Remnants (the end)

CHAPTER 11

ALMOST HOPELESS

NATE leaned down and looked directly into Jack’s innocent, blue-eyed face. “Where is she? Where is she, Jack?”

The boy’s answer was clean and cool, “I don’t know, she must’ve gotten away.”

“Damn you!” Nate yelled as he grabbed the chair in which Jack sat. He shook the chair violently as he roared, “Tell me, Jack! Where did she go?!”

Still, the boy remained silent. He didn’t reveal anything of which Nate desperately wanted to know. Anger burned within the man. His forced ally had escaped and gone to warn his prey. What was worse was that his gun was gone. The gun he wanted, needed, was missing, most likely by now in the hands of his seemingly irrelevant antagonist.

Nate roughly began to untie Jack’s bonds from the chair. When he had finished that, he retied the boy’s hands together.

“C’mon,” Nate said, “Let’s get outta here.” When he had almost reached the door, the man reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a map. Jack studied the map and saw that there was a bright red circle around one particular area. Nate smiled menacingly as he dropped the map. It floated lazily to the floor, where it rested naturally on the ground.

“Now,” Nate’s voice seemed proud, “she’ll know where to find us. And when she does, I’ll be ready.”

Jack stared evenly into his enemy’s eyes, “You underestimate her.”

“Who? The girl? She isn’t anything, and if you don’t believe me… Well, you’ll just have to wait and see.” His face withheld an evil plot and sinister thoughts. A plot which no one knew, but many needed to know. There were several lives on the line. If Nate’s scheme worked, Shawna would be killed and probably Jack as well. Miss Lucy would have to be silenced. There would no longer be anyone left to convict this evil man to his wicked deeds. Something had to be done, and Jack was the man for the job. He didn’t want the position nor though of himself as a likely candidate, but he was in the spotlight. When the lives of others rested upon his shoulders, he would carry on. Though weary and discouraged, he would fight until he held victory or until death claimed his soul.

***

Shawna only wondered what she would or could do once she reached the Crawford house. With her enemy and ally inside, and her ally being a hostage, there wasn’t much she could do. Her wish was that she could concoct a plan in which everyone’s life would be spared, especially Jack’s. His life counted for more to her than most people realized.

The house soon came into view and Shawna only wished she knew what to do, for she considered herself contemptible. This whole problem was her fault, and she was putting innocent people’s lives in danger so she could live happily.

As she had the first time, the girl went around to the back of the house. Her hopes were to be able to see inside and find where Nate and Jack were. To her astonishment, the back door had been left open. The house seemed completely quiet.

“Excuse me,”

Shawna jumped at the sound of someone behind her. She feared it would be Nate, but her thoughts proved her wrong. It was a man who lived in the house next to the Crawford’s.

“Are you looking for anyone, Miss?” the man asked politely.

“Y-yes,” Shawna stammered. “Would you happen to know where Na- Mr. Crawford is right now?”

“I saw him leave a few minutes ago. You just missed him.”

Desperation filled Shawna’s mind, “Did he have anyone with him? Do you know where he went?”

“I didn’t see anyone with him, and I don’t have any idea as to where he might have gone. Sorry I couldn’t have been more of a help to you.”

Shawna turned to leave, “Oh, that’s just fine.” She ran into the house through the open back door to find the home utterly empty. Every room was searched, and still, nobody was found.

“No,” Shawna whispered to herself, “no. He has to be here. Why? Why’d you let him go, Shawna? Now he got caught, and you don’t know where he is. No, it’s all your fault.” Shawna leaned against the wall and slid down to a sitting position. Her eyes began filling with tear as the prospect of hr situation strangled what life was left in her spirit. Just as the thought of giving up entered her mind, a breeze blew through the door and blew a slip of paper towards Shawna. As it stopped in front of her, a beam of sunlight shone in the door upon the paper.

Shawna reached her shaky hand down in the direction of the paper, in a hope that it was something useful. At first, she almost threw it back down to the floor, but as she continued studying it, she began to wonder. It was a map of Haynesville along with parts of the surrounding towns and woodlands. A circle marked a certain place in one of the wooded areas and Shawna wondered it maybe, just maybe, that was where Nate had gone with Jack.

“Don’t kid yourself, Shawna. You know it’s impossible. It’s just a coincidence, and you know it.”

Her situation seemed hopeless, for she knew nothing of what she could do. Jack had been kidnapped by Nate and taken to some unknown place. Shawna didn’t want to think of the things which Nate might do unto Jack. Then Shawna realized that Nate had no quarrel with Jack. Why did Nate take him, what could he possibly want from him? The girl knew she couldn’t just give up and do absolutely nothing in an attempt to save Jack. Something had to be done, even if a positive outcome seemed unlikely.

This map was all Shawna had, the only clue, the only piece of a possibility. Unlikely though it was, there was still a chance that it could be true, and Shawna was preparing herself to take that chance, to try for triumph. It was a win or lose situation. If the map was the key to her quandary, she held an opportunity to win. If she was being unfounded, she might loose Jack as well was the battle of wits, in which she was challenging Nate. The map was all she had, and she was going to use it, even if it meant a larger likelihood of loosing.

***

His muscles were stiff and sore already and the journey to wherever they where going had only just begun. All the bouncing and jolting over bumps and stones would give anyone a headache, especially if that person was bound with ropes and laid uncomfortably in the backseat.

Jack shook his head, trying to get his blonde bangs out of his eyes. He had no indication of where Nate might be taking him. All he knew was that Shawna would probably soon be after him, and Nate would be waiting in ambush for her. If she came, she would almost certainly be captured. Jack’s only wish was for Shawna to stay where she was and not come after him. Then Nate would have to come back, and that would give both Jack and Shawna a better chance of success over the man with whom they were fighting.

The trip gave the impression of driving for hours. Hours, in which Jack laid thinking, planning. Those hours were really only minutes, but it made no difference to Jack. Their first plan had backfired badly, causing a casualty. They still had no proof of Nate’s guiltiness, but Jack was willing to give it another shot. He knew he’d be endangering his own life by doing something, but it was necessary to the survival of one particular victim of Nate’s cruelty and evil doings.

Finally, the car slowed to a stop. Nate looked back over the driver’s seat at his captive. “It’s all walking from here on.” He smiled his evil grin. “And don’t even think of running away, Jack. I’ll shoot you dead on the spot if you do.” The man dragged Jack roughly from the car and to a standing position outside.

Jack took a good look at his surrounding, looking for a landmark of some sort. If he did manage to escape, he would have to know his way back. They had been traveling on an old dirt road, which had eroded wagon ruts on it. This road obviously was used very rarely by cars such as Nate’s.

As Nate and Jack began the trek into the woods, Jack tried his best to remember what the woods looked like. It was difficult, but by the time the pair had reached their destination, Jack was pretty sure that he knew the way back to the road.

The destination in which Nate had brought Jack to was an old run-down shack. Part of the roof had fallen in and all the windows were missing. Only one side of the stone chimney remained, and the walls were sagging and rotted. It seemed to be one of the most secluded and unsuspecting hide-out Jack had ever come across.

Nate took Jack inside the shack, and Jack found the inside to be empty, except for a chair, cot, and stove, and in disrepair like the outside. Nate then forced Jack to sit in the chair as he again secured him down.

Then Nate said, “Your girl should be here by late morning tomorrow if she’s found the map.”

Jack decided that this was his chance. Nate had brought the tape recorder along with them and had lain in on the cot behind Jack. As the man opened the oven, Jack secretly reached behind and fingered the tape recorder. He located the “On” button and pressed it as Nate turned back around with a can of soup in his hand.

“Isn’t that nifty, Jack? Store food in the oven, saves space.”

“Nate,” Jack said, “you told me you’re tryin’ to kill Shawna for revenge.”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t get that, explain it to me.”

“Why should I?” Nate sneered. “What good would it do you? I mean, you’re going to die soon anyhow.”

“That’s my point, since I’m gonna die, why can’t I just know why I’m dyin’?

Nate eyeballed Jack suspiciously.

“What,” he jeered him, “you scared that I might get away an’ tell someone?”

“No,” Nate said impassively.

“Seems like it.” Jack knew he was getting to Nate and decided to push his limits just a little bit more. He got more than he bargained for.

Nate spun around and yelled, “I ain’t scared! I’m gonna get my revenge and kill you all!”

