I do not own seaQuest or its characters. I am not profiting from this story, it is for entertainment
purposes only.
The Madness Finally Ends
By: Kaitlyn Rose
Nathan was sitting at his desk on seaQuest going over several of the inventories that Ben had
submitted to him. He rubbed tiredly at his eyes. He was looking forward to going back to sea. Being on
the mainland meant spending way too much time talking to people who had nothing better to do than drive
him nuts. He hated meetings and he hated talking to the brass.
When he heard the vidphone go off he sighed, wondering just who in the hell was going to bother
him now. For a moment he contemplated not answering it, but on the sixth ring he finally flipped it on.
"Nathan, thank god I've found you," Bill Noyce said.
"What's wrong?" Nathan asked, noticing the positively frightened look on Bill's face.
"Nathan, where is Lucas?"
"Why? What's happening?" Nathan said, already standing up out of his seat.
"Wolenczak escaped, we have absolutely no idea where he is," Bill said. "He's been on the run
now for about six hours."
"WHAT! Damn it, Bill, you swore this wouldn't happen. You were supposed to have the
situation under control. I warned you not to underestimate that son-of-a-bitch!"
"I know, I know, trust me, I'm sorry. You have every right to be angry at me, but right now we
need to work together to capture him again."
"God, Lucas! I have to get home!" Nathan gasped.
_________________________________________
Kristin loaded the groceries she had just bought into the trunk of the car. She was looking forward
to tonight. She had bought all the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies and a black forest cake. She
knew Lucas liked both and would have fun helping.
She had just closed the trunk when a van pulled up next to her.
"Excuse me, but do you know where Produce Palace is?" the man asked.
"No, I'm afraid I've never heard of it," Kristin replied.
"Oh, well, thanks anyway," he said.
Kristin was about to turn around when suddenly the side door slid open and a second man wearing
a ski mask grabbed her.
"NO!" she screamed. She struggled to pull away, but she was pulled into the van and the door
was shut. The van immediately began to speed off. She fought her attacker and tried to break free when
she saw that he was lifting a cloth to her face. She knew full well what would be on the cloth.
She was stunned momentarily when the man back handed her. She paused just long enough for
him to clamp the cloth over her mouth and nose. She continued to struggle, but she could already feel the
effects of the chloroform working on her. She felt her limbs grow heavy and then she blacked out.
Lawrence whipped the ski mask off of his face and looked at Kristin. So, this was the bitch who
was sleeping with Bridger. She was also the woman that Lucas now called Mom.
"That was simple enough," Dirk said.
"Yes, it was," Lawrence replied. "They'd have Lucas far too protected for us to get him, so
instead we'll have the poor boy come to us. Once he gets our message he'll come running to save his
beloved Mom."
"You're positive the kid won't tell Bridger?"
"Trust me, he won't tell anyone. He'll do exactly as we say, and if he doesn't, well then we'll just
have to kill her, and think of something else," Lawrence said.
"It's a shame she has to die. I've been watching her for weeks now, and god she's gorgeous,"
Dirk said.
"Just keep your hands off her," Lawrence said. "How long till we reach our destination?"
"Only about forty-five minutes," Dirk replied.
"And you're sure no one will find us there?" Lawrence demanded.
"Trust me, no one will find us. I haven't let you down yet have I?"
Lawrence didn't reply. He looked down at the unconscious woman laying next to him in the floor
of the van. Dirk was right, she was beautiful. He ran his hand across her cheek. Lawrence realized that it
had been a long time. A very long time in fact. He continued to trace his hand down her throat and then
over her breast. Maybe when the doctor woke up he could have a little fun himself.
__________________________________________
Nathan drove at an incredible speed trying to get home as fast as he could. He swerved in and out
of traffic. He looked into the rear view mirror to see that Jonathon and Katie were managing to keep up
with him.
He exited the expressway and turned down the street that would take him to his house. Five
minutes later he was pulling into his driveway. He raced from his car and ran up the stairs.
He was so upset that he fumbled with his keys trying to find the right one to go in the lock. He
was startled when Tim opened the door.
"Captain?"
"Tim, is everything okay here?" Nathan said, shoving his way into the house.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Tim said.
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lucas sitting in his wheel chair in front of his
computer.
"Dad?"
Nathan walked over and hugged the boy tight.
"What's wrong?" Lucas asked. Dad's behavior was scaring him big time.
Finally Nathan let the boy go and said, "Bill Noyce called me, Lawrence escaped."
"No…no, no, no," Lucas said, beginning to hyperventilate. Nathan quickly pulled the boy close
once again and held him.
"He's not going to hurt you again. I swear I'm going to keep that bastard away from you," Nathan
said, trying to calm Lucas down. Lucas was trembling and on the verge of hysteria.
"No," Lucas said. "Y-You can't stop him. H-He's too sm-smart."
"Lucas, he may be smart, but he's just a man," Nathan said.
Lucas was crying now, the tears falling freely. "How? How did…he get…away. Noyce pr-promised
it wouldn't ha-happen."
"It doesn't matter how, just that he did, but I won't let him get you again." Nathan stroked the
boys hair trying to comfort him as sobs wracked his body. Lucas was terrified, Nathan could feel the fear
emanating from him. Nathan couldn't blame Lucas for being scared to death. The boy was currently
sitting in a wheel chair because Lawrence had sent him a bomb, not to mention the house being shot up.
Nathan and Lucas both knew that if Lawrence tried something again, it wouldn't be one of his sick games,
this time Lawrence would be out to kill.
As if reading his mind Lucas said, "He's going to…kill m-me. I know it. It's…it's what he's
always w-wanted."
Nathan pulled back and placed his hands on the sides of Lucas' face and forced the boy to look
him in the eyes. "Listen to me, he is not going to kill you, do you hear me. I'm going to find this jerk, and
he's going to pay for everything he's ever put you through!"
Lucas nodded his head at Nathan, but Nathan knew the boy didn't really believe him.
Lucas clutched at Dad's shirt. He didn't want this to be happening. He wanted all of this to just
go away and not bother him anymore. "I want to go to sleep," he said. Yeah, he could just go to sleep,
pretend none of this was real.
"Lucas," Nathan began.
Lucas shook his head and repeated, "I want to go to sleep."
Nathan heard the urgency in Lucas' voice and he understood he was on the verge of completely
falling apart as the fear took hold of him. Nathan lifted Lucas from the wheel chair and turned to carry him
to his room. He was surprised to see Tim, Jonathon and Katie standing there. In all honestly, he had
forgotten about them.
He walked past them and down the short hall to Lucas' room. The boy had his face buried into his
neck and his grip on Nathan's neck with his uninjured arm was like iron.
Lucas kept his eyes shut. He knew the others were there, but he didn't want to see them. He
didn't want to see or deal with anything. He felt Dad lowering him down on the bed and for a moment he
didn't want to let go, but reluctantly he did. He laid back on his bed and kept his eyes closed, refusing to
look at anything.
"Lucas, you rest," Nathan said. "I'm going to go talk to the others. Don't worry, we'll all be in
the other room. You won't be alone." Nathan waited for Lucas to say something, but when it became
obvious that he wasn't going to, he slipped quietly out of the room.
He was greeted with three sets of worried eyes.
"Is he okay?" Katie asked.
"I don't know," Nathan told her.
"Lucas is a tough kid," Jonathon said, "he'll be okay."
"I hope so," Nathan replied. "Lucas can take a lot, hell, he'd have to, but honestly, in the past
month he's been kidnapped, starved, watched his own funeral, and had two attempts on his life. That bomb
almost killed him. Lucas is on the edge right now, and I'm truly afraid that much more of this will push
him off."
"What can we do?" Tim asked.
Nathan looked at Tim and asked, "Why are you here? Where's Kristin at?"
"She asked me to come stay with Lucas while she went to the market and to run some errands,"
Tim replied.
Nathan just nodded his head absently. "I knew something like this would happen. I told Bill but
he wouldn't listen." He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Honestly, Bill was his best friend, but
right now he'd love to punch him out.
"How long has Kristin been gone?"
"Uh, about two hours. She'll be home soon," Tim said.
"God I dread having to tell her this," Nathan said to no one in particular.
Lucas lay on his bed, struggling to get his emotions back under control but he found it was a
losing battle. He wiped the tears from his face and rolled on his side, pulling a pillow close to clutch it. He
had so many feelings swelling up inside of him that he almost couldn't think straight. He was terrified, that
much was obvious. The person he feared the most in this world was free and coming to get him. Of that he
was sure, he knew Lawrence wouldn't just disappear without trying to kill him first. This was like one of
Lucas' worst nightmares actually coming true.
He was also so angry. Why did this keep happening to him? What had he ever done to make his
parents hate him so much that they would continue to hurt him like this? Especially Lawrence. Lawrence
had the power to strike terror in him with just one look. That day at World Power when the Captain had
saved him was the first time he had ever tried to fight back cause usually he was too scared to even move
when Lawrence was angry. He had fought back, but he had still been hurt. Now he was in a wheel chair,
arm in a cast, how on earth was he supposed to protect himself this time? He pulled at the sling, adjusting
it around his neck.
He knew Dad would try to protect him, but he also knew just how smart Lawrence could be. He'd
find a way to get to him, he just knew it.
He heard Dad enter the room again but he didn't open his eyes. Dad would want to talk, and right
now he didn't. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He just remained still, hoping Dad would leave.
Nathan looked at the boy. He knew Lucas was faking being asleep. The kid had to much on his
mind to actually fall asleep for real. He stepped over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. He lightly
brushed the hair from Lucas' forehead, an act he had done so many times, but it always managed to make
both him and Lucas feel better. He saw Lucas finally open his eyes and Nathan smiled at him.
"You feeling a little calmer?" Nathan asked gently.
Lucas nodded his head slowly at him.
"I know you're scared, but you have to trust us to keep you safe," Nathan said. "We're all here for
you."
"I know," Lucas replied. "It's just…well…he's so good at getting around everyone."
"I know, but this time he won't," Nathan said.
"I hope not," Lucas sighed. He sat up in his bed and rested his head on Dad's shoulder. Nathan
enveloped the boy in a hug and rested his chin on top of his blond hair. The two sat for a moment just
letting the presence of the other comfort them.
"Captain!" Tim interrupted.
Nathan looked at his Lieutenant, but didn't release Lucas. "What?"
"Uh, sir, you need to come out here," Tim stammered.
"What's the matter?" Nathan asked.
"Uh…it would probably be better if you just came out here."
Nathan saw the uncertain look in Tim's face and immediately became worried. Since he was
currently holding Lucas it could only mean one thing. Kristin. He stood up and felt Lucas tug at his elbow.
He helped Lucas stand up off the bed and led the boy with him to the living room.
Nathan's heart froze in his chest when he saw two police officers standing there.
"What's happened to Kristin?" Nathan asked instinctively.
"Does Dr. Kristin Westphalen reside at this address?" the officer asked.
"Yes, I'm her fiancé, where is she? Is she okay?" Nathan asked.
"Well, sir, something has happened," the second officer said.
"Was she in a car accident?" Lucas asked, his voice trembling.
"No, it seems she was taken."
"Taken?" Nathan demanded.
"Yes. At approximately 2:45 several witnesses saw her abducted in the Kroger parking lot. Her
purse was retrieved off the ground and her car is still in the lot. She was taken by what is suspected to be
two men driving a gray van."
"He took her!" Lucas exclaimed. "He couldn't get to me so he took her!!"
Nathan clutched Lucas tightly as the first officer asked, "Who took her?"
"Lawrence Wolenczak," Nathan supplied. "He's my son's biological father, and he's also made
several attempts on Lucas' life in the past month."
"So you think this is the man responsible for Dr. Westphalen's abduction?"
"Yes," Nathan said. "With out a doubt. Call Detective Mathers and McCoy, they can explain the
entire situation to you."
"We have to get Mom back," Lucas said. "We can't let him hurt her."
"Do you know who the second man is?"
"Dirk," Lucas replied. "It has to be."
"Who is that?"
"He kidnapped Lucas several weeks ago," Nathan told them.
"Fine," the officers said. "We are going to go to the station and get an APB out on this Lawrence
Wolenczak and get the investigation under way. Do you have any idea where they may be heading or why
he took her?"
