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Chapter 4

"Do you think that they'll help?" Marcus asked as Rita looked back at him.

"I know my brother and sister and I can promise you that Lacy and Cole will help." She said straightening herself as she responded. "We need to get word to them. I can leave at first light." She pushed a stray strand of hair off of her face and behind her ear. Her sparkling green eyes reflected a sense of peace.

"You're not going alone." Kurdy blurted out. He looked at her breathing heavily as their eyes met.

All heads shifted to the formidable voice at the end of the table. Kurdy stood up watching the woman with the emerald eyes closely. He wanted to read her thoughts at the moment. She smiled back at him biting her lower soft pink lip and looked shyly back down at the map on the table. She then calmly picked up the map and folded it up shoving it into her pocket.

"Kurdy… I'm not sure…"

"Marcus, you'll be right behind us by about two hours. We're gonna make contact with her brother and sister and we'll wait for you." Kurdy replied.

Marcus ran his long fingers through his russet colored locks. He closed his eyes thoughtfully and then looked back at Kurdy's intimidating frame. His thoughts were troubling him more than normal. He knew that Kurdy could handle himself in most situations; but sending him out to Molson knowing they probably knew that he and Kurdy were both around seemed like a bad idea to him. He also knew that Jeremiah didn't have much of a chance if someone didn't take a risk. He was putting two of his best recon people at risk and that really troubled him more than anything.

"Look Kurdy this is bad enough. The five of us here will go along in the Rover and the two of you will make contact with her sister and brother. Once contact is made we'll rendezvous at the Rover outside of town and then we'll go from there. No one get caught…" Marcus's voice trailed off as he looked at the fire blazing in the fireplace in front of them. He was a nervous wreck and the situation was so far out of his control. What the hell were they going to do if anyone else got caught? They were a day from Thunder Mountain. What the hell would they do then?

"Marcus." Blake's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah…"

"It sounds like Jeremiah is in pretty bad shape. You're gonna need medical supplies. I can get you the little bit we have." Blake had a look of concern in his eyes that ignited a new fear in Marcus.

Marcus caught Kurdy's eyes as the two of them looked back at Blake. They hadn't even begun to imagine the shape their friend would be in following the punishment that Jeremiah had gone through. Would there be casualties from those helping? Is there a chance that Rita wouldn't be able to get help from her family? What were they up against? How much could Jeremiah possibly take before he gave in to his ability to survive?

"Marcus, I swear to GOD if they…"

"He'll be fine… I hope…" Marcus flinched as he thought about what he had asked two people who were new acquaintances. He was asking them to put their lives on the line for a complete stranger to them. Yet they trusted him in his decision.

Rita listened intently as Marcus and Kurdy discussed with Blake the possibility of injury facing their friend. She watched the play of emotion on the faces of the men who started to contemplate the condition of their comrade. She bit her lip as she watched the three conclude their arrangements and decide they needed to get some rest before the day broke.

"Get some sleep. I'll get some things together and will have them by morning." Blake advised. "I have one spare bed; you're welcome to share it…"

"I have a spare bed… Kurdy… if you… want to…" Rita blushed and looked at the floor as she realized how quick she had interjected her comment. Did she really sound that desperate?

A slow smile spread across Kurdy's face as Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"Sleep Kurdy… sleep…" Marcus tried to sound official

"Yeah… lots of it…" Kurdy winked as he grabbed his pack and followed the girl out of the home and to her own.

"He's not going to sleep is he?" Marcus stated to nobody in particular.

"Probably not, but he's keeping good company. She's a good girl." Blake responded continuing to watch the duo walk across the sleepy lot towards a small storefront. The two entered the building and the door shut behind them.

--

Jeremiah felt himself drifting off again. He couldn't help it. He was so cold… frozen and sleep seemed so wonderful to him. But then someone would launch the coldest water he had ever felt at his slowly faltering body brining him quickly back to pain fused consciousness. A tall man approached him maliciously holding a large knife in his hands. He had an overly friendly smile dancing across his face. He held the knife up to the captive mans bruised chest running the pint of the blade down Jeremiah's ribs one by one by one.

Jeremiah felt the terror of a stab wound to his torso leaping into his thoughts. The knife left a welt to each delicate inch of flesh it contacted as it drew a cruel pink line down his torso. He gritted his teeth as the man got to the end and he lifted the knife and pushed it uncaringly into his bottom rib.

"I could gut you right now boy…" the tone of his voice was menacing and cold as he threatened a man he didn't even know.

Jeremiah closed his eyes as he felt the smallest trickle of blood roll down his left side. He gasped and then bit his lip fighting the urge to cry out again. The man grabbed his hair and yanked his head back bringing the cold steel blade to the captive mans throat.

"That's enough Brian." Cole warned as he pushed the man away from Jeremiah. He then stepped in between Jeremiah and the rest of the mob pulling his weapon tightly to his chest. "That's enough for all of you…"

"Roger said not to let him be… to get information…"

"Yeah and he also said not to kill him… cut him down Buck." Cole responded

"But…"

"Cut him down… now." Cole repeated himself.