“You’re scared! You’re afraid to tell me.”

Nate clouted Jack across the face. “I ain’t scared o’ you. You an’ that girl ain’t nothin’.”

“Why are you after her?” Jack questioned.

“Like I said before, she got in the way, and I needed to finish my job.”

“So you couldn’t stand the fact that she got away from you after you killed her parents?”

Nate glared angrily at Jack who stared fearlessly back into his eyes.

“So when you met her again, you just had to kill her, huh?”

Nate stood up and gazed down upon his incarcerated victim. “Oh no. I planned all that. I played that girl right into my hands. She fell for it all.”

“Why didn’t you kill her from the beginning?”

“I wanted to know what she knew, or if she knew anything, which she didn’t. If she hadn’t met you, she would be dead and all this would be over by now.”

“You couldn’t let her go, could you? After she escaped, you had to come after her. You couldn’t stand it that a mere teenage girl and escaped from your powerful and murderous grasp.” Jack tested Nate a little more to see what reaction he would give.

“Shut-up!” he shouted. “Shut-up or I’ll kill you!”

“No you won’t,” Jack challenged. “If you would, you wouldn’t have anymore bait.”

Nate’s hand cuffed Jack once more and this time Jack felt blood begin running down his face.

“I’m right,” Jack said, “You’re using me as bait.” Those were the words that ended Jack’s attempt to convict Nate.

The man was outraged, the boy was smart enough to figure him out and find his weak points. He knew that Nate was getting desperate, and he was taking advantage of it. Nate beat the boy until his blonde hair and clothes were blood soaked and all he could do was groan in pain. Even then, Nate found it excruciatingly difficult not to kill the boy and keep him permanently silent, but like Jack had said, Nate couldn’t kill his only bait.

***

The cool night air blew through Shawna’s brown hair, teasing it as she walked down a lonely dirt road. The trees groaned as they swayed endlessly far above her. Sounds of creatures small and large echoed around her as she continued on her lonesome path. She had never before been afraid of the dark, but tonight was different. She knew of the potential danger in which she had placed herself. A man with a gun could be waiting for her behind any tree or bush. Every rock seemed to conceal a dark secret, and every pair of eyes claimed to belong to someone else.

From somewhere in the surrounding blackness, came the scream of a wild cat. It’s fierce and blood-curling cry echoed eerily throughout the forest. Then a second cat, closer than the first, answered the other with its own high pitched shriek. Shawna tensed up as she listened. One cat was in front of her and the other was somewhere behind her. Both were close, and coming closer still. The cats screamed at each other. Each coercion of bloodshed sent prickles up Shawna’s spine. They sounded ghostly and the meanings of the calls were filled with deadly and murderous threats.

Her eyes darted nervously around, trying to pick out any movement in the complete darkness that engulfed her. She could see nothing and the mountain lions were still closing in on her. Whether they were after her or each other, she neither knew nor cared. She just wanted to get out of their way. Her breathing became ragged as she struggled to clear her mind enough to think of what to do.

A cougar’s scream came from behind her. Shawna shrieked out of reaction and spun around to survey the scene behind her. Before she could detect anything, a thrust of unimaginable strappingly claws and fur landed heavily against her chest, knocking her brutally to the ground. She felt sharp claws dig into her legs and face and she heard the earsplitting call of the mountain lion. Hot breath from the cougar blew across Shawna’s face. She lifted her fists and pounded into the cat’s side, but it didn’t daunt its attack. The cat let loose a vicious and deafening roar of assail. The weight of the animal prohibited no movement from Shawna as it raked her face and neck with powerful paws. Blood filled her eyes and pain choked her voice as she attempted a cry for help. Fear withheld her mind in an untamable panic. She couldn’t think or feel, at least of nothing but the pain.

Suddenly the woods erupted in a pandemonium of unearthly screams, screams of sadistic duress. The weight was lifted completely from her body and Shawna no longer felt the claws incising ruthlessly into her skin. Her world was filled with only blood and pain. Every move she made caused further pain, but she forced herself to move away. Moving away seemed to be her only way of escape. She heard nothing; she only felt the strong stab of pain as she crawled away. Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath her hands and knees. She felt herself rolling… falling… falling. She saw nothing. She heard nothing, and she felt nothing. Her world was no longer.

CHAPTER 12

FIRE FROM HELL

HIS head throbbed with every heartbeat, and severe muscle stiffness overtook him as he awoke to a dreary morning. Dark clouds hung low across the sky. The wind gusted stalwartly through the tall trees. They leaned treacherously with each breath of wind as thunder rumbled in the distance.

Jack’s mind wandered to Shawna, and he wondered where she was. He hoped she wouldn’t get caught in the storm. The boy raised his head and looked around the drafty room. Nate was already up. He was making more soup for breakfast. With the tang of warm food wafting through the air, Jack realized that he hadn’t eaten for awhile.

In his weak and unsteady voice he asked, “Can I have some soup?”

Nate didn’t even look away from what he was doing as he answered sternly, “No.” That was the end of it. Jack didn’t persist with the matter. He was already too weak and sore from the last time he picked a fight with Nate. Next time he tried that, he would make sure the odds were even, unlike the night before.

Jack’s mouth felt like cotton and he hadn’t eaten in about a day. When he asked Nate for just a drink of water he got hit once more. The boy was not to ask for or say anything, and that fact was hastily learned. His body was weak as was his spirit. Both were undernourished and bruised, but both still stood to fight in the battle for life and victory.

***

Cold rain running down her face woke Shawna from her unnatural sleep. Thunder echoed loudly above her and she felt her wet clothes sticking to her body. Caked blood covered Shawna’s face and neck. Her muscles screamed in anguish with every move she attempted. At first, her mind was too bleary to remember what had happened, but after concentrating her mind, she relived what had taken place the night before.

Her eyes glanced around, and she found herself to be in a deep ditch. I must have fallen into it last night, she thought. The girl tried to sit up, but as she did lightheadedness surpassed her will. She fell back down to a laying position. After several minutes, she again made an effort to sit and succeeded. As she then tried to stand, her legs buckled from under her and she collapsed to the wet and muddy earth once more. She looked up the steep bank. There were many rocks and small clefts. She lifted her arms and dug her fingers into the lowest crevice. Using it to balance herself, she pulled her body up and leaned against the dirt wall. She tried hard to balance on the slippery ground.

Once standing, the gulley in which she stood wasn’t as profound or as precipitous as she had thought. It took many undertakes to reach the top. Each time the sodden ground would give way underneath her weight, and she would slide back down to the bottom. She eventually made it, though. Upon reaching the apex of the ditch, Shawna was stunned to see a mauled body laying at the side of the road. As she neared it, Shawna saw that it was a mountain lion, probably one of the cats she had heard the previous night, or maybe even the one that attacked her. Its fur was shredded and covered in blood. Its lips were in an undeviating snarl and the lethal claws were unsheathed. The glassy expressionless eyes and stiff limbs were what told Shawna that it was indeed dead.

The rain began to stop and the thunder subsided. The sound of running water drew Shawna’s attention away from the wild cat. She followed after the sound and soon came upon a small trickling rivulet. She knelt down on the muddy shore and rinsed her face with the cold, pure spring water. She flinched as her hand brushed against the claw marks and other cuts. There were several long scratches down across her left eyes and on her neck. Her right leg had been badly slashed, and it was sore to walk upon.

Shawna gasped. Her hand flew to her pocket and relief flooded through her. The map was still there, still safely hidden in her pocket. Her eyes once again studied the map and located the red circle. She estimated her proximity to it, and discovered that she was closer than she had assumed. The box of matches that Miss Lucy had given her was also in her possession. She hadn’t used them for a fire as Lucy had probably intended, but she kept the box, just in case she would need it later. Then her hand ran over the hard metal of the gun. She shuddered as she imagined what could and might be done with it. She hoped against hope that no time would come where she would have to use the gun.

As her strength and energy began to return, Shawna made her way back up to the road where she had been walking before. The road was now peaceful and quiet, no sign of violence or danger. She continued as she had been the night previous to that morning.

The time passed quickly and Shawna soon began wondering where she should leave the road and head off into the woods. She decided to walk just a bit further and her patience was rewarded. A vacant car set quietly alongside the road. As she neared it, Shawna noted with satisfaction that is was undeniably Nate’s car.

