete mess. "You went from hyperventilating to cracking jokes. You're incredible."

"I'm faking." admitted Bianca.

"That's something else we have in common."

Marissa wasn't sure if she should have said that. She was meant to be being strong for Bianca. She needed to find a new focus.

"Do you know the song 'Forever More'?" she asked

This was obviously too much of a change of tack for Bianca.

"Where did that come from?"

"My dad – not David- used to sing it to me." Marissa smiled at the memory and began to sing. Her throat was a little dry, but her voice was clear and steady.

"All through the night,

Near and far, we will be together.

So hush, don't you cry.

You will be in my arms forever more."

Marissa was suddenly a little bit self-conscious about the lyrics of the song, especially when she was snuggled this close to Bianca.

"That's calming isn't it?" said Marissa even thought her heart was suddenly racing a thousand times a second. She wasn't entirely sure where this new nervousness was coming from.

"I'm sorry Ricky did this to you." said Bianca, softly, not wanting to break the mood. "But I'm really glad I'm not alone."

"Me too!" agreed Marissa as she nestled closer.

"My mom sang to me too." said Bianca after a moment. "It was this silly lullaby, but it always made me feel better."

Bianca's voice was sweet and beautiful as she sang her mother's song.

"Hush-a-bye,

Don't you cry.

Go to sleep my little baby.

When you wake,

You shall have,

All the pretty little ponies."

"That was a pretty song." said Marissa with a smile, it was good to keep Bianca talking "But how about a livelier song to keep us awake."

"Like what?" asked Bianca, obviously playing along with the charade that everything was still okay.

Marissa racked her brain for something, anything. In the end she settled on one of her mother's favourites.

"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall?"

Bianca let out a soft laugh only to end with a wince of pain; the movement had clearly jarred her shoulder. It took her a moment to continue,

"You're sister Babe made me sing that, to time my contraction when Miranda was born. I think I sung it through about fifty times."

"Oh, I'm sorry." said Marissa. The cruel mix up of Miranda and AJ at birth and her family's part in it was one of the tragedies of Bianca's life she now knew well. Before this abduction, she thought it had been the only one.

"Don't be sorry." said Bianca, "The moment my beautiful girl was born was one of the happiest of my life; even if it was sandwiched between two nightmares. I wouldn't trade that time for anything."

"You're amazing." said Marissa again; she was running out of adjectives to describe how awesome Bianca was.

"When Babe went to get help after the flood and I was all alone in that hut with Miranda. I think I experience my first moments of true peace in over a year."

"Oh yes, the flood." said Marissa, remembering the notes she'd had to compile for the custody hearing against Bianca's now ex-wife Reese. "And wasn't Gabby born during the tornado tragedy."

"Just after the storm… why?"

"Just remind me to keep a wide berth next time you're expecting."

Bianca laughed lightly at the bad joke only to end with another grimace. After a moment she found a comfortable position again.

"So are we singing or not?" Marissa asked, trying hard to keep things positive.

They had gotten to 'seventy-three bottles of beer on the wall' and Marissa was concerned. Bianca was in a bad way. The deterioration began slowly but now she was muddling the numbers. Her head injury was clearly worsening. Marissa didn't know what to do, so she kept on singing, praying for help to come soon or that the damn knots would loosen.

"I'm sorry," sobbed Bianca, mid-verse. "I can't sing any more… I just… My head hurts so much…"

"Oh God, Bianca, you should have said something. The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"I know." Bianca's voice was suddenly quiet. "I would never want any harm to come to you either. Not ever, Marissa."

"I'm fine." said Marissa, tugging at a promising knot. "If I could just get out of these damn ropes."

There definitely was some give somewhere.

"Hey, are you ready to get out of here?" Marissa asked.

"Is that a trick question?" Bianca replied, a spark of hope burning in her eyes.

"No." said Marissa, as she tugged harder at the loosening rope. "I think I got some of these knots."

