Chapter 9

Tuesday afternoon Chris met Jessie at Dave Montgomery's office at 3:45. He came into the outer office and saw that she was talking to Julie. Julie was a sweet girl, kind of shy though. He heard Jessie talking about the guy she wanted to set her up with it was her T.A. James. Chris shook his head, Jessie was happiest when playing matchmaker. 'I guess this means we'll be double dating soon' he thought to himself. He came up behind Jessie and interrupted their conversation with a kiss.

"Sorry Julie, but I haven't seen her for days."

"It's only been two days," she corrected.

"Why, where are you staying?" Julie directed at Chris.

"I moved back to my parents place until the wedding. I can't afford any distractions right now," she said as she playfully elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow!" he replied playfully.

Dave came out of the office and shook the hand of the gentleman leaving. He looked over to the scene before him and smiled.

"Jessie, Chris would you like to come in now?"

"Yes, thank you," looking at Julie, Jessie said, "I'll talk to you later about James."

They entered the office and took a seat. Dave opened up the conversation.

"So have you two had a chance to talk?"

"Yes we've talked, and I'm beginning to feel better about things," Jessie said.

"What was said?"

"We talked about how Jessie was feeling guilty for everything that happened. I reminded her of a conversation we had that night when it was just the two of us left."

"I told him that I felt like I needed the forgiveness of my friends above all else and he assured me that they did not blame me for what happened. Then Chris apologized for crashing into us."

"If I hadn't crashed into them we might have had a chance to escape, we could have driven out together."

"So you are feeling some guilt too Chris over what happened."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Could we go back to that day for just a while. It's going to be hard, but I want you both to take me back to the point where you knew you were in danger."

Both Jessie and Chris looked at each other. They were afraid to do it, but they knew they had to go back to the cabin, when they first arrived with Scott and Carly.

They had just left the dead end of the road and came across a path that led downward. Jessie stated that this road was not on the map she held and Carly stated that was because she didn't have the redneck world atlas. At the base of the hill they saw the cabin.

"I think we've just been saved. Can I get a whoo hoo?" Scott said.

"Let's make this quick." Jessie states.

As they made their way to the cabin Jessie suddenly felt a shiver go down her spine. She grabs Chris' arm to stop him. She looks at the mess of cars all around, some look like they've been there for decades, some for only a few days. Chris continues walking and she follows.

"Hello," Chris calls out.

They proceed to the cabin and determining that no one is home Chris tries the door. They need to find a phone so they go in. Each begins to explore the cabin out of morbid curiosity, it's dirty and Jessie knows there is something not right here, but she can't put her finger on it. As they search they find a body, pieces of bodies in the fridge and Jessie finds more of the homemade barbed wire used to disable their vehicle. They rush to leave but it is too late, the homeowners are arriving home and there is no back door. Scott and Carly hide in the closet and Chris and Jessie under a bed. The people that live there come in and right beside Chris and Jessie drop Francine's body. There is barbed wire in her mouth and she is bleeding. Jessie looks closely at her while trying to stay silent and notices her eyes moving, pleading for them. Her neck is still moving as is her jaw slightly.

"Oh God, Francine was still alive!" Jessie cries out.

Chris immediately takes her in his arms and holds her while she cries. Both are in a state of shock, he now knows that what she has remembered is right. Francine was still alive, barely but alive when they started to cut up her body.

"Jessie, there was nothing you could have done to save her. It sounds to me like she was pleading for you to escape and not end up with the same fate that had come upon her," Dave said.

" I think we are beginning to make progress, but it will take time. If you want to continue today we can, or you can come back another day."

"I want to go on Dave, please I have to."

"Okay then, Jessie I want you to take me to where your nightmare always ends. Back in the cabin the second time, when you were being held prisoner. Don't try to remember what happened, just tell me what you see in your dreams."

"Okay." She took Chris' hand in hers and closed her eyes so she could see the picture clearly.