From here, Shawna thought, she should easily be able to find where Jack and Nate were, if they had even came to this place. Her assumption was that this is where she was supposed to go into the woods. It seemed like one of the most likely places to do so.

If she read the map properly, Shawna figured that she should go straight into the woods and not turn. If she was correct, she thought she should come upon whatever this place was in roughly five minutes. An educated guess, such as this, proved to be accommodating, for Shawna didn’t know what exactly she was looking for.

As she walked, Shawna remained ever so vigilant. Her ears picked up on every sound and her eyes noticed every detail. Cover was her main objective, for if she stayed hidden not a soul would know of her presence. Before long, Shawna did come upon the old shack. As her eyes scanned the once-open clearing in which it stood, she checked her map. This was approximately the place that the map indicated, so it had to be right.

A glassless window provided the seeker with a wondrous view of the inside. There was movement, and the longer she watched, Shawna saw what was inside.

Her mind filled with exultant thought as she prided herself with her discovery. The risks she had taken and guesses she made were made up for with this one, single event. A glorious result it was, for now she believed she held a chance.

She mulled over what to do. She decided that her best bet was to attempt a rescue after dark. The cover of darkness would ensure safety, for she would be unseen and unknown.

The hours of the day seemed long, but Shawna was able to wait. Her fortitude of determination was great, and she stayed obscured. Soon, the sun began to set, later the moon rose in its place. It was Shawna’s cue for action.

Being absolutely and completely silent, Shawna crept from her concealment. The pale moonlight covered the clearing with an eerie glow as Shawna moved stealthily across towards the shack.

She found herself standing next to an open window. Keeping herself at a low profile, she peered into the room. To her right was a chair in which her unlucky hero sat. He seemed to be confined to the seat. Her world couldn’t be perfect, though. Behind the chair was a cot in which her arch enemy occupied.

That was her one and only drawback, but after all her work, she wasn’t going to give up easily. Her determination overshadowed her logical thinking, as it did in most tense situations. She was a quick thinker, but not always rational. Sometimes it worked, other times it didn’t, but that was to be found out afterwards. Beforehand, it’s to be a challenge, and she wasn’t going to let this challenge be untried. She was going for broke, putting it all on the line.

She lifted her leg and put it on the low window sill. Being as noiseless as humanly possible, she crawled through. Carefully, she placed her feet on the floor. Her feet padded softly across the wood floor, to where Jack sat sleeping. She debated over how to wake him. She didn’t want to scare him, for that would make to much noise and awaken Nate.

She stood next to Jack and as lightly as possible she tapped his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open and he looked up into her face. A startled look crossed his face followed by a smile. He indicated his tied hands and she knelt down to undo them. Jack noted that her face was bloody as well as her clothes. He wondered what had happened. As she gave her full attention to the knot, abysmal circumstances began to unfold.

“Shawna!” Jack yelled, “Look out!” Before the bona fide meaning of Jack’s warning registered in her mind she looked appallingly up at him, but by then her chance had come and gone. An arm encircled itself around her neck. She screamed as she tried to break away from the grasp. She struggled violently and success almost became hers. She lashed out with her leg and her heel collided with Nate’s leg.

“Aaaaah!” he cried as her lifted his leg from the ground. But through it all, his arm remained around her neck.

“Let me go!” Shawna screamed.

“Not a chance, girl,” Nate muttered evilly. “You’re mine, all mine. I got what I want, now you’re gonna pay.”

“Pay for what? What do you want from me?!” she said gasping for breath.

Nate contracted his grip on her neck, “For getting in the way. If you hadn’t been there, I would’ve gotten away with everything, everything! But no, you had to complicate it, and I couldn’t let my only witness escape.”

Shawna began to feel lightheaded as her oxygen was being cut off. “I didn’t remember, so why did you come after me?”

“You might have remembered later, and I couldn’t take that chance. Plus, those people you were living with knew what happened. I had to finish you off, it was my only choice.

Shawna saw her world begin to go black and her head began to ache. “I can’t breathe,” she said weakly.

Jack watched, horrified, from his restrained point of view as Shawna fell lifelessly to the ground. Her face was damp with perspiration and a few strands of hair were stuck across her cheeks. He thought she was dead, strangled, but then he saw her side start moving in a rhythmic pattern of breathing. He wondered how long it would take for her to revive and what would happen after that. Nate would surely kill them, but wasn’t there something they could do?

Nate looked superiorly down on Jack, “See Jack, I told you that I was better. She was more intelligent than I had thought, but I’m still better. For what she did, how she ruined my life, I’m going to make her pay. I’m going to get my sweet revenge, Jack. She’ll be wishing she was already dead before this is all over. She confided in you and you’re going to pay, too. She’s gonna have to watch you die.” The man leaned down into Jack’s face and looked him wickedly in the eye. His eyes and face radiated malevolence and evil sincerity as he spoke with deadly venom dripping from his words. “You’re going to die a most painful death, of which she will have to see. She’ll regret all she ever did as she watches you suffer. After your torture is through, she’ll undergo exactly what you did. It’ll be wonderful revenge. You have no idea as to how long I waited for this day to come. I’ve been waiting for years, Jack, years.”

Looking there, into Nate’s eyes, Jack almost regretted helping Shawna. He wondered if it had all been a big mistake, a fatal mistake. With what was happening now, it seemed that it was. He was going to sacrifice his life for facilitating the girl. It had all been for nothing, they had lost. But Jack wasn’t ready to give up. Although all odds were against him, he still wanted to fight. His determination held strong, and his will-power blazed with intensity.

Then movement from behind Nate caught Jack’s eye. Shawna was awakening. If he could only maintain Nate’s attention from her for a couple more minutes they might still have a chance of defeating this man.

Jack held a steady gaze with Nate, “You don’t scare me. I hold no lament for helping her. She needed support from someone, and you haven’t won yet.”

“Haven’t won?” Nate jeered him. “What else can you do? What other possible outcome is there? You both die, and I win. Kids always get in the way. She dragged you into this as well as herself into deeper trouble. I had planned to be merciful and grant her with a quick death, but she was too impulsive and single-minded. You know, curiosity may have killed the cat, but impulsiveness kills the intension, ruins the idea.”

The girl was now standing up and looking around her. Jack prayed that she would just have enough sense to leave. Couldn’t she see that there was nothing she could do right then? Jack held his breath as he glared at Nate, yet watched Shawna’s actions. Her footsteps were slow and he could tell she was concentrating on being silent. She was headed for the window in which she had entered. Good, he thought, now we hold a chance.

Once the girl had escaped out of the window, Jack felt relief shower over him. He felt his confidence grow as he continued conversing menacingly with Nate. He almost laughed at the man’s self-confidence and pride. He had hidden well his desperation, but Jack had an amazingly remarkable ability to read people. He knew that now Nate was getting cocky. The man could almost taste victory, but Jack was a fighter, giving up wasn’t a possibility to him.

After a significant time had been given, Jack said, “Nate, you aren’t as smart as you think you are. Your most valued enemy has just escaped. Again Nate, you lost your prey to self-esteem.

Nate’s face registered no understanding. Then it dawned on him what the boy was referring to. He spun around and was confronted to an empty room. The girl had gotten away!

Anger surged through his veins as he faced Jack once more. Jack saw the man clench and re-clench his fists. He turned and began trashing the room. He grabbed the pot on the stove and hurled it across the room. It crashed loudly into the far wall. That wasn’t good enough. His hands grasped the front of the stove. He wrenched the door open and pulled ferociously until it broke off. He screamed as he threw it at the door. It crashed heavily into the old wooded door and ripped it off the hinges.

He then lunged out the vacant doorway into the night. He screamed as he let loose his anguished anger. His wrathful cry of determined vengeance could be heard certainly throughout the countryside. Every living thing near shuddered as they heard the cry. They cringed and whimpered as they tried to slink away unnoticed and anonymous.

Shawna gave her own whimper of fear when she heard Nate’s battle cry. Her cry was small and went unheard. She was thankful when Nate finally went back inside the cabin, or what was left of it. From the commotion she had heeded, the shack was now in shambles.

As she crouched behind a bush in view of the shack, Shawna wondered helplessly what she was going to do. She was worried about Jack. Nate had evidently beaten the boy. His face was bruised and bloody, far worse than hers. She needed a plan to rescue him, to save him from certain demise.

