The most disappointed, downhearted look Perry had ever seen came from Della when he helped her up. She reached for her back, where she had been shoved.

The leader laughed harshly.

"Why are you laughing? You let her go?" the sheriff growled.

"She escaped!"

"And you didn't miss her?!"

The leader shrugged, "You got her."

"You are an idiot," the sheriff said, "I suppose you never checked them for guns, either."

The leader did not seem bothered by the name he was called. He yawned lazily and stretched out his legs towards the fire.

"You can check them if you want."

Della glanced wildly at Perry, knowing there was his pistol in the pocket of the rain coat she was still wearing. She began to take the coat off, but the man called Reeves jumped up and caught her arm.

"Hang on, sweetheart, and let me help you!"

He gallantly took the coat from her, but as he shook the water off before he hung it up, the gun flew out of the pocket and fell on the floor at the feet of the leader. Della cringed.

"Wh-Wha?" he cried, drawing his own weapon.

Perry was pushed against the wall, but he did not have any weapons. There was a loud argument that broke out among the men. Della slid down to the floor and leaned against the wall. A few tears glistened in her eyes, but none of them fell. Perry sat down beside and took her hand in his.

"It was my fault for giving you the gun in the first place," Perry tried to soothe her softly.

"It was nobody's fault!"

"Hold it, everyone!" the sheriff finally yelled, catching everyone's attention, "You may as well start getting along because you are gonna have to stay here for a few days."

"What?"

"Oh, come on!"

"Why?"

"You robbed the bank, do you think there isn't a search going on for you guys right now? The deputies are convinced that you are still in town. They're looking high and low for you. I've gotta get back and make sure no one has the idea of coming up hear to look for you. I'll take my money now," the sheriff reached for the stack on the table.

"No," the leader stopped him, "Come back in two days and we'll let you have it. Call it insurance that you won't leave us up here."

The sheriff swore, regardless of the fact that Della was there, turned on his heel, and stalked out of the cabin.

"Make us some coffee," the leader ordered Della.

Della marched dutifully into the little nook. She grabbed a bucket, walked back into the living room and slammed it into Reeves' ribcage. He buckled, but caught the bucket before it hit the ground. He glared at her. She smiled sweetly.

"I need water and it is outside."

Reeves glared even more and threw the bucket against the wall.

"I ain't gonna take orders from you!" He snapped.

"Then don't!" Della snapped back.

Perry's eyebrows went up in surprise. He had never heard Della use that tone before!

"Reeves, get the water!" the leader said.

"Ain't gonna," Reeves refused.

The leader shrugged and made another man do it.

It was a long night that moved into an even longer day. Perry and Della were forced to keep busy waiting on the men. Della made breakfast then lunch out of the little remaining food they had.

"We are running out of food," she bluntly informed the leader.

"Then you do not need to eat," the leader answered, "That will save food if two people do not eat, won't it? Maybe next time you'll think before you run away."

Della stared straight into his glittering, horrible eyes, until he glanced away.

"You heard me," he said.

Perry and Della were not permitted to eat - but Della found away around that. She prepared the food in the kitchen nook, sneaking as many bites as she dared. When Perry came in to help her carry the food out, she slid bread and anything she could into his pocket. He sneaked little bites whenever he could throughout the day.

Evening rolled around, but Della announced that they were out of food.

"Cooking for five takes a lot more ingredients than cooking for two."

So five grouchy, hungry, tired men sat around and played endless card games. Perry was invited to play, and he did, only to give himself something to do. The armchair had been vacated for a moment by Lawrence. Della curled up in it and was sound asleep. They left her alone.

The moon returned the job of giving light back to the sun, and with the new day came the sheriff.

"They have called off the search, convinced that you guys have left town," he leaned against the wall and looked around the cabin in a searching manner.

"Then we can get out of here?" the leader asked anxiously.

"Yep. Where's my money?"

The leader threw a bundle of money at the sheriff's feet, "Get it and get out. We aren't in need of your services anymore."

The sheriff turned to Perry and Della and said, "Goodbye and good luck!"

Perry's back was ramrod straight. He knew that something was going to happen, now that the men were going to leave. He knew that they were not going to simply let Perry and Della go home as if nothing had happened. He was not sure what to do now. Would - would these be their last few minutes alive?

Perry moved closer to Della, who was still sitting in the armchair. She looked up at him. He reached for her hand and squeezed it, then sat down on the edge of the chair by her.

"I love you," he said in a barely audible whisper.

The worried-ness (disclaimer: I honestly do not know if that is even a word/phrase, but we are just going to go with it) faded away from her face and she smiled.

"I love you too," she whispered back.

The leader turned his attention to the couple, "All right you two, on your feet!"

Perry and Della stood. Two wooden chairs from the table were brought forward and placed several feet apart. Perry was pushed into one, Della the other. Reeves took a long strand of rope and began winding and knotting around Della, then he took the rest of the same rope and did the same thing to Perry. The result left it so that if one or the other tried to move, it would pull the rope on the other person even tighter.

"So long you guys!" one of the men called as he walked outside.

"Thanks for the hospitality!" another chuckled.

"What a great host and hostess!"

They all left, save for the leader.

"As you may have guessed, you two are going to be left here," he told them, "No one rents this cabin, and when they do, boy won't they get a surprise! A corpse and his bride!" the leader walked out the door with a laugh, then he poked his head back in, "Happy honeymoon!"

He slammed the door behind him, leaving them alone.

What a long, lagging, boring chapter! This should only have one or two chapters left.

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