Disclaimer: See part Prologue.

A/N: I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. RL took a toll and didn't leave much energy and time to write. Thanks Celadon for beta-reading this chapter – twice. Thank you all for reading.

800 Miles to Remember

Part 4: Present day

Chapter 10: Don

The beam of my flashlight rested on the number "8". It had been painted in a dark red color on the rudimentary wooded door. There was something odd about that "8". I was about to reach for the number and trace it with my index finger when I realized that what I was about to touch was not paint – well, not the kind in use today. What I was about to touch was blood.

I cursed under my breath. Instinctively, my left hand found its position back around my right wrist, supporting the hand that was holding my gun. I scrutinized my surroundings with an even higher level of alertness. I could not make out much in this darkness other than the fact that I was leaving myself exposed to trouble – very big trouble. Coming here had been a bad judgment call. Doing so alone had been an even worse one.

"Eppes, what the hell are you doing here?" I chided myself. What was this place anyway? At that very moment, I had no idea of where I was, of what had brought me here, and of how I had gotten myself in the middle of nowhere.

I drew in a deep breath. It calmed down my edgy nerves and helped me keep a cool head. One could probably doubt it by my present lack of good judgment, but I was a trained FBI agent. I had been taught to handle eerie situations like these – well, one would have thought so anyway. I took a step back towards my car, deciding that whatever it was I was trying to accomplish was not worth getting killed stupidly.

I slowly made my way in the dark. I could feel the cold wind brush my face. I could hear the flow of the nearby river. Everything was calm – too calm. Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe I was imagining dangers that were not there after all. Regardless, my instincts were telling me that the faster I got out of here, the better.

I turned to face my car. I was about ready to open the driver's door when it hit me – the pain. Sharp and burning pain unceremoniously tackled me to the ground, steeling my breath away.

"Breathe!" I ordered myself. "Just inhale then turned around." I could not stay face down and unprotected on the ground. Whoever had struck me was bound to come closer in order to finish the job. I was not going to end up shot in the back only God knew where for no reason at all. I was going to roll on my back and meet my fate in the eye.

I inhaled deeply. I felt my heartbeat go up a notch and my muscles contract, ready for a fight. I swiftly rotated to the right. Pain assaulted my back as soon as it hit the ground. My body jerked upward in a futile effort to protect itself. I almost screamed. Maybe I did. I could not care less. All that mattered was that I keep my eyes opened, but even that proved to fail me as tears blurred my vision. My lids closed involuntarily.

When I opened my eyes again, I was unprepared for the beam of my flashlight being shone into my face. I tried to get away from its stabbing brightness. I moved my head from side to side then attempted to roll back on my stomach. That's when I felt the first restraint on my arms. It was too late. Incredible force was pinning me down and intercepting every move I made. I felt my anger surge into my chest. No! I was not going to die that way.

Eppes, you're going to keep on putting up a fight.

Yet, despite my resolve, I felt my strength melt away as a warm sensation coursed through my body. Funny, I expected death to be cold. I felt myself relax. My ragged breathing slowly evened out. With the dying sound of my heart rate beating in my ears, came her voice.

Her voice… Soothing and caring.

"Don… Don't struggle… We're giving you something for the pain… That's it, D.D… You can relax, now… You're safe. You're in the hospital… You're going to be okay."

Her voice… Its gentleness and the reassurances of her words lulled me back to a welcome darkness.

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TBC

A/N: Again thank you for reading. I hope you liked it and that it was worth the wait.