02/17/2019
Ranger was so very tired. His shoulders ached and his hands were numb from the cuffs that still held his arms behind his back. The drugs were making it hard to hold his head upright, but he was fighting with all he had to stay awake. It had been 2 days since he'd had any food or water and it was starting to take its toll. He knew his team was out looking for him. Ranger just hoped they wouldn't be too late.
After all of the heinous situations he'd been in, it couldn't come down to a lone psycho. He wouldn't allow it. If it took his last breath Ranger would be sure to make this guy pay. He thought about all of the important people in his life, like Stephanie. He loved her as much as he was able. And there was no way he'd let anyone hurt her. He just had to clear his head so he could find a way out of here.
The door to the cabin was suddenly wrenched open and a gun was pointed at his face. "Make any wrong moves and this gun will be the last thing you see." Ranger was released from the chains on the chair and was dragged to his feet. "Walk." They walked out of the cabin with Ranger in the lead and the gun pointed at his back.
They walked along a rugged path that led to the entrance of the mine. Ranger was shoved into the opening. "What's your plan here?" Ranger asked. "You'll see. The game is almost over – for you anyway." It was completely dark except for the flashlight illuminating the path directly in front of them. "Watch your step. There's a lot of false floors in here, and one wrong step and you'll fall into the center of the Earth." They walked in what seemed like a zigzag pattern, making several turns and ducking into low and narrow tunnels before they came to what looked like a ventilation shaft covered by a wooden lid. With his eyes never leaving Ranger, he pried open the lid.
"I'm afraid this is where we part ways." "You'd better kill me first because there's no way I'm getting into that hole," Ranger said. The flashlight suddenly went out and before Ranger could blink he felt the needle jab into his neck…again. Ranger was down in a matter of minutes.
Ranger's cuffs and shackles were removed, and he was dragged to the edge of the shaft's opening. Ranger was given the last of the drugs and it wasn't a full dose so he wasn't totally unconscious. He was aware that he was going to be thrown into the opening and if he had any chance of survival, he needed to try and use the limited motor function that he had left to brace for the impact.
Ranger felt himself go over the edge, and he struggled to grab onto anything he could as he was falling. His fingers connected with the wall of rock and the wooden frame as he went down, but he was unable to get a handhold on anything. He tumbled maybe 20 feet before he landed hard on a rock ledge and lost consciousness.
The cover to the shaft was slid into place, and the lock was clicked closed. "Let's see you find you hero, now." And Ranger was left in the dark while his capturer whistled Last Man Standing as he made his way out into the daylight.