Chapter Twenty
Sunday 22nd December – 6:00 AM
Elly smiled shyly at Chloe, feeling relief that the blonde had found a way to release the locked shipping container door that would allow them to escape, "I knew you could do it…thank you."
Chloe returned Elly's look as she took several steps outside of the shipping container, "Don't thank me yet…I still gotta find a way to get you and the peanut to the hospital…and then you can thank me."
"Okay," Elly agreed.
"Do you think you're capable of walking? Not far but just far enough that we can put this shipping container out of our sight before…" Bea frowned as she heard a noise, "What is that sound?"
Chloe threw up her hands, "Don't tell me I spent all bloody night unpicking that pin only for someone to come by as soon as I do!"
Elly's smile was wiped from her face as she remembered, "Finn said he'd return for us at sunrise…that's not someone…Finn's back."
Chloe turned back to the sound of EvilFinn's car driving down a makeshift path towards them, "Finn's spotted me…we're not going to have time to run away from him or even pretend I didn't just get this door open for us to escape. What do we do?"
Elly and Bea stared at one another, unable to come up with an answer.
EvilFinn glared at Chloe as he spotted her standing in front of the opened shipping container door, "What in the bloody hell is happening here?"
EvilFinn slid his car into park as he panicked seeing Chloe standing outside the shipping container. Yanking the parking brake lever, he didn't bother to turn off the ignition or close the door as he tore out of the car as fast as he could.
"What do I do?" Chloe yelled out to Bea and Elly, seeing EvilFinn jumping out of his car.
"Run!" Bea shouted at Chloe.
"Oh right, good idea!" Chloe replied as she bolted away from the shipping container.
Bea groaned immediately, "Not that way, Chloe! Ugh! Can you believe her? This is the woman that you love?"
Elly lifted her shoulders in response.
"That's all you got for me!" Bea stared at Elly blankly, "You're in love with the woman that when I say 'Run!' instead of packing it in the opposite direction to run away from Finn and maybe giving us a minute to get out of here…she runs straight at Finn like a moron!"
"Still doesn't make me love her any less," Elly admitted to Bea.
Bea shook her head as she released herself from cuddling up to her sister and stood up, "Least you're aware you're in love with a moron. Chloe's gonna get us killed. Now, where's that torch?"
Chloe silently cursed herself for dropping the metal coils back in the shipping container, feeling like they could come in handy against EvilFinn, as she rushed at him.
What the hell am I doing? It's not like I can take him…growing up with 3 brothers, I know how to fight dirty…but doesn't mean I can stop him getting to Elly and peanut…oh and Bea…
EvilFinn ran full pelt at the blonde, terrified Chloe was just a distraction and Elly and his girlfriend had already escaped and he'd lost his chance at stealing Elly's baby.
As Chloe got to EvilFinn, she managed to time her run at him, by raising her knee, slamming it into his groin, knocking him backwards. EvilFinn didn't let that stop him as he grappled with Chloe and pulled her down to the ground with him.
EvilFinn groaned at the pain inflicted on his groin, then yelled as Chloe scratched her fingernails at his face, splitting his skin from two of them across the side of his face. Chloe threw an elbow to EvilFinn's face, causing him to yell out in pain once more.
Finally gripping hold of Chloe's wrists, EvilFinn rolled her over onto her back, "Nice try, bitch! You're just lucky you're not the one I'm after! You better hope to hell you haven't let Elly and Bea escape as they're the ones I'm after or I'll make you pay!"
EvilFinn struggled as he stood up, dragging Chloe to her feet too, where she promptly kicked him in the shin. EvilFinn growled at Chloe in response, "Bitch, you keep fighting dirty and I will take you away from Elly, see how she copes without you and the baby, she'll wish she was dead without the people she loves!"
Finn knows Elly loves me…? Am I the last to know…? So not the point!
As EvilFinn pulled himself together, he dragged Chloe beside him as he forced the pair of them towards the shipping container. Chloe began planting her feet firmly in the ground every few steps, making it as difficult as possible for EvilFinn to drag her along with him.
"Would you stop that already, you're an absolute pain!" EvilFinn exclaimed.
Chloe continued kicking at EvilFinn's legs when she could, until he finally turned to her. As EvilFinn went to yell at Chloe again, he was suddenly surprised to hear the baby crying.