She pulled and twisted her wrist. It felt like the skin was ripping off her hand but something had certainly loosened.

"I wish I could help." whispered Bianca.

"No, no I've almost got it."

Marissa bit back a scream as she pulled with all her might and her left hand slid free. She tried not to look too hard at her bloody hand as she manoeuvred into a seated position and began to work on freeing her other hand and her feet.

"Free." said Bianca, a smile appearing on her face.

"Almost." said Marissa. Her arms screamed in protest and her legs felt numb, like they belonged to someone else but Marissa was now free of the ropes. Marissa moved to untie Bianca, struggling over the knots with numb fingers. Bianca shrieked; it was loud and full of pain.

"Oh God, Bianca your shoulder, I'm so sorry." cried Marissa. She had only moved Bianca's arm slightly to get to the largest knot.

"I'm good." said Bianca through gritted teeth, "Don't stop."

"I'll be more gentle." reassured Marissa as she tried to support Bianca's damaged arm while she pulled at the knot.

Every slight movement was joined by a whimper from Bianca, but she wouldn't let Marissa stop until the ropes were untied.

"Do you want to sit up?" Marissa asked when Bianca was finally free. She was lying at an awkward angle; she had to be in considerable pain.

"I don't think I could." said Bianca, "I'll just stay like this, I'm okay."

Marissa dragged herself up to sit with her back against the wall, her legs were now shooting with 'pins and needles' as the circulation returned. She starred for a long moment at the locked closet door.

"You know." said Marissa, "If we were in a movie we could pick the lock with a bobby pin."

"Do you have one?"

"No," said Marissa, smiling at the irony, "I was hoping you would."

"Okay then," said Bianca, "We're just going to have to use brute force."

"I like the 'we'." said Marissa looking at her immobile friend.

She struggled to her feet.

"What do you think, a good kick to break the door down?"

"Maybe." said Bianca, from her prone position on the floor.

There was nothing to brace against, but Marissa squared up to the door and steadied herself.

"On three!" said Marissa, syking herself up, Bianca joined in the count down "1… 2… 3…"

Marissa gave the door a hefty kick only to fall backwards into Bianca's legs. The door didn't budge.

"Ow." said Marissa, her foot throbbing. "I think we need a new plan."

"How about the slats." said Bianca, "They will be a weak point. I've had to have Gabby and Miranda's wardrobe fixed twice after their bedroom soccer matches… now banned of course."

"…Of course."

Marissa smiled at Bianca's words, marvelling at how she could still be so positive, so calm.

This time Marissa braced herself on the floor and aimed at the slatted door panel. The first kick knocked out four slats. It was the work of moments to give Marissa enough room to crawl through.

"Time to call for help." said Marissa.

The bedroom beyond was empty, and so Marissa moved into the main room of the cabin. The whole placed look dusty and unloved, probably someone's long abandoned holiday home. Marissa found a phone on the wall by the kitchen, the line was disconnected. The only way to get help for Bianca was to go out and find it.

She made her way back to the closet to update Bianca on their situation.

"I don't want to leave you here like this." said Marissa.

"I don't think you have a choice." insisted Bianca. "We need help, Marissa... I need help."

It was the first time Bianca had admitted just how much Ricky had hurt her and Marissa knew she was her best friend's only hope.

"You'll be okay?" Marissa asked as she tried to make Bianca more comfortable with pillows and blankets she had snatched from the bed.

"Trust me, I'm not going anywhere." said Bianca. It wasn't a very good joke but it was enough to reassure Marissa that her best friend would keep on fighting for life until she returned.

"You'd better not." said Marissa with a smile and then she found herself kissing Bianca on the lips, urgently and lovingly.

"I'll be a quick as I can." she whispered. "Stay safe."

Bianca watched her leave with wide eyes.

Marissa found an old wool coat on a hook by the door and after a search also uncovered a working flashlight under the kitchen sink. Marissa stepped into the night-time forest and hoped there were no bears in the woods.