The box of matches slid out from her pocket, and she reached to retrieve it. An idea suddenly entered her mind as she held the box in her hand. She stared wonderingly at the box, would it work? She didn’t give it much thought, though. All she knew was that there was no other way that she could successfully get Jack out of the shack, so she decided that she would have to force them out. She was soon back up and heading towards the shack in yet another attempt to save Jack.

She went to the back corner of the shack and pulled out the first match. The boards were rotten and soggy from the earlier rain. She used many matches before a flame actually took. She lit several other small flames on that corner, and then ran back to the shelter of the trees. Without knowing it, she had just let all hell loose, for it was indeed fire from hell. Smoke began rising thickly into the night air and soon the majority of the house was consumed in a bright and fiery blaze. Suddenly, from the front door, came Nate. Shawna waited to see Jack come stumbling out after him, or being dragged along, but he didn’t come. It was then that she realized what a terrible mistake she had made. Nate didn’t care about Jack. He couldn’t have cared less if he died. There wasn’t any way that Nate was going to risk his own life to save one of his opponent’s lives, and Jack was already one who Nate wanted to liberate himself of.

Disbelief flooded through her. If she didn’t act quickly, she would loose Jack, the boy who she loved and cared so deeply for. She was killing him in an attempt to save him. She started at the flaming shack, knowing that the longer she waited the less chance Jack had of coming out of this alive.

CHAPTER 13

A RISK WORTH TAKING

THICK smoke choked Jack of the air he needed. He couldn’t move; he was suffocating from smoke inhalation. Nate had left him to die, unwanted and uncared for, but that was what everyone else wanted for him. He wondered where Shawna had gone or if she was near. He hoped that she would come to save him from this untimely sort of death.

The smoke burned his eyes and the intense heat of the fire scorched his skin. He could see that only the back part of the shack was on fire, but it was almost completely surrounding him. He slid his chair in an attempt to move, but found his weakness overpowering. Neither body nor soul could withstand this lethal force whether it was of nature or not.

Suddenly, a ghostly figure seemed to past before him. It moved around him as it spoke words that no one could understand. Then Jack felt himself become free. The ghost beckoned him to follow, and Jack looked back at his chair. He saw his body still there, tied to the chair, but his soul was free. His soul had escaped and was living beyond the flesh.

All of a sudden, a humanly cry came through the smoke and flames. It was a familiar voice, and there it came, running through the fire with the flames licking at its heels. Shawna, she was there, but was it too late? He felt a yearning to go back to his body, back to the world for her. He began moving away from the ghost, away from freedom, and towards his limp and lifeless self. An overpowering force resisted. This supernatural power demanded his staying with the ghost, but Jack’s will trounced the pull of death.

“Jack!” Shawna coughed as she struggled to see him through the hazy smoke.

“Shawna,” Jack called out in his weak voice. Even though his call was almost inaudible, Shawna heard it; she had been listening for it.

It was almost impossible to see and the smoke burned their eyes, but they called to one another and soon were reunited.

By the time Shawna reached Jack, the boy was again fading from consciousness. He was limp and his eyes were glassy. Shawna fell to her knees and began struggling with the ropes that bond him from freedom. Her fingers fumbled aimlessly and numbly as she tried to loosen the ropes. The fire was burning brighter and the flames were closing in. Panic seized her and she began to get desperate. She couldn’t unite him, yet she couldn’t leave him.

Her eyes roamed the room frantically searching for some kind of assistance. Her gaze rested upon the stove and the drawers. There had to be something in there that she may possibly be able to use.

Her feet ran over and she started to cough. Dizziness and a headache washed over her, but she refused to give in. She ripped open the first drawer she came to. Nothing. The next one was filled with plates.

“No, c’mon, c’mon,” Shawna muttered angrily. Time was running out, and she didn’t know what to do. She searched every drawer, but nothing she found was of use to her.

Her mind fumbled blearily, trying to think of a way to get out of this situation. She could absolutely not leave Jack, but she didn’t want to burn to death either. She ran back to the chair and attempted to drag it along. Jack’s dead weight was too much, she was too weak. Her heart was racing, what could she do?

Jack began mumbling and Shawna leaned closer to hear what he was saying. “Shawna, just leave me here. Save yourself, just go.” The effort he used to talk was obviously all he had left and his life was fading fast.

“No,” Shawna said stubbornly, “There’s no way I’m leaving you, Jack. I’m staying with you whatever happens. Either we both live together, or we both die together. But whatever happens, I’m staying with you. It’s better to die together than live apart.”

No further rebuke came forth from his mouth, although he did hear what the girl had said.

By now, the fire was completely around them and the flames were licking at their feet. Shawna was preparing herself to die and leave this world, when a flash of light blinded her momentarily. She looked at the shining object. A small knife was lying on bed, a knife! As she reached for it, a flame flared up and consumed her arm. She screamed and beat her arm against her dress. The burn was excruciatingly painful, but she again reached out her hand to the knife.

Her fingers closed around the handle and she put the blade to the ropes around Jack’s wrists. She began quickly sawing as her eyes watched the flames that burned continually in a circle around her.

There was no way of escape now; every open way was closed off by the fire. When she wanted to get out, she would have to run through fire. The knife slipped in her fingers and ran against Jack’s skin. The blood promptly started seeping out of the cut. Being more careful, Shawna cut the rope. His hands fell lifelessly to his sides.

“No!” Shawna yelled. Jack couldn’t be dead, not yet. She faced him and grabbed his shoulders. “Jack! Jack, wake up!” She shook him, and slowly he opened his eyes. A breath of relief came from her lips as she pulled the boy to his feet.

Jack was too weak to support himself and almost fell when Shawna had pulled him to standing. She caught him, though, before he fell. Jack put his arms around her shoulder and together they limped towards what had once been a door. The fire caught onto Shawna dress and signed her legs as she walked, but it wasn’t enough to make her stop.

A breeze of fresh air told them that they were almost outside, and that renewed their strength enough to keep them going. Finally, oh finally, they stepped onto the cool earth outside the flaming house. The flames on her clothes soon burned themselves out. Shawna continued holding Jack to his feet as they walked to the edge of the clearing, well away from the fire.

Jack fell exhausted to the ground. As he lay there gasping for breath, his eyes opened and he said, “Shawna, the tape, it’s still inside.” His eyes closed once more and his breathing steadied itself.

Shawna stared, mouth agape. She looked once again at the shack. The flames had fully overtaken it, yet she would have to back inside. Back inside to the flames, the flames that proclaimed death to anyone who was daring enough to defy them. And death it was, for there seemed to be no worse torture than to burn, to be consumed in those deadly predators of nature.

CHAPTER 14

WHEN LOVE SHOWS THROUGH

FIRE, the fire she had created, was now threatening to claim her life as its own. She was challenging the fire to a deadly game of “Catch me if Can”, and the odds were stacked high against her. This was yet another time when her impulsiveness took over her logic. She neither thought nor considered anything. She knew what her purpose was and that there was only one way to succeed.

She ran inside the blazing building and she dodged the first set of flames she came to. She jumped left to right, keeping as far away was possible from the fire. There were several times when avoiding all fire was unfeasible, and she cringed when the flames caught her skin and scorched it.

Once she was in her living hell, did she only think of her first problem. She didn’t have any clue as to the location of the tape recorder, which held the only source of conviction she had. She closed her eyes and desperately searched her mind for a picture of this house before. There was a cot behind the chair. Was there something on the bed?

She opened her eyes and screamed as a pieced of the burning ceiling fell in front of her. The heat was close to unbearable, but she persisted in her way. Her determination equaled out with her spontaneity. Her lips let forth many cries of pain as the fire scorched her rebellious body. She wasn’t supposed to be here and the fire was prepared to take her, but she fought with a fierceness that very few had.

The pain and risk was rewarded as Shawna stumbled against the cot. Her hand touched the hot outside of the tape recorder. She clutched it and charged back to her exit. Tears ran from her face as the flames and smoke agonized her dash for freedom.

Victory was hers as she staggered out the door. She had conquered yet another battle with many more on the way. Those battles of war, though, would prove to be more violent and destructive than this one, but they were primed for anything. They would fight side-by-side until they had vanquished their foe, until he lay defeated at their feet, begging for mercy.

Her footsteps brought her to where she had left Jack. He still was there, unconscious. She knew that they needed to be going, and soon. Nate had escaped and she had no idea as to where he was.