"He took her to get to Lucas," Nathan said, "as to where they are going, we don't know." Lucas
also shook his head, he didn't know either.
"Okay, I suggest you two stay here incase the kidnappers call to ask for a ransom."
"This isn't about money," Lucas said, "this is about revenge." He was shaking again and Nathan
led him to a chair to sit down and get off his leg. He couldn't believe Lawrence had Kristin. She was in
danger because Lawrence wanted to destroy Lucas. He held back his tears. He didn't want to break down
again, Dad had more important things to worry about than him right now. He prayed that Mom was safe
and that they'd get her back.
Nathan walked the officers out of the house and then turned to Jonathon, Katie, and Tim.
"Katie, Tim, I want you two to stay with Lucas. Jonathon, you and I are going to the market. I
want to look at Kristin's car, see if there are any clues to where they are going."
"I want to come," Lucas said quickly.
"Absolutely not," Nathan said.
"She's my Mom."
"Lucas, I know you want to help, but let's face it, you'll slow us down. Plus, I think everyone
here will agree with me that this is a trap. Lawrence isn't after Kristin, but you. He took her as a diversion.
We're going to get her back, I swear, but I have to keep you safe at the same time. I need you to stay here."
"Okay," Lucas reluctantly agreed, "but promise you'll call and keep us informed."
"I promise," Nathan told him. "Where is Ben and Miguel?"
"They went out of town for a couple of days. I think Miguel has a PAL with him. Do you want
me to contact him, get him back?" Jonathon asked.
"No, let's just go," Nathan said.
Lucas watched Dad and Jonathon leave. He was startled when Katie put a hand on his shoulder.
He looked up at her.
"We'll get her back, Lucas," she said.
"Yeah, but will she be alive when we do?" Lucas said sadly.
"Don't think that way," Katie told him.
"I'm sorry," Lucas said. "I swear, I just wish I could kill him already. Is that wrong?"
"No, Lucas, it's not wrong to feel that way. After everything he's put you through, I think it's
only natural. Just don't give up hope."
"Thanks, Katie," Lucas said. He stood up carefully and walked slowly to the office.
Tim watched him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to see if I can find anything. I don't know what I'm looking for, but I have to do
something. If I just sit here I'll go crazy."
Tim nodded at him. Lucas sat down in his wheel chair, saved his program that he had left
running, and then started to look for any information he could find on Lawrence, financial records,
properties, business ties, anything.
__________________________________________
Kristin woke slowly as the drug was finally wearing off. She raised a hand to her aching head,
and moaned as she sat up.
"Well, glad to see you're awake," a voice said.
Kristin turned to see who was addressing her. He eyes widened as she saw Lawrence standing in
front of her.
"What do you want?" she demanded, showing more courage than she was really feeling.
"Many things," Lawrence said.
"Why am I here?"
"Simple, to be the cheese. Lucas is the rat, and he's going to come running when I tell him too."
"Why won't you just leave him alone? You've managed to escape, just go already. Make a new
life for yourself and leave us alone!"
"Where would the fun be in that?" Lawrence asked. "No, I'll make a new life for myself, don't
you worry about that, but not until I take care of my family matters."
Kristin stood up slowly, looking for a way to escape. She was in a cement type building. There
were no windows, only a wooden door which Lawrence was currently standing in front of. The little room
she was standing in had a familiar look to it, but she had yet to figure out where she was. She saw a stone
slab in the center of the floor and suddenly she realized what she was in. She was in a crypt.
"Why are we at a cemetery?" she asked nervously.
"I figured since Bridger had to arrange for Lucas' first funeral, the least I could do was take care
of the second one," he grinned. "Say cheese," Lawrence said, pulling a digital camera from his shirt
pocket. He snapped several pics of Kristin.
"What are you doing?"
"Setting the mouse trap." With that said Lawrence exited the crypt and sealed the door, trapping
Kristin inside.
She ran to the door and tried to open it, but it wasn't going to budge. She examined the walls for a
weak spot, but by the condition of the walls, and the fact that there wasn't a coffin in here yet, she could tell
that the structure was just built, and very solid. She wasn't getting out of here until someone opened the
door and let her out.
She had a seat on the stone floor and prayed for a miracle.
___________________________________
Nathan sat in the passenger seat, growing more and more restless. There had been nothing in
Kristin's car to help them figure out where she was. They were now on their way to the police station to
see how the investigation was going.
He closed his eyes and tried to reach out to Kristin mentally, but it wasn't working. He didn't
understand why Lucas was the only person his psi abilities worked on. He had never sensed Kristin or
other people like he did Lucas. Savannah was the only other person that he had sensed. Maybe Lucas had
untapped abilities like Nathan. Maybe that was why they connected?
He sighed. 'Kristin, where are you?' he thought to himself. He had to find her. He had to! If
Lawrence hurt her in anyway he'd kill him. Not to mention, Lucas would never be able to live with the
guilt he would forever feel if Kristin was hurt or killed. It wasn't his fault this was happening, but Lucas
would never see it that way. He would hold himself personally responsible for this for as long as he lived.
_____________________________________
Lucas had been looking into Lawrence's records for a while now and he had found nothing. Truth
be told he hadn't expected to find anything, but at least doing this allowed him to keep his mind focused on
something other than the growing fear he was feeling.
He was about to shut his computer off when he saw that he had an e-mail. He clicked the icon and
pulled up the message. He gasped. He was looking at a picture of Kristin. Her blouse was torn and dirty,
and she looked very scared.
He scrolled down to read the message.
Lucas,
Meet me at Hedgewood Cemetery after nightfall by the giant angel in the center. If you come I
will let her go free, but if you don't she's dead. Come alone, I will be able to see if people come with you.
I will shoot her as soon as I see someone with you. I may get caught, but she will still be dead.
Lucas quickly looked behind him to see if Tim or Katie was watching. Luckily, they were both in
the living room. They had left him alone since it was clear that had been the way he had wanted it.
'Hedgewood Cemetery,' he thought to himself. He knew he should tell the others, but he didn't
doubt Lawrence's ability to make good on the threat. He looked at himself and shook his head. How on
earth was he going to get there. He didn't drive, and he sure as heck couldn't walk all that way. It wasn't
like he could ask Tim or Katie for a lift.
A taxi! He'd have to call a cab. He could tell the cab to pick him up at an address several doors
down, then he could sneak out of the house and pray that they didn't catch him. He'd have to take some
kind of precautions though. He knew this was a trap, and even if he did go there was still a good chance
Lawrence would kill Kristin anyway. Maybe if he had a head start, then he could call in reinforcements
once he was already with Lawrence. If he kept Lawrence busy for a while the others could sneak up on
them and then rescue him and Kristin.
Lucas quickly deleted the message from his e-mail account. He pulled his wheel chair over to the
vid phone and called the cab company. He spoke quietly to the man and told the cabbie the address to pick
him up at. The man said it would be about twenty minutes. He broke the connection.
"Tim!" Lucas called.
Tim came into the office. "Yes?"
"Can you take me to Dad's room. I'm really tired, I want to rest for a bit."
"Why don't you go to your room?" Tim asked as he started pushing the chair.
"Uh, well, don't laugh, but I just feel better, safer, in there for some reason," Lucas said,
pretending to be embarrassed by the admission.
Tim just nodded and pushed Lucas into the room. He helped Lucas out of the chair and on to the
bed.
"Promise to wake me if Dad comes home," Lucas said, he needed to Tim to think everything was
business as usual.
"Sure, I promise," Tim said. "Sleep well."
"Close the door," Lucas said.
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Tim closed the door and Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't suspect a thing. Lucas got up
and went to Dad's closet where he kept his gun. Lucas pulled the box down and then took the gun and slid
the clip into place. He made sure the safety was on and he didn't bother to load a bullet into the chamber,
he'd do that when he got to the cemetery.
He reached into the top nightstand drawer where he knew Dad kept money in case of an
emergency. He saw that the envelope had $340 in it. He pulled out $200 since he didn't know how much
the cab ride would cost. Then he reconsidered and decided to just take all of it to be on the safe side.
He looked at the clock, the cab would be there in fifteen minutes. That should give him enough
time. He walked to the window and slid it open as quietly as he could. He found it very difficult and
painful to raise his leg high enough to climb out but he managed to do it. He walked around the porch,
hunching down when he got to windows so Katie or Tim wouldn't see him.
He got to the stairs and almost cried out in pain when he took the first step with his bad leg. He
quickly sat on his rear and scooted down the steps using his good leg and his hands, sliding down one at a
time. By the time he got to the bottom he was slightly winded so he sat for a moment to catch his breath.
He couldn't stay long though, because Dad could drive up any second.
He stood up and walked slowly down the street to the house about ten doors down whose address
he had given the cab co. He was relieved to see that the neighbors who lived in the house were gone to
work. He went to stand on the side of the house so Dad wouldn't see him if he drove by. He leaned
against the house balancing himself on his good leg. His injured one was really starting to hurt.
He looked at his watch. It was almost five pm. He hoped the cab would be on time since
everyone would be getting home from work soon. He didn't have to wait long. He was so relieved to see
the cab pull up in front of the house. He moved as quickly as he could and climbed into the back seat. It
felt so good to sit down.
"Where to kid?"
"A Hedgewood Cemetery," Lucas told him.
"That's going to cost you a fortune," the cabbie said, "it's about an hour drive."
"Don't worry, I can pay you," Lucas said, and showed him the money.
"Alright, it's your money. Are you okay? You don't look so good?"
"I'm fine," Lucas replied. "Just a little tired. Can we go now?" he asked, tugging nervously at his
sling.
"Yeah, sure." The cabbie turned around and put the shift into drive.
Lucas sat back in the cab and tried not to think about the fact that he was about to face his worst
nightmare. He reached down and felt the gun tucked safely in his pocket. He would be ready for Lawrence
this time.
They had been driving for about fifteen minutes when Lucas realized something important. He
hadn't left a message for Dad and the others to find. He had taken off and failed to give them any idea
where he was going. How could they come rescue him when they couldn't find him. How could he have
been so stupid!!??
'Lucas you're and idiot!' he thought to himself. 'You are a stupid stupid idiot!! You're
practically a cripple and about to go face a man who killed your grandma, probably masterminded
Cynthia's murder, and you forgot to tell anyone that you are going to face him all by yourself. For a flippin
genius this is by far the stupidest thing you've ever done!!'
He thought for a moment about what he should do. Should he tell the cabbie to go back? Maybe
he could stop at a pay phone? It was too soon to call just yet. They might beat him to the cemetery,
especially if they took a helicopter or something, and then Mom would die.
He had an idea, he could have the cabbie call his Dad, tell them where he dropped him off. That
would be perfect. This way Lucas would arrive alone, the cabbie would call, and once it got dark he would
go find the Angel. His Dad would be halfway there by the time he met up with Lawrence. Perfect.
He breathed easier now that he had a plan.
____________________________________
Nathan and Jonathon pulled up in front of the house. It had been almost four hours since Kristin
had been taken and they were still no closer to finding her. Part of him didn't want to go inside because he
knew Lucas would be waiting. He didn't want to have to give the boy bad news.
He walked up the steps and was greeted at the door by Katie and Tim.
"Anything?" Katie asked hopefully.
"No," Nathan replied. He stepped inside. "Where's Lucas?"
"In your room. He's been asleep for the past hour," Tim said. "He was emotionally exhausted."
Nathan sat down in the recliner and held his head in his hands. He hated feeling helpless. Kristin
needed him, but he couldn't go to her. He had no way of contacting her. As much as he hated it, he was
going to have to wait for someone to find the van, or for Lawrence to contact him. It would only be a
matter of time before he did. After all, the whole reason for taking Kristin was to use her against him and
Lucas.
At least Lucas was resting. That was for the best. He wasn't surprised that Lucas had went to his
room to sleep. Whenever Lucas was really scared he chose to sleep in Nathan's room. He thought of
waking the boy, but since there really wasn't anything to tell him he decided to let him sleep a little longer.
____________________________________
Kristin paced back and forth in her little prison. She wished she had some sort of idea just what
Lawrence was planning. She knew he wanted to kill Lucas, but how? What was he going to do, and how
was he going to get Lucas away from Nathan. She knew that he would be guarding the boy like a hawk.
