Starlight Starbright

These good fellows don't belong to me but I promise when I'm done to pick um up, dust um off and with a kiss on the cheek return them safely home.

"The rhythm of life is intricate but orderly, tenacious but fragile. To keep that in mind is to build the key to survival." Shirley Hufstedler.

Sorry this one is short. I had to get something out to feed Kathy, LOL. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for the reviews, keep um coming!

Chapter 14

Amy was stoking the fire when she heard a noise behind her. Turning she saw Johnny coming down the little hall, still wrapped in his blanket.

"You shouldn't be up."

"Cold," he said.

She pulled a chair up closer to the fire and helped him sit down. "I wish I had something warm for you to drink."

He smiled at her concern for him, "S'kay." Nudging his head to her shoulder, "You?"

"Still bleeding some but not like before. I'm just tired."

"Lost fair…mount blood," he coughed some more.

"John we have to get out of here and I need your help."

He looked at the beautiful woman before him and knew she was right. With no food they would only get weaker from this point on.

"Need to search for… any type of radio parts or batteries… we can. Try to get… a signal out."

"I'll check all the rooms. There's also a storage room out back. I'll try to see what's in there."

"Just be careful," he told her as he watched her go down the hallway.

While Amy searched the other rooms he tried to keep his mind clear long enough to be a help in getting them out of here. He moved over to his backpack and pulled out the map he had grabbed from the cabin. Unfolding it at the table he surmised that it was a good 20 mile hike to get to a main road from the house. Going back to the cabin wasn't an option since there was no way to be sure the men weren't still there. Besides they had trashed the Rover and he couldn't get anywhere in it anyway. Other than the main road there was nothing around them but wilderness. Usually he sought isolation but this time he regretted it. He would give anything for a phone. Then he thought about who he would call and he smiled as he thought of his friends and family at the station. Maybe if they knew about Amanda they weren't mad at him anymore.

What he wouldn't give for a hot bowl of Marco's chili right now.

Hearing Amy come back in the room she sat at the table with him. "Didn't really find much but I admit I really don't know what I'm looking for. Down in the basement there's a large engine looking thing.

Engine? Generator? For the first time Johnny felt a surge of hope for them. "Show me."

Lt. Marcos was ready to beat his head against a wall with frustration. Hours of interrogation was getting them nowhere about the missing woman. The men stood firm on the statement that she escaped and that was when they high tailed it out of town. His only hope was to press the murder charge on them. If he could convince them that they would go down for murder maybe they would be more willing to help him find a live body.

He also had a phone number in his hand. Several attempts had found the phone number to have no answer. It was probably a dead end but he tucked the slip back into his pocket to try again later.

Chet watched Roy as he tied his shoes in the locker room. He knew not to ask about Johnny because if anything new had happened Roy would have eagerly shared the news with everyone. Roy was in silent contemplation, thinking back to the last time Johnny was here beside him. He smiled as he remembered the conversation. Johnny was in such a good mood after having been camping. It had always been his refuge, his place of solitude.

He looked at Chet, "Cabin." It was a single word that meant a world to Roy but was leaving Chet a little confused.

"What cabin?" He said as he stood up.

"That last morning Johnny was here he was talking about a new cabin he had found. He called it 'sweet'."

"I never heard him talking about a cabin. Do you think that's where he went?" Chet was getting excited now. Finally a new lead. But what now?

Roy was thinking, yes he remembered the cabin but he never heard Johnny say anything else about it. "Might be, but I don't have any idea where it is." The deep sigh told Chet that Roy was back at square one. With downed shoulders and spirits they started their day.

Amy helped Johnny down the stairs into the cold dark basement of the ranger station. With her flashlight she pointed to the large imposing engine like thing she had found.

"A generator." He traced his fingers along the edge of it as he looked for the starter. There might be a chance of getting it to work. If it worked then the radio might work. A radio meant finding help. He looked at Amy with a big smile.

She loved the look of excitement in those brown eyes as she watched him work to get the generator started. After a few attempts it started but the smoke coming from it wasn't promising. They might not have a lot of time.

Looking at her, "Radio." She sensed the urgency in his voice. Taking his arm she got him upstairs, his energy now beyond spent; he almost collapsed at the top of the stairs.

"Come on Johnny, you can do it." She winced as she pulled on him but now at his feet she propelled him towards the desk by the window.

Johnny fell into the chair; his head was now spinning as he seemed to gasp for breaths. He turned on the radio seeing the power button turn on. Not knowing the call number for this station he just started talking.

"Ranger Station…Kern…can anyone hear me?"

There was only static.

"Ranger Station…Kern…can anyone hear me?" Johnny was starting to sound desperate, something that Amy didn't like to hear.

Then through the thick static…"Read you Kern. Come in."

"Need help, stranded. Need connection to Station 51, Carson. Hurry." Please, he prayed. Roy please be there.

The static worsened while he waited. It seemed like an eternity when a voice broke through again, "Kern, you're patched through. Go ahead. Signal won't last."

Through the white noise Johnny could hear a voice. His heart skipped a beat, "Mike?"