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Here's chapter 26, just like I promised:) To all of you who found chapter 25 a little confusing, I hope that this chapter will give you some explanations...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kickin it.

Chapter 26

Finding the Cabin

Kim's pov.

We had been driving for almost two hours when we finally saw the narrow path that would lead right out in the forest and up to the cabin.

"This must be it." Austin stated as he slowed down the car slightly. The road that we currently were on was pretty small too and there wasn't much traffic.

"Yes…" I mumbled, an uneasy feeling going through me as I looked at the forest to our left. I was excited to finally be here, but also a bit scared. There were so many things that could go wrong. Caught up in my thoughts I didn't realize that Austin had driven right past the path without turning, until it was too late.

"What are you doing?!" I exclaimed. "We were supposed to turn right there." I pointed with my thumb in the direction of the path, glaring at him. He sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Calm down Kim. I'm just going to find a place to park the car." He explained, receiving a confused look from me. "I don't think it would be very wise to drive up to the cabin just like that. We don't know what we're gonna find…especially if that's the only way to and from that place. It could be like driving right into a trap…But if we walk by foot, we could sneak up there unnoticed. Besides it'll be way easier to hide in the forest if it's just the two of us and not the whole vehicle."

I suddenly felt stupid. I'd never thought about that really. In my too direct line thinking mind, I had pictured us just driving right up to the cabin and have a quick look around before driving back home again. Hopefully with some new clues….

"Here will do." Austin mumbled, pulling over at a gas station just half a mile from the path. He parked the car and unbuckled himself. Just as he was about to jump out of the car he noticed me frozen to the spot, staring out in the distance.

"You ok, Kim?" He asked concerned, making me snap back to reality.

"Yeah I'm fine." I put on a smile. "I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

"Nothing really…" I said as convincing as I could. He didn't buy it, I could tell, but he let it go none the less.

"You don't have to do this…"
"I want to." I quickly said.

"Ok…but just so you know, I'll drive you straight back home immediately when you want to. You just have to ask me." I appreciated that he was willing to do whatever I would need him to. Knowing that made me feel a lot calmer.

"Thanks" He gave me a smile, which I returned.

"So… are you ready to do this?"

"Yes I am." I nodded and got out of the car...

We walked, following the road, although we were not up on the road, but about ten feet from it… Austin had insisted of us staying hidden and we were now stumbling around in the bush.

The terrain here was uneven and the plants weren't higher than four to five feet, forcing us to crouch while moving. I felt rather silly doing it, but Austin seemed to enjoy himself, pretending we were agents on a top secret mission or something.

When we reached the place where we would have to cross the road we stopped, making sure that the coast was clear before exposing ourselves, running across it. Once on the other side we slowed down again and started to make our way through the forest, still walking on a safe distance to the path…

"You hear that." Austin whispered, holding up his hand to stop me. "Get down." He ordered, throwing himself flat on his stomach while pulling me with him. I gasped as I was reminded of my injury, pain exploding through it when my body hit the ground. I was about to say something when Austin hushed me. The sound of a moving vehicle reached my ears. It was travelling through the forest, coming in our direction. Soon the car came into view and I instantly recognized it as Mark's. Excited and a little worried I watched him drive past us. We were on the right track. He'd been to the cabin, just as I thought. Did that mean that Jack's been there too? And maybe still was...? It was possible, I couldn't deny that, but I kept telling myself that I wouldn't find him there. That way I wouldn't be disappointed.

Mark had past us and we rose to our feet.

"That was him." I stated.

"Yeah, I figured…" Austin said. "Seems like you know what you're doing after all…" He looked at the direction Mark had disappeared. "We should probably get going, before he comes back."

I nodded and we moved quickly towards our destination, running most of the way. Knowing that we wouldn't be faced with Mark on our way there, we could travel on the path, which made things a lot easier. The trees grew so close to each other in some places that it was almost impossible to see past them. I was thankful we didn't have to find our way through that, because I'm not sure we would have made it without getting lost.