She shivered as the cold night air curled itself around her. Fatigue consumed her spirit. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy and she longed for sleep and warmth. Whatever problems she faced could wait until morning. Her worries of Nate disappeared as she lay down next to Jack. Although his mind wasn’t there, his body provided her with warmth and subconscious protection. Sleep, rest, that was all she wanted.

***

Jack slowly began to return to the present world and felt the cold, hard ground beneath him. He was suddenly jerked out of his half-awake state of mind when he felt the presence of someone next to him. He opened his eyes and the truth was revealed to him. Still asleep, Shawna lay against him. He smiled as he rubbed his hand against her arm, “Morning, Sunshine.”

The touch of his hand woke the girl instantly, and she gazed tiredly into his face. “Sunshine yourself,” she muttered as she lay her head back down. “I wanna sleep.”

Jack sat up and looked to the sky. Dawn was just reaching over the horizon and a few lonely stars still shone in the sky. The air was chilly for the sun had not yet warmed the earth and its occupants.

“Lay back down,” Shawna said, “you were keeping me warm.”

“If you get up and move around you’ll soon warm up,” Jack replied. The girl just groaned, displeased. Jack chuckled to himself, she was obviously not a morning person as himself. She would need some coaxing to wake up.

“Are you ticklish?” Jack asked, trying his best not to sound suspicious.

“No,” came her emotionless and deceitful answer.

“You’re lying.”

“Am not,” she denied, with her eyes still closed.

Jack put his fingers to her stomach and began to tickle the girl in an attempt to get a rise out of her. She screamed and laughed as she tried to roll away from him. He followed after her relentlessly, and her face began to get red for she couldn’t breath. Shawna curled herself in a tight ball to relieve herself from Jack’s inexorable fingers.

Jack laughed as she grabbed her ankle and tickled the bottom of her foot. She kicked her leg and yelled out protests until Jack finally gave her leeway.

She giggled and her eyes sparkled with tears of pure enjoyment. Her expression matched Jack’s as he crawled over to her head. “Are you warmer now?”

“Yeah, no thanks to you,” she answered playfully.

“No thanks to me! Don’t I deserve a little credit here?!”

The pair stood up and looked around themselves. “What do we do now?” Shawna asked.

“I guess we go back to town with our tape, and see if the sheriff will believe us now.”

Shawna picked up the tape recorder. On second thought, she pulled only the tape out of it and put it in her pocket. “I guess that’s all we have.” She sighed, “I’m hungry.”

Jack sympathized with her, “I am, too, but we don’t have any food to eat. We’re just gonna have to wait.”

They were walking back towards the road when Shawna asked the question that had been bouncing around in her mind all morning. “Where do you think Nate is?”

Jack stopped walking and looked over at Shawna, “I had actually forgotten about him. He probably thinks we’re dead, or he’s waiting for us somewhere.” Shawna stepped closer to Jack and glanced nervously around into the woods. “Don’t get scared. If he’s waiting for us, he’s probably along the road or somewhere else he expects us to go by. If we don’t follow the road or any main trails, he’ll never find us.”

Shawna looked admiringly up at Jack, “Why can’t I be that smart?”

“’Cause then I’d have no purpose in life.”

“Funny.”

Jack chuckled, she was fun to pick on, and she took it well. He put his arm around her shoulders, “C’mon, let’s go this way.” They changed their course and were now headed straight to the town, instead of following the road.

As the pair walked through the now daytime woods, they kept their arms around one another. Something about being together just felt right. Being beside the other, provided them each with a sense of comfort and acceptance, which was found nowhere else. Together, they could conquer anything, and together they were.

Jack wondered what would happen after all of this was over. He didn’t have the answers, and he was afraid to ask for them. His decision was to cross that bridge when he got there, but he couldn’t help thinking about the future. Would Shawna be part of his future, or would he find someone else? Could he commit himself to her for forever?

Many of the same thoughts whirled their way around Shawna’s mind as well. She was afraid to voice those thoughts, though, for she was frightened that Jack didn’t feel the same way that she did. She wondered if Jack was just being a gentleman by helping her, or if he actually wanted to be with her. He had said he did, but did he mean forever or just for now?

Their path led them deep within the woods, to where they thought no one lived. To what they though was uncharted territory to most people’s eyes. To most people, it was unexplored, but not to all. One man inhabited this secretive place, and he knew well his surroundings. He lived the land as good as any man could, and proceeded to protect himself. Those protections weren’t always human-friendly either.

Jack and Shawna walked between to large oak trees and out of nowhere, the ground gave way beneath Shawna’s feet. Jack managed to stay standing, but he lost his grip on the girl. She fell some twenty feet, before landing on the rocky ground below. Her leg got twisted in the fall and an intense pain came with it. A dark sheet covered her eyes, taking with it her grasp of awareness in addition to life itself.

“Shawna!” Jack yelled from atop the hole. When the girl didn’t respond or move, Jack stepped into the trap himself. His slid down half sitting, half standing, and ran to Shawna’s side. He put his hand to her neck and felt for a pulse. Nothing.

Disbelief tumbled over him as he grabbed her. “No! No, Shawna! Come back!” He pushed on her chest, trying frantically to get her to breathe once more, but her body remained still and unmoving. Tears of anguished sorrow ran from his eyes. “You can’t go, Shawna. Not yet.” He began stroking her face gently with his hand. Through tear-filled eyes he tried to memorize every detail, every contour of her face, for he didn’t want to ever forget it. He spread his hand over her cheek and he slowly brought his lips toward hers. It was a gentle, loving kiss, filled with more meaning than words can ever describe.

He lay down next to her motionless body and wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t ever want to let her go, he wanted to stay with her forever and ever. It was only then that Jack realized how deeply his love for her was.

As Jack lay, eyes closed, next to his one and only love, he felt the softest touch of fingers against his cheek. He lifted his head and looked to Shawna’s face. Her eyes were open and her hand rested upon his face. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. The tears he now shed were tears of overwhelming joy. The words he longed to speak, he couldn’t utter. He was besieged with ecstasy, and only actions could justify his feelings. He put his arms around Shawna and pulled her up to sit.

Jack looked with glistening eyes into Shawna’s. “I love you.” Only three simple words, but yet a meaning so true and strong that none can explain. Jack put his hands on her face and pulled her lips to his. A kiss of everlasting bliss that was filled with unspoken promises. Promises of forever, and promises of love. Promises that none would ever know.

CHAPTER 15

WHAT THEY DEEMED IMPOSSIBLE

IT was a sight like he had never seen before, and why it was there, he didn’t know. Even from where he was standing, he could sense an unmistakable power radiating from it, not an evil power, but a wonderfully tempting power. It held such honest sincerity and truth. For those who were only spectators, it gave them such a longing that only one could satisfy.

Indecision flowed through the man. He wondered what he should do. He didn’t want to interrupt such a thing as this, but he didn’t have to patience to wait. “Hey!” he called out in his naturally scratchy voice.

The boy and the girl both looked up at him in utter bewilderment, for they had expected to meet no one. The boy rose to his feet, and the old man discovered him not to be merely a boy, but a young man of about 18 years. The boy was understandably cautious in his greeting of the man. His “Hello” was guarded and impassive.

“What are ye doin’ down in my cougar trap?” the old man asked.

“She fell in,” the boy explained bluntly.

“Don’t waste yer breath,” he said, “I can see that.” The small, grey-haired man reached down to his waist and pulled out a rope. He threw it to the people trapped down in the hole. He knew that they wouldn’t be able to get out by themselves, especially if the girl was hurt as bad as she looked.

“Can you hold us?” the boy asked uncertainly as he took the rope.

“No,” the man answered curtly, “an’ I don’t ‘spect to.” He took his end of the rope and fastened it around the wide trunk of the nearest tree.

The boy held the rope doubtfully in his hand, “I don’t think I can pull myself up and hold her at the same time.”

“Then don’t.”

When the boy started blankly back up at him the old man spat angrily, “Don’t you kids know nuthin’?! Tie that thar rope ‘round the girl. Leave ‘er down thar and git up here yerself. Then you an’ me can pull ‘er up.”

Jack looked wonderingly at this old man. Where he had come from was a mystery. Jack had never before met this man, and he wondered if he was a hermit who lived in this section of forest. Jack walked over to Shawna’s side. Although she was conscious, her body was limp. He picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the side of the hole to where the old man stood. The rope still lay there, waiting to be used, and Jack followed the old man’s instructions. He tied the rope around Shawna’s waist then climbed up to the top. Together, he and the old man pulled Shawna up.

