Never before in my life had I ever felt such trepidation, I thought it was bad enough waiting for the big reveal on Extreme Makeover when the fugly contestant was about to show off their beautiful new face to all their friends and family. This feeling of unease was in a league of its own. Daria and I had sort refuge in the leafy undergrowth at the top of the hill and had begun the waiting game. At least an hour had passed with no signs of our friends; the only thing that had kept us on the right side of sane was that there hadn't been any more gunfire, but that didn't necessarily mean everyone was okay.
The two Morgendorffer sisters sat huddled together hand in hand. They were both charged with adrenaline; every noise sent a shockwave between them and caused Quinn to tighten her grip. Daria hissed as she felt Quinn's sharp nails dig tighter into her palm.
"Shhh!" Quinn whispered.
"I wouldn't have made any noise if you'd loosen your grip and retract your claws." Daria snapped.
"I'm sorry it's just…"
"Yeah I know," Daria said softly as she returned her eyes to the motel below. From their vantage point they were able to see the four cabins, the reception office and most of the parking lot. They were unable to see either of their cars or the troop carrier. "Look, maybe we should get some rest. One of us should go on sentry duty."
"Daria, now is not the time for math problems." Quinn replied.
Daria turned her head and gazed at Quinn. In the dim light she could see the serious look on her face. Daria shook her head slowly. "Quinn, sentry not century."
Quinn's expression remained unchanged, "Really Daria, I know you're a brain and all, but I'm not counting to one hundred or one thousand. It may calm your nerves but not mine; I'm more of a spa and facial kind of girl."
Daria sighed and swallowed the biting remark that threatened to escape, "Sentry in another word for a lookout, a guard to keep watch and warn of any danger."
"Oh, then why didn't you just say that to begin with?"
"I'm beginning to wonder," Daria shook her head. "So I guess I'll go on lookout duty first while you sleep, I'll wake you up in a couple of hours and we can switch."
"No. I'll go first, there's no way I will be able to sleep." Quinn replied.
"Me either." A few moments passed and the girls looked down the hill, "I just wish we had some way of knowing if they're okay."
"We could always go down and take a look." Quinn said her voice distant as she continued to gaze upon the motel.
"You're not serious are you?"
"Why not," Quinn shrugged. "It sure beats sitting here doing nothing."
"What are we going to do if we run into any trouble? Those guys have guns and we can't be sure how many of them there are."
"We have to at least look, check out the other rooms. Maybe they are hiding, the other rooms could have had closets or something, maybe they are in the cars; you know how Max is about his van. Maybe-"
"Maybe they're hidden in the bushes like us." Daria interjected.
"Maybe, but maybe they've been captured…" Quinn said darkly. "I know you're all for female heroism; I've read your stories."
"This isn't a story Quinn, this is real. We're risking our necks if we go down there, I-" A scrape of gravel silenced Daria. The girls looked down in time to see two silhouettes scrambling up the hill.
"Oh God." Quinn breathed.
Daria squinted, "That's Trent and Jesse, come on." Daria pulled on Quinn's sleeve and they made their way to the two boys.
"Trent," Daria hissed as they got within earshot.
"Daria? God, am I glad to see you, are you okay?" he panted as he pulled her into a bear hug.
"Yeah, we're okay," she said as she pulled back and looked behind him, "Where's Jane?"
Even in the dim light Daria could see the color wash from his face, "She's… She's not with you?"
Daria shook her head, "No it's just Quinn and I, we thought,"
A high female scream stopped Daria and all four heads whipped around to face the motel. Trent immediately started down the hill in the direction of the scream.
"Trent, wait." Quinn said as Daria grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back.
"That's Janey down there. I can't just let them have her." Trent replied irately.
"We have to think about this, there's no point charging down there in a fit of rage; they have guns. You're no use to anyone if you're dead." Daria said.
"Well I can't just sit here."
"Of course not, but we have to be smart about this. We don't even know where they have her, we should split up, two of us check the cabins and the main office, the other two should check the parking lot and the truck." Daria continued.
"Okay." He agreed.
Quinn shivered, despite the warm air. She and Trent were couched in the darkness at the edge of the motel. After a large argument, Trent had rationalized that since Quinn was a faster runner than Daria, she should go with him, since they were more likely to be seen. They had arranged to meet up with Daria and Jesse in half an hour a hundred feet down the road at the top of the ridge. From their new position they were able to see all of the parking lot. It was poorly lit; the yellow fluorescent lamps that lined the path to each cabin were old and failing. Their cars sat one hundred and fifty feet to their right near the front of the cabins, the large truck stood to their left.
Trent turned to Quinn and motioned toward the truck, before setting off. He crouched low and stayed in the shadows as he stealthily made his way over. With a furtive glance toward the reception office, Quinn was at his heels in no time.
The truck was thankfully unmanned, and a quick glance under the torn canvas roof on the far side of the back section, revealed their prize. Jane sat hunched in the rear corner sobbing slightly.
"Janey?" Trent whispered.
Jane leapt up and carefully got as close to him as she could. "Trent, you have to get out of here, they'll be back any minute." Jane pleaded. Her eyes were wide with fear, her cheeks stain red with tears.
"Then hurry up and climb out." He hissed.
"I can't, I'm tied to the seat, they used cable ties and I can't wriggle free." She said.
Trent turned and looked at Quinn. He retrieved a pocket knife from his jeans and handed it to her. "I'm going to give you a boost into the truck; you're going to have to climb in and cut Janey free."
Quinn stared at the knife with horror, "I, I can't." she said pleadingly.
"You have to, it's too high for me to jump in; there's no footholds and I can't risk going through the back incase they're watching the van." He said.
Quinn nodded hesitantly and with a boost she climbed into the back and found Jane. Jane's hands and feet had been tied together with black plastic cable ties and then tethered to the seat with a nylon cord. The restraints were tight, Quinn whimpered empathetically as she saw the red marks Jane had inflicted upon herself as she tried to get free. She slid the blade of the knife between Jane's skin and the hard plastic and began to saw through the makeshift hand cuffs.
It took no more than five minutes for Quinn to cut Jane free. Trent helped both Jane and Quinn down from the truck the three of them ran to the safety of the tree line, not before Trent took the rifle sitting on the front seat of the cab.