It took about half an hour until we finally saw the cabin. I smiled, exultingly looking at it. The wooden walls might contain all the information I needed to find Jack. Little did I know of just how much I would find…

We approached the small building slowly, the tension getting stronger with each step. I carefully made it up the stairs and stopped at the door. Ok this is it, I thought, taking a deep breath before turning the door knob, only to find out that it was locked. Feeling a bit stupid I removed my hand, looking up at Austin.

"It's locked." I said a bit disappointed.

"Well, what did you expect?" He shrugged. I shook my head and tried to push on the door. Austin watched me with amusement. "You're not gonna be able to open it like that." As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. None the less I grabbed the door knob once more and tried to pull and push on it again. Austin shook his head and disappeared for a moment. I hadn't really noticed that he had been gone until he returned a couple of minutes later.

"You might wanna try this." He said from behind me. I let go of the door and turned around. It took me a moment to realize that the thing that he was holding up in front of me was a key. Most likely the key to that would unlock the door.

"Where did you find that?" I asked.

"Over by the shed." He pointed in the direction. I looked over his shoulder. I hadn't even noticed that there actually was a shed.

"How did you know where to look?"

"I didn't." He said. "I just went over there to see if there were any tools that we could use to break through the door. I found this on one of the shelves…" He waved the key in front of me, before handing it to me. "You go inside. I stay here and watch in case Mark comes back."

"Okay" I didn't really mind going in alone. In fact I preferred to do that, so that I could search through it without any distractions. I turned to the door again."

"And Kim…." Austin said, making me freeze for a second. "If you need me, just call. I'll be right outside."

I gave him a smile before unlocking the door.

Carefully I pushed the door opened, my heart beating hard in my chest. I knew that Mark had left and it would probably be pretty safe for me to walk inside, but I still felt unsure. The first thing I laid my eyes on was a corner that looked like a small kitchen, supplied with everything that you could possibly need. In front of it was a table with three chairs and on the wall right nest to the table was what appeared to be a window that was now covered with boards, making that side of the cabin a little darker. I turned my head, searching the place with my eyes, making sure that it would be safe to enter. My gaze fell upon a lifeless figure, lying on the floor next to the bed. I blinked a few times to make sure what I saw was real. Realizing that the figure was Jack, I started to move closer but soon stopped abruptly, hesitating. He was facing the wall, so I couldn't see his face. His ankles were chained together and his clothes were dirty and ripped in some places. He was lying absolutely still, making me dread that he wasn't alive.

"Please… don't hurt me." He pleaded, his voice weak. The fact that he had to fear someone ever hurting him, made my heart ache.

"Jack…?" He tensed at the sound of my voice and I quickly made it over to him, kneeling beside him. Nothing could've prepared me for what I saw. I'd known that he would be hurt and in pretty bad shape…but imagine it and seeing it with my own eyes were completely different… "Oh dear…" I mumbled, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "Jack?" His hands were cuffed and secured to the wall, with a padlock not leaving him much room to move. His wrists had been bleeding more than once it appeared, as several layers of dry blood in different shades were covering them. He must've been pretty desperate to get free. My eyes welled up as I took in the scene. In his hands he held on tightly to the cardigan I'd lost back at Mark's house. Had he kept it all this time?

"Jack?" I swallowed down the lump in my throat, placing a hand on his shoulder. He immediately flinched and moved closer to the wall, burying his face in the sweater. With a swift movement I wiped a tear away, that had fallen from my eye. "Jack, it's me. Kim." I sniffed replacing my shaky hand on his shoulder. He was so tense. I gently rubbed his shoulder, trying to get him to relax. "Jack" I tried again, wanting to help him so badly, but I didn't know where to start. His face was hidden in my sweater, with only his ear and a part of his cheek showing. "Jack, please say something." I pleaded, not being able to hold back the tears any longer. I didn't recognize him. What if I was too late?

I shook my head. I wasn't too late. He was still alive.

"Jack…" I reached down and caressed his cheek gently, before running my fingers through his hair.

"Please…" He whimpered and I could tell he was crying. "…don't do this to me..."