As Jack untied Shawna he asked, “Do you live around here?”

“Yup, foller me.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and walked away.

Jack once again carried Shawna in his arms and she put her arms around his neck. For an old man, he moved rather quickly through the forest, and even Jack had difficulty keeping up with him.

“He obviously knows where he’s going,” Shawna noted weakly.

“I’m jist follerin’ ‘im,” Jack said, imitating the man’s accent.

Shawna laughed softly as she stared up at Jack. What would she ever do without him? He meant so much to her, and she owed her life to him on several accounts.

It wasn’t long until the hermit showed Jack to another old shack hidden deep within the woods. This shack, though, seemed better taken care of than the one Nate had used.

“Bring ‘er in here,” the man motioned for Jack to follow inside. “I’ll git some water an’ we’ll see to ‘er cuts.” The man hurried out into what Jack thought maybe was a pantry. He glanced around the room, looking for somewhere to lay Shawna down. He saw a small bed in the corner and proceeded to it.

He gently lay Shawna down upon it and sat down next to her. “How you feeling?”

She offered a smile, “Okay I guess.”

He stroked her face with the back of his hand, “We’ll get you back up on your feet. Don’t worry, you’ll soon be feeling better.”

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply as Jack looked around the small cabin. It consisted of a stove and two cupboards. Next to the bed were an old rocking chair and a small table with wooden chairs. On the walls were many animal hides, some were old and others looked relatively fresh.

The hermit reentered the room with a rag and a bucket of water. He walked over to the bed where Shawna lay and set the bucket down. Jack watched as he dipped the cloth into the water and began cleaning the dirt from all her cuts, including the ones on her face.

“What happened thar?” he asked.

Shawna flinched as he wiped the claw marks on her face. “Mountain lions.”

Jack gawked at her. “You were attacked by mountain lions?!”

“Yup. There were two. One attacked me, and then the other one attacked the first one. I got away and found one of them dead the next morning.”

The man chuckled, “Musta been ol’ King. Pro’ly Tiger that ‘tacked you. He kills anythin’ that gits in ‘is way. King rules this part o’ the country, and if any other cat comes ‘round, he kills ‘im. I’ve been tryin’ to git ol’ King fer years, but he’s a sly one, that cat. Tiger came here jist a little while ‘go, an’ I was jist waitin’ fer ol’ King to git ‘im. Guess now he did.”

“You’ve been living here for quite a while then?” Shawna asked.

“Pert near sixty years, nigh all my life.” After several minutes, the man had cleaned all of Shawna’s cuts. Then he turned to her leg. “Did ya break it?”

“I don’t know,” she replied.

The man felt her leg with experienced hands. “Well, looks like ya done sprained yer ankle, but yer leg’s jist fine.”

“How long ‘till I can walk?”

“How high’s yer threshold fer pain? That’s the question ya should be askin’.”

Shawna sat up and placed her feet on the floor. She tested her ankle by putting a bit of weight on it. It hurt, but she decided she would be able to take it.

“Are you sure it’s okay to walk on it?”

“I’m a right good doctor, and I’d say its jist fine to walk on.”

She hobbled over to the table and sat heavily down on one of the chairs. “Jack, we really should get going. We can’t let Nate get away.”

“You’re right. Thanks Mr. uh… What’s your name?”

“Call me Sherman.”

“We owe you a lot Sherman, but we really gotta go. Thanks for everything,” Jack said.

“No, no,” Sherman protested, “ye can’t jist leave yet. I’ll give y’all some food ‘fore ya leave fer wherever y’all’s goin’.” He didn’t wait for an answer, and if he had been given one, he would’ve only accepted a positive one.

The man opened on of his cupboards and pulled out a container filled with meat. He lit a fire under the stove and it didn’t take long until the meat was warm and ready to eat. Jack and Shawna were both exceedingly hungry and they began stuffing the food into their mouths. It was only afterwards that they inquired as to what it was.

“Muskrat,” he said.

Shawna gagged on the piece she was eating. “Muskrat?”

“Caught it down by the crik.”

Jack’s face turned slightly pale and he put his hand to his stomach. “Well, we gotta go now,” he paused, “Hate to leave you in such a rush.”

“That’s jist fine,” Sherman said as they started towards the door. He stepped out onto the porch after them, “Good luck! Nice meetin’ y’all.”

“Bye Sherman!” Shawna yelled in farewell. Through all his faults, Sherman was a good old man. She was glad for his help. Even though the thought of eating muskrat made her gag, it had given her a lot more strength and energy.

After they were far away from Sherman’s home Shawna asked, “Can you believe that we ate Muskrat?”

Jack smiled, “Nope, that’s one thing I never thought I’d do. Bye hey, I guess there’s a first time for everything, even if everything doesn’t sound very appetizing.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” It wasn’t long until Shawna’s ankle really began to hurt. Walking continually on it, like she was, put too much pressure on it. Finally it just gave out and she stumbled to the ground. “Oow,” she muttered as she massaged her sore and now swelling ankle.

“Are you alright,” Jack asked worriedly.

“Yeah,” she cringed, “but my ankle is really hurting me. I guess my threshold for pain isn’t as high as I thought it is.”

Jack pitied the girl, for he knew very well how bothersome pain such as that could be. “Should I carry you,” came his sympathetic offer.

Her hands continued rubbing her ankle, “That’s okay; just let me rest a few minutes.” When a few minutes had come and gone, she stood to walk again, but as soon as any burden onto it, her ankle would give out and she would fall.

“Whether you want me to or not,” Jack said as he watched her struggle to stand, “I think I’m gonna have to carry you.” With what had become a much practiced move, Jack scooped her up in his arms and proceeded forward.

“You won’t be able to carry me all the way back,” Shawna said after he had been carrying her for several minutes.

“Wanna bet,” Jack laughed.

Shawna looked up at him and chuckled, “No.”

Suddenly Jack halted and glanced around, “Did you hear that?”

Shawna listened intently for a couple moments, “No.”

Keeping his voice quiet so only Shawna could hear, he whispered, “I swear someone’s followin’ us. I heard it a ways back, and its still trailing after us.”

“What sound?”

“Footsteps.”

Footsteps… footsteps. The word echoed in Shawna’s mind. Who’s footsteps? Who was following them? The trees were particularly thick and lush at this part of the woods, so if someone was pursuing them, they wouldn’t be able to see whoever it was.

Jack carried Shawna over into a thick bush and knelt down. He carefully set her down on the ground and looked around at every tree and bush, for he knew any one of them could conceal a man with sinister intensions.

Silence now ruled the forest, and the game was on. The birds watched the face-off from their treetop homes. Jack, being the unlucky player, tried to locate his opponent’s position. He knew he was up against someone, maybe something, but more likely someone. Who that someone was, he didn’t even have to guess. The advantage of surprise was held by the other player of this game, and he planned to use it to its full capability and to his benefit. The gun was raised…

A bullet whizzed by Jack’s head and planted itself in the tree behind him. Jack lay flat on the ground and tried to conceal himself as well as possible. More bullets were shot as his position and several of them nearly hit Shawna. Deciding he needed to protect her more than himself, Jack ran from that bush to another thick growth of some kind of plant that was taller than him.

No shots were fired, and Jack began to worry that he had given Nate the opportunity he had been waiting for. He had left Shawna vulnerable and exposed. Jack kept a close eye on Shawna and make an effort to silence his breathing. Not a sound entered his ears, though he listened with the most attentiveness he ever had. His adversary was more proficient with this game of wits, and in this game, you either lived or died. It gave the saying ‘only the strong survive’ a new and more deadly meaning.

Shawna’s eyes grew wide and a look of fear crossed her face. “Jack!” she screamed, “Behind you!” Jack spun around and was directly tackled by a mass larger than his own. The two began tussling on the ground. They rolled over and over. First Nate was on top, then Jack, then Nate. Jack was fighting with every ounce of skill he had, and Nate was matching him move for move.

Jack’s strength and stamina may have matched Nate’s, but his weight was less. Nate used that benefit to its fullest. He soon had the boy in a lethal grasp and was preparing to end his existence, when a searing pain consumed his foot.

His gaze was drawn to the figure above him, and what a surprise is was. The barrel of a gun was aimed at his head and a threatening voice said to him, “Don’t take fact that I’m a girl too seriously. Get up and give me your gun.”