"Elly had her baby?" EvilFinn grunted.
Crap!
"Well, I…" Chloe started before EvilFinn interrupted her, "Guess maybe your freedom won't be short-lived if I get my hands on that baby!"
Oh no you don't! You are not getting your hands on the peanut!
Before Chloe could do anything to stop him, EvilFinn dragged her by the wrists behind him and stormed over with her to the shipping container.
But as EvilFinn stepped foot in the shipping container, he was immediately walloped in the face by Bea with the torch as she had stood off to the side behind the still locked door.
EvilFinn fell backwards from the impact, taking Chloe with him as she fell to the ground next to him. Bea immediately popped around from the closed door, torch still in her hands ready to whack EvilFinn but she was surprised to find that she'd knocked EvilFinn out so easily.
Bea took her right hand off the torch and reached it out to take Chloe's hand, helping her to stand up.
Bea was almost taken aback, expecting Chloe's appreciation but instead Chloe riled at her, "How the hell did you know Finn would walk through that door first, Bea? You could've smashed me in the head, Bea!"
"I took a risk," Bea admitted.
"You could've hit me by accident!" Chloe raged.
Bea shrugged before folding her arms in front of her, "Not like you couldn't have done with a smack in the head!"
"Meaning?" Chloe frowned.
Bea rolled her eyes at the blonde, "Talk to my sister or I will smack you in the head."
"I sincerely hope you're joking, Bea," Elly grumbled at her younger sister.
Threatening Chloe into talking to me…even jokingly…how am I meant to believe she actually does want to talk to me if it comes after Bea threatening her to?
Chloe rolled her eyes back at Bea, "How about you smack Finn in the head instead?"
Bea glanced down at EvilFinn lying near them unconscious before looking back at Chloe, "I already did, he's unconscious."
"Hit him again, anyway," Chloe told Bea, then when Bea looked at her blankly, "Haven't you ever seen a scary movie? Y'know the part at the end of the movie where the good guys take out the killer except the killer isn't really dead and comes back for one last scare?"
"This isn't a scary movie, Chloe," Bea told her.
"Ah hello, kidnapped an entire day by an amateur psycho and locked in a shipping container overnight where your sister was forced to give birth to her baby. What part of this, isn't a scary movie? Would you hit Finn over the head again so we know he's unconscious before we rush off to hospital and call the cops? It's not like he doesn't deserve it! If you're worried about being blamed for it, give me the torch and I'll smack him myself to make sure he's out," Chloe insisted.
Bea's eyes widened as she stared down at the ground next to them, "Smack who?"
"Are you freaking kidding me?" Chloe groaned as she saw that Bea was staring at the empty ground next to them.
"What? I can't see anything, what's going on?" Elly asked in concern.
"Finn's gone," Chloe announced in frustration, "I knew you should've hit him again to make sure he was unconscious. Now, he's gonna turn back up again when we least expect it."
"Don't be ridiculous," Bea mumbled, "He's just…okay I don't have a clue how Finn's managed to disappear. Flips sake we were standing right here! How did Finn manage to disappear right out from underneath us?"
"Maybe cause you two were too busy having it out with each other," Elly answered for them, before suggesting, "Can we get the hell out of here before the scary movie comes true and Finn comes back for one last scare?"
"It's a good idea," Chloe admitted, unable to stop looking at the ground where Bea had knocked Finn out, "I can't believe he just got up and disappeared without us noticing. We were standing right here! Bloody scary movie move!"
"Well we can't do anything about it now," Bea sighed, "Finn's car is still here. Are we just going to stand around and wait for him to do this scary movie act and get us or are we gonna get the hell out of here?"
Chloe glanced over at the car and all around the surrounding area, looking for any sign of EvilFinn, "I don't think Finn took the time to turn the car off when he saw me so the keys should still be in the ignition for us to get the hell out of here to get Elly and the peanut to hospital," then looking back over at Elly cradling her baby, "Do you think you can walk to the car?"
"I think I'm probably going to need some help," Elly replied quietly, feeling anxious at needing to rely on Chloe after she'd blown off her love declaration.
Before Chloe could respond, Bea held up the torch, "Alright, you go help Elly and my nephew stand and start walking out of here. I'm standing guard here with the torch in case Finn springs his surprise return on us."
Chloe cleared her throat, "I think Elly…and I…could ah…use your help, Bea."