Jeremiah felt the ground rise up to greet him, his breath leaving him as he landed with a heavy thud on the solid wood base of the stage area. He slowly pushed his right arm under himself as he tried to push himself up. There was a clattering of footsteps as Brian walked forward quickly and planted his foot firmly in Jeremiah's already pained right side. Jeremiah fell heavily on his already dislocated left shoulder.

"AGGHHH!" The pain shoving him ever closer to the black abyss he had come to know so well. Jeremiah rolled onto his shredded back screaming again as he rolled onto his right side. He blacked out momentarily and when he came too his wrists were being laced in front of him around the concrete slab which had become his friend. Cole had bent down the check his face watching the sheen of sweat bead up and slide down his flushed discolored cheek. His skin was extremely warm to the touch.

"Look I'm sorry for what's become of you Jeremiah… but we don't have a choice." Cole told him in a hushed gentle voice.

Jeremiah opened his eye slowly to see the face connected to the voice. There was nobody around except for a few stragglers.

"Where… is… did they all… go?" Jeremiah asked in a raspy voice.

He looked up at Cole who reached up and felt his forehead again. Jeremiah's skin was pallid. He began to cough hard as the man gently grabbed his right shoulder holding him from collapsing onto floor.

"Lacy… bring me some water." The man shouted over his shoulder.

It wasn't more than a few seconds when there was an old plastic jar gently brought to Jeremiah's fever cracked lips. He sucked the clear fluid down greedily.

"Slow… slower…" Cole took the jar from his lips as Jeremiah began to cough again. "You drank that too fast… slower next time."

Jeremiah looked up at the handsome wind burned face of the man who had shown him the only kindness he had been offered in the town of Molson. He had a strong jaw line. His face was tanned from the years of hard labor in the weather. He had deep lines around his eyes also from year of sun exposure. His deep sea green eyes sparkled against his reddish-blond hair. His bangs hung gently over his brow line.

The makeshift cup was offered to Jeremiah again, this time he sucked the liquid slower. He felt the cool liquid slip down the back of his parched throat. He was stopped again by the cruel cough that seemed to be plaguing him more frequently. Once he had stopped coughing he leaned his head heavily on the column in front of him. He felt a hand on his back bringing his eyes opened wider. This time he offered a heavy gasp of pain accompanied by a whimper. Cole studied his captives face. He was a man not much older than himself who despite his amazing ability to withstand pain he could see was starting to ware down badly. His brown eyes were rimmed in deep crimson adding to the fever filled glaze. Cole looked over the shoulder of the man in front of him to the woman behind his prisoner.

"Lace… we have to do something… he can't take much more." Cole advised his voice mirroring the concern on his face.

"No… n-not… worth it. Will be… worse… for you…" Jeremiah responded with great effort.

Cole looked back at Lacy who bit her lower lip. Her emerald eyes reflected the same concern in her brother's voice. She brushed a strand of deep red hair from her cheek behind her ear and took a cloth out of her pocket and dabbed it in the jar of water. She gently touched it to one of the slashes on his back bringing a hiss of breath through his teeth as he closed his eyes.

"Please… no… you'll get… trouble…" Jeremiah stuttered as he looked pleadingly at Cole.

"Lace…"

"Cole… he's on the verge of infection. We can't…"

"I know. We have to get him out of here but we can't risk getting caught doing so." Cole stated. "The sun will be up soon and were gonna have to get him out before Roger…"

Cole looked up as Brian approached the two. He wore a bitter grin on his face.

"I win… string him up Cole… Roger will be down just after sunrise and he'll take care of you then." The sadistic smile sent a chill up Cole's spine. "Do it now before I bring Lacy into it…" Brian sneered as he grabbed his thick arm around Lacy's narrow waste pulling her towards him. She clawed at his wrists and fingers as he began to fondle her inappropriately.

"Let her go!" Cole shouted.

"S-Stop… don't… hurt her." Jeremiah swallowed and tried to rise to his feet only to fall back to the ground.

"Jeremiah… I…" Cole looked down at the man at his feet. His heart ached as he struggled to inflict more pain on the already suffering man.

"Just… get it… over with…" He began to cough again as Cole helped him to his feet.

Jeremiah leaned heavily on Cole as two men with Brian made sure the bonds holding Jeremiah were tight as they through the end of the rope over a high branch on the tree just above him and pulled the man's arms above his head and then lifted him off the ground, his toes hardly touching the ground. Jeremiah cried out as the pain in his shoulder ripped through him again. His sides felt as if they would split in two. He looked up at his hands high above his head and clenched his teeth tightly together. The pain was like an unquenchable fire as it burned in every fiber of his body.

"Go home… we'll take care of him from here." Brian ordered.

"Not on your life Brian." Cole seethed.

"Suit yourself." Brian sneered as he elbowed the defenseless Jeremiah in the back.

"AGHHHH!" Jeremiah cried out, his chin dropping to his chest as he lost consciousness.

"Let him be or I'll kill you myself." Cole vowed through clinched teeth. He pointed his loaded weapon at the unarmed men in front of him. His sister Lacy stood strong behind him.

"You win this one. We'll leave him alone, but he's staying there." Brian pointed at Jeremiah who had already blacked out.

The standoff continued until the sun began to peak over the hill.

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