Much love to all my reviewers, how fantastic you all are.

Chapter Fourteen

The Rescue

Sadie didn't even realize that she had fallen asleep until she suddenly snapped awake, roused by the sound of brush snapping and footfalls against the dried leaves. Her body tensed, full of fear and she hated herself for allowing herself to sleep when she was being chased; now she had no where to run, no where to hide since the only thing around were trees and they would hear her if she moved. She was going to get murdered all because she couldn't stay on her feet any longer.

Sadie squinted her eyes shut as tightly as she could, trying to press herself against the trunk as though she could somehow save herself that way. But she knew that her luck had finally run out and there was no escape this time. The footfalls continued to get louder, closer and she suddenly found that she could no longer breathe, it was as though she couldn't even remember how to open her mouth and inhale. Sadie realized that she had never been more afraid in her entire life.

* * *

Jessie and Chris had long since given up trying to be silent as they traipsed through the woods, not bothering to watch where they stepped or listen to the other sounds around them. That was how they almost missed Sadie, who was desperately trying to be silent though she was breathing quite noisily, pressed against a tree almost an inch away from where they walked. Jessie was so busy staring directly in front of her that she didn't even notice the shaking form of her sister as she passed by; Chris, however, noticed the girl out of the corner of his eye and turned around quickly.

"Wait." He muttered, holding out his hand and causing her girlfriend to stop suddenly and glance his way. She opened her mouth to question what had stopped him when her eyes traveled past her boyfriend's face toward what had caused him to stop in the first place.

It was almost too good to be true and Jessie thought for a moment that she was dreaming, that she had wanted to see her sister alive so badly that she was now imagining it. Yet, it seemed as though Sadie was sitting only feet in front of her, huddled up against the base of a tree, quivering slightly. Jessie managed to force out her sister's name and only when the girl looked up did the scene seemed completely real.

Sadie glanced up, surprised to have heard her name called and became even more surprised when she saw her older sister standing only a few feet in front of her. For a moment, she couldn't move, could do nothing but lock eyes with the brunette, who was motionless as well. The spell of the sudden discovery was broken when Sadie leapt to her feet, throwing her arms around her sister's shoulders and hugging her tightly, burying her face against Jessie's chest. Jessie returned the embrace even more tightly, as though she still didn't believe that her sister was anything more then a foggy apparition. "Jessie," Sadie mumbled, words swallowed by the fabric of her sister's shirt, "I knew you would come."

Jessie broke the embrace and studied the youngest Burlingame, taking note of the scratches and bruises that ran along her face and arms. "Chris and I have been looking for you ever since you called. Sadie, I was so worried about you." She confessed, glad that the damage that seemed to have befallen the girl was no worse then a couple of bumps.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you about going to the woods." Sadie mumbled, tears filling her eyes at the words. If only she had listened to her sister and refused to go on the trip, then maybe everyone else would still be alive; but she hadn't listened and now she, Jessie and Chris were still in danger.

Tucking Sadie's hair behind her shoulders in a sisterly gesture, Jessie said, "Right now, that's not important, it's important that you're safe." She wanted to say something more lecture-like but figured that now wasn't the time. After they were home and safe and had had a bath and something to eat, then she'd give her sister hell for taking the trip. "Where's everyone else?"

Sadie's expression darkened at her sister's words and she cast her gaze downward. "They're dead, I think. At least, Richard's sister is dead and so is Richard's best friend. I'm sure Richard and Ramsey are dead too." She muttered, wishing that she wasn't speaking the truth. She didn't want to think that her boyfriend was dead, the person she had been so happy with, who always made her laugh, who was now dead or close to it.

As Jessie thought about just what to say to her sister, perhaps something comforting, Chris stepped closer and said, "I hate to break up the reunion, but we're a long way from the car." He was more then glad they had found Sadie, but the murderous hillbillies were still out there somewhere and if they didn't retreat from the foods soon, they might never get out.

Sadie glanced over at her sister's boyfriend and managed a slight smile. "Thanks for coming, Chris." She said sincerely. Chris had come along for Jessie, which just proved how much he really cared about her.

Jessie smiled warmly at her boyfriend, who returned the gesture, before saying, "I'm all for leaving this place and moving to somewhere that has no a single tree but I've gotta so turned around that I have no idea what direction the car is in." She turned to Chris. "Any suggestions?"

Chris glanced around him, as though he could somehow see the right path in the dark; they were so deep into the woods, however, that there were no cleared paths, so any direction might be the way they came. "Well, these woods have to let out somewhere. We might as well keep heading straight." He ruled.

Since there was no better option then to follow Chris' suggestion, Jessie and Sadie trailed after him, walking close together, not willing to be separated once again.