Chapter 27

"It's locked solid"

"Okay let's try the front. Maybe we can surprise her if she's asleep"

I looked to the bedroom door wondering if I should move into the bathroom and lock myself in there, but discarded that idea because I knew I would be trapped in there. The only way out of this was to get myself outside and make a run for it, hopefully losing them in the forest.

I moved to the chair, thankful that I'd placed some clothes there ready for the morning and pulled on black leggings over my shorts. A dark blue sweatshirt came over my head as I slipped my feet into some trainers, then I grabbed my coat from the back of the door.

I returned to the window and peaked through the side between the drape and the frame relieved that no one seemed to be waiting there. I heard a noise coming through from the other room and made the decision to unlock the window. The bolt slid silently to the side, but I wasn't sure that lifting the window up in the frame would be as quiet. I didn't need to worry about any noise being heard, because the sound of crashing coming through from the other room had me pushing the window up. The sound it made was overshadowed by the sound of breaking wood. No doubt the chair was in pieces and that meant they were on their way inside.

Lowering my stomach onto the sill I rolled out onto the hard ground, swearing slightly at how badly I had landed, but I was up and running before I had time to think about it. The route I had taken wasn't easy to navigate, especially at the speed I was moving with. Branches were hitting against my face and body as I blindly continued to run until my breathing became fast and labored.

I slowed down, suddenly annoyed at myself for having probably made so much noise in my panic. I couldn't hear anything behind me, but I knew that didn't mean they weren't still out there looking for me. As I calmed down, I continued to move forward, but this time slowly and carefully trying to keep the noise from broken branches and leaves to a minimum. Wondering why the trees were thinning out I realized that somehow, I'd come to the climbing section.

Looking up I realized I was at the other end to where I normally started and it was the outline of the tall platform in front of me, not somewhere that I had dared to venture up onto yet. I knew though that my only way to lose these men was to start climbing, not something I really wanted to do but something that I had to do.

The access to the platform was via a rope, a very long rope that had knots in it to help with the climb. I held onto the rope and by looping the rope over one foot it enabled me to use the loop as a footing in order to help push myself up. Where there were knots, I used those cursing at how rough the rope was on my hands. About twelve up the rope I had what I thought was a good idea, and it probably was if it had been anyone but me. I looped the rope from below me over my shoulder and continued to climb, meaning I was now taking the rope up with me.

After what seemed like a long time, I was beginning to struggle to climb the rope. My hands were sore, and my legs were feeling like jelly, which was weird because I should have been able to climb the damn rope far more easily. It was then that I realized just how much the excess rope was weighing, meaning I was not only hauling myself up but also god knew how many feet of rope.

I knew I had to get to the top because there were very few options available and I was sure I could hear men's voices getting louder below me. Breathless and weary I managed to get there and used the wooden handles that came into my reach before pulling myself onto the platform. I lay on my back for a few minutes to catch my breath and calm my muscles from the shaking they'd started to do but realized I had to get the rest of the rope up here with me. Laying on my stomach I peered over the edge of the platform where the rope was now suspended. I slowly started to pull up the rope, hand over hand until it was in a pile next to me.

From my vantage I tried to see where the men were, but it was so hard to see anything from the height I was at, the ground seemed so far down and disappeared into an inky darkness. I knew I had two options of leaving this platform, back down the way I had come up on the rope or onto the more hazardous parts. I knew I'd done some of the same obstacles before, but they were the ones at a lower level where there wasn't as far to fall to the ground.

I felt the platform rock slightly before I heard voices and again was looking down from my vantage point. It was impossible to make out what they were saying but I could just make out someone climbing up the wooden structure with a rifle on his back. I couldn't believe anyone could do that so they must have been strong and very agile. I suppose someone like Ranger could climb it easily and maybe a lot of the Merry Men. That made the decision for me as to which way I would go next and I looked over to the only option available for me.

Mandy had told me not to venture on to the high levels because they still needed to plan out where the safety lines would need to be attached to make it safer for anyone using it so as I looked at the rope bridge in front of me, I knew I had to do this and do it right.

The rope bridge consisted of one thick rope that you side walked along and a thinner rope above that you held onto. As I placed my feet on the lower rope, I closed my eyes and blocked out the idea of what was below me. I had to do this and just focus on getting to the other side, to the next platform. I took in a long deep breath and exhaled slowly trying to calm my nerves and tell myself that I could do it. To imagine that I was on the lower section.

I didn't like doing this maneuver and being so high up I could feel the way the breeze caused me to sway slightly. One step at a time I slid my feet along the rope and brought my hands together, remembering how to use the rope to keep me balanced. I suppose I was ¾ of the way over when I caught sight of the man on the platform from where I'd just left. He didn't raise his gun and aim for me, which surprised me until I heard him shout down to the bottom of the platform.

"I can't get a shot, because she'll be killed if she falls from this height. Get yourself to the other end and I'll try and follow her"

That gave me the time to complete crossing the bridge and step onto the platform next to it. The next section was one that I enjoyed, using a rope to swing down over a net. I tried to remember what was below the net and what I had to do once on it but was failing miserably to envision it in my mind. Knowing that that man was attempting to follow me I took hold of the rope at a place high above my head and then pushed off into the black abys ahead of me. It was only at the end of the swing that I knew I needed to let go and was so relieved to see the net just underneath me.

It didn't go as planned though, screaming as I failed to grab hold of the net and one leg fell through causing the net to twist at a dangerous angle. I was hanging on not sure how I was going to get out of it without falling or crying hysterically. My hands were locked tight around the rope and my eyes were shut as my body started to shake. I couldn't have moved if I'd wanted to and I didn't want to because I was convinced that would cause me to fall.

"Use your hands and pull yourself up"

Came up from somewhere below me. I should have known that one of the men would try and talk me down so didn't reply or try to move.

"I've seen you do it, you have to move. That guy is almost to you"

That had me opening my eyes and I turned my head slowly to the right to look down toward the ground. There below me was the man who I'd spoken to this morning. Yeah right, like I was going to trust him, in my mind I thought him being here now was too much of a coincidence and that he was probably part of the group trying to get hold of me.

He had a point though on how to escape from the predicament I was in, so I loosened my grip slightly and started to pull myself up the net. It allowed me to get a foothold and that in turn enabled me to pull my other leg free. Once free I managed to climb the netting and pull myself onto the next platform, something I would never have been able to do a week ago. Once there I almost collapsed but knew I had to keep moving. I was sure the man following me would be far more competent than I was.

I was on my hands and knees trying to work out where to go next when I felt the netting behind me pulling on the platform. I had to move and quickly and that meant fighting back the fear that was coming over me. The fear of getting across monkey bars so high up from the ground.

"You can do it, it's not as high as it looks"

I tried so hard to ignore that voice that was trying to convince me, so taking a very deep breath my hand stretched out and took hold of the first bar. I remembered what he'd told me, to use the momentum of my body and found the first few bars easy to travel across, but then I looked down and froze at what I was seeing. The ground seemed so far away but as I looked down and around, I could see the start of a platform set off to one side, a platform that was on the lower level, a level that I knew really well.

I started to swing my legs back and forth and when I felt that I had enough momentum let go of the bar. I had last minute regrets as that happened and was terrified that I'd miscalculated where I wanted to land. It didn't work out quite as well as I had planned though and it was my stomach that hit the side of the wood, with my legs dangling below me. I clawed at the wood and used my elbows to stop me from falling and had managed to get one elbow in position to lever myself to safety when several things happened at once.

I couldn't remember the sequence of what happened only that I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and the sound of a gunshot. Almost immediately I felt my head spinning and I couldn't focus on anything in front of me. I watched in horror as my elbow collapsed from under me and couldn't understand why I couldn't move as I wanted to. I knew that I was slowly slipping from the platform. The last memory that I had was falling, but what seemed strange afterwards was that I could have sworn that the body of a man fell past me.

All I could feel was pain throughout my body, my shoulder and hip felt as though they were on fire. I winced and sure groaned as I moved slightly and felt tears trying to force themselves out through my scrunched up eyes.

Oh god, where the hell was I and who was it that brought me here? I'd tried so hard not to be caught and couldn't understand how they knew where to find me. That man, he must be working with them, he must have recognized me that day he spoke to me. I was scared stiff thinking about what they might do to me. If I was now in the hands of a serial murderer then I couldn't even imagine what would be done to me, or maybe that was it, I had a good imagination. I should have just given myself up to the police maybe then I would have stood a better chance of at least staying alive. And Ranger, even if he believed in me, he wouldn't know where I was or be able to find me now.

I winced as I felt the bed dip. That made me realize that I was laid on something soft and I think my head was resting on a pillow. I wanted to move away from whoever it was but winced again when I tried.

"Don't move, you took a tumble that gave you some nasty bruises"

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking against the intrusion of light that assaulted them. As soon as I did that my stomach started churning and I felt the bile rising up my throat.