Nate slowly began to stand as he pulled his pistol from his pocket. “Don’t know why you want it, it’s empty.”

A disgusted look entered Shawna’s eyes, “I don’t care if its empty, give it to me… now.”

Her eyes and her voice held a brutality that Jack never knew she possessed. He watched as Nate stood and carefully analyzed his moves. The man was in pain, for he tendered his bleeding left foot. He extended his gun in his hand to Shawna. Before Jack could protest, Shawna reached with her free hand to obtain it.

Nate dropped his gun and grabbed her hand. With his other hand he instantaneously hit Shawna’s wrist. Her gun went flying and he darted off into the woods. Jack and Shawna gave chase, but soon lost him in the thick undergrowth.

“Shit!” Shawna said, “We lost him again!”

Jack retreated back to where they had lost the guns as he said, “We’ll get him next time.”

“Next time!” she said exasperatedly, “When is there ever gonna be a next time!”

“I don’t know, Shawna! I don’t know!” Jack raised his voice. “This is as bad for you as it is me!”

Shawna was slightly taken aback, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

“Damn right you shouldn’t,” Jack replied angrily.

Shawna glared furiously at Jack as he picked up the two guns which had been dropped. “You have no right to treat me like that.”

Jack turned to face her, “No right, huh. After all I did for you, you yell at me for one mistake! I have a damn good reason to treat you like that!”

Shawna stalked past him to continue on their way when Jack stepped in her path, “Don’t you walk off on me.”

She shoved him aside, “Get outta my way.”

Jack watched her retreating figure and sighed. The stress of this whole situation was really getting to him, and Shawna was correct. He had no right to treat her the way he had, and this was not the time to get at odds with each other. This was a time when they needed to stick together, for together was the only way they could conquer.

He ran onward to where she was. “Shawna wait! I’m sorry.”

She stared unremittingly ahead of her, and she refused to look at him or even acknowledge his presence.

“Shawna,” Jack pleaded, “we can’t do this. If we wanna get through this, we have to stay together, we can’t do this alone.”

“Well you seem quite capable of doing that, and you seem to be preparing yourself for it,” she replied bluntly.

He reached out and grabbed her arm. She stopped and looked irately into his eyes. He held her gaze and spoke calmly. “I’m sorry for talking to you like that, and you were right, I had no reason for it. What else can I say? I’m asking for forgiveness.”

She stared unconvinced into his face. Jack went down to his knees and looked pleadingly up at her, “Please, I’m begging you.”

Her anger melted into a puddle of affection. No matter how hard a person tried, those earnest blue eyes could soften anyone’s heart. She endeavored to keep an annoyed expression on her face, but reality counteracted and overtook the effort.

Once they were walking again Shawna said, “The girl who you marry is gonna have you begging at her feet for everything.”

“Yeah,” Jack laughed, “but I get what I want.”

Through the trees, Shawna saw the sun glint off of a window. As she neared it, the houses from the town appeared through the thinning trees. Shawna limped along beside Jack, arms around each other so she could stand.

The people walking along the streets looked at them curiously and watched them as the walked together to the courthouse. Jack carried Shawna up the steps and entered into the building.

Sheriff Henry Blake and Deputy James Barlow were seated at their desk conversing with each other. When Deputy Barlow saw Jack and Shawna walk in through the door he said, “These are the kids I was talking about, Sheriff. I see they have come back again, probably with some other half-wit story to tell.” He sneered at them, “Why don’t you just leave, we don’t believe whatever you have to say.”

Jack reached into Shawna’s pocket and pulled out the tape. “We don’t have anything to say, but his does. It’s proof of the story you didn’t believe.”

“Get out,” the deputy demanded.

“Let ‘em plead their case, Barlow,” the sheriff said.

“Thank you, Sheriff,” Jack said. His dark ice blue eyes held a steady and challenging gaze with Deputy Barlow as he strolled nonchalantly over to his desk. He got his tape recorder and popped Nate’s recorded confession into it. The Deputy’s eyes grew wide as he listened to the conversation between Nate and Jack.

“You weren’t lying,” he said, his voice filled with awe.

Shawna stared at him triumphantly, “You bet your life we weren’t.” The Sheriff listened quietly, taking in everything he heard. Consideration clouded his face as he decided what he should do. Being an experienced law man, he naturally wanted to know everything about this whole situation before putting anything into action.

He looked to the girl, “Tell me everything.”

Both Jack and Shawna explained the entire tale to the Sheriff. After several minutes of their narration, Shawna asked, “What are you gonna do, Sheriff?”

“Well,” he though a moment, “I guess the only thing we can do is try to catch Mr. Crawford, but from what I hear he seems to be mighty sly. You said he was harassing you earlier this morning?”

“Yes,” Shawna replied, wondering what this man’s plan of action would be.

“He’s probably still in that basic vicinity and somewhere near the town. I’d say our best bet is to go look for him. I doubt he’ll come back to town, because he probably knows that rumors are starting to fly. If you think you can do this, we’ll leave now and go find him.”

Shawna’s reaction was an enthused “Yes!”, but Jack contradicted her.

“You can’t walk with your ankle being as bad as it is. You’ll have to stay here, me ‘n the Sheriff can go by ourselves.”

Shawna snorted, “Not on your life. There ain’t no way, I’m stayin’ here. I’ll go get my ankle wrapped or something, and I’ll be just fine. You aren’t gonna leave me here. Remember what happened last time you left me behind?”

Jack shook his head disgustedly, “You are so stubborn. Fine, if you think you can take it.”

Shawna held her dignity as she limped alongside Jack to the town’s modest little hospital. They took her in and wrapped her ankle securely, telling her not to walk on it too much. She smiled a silly grin and promised not to.

Then, from out in the hallway, a nurse yelled into Shawna’s room. “Helen, the lady down in room six would like to see you.”

Helen, the blonde-haired nurse who was wrapping Shawna’s foot replied, “Tell her I’ll be there in a minute.” She turned back to Shawna, her short hair swishing around her shoulders. “Some people are really crazy now days. That lady in room six came in with a gun wound yesterday evening. She claims Nate Crawford shot her.”

Shawna gasped, “Miss Lucy’s here?!”

“Yes, I think her name’s Lucy. Do you know her?”

Shawna jumped down from the table, “Of course I do! And she ain’t lyin’! Nate Crawford did shoot her. Trust me lady, that man’s evil.” The nurse attempted to grab her arm as she ran out the door, but wasn’t fast enough. Shawna’s eyes roamed the hall, looking for room #6. It wasn’t too hard to find.

She dashed inside and was confronted by a sickly Miss Lucy lying on the bed. “Oh Lucy,” she said as she ran to her bedside.

She smiled weakly as she looked bleary eyed up in Shawna’s face. Her voice was quiet and strained as she inquired about Nate. “Did you get him?”

Shawna placed her hand on Lucy’s arm as she spoke as convincingly as possible, “No, but we’re gonna get him soon.” Shawna noted with concern that Lucy’s face and neck were covered in sweat, and she seemed to be struggling for breath.

Helen suddenly entered the room and stood by Shawna’s side, as Miss Lucy closed her eyes. “We’re not sure what’s wrong, but we can’t keep her conscious. She’s been like this since this morning.”

The innate question arose from Shawna’s lips, “Will she be alright?”

Helen looked compassionately at Shawna, “We don’t know.”

CHAPTER 16

WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU HAVE WON

EVENING shadows began stretching across the ground as Jack and Shawna walked up the steps to the courthouse. She had her head leaned against his shoulder and her eyes showed her mind to be distanced from the world. Jack opened the door and together they entered once more into that place. The Sheriff picked up his gun that lay on his desk and stuck it in his holster. He accepted the guns which Jack offered and reloaded them both. Sheriff Blake gave Jack and Shawna his directions, and then the trio headed out the door to the woods.

On the way, Jack tried to cheer up Shawna, “C’mon, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for. We’re finally gonna get Nate. Take your mind off Miss Lucy, she’ll be fine. You can go see her when we get back.” Her blue-gray eyes searched his face incredulously. “Don’t make me beg at your feet again,” Jack smiled.

Her returned smile wasn’t as bright, but she tried not to worry. After all, Jack was right; she had waited for this time to come. Nate was at last going to be convicted to his evil deeds. Her parents’ deaths would be justified after all these years.