Bea stood firm, "No way in hell am I letting all three of us stand back in that shipping container when Finn has managed to get up without us even noticing and has gone God knows where. I'm standing right here with the torch outside the container so I can at least try to stop him if he tries to lock us back inside."
Chloe glared at Bea's staunch approach.
"You're the one going on about killers in scary movies coming back," Bea pointed out with a wink, "Go help Elly and bubs. I'll wait here. We'll be at the hospital in no time."
Chloe breathed deeply before walking over to Elly and her son, still sitting on the mattress. Chloe knelt down next to Elly, "I'll help you stand up, you right to hold onto the peanut…? You don't have a name yet for him, do you?"
Elly smiled gently at Chloe before looking back at her son, "Yeah I got him…kinda don't want to let him go…ever. And I…kinda…do have a name for him…I'm just gonna wait 'til we get to the hospital and get him checked out to make sure he's perfectly healthy before I…is that okay?"
"Absolutely. He's going to be just fine, Elly," Chloe assured as she shifted until she was next to Elly and reached out her arm around Elly's waist to help lift Elly to her feet.
"Thanks," Elly whispered, as she continued cradling her son in her arms still wrapped up in Chloe's jacket, trying to concentrate on anything except having Chloe's arm around her body.
Stop it…Chloe's not yours…she doesn't want to be…you took too long to figure out your feelings for her…
"No problem," Chloe whispered back as she slowly led Elly and the baby out of the shipping container, "Let's just get you to the hospital and you'll both be home before you know it. You'll get to celebrate Christmas as a new mum for the first time. That's gotta be something to make up for this horrible experience."
Chloe not even having the heart to bother rejecting me…?
Oh…she means giving birth in the middle of nowhere locked in a shipping container…that was a horrible experience…
Worse than having my heart stomped on…? That's up for debate…
As Chloe and Elly, reached Bea, the younger sibling held the torch in her right hand, still prepared to swing it should it be needed if EvilFinn attacked them. Bea slipped her left arm around Elly's waist and helped Chloe led the new mother towards EvilFinn's car.
As they trod up the bush path, Bea continued glancing behind them, to their sides and everywhere around them, looking for EvilFinn, expecting him to pounce on them at any given moment.
"I think he's gone, Bea," Chloe tried to reassure, "I mean I know I was the one who brought up the whole 'psycho coming back for one last scare when you think he's a goner' in movies but I don't think he's gonna do that. He heard the baby crying so he knows we're gonna do what it takes to protect Elly's son. He knows we're going straight to the cops too…or well the hospital where we can report Finn to the cops…get them to meet us there…Finn's gonna need a head start if he doesn't want to be caught. I think it's safe to say he's gone."
Bea continued staring around the area as they reached the car, "We really need the cops to find him and arrest Finn for what he put us through. I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep until I know he's not going to spring us a surprise return when we're least expecting it."
"Finn can't hurt us, okay, Bea. We got through this okay and he didn't hurt any of us. The cops will find him and we'll all be safe," Elly assured.
"I hope you're right," Bea decided, "Let's just get you to the hospital as soon as we can and we can put this whole nightmare behind us."
Chloe ran her hand up and down Elly's lower back, "You okay to sit in the back seat with the peanut? I'll drive us to the hospital. Do you want Bea in the back seat with you?"
Elly nodded, "I think that'd be a good idea."
Bea and Chloe helped Elly and her son into the back seat of the car, where Bea soon joined her. Chloe walked around to the front of the car and after taking one last look around the deserted bushland for any sign of EvilFinn, got in the car and shifted the seat and mirrors to suit her.
Elly glanced at Chloe nervously, catching her eyes in the rearview mirror, "Chlo…can you make sure you don't speed, or run any stop signs, or drive too closely to any cars in front of us, or when the light turns amber can you stop for the red light instead of putting your foot on the accelerator and just like…drive safe?"
"Wow, you really are a mum now, aren't you, Elly?" Chloe smiled shyly.
"Was that too much?" Elly asked.
Chloe shook her head as she shifted the car into drive, "Peanut's first car ride…you're anxious, I get it. I'll get you to the hospital safely, Elly, I'm not going to let you get hurt."
Elly sighed gently as Chloe drove them away from the scene of EvilFinn's horror.
Then tell me you love me too…