"What are you talking about?" I tried to hold back a sob, not really succeeding. Didn't he want me to touch him? "Jack please, just look at me." I carefully removed a part of the sweater that was covering his eye, while still stroking him gently though his hair with my other hand. He didn't look up at me, instead he closed his eyes, his eyelashes clumping together from all the tears. It pained me so to see him like this. "Jack…" I pushed the cardigan even further away, revealing some more of his face.

He finally decided to open his eyes and turn to look at me. I couldn't help but letting a soft sob slip through my lips when I saw his face. His right temple was bruised as well as his left cheek. There were patches of dry blood around his nose and mouth and he had a big cut in his bottom lip. He was a little dirty, making the tear streaks even more visible. Up in his hair line on the left side of his face there was a pretty large cut. Seeing all his injuries made me wonder, how much pain he'd been through and how much he was still going through.

I looked into his brown orbs, desperately trying to find my friend in there somewhere.

"Kim…?" I think my heart took a small leap, when he finally spoke my name.

"I'm here Jack. I'm here." I leaned in a little closer, wiping some of his tears away with my thumb. A rattling sound was heard from beside us. I looked up towards the noise, realizing that he was tugging on the handcuffs, trying to get free. It was heartbreaking to watch and I quickly grabbed one of them, squeezing it gently. He wrapt both of his hands around mine and turned his head towards it. Moving to his previews position he placed his face against my hand, brushing his lips and the tip of his nose against it.

"Am I dying?" He asked. I frowned at his question.

"No" I answered, hoping with all my heart that he wasn't.

"Then why is there an angel, sitting right next to me?" Was he talking about me? I felt my cheeks heating up a little.

"Jack, there's no angel here. It's just me, Kim. And I'm here to bring you back home." I had meant for my words to comfort him, but they seemed to have the opposite effect, as he started to sob again, pressing his face against the back of my hand. What did I say to upset him like that?

I looked at the things restraining him. They were impossible to break by hand and I would need some kind of tool to remove them, preferably a key…

Looking around I noticed a plate with some food on the floor a few feet away from us. I briefly wondered if that was meant for Jack.

"Jack…" I started. "Is there anything you need? Are you thirsty or hungry?" I know that I should be focusing on getting him out of there, but I didn't know how at the moment. So until I find a way, I could at least ease his suffering somewhat. I just couldn't stand to see him like this.

He gave me a nod, but remained silent. I looked around the cabin.

"I'll be right back." I said, carefully removing my hand from his. His grip tightened and I had to use a little force to break free from it. He tried to reach for me, but the short chained cuffs stopped him. I gave him one last glance. He looked so vulnerable and hurt. I forced myself to my feet and headed over to the 'kitchen'. Using my sleeve I dried my tears away. I was shaking. Ok Kim focus….

Taking a deep breath I tried to think. I went through all the cupboards until I found a glass that I could pour up water in. I wasn't just looking for a glass though. I was also searching for something that could be useful to free Jack.

The boy whimpered from behind me and I quickly filled the glass with water.

"I'm coming, Jack" I reassured, as I made my way over to him. Just like before he didn't show any signs that he'd noticed me.

Sitting down behind him, I leaned over his body so that I could see his face. He was still crying, although not as much as before.

"Jack?" Reaching down I touched his cheek. "I've got some water for you." He turned his head a little and looked at the glass I was holding up in front of him. The sparkle that had always been in his eyes was gone, and a sudden fear of him giving up hit me. I'd read about people that lost their will to live, who just perish… What if he'd decided not to fight anymore?

As if he could read my thoughts he hoisted his head up towards the glass. A small sparkle of hope lit inside me and I quickly placed my hand at the back of his head supporting it while holding the glass to his lips with the other. I could tell that he was thirsty by the way he greedily swallowed it. I held the glass back a little though, so that he wouldn't drink too fast, afraid that he wouldn't be able to keep it if he did. I didn't know for how long he'd been without food or water. He emptied the glass, before looking up at me. For the first time it felt like he actually saw me.

"Kim?"

"Yes." I answered, still holding his head while looking into his eyes. There was so much pain showing in them.

