Chapter 11

At Abby's words, Jefferson stopped cold. Abby could just catch a glimpse of Lynn in the background, her look of utter disbelief mirroring Jefferson's. Even the breathing of the person behind her had changed. Clearly, she'd managed to blindside them so badly that they were now curious enough to hear her out. That was exactly what she was hoping for.

"You have my attention."

"What if, in return for Lynn's life, I give you someone else?" Abby said, feeling her soul cross the line of what made her human as she spoke. "I haven't been at Blackwell long. I don't care about most of the girls there. I will give you a new girl in exchange for Lynn. You can kill me for all I care, but she goes free. You're a friend of my family as far as my dad is concerned. No one will suspect you for my disappearance. Hell, I'll even write my own suicide note if you want. I just care that my girlfriend lives." Behind Jefferson, Abby could see Lynn glaring at her with a mix of horror and fury. She knew that something like this would be more than she could stand. There was no way they were going to be able to be together after this, but her own chances of being alive come daybreak were next to none anyway. Even if Lynn hated her guts for the rest of her life, she would live. Abby felt she could be happy with that.

"Say I accepted this deal..." Jefferson mused. Abby fought the urge to jump for joy over the fact he was even considering it. "What assurances could you give me that she wouldn't go to the police?"

"She'll hate me." Abby shrugged, each word like salt being rubbed on her heart. "She won't see me as being worth going to the police over. You keep her here and keep her safe until I get back. When I get back, I'll bring you the details of someone else who'll make an easy target for you. You let her go, she rides my bike out of here and the deal is done. My bike will be back at Blackwell, everyone will think I've gone missing from there, no one will be any the wiser. You get off cleanly and carry on doing whatever sick thing you're doing. As far as I'm concerned, Lynn can drop out of Blackwell as soon as the admin office opens. I just want her alive to do it." Jefferson took a second to consider her words. She knew that she might be able to grab the gun off him but held off, knowing that someone else had a gun on her at a range that meant they wouldn't miss. If she did something stupid now, she would be killed and Lynn would follow soon after.

"You know, I think you might just have a deal." Jefferson said eventually as Abby glared him down. "What we need is someone hopeful and optimistic. Some Blackwell students carry their hope and optimism like an aura. I'm obsessed with capturing the exact moment the rug gets pulled out from underneath those people. The moment that innocence is lost and a true understanding of the world sets in. Miss Collins here, for example, was the perfect subject. We need someone just as fitting to replace her. You get me information on them, we'll let her go. You have two hours."

"Fine." Abby nodded reluctantly. "But I have a condition of my own: when I get back, she goes free before I hand the details over. I want to see her on that motorcycle and driving away so that I know she's safe and there's no way for you to stab me in the back. I won't be able to protect her after this, so I need to know this counts."

"Agreed." Jefferson's smile was a cruel one and it turned Abby's stomach with disgust. "Now get going, young lady. Time's wasting." Abby didn't hesitate. She turned on her heel and sprinted back towards the path to the parking lot. She saw the person who'd been behind her, although she was disappointed that he was wearing a balaclava. She would have liked to be able to see his face. Unfortunately, she had no option but to put it behind her and focus on the task at hand as she headed back towards her bike. She slammed the key into the ignition again as she started the engine and jumped on, speeding off into the night again. She was determined to get something to take back, even if she had to just make up someone's name and details and make it look convincing enough to fool him. It's not like he would be able to check into it until he got to Blackwell and used the student database, by which point it would be way too late to do anything about it. He'd already have killed her and Lynn would be long gone if she had any sense. And that was one thing Abby knew about Lynn better than anything: she wasn't stupid.

'Why am I doing this?' Abby asked herself. But she already knew the answer. She blamed herself. She'd told Lynn that Jefferson was trustworthy. She'd told her that she'd be fine. She'd pushed her to do this and it was entirely her fault that she'd been subjected to whatever it was they'd done to her. And Abby knew she didn't want to know what she'd been through. She knew already that the very idea of her thinking about any of it would be enough to break her. That was why she was doing it. Lynn didn't deserve to suffer. She would do what she had to do and accept whatever came her way as a result of it to stop that from happening.

Putting it out of her mind, she drove on. As she did, the first spots of rain hit her helmet. She felt an odd sense of foreboding in the pit of her stomach as she noticed it. She knew in the back of her mind that something big was coming. The first part of her dream had been right. Mark Jefferson had indeed kidnapped Lynn. But there had been differences. The rain had only just started and was just a light shower. Her visor was still intact. She suspected that if there was to be any credence to it at all, then it would all happen upon her return.

She sped back towards Arcadia Bay, making it deep into the town before slowing down and taking time to consider her options. She had one hour and forty-five minutes left to find something promising enough for him to let Lynn go and then make it back. That was when a horrible thought stabbed across her mind so suddenly that it physically hurt. When was the last time she fuelled up? She felt a rush of raw panic as she glanced down at her fuel meter and saw to her horror that it was deep into the red. She thought she'd be fine for another couple of days, but that was before she and Lynn had taken her shortcut and got lost, wasting a lot more fuel than she'd planned for.

'Shit! This won't even be enough to get Lynn to Blackwell, even without having to get back to the lighthouse!' she realised. She pulled over just as the engine started coughing and the bike ground to a halt. 'Scratch that, it can't even make the end of this fucking road!' She kicked the stabiliser down and pulled the key out of the ignition as she looked it over. It was totally hopeless! Walking back to the lighthouse alone would take more time than she had and then Lynn wouldn't have an escape vehicle. Even after Jefferson had let her go, she'd be on foot! He could hunt her down again easily and with that second person backing him up it would be no contest.

"I'll be back in a few hours." The voice from behind her caught her off guard. She looked around to see the house she was parked in front of and some guy with a military-style crew cut heading to the garage. She didn't see who he'd been talking to as the door shut before she got a look, but the guy who'd just come outside was heading to the garage and opening it up. She watched with a growing sense of envy as he climbed into a muscle car, got inside and drove off. At least he had fuel.

That was when a thought struck her. Once again it turned her stomach. She'd already agreed to sell someone else to Jefferson in exchange for Lynn's life. The last thing she wanted to do was sink any lower than that. On the other hand, she highly doubted that was possible after reducing the value of some random girl's life to that of a simple bargaining chip. As disgusted at herself as she was, this was too good an opportunity to pass up. He'd driven off and left the garage open, probably not feeling the need to lock or even shut it since there were other people in the house. He did have fuel. She was willing to bet there was at least another canister inside. All she had to do was hope it was gasoline and not diesel.

Crouching low, she crept towards the garage. She spotted the security light above the door and so moved to the edge of the garden to avoid the motion sensors before creeping over to the entrance from the side and slipping across the threshold. The gas cans were right there. Two of them. Just one would be enough to suit her needs. She grabbed it quickly, unscrewing the top and letting the fumes escape. The smell was unmistakable: gasoline.

Author's Note: I thought I'd post a quick update before work so I know it's done. Also to MaxandChloe4Ever: Don't worry. You'll see the fallout from this in all its gory later on. No spoilers, but a lot of your questions will be answered. The Equalizer, huh? You know, I think we might have a copy of that in at work. I might just chase that up.