Summary: A ransom leads to a very long weekend for Walker and Alex
Disclaimer: I do not own them
A/N: First attempt at a Walker fic, be nice
tigerlily: hmmmm could be
W/A FAN: welcome to the fic!
Trinitytheshedevil: thanks!
Space-Case7029: yes I believe he does love to goad Walker
van-fastlane-lover: thanks!
Person of this World: Loves your long reviews, and yes I agree Culliver is EVIL
Twinkle386: nothing like impending doom to bring people closer
Thank you to all my reviewers you make my day with them!
Chapter 6
Walker had watched Alex toss and turn all night long. He could only tell by the sunlight streaming through the window that it was daytime now, and he wondered just how long it was going to take Trivette and CD to come for him.
"Will they come for us?" he thought to himself.
He carefully laid Alex down on the bed and moved over to the window. The bars were wedged in tight, which meant, no matter how hard he pulled, they were not coming out by brute strength alone. Walker looked more closely and noticed that the wall around the bars had broken away in spots, and he had a thought. Walker knew if he could scrape away part of the wall, he could get the bars out, or at least enough of them to push himself and Alex through. He set to work.
Two hours had gone by, and Walker was still frantically chiseling away at the wall surrounding the bars. He had made lots of progress, but Alex had cried out in her sleep and he had spent an hour trying to calm her down again. Bit by bit he worked until the sweat beaded on his forehead, despite the near freezing temperatures outside. He could see the alleyway he had walked down four days ago. If only he had known then he would have waited for backup. Wiping 'what if's from his mind, he picked up the other piece of the wall he had chiseled away and grabbed one of the bars. Sure enough, when he pulled on it, the bar came free from the window.
Walker was estatic. Pulling another bar free, he could see the way to freedom sitting there before his eyes. Walker laid the bars he had taken down silently on the floor and then went over to the bed to get Alex.
"Alex, " he whispered.
Alex did not stir in her sleep, something that made him feel a pang of panic, until he saw the rise and fall of her chest. Knowing he had precious little time, Walker carried her over to the window and bundled the blanket around her as best he could. He held her up as he crawled out of the window, and then Walker began to pull her through. He knew it was going to be a tight squeeze, but in his zeal to get out, Walker did not realize just how much it would hurt until Alex let out the scream, even in her sleep.
The scream was an instant signal to the Culliver brothers, and Walker could hear the locks on the door as he finished pulling out the still screaming Alex. Grabbing her up, Walker hoped they could make it to safety before Culliver and his brother got to them. He knew his truck was beyond the alleyway, or at least he knew that was where he left it. Alex was grunting in pain, her breaths becoming shallow and weak. Walker hated himself for causing her pain, but the end result would be their freedom. Hoisting her up higher on his shoulder, he took off running as fast as he could through the alleyway, but what waited for him was not the sight of his truck, but the Culliver brothers, standing where his truck had been.
"Going somewhere?" Roger Culliver said, twirling a set of keys in his hand.
Walker set Alex down on the ground at his feet and prepared to fight to the death.
Roger Culliver walked straight over to Walker, standing not three feet from him, and smiled.
"See, I knew you were clever enough to escape; it was only a matter of time."
Walker was enraged, and his usual calm demeanor was thrown to the wind when he lunged for Culliver. Wrapping his hands around Roger Culliver's throat, he started screaming.
"Why would you hunt me down? I killed your wife by accident. She died needlessly, do you hear me, needlessly, all for your greed!" Walker ranted.
This sent Culliver's face into a scowl and he ran at Walker, his hatred clearly seen on his face. Culliver's fist made contact with Walker's chin, and Walker's face snapped to the side, but Walker turned back to face Roger Culliver, set in determination.
Culliver never saw it coming, not until he felt the spinning roundhouse connect to his jaw. Roger Culliver went down hard, and Walker did not let up. His fury over all that had happened was evident. He jumped on Culliver, choking him, sending his fist raining down on his face, until Roger Culliver was screaming to be let up.
Walker raised his hand again, but the click of the gun brought it to a halt.
"Wanna hit someone ranger, want to cause my family even more suffering?" Chuck Culliver hissed, as Walker turned and saw the man standing next to Alex, a three-fifty-seven held to her temple.
Walker froze as he looked into Alex's eyes and saw fear. Her eyes were staring into his soul, he thought, begging him to help her, pleading with him to end this nightmare. But before he could move toward her, Chuck sent the butt of the gun into her temple. Alex fell to the ground, unmoving except for the twitching of her arm.
Walker stood up, releasing the trapped Roger Culliver from underneath him and ran to Alex's side. He pushed a smiling Chuck out of the way and knelt down on the frozen ground next to her. She was breathing, but now her brow sported a new injury -- one that was bleeding profusely.
"See, we thought you might have ideas of getting to your truck, so we moved it around the corner. Now, though, I think you have made this place a little unsafe. I think we are going to have to go to this cabin of yours. The one you have tucked away in the mountains, away from town and away from any prying lawmen." Roger chuckled, as he stood shakily to his feet.
Walker picked Alex up and cradled her to his chest. Her fever was raging, making her skin hot to the touch despite the condition outside. He knew she would die without medical attention soon. Walker walked around the corner, gun held to his back as he carried Alex to the Dodge Ram. He pulled open the door and went to place Alex inside, but Roger Culliver snatched his arm back.
"Oh, no, Ranger Walker. See, me and Chuck here are riding in the truck. You and your lady friend, well, see, you two are riding in the back."
"She will die in this weather, Culliver, and you know it!"
"It's in God's hands now, Walker. Now move, or she will die here with a slug to the head."
Walker did as he was told and carefully set Alex in the back of the truck. Culliver jumped up on the tailgate and tied Walker's hands together, stringing the remaining rope through the window. After making sure Walker was secure, he pulled a bandana out of his pocket and gagged Walker.
"We wouldn't want you yelling out, now would we? Can't have you alerting any passing cars."
Walker knew it was uncessary, as they rarely ever passed a car on the way to the mountain cabin. Culliver was just finding ways to be cruel. As soon as Culliver was inside the truck and it was cranked, Walker slid over next to Alex. He used his feet to drag the blanket he kept in the back of the truck to cover wood and pulled it over them as best he could. Then he curled his body next to Alex's. Even inches away he could feel the heat radiating off her, but what worried him most was whether she would survive the four hour drive in thirty degree weather.