Jack and Shawna lead the Sheriff to where they had last seen Nate and their search started from there. It surprised Shawna when she spotted blood on the ground. She knew it was from Nate, from where she had shot him. Her mind still couldn’t accept the face that she had shot a man. Acting upon an impulse may not always be bad, and that time her actions saved a life, Jack’s life.

Sheriff Blake was known as a skilled tracker, and he lived up to his reputation. At first, they found a good, strong blood trail, but that soon vanished.

The Sheriff knelt down to the last place where they found blood. There was a pretty good amount of it. “He must have sat down here and put a bandage on his foot, because there’s no more blood from here on.” His eyes wander observantly around that area. A small piece of cloth lay on the ground near the blood. The Sheriff picked it up. “He probably ripped up and used his shirt.”

He examined the ground and noted the recently tripped up leaves. “It looks as if he went that way.” The Sheriff’s finger pointed deeper into the woods, somewhat in the direction of Sherman’s house.

Then Jack suggested that they spread out a bit, so as to cover more ground. To keep safety in mind, he thought that they should all stay within yelling distance. Both the Sheriff and Shawna thought it to be a good idea. The each went their separate ways, holding a gun in their hands. None of them had a strong desire to use the guns, but if forced, they all would.

As they walked, they all circumspectly scrutinized every aspect, looking for a clue to Nate’s whereabouts. Vigilance was the key to success this time, for without it they would be nowhere. They considered every tree, every rock, and every plant as though it may hold a secret worth telling. Their work was paid off. Jack, who was traveling in between the Sheriff and Shawna, found different suggestions of a person that had walked by there prior to his own escapade.

At first Shawna felt fine about all of this. She wasn’t worried or scared, she was confident, but now that confidence was beginning to ebb away. She couldn’t understand why, but she was incredibly nervous about being in this particular section of the forest. Her spine prickled with every sound, whether it was a bird or a rustle of leaves.

A steep drop off came into view to her right, and she meandered cautiously over to it. She kept several feet away from the edge and peered wonderingly down in the gorge. Way down at the bottom was a river flowing around rocks and over small waterfalls.

As she awed over the sight, a sound, a different sound, came from behind her. Normally she wouldn’t have jumped, but it didn’t seem to be a sound of nature. Perhaps a humanly sound, but none could be sure. Either way, Shawna slipped silently over to where she heard it.

If only she hadn’t been so curious. Her curiosity and her impulsiveness killed her intension of remaining anonymous to her quarry and took not her resilience, but one of another.

A hand, an all too familiar hand, clasped over her mouth. A muffled scream came from her, but no one save her captor heard it. It was a fierce fight she put up. She fought every step of the way. She kicked and attempted to pull free from Nate’s grasp, which she feared so terribly. She grabbed his wrist and wrenched his hand off of her mouth. Her terrified scream reverberated through the woods and was plenty convincing enough to alarm Henry and Jack.

With her rescuers now on the way, Shawna did her best to not let Nate take her too far away, but when fighting an older man, such as him, the odds are more than likely to go the other way. Her hand hit the side of Nate’s leg, and she felt a hard “something” in his pocket. In reality there were two “somethings” in his pocket, both deadly to anything in their way.

Nate’s free hand flew to his pocket and pulled out another gun, his reserve. His fingers flexed around the handle and his trigger finger twitched readily. The sound of running footsteps drew Nate’s attention to what was behind him. He turned and was confronted with the sight of Sheriff Blake charging toward him, gun in hand. It was now or never, win or lose. Shawna saw all of what was happening and did her best to prevent it, but it wasn’t good enough.

His gun was raised, arm outstretched, and the Sheriff tried to stop, but wasn’t prompt enough. Shawna hand grabbed frantically for Nate’s weapon and she sent it flying through the air and over the cliff.

Jack heard a horrified scream and a gunshot ring throughout the forest simultaneously. What exactly had taken place, he didn’t know. Who shot at who wasn’t of his knowledge, but he was bound to find out. The Sheriff had told him to stay back, but now wasn’t Jack’s time to listen to his directions.

His feet led him to the place where the gunshot originated from. His eyes withheld a bloody and sorrowful sight, one he never wished to see again. The Sheriff lay on his back, blood gushing from a hole in his head, above his left eye. Jack swore he saw the man take his final breath as he lay dying on the ground.

Jack’s hand fell to his waist and his hand rested upon the handle of the gun. He fingered it and slowly withdrew it from what had been its resting place. He surveyed the woods surrounding him, and he saw no one.

A shadow appeared from something behind him, and he slowly turned to face whatever it was. His heart nearly stopped and trepidation set in. The man of the shadow no longer held a gun, but now he had the power of a knife. The blade of which rested precariously on Shawna’s neck. Anybody’s wrong move now would bring forth dreadful consequences.

“What are you gonna do, Jack,” Nate jeered him, “What are you gonna do.”

“I’m gonna kill you,” he threatened.

“Vicious now, are we?” the man laughed. Then his eyes turned icily cold and glinted with evil. “Don’t. You kill me, I kill her. It’s that simple.” He paused. “Please Jack, Don’t do anything… stupid.”

Jack felt completely helpless. He didn’t know what to do. Nothing could be done without Shawna’s life being taken, which could happen with the simplest slice of the knife. Jack looked to Shawna’s face. It was plastered in terror. Her eyes were glazed in an unimaginable fear. A person doesn’t know fear until their life is hanging perilously in the balance. Her face was pale and she stared desperately at Jack. He knew that he was her one and only hope for life, her only chance. If only he knew what to do. His gun was no help, so he put it away again.

His only option was to beg, “Please, Nate, just let her go.”

“Why would I do a thing like that?”

Jack took a tentative step forward.

Nate shifted the knife as he said warningly, “Jack.”

An instant later, Shawna’s expression changed. Jack watched curiously as she shuffled her feet. He soon understood her objective. She had her legs wrapped around Nate’s ankles. As soon as he attempted a step back…

Pushing what luck he had to the limits, Jack stepped closer, “You don’t wanna do this. If you kill her, you’ll be caught and put away for murder. If you turn yourself in for what you already did, they might be merciful.” Jack intently watched Nate’s face as well as his feet. The man confidently held his ground.

Trying another approach, Jack began coming in from the side. Upon instinct, Nate attempted to turn to face the advancing boy. His weight was thrown off balance when his feet didn’t move. He stumbled and fell to the ground. In doing so, his knife slipped and the blade sliced deeply into Shawna’s arm as she rolled away.

As Jack leapt upon Nate, he saw her grab her arm in pain. Giving his full consideration to Nate, Jack began a fight like he had never fought before. When Jack jumped on top of him, Nate rolled over and Jack saw him reach for his knife. Jack hit his arm away and was elbowed off.

He rolled away from Nate and jumped back to his feet. Nate was running towards him, knife held threateningly in hand. Time didn’t allow Jack to grapple his own weapon, so he dodged the stroke of death that was given.

Jack felt his foot slip off the edge of the cliff. Nate saw his predicament and was prepared to use the opportunity. The boy stumbled and waved his arms, trying to get his balance. The older man’s shoulder collided with Jack. He felt himself begin to fall backwards. He tried to jump back and grab the grass on the ground. He would’ve been safe, but Nate saw his leap for life.

He placed the heel of his boot on Jack’s straining fingers. He pushed with all of his weight and Jack cried out in pain. His grip loosened and he began slipping back over the side. He heard Shawna cry out for him and he looked at her as he frantically tried to pull himself back up.

She reached out for him and tried to come to his rescue, but she was unable to move. Her right arm hung limply to her side and she didn’t seem to be able to move her one leg.

Jack pulled as hard as he could, but felt himself slipping down over farther and farther to certain death and destruction. Nate stood forebodingly above him, watching him struggle unaided on the edge. He observed gravely as the boy struggled for his own existence, not lending an ounce of strength.

His legs hung over a sheer expanse of air and his arms began to tire. The grass he had been holding onto suddenly ripped out of the ground, and Jack plummeted down over the cliff, arms and legs swing wildly.

Shawna gasped as she glimpsed her love tumbling over the periphery. An unbelievable sense of disbelief flooded through her. This couldn’t be happening, she prayed to wake up and find it all a dream.

The wind rushed through his hair, and he hoped for a quick, painless death. He body smashed heavily against a hard cleft of ground. He tried to catch his breath. His eyes looