Chapter 10 – Barely Hanging On

Bailey's screams pierced the silence like a knife as the boys worked feverishly to make it to her in time. Tears, panic and sheer terror over took her as she held tight to the railing that kept her from falling. Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears that she was sure it would eventually give out on her altogether as little by little she envisioned her own death. She was tired of hanging on. Her arms felt like lead, and she knew any minute they would be ripped out of their sockets leaving her defenseless to whatever fate had in store. But when she felt one hand give way, a fierce need to survive overpowered her and she began to pray. Bailey wasn't much of a church goer, but when she looked up and saw the boys she thanked God with every fiber of her being.

"Bailey hang on."

"Cody!" She cried somewhat relieved if not still afraid of falling. "Help me!"

"I'm here sweetie." Cody anchored himself as best as he could as Kirby and Zack held onto him. The edge was a few feet from him but he still couldn't quite reach her. The angle in which she was at and the instability of the ramp didn't help matters. "Zack grab a hold of my belt buckle and pull." Zack did as was requested while Kirby took a hold of the older twin's legs, giving him the leverage they needed.

"Hurry please!"

Cody forced himself not to think about what Bailey's fall would mean. The thought of losing her frightened him to no end and for that reason alone he needed to stay in the moment. He needed to save her.

"Bailey can you pull yourself up at all?"

"No. Cody I'm slipping." He could tell she was getting tired and knew he had to move fast. He began to inch his way toward her, being careful not to put too much pressure on the already fragile ramp. He knew if all the cords snapped they would all be history and he wasn't willing to let that happen.

"Cody I'm scared." Bailey looked into the eyes of the only boy she ever truly loved, and for a split second she realized she might have to say goodbye to him. "Cody…"

"Bailey don't!" he demanded as if he somehow knew what she was going to say. And maybe he did. "We're all getting out of here safe and alive. Do you hear me?"

"But Cody I can't reach you and I'm so tired."

"Don't talk like that. I've almost got you; just hang on a little bit longer. Please for me."

Bailey merely nodded and a minute later sighed in relief when she felt his hands take a hold of her arms and begin to pull her up. The relief however was short lived when one of the cords snapped sending a corner of the ramp careening down at an angle. Bailey could hear screaming and only after Cody told her to stop did she realize the sound was coming from her.

"I've got you. I won't let you fall but you have to help me." Cody told her as he felt her nails dig painfully into his forearms. "I'm right here." She was about to look down until he forced her to look at him. "Don't look down. Look at me. Right here Bailes, Right at me."

"Okay," she managed to answer him with a whimper.

Cody knew the only thing that saved her was the fact that he had a firm grip. Still that didn't mean that they were out of danger quite yet. He still had to pull her back up to safety and get them all off this part of the catwalk before it plummeted to the ground. Something he was sure would happen soon.

"Okay come towards me. Easy, I've got you." He slowly began to pull her up as Kirby and Zack did their best to get them away from the edge. "Come on baby your almost here." Before Bailey knew it she was lying in Cody's arms as he rolled them off the broken ramp and onto the safety of the catwalk. Their bodies trembled as they sobbed uncontrollably, desperately clinging to one another.

"I was so scared."

"I know baby, I know." He didn't say another word just covered her mouth with his in a desperate need to forever remain connected.

"I thought I was going to die. I thought that I'd never see you again. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"I was so scared," she repeated, her tears coming faster.

Cody didn't say a word just held her tighter then he'd ever done before. He couldn't deny that those very thoughts were going through his mind as well. Placing a hand on each side of her face he began to kiss every inch of it. When he was finished he removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders, pulling her into an even deeper embrace as he did so. When her tears subsided somewhat he looked over toward Zack and Kirby and nodded a thank you. That's when it hit him. This wasn't over. Looking at Zack and the fear in his eyes he immediately questioned the girl in his arms.

"Bailey where's Maya?"

Maya was paralyzed by the pain that still coursed through her body as it mingled with the tears still streaming down her face involuntarily. She wanted to force them to stop but for some reason they wouldn't or couldn't. He was asking her to understand. But the attack was too fresh, too personal, and she just couldn't get the image of what he'd done to her out of her mind. His breath near her cheek, his hands on her shoulders, his arms still wrapped around her. They were all added insults and every part of them reawakened the image of the last hour. Painful images that she wanted so badly to forget.

Suddenly her thoughts became hazy and she remembered the entire event as if she'd never lived it. As if she somehow removed herself from the scene and was remembering a movie. Beside her Brad was silent and unmoving and she was unsympathetic to what he was feeling. She felt as if she had entered a tunnel and was now stuck in a fog where nothing seemed real. She needed a safe place to escape too, so she continued to wander through the haze and mist surrounding her.

When the door was knocked off its hinges a minute later, she didn't even flinch.

"Zack don't." It took all Cody's strength to keep Zack from rushing Brad. "We need to get Maya out of here first."

She knew someone had spoken her name but couldn't quite figure why or who. Was there someone else in the room? Why couldn't she think straight, had something happened? All around her she could hear voices but everyone looked like blurry images that she couldn't quite make out. She tried to force herself to concentrate, but nothing worked. When she felt an arm tighten around her shoulder she wondered how it had gotten there and who it belonged too.

"Maya?" Bailey questioned slowly taking a step forward until Cody placed an arm in front of her. Looking over he watched as Brad eyed her, watching every movement she made. When he revealed his hand, they realized he had a knife in it. He was not going to release her without a fight.

"Maya it's okay we'll get you out of here." Cody stated, while at the same time placing himself in front of his girlfriend, not liking the way Brad had watched her. Studying the other girl's appearance he didn't have to imagine what Brad had done. The evidence was all too obvious.

"Brad let her go." Zack asked with a pained expression. "You got what you wanted. Please just let her go."

"It's too late."

"No its not. Brad let her go. She needs help." Cody ever the voice of reason answered for his brother. "She needs a doctor. She's hurt. You can see that right?"

"I didn't mean too. I tried to stop myself." Brads tears were again falling down his face and his expression was one of pure sorrow. "She was right. Everything she said was true."

"Who, what are you talking about?" Cody asked.

Brad tightened his grip on Maya and continued to cry. Silence was there only answer.

Just then Moseby walked in with two uniformed officers. They froze at the sight before them, much in the same way the others had. The scene to horrific to stomach. Cody shook his head and the older gentleman nodded.

"Maya sweetheart, are you okay?" No one really expected an answer. There was no question that she wasn't okay, but still they had to form some kind of a connection. It was apparent that the young girl wasn't completely in the room with them. "We need you to nod if you can understand us?" Nothing.

Moseby would have tried again but Brad suddenly spoke up. "Stop that!" he growled. "She's fine. She's got me."

Zack's temper was boiling under the surface and his anger was hot enough to scorch the hair off a grizzly bear. Brad tightened his grip on Maya and returned Zack's glare with one of his own. He wasn't going to win this one. Maya was his and he didn't care how pissed off the blond boy was. He wasn't going to give her up. She belonged to him and it was time everyone knew that. With one swift movement he placed the knife against her throat and forced her to stand up with him. The only sound was a small whimper that left her. "Let's take a little walk." He whispered as he began to maneuver them around the others and out the door. He could see everyone step forward but wasn't about to let them have the upper hand, so he again tightened his grip and lead them down to the catwalk.

AN: Thanks for sticking with me. Sorry update the re-upload. Please R&R! ;)