She prayed they were safe where ever they were.
______________________________________
Lucas got out of the cab and paid the driver.
"Please, I need a favor," Lucas said. "I'll pay you to make a phone call to my father. All I need
you to do is to tell him where you dropped me off so he can meet me here. Will you do that?"
"Yeah, kid, sure. Cost ya twenty bucks."
"Cool," Lucas said. He handed the man and twenty and then wrote down the number on a slip of
paper. "Please don't forget, it's really important."
"Sure, no problem," the cabbie said. Then he drove away. The cabbie looked in his rear view
mirror at the boy as he pulled away. 'Nice kid,' the man thought. He drove on to the freeway. He'd call
the boy's father once he got back to the station in an hour.
Lucas looked around at the cemetery. He was standing outside of the gates. The sky was overcast
so it would be dark pretty soon, even though it was June and the days were long. He stepped inside the
gates and sat on a bench just inside. He saw that the cemetery was completely deserted, but then, that was
probably why Lawrence had chose this place.
Lucas pulled the gun out of his pocket and loaded a bullet into the chamber, then put the safety
back on before slipping the gun back into his pocket. The last thing he needed was to accidentally shoot
himself. He had never shoot a gun before, unless you counted video games, but he had a feeling that it was
hardly a substitute for the real thing. Plus, he was going to have to hold the gun with his left hand since his
right hand was in a cast and he wouldn't be able to aim. He prayed he wouldn't actually have to pull the
trigger, just use it to scare Lawrence.
At least Dad was on his way by now. If he could just stall Lawrence long enough Dad and the
others would arrive and help him and Kristin. It just now crossed his mind that Dad was going to be totally
pissed off at him. He had been so focused on just getting here earlier that he hadn't even stopped to think
about the consequences of his actions. If he survived this little stunt of his he was surely going to be
grounded until he turned eighteen. In fact, being grounded was probably just the beginning of what Dad
would do.
"What in the hell are you actually doing here?" he asked himself. As more time passed and he
thought more about this whole situation he realized that he really must be crazy. "Lucas, this really is the
stupidest thing you've ever done," he told himself. He only hoped that he didn't get himself and Kristin
killed.
____________________________________
Kristin quickly moved away from the door when she heard it start to open. Both Lawrence and
Dirk walked into the little crypt.
"It's time to play the game," Lawrence said. He held up a roll of duct tape and stepped towards
Kristin. Kristin tried to move away but Dirk grabbed her first.
"Stop you bastards!" she yelled "Don't touch me." She struggled to break free and ended up
getting slapped in the face for her efforts. Lawrence grabbed her hands and began to tape them tightly
together. "Please, please don't hurt Lucas, he's just a child. Haven't you done enough to him!" Lawrence
slapped her once again and then affixed a piece of tape over her mouth to silence her.
"Don't worry, it's almost over now," Lawrence told her. The two men dragged her out of the
crypt and over to a newer section of the grave yard. It was getting dark outside, but she didn't fail to notice
that there was two freshly dug graves, large piles of dirt next to each whole.
Lawrence and Dirk led Kristin to a tree just a little ways away from the open graves where they sat
her down and tied her to the tree. She struggled, but they were sure she wasn't going to get loose.
______________________________________________
Nathan looked at his watch. Lucas had been asleep for quite some time now. He decided to check
on the boy. He walked to his room and opened the door. He was shocked to see the room empty. He
quickly went to Lucas' room and it too was empty. He ran back to his own room and looked around. The
window was open. Oh god! Had Lucas also been taken? He was about to call out for the others when he
saw something totally out of place.
Sitting on the dresser was the case that held his gun. He walked over to it and saw that the gun
and the clip were missing. The light bulb in Nathan's head went off. Lucas hadn't been taken, he had left.
Lawrence wouldn't know that he kept a gun in the closet, but Lucas would. Lucas knew where Kristin
was, and he had gone after her.
He looked around the room for anything else that might give him a clue. He saw that the
nightstand drawer was open about an inch. He opened the drawer all the way and saw the now empty
envelope lying there. He wondered why Lucas would have taken the money and then he realized. A cab.
There had been several hundred dollars in the drawer. If Lucas took it all, it must have meant that it was
going to be a long drive.
Nathan hurried to the living room. "Lucas is gone. I think he went after Kristin!"
"What? How?" Katie said. "He never left your room!"
"He went out the window," Nathan informed. "Did he say or do anything before he went in there.
Did something happen?"
"No," Tim said. "He had been working on the computer, said he was tired, asked me to take him
to your room, that he'd feel better in there, and then told me to wake him if you called."
"He asked to go to my room so he could get my gun, and the cash I kept in there for emergencies."
"Gun!" Jonathon exclaimed. "Lucas doesn't know how to use a gun."
"Tell me about it," Nathan said, feeling the bile in his stomach start to rise. "We have to find him
before he does something extreme, if it isn't too late already."
"We have no idea where he went," Tim said.
"Yes we do!" Nathan exclaimed, running to his bedroom. He pulled the drawer out of the
nightstand and grabbed the locator he had hidden under it. "Please let this work," he said as he flicked the
device on. "Yes!" he said as he saw a very faint little blip on the locator screen.
He hurried back to the living room. "We can find Lucas with this."
"Captain, why is Lucas wearing a locator?"
"He isn't wearing one, the day of the explosion I took Lucas to the dentist. He doesn't know it,
but I had a locator put in his tooth. I was afraid that something like this was going to happen."
"Well, then let's go get him," Tim said. "Hopefully Kristin is also there with him."
"God I hope so," Nathan said. 'Please Lord, let me find them before Lawrence has the chance to
kill them,' he thought
_____________________________________
Lucas stood up and began to walk through the cemetery. The angel was supposed to be in the
middle, so he took off walking to what he thought would be the center of the grave yard. He shivered even
though it wasn't cold out. In the darkness it was very creepy here. He wished he had thought ahead to
have brought a flashlight. Hell, right about now he was wishing he had brought a many a thing, like
machine guns and the National Guard.
He tried to keep his eyes focused on his surroundings, he didn't want someone to sneak up on him.
After a few minutes he had to stop and rest. He had been using his leg so much today and it was now
starting to throb in time with his heart beat. He leaned heavily against a tombstone for just a moment.
He didn't see that Dirk was following him through the grave yard. Dirk saw the way Lucas was
pampering his left leg, and then when the clouds broke for a moment and a bit of moon light shone through
he saw why. The boy was wearing shorts and thick heavy bandages covered much of his upper leg. Plus
there was no missing the fact that the boy's right arm was broken. 'God, this was going to be a piece of
cake,' Dirk grinned.
Lucas continued walking and after several more minutes he stopped when he saw a seven foot
marble angel standing in front of him. He began to look around for Lawrence but he couldn't see anything
or anyone. He took a few more steps and then quickly squinted when a high powered flashlight suddenly
blinded him.
"Well, hello son, so glad you could join us," Lawrence said.
Lucas raised a hand to try and shied his eyes. He tried to get a fix on Lawrence, but the light made
it impossible to see anything past it.
"I'm here," Lucas said, "Let Kristin go." He tried desperately to hide the fear in his voice.
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't."
Lucas reach into his pocket and pulled out the gun. He took the safety off and pointed it at the
source of the light.
"I said let her go. I don't want to shoot you but I will," Lucas told him, his voice trembling.
Lucas felt his fear grow even more when Lawrence started to laugh, really laugh.
"You won't shoot anyone," Lawrence replied. "You don't have what it takes."
Lucas didn't get the chance to respond. He had been so focused on trying to aim the gun at
Lawrence that he never saw Dirk sneak up next to him. Lucas cried out and dropped to his knees in pain as
something impacted forcefully with his injured leg. Lucas fell onto his back and looked up to see Dirk
standing there holding a shovel. He quickly raised the gun to shoot but Dirk swung the shovel and hit the
gun, sending it flying.
Lucas watched in horror as Dirk raised the shovel in the air to strike again. Lucas quickly rolled
and curled into a ball holding his cast up to protect his gut and face, but he didn't realize that Dirk had a
different location in mind. Dirk brought the shovel down once more on Lucas' injured leg. A pained
scream erupted from Lucas' mouth and he sobbed uncontrollably, grabbing his leg with his hands. The
pain was excruciating. Lucas felt wetness start to soak through his bandages and he knew it was blood.
Dirk had reopened the wound. He looked up to see that the shovel was once more poised to strike.
"No! Please!" Lucas begged.
"Enough," Lawrence called out. Dirk immediately lowered the shovel and watched as Lawrence
walked over to them.
________________________________
"Oh god!" Nathan exclaimed in the car as they drove along the freeway.
"What?" Jonathon asked.
"Drive faster!" Nathan ordered.
"What's wrong?" Jonathon asked again, punching the accelerator.
"Lucas, so much pain, we…just drive faster," Nathan gasped, quickly wiping a tear from his eye.
__________________________________
Kristin was struggling against her bonds but she couldn't get free. She was desperate to get loose.
She could hear Lucas screaming. The boy was in agony. She felt her own tears start to fall. Just what in
the hell was Lawrence doing to him.
__________________________________
"Get up," Lawrence ordered Lucas.
"I…I can't," Lucas cried.
"I said get up!"
"I can't!"
Lawrence delivered a kick to Lucas' ribs. "Get up you piece of shit!"
Lucas tried desperately to stand up but he just couldn't. He couldn't move his leg at all and he
only had one arm to use to help balance him. He started to cry, afraid of what else Lawrence would do to
him. "M-My leg's h-hurt to b-bad. I can't get u-up."
Lawrence was about to kick him again when Dirk said, "Forget it, I got him." The big man bent
over and scooped Lucas up off the ground. Lucas tried not to but the pain of being jostled caused him to
whimper in pain.
"Shut up you big baby," Lawrence said. He picked up the powerful flashlight and they took off
walking in a different direction in the grave yard.
Lucas silently prayed that the cabbie hadn't forgotten to call Dad and that help was on the way.
He didn't know how much more he could take. They stopped walking and Dirk proceeded to drop him
onto the ground. Lucas cried out once more as his leg impacted with the earth.
"I thought you'd like to see your new Mom once more before you die," Lawrence said matter of
factly, and then pointed the flashlight at Kristin where she was still gagged and bound to the tree.
"Mom," Lucas called. "Let her go. You said if I came you'd let her go."
"I did say that didn't I," Lawrence smirked. "However, I've changed my mind. Your mom's
quite the looker, I think I'll keep her for a while."
"NO, let her go damn it!"
Lawrence bent down and punched Lucas square in the face. "Don't you ever talk to me like that!"
"Like what?" Lucas practically screamed. "Like the sick son-of-a-bitch that you are!"
"You…" Lawrence couldn't even come up with a reply he was so angry at his son's insolence.
Instead he grabbed Lucas by the collar of his shirt and proceeded to deliver several vicious blows to the
boy's face.
Lucas fought the urge to black out, although he wasn't sure if blacking out might just be a good
thing. Lawrence was going to kill him now, and he probably would want to be unconscious when that
happened.
Lawrence stopped his attack and stood up to look at his battered son. Lucas just lie there, still
awake, but completely unmoving. His breaths came in ragged gasps. As when he had beat the boy before,
he felt no guilt, no remorse. Like the other times the boy had brought it on himself. If he had just stayed
quiet about family matters none of this would have been necessary.
"You ready to finish this?" Dirk asked, confused by Lawrence's sudden calm behavior.
"Yes, let's finish this," Lawrence said, no hint of reservation in his voice.
Lucas closed his eyes and let the tears fall. He was going to die. Just as he had always suspected,
Lawrence was finally going to kill him. He tried to reach out to Dad, 'I love you,' he thought, 'and I'm so
sorry.' He kept repeating the thought over and over in his head, even as Dirk and Lawrence started to lift
him off the ground. 'I love you Dad and I'm so sorry. I love you and I'm sorry.'
_______________________________________
Nathan and the others were closing in on Lucas' position. The signal on the locator was getting
stronger and stronger.
'I love you and I'm so sorry. I love you Dad and I'm so sorry.'
"No," Nathan whispered to himself. 'Oh god, no, don't let Lucas die. We're so close. Please,
just give us a little more time.'
_________________________________
Kristin watched in horror as Lawrence and Dirk hoisted Lucas off the ground and carried him over
to one of the open graves. They tossed him into the whole and she heard him grunt as he landed below.
'No, oh God, no,' she thought as she watched them start to throw shovel fulls of dirt into the
grave. They were going to bury him alive. 'Nathan, where are you?'
_________________________________
Lucas was in something of a daze, but something hitting him was working to draw his attention.
His body instinctively reacted when a thick layer of something covered his face. He shook it off quickly
and wiped at his face with his hand.
He sat up and hunched his head over to protect it from what ever was raining down on him. He
spied a glance up and felt the panic start to set in. He was in a grave and Lawrence and Dirk were filling it
with dirt. They were burying him.
He tried to stand up but like before, there was just no way. His leg refused to move at all. He
dragged himself to the back corner of the grave using his one leg and arm, then he started pushing all the
dirt off of himself, but Lawrence and Dirk simply threw more on him.
"Please, please don't do this," Lucas begged.
Both men ignored his pleas, if anything the scoops of dirt thrown at him were even larger. He
continued to push the dirt off of himself to buy more time. 'Dad, help,' he thought.
________________________________________
"Jonathon, we need to get off the freeway. We've passed up the signal," Nathan said. "We have
to back track."
"Okay," Jonathon said. He quickly got off and the next exit. He looked in the rearview mirror to
make sure that Katie and Tim were still following them. Jonathon made a U-Turn on and drove down a
surface street heading back in the direction they had come from.
"Here," Nathan said, "turn left here!"
Jonathon did as told.
"The signal is getting really strong. We have to be almost there," Nathan said.
__________________________________
Lucas continued to push the dirt away from his chest. His legs were now completely covered and
the dirt was rising up in the whole. Dirt and grime mixed with his tears. Lawrence especially seemed to
take great pleasure in throwing the dirt into Lucas' face while Dirk was content to fill up the rest of the
whole.
Lucas looked up and saw that both Lawrence and Dirk were using their shovels to slide the dirt
down the pile and into the whole. Lucas covered his nose and mouth as a large amount suddenly feel in the
grave next to him. As the area around him filled up it made it more difficult for him to push the dirt around
him away, especially since his one arm was in a cast.
He knew it was a losing battle, that eventually they would succeed in burying him alive, but his
survival instinct wouldn't let him quit, so he continued to try to keep the dirt away from his chest and face.
He tried to lift himself up, maybe he could climb on top of the pile, but he was surprised to find that he
couldn't move now. The weight of the dirt on his legs and circling his waist was to heavy, and it was
holding him firmly in place. He was truly trapped and it was only going to be a matter of time before the
dirt covered him.
________________________________
Nathan and the others pulled up in front of the cemetery and all got out of their cars.
"This has to be the place," Nathan said. "The signal ends here."
"Okay, let's split up," Jonathon said.
"Right, Jonathon, you and Katie go that way, Tim, you're with me," Nathan said. "Everyone be
careful, we don't know what we're walking in to."
With that said everyone went in their direction and tried to cover as much ground as quickly as
they could.
_________________________________
Lucas was getting so tired. His arm was aching from all the work he was putting them through. It
was getting harder to move it since the dirt was now up to his chest. His injured arm was now pinned down
just like his legs were. He had been unable to keep it lifted with the weight of the cast on it. He stopped
for just a moment to catch his breath and rest, only to be rewarded with a face full of dirt which he quickly
tried to wipe away.
"What's the matter son, getting tired?" Lawrence laughed.
"Go to hell," Lucas said.
"You first," Lawrence replied and threw more dirt in his face. Both Lawrence and Dirk seemed to
find their second wind and started to rain dirt down on him at an incredible pace. It was hard for Lucas to
breath with the weight pressing down on his chest and all the dirt in the air around him. Lucas found
himself starting to hyperventilate when he saw that he was now buried up to his neck. His arm was still
above the surface but it was at an awkward angel now and he really couldn't use it other than to protect his
face.
"Oh god," Lucas exclaimed, "please, please don't do this." His tears were falling faster now as
panic took hold. In a few more minutes he would be covered.
"God can't help you," Lawrence said. "Don't worry, it will be over soon," he said in an almost
comforting tone of voice.
"NO," Lucas yelled. "NO, NO, HELP!"
_______________________________________
Nathan and Tim both heard Lucas at the same time. Without another thought they took off
running in the direction of Lucas' voice. It only took a moment for them to come up on Lawrence and
Dirk. Theystopped to assess the situation. At first they couldn't make out just what it was they were doing.
"HELP ME!" Lucas screamed.
"Christ, they're burying him," Tim exclaimed.
Nathan took off running, he didn't even have a plan other than to stop them and save Lucas. He
and Tim must have made noise as they approached the men cause Lawrence tuned to look at Nathan just
before he tackled them and they both feel into the grave. Since it was half full they only had a three foot
fall. Lawrence recovered immediately and started throwing punches at Nathan. Nathan managed to duck
some of the blows and returned a few of his own.
"Dad!" Lucas gasped.
Nathan turned and saw Lucas in the corner, buried under the dirt. Only his head and one arm was
still visible.
Lawrence took advantage of Nathan's momentary distraction to punch him in the small of his
back. Nathan grunted in pain and turned back to face Lawrence. He threw himself at the man and pinned
him to the ground. He grabbed Lawrence's head in his hands and started smacking his head into the
ground over and over.
Tim had tackled Dirk much in the same fashion that Nathan had launched himself at Lawrence,
but Tim was anything but a fighter, and Dirk was twice his size. Tim had managed to strike him in the face
twice before Dirk punched him square in the jaw and sent him reeling. Before Tim could even react Dirk
had him in a choke hold and started cutting off his air supply. Tim struggled to break free of his grasp, but
soon he started seeing spots and then finally he passed out.
Lawrence was on the verge of passing out himself as Nathan slammed his head into the ground for
what had to be the tenth time. The only thing in Lawrence's favor was that the freshly turned earth was
soft and in it's own way cushioning the blows.
Nathan released the man's head and was about to punch him when a shadow fell across him. He
looked up and was smacked in the head with a shovel. Nathan collapsed, his head falling about two feet
from Lucas'.
"Dad!" Lucas cried, staring into Nathan's face. The man was out cold, a small line of blood
starting to trickle over his forehead. "Dad, please, please wake up!" Lucas saw Lawrence slowly stand up
and shake his head, trying to get his senses back about him.
Lawrence looked up at Dirk. "It's about time. Bridger damn near bashed my brains out,"
Lawrence complained.
"I had to take care of my own attacker first," Dirk replied with a shrug. "How about you get out
of there and we finish this before more people come, huh?"
Lawrence nodded and took Dirk's out stretched hand and climbed out.
"No!" Lucas said as he realized what was about to happen. They were going to bury Dad too now.
"Well son, at least you don't have to die alone now."
"No, don't kill him," Lucas cried, "Please, let him out. Kill me, but let him out."
"Begging is a nice touch, but honestly, I have no reason to do as you ask. You aren't exactly in a
position to ask for anything."
Lawrence and Dirk resumed filling the whole, throwing dirt on top of Nathan now too.
"Dad, Dad wake up," Lucas pleaded. "DAD! WAKE UP!" Nathan didn't even budge. 'This
isn't happening,' he thought to himself, 'this isn't happening!' He had hoped Dad would save him and
instead he was going to die with Lucas.
__________________________________
Kristin tried to scream, to move, to do anything. She had seen Nathan and Lawrence fall into the
grave, and only Lawrence had come out. Both Nathan and Lucas were being buried. She looked at Tim
who was laying unconscious on the ground.
She flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked and saw Katie and Jonathon. Katie
gently pulled the tape off her mouth as Jonathon untied her and then cut the tape that bound her hands
together.
"Nathan and Lucas are in the grave," she quickly said. "He's burying them alive." Just then Tim
groaned and rolled over.
"Tim," Jonathon said, "are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah, I'm okay," he said groggily.
"Okay, Katie and I are going to get Lawrence and Dirk, you two get Lucas and the Captain."
Everyone nodded. Katie saw a spare shovel lying on the ground and picked it up like a baseball
bat. The four walked quietly but quickly towards the two men.
"Now," Jonathon said.
Jonathon grabbed Dirk and began punching the man repeatedly in the face, while Katie swung her
shovel and caught Lawrence in the shoulder. She raised her shovel and hit Lawrence in the back of the
head and he went down and didn't get up. She quickly moved to help Jonathon subdue Dirk.
Kristin and Tim jumped into the whole and rolled Nathan over, brushing the dirt off of him. He
was still breathing. She looked but she didn't see Lucas. God, he was underneath the dirt somewhere. She
and Tim both began to frantically dig around searching for the boy.
"Lucas!" she cried. "Lucas!"
She moved to the corner where Lucas had been and gasped when she felt his hand. "Tim, here!"
She and Tim both frantically used their hands to dig the dirt away from Lucas' face. The boy was
unconscious. Kristin quickly took Lucas' pulse, she found a weak rhythm but her relief was short lived
when she realized he wasn't breathing.
"Oh my god," she exclaimed. "Lucas!" she slapped at his face, trying to revive him. Tim
continued to pull dirt away from Lucas, exposing all of his face and his neck. Kristin laid down on the
ground and awkwardly started giving Lucas CPR. Tim held Lucas' head up while she pinched his nose and
breathed into his mouth.
"Lucas, breath," she begged. She gave two more breaths. "Breath damn it." Another two breaths.
Again she slapped at his face.
Tim began to pray as he watched Kristin try to breath life into his friend. He looked up to see both
Katie and Jonathon looking down at them, tears glistened on Katie's face.
Suddenly Lucas coughed and took in a deep breath.
"Oh thank god!" Tim exclaimed.
"Lucas, darling," Kristin said gently, trying futilely to wipe his face clean.
"M-Mom," he choked out.
"Yes, it's me," she said between sobs.
"Dad?"
"He's okay," she said. "He probably has a concussion, but he's alive."
Lucas nodded, and then passed out.
_____________________________________
Nathan woke slowly, moaning as the pain in his head made itself known.
"Hello there," came a pleasant voice. Nathan forced his eyes to focus and saw Kristin leaning
over him.
"Did anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?"
"I'm afraid it wasn't a truck, but a shovel wielding Dirk," she replied.
Nathan's eyes went wide, "Lucas?!"
"He's going to be okay," Kristin smiled at him. She stood back so Nathan could look and see that
Lucas was resting peacefully in a hospital bed next to his.
"Why's he in the hospital?" Nathan asked.
"Mostly for his leg since the wound was re-injured, and just to monitor him since he stopped
breathing for a while."
"Stopped breathing?!" Nathan gasped.
"Uh, well, by the time we got to you, Lucas had been completely buried and had been smothered,
but I was able to revive him. He's going to be okay, though, at least physically, but I can only begin to
imagine how traumatized he's going to be from this whole experience. Lawrence actually buried him
alive."
"I need to get up, I don't want Lucas to see me in a hospital bed."
"Oh no you don't," she said. "You have a pretty good concussion and you've been unconscious
for the past four hours. You aren't going anywhere. Besides, Lucas will probably be grateful to have you
for a room mate."
Nathan laid back in bed, he knew there would be no use in arguing with her, besides, his head felt
like it was going to blow any second. He looked at Lucas. Like him, they were both in hospital gowns.
Once again Lucas' leg had been propped up. He cringed as he realized that Lucas would be stuck in the
wheel chair for probably a couple of more weeks now. Lucas was also sporting large bruises on his face.
Nathan was on the verge of falling back to sleep when he suddenly looked at Kristin and said,
"What happened to Lawrence?"
"He's in police custody. I've already talked to Detective Mathers and McCoy and they assure me
that there is more than enough evidence to have Lawrence back in jail and to have no communications or
visitors. Dirk has already agreed to testify against Lawrence for a reduced sentence and he even told the
police who the go between was. It actually turned out to be one of Lawrence's lawyers. They're all going
to go to jail. It's over. It's really over," Kristin assured him.
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief and finally did close his eyes and go to sleep.
purposes only.
The Madness Finally Ends
By: Kaitlyn Rose
Nathan was sitting at his desk on seaQuest going over several of the inventories that Ben had
submitted to him. He rubbed tiredly at his eyes. He was looking forward to going back to sea. Being on
the mainland meant spending way too much time talking to people who had nothing better to do than drive
him nuts. He hated meetings and he hated talking to the brass.
When he heard the vidphone go off he sighed, wondering just who in the hell was going to bother
him now. For a moment he contemplated not answering it, but on the sixth ring he finally flipped it on.
"Nathan, thank god I've found you," Bill Noyce said.
"What's wrong?" Nathan asked, noticing the positively frightened look on Bill's face.
"Nathan, where is Lucas?"
"Why? What's happening?" Nathan said, already standing up out of his seat.
"Wolenczak escaped, we have absolutely no idea where he is," Bill said. "He's been on the run
now for about six hours."
"WHAT! Damn it, Bill, you swore this wouldn't happen. You were supposed to have the
situation under control. I warned you not to underestimate that son-of-a-bitch!"
"I know, I know, trust me, I'm sorry. You have every right to be angry at me, but right now we
need to work together to capture him again."
"God, Lucas! I have to get home!" Nathan gasped.
_________________________________________
Kristin loaded the groceries she had just bought into the trunk of the car. She was looking forward
to tonight. She had bought all the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies and a black forest cake. She
knew Lucas liked both and would have fun helping.
She had just closed the trunk when a van pulled up next to her.
"Excuse me, but do you know where Produce Palace is?" the man asked.
"No, I'm afraid I've never heard of it," Kristin replied.
"Oh, well, thanks anyway," he said.
Kristin was about to turn around when suddenly the side door slid open and a second man wearing
a ski mask grabbed her.
"NO!" she screamed. She struggled to pull away, but she was pulled into the van and the door
was shut. The van immediately began to speed off. She fought her attacker and tried to break free when
she saw that he was lifting a cloth to her face. She knew full well what would be on the cloth.
She was stunned momentarily when the man back handed her. She paused just long enough for
him to clamp the cloth over her mouth and nose. She continued to struggle, but she could already feel the
effects of the chloroform working on her. She felt her limbs grow heavy and then she blacked out.
Lawrence whipped the ski mask off of his face and looked at Kristin. So, this was the bitch who
was sleeping with Bridger. She was also the woman that Lucas now called Mom.
"That was simple enough," Dirk said.
"Yes, it was," Lawrence replied. "They'd have Lucas far too protected for us to get him, so
instead we'll have the poor boy come to us. Once he gets our message he'll come running to save his
beloved Mom."
"You're positive the kid won't tell Bridger?"
"Trust me, he won't tell anyone. He'll do exactly as we say, and if he doesn't, well then we'll just
have to kill her, and think of something else," Lawrence said.
"It's a shame she has to die. I've been watching her for weeks now, and god she's gorgeous,"
Dirk said.
"Just keep your hands off her," Lawrence said. "How long till we reach our destination?"
"Only about forty-five minutes," Dirk replied.
"And you're sure no one will find us there?" Lawrence demanded.
"Trust me, no one will find us. I haven't let you down yet have I?"
Lawrence didn't reply. He looked down at the unconscious woman laying next to him in the floor
of the van. Dirk was right, she was beautiful. He ran his hand across her cheek. Lawrence realized that it
had been a long time. A very long time in fact. He continued to trace his hand down her throat and then
over her breast. Maybe when the doctor woke up he could have a little fun himself.
__________________________________________
Nathan drove at an incredible speed trying to get home as fast as he could. He swerved in and out
of traffic. He looked into the rear view mirror to see that Jonathon and Katie were managing to keep up
with him.
He exited the expressway and turned down the street that would take him to his house. Five
minutes later he was pulling into his driveway. He raced from his car and ran up the stairs.
He was so upset that he fumbled with his keys trying to find the right one to go in the lock. He
was startled when Tim opened the door.
"Captain?"
"Tim, is everything okay here?" Nathan said, shoving his way into the house.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Tim said.
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lucas sitting in his wheel chair in front of his
computer.
"Dad?"
Nathan walked over and hugged the boy tight.
"What's wrong?" Lucas asked. Dad's behavior was scaring him big time.
Finally Nathan let the boy go and said, "Bill Noyce called me, Lawrence escaped."
"No…no, no, no," Lucas said, beginning to hyperventilate. Nathan quickly pulled the boy close
once again and held him.
"He's not going to hurt you again. I swear I'm going to keep that bastard away from you," Nathan
said, trying to calm Lucas down. Lucas was trembling and on the verge of hysteria.
"No," Lucas said. "Y-You can't stop him. H-He's too sm-smart."
"Lucas, he may be smart, but he's just a man," Nathan said.
Lucas was crying now, the tears falling freely. "How? How did…he get…away. Noyce pr-promised
it wouldn't ha-happen."
"It doesn't matter how, just that he did, but I won't let him get you again." Nathan stroked the
boys hair trying to comfort him as sobs wracked his body. Lucas was terrified, Nathan could feel the fear
emanating from him. Nathan couldn't blame Lucas for being scared to death. The boy was currently
sitting in a wheel chair because Lawrence had sent him a bomb, not to mention the house being shot up.
Nathan and Lucas both knew that if Lawrence tried something again, it wouldn't be one of his sick games,
this time Lawrence would be out to kill.
As if reading his mind Lucas said, "He's going to…kill m-me. I know it. It's…it's what he's
always w-wanted."
Nathan pulled back and placed his hands on the sides of Lucas' face and forced the boy to look
him in the eyes. "Listen to me, he is not going to kill you, do you hear me. I'm going to find this jerk, and
he's going to pay for everything he's ever put you through!"
Lucas nodded his head at Nathan, but Nathan knew the boy didn't really believe him.
Lucas clutched at Dad's shirt. He didn't want this to be happening. He wanted all of this to just
go away and not bother him anymore. "I want to go to sleep," he said. Yeah, he could just go to sleep,
pretend none of this was real.
"Lucas," Nathan began.
Lucas shook his head and repeated, "I want to go to sleep."
Nathan heard the urgency in Lucas' voice and he understood he was on the verge of completely
falling apart as the fear took hold of him. Nathan lifted Lucas from the wheel chair and turned to carry him
to his room. He was surprised to see Tim, Jonathon and Katie standing there. In all honestly, he had
forgotten about them.
He walked past them and down the short hall to Lucas' room. The boy had his face buried into his
neck and his grip on Nathan's neck with his uninjured arm was like iron.
Lucas kept his eyes shut. He knew the others were there, but he didn't want to see them. He
didn't want to see or deal with anything. He felt Dad lowering him down on the bed and for a moment he
didn't want to let go, but reluctantly he did. He laid back on his bed and kept his eyes closed, refusing to
look at anything.
"Lucas, you rest," Nathan said. "I'm going to go talk to the others. Don't worry, we'll all be in
the other room. You won't be alone." Nathan waited for Lucas to say something, but when it became
obvious that he wasn't going to, he slipped quietly out of the room.
He was greeted with three sets of worried eyes.
"Is he okay?" Katie asked.
"I don't know," Nathan told her.
"Lucas is a tough kid," Jonathon said, "he'll be okay."
"I hope so," Nathan replied. "Lucas can take a lot, hell, he'd have to, but honestly, in the past
month he's been kidnapped, starved, watched his own funeral, and had two attempts on his life. That bomb
almost killed him. Lucas is on the edge right now, and I'm truly afraid that much more of this will push
him off."
"What can we do?" Tim asked.
Nathan looked at Tim and asked, "Why are you here? Where's Kristin at?"
"She asked me to come stay with Lucas while she went to the market and to run some errands,"
Tim replied.
Nathan just nodded his head absently. "I knew something like this would happen. I told Bill but
he wouldn't listen." He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Honestly, Bill was his best friend, but
right now he'd love to punch him out.
"How long has Kristin been gone?"
"Uh, about two hours. She'll be home soon," Tim said.
"God I dread having to tell her this," Nathan said to no one in particular.
Lucas lay on his bed, struggling to get his emotions back under control but he found it was a
losing battle. He wiped the tears from his face and rolled on his side, pulling a pillow close to clutch it. He
had so many feelings swelling up inside of him that he almost couldn't think straight. He was terrified, that
much was obvious. The person he feared the most in this world was free and coming to get him. Of that he
was sure, he knew Lawrence wouldn't just disappear without trying to kill him first. This was like one of
Lucas' worst nightmares actually coming true.
He was also so angry. Why did this keep happening to him? What had he ever done to make his
parents hate him so much that they would continue to hurt him like this? Especially Lawrence. Lawrence
had the power to strike terror in him with just one look. That day at World Power when the Captain had
saved him was the first time he had ever tried to fight back cause usually he was too scared to even move
when Lawrence was angry. He had fought back, but he had still been hurt. Now he was in a wheel chair,
arm in a cast, how on earth was he supposed to protect himself this time? He pulled at the sling, adjusting
it around his neck.
He knew Dad would try to protect him, but he also knew just how smart Lawrence could be. He'd
find a way to get to him, he just knew it.
He heard Dad enter the room again but he didn't open his eyes. Dad would want to talk, and right
now he didn't. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He just remained still, hoping Dad would leave.
Nathan looked at the boy. He knew Lucas was faking being asleep. The kid had to much on his
mind to actually fall asleep for real. He stepped over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. He lightly
brushed the hair from Lucas' forehead, an act he had done so many times, but it always managed to make
both him and Lucas feel better. He saw Lucas finally open his eyes and Nathan smiled at him.
"You feeling a little calmer?" Nathan asked gently.
Lucas nodded his head slowly at him.
"I know you're scared, but you have to trust us to keep you safe," Nathan said. "We're all here for
you."
"I know," Lucas replied. "It's just…well…he's so good at getting around everyone."
"I know, but this time he won't," Nathan said.
"I hope not," Lucas sighed. He sat up in his bed and rested his head on Dad's shoulder. Nathan
enveloped the boy in a hug and rested his chin on top of his blond hair. The two sat for a moment just
letting the presence of the other comfort them.
"Captain!" Tim interrupted.
Nathan looked at his Lieutenant, but didn't release Lucas. "What?"
"Uh, sir, you need to come out here," Tim stammered.
"What's the matter?" Nathan asked.
"Uh…it would probably be better if you just came out here."
Nathan saw the uncertain look in Tim's face and immediately became worried. Since he was
currently holding Lucas it could only mean one thing. Kristin. He stood up and felt Lucas tug at his elbow.
He helped Lucas stand up off the bed and led the boy with him to the living room.
Nathan's heart froze in his chest when he saw two police officers standing there.
"What's happened to Kristin?" Nathan asked instinctively.
"Does Dr. Kristin Westphalen reside at this address?" the officer asked.
"Yes, I'm her fiancé, where is she? Is she okay?" Nathan asked.
"Well, sir, something has happened," the second officer said.
"Was she in a car accident?" Lucas asked, his voice trembling.
"No, it seems she was taken."
"Taken?" Nathan demanded.
"Yes. At approximately 2:45 several witnesses saw her abducted in the Kroger parking lot. Her
purse was retrieved off the ground and her car is still in the lot. She was taken by what is suspected to be
two men driving a gray van."
"He took her!" Lucas exclaimed. "He couldn't get to me so he took her!!"
Nathan clutched Lucas tightly as the first officer asked, "Who took her?"
"Lawrence Wolenczak," Nathan supplied. "He's my son's biological father, and he's also made
several attempts on Lucas' life in the past month."
"So you think this is the man responsible for Dr. Westphalen's abduction?"
"Yes," Nathan said. "With out a doubt. Call Detective Mathers and McCoy, they can explain the
entire situation to you."
"We have to get Mom back," Lucas said. "We can't let him hurt her."
"Do you know who the second man is?"
"Dirk," Lucas replied. "It has to be."
"Who is that?"
"He kidnapped Lucas several weeks ago," Nathan told them.
"Fine," the officers said. "We are going to go to the station and get an APB out on this Lawrence
Wolenczak and get the investigation under way. Do you have any idea where they may be heading or why
he took her?"
"He took her to get to Lucas," Nathan said, "as to where they are going, we don't know." Lucas
also shook his head, he didn't know either.
"Okay, I suggest you two stay here incase the kidnappers call to ask for a ransom."
"This isn't about money," Lucas said, "this is about revenge." He was shaking again and Nathan
led him to a chair to sit down and get off his leg. He couldn't believe Lawrence had Kristin. She was in
danger because Lawrence wanted to destroy Lucas. He held back his tears. He didn't want to break down
again, Dad had more important things to worry about than him right now. He prayed that Mom was safe
and that they'd get her back.
Nathan walked the officers out of the house and then turned to Jonathon, Katie, and Tim.
"Katie, Tim, I want you two to stay with Lucas. Jonathon, you and I are going to the market. I
want to look at Kristin's car, see if there are any clues to where they are going."
"I want to come," Lucas said quickly.
"Absolutely not," Nathan said.
"She's my Mom."
"Lucas, I know you want to help, but let's face it, you'll slow us down. Plus, I think everyone
here will agree with me that this is a trap. Lawrence isn't after Kristin, but you. He took her as a diversion.
We're going to get her back, I swear, but I have to keep you safe at the same time. I need you to stay here."
"Okay," Lucas reluctantly agreed, "but promise you'll call and keep us informed."
"I promise," Nathan told him. "Where is Ben and Miguel?"
"They went out of town for a couple of days. I think Miguel has a PAL with him. Do you want
me to contact him, get him back?" Jonathon asked.
"No, let's just go," Nathan said.
Lucas watched Dad and Jonathon leave. He was startled when Katie put a hand on his shoulder.
He looked up at her.
"We'll get her back, Lucas," she said.
"Yeah, but will she be alive when we do?" Lucas said sadly.
"Don't think that way," Katie told him.
"I'm sorry," Lucas said. "I swear, I just wish I could kill him already. Is that wrong?"
"No, Lucas, it's not wrong to feel that way. After everything he's put you through, I think it's
only natural. Just don't give up hope."
"Thanks, Katie," Lucas said. He stood up carefully and walked slowly to the office.
Tim watched him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to see if I can find anything. I don't know what I'm looking for, but I have to do
something. If I just sit here I'll go crazy."
Tim nodded at him. Lucas sat down in his wheel chair, saved his program that he had left
running, and then started to look for any information he could find on Lawrence, financial records,
properties, business ties, anything.
__________________________________________
Kristin woke slowly as the drug was finally wearing off. She raised a hand to her aching head,
and moaned as she sat up.
"Well, glad to see you're awake," a voice said.
Kristin turned to see who was addressing her. He eyes widened as she saw Lawrence standing in
front of her.
"What do you want?" she demanded, showing more courage than she was really feeling.
"Many things," Lawrence said.
"Why am I here?"
"Simple, to be the cheese. Lucas is the rat, and he's going to come running when I tell him too."
"Why won't you just leave him alone? You've managed to escape, just go already. Make a new
life for yourself and leave us alone!"
"Where would the fun be in that?" Lawrence asked. "No, I'll make a new life for myself, don't
you worry about that, but not until I take care of my family matters."
Kristin stood up slowly, looking for a way to escape. She was in a cement type building. There
were no windows, only a wooden door which Lawrence was currently standing in front of. The little room
she was standing in had a familiar look to it, but she had yet to figure out where she was. She saw a stone
slab in the center of the floor and suddenly she realized what she was in. She was in a crypt.
"Why are we at a cemetery?" she asked nervously.
"I figured since Bridger had to arrange for Lucas' first funeral, the least I could do was take care
of the second one," he grinned. "Say cheese," Lawrence said, pulling a digital camera from his shirt
pocket. He snapped several pics of Kristin.
"What are you doing?"
"Setting the mouse trap." With that said Lawrence exited the crypt and sealed the door, trapping
Kristin inside.
She ran to the door and tried to open it, but it wasn't going to budge. She examined the walls for a
weak spot, but by the condition of the walls, and the fact that there wasn't a coffin in here yet, she could tell
that the structure was just built, and very solid. She wasn't getting out of here until someone opened the
door and let her out.
She had a seat on the stone floor and prayed for a miracle.
___________________________________
Nathan sat in the passenger seat, growing more and more restless. There had been nothing in
Kristin's car to help them figure out where she was. They were now on their way to the police station to
see how the investigation was going.
He closed his eyes and tried to reach out to Kristin mentally, but it wasn't working. He didn't
understand why Lucas was the only person his psi abilities worked on. He had never sensed Kristin or
other people like he did Lucas. Savannah was the only other person that he had sensed. Maybe Lucas had
untapped abilities like Nathan. Maybe that was why they connected?
He sighed. 'Kristin, where are you?' he thought to himself. He had to find her. He had to! If
Lawrence hurt her in anyway he'd kill him. Not to mention, Lucas would never be able to live with the
guilt he would forever feel if Kristin was hurt or killed. It wasn't his fault this was happening, but Lucas
would never see it that way. He would hold himself personally responsible for this for as long as he lived.
_____________________________________
Lucas had been looking into Lawrence's records for a while now and he had found nothing. Truth
be told he hadn't expected to find anything, but at least doing this allowed him to keep his mind focused on
something other than the growing fear he was feeling.
He was about to shut his computer off when he saw that he had an e-mail. He clicked the icon and
pulled up the message. He gasped. He was looking at a picture of Kristin. Her blouse was torn and dirty,
and she looked very scared.
He scrolled down to read the message.
Lucas,
Meet me at Hedgewood Cemetery after nightfall by the giant angel in the center. If you come I
will let her go free, but if you don't she's dead. Come alone, I will be able to see if people come with you.
I will shoot her as soon as I see someone with you. I may get caught, but she will still be dead.
Lucas quickly looked behind him to see if Tim or Katie was watching. Luckily, they were both in
the living room. They had left him alone since it was clear that had been the way he had wanted it.
'Hedgewood Cemetery,' he thought to himself. He knew he should tell the others, but he didn't
doubt Lawrence's ability to make good on the threat. He looked at himself and shook his head. How on
earth was he going to get there. He didn't drive, and he sure as heck couldn't walk all that way. It wasn't
like he could ask Tim or Katie for a lift.
A taxi! He'd have to call a cab. He could tell the cab to pick him up at an address several doors
down, then he could sneak out of the house and pray that they didn't catch him. He'd have to take some
kind of precautions though. He knew this was a trap, and even if he did go there was still a good chance
Lawrence would kill Kristin anyway. Maybe if he had a head start, then he could call in reinforcements
once he was already with Lawrence. If he kept Lawrence busy for a while the others could sneak up on
them and then rescue him and Kristin.
Lucas quickly deleted the message from his e-mail account. He pulled his wheel chair over to the
vid phone and called the cab company. He spoke quietly to the man and told the cabbie the address to pick
him up at. The man said it would be about twenty minutes. He broke the connection.
"Tim!" Lucas called.
Tim came into the office. "Yes?"
"Can you take me to Dad's room. I'm really tired, I want to rest for a bit."
"Why don't you go to your room?" Tim asked as he started pushing the chair.
"Uh, well, don't laugh, but I just feel better, safer, in there for some reason," Lucas said,
pretending to be embarrassed by the admission.
Tim just nodded and pushed Lucas into the room. He helped Lucas out of the chair and on to the
bed.
"Promise to wake me if Dad comes home," Lucas said, he needed to Tim to think everything was
business as usual.
"Sure, I promise," Tim said. "Sleep well."
"Close the door," Lucas said.
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Tim closed the door and Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't suspect a thing. Lucas got up
and went to Dad's closet where he kept his gun. Lucas pulled the box down and then took the gun and slid
the clip into place. He made sure the safety was on and he didn't bother to load a bullet into the chamber,
he'd do that when he got to the cemetery.
He reached into the top nightstand drawer where he knew Dad kept money in case of an
emergency. He saw that the envelope had $340 in it. He pulled out $200 since he didn't know how much
the cab ride would cost. Then he reconsidered and decided to just take all of it to be on the safe side.
He looked at the clock, the cab would be there in fifteen minutes. That should give him enough
time. He walked to the window and slid it open as quietly as he could. He found it very difficult and
painful to raise his leg high enough to climb out but he managed to do it. He walked around the porch,
hunching down when he got to windows so Katie or Tim wouldn't see him.
He got to the stairs and almost cried out in pain when he took the first step with his bad leg. He
quickly sat on his rear and scooted down the steps using his good leg and his hands, sliding down one at a
time. By the time he got to the bottom he was slightly winded so he sat for a moment to catch his breath.
He couldn't stay long though, because Dad could drive up any second.
He stood up and walked slowly down the street to the house about ten doors down whose address
he had given the cab co. He was relieved to see that the neighbors who lived in the house were gone to
work. He went to stand on the side of the house so Dad wouldn't see him if he drove by. He leaned
against the house balancing himself on his good leg. His injured one was really starting to hurt.
He looked at his watch. It was almost five pm. He hoped the cab would be on time since
everyone would be getting home from work soon. He didn't have to wait long. He was so relieved to see
the cab pull up in front of the house. He moved as quickly as he could and climbed into the back seat. It
felt so good to sit down.
"Where to kid?"
"A Hedgewood Cemetery," Lucas told him.
"That's going to cost you a fortune," the cabbie said, "it's about an hour drive."
"Don't worry, I can pay you," Lucas said, and showed him the money.
"Alright, it's your money. Are you okay? You don't look so good?"
"I'm fine," Lucas replied. "Just a little tired. Can we go now?" he asked, tugging nervously at his
sling.
"Yeah, sure." The cabbie turned around and put the shift into drive.
Lucas sat back in the cab and tried not to think about the fact that he was about to face his worst
nightmare. He reached down and felt the gun tucked safely in his pocket. He would be ready for Lawrence
this time.
They had been driving for about fifteen minutes when Lucas realized something important. He
hadn't left a message for Dad and the others to find. He had taken off and failed to give them any idea
where he was going. How could they come rescue him when they couldn't find him. How could he have
been so stupid!!??
'Lucas you're and idiot!' he thought to himself. 'You are a stupid stupid idiot!! You're
practically a cripple and about to go face a man who killed your grandma, probably masterminded
Cynthia's murder, and you forgot to tell anyone that you are going to face him all by yourself. For a flippin
genius this is by far the stupidest thing you've ever done!!'
He thought for a moment about what he should do. Should he tell the cabbie to go back? Maybe
he could stop at a pay phone? It was too soon to call just yet. They might beat him to the cemetery,
especially if they took a helicopter or something, and then Mom would die.
He had an idea, he could have the cabbie call his Dad, tell them where he dropped him off. That
would be perfect. This way Lucas would arrive alone, the cabbie would call, and once it got dark he would
go find the Angel. His Dad would be halfway there by the time he met up with Lawrence. Perfect.
He breathed easier now that he had a plan.
____________________________________
Nathan and Jonathon pulled up in front of the house. It had been almost four hours since Kristin
had been taken and they were still no closer to finding her. Part of him didn't want to go inside because he
knew Lucas would be waiting. He didn't want to have to give the boy bad news.
He walked up the steps and was greeted at the door by Katie and Tim.
"Anything?" Katie asked hopefully.
"No," Nathan replied. He stepped inside. "Where's Lucas?"
"In your room. He's been asleep for the past hour," Tim said. "He was emotionally exhausted."
Nathan sat down in the recliner and held his head in his hands. He hated feeling helpless. Kristin
needed him, but he couldn't go to her. He had no way of contacting her. As much as he hated it, he was
going to have to wait for someone to find the van, or for Lawrence to contact him. It would only be a
matter of time before he did. After all, the whole reason for taking Kristin was to use her against him and
Lucas.
At least Lucas was resting. That was for the best. He wasn't surprised that Lucas had went to his
room to sleep. Whenever Lucas was really scared he chose to sleep in Nathan's room. He thought of
waking the boy, but since there really wasn't anything to tell him he decided to let him sleep a little longer.
____________________________________
Kristin paced back and forth in her little prison. She wished she had some sort of idea just what
Lawrence was planning. She knew he wanted to kill Lucas, but how? What was he going to do, and how
was he going to get Lucas away from Nathan. She knew that he would be guarding the boy like a hawk.
She prayed they were safe where ever they were.
______________________________________
Lucas got out of the cab and paid the driver.
"Please, I need a favor," Lucas said. "I'll pay you to make a phone call to my father. All I need
you to do is to tell him where you dropped me off so he can meet me here. Will you do that?"
"Yeah, kid, sure. Cost ya twenty bucks."
"Cool," Lucas said. He handed the man and twenty and then wrote down the number on a slip of
paper. "Please don't forget, it's really important."
"Sure, no problem," the cabbie said. Then he drove away. The cabbie looked in his rear view
mirror at the boy as he pulled away. 'Nice kid,' the man thought. He drove on to the freeway. He'd call
the boy's father once he got back to the station in an hour.
Lucas looked around at the cemetery. He was standing outside of the gates. The sky was overcast
so it would be dark pretty soon, even though it was June and the days were long. He stepped inside the
gates and sat on a bench just inside. He saw that the cemetery was completely deserted, but then, that was
probably why Lawrence had chose this place.
Lucas pulled the gun out of his pocket and loaded a bullet into the chamber, then put the safety
back on before slipping the gun back into his pocket. The last thing he needed was to accidentally shoot
himself. He had never shoot a gun before, unless you counted video games, but he had a feeling that it was
hardly a substitute for the real thing. Plus, he was going to have to hold the gun with his left hand since his
right hand was in a cast and he wouldn't be able to aim. He prayed he wouldn't actually have to pull the
trigger, just use it to scare Lawrence.
At least Dad was on his way by now. If he could just stall Lawrence long enough Dad and the
others would arrive and help him and Kristin. It just now crossed his mind that Dad was going to be totally
pissed off at him. He had been so focused on just getting here earlier that he hadn't even stopped to think
about the consequences of his actions. If he survived this little stunt of his he was surely going to be
grounded until he turned eighteen. In fact, being grounded was probably just the beginning of what Dad
would do.
"What in the hell are you actually doing here?" he asked himself. As more time passed and he
thought more about this whole situation he realized that he really must be crazy. "Lucas, this really is the
stupidest thing you've ever done," he told himself. He only hoped that he didn't get himself and Kristin
killed.
____________________________________
Kristin quickly moved away from the door when she heard it start to open. Both Lawrence and
Dirk walked into the little crypt.
"It's time to play the game," Lawrence said. He held up a roll of duct tape and stepped towards
Kristin. Kristin tried to move away but Dirk grabbed her first.
"Stop you bastards!" she yelled "Don't touch me." She struggled to break free and ended up
getting slapped in the face for her efforts. Lawrence grabbed her hands and began to tape them tightly
together. "Please, please don't hurt Lucas, he's just a child. Haven't you done enough to him!" Lawrence
slapped her once again and then affixed a piece of tape over her mouth to silence her.
"Don't worry, it's almost over now," Lawrence told her. The two men dragged her out of the
crypt and over to a newer section of the grave yard. It was getting dark outside, but she didn't fail to notice
that there was two freshly dug graves, large piles of dirt next to each whole.
Lawrence and Dirk led Kristin to a tree just a little ways away from the open graves where they sat
her down and tied her to the tree. She struggled, but they were sure she wasn't going to get loose.
______________________________________________
Nathan looked at his watch. Lucas had been asleep for quite some time now. He decided to check
on the boy. He walked to his room and opened the door. He was shocked to see the room empty. He
quickly went to Lucas' room and it too was empty. He ran back to his own room and looked around. The
window was open. Oh god! Had Lucas also been taken? He was about to call out for the others when he
saw something totally out of place.
Sitting on the dresser was the case that held his gun. He walked over to it and saw that the gun
and the clip were missing. The light bulb in Nathan's head went off. Lucas hadn't been taken, he had left.
Lawrence wouldn't know that he kept a gun in the closet, but Lucas would. Lucas knew where Kristin
was, and he had gone after her.
He looked around the room for anything else that might give him a clue. He saw that the
nightstand drawer was open about an inch. He opened the drawer all the way and saw the now empty
envelope lying there. He wondered why Lucas would have taken the money and then he realized. A cab.
There had been several hundred dollars in the drawer. If Lucas took it all, it must have meant that it was
going to be a long drive.
Nathan hurried to the living room. "Lucas is gone. I think he went after Kristin!"
"What? How?" Katie said. "He never left your room!"
"He went out the window," Nathan informed. "Did he say or do anything before he went in there.
Did something happen?"
"No," Tim said. "He had been working on the computer, said he was tired, asked me to take him
to your room, that he'd feel better in there, and then told me to wake him if you called."
"He asked to go to my room so he could get my gun, and the cash I kept in there for emergencies."
"Gun!" Jonathon exclaimed. "Lucas doesn't know how to use a gun."
"Tell me about it," Nathan said, feeling the bile in his stomach start to rise. "We have to find him
before he does something extreme, if it isn't too late already."
"We have no idea where he went," Tim said.
"Yes we do!" Nathan exclaimed, running to his bedroom. He pulled the drawer out of the
nightstand and grabbed the locator he had hidden under it. "Please let this work," he said as he flicked the
device on. "Yes!" he said as he saw a very faint little blip on the locator screen.
He hurried back to the living room. "We can find Lucas with this."
"Captain, why is Lucas wearing a locator?"
"He isn't wearing one, the day of the explosion I took Lucas to the dentist. He doesn't know it,
but I had a locator put in his tooth. I was afraid that something like this was going to happen."
"Well, then let's go get him," Tim said. "Hopefully Kristin is also there with him."
"God I hope so," Nathan said. 'Please Lord, let me find them before Lawrence has the chance to
kill them,' he thought
_____________________________________
Lucas stood up and began to walk through the cemetery. The angel was supposed to be in the
middle, so he took off walking to what he thought would be the center of the grave yard. He shivered even
though it wasn't cold out. In the darkness it was very creepy here. He wished he had thought ahead to
have brought a flashlight. Hell, right about now he was wishing he had brought a many a thing, like
machine guns and the National Guard.
He tried to keep his eyes focused on his surroundings, he didn't want someone to sneak up on him.
After a few minutes he had to stop and rest. He had been using his leg so much today and it was now
starting to throb in time with his heart beat. He leaned heavily against a tombstone for just a moment.
He didn't see that Dirk was following him through the grave yard. Dirk saw the way Lucas was
pampering his left leg, and then when the clouds broke for a moment and a bit of moon light shone through
he saw why. The boy was wearing shorts and thick heavy bandages covered much of his upper leg. Plus
there was no missing the fact that the boy's right arm was broken. 'God, this was going to be a piece of
cake,' Dirk grinned.
Lucas continued walking and after several more minutes he stopped when he saw a seven foot
marble angel standing in front of him. He began to look around for Lawrence but he couldn't see anything
or anyone. He took a few more steps and then quickly squinted when a high powered flashlight suddenly
blinded him.
"Well, hello son, so glad you could join us," Lawrence said.
Lucas raised a hand to try and shied his eyes. He tried to get a fix on Lawrence, but the light made
it impossible to see anything past it.
"I'm here," Lucas said, "Let Kristin go." He tried desperately to hide the fear in his voice.
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't."
Lucas reach into his pocket and pulled out the gun. He took the safety off and pointed it at the
source of the light.
"I said let her go. I don't want to shoot you but I will," Lucas told him, his voice trembling.
Lucas felt his fear grow even more when Lawrence started to laugh, really laugh.
"You won't shoot anyone," Lawrence replied. "You don't have what it takes."
Lucas didn't get the chance to respond. He had been so focused on trying to aim the gun at
Lawrence that he never saw Dirk sneak up next to him. Lucas cried out and dropped to his knees in pain as
something impacted forcefully with his injured leg. Lucas fell onto his back and looked up to see Dirk
standing there holding a shovel. He quickly raised the gun to shoot but Dirk swung the shovel and hit the
gun, sending it flying.
Lucas watched in horror as Dirk raised the shovel in the air to strike again. Lucas quickly rolled
and curled into a ball holding his cast up to protect his gut and face, but he didn't realize that Dirk had a
different location in mind. Dirk brought the shovel down once more on Lucas' injured leg. A pained
scream erupted from Lucas' mouth and he sobbed uncontrollably, grabbing his leg with his hands. The
pain was excruciating. Lucas felt wetness start to soak through his bandages and he knew it was blood.
Dirk had reopened the wound. He looked up to see that the shovel was once more poised to strike.
"No! Please!" Lucas begged.
"Enough," Lawrence called out. Dirk immediately lowered the shovel and watched as Lawrence
walked over to them.
________________________________
"Oh god!" Nathan exclaimed in the car as they drove along the freeway.
"What?" Jonathon asked.
"Drive faster!" Nathan ordered.
"What's wrong?" Jonathon asked again, punching the accelerator.
"Lucas, so much pain, we…just drive faster," Nathan gasped, quickly wiping a tear from his eye.
__________________________________
Kristin was struggling against her bonds but she couldn't get free. She was desperate to get loose.
She could hear Lucas screaming. The boy was in agony. She felt her own tears start to fall. Just what in
the hell was Lawrence doing to him.
__________________________________
"Get up," Lawrence ordered Lucas.
"I…I can't," Lucas cried.
"I said get up!"
"I can't!"
Lawrence delivered a kick to Lucas' ribs. "Get up you piece of shit!"
Lucas tried desperately to stand up but he just couldn't. He couldn't move his leg at all and he
only had one arm to use to help balance him. He started to cry, afraid of what else Lawrence would do to
him. "M-My leg's h-hurt to b-bad. I can't get u-up."
Lawrence was about to kick him again when Dirk said, "Forget it, I got him." The big man bent
over and scooped Lucas up off the ground. Lucas tried not to but the pain of being jostled caused him to
whimper in pain.
"Shut up you big baby," Lawrence said. He picked up the powerful flashlight and they took off
walking in a different direction in the grave yard.
Lucas silently prayed that the cabbie hadn't forgotten to call Dad and that help was on the way.
He didn't know how much more he could take. They stopped walking and Dirk proceeded to drop him
onto the ground. Lucas cried out once more as his leg impacted with the earth.
"I thought you'd like to see your new Mom once more before you die," Lawrence said matter of
factly, and then pointed the flashlight at Kristin where she was still gagged and bound to the tree.
"Mom," Lucas called. "Let her go. You said if I came you'd let her go."
"I did say that didn't I," Lawrence smirked. "However, I've changed my mind. Your mom's
quite the looker, I think I'll keep her for a while."
"NO, let her go damn it!"
Lawrence bent down and punched Lucas square in the face. "Don't you ever talk to me like that!"
"Like what?" Lucas practically screamed. "Like the sick son-of-a-bitch that you are!"
"You…" Lawrence couldn't even come up with a reply he was so angry at his son's insolence.
Instead he grabbed Lucas by the collar of his shirt and proceeded to deliver several vicious blows to the
boy's face.
Lucas fought the urge to black out, although he wasn't sure if blacking out might just be a good
thing. Lawrence was going to kill him now, and he probably would want to be unconscious when that
happened.
Lawrence stopped his attack and stood up to look at his battered son. Lucas just lie there, still
awake, but completely unmoving. His breaths came in ragged gasps. As when he had beat the boy before,
he felt no guilt, no remorse. Like the other times the boy had brought it on himself. If he had just stayed
quiet about family matters none of this would have been necessary.
"You ready to finish this?" Dirk asked, confused by Lawrence's sudden calm behavior.
"Yes, let's finish this," Lawrence said, no hint of reservation in his voice.
Lucas closed his eyes and let the tears fall. He was going to die. Just as he had always suspected,
Lawrence was finally going to kill him. He tried to reach out to Dad, 'I love you,' he thought, 'and I'm so
sorry.' He kept repeating the thought over and over in his head, even as Dirk and Lawrence started to lift
him off the ground. 'I love you Dad and I'm so sorry. I love you and I'm sorry.'
_______________________________________
Nathan and the others were closing in on Lucas' position. The signal on the locator was getting
stronger and stronger.
'I love you and I'm so sorry. I love you Dad and I'm so sorry.'
"No," Nathan whispered to himself. 'Oh god, no, don't let Lucas die. We're so close. Please,
just give us a little more time.'
_________________________________
Kristin watched in horror as Lawrence and Dirk hoisted Lucas off the ground and carried him over
to one of the open graves. They tossed him into the whole and she heard him grunt as he landed below.
'No, oh God, no,' she thought as she watched them start to throw shovel fulls of dirt into the
grave. They were going to bury him alive. 'Nathan, where are you?'
_________________________________
Lucas was in something of a daze, but something hitting him was working to draw his attention.
His body instinctively reacted when a thick layer of something covered his face. He shook it off quickly
and wiped at his face with his hand.
He sat up and hunched his head over to protect it from what ever was raining down on him. He
spied a glance up and felt the panic start to set in. He was in a grave and Lawrence and Dirk were filling it
with dirt. They were burying him.
He tried to stand up but like before, there was just no way. His leg refused to move at all. He
dragged himself to the back corner of the grave using his one leg and arm, then he started pushing all the
dirt off of himself, but Lawrence and Dirk simply threw more on him.
"Please, please don't do this," Lucas begged.
Both men ignored his pleas, if anything the scoops of dirt thrown at him were even larger. He
continued to push the dirt off of himself to buy more time. 'Dad, help,' he thought.
________________________________________
"Jonathon, we need to get off the freeway. We've passed up the signal," Nathan said. "We have
to back track."
"Okay," Jonathon said. He quickly got off and the next exit. He looked in the rearview mirror to
make sure that Katie and Tim were still following them. Jonathon made a U-Turn on and drove down a
surface street heading back in the direction they had come from.
"Here," Nathan said, "turn left here!"
Jonathon did as told.
"The signal is getting really strong. We have to be almost there," Nathan said.
__________________________________
Lucas continued to push the dirt away from his chest. His legs were now completely covered and
the dirt was rising up in the whole. Dirt and grime mixed with his tears. Lawrence especially seemed to
take great pleasure in throwing the dirt into Lucas' face while Dirk was content to fill up the rest of the
whole.
Lucas looked up and saw that both Lawrence and Dirk were using their shovels to slide the dirt
down the pile and into the whole. Lucas covered his nose and mouth as a large amount suddenly feel in the
grave next to him. As the area around him filled up it made it more difficult for him to push the dirt around
him away, especially since his one arm was in a cast.
He knew it was a losing battle, that eventually they would succeed in burying him alive, but his
survival instinct wouldn't let him quit, so he continued to try to keep the dirt away from his chest and face.
He tried to lift himself up, maybe he could climb on top of the pile, but he was surprised to find that he
couldn't move now. The weight of the dirt on his legs and circling his waist was to heavy, and it was
holding him firmly in place. He was truly trapped and it was only going to be a matter of time before the
dirt covered him.
________________________________
Nathan and the others pulled up in front of the cemetery and all got out of their cars.
"This has to be the place," Nathan said. "The signal ends here."
"Okay, let's split up," Jonathon said.
"Right, Jonathon, you and Katie go that way, Tim, you're with me," Nathan said. "Everyone be
careful, we don't know what we're walking in to."
With that said everyone went in their direction and tried to cover as much ground as quickly as
they could.
_________________________________
Lucas was getting so tired. His arm was aching from all the work he was putting them through. It
was getting harder to move it since the dirt was now up to his chest. His injured arm was now pinned down
just like his legs were. He had been unable to keep it lifted with the weight of the cast on it. He stopped
for just a moment to catch his breath and rest, only to be rewarded with a face full of dirt which he quickly
tried to wipe away.
"What's the matter son, getting tired?" Lawrence laughed.
"Go to hell," Lucas said.
"You first," Lawrence replied and threw more dirt in his face. Both Lawrence and Dirk seemed to
find their second wind and started to rain dirt down on him at an incredible pace. It was hard for Lucas to
breath with the weight pressing down on his chest and all the dirt in the air around him. Lucas found
himself starting to hyperventilate when he saw that he was now buried up to his neck. His arm was still
above the surface but it was at an awkward angel now and he really couldn't use it other than to protect his
face.
"Oh god," Lucas exclaimed, "please, please don't do this." His tears were falling faster now as
panic took hold. In a few more minutes he would be covered.
"God can't help you," Lawrence said. "Don't worry, it will be over soon," he said in an almost
comforting tone of voice.
"NO," Lucas yelled. "NO, NO, HELP!"
_______________________________________
Nathan and Tim both heard Lucas at the same time. Without another thought they took off
running in the direction of Lucas' voice. It only took a moment for them to come up on Lawrence and
Dirk. Theystopped to assess the situation. At first they couldn't make out just what it was they were doing.
"HELP ME!" Lucas screamed.
"Christ, they're burying him," Tim exclaimed.
Nathan took off running, he didn't even have a plan other than to stop them and save Lucas. He
and Tim must have made noise as they approached the men cause Lawrence tuned to look at Nathan just
before he tackled them and they both feel into the grave. Since it was half full they only had a three foot
fall. Lawrence recovered immediately and started throwing punches at Nathan. Nathan managed to duck
some of the blows and returned a few of his own.
"Dad!" Lucas gasped.
Nathan turned and saw Lucas in the corner, buried under the dirt. Only his head and one arm was
still visible.
Lawrence took advantage of Nathan's momentary distraction to punch him in the small of his
back. Nathan grunted in pain and turned back to face Lawrence. He threw himself at the man and pinned
him to the ground. He grabbed Lawrence's head in his hands and started smacking his head into the
ground over and over.
Tim had tackled Dirk much in the same fashion that Nathan had launched himself at Lawrence,
but Tim was anything but a fighter, and Dirk was twice his size. Tim had managed to strike him in the face
twice before Dirk punched him square in the jaw and sent him reeling. Before Tim could even react Dirk
had him in a choke hold and started cutting off his air supply. Tim struggled to break free of his grasp, but
soon he started seeing spots and then finally he passed out.
Lawrence was on the verge of passing out himself as Nathan slammed his head into the ground for
what had to be the tenth time. The only thing in Lawrence's favor was that the freshly turned earth was
soft and in it's own way cushioning the blows.
Nathan released the man's head and was about to punch him when a shadow fell across him. He
looked up and was smacked in the head with a shovel. Nathan collapsed, his head falling about two feet
from Lucas'.
"Dad!" Lucas cried, staring into Nathan's face. The man was out cold, a small line of blood
starting to trickle over his forehead. "Dad, please, please wake up!" Lucas saw Lawrence slowly stand up
and shake his head, trying to get his senses back about him.
Lawrence looked up at Dirk. "It's about time. Bridger damn near bashed my brains out,"
Lawrence complained.
"I had to take care of my own attacker first," Dirk replied with a shrug. "How about you get out
of there and we finish this before more people come, huh?"
Lawrence nodded and took Dirk's out stretched hand and climbed out.
"No!" Lucas said as he realized what was about to happen. They were going to bury Dad too now.
"Well son, at least you don't have to die alone now."
"No, don't kill him," Lucas cried, "Please, let him out. Kill me, but let him out."
"Begging is a nice touch, but honestly, I have no reason to do as you ask. You aren't exactly in a
position to ask for anything."
Lawrence and Dirk resumed filling the whole, throwing dirt on top of Nathan now too.
"Dad, Dad wake up," Lucas pleaded. "DAD! WAKE UP!" Nathan didn't even budge. 'This
isn't happening,' he thought to himself, 'this isn't happening!' He had hoped Dad would save him and
instead he was going to die with Lucas.
__________________________________
Kristin tried to scream, to move, to do anything. She had seen Nathan and Lawrence fall into the
grave, and only Lawrence had come out. Both Nathan and Lucas were being buried. She looked at Tim
who was laying unconscious on the ground.
She flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked and saw Katie and Jonathon. Katie
gently pulled the tape off her mouth as Jonathon untied her and then cut the tape that bound her hands
together.
"Nathan and Lucas are in the grave," she quickly said. "He's burying them alive." Just then Tim
groaned and rolled over.
"Tim," Jonathon said, "are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah, I'm okay," he said groggily.
"Okay, Katie and I are going to get Lawrence and Dirk, you two get Lucas and the Captain."
Everyone nodded. Katie saw a spare shovel lying on the ground and picked it up like a baseball
bat. The four walked quietly but quickly towards the two men.
"Now," Jonathon said.
Jonathon grabbed Dirk and began punching the man repeatedly in the face, while Katie swung her
shovel and caught Lawrence in the shoulder. She raised her shovel and hit Lawrence in the back of the
head and he went down and didn't get up. She quickly moved to help Jonathon subdue Dirk.
Kristin and Tim jumped into the whole and rolled Nathan over, brushing the dirt off of him. He
was still breathing. She looked but she didn't see Lucas. God, he was underneath the dirt somewhere. She
and Tim both began to frantically dig around searching for the boy.
"Lucas!" she cried. "Lucas!"
She moved to the corner where Lucas had been and gasped when she felt his hand. "Tim, here!"
She and Tim both frantically used their hands to dig the dirt away from Lucas' face. The boy was
unconscious. Kristin quickly took Lucas' pulse, she found a weak rhythm but her relief was short lived
when she realized he wasn't breathing.
"Oh my god," she exclaimed. "Lucas!" she slapped at his face, trying to revive him. Tim
continued to pull dirt away from Lucas, exposing all of his face and his neck. Kristin laid down on the
ground and awkwardly started giving Lucas CPR. Tim held Lucas' head up while she pinched his nose and
breathed into his mouth.
"Lucas, breath," she begged. She gave two more breaths. "Breath damn it." Another two breaths.
Again she slapped at his face.
Tim began to pray as he watched Kristin try to breath life into his friend. He looked up to see both
Katie and Jonathon looking down at them, tears glistened on Katie's face.
Suddenly Lucas coughed and took in a deep breath.
"Oh thank god!" Tim exclaimed.
"Lucas, darling," Kristin said gently, trying futilely to wipe his face clean.
"M-Mom," he choked out.
"Yes, it's me," she said between sobs.
"Dad?"
"He's okay," she said. "He probably has a concussion, but he's alive."
Lucas nodded, and then passed out.
_____________________________________
Nathan woke slowly, moaning as the pain in his head made itself known.
"Hello there," came a pleasant voice. Nathan forced his eyes to focus and saw Kristin leaning
over him.
"Did anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?"
"I'm afraid it wasn't a truck, but a shovel wielding Dirk," she replied.
Nathan's eyes went wide, "Lucas?!"
"He's going to be okay," Kristin smiled at him. She stood back so Nathan could look and see that
Lucas was resting peacefully in a hospital bed next to his.
"Why's he in the hospital?" Nathan asked.
"Mostly for his leg since the wound was re-injured, and just to monitor him since he stopped
breathing for a while."
"Stopped breathing?!" Nathan gasped.
"Uh, well, by the time we got to you, Lucas had been completely buried and had been smothered,
but I was able to revive him. He's going to be okay, though, at least physically, but I can only begin to
imagine how traumatized he's going to be from this whole experience. Lawrence actually buried him
alive."
"I need to get up, I don't want Lucas to see me in a hospital bed."
"Oh no you don't," she said. "You have a pretty good concussion and you've been unconscious
for the past four hours. You aren't going anywhere. Besides, Lucas will probably be grateful to have you
for a room mate."
Nathan laid back in bed, he knew there would be no use in arguing with her, besides, his head felt
like it was going to blow any second. He looked at Lucas. Like him, they were both in hospital gowns.
Once again Lucas' leg had been propped up. He cringed as he realized that Lucas would be stuck in the
wheel chair for probably a couple of more weeks now. Lucas was also sporting large bruises on his face.
Nathan was on the verge of falling back to sleep when he suddenly looked at Kristin and said,
"What happened to Lawrence?"
"He's in police custody. I've already talked to Detective Mathers and McCoy and they assure me
that there is more than enough evidence to have Lawrence back in jail and to have no communications or
visitors. Dirk has already agreed to testify against Lawrence for a reduced sentence and he even told the
police who the go between was. It actually turned out to be one of Lawrence's lawyers. They're all going
to go to jail. It's over. It's really over," Kristin assured him.
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief and finally did close his eyes and go to sleep.