Marissa followed the gravel road down a long steep hill and eventually came to a wide curve where the road forked. She was trying to decide which way to go when to her amazement she saw headlights travelling towards her. It was a car. Marissa jumped into the middle of the road waving her arms, flashing the flashlight and shouting at the top of her lungs. The car had no choice but to stop, Marissa was not going to get out of the way. Marissa couldn't see the driver clearly against the glare of his head lights.

"Please you have to help me, my friend Bianca, she needs to get to hospital."

"Bianca!" the man exclaimed, as if recognising the name.

"Please, do you have a phone?"

"I… I can't stop." The man started the car and moved as if to run her over.

"NO!" screamed Marissa throwing herself on the hood of the car, "She'll die, please she'll die. You have to help me please."

She could see the man's face better now, it wasn't someone she really recognised, maybe she had seen him getting take-out at Krystal's one or twice. He was staring at her, seeing for the first time her mangled left hand and Bianca's blood which covered her clothes under the coat.

There was a moment of real indecision on his face before he spoke again.

"Here." he said, thrusting his mobile phone to Marissa, "Take it. I can't stay."

Marissa clutched the phone to her chest even as her reluctant saviour began to drive away.

"But I don't know where I am!" Marissa screamed after him.

"About twenty miles along Quarry Road!" The man shouted back before taking the right fork and speeding away.

Marissa rang 911, delighted that the phone had such a strong signal out in the hills. When the woman at the call-centre answered Marissa broke down in tears. The woman asked her to stay put but Marissa was desperate to get back to Bianca. She left the flashlight by the road pointing the way and hurried back along the steep gravel road. The moon lit her way and all the time the woman in the call centre (she never did get her name) kept her company. She wasn't even in sight of the cabin when she heard the sirens in the distance and a police car pulled up behind her. Rescue had arrived in the form of Brot. He helped Marissa into his car and they sped up to the cabin the ambulance not too far behind.

Marissa just wanted to run to Bianca and make sure she was alright. Brot put a restraining hand on her shoulder and told her that she had done all she could, that the cavalry had arrived and she only had to look after herself now. He was right about the cavalry, there was an ambulance and four police cars all parked outside the tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere. Help was here; they had been saved.

Marissa looked down at the phone in her hand and wondered about her reluctant rescuer. She hoped to find his name somewhere on the phone but it was a cheap disposable thing and there was only one name and number logged – Jane - maybe his girlfriend or something.

Brot said he'd take care of the phone while a paramedic began to look Marissa over. Her wrists were a mess where the ropes had cut into her flesh and her fingernails were splintered and scabbed with dried blood. Marissa found herself wrapped in a blanket, while the paramedic smiled reassuringly at her as he tended her wounds.

All the while she couldn't keep her eyes off the cabin. Two police officers and two medics had entered. After a few moments a third paramedic rushed in with a bag of equipment. His expression of concern terrified Marissa most of all. Bianca had to be alright, she just had to be!

It seemed like an age before her dearest friend was wheeled out on a trolley. Marissa was pleased to see that Bianca's eyes where open and that she was still conscious. She looked far from okay, her head wound looked awful, especially under the red and blue flashing lights of the emergency vehicles but she was still alive somehow.

As Marissa watched the paramedics load Bianca into the ambulance, Brot kept talking to her making sure she was okay. Marissa was shaking despite the blanket and knew she was suffering from shock. Brot and the paramedic helped her to her feet and supported her as they walked towards the ambulance. Marissa's legs felt strange after the hours of captivity and the long march to get help. Both legs felt like rubber, barely supporting her weight as she shuffled along. Marissa was lifted into the ambulance and strapped in by the smiling paramedic. Another busily worked on Bianca, fixing her up to a drip and injecting something into her arm. As they drove off Marissa reached out and took one of Bianca's hands and was delighted when Bianca squeezed back. Marissa swore to stay by Bianca's side no matter what.