I have struggled with this one. I find it difficult to write about such an unpleasant person. It is a little scary trying to get inside their brain and think the way they would think. That is why it has taken me so long to get this one out.

Thank you for your patience and let me know if I hit or missed my mark. Feedback is much appreciated.

Chapter 21

Where am I going? What's going on? I can't move. I'm in a car. Why can't I move? I can't breath.

Hutch's thoughts became panicked and he frantically fought to move anything at all. There was something over his mouth and his hands. Everything was spinning and the lights were dancing. He tried to look around and one of the lights noticed him. He became afraid. The light came closer to him. Looking at him. Studying him. Hutch tried to close his eyes and make it go away, but somehow the light was able to come through his closed eyelids. It tried to talk to him, from inside, but Hutch could not understand its language. The light danced around to the song it sang and then all of a sudden it rushed him. It was trying to fool him into thinking he was safe. Instead, it possessed him!

His fear growing, he fought it, trying to kick out or hit it, but his hands would not move. He kicked again and felt the light scream. Suddenly something heavy pushed up against his legs and he couldn't move. He had to fight. He tried with all of his might to push the light away, but it brought friends and they all looked at him. He was trapped, but he would never give up fighting…

Starsky could hear his friend thrashing and moaning in the seat beside him. He didn't know what to do, but when he tried humming to him, Hutch suddenly kicked out and landed a good blow to his ribs. All of the air rushed out of him as he struggled to start breathing again. It hurt as his diaphragm spasmed, trying to reset its rhythm. He struggled to breath through the tape without much success. His eyes teared up and he could hear Hutch's struggles escalating.

Screw it! he thought and brought his face over to his hands. Starsky fingered at the tape for a few moments, trying to find a spot he could hold onto. He finally ripped the tape off of his mouth and took a deep breath. Then the sting set in as hundreds of little pores lamented the loss of the hairs that once resided there. Hutch landed another one on Starsky's thigh. It didn't hurt as much, but he had to do something to reduce Hutch's chance of doing some real damage. He lifted himself up the best he could and brought his body down over Hutch's stretched out legs. He could feel Hutch jerk and buck against this new weight, but there was nothing he could do. Julie continued to drive them through the night to parts unknown. With his hands and his feet bound, there were not a lot of options.

Hutch was fighting some real demons, and unfortunately, Starsky knew just what he was going through. He thought he could hear Julie laughing in the front seat. Only once had Starsky felt the killing rage he was feeling now. Any chance he got, he was going to take it. He had to. Because if he did not, she would.

Finally, they started to slow. They turned off onto a road that felt like it had never been paved. Starsky could not see what was around. He was tempted to take the tape off of his eyes, like he had his mouth. He settled on only pulling enough off to see with one eye. If Julie looked back, she might still think Starsky was blindfolded. He could see the tops of some trees. Mountains? So they were no longer in the city. The car stopped and Julie got out of the car. Starsky took that time to address Hutch.

"Hutch? Buddy? It's Starsky. I'm here. You ok?"

A muffled sound answered him. Starsky had forgotten that Hutch was still gagged.

"It's me, Hutch. I'm here. Don't be afraid. I'll take care of you…" Grand words. Starsky fervently hoped he could back them up.

"Somebody has been a bad little boy." Julie said from above him. "I am not happy with you."

"Stuff it!"

Julie just laughed and got back in the car. She drove into a darkened area and left the car again while she got out. Starsky assumed it was to shut a gate. Once back in her car, she drove slowly past tall evergreens. Starsky could not make out many details, and it put him at a severe disadvantage. It was a long road. Hutch started struggling again, and furiously kicked his legs against Starsky's back.

"It's ok, Hutch. It's ok."

Julie stopped and turned around to look at him.

"You think so? Why do you lie to him? Do you think it's comforting?" Julie laughed. "You're just denying the inevitable you know. You are going to die for what you did, but first you are going to be punished. If you are lucky, I may kill you first." Julie reached back and ripped off the tape from across his eyes.

"What the hell did I ever do to you? What did he do to you? You're the one who started this whole thing…"

"That's right. And I will be the one to end it too!" Julie fairly shouted. She was loosing control. Starsky watched her take a deep breath to steady herself before she resumed in a cold, calculating voice. "I will have my revenge."

She got out of the car and proceeded to Hutch's side. She reached in and released the handcuffs from his left arm. When he started flailing, she quickly locked the cuff to the eyebolt so his right arm was secure.

"Oh goodness. Guess he has some energy to burn off. You don't mind, do you Dave?"

Hutch blindly struck out at the seats, the windows, and inevitably, Starsky.

"Hutch! Huuutch! It's me buddy! It's ok." Starsky took a blow to the side of his head. "Don't hit me man! Hutch.Stop IT!" Finally something broke through Hutch's frenzy, and he turned his eyes towards Starsky. Fear and anguish were painted over his face as he struggled to focus his eyes. The tape across his mouth was beginning to pull away because of the profuse sweating.

"Starsss?"

"It's me. You're ok. You are going to be ok. I'm here." Starsky continued to try to calm his partner when Julie leaned in the window and screamed, "He's going to kill you! Watch out!"

