Chapter Seven
Nick had turned his head to look out the driver's side window and saw the trees rushing up on him as if in slow motion. He had to fight the natural, self-preserving impulse to turn the steering wheel away from the oncoming danger. At the last second, Nick turned his head away and closed his eyes, bracing for the impact.
The impact of the crash and the deployment of the air bag stunned Nick momentarily. He could feel a new lump forming on the side of his head and a pain in his leg, but he forced himself to stay focused. Behind him, he heard Richard let out a moan. Ignoring the new pain he was feeling, he turned his head to look at the backseat passengers.
Richard had a gash on the left side of his face and he was clutching his head. The man was clearly shaken by what had just happened. Nick noticed that he no longer had his knife and reasoned that he must have lost his grip on it during the crash.
Emily shook her head and clutched at her chest with one hand where the shoulder strap of her seatbelt was while fumbling to release it with her other. Though she was winded, she did not appear to be injured. She raised her head and her eyes locked with Nick's.
Nick's voice was firm and clear when he spoke. "Run."
She did not need telling twice.
Emily bolted from the car without a backwards glance and took off into the trees with the speed of an Olympic athlete.
The sudden movement of his daughter seemed to force Richard come to his senses. Behind him, Nick heard him let out a howl of rage and he watched the man take off after Emily. Nick immediately tried to follow them but found that his foot was lodged between the side of the car and the brake pedal. He tried to pull it out but it would not budge.
Aware that he was losing precious seconds, Nick clawed at the air bag, forcing it out of his way, and reached down and tried to work his foot out by twisting it instead of pulling it directly. He could feel it move ever so slightly and increased his effort.
"Come on!" he growled in frustration and worked harder in spite of the pain, not allowing the words "broken" and "sprained" to enter his mind.
Finally, he gave another almighty tug and his foot came free. He immediately scrambled over the seat and out of the passenger side door.
Nick took off into the trees in the direction that he had seen Emily and Richard head in. Pain was shooting up his left leg, but he ignored it and ran as fast as he could. The adrenaline coursing through his veins gave him the strength he needed to push through the pain.
His eyes scanned the area quickly. He couldn't see either Emily or Richard but he knew that they could not be too far ahead of him. Nick prayed that he would catch up to them before it was too late.
"Run."
It was a simple word, a simple command. When she heard the word come out of Nick's mouth, Emily's mind had kicked into self-preservation mode and her legs had taken her away from the car without her even being conscious of it.
Running was one thing that Emily knew how to do well. She had been running for the past ten years. Running from the man who had tormented her and her loved ones for as long as she could remember. Running from the painful memories of her childhood. Running from the embarrassment and shame of her past. Running just to keep herself alive.
Now, Emily was running faster than she'd ever run in her life, dodging in and out of trees in an attempt to escape the one person she feared more than anything else. She fought the urge to turn around and see where her father was. That's how precious seconds were lost. No, she had to keep her eyes focused on what was in front of her. Besides, she could feel his presence behind her and her gut was telling her that he was gaining on her. Her lungs were screaming in protest, but she redoubled her effort. She had to. Her very life depended on it.
It was only after she had been running for a few minutes that Emily remembered Nick.
A pang of guilt struck her as she realized that she had left him behind in an unknown physical condition. How could she have abandoned him like that? Nick was her friend. He had demonstrated how much he cared for her by allowing himself to suffer physical harm in order to save her and she had left him behind without a moment's hesitation. What had happened to him? Had he suffered any more injuries? She only hoped that she would have the opportunity to ask his forgiveness for getting him involved in this whole ordeal.
As she maneuvered to the left in order to dodge a fallen limb, her foot sunk down in a hole. Emily managed to catch herself before almost falling flat on her face. She gave a cry of frustration as she stumbled a bit in an attempt to resume her speed. Try though she might, the damage was done.
Something slammed into her back and sent her crashing to the ground completely winded.
Richard had thrown himself at Emily and landed on top of her. She tried in to get away, but his strong hands would have none of it. He straddled her and forced her to turn over onto her back, pinning her arms to her side in the process.
Holding Nick's gun in his hand, he struck her across the face with it.
"You haven't changed a bit, Hannah. You're still the same pathetic, little slut you've always been." he growled savagely, striking her again.
"No! Stop! Please!" Emily cried but her pleas went unnoticed as she felt the full weight of the gun across her face.
"I've seen the way you carry on with that Nick. You flirt and you tease, practically throwing yourself at him. Begging him to take it. You're a whore just like your mother was." He struck her again.
