Maura was surprised to wake up carefully placed on the bed. She was groggy and a bit lightheaded, but she could still recollect everything that had happened to her until she had been drugged. She remembered seeing a man in dark clothing enter the room while Jane was out and trying to scream as he pinned her to the ground. Although he was wearing a crudely constructed mask, she could still see his eyes looking down at her. He was giving her an adoring, almost loving look, which took Maura by surprise. Maura wondered if he'd spare her life if she was willing to give in to whatever he demanded, but the thought of anyone other than Jane touching her was almost too much for Maura to bear. The sound of his zipper was the last sound she heard before she passed out and, when she regained consciousness, she was left to wonder what had happened and how much time had passed.
Maura felt soreness in between her legs that turned into a stinging sensation when she moved. There were a few drops of blood on the sheets and even a bit on her inner thighs. Her immediate concern was rape. The thought of him being inside of her and tearing her in the process made Maura start to cry. In all of her twenty-one years, the only person who she had ever been intimate with was Jane—Jane, her girlfriend, her love. What she had experienced—or might have experienced—with him was violent and brutal and, although it was just a small consolation, Maura was still grateful that he had knocked her out before any penetration occurred. But then she remembered her final moments with Jane and what they had experienced together for the first time. Maura was in pain when Jane entered her with the strap-on and she remembered how concerned Jane had been as she was adjusting to something of that size being inside of her. Was the bleeding and the soreness because of what she had experienced with Jane? Although she hoped it was, Maura knew there was no way of finding out what had happened.
The cabin was silent and Maura's mind immediately drifted to the whereabouts of her girlfriend. Should she call out for her? Had he taken her? The thought of him hurting Jane terrified Maura and the thought of him violating her was even worse. Her girlfriend was strong and she tried to remind herself that, but all Maura could focus on was the possibility of him doing something to strip her of her dignity and reducing her to nothing but a screaming, sobbing mess.
After minutes of careful deliberation, Maura attempted to get up, but the soreness between her legs was too severe. She looked at the ring on her finger, the simple solitaire diamond. It was at that moment Maura realized why Jane had brought her to the cabin.
"She was going to propose," Maura said softly as she gently traced the gold band with her fingertip.
When Maura wiped her tears, she noticed drops of blood that had splattered on her face. She felt no open wounds nor did she feel pain besides the pain in between her legs. Maura rarely jumped to conclusions but this was a moment unlike any Maura had ever experienced. She immediately concluded the blood wasn't hers, but if it wasn't hers, whose was it?
"Jane!" She frantically called out. When there was no answer, Maura yelled even louder. "Jane! Where are you?"
A minute had passed and there was neither an answer nor the faintest noise from anywhere inside the cabin. The pain between her legs worsened as she got up, but Maura chose to ignore it. She had to find Jane regardless of how much pain she was in or how much anxiety she was feeling over what may or may not have happened.
Without looking at her surroundings, Maura stepped off the bed. With her eyes fixated on the blood spatters on the wall, she failed to notice the puddle of blood near her. When the tips of her toes touched the warm blood, Maura's frantic movements caused her to slip. Unable to break her fall, Maura landed in the puddle, the blood now drenching her negligee and smeared across her arms and legs.
"Jane!" she managed to yell out through her sobbing. "Jane!"
When Maura tried to maneuver herself, she slipped yet again, this time slamming her elbow against the hardwood floor. Maura rubbed her elbow as she waited for the pain to subside. She knew she'd be able to get up if she focused, but her frustration was getting the best of her. She angrily slammed her hand against the floor. "Jane! Jane! I need you! Why aren't you protecting me? You promised you'd protect me. Why did you leave me here?"
Maura was looking directly at the puddle of blood as she spoke, still uncertain if it belonged to Jane. Her fear was clouding her judgment and she suddenly became angry with Jane for leaving her there regardless of what had happened to her.
"Jane wouldn't do this to me," Maura whispered. "There's a pool of blood and no body. He wouldn't have left me here and taken her. This blood isn't Jane's. Jane caught him attacking me and she killed him. Jane is okay. Jane is okay. Jane is okay. Jane is—"
Maura stopped whispering when she saw the bloodstained crow bar carelessly lying near the closet. She wouldn't have left the crow bar. When Maura regained her strength, she grabbed the crow bar and slowly followed a trail of blood down the hall. Everywhere she looked there was signs of a struggle. A lamp had shattered and their belongings were strewn across the living room as if he had been looking for something.
The trail abruptly stopped at the front door, leaving Maura even more uncertain than she already was. Not wanting to open the door, Maura carefully peaked out the window and noticed the car was still there. The moment she saw the car, Maura felt a rush of adrenaline. Jane hadn't left her, but if she hadn't left then where was she?
Maura flung the door open and ran outside. Her bare feet hurt when she stepped on the twigs that littered the area just outside their cabin, but the pain no longer phased Maura. Her girlfriend—no, her fiancee—needed her and she was willing to do anything she could to make sure she was okay.