"Sick" was what I managed to mumble before I felt a hand at the back of shoulders and being lifted forward. A bin appeared just as I retched, the movement causing pain to shoot through me again. I felt myself being laid back down and allowed myself to relax.

"Okay, maybe more than a few bruises. The tranquilizer dart will take a while to get out of your system. Once you're feeling a bit better, then we can assess what injuries you have"

That meant I had a short reprieve before the seriousness of my situation hit me so was happy to allow myself to drift back into a pain and worry free state. When I was aware of being awake again, I couldn't understand why my head hurt so much. I panicked thinking of how Ranger had said those women were murdered, and started to breathe quickly, too quickly because I was almost hyperventilating. I felt a cool cloth running over my forehead and face and opened my eyes to see that man sat on the side of the bed with wash cloth in his hand.

"How are you feeling?"
"Why would you care?"

I saw the way he frowned as I shot that at him and wondered what exactly he thought his role was in this.

"Why would you say that?"
"Maybe because you were there"

"I was outside and heard some men talking, saying they had to find some woman, so I followed them and ended up back at that rope climbing place"

I thought about what he'd said and whilst a small part of me believed him I couldn't trust what he'd said.

"You don't believe me do you?"

I shook my head and closed my eyes before he could start trying to talk me into a story that was probably a lie.

"What will it take for you trust me?"
"I don't know"

And that was the truth. I'd been on my own this past week, well other than Mandy, and had no idea who I could trust, who might believe me or even help me. I'm sure I cowered when his hands touched my shoulder and looked up to see him watching me.

"Maybe we can work out what parts of you hurt"
"Okay"

Because regardless of what was happening to me, I knew they didn't want me hurt or dead, yet, which had me confused as to what I was needed for. I felt his hands gently feel around my head, wincing when he touched a sensitive place.

"Okay, a bump on the head. Where else hurts?"
"My left shoulder"

"I think that's from when you landed on the ground. I'm going to feel around the joint and then slowly move your arm. Let me know when it hurts"

He was actually very gentle as he touched my shoulder and I did tell him where it hurt the worst. When he lifted my arm, he had such a serious look on his face that showed how much he was focusing on what he was doing.

"That hurts"
"I think it's a shoulder contusion, or bruising of the shoulder muscle, and you may have visible bruising just below the skin as well as deeper bruising. I don't think you've bruised the bone but it's the same treatment, RICE"

"Rice?"

"Rest, ice, compress and elevate. Where else hurts?"

"My hip and thigh, but I think it's probably the same. Just badly bruised"

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that"

I looked up on hearing that phrase because it was something that I'd heard so many times before, but only from one other person. Bobby would say that to me when he wanted to check me over and I would say I was okay.

"What?"
"Sorry, it was just the expression you used"

"Force of habit"
"You never told me who you are"

"David Alexander, or Dax to my friends"
"What do you do Dax?"

"I'm unemployed at the moment but I have a job interview tomorrow"

"Oh?"

"Yeah and no I'm not going to jinx it by telling you"

"So, what happens now?"

"Are you going to tell me what the hell you're mixed up with?"
"Don't you already know?"
"No, but you won't tell me because you don't trust me"

"So, are you going to tell me where we are?"
"We're in the cabin at the center"
"Why?"

That surprised me, I mean if he was here to kidnap me then why were we still here? Or was he waiting for a contact to tell him where to take me next or for someone else to come here and finish the job?

"I thought it might look too obvious if people were still looking for you if I hightailed it out of here"
I suppose that made sense but then what would happen when he left in the morning?

"What next then?"
"I have to leave early for that interview and thought if I left you at my house for the day you'd be safe there"
"Your house?"
"Well it's either that or you stay here"

Shit. I wasn't sure which was the lesser of two evils. Stay here while people searched the place or go with him and maybe be handed over.

"You don't have long to decide because I need to shower and change"

I watched as he got up from the bed and made his way out of the door. Stupidly I felt very vulnerable just laid here on my own on the bed so used my good arm and pushed myself up so that I could take a good look around at where I was. The place looked very similar to the cabin I had been staying in, a similar size with the same layout of furniture. The only difference was the color of the drapes and cover on the bed. I tentatively swung my legs over the edge of the bed, pleased that the only item of clothing that had been removed were my trainers.

