CHAPTER 18
Starsky lay in the darkness lingering somewhere between consciousness and oblivion. Everything hurt. It hurt to move. It hurt to breath. Instinct told him that his battered body couldn't take much more abuse. Still, he stubbornly held on, refusing to give up or give in to the urge to just let go. The pain made it had to concentrate but focusing on Hutch helped to keep him grounded and a part of his surroundings.
The sensation of something brushing against his leg forced his eyes open. The sight of a large rat sniffing around a bleeding gash on his inner thigh made Starsky jerk in response. He batted weakly at the rodent to make it go away. He knew it wouldn't stay away for long; it would be drawn back by the smell of his blood. The animal's predatory instincts overriding its natural fear of humans.
Exhausted, physically and mentally, Starsky's eyes drifted shut only to snap open again when he heard footsteps coming down the steps. His muscles tensed as he braced himself for more abuse. He flinched when he felt his captors hand reach out to brush against his cheek.
"Our time together is almost over…it's a pity really…I'll be sorry to let you go." The man said brusquely. Starsky cried out involuntarily as the hand slipped down to cradle his limp genitals. "But, I'll still have something to remember you by…" he whispered as he bent down and licked at the side of Starsky's neck. Starsky whimpered as the other man bit him hard enough to draw fresh blood.
"No…please…" Starsky whimpered involuntarily. "Leave me alone…"
"For now…but I'll be back and then we'll say our goodbyes…"
Starsky curled up into a fetal position, tucking his chin down against his chest. He heard the man rise to his feet and then his footsteps as he climbed the steps. A single tear slipped unnoticed down Starsky's cheek as he silently repeated a childhood prayer for forgiveness in his mind.
Somewhere overhead he vaguely heard loud voices and the sounds of a shuffle. Then he thought he heard what sounded like gunshots but it was muffled and somewhere in the distance. Starsky held his breath when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the steps again followed by the sound of harsh breathing. Then he felt a familiar touch…the touch he had been waiting for.
"Hu..sh…" he mumbled through his split and swollen lips.
"Yeah, it's me, buddy," Hutch said in a suspiciously strained voice "It's all over. You're safe now. Just hang in there till help gets here." Starsky moaned softly, partly in pain and partly in relief, as Hutch carefully pulled the injured brunet into his arms holding him securely against the warmth of his chest. Starsky sighed in contentment as he listened to the comforting echo of Hutch's heartbeat beneath his ear. He kept his eyes closed as he let himself drift off into the darkness. Hutch was here now. He could rest. Hutch would take care of things.
Hutch sat there in the darkness ignoring the discomfort from his awkward position as he held on to his partner's battered body. Even in the gloom and darkness of the underground room, Hutch could see the bruises on Starsky's body and smell the scent of fresh blood. Without warning the gruesome image of the other victims flashed through his mind. Hutch felt his chest tighten into knots as he remembered the extent of their suffering before they were killed. He prayed that he had arrived in time to at least spare Starsky from the worst of the abuse but, somehow, that didn't seem likely.
At least the monster who had done this to the other men and to Starsky would never hurt anyone again. Hutch had surprised him as he came out of the barn and a struggle had followed. He had a gun and he had drawn it on Hutch but it wasn't Hutch that he had shot at it was Lisa who was standing in the darkness next to Huggy's car. Hutch had fired when he realized the man's intention but his aim was true. The bullet hit Lisa in the chest, dropping her to the ground. Hutch's shot that followed hit his target between the eyes. The man was dead before he even hit the ground.
Hutch had jumped to his feet and ran to check on Lisa. But, she was dead too. Without pausing to catch his breath, Hutch had ran into the house in a frantic search for a phone to call for help. He found one in the kitchen and called for both back up, an ambulance and the coroner's wagon. He dropped the receiver without bothering to hang up and ran out of the house into the barn. The trapdoor was still open leading Hutch directly to the underground prison.
It was almost twenty minutes later before Hutch heard the sound of approaching sirens in the distance. "Hear that, Starsk?" He said with a heavy sigh of relief "The Calvary is almost here," The brunet was silent only the sound of his shallow, labored breathing reassuring Hutch that he was still alive.
"DOWN HERE! WE"RE DOWN HERE! MEDIC!" Hutch began yelling as soon as he heard the sound of vehicles pulling up in front of the ramshackle barn. The back up officers could take care of the dead bodies. Hutch would give them his report later. Starsky was his number one priority.
A dim light overhead cast a shallow light over the underground torture chamber as one of the paramedics saw the switch on the wall half way down the stairs and flipped it on. Hutch immediately turned his attention to his injured partner. He gasped in alarm as he got a closer look at Starsky's battered body.
His face showed the ravages of a severe beating,. His lips were swollen and split open and his left eyes was swollen shut. His nose slanted to one side, obviously broken and dried blood had dripped down his chin. His thick, dark curls were matted and dirty and the grime had ground into his bare skin.
Like the other victims, Starsky was naked. His chest and stomach were covered with bruises and welts, along with some long gashes on his forearms and hips. Numerous burns from a cigarette marred his torso, along with what appeared to be bite marks. Hutch saw the dried blood that covered the inside of Starsky's thighs and he tried not to think about the probable source of that blood.
"Could you step aside, sir?" a paramedic asked politely as he knelt down next to Hutch. "So we can check him out?"
"Do what you need to do but I'm not leaving him," Hutch growled, the icy glare in his eyes warning the paramedic not to argue. Luckily, these two paramedics had worked with Starsky and Hutch in the past and they were well aware of how close the two detectives were and how protective either one of them could be when the other one was hurt.
"You don't have to go anywhere, Hutch," the senior paramedic said gently. "Just lay him down so we can check him out and stabilize him so we can take him to the hospital."
Hutch gently lowered Starsky back down to the ground but didn't abandon his position at his partner's side, watching carefully as the paramedics began checking the extent of Starsky's injuries.
They quickly bandaged the worst of Starsky's cuts and started an IV. His vital signs were erratic and one of the paramedics quickly guided a tube down Starsky's throat to ease his breathing until they got him to the hospital where the doctors could take over. Finally, they were ready to transfer Starsky to the portable stretcher they had brought down with them. Hutch helped them lift Starsky's limp body onto the gurney, stepping back and keeping a watchful eye on the paramedics as one of them covered Starsky's body with a warm blanket and then fastened the safety straps securely around Starsky's chest, waist and upper legs.
Hutch straightened up and helped lift one end of the stretcher as they prepared to take Starsky up the steps and to the ambulance. Once they were out of the underground chamber, Hutch breathed a sigh of relief. Starsky was rapidly loaded into the ambulance. Hutch climbed in behind him and took his rightful place at Starsky's side. One of the paramedics climbed into the back of the ambulance with Starsky to monitor his condition until they reached the hospital while the other one climbed under the wheel and started the engine. Flipping on the siren and lights, the ambulance pulled out of the driveway and raced back towards the city. Everyone on board knew that time was of the essence.