Chris and I are making our way hopefully to find a road. As we go along we eventually do see a road, but we are beside a cliff. While we are figuring out how to get down with Chris' injured leg we are suddenly ambushed. Chris tries to fight them off but he is thrown down the cliffside as I am taken by one of the mountain men. I'm screaming for him, but I can't hear him calling back to me. I must have blacked out because when I awaken I'm restrained on the bed with a gag in my mouth. Two of the men are there one is still away. I'm crying, I'm afraid. I don't know what they intend to do with me. I can only assume that Chris has been killed and that the third is on his way back here with his body. One comes over to me, he is childlike; maybe I can get him to set me free. He touches my face and hair; I start to panic when he holds the knife to my throat. The third one comes in the door with a police officer he has killed. I try to turn my eyes away as they do their work on him, but I am so afraid I can barely move my head. I'm really starting to scream now; they are coming my way. What are they going to do to me, please let me die before they start?

Jessie is holding onto Chris' hand very tightly now, her nails are beginning to dig into his flesh.

"You thought Chris was dead and that you were next?"

"Yes."

"Chris, what were you thinking while all this was going on?"

"All I could think about was getting to Jessie. I couldn't help save her friends, but I didn't want to lose her. I had to go after her, I wasn't going to leave her to those people." He looked at Jessie when he made the next remark, "I would rather die than let any harm come to her. She was the real hero in all of this."

Dave gave Jessie and Chris a moment before proceeding.

"You see Jessie as the hero, how do you see yourself?"

Chris turned his attention to Dave.

"The hero that wasn't. I was trying so hard to keep them alive but I kept screwing up. First Scott was killed because I couldn't run fast enough, then Carly. I felt guilty when Carly was killed because I was glad that it wasn't Jessie that was killed."

"You were developing a bond with Jessie?"

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have been relieved when it wasn't her that was killed."

Jessie was sitting there listening to this just trying to absorb it.

"You needed forgiveness as much as I did?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Why have you never told me any of this?"

"Because I felt guilty about having those thoughts and feelings." Chris continued with his end of the story.

When we arrived back at the cabin I lowered myself from the bottom of the truck. I crawled around back and started to formulate a plan. Not knowing if Jessie was alive or not, then I heard her scream. Relief washed over me, I still had a chance to save her. I grabbed a couple of bottles from the back of the cop's truck and filled them with some gas from the tank, and then I ripped some material off my pants and stuffed it in the bottle. I lit the cocktails and then drove the truck through the front of the cabin after throwing one bottle ahead of me to get their attention. I jumped out of the truck and threw the other bottle at the one who had killed the cop.

We fought briefly; I stabbed him with a tire iron and then proceeded over to Jessie. I untied her hand and took the gag out of her mouth all the while thankful she was alive. She cried out to me as the one I had stabbed grabbed me and again we fought. Jessie managed to free her hands and shot him in the back of the head with a bow and arrow. The skinny one then came in and attacked. Jessie freed herself and helped to kill that one. As we were leaving the cabin they were still not dead so once we were out of the house I used their own shotgun to blow the gas tank and containers on the truck to blow the house up with them in it.

Chris looked at Jessie. She could see how guilty he felt about being grateful she was alive. She knew now that her mother may have been right when she said that the way they met was unfortunate, but looking at him now, Jessie came to the conclusion it was meant to be. Only the two of them could have survived this and come out as the strong individuals they had become. They really were two people knit of the same cloth and together they would get through this and move on. Their friends would have wanted it that way.

They talked with Dave a while longer and finally able to forgive herself, Jessie felt a weight come off her shoulders. She did not cause this all to happen and neither did Chris. They both knew that now and were beginning to work through the issue.

"We've made a good start today you two, but it's going to take more. Healing does not happen overnight. If you will make a commitment to see me regularly, I can help you to deal with this."

"We will," they said in unison.

"Good, so we'll meet again next week. Congratulations to both of you, you've just crossed over the biggest gap in this situation."

"Thanks, we'll see you next week," Jessie said.

They got up from their seats and walked out of the inner office. On their way out they booked another appointment with Dave and Jessie got Julie's number so she could set up that blind date they talked about earlier.