I felt my shoulder to discover the sweatshirt was torn and there was a small amount of dried blood from where I'd hit the ground, but my leggings seemed intact. I slowly stood up, pleased that I seemed to have gotten over the effects of the dart and walked over to the door. Turning the handle slowly I carefully opened the door half expecting there to be someone sat in the room, pleased when it appeared empty.

Again, the layout was similar to my cabin except the kitchen area and lounge were on different sides. As I stood there, I saw the bathroom door open and was surprised at the change in Dax's appearance. He was wearing a dark grey suit and a white shirt with a tie that matched his suit. He'd shaved, making his appearance less intimidating and he'd pulled his wet hair back into a tie at the back of his head. Exactly how Ranger did.

"Do I pass?"
"You look very professional"

"So, what have you decided?"
"This house, where is it?"
"South of New York, by the beach. It's private and safe"
I thought about what to do and really, maybe it would be safer to go somewhere like that. I mean he did look and sound sincere.

"Well?"
"I'll go with you"

"Good. My car is parked in front of here, but I don't want anyone to see you. Would you be okay laid on the back seat with a blanket over you?"

I nodded my head and looked down at my feet trying to draw some sort of internal strength as I wrestled with what was about to happen.

"Mandy. She'll be worried when I'm not there"
"I'll call her once we've left and tell her you decided to head west to some relatives"
"Okay"

I knew I had nothing at the cabin that I needed, other than the clothes I was wearing. I'd come with nothing and I'd leave with nothing. At least I'd cleared anything from the laptop so no one should be able to find out what I'd been working on. Dax turned off all the lights before he opened the outside door. It was almost dawn, so it was a bit brighter than I expected. He stopped me from following him through the door, throwing a "Wait here" before he disappeared.

He returned quickly and picked up a bag by the door that I hadn't noticed before then taking my hand he led me out to the open back door of his car. I think it was a dark grey color, maybe an SUV, but I never really got a good look before he bundled me inside, covering me over with a blanket. I heard the door close and then as he got into the front seat heard the sound and feel of the engine as he pulled the car away from where we'd been.

We seemed to be driving slowly over an unmade road, probably the track that led into the center. I was aware of us turning and the wheels on a smooth surface before the car seemed to speed up.

"Two men at the entrance watching"
Okay was that supposed to make me feel better, because it didn't.

"Are they following us?"
"Yes. Don't worry, they can follow us but as soon as we hit New York I'll lose them"

That probably sounded like a good idea. A car trying to lose them now might raise suspicions. I heard music drifting through to where I was laid, soft jazz, and while I didn't really listen to jazz it had the effect of helping me to relax.

I cursed at myself for falling asleep. I could be anywhere now, and I'd wanted to see where we were going just to be sure that Dax wasn't lying to me. It was the car stopping that woke me and I jumped as the back door opened and the blanket was carefully pulled back from me.

"Hey sleepy head. We're here"

Dax helped to get out of the car because to be honest I felt really stiff and my shoulder and hip were aching. I was stood in front of a small brick built house, not really what I was expecting. It looked a bit run down from what I could see, weeds out front and paintwork that had seen better days. What caught my attention though were two small cameras that were skillfully hidden just under the roof.

"Cameras?"
"I'm not always here"

I followed him to the front door surprised when he used a code to enter the house and then just stood in the hallway staring at what was in front of me. It was beautiful. Polished wooden floors that led through to a room in front and two doors that led off on either side. I followed the hallway into a large open plan space that had large glass windows looking out to sea. The furniture was modern and minimal with a leather couch and TV. A kitchen that was a shiny black with dark worktops and a small bistro table and chairs made from metal and glass. I looked at Dax and noticed he was smiling as he watched me.

"I keep the appearance outside to deter anyone from being too nosey"
"I'm impressed"

"I need to go because I really do not want to be late. The door to your left is the spare bedroom with a bathroom attached. The fridge and cupboards have some food in them so help yourself"

"How long will you be?"
"I'm not sure. The place is alarmed, I'll show you how to use it"

He opened a panel next to the front door and showed me where I needed to type in the activation code and pulled down a small gun that was sat on top of the panel.

"Keep this with you"

I took it and checked how full it was, I think surprising Dax that I knew how to remove the magazine where the bullets were and relocate it. I found the safety catch so felt more secure that maybe I would be safe here.

"My room is locked but feel free to use what you need. The glass doors do open, but I think you should stay inside when you're on your own"
"Okay"
"I'm not expecting anyone to call here so ignore anyone at the door. Hide in the bathroom and lock the door if you feel worried"
"Okay"

As he began to walk through the door, I called out to him.

"Good luck with the interview"