Emily tasted blood in her mouth, felt it running from her nose and down her chin. Her father's hate-filled face was construed by the tears filling her eyes. She struggled in vain to get her arms free, but Richard's legs were wrapped so tightly around her that she was unable to extract them. She had no way to protect herself from his rage.
"I had hoped that you hadn't learned your mothers ways, but I soon saw that, like mother like daughter, you were just like her. Beating it out of you wasn't going to work, because there's just no changing you." Again, he struck his daughter with full force.
Emily coughed, causing blood to be expelled from her mouth. It splattered onto Richard's shirt.
"Your brother was a fool to throw his life away for the likes of you. He got what he deserved and so will you." The manic glint in his eye scared Emily more than anything else she'd been subjected to that night. She knew that look all too well.
"Please stop! It hurts so much!" Emily begged. She didn't know if she was begging for forgiveness or for death and she didn't care. She just wanted him to stop.
"You don't know the meaning of the word pain." Richard ceased speaking and continued to strike Emily with the gun. The sight of the blood flowing freely from her nose and mouth only encouraged him to strike her harder.
A few feet behind him, Nick appeared, breathing heavily. He spotted Richard on top of Emily and without slowing down, raced forward. With the force of a linebacker, Nick tackled Richard. The force of the impact sent the two men rolling away from Emily and the gun flying from Richard's hand.
The two men struggled with each other, fists flying. They rolled over and over on the ground, each man trying desperately to gain the upper hand. Neither one was about to show any signs of weakness. Finally, Richard landed a fist on Nick's gunshot wound, causing the younger man to involuntarily cry out in pain. Taking advantage of Nick's injury, Richard repeated the action again and again.
The pain was so intense that Nick was momentarily blinded. Richard seized the opportunity to climb on top of the injured CSI and place a firm grip on his windpipe. Frantic, Nick clawed at the hand on his throat, but this only caused Richard to press down harder.
A few feet away, Emily rolled over to see Nick in danger. She looked around for something to use as a weapon. Her eyes landed on the gun. She scrambled towards it, grabbed it, and got to her feet.
"Daddy!" Emily shouted, leveling the gun at him. It shook slightly in her hands.
Richard looked up at her and his eyes filled with amusement.
"Let him go!" she ordered with more courage than she felt.
Blood was pouring freely from her nose and mouth but she did not make an effort to stop it. Instead, she forced her hands to remain steady. She tightened her grip on the gun and ignored the pain in her palm from the cut she had received earlier.
Richard did not obey. Instead, he fixed Emily with a piercing gaze as if daring her to make him stop. Father and daughter were locked in a battle of wills and Richard's eyes made it clear that he was not about to give in.
Her father smiled at her and tightening his own grip on Nick's neck, he said, "You know you don't have the courage to pull the trigger."
"Let him go! I mean it! I'll do it!" Emily shouted. Her heart was pounding so hard against her chest that she feared it would burst, but instead of backing down, she took a step forward.
Richard's smile increased, mocking Emily's determination. He could sense her fear. It was coming off of her in waves. He laughed.
"You won't do it. You can't do it. You're the weak, little girl, always looking to someone else to save you. You're not the hero. You're the victim. You always will be. That's who you are."
His words resonated in her head. Adam had sacrificed himself to give her a new life and now Nick was about to give his in an effort to save her. Was her father right? Was she really incapable of saving herself? Emily's hand wavered, her face clouded with hesitancy.
"Now, put that gun down and watch me kill your white knight." Richard smirked, confidence etched all over his face.
A strangled cry escaped Nick's lips, forcing Emily's mind to the present. No. She already had her brother's death on her conscience. She wasn't about to add to that guilt. It was time to end this. Now.
She pulled the trigger.
The bullet caught Richard in the chest and he flew backwards, landing with thud.
Emily moved towards him and looked down at him, the gun still clenched in her hand. He coughed and sputtered, clutching at his chest. His face was a mixture of fear and surprise. Emily watched as the blood flowed from his wound and mixed with the dirt. She watched as her father's chest drew a ragged, final breath and then fell silent.
Everything grew deathly quiet and a wave of astonishment swept over Emily. What had she just done?
She took a few steps backwards and let the gun fall from her hand. She jumped when she felt a hand in the small of her back and turned to see Nick standing next to her.
Nick leaned forward to get a better look while massaging his throat. "Nice shot." he said hoarsely.
"I take target practice." Emily told him, rather dazed.
Nick turned to look at Emily, but his eyes could not focus on her. In fact, everything was swimming in and out of focus. He tried to reach his hand out for her but felt only air as the ground came rushing up to meet him.