Hutch cringed and curled up on himself. Julie started hitting him while yelling obscenities at him. Hutch flailed out again. First at Julie, and then at Starsky since Julie had pulled out of the car, laughing hysterically. Julie watched while Starsky again calmed his partner down while trying to protect his head. She seemed to tire of this entertainment and wandered over to the cabin.

Starsky started all over again. "Hutch, it's ok. You've been drugged. It's going to be ok. I'm here."

"Oh Starsk…the lights. I'm dying!"

"No you're not! We'll make it out. Just hang in there. One step at a time. You hear me, you big lummox?"

"Ok. Ok." Starsky could see the visible effort Hutch made to gain control of himself. He had been dusted pretty good. Starsky wondered how she got it into him.

"Back in control here?" Came a voice from above his head. Julie walked to the front of the car and leaned in, looking at her captives. She so enjoyed toying with these pitiful creatures. Make them think they have a chance…

"Good. It's time to move, my friends." Julie produced her gun and gave Starsky his key. "Go ahead. Let yourself out." She stood back and watched as he struggled to get his hands around to the lock to release the catch. "Oh no. You may only release one hand. Lock your right hand with his left – if you can catch it. Then you may untie your feet and help Ken here." Julie watched with a cold smile as Starsky struggled to get out of the car. Time didn't matter. She had all the time in the world. With Michele dead, she could take as much time as she wanted with these two. And then, when she was done, their bodies would disappear in the woods with the others. She wanted to have a little more fun than she had with Michele. Michele was, after all, family. One had to have standards…

Finally Starsky climbed out of the car with Hutch in tow. He had removed the remaining duct tape from across Hutch's mouth and left Hutch's handcuffs attached to the eyebolt in the car. Julie did not say anything, and Starsky was grateful for this small detail.

"Over here darling." Julie pointed to the cabin.

It was difficult for Starsky to help his friend walk with their hands cuffed together. He ended up propping him up on his shoulder with their cuffed hands in front. Hutch was beginning to cooperate, but he had a panicky, hunted look to him. Which was entirely appropriate, with or without drugs. Julie herded them into the surprisingly deep cabin, to a back basement room. It was cinderblock construction with a cement ceiling and floor. It looked like it had originally been built as a bomb shelter. The room was cold and damp.

Starsky looked towards the back and saw a set up that reminded him of Janos Martini. Chains on the wall and other paraphernalia that made Starsky's stomach turn, even though he had been exposed to it in his line of work. The dark stains on the floor took on new meaning. This cabin had been used before, and not for a pleasant little weekend in the woods.

"Let's see. I think you can head over to the hand chains. Secure your left arm, his right."

"Lady, you are truly sick." A bullet ricocheted off of the floor in front of Hutch, spraying their legs with cement fragments. As Starsky made his way over to the wall he muttered, "Case in point..."

Julie raised the gun and Starsky quickly secured the wrist restraint on himself and another on his friend. "Sorry buddy." Hutch rolled his eyes. Was he understanding?

"Thirsty?" Julie gave Hutch a small Dixie cup of water. "Hutch, no!" He eagerly drank, only to spit out the vile, bitter fluid.

"I made it strong. Some of it will make its way into your system." Julie laughed and turned to Starsky. "You want some?" Starsky hit the cup to the floor. Julie looked at him with cold narrow eyes. "Don't worry babe, your time will come."

Hutch had been sweating profusely for over an hour prior to this new dose. Starsky was surprised to see that he broke out in yet another flush of sweat. His breathing picked up, rapid and shallow. He seemed to be watching the ceiling, the floor. His eyes danced and jerked as they tried to focus. Starsky could pick up the vertical nystagmus that was going on, a common side effect of PCP. Some of the beat cops swore by the rhythmic involuntary eye movements in assessing drunken driving. Starsky had seen it a couple of times in the junkies they dealt with sometimes. Shit. This was bad.

Starsky's anger grew, and he lashed out at Julie. "I thought you had it out for me. Why did you drug him like that?"

Julie was willing to offer some explanations. "Honey, Rob wanted to finish the job with Hutchinson. I talked him into hunting you first. What better way to hurt him than to hurt his friend?" Julie looked at Hutch and her face became stone cold fury. "But now that Rob is dead, I am going to finish the job for him. Slowly. I hope his 'bad trips' are nightmares."

Julie walked over to where Hutch was standing looking wilted and tired. She released his arm from the cuff that bound him to Starsky, and brought his free hand over to yet another set of chains set in a different wall. It was a stretch, but she did not want either one loose yet. Once his wrist was secured, she released the other arm, carefully training the gun on his nearby partner, and moved him farther away from Starsky. Starsky was poised, ready for any false move, but Hutch followed her commands like a defeated puppy. He had no spark to him whatsoever. The drug was taking its toll. From a safe distance, Julie then had Starsky secure his free hand.

She left the room for a moment, leaving the door open. The psychological effect was not lost on Starsky. He tugged at his restraints, straining to release himself, but without success. The damp chamber had a closed in feel and a sour smell. Starsky associated it with the smell of fear and death.