"I miss you…" He said, yet another tear sliding down his cheek. I was about to say that I've missed him too, but it looked like he was about to continue to talk and I didn't want to interrupt him.

"…and I lov…"

The door behind me opened and Jack stopped talking, looking up at Austin that now stood in the doorway. I glared at him too. He couldn't have picked a worse time to come in. I'd finally gotten Jack to talk…

All of a sudden Jack threw himself away from the wall, knocking me over. He began to tug violently against the chains, using his whole upper body to repeatedly jerk on them.

"Jack, calm down." I tried to reason with him, as I hoisted myself up into a sitting position again, but I don't think he even heard me as he kept on struggling with the same intensity, as if he was going crazy. "You're hurting yourself…please Jack, stop…" I continued to plea as I watched with horror his wrists starting to bleed again. He had a starry look in his eyes and I realized that I wouldn't be able to reach him with words. With no further hesitation I launched myself at him, landing on top of him. Holding his head down with my arm, I used my body to pin him against the floor. He struggled even harder at first and I quickly placed my arm between his arms and across his chest, taking a hold of his shoulder, still using my other arm to hold his head still. "Please stop… you're scaring me." My voice was trembling.

I held him tightly preventing him from moving too much, until he finally stopped struggling. He was shaking, his whole body gone limp beneath me as deep sobs emerged from his throat.

We were both panting, trying to catch our breaths. I swallowed, placing my forehead against his temple. "It's ok Jack." I whispered softly, trying to calm him. "Everything's gonna be okay. Just hold on a little longer….please." He whimpered, still crying hard. I did everything that I could to hold it together, my heart torn into pieces after watching his desperate attempt to get free. "It's okay. I'm here…I'm here"

His breathing was slowing down a bit and I suddenly became very aware of the position we were in. He was lying on his side, staring into the wall. I had my arm wrapt around his shoulder, while resting my body on his, one leg on top of him. My free hand was rhythmically stroking his hair as I still held my forehead to his temple. I could feel every heartbeat, every breath and every other movement he did. My cheeks started to get warm and a sudden urge to kiss him grew in me. I fought it though. He would probably not like it. We're just friends and it would be pretty awkward afterwards. But what if a kiss would help him, comfort him and give him his sparkle back, just like you see in the movies, a small voice argued with me. I thought about that for a second, but soon realized that I would be the one enjoying it and not him… It wouldn't be fair to him to take advantage of him when he's in this vulnerable state. I hadn't really noticed though that I had slowly begun to tilt my head a little so that my lips were only an inch away from his soaked cheek. God, it was tempting. Just a little closer…

"Kim?!" My head shot up, guilt washing over me. Austin was standing next to me, a worried expression on his face. I had totally forgotten about him. "We gotta go." He said, taking a hold of my arm to help me up. I instantly pulled my arm out of his grip.

"I'm not leaving him." I said.

"You have to, if you wanna save him!" I was a little surprised by the harsh tone in his voice. Looking up at him I realized that he was deathly serious about it and I rose to my feet, not daring to do anything else. The sudden loss of the weight and the warmth of my body, worried Jack, I could tell. "C'mon!" Austin tugged on my arm, fear evident in his voice.

"Don't leave me." The sound of Jack's voice almost made me change my mind.

"I'll be back, soon. I promise." I reassured, as Austin almost dragged me towards the door.

"We gotta hurry." Austin insisted.

Jack turned over onto his back to look at us, desperation in his eyes. "Please, don't go." He begged through his sobs, as he once again tried to escape the handcuffs. "Don't leave me! Please!" His cries were cutting through my heart and I was so close to just run back to him. I hated to cause him more distress. It took all the willpower that I had to block him out and run through the door.

"Kim no…"

I didn't get very far though…

A very familiar car was parked outside. I froze as I realized that Austin wasn't with me anymore and I had just walked right into a trap. Did he set me up?

A tall man got out of the vehicle, his green eyes meeting mine….

Sorry about the cliffy... and that I'm probably not gonna be able to update in a few days... so I'm kind of leaving you hanging... I'll be writing as fast as I can though...

and there'll be sneak peeks for all of you who review :)

/MJ