Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Again the same thanks- to Sweatergirl, the Preview Master (hey, you've got the same initials as PM ;)), and the Maple Street gang. Hope you enjoy!
Sensations came to her as if she were in a dream. She felt pain. She felt like she was moving. The smell of trees filled her nostrils. She could hear voices. She tried to remember where she was, what had happened but everything seemed foggy at the moment.
Then out of nowhere she heard her name being called, "Sam!"
Recognition took over- Jack; Jack's voice was saying her name.
Her eyes fluttered but then she felt herself fall on to the ground. It was then that she realized that she had been dragged to this spot.
"Hey, he knows her!" a male voice said.
"A friend of yours Malone?" Addison was speaking, she could imagine his smirk.
"You could say that," Jack's voice shook slightly.
Jack was alive, Samantha thought. He sounded okay, too. She had screwed everything up but there would be a way out of this, there had to be.
"Your friend is out cold, Malone. I caught her at your campsite. Too bad really. If she had been some tourist and not someone looking for you, she might have lived." Addison laughed with a horrifying glimmer of evil beseeched in his voice.
Sam kept her body as still as possible.
Jack watched as Addison drew nearer to Sam. Jack's heart was beating hard and he was now opening struggling with the ropes that constrained him.
"She's very fond of these," Addison held the bottle of pain pills between his thumb and pinky.
"She needs them."
"I'm sure she does but oh well. That's how the cookie crumbles." He opened the bottle and threw the pills into the crackling fire. The fire grew hotter leaping slightly.
Jack gulped. Sam was going to be in great pain without those.
Addison walked over to Samantha bending down to look at her face. "She fights very well. Refused to give up." He traced his index finger down the side of her face.
Sam had the urge to take her fist to his head but she redrew knowing that pretending to be out was the only chance of survival.
"Get your hands off of her!" Jack's voice rose.
"Kinda of possessive, aren't we?" Addison left out a laugh. "Let's see if she's really unconscious."
He balled his hand into a fist and placed it on top of the gunshot wound.
"No, please," Jack pleaded.
Addison pulled his arm up and sprang it down onto the wound.
Sam bit her tongue to keep from screaming out.
"Sam…" Jack's voice was soft.
"Well, she looks like she's Sleeping Beauty although no handsome prince is coming to rescue her." Addison looked at the blood covering his fist. "I hope she doesn't bleed to death. I wasn't expecting blood."
"You bastard, you fucking bastard."
"Oh, watch the mouth Mr. Malone. Your daughters would be shocked to hear you talk like that."
"My daughters. Are they all right? Where do you have them?"
"Up the trail here," one of the men said gesturing.
"Shut up!" Addison looked venomness. "They be dead soon. Right now I have one last thing to take care of before I take care of you two." He pointed at his men, "Come down here with me."
They both rose like faithful servants.
When Addison was not of earshot, Jack spoke, "Samantha can you hear me/"
"Yes," she responded thickly, her mouth full of blood.
"Sam, how did you find me?"
"You called me remember?" she smiled at him and slowly proceeded to move to a kneeing position. Her leg felt like it was on fire and she longed for one of her pain pills. She quickly pulled at the ropes until one knot withdrew allowing him to swing his arm out. They made short work of the other binds.
From a distance a gunshot echoed through the woods. Another soon followed.
"The creep must have killed his partners," Sam said looking at the area they had vanished into.
"Yeah, and he'll be back once he gets rid of the bodies. We better get moving. Can you walk?"
Sam nodded although she was unsure that she could.
"Lean on me," Jack said moving a strand of hair from her face. "I'm sorry I hurt you."
"No worse than Addison." She grinned slightly.
"Well according to one dead man, my kids are somewhere this way." He pointed in the direction.
They began walking as quickly as they could. "Jack, you said something about a gun and blood in your message."
He shut his eyes momentarily. "They shot at Kate."
Sam gasped.
"She's okay, it turned out to be just a nick but…"
"We'll find them Jack, I promise."
Jack nodded but she saw the tears brimming at his eyes.
Jack kept glancing at Sam's watch watching as minutes sped away. Pain was encasing Sam's body with each step she took. Jack's arm was swung around her pulling her up. They were losing time, precious time. Addison would be fast approaching them and he knew where he was headed; they were drifting along the woods hoping to stumble upon the Malone girls. Samantha knew what she had to do.
"Jack, stop for a second."
"We have to keep going…"
"No, you have to keep going. I'm slowing you down. Go ahead, find the girls, find Marie. Make sure they are safe. I'll wait here."
Jack shook his head. "I'm not leaving you here with that lunatic running loose. We are staying together."
"Listen to me, do this for your kids, okay. I'm not just going to stand here and wait for Addison to find me. I'll hide in the brush. Maybe I'll get lucky and be able to overtake him."
"Sam…"
"Go now before it's too late." She set her eyes upon his face. "Look I have a good luck charm with me." She pulled out the St. Jude's medal.
"I'll be back for you," his voice swayed slightly, "Don't do anything stupid."
"Me? Please." She said with an air of arrogance she wasn't feeling.
He kissed her on the cheek and headed higher into the wooden mountain. Samantha watched him go. She settled in the brush and waited. The area was in complete darkness still but soon the morning light would be dancing over the region. She heard feet running in front of her- Addison. It was now or never to make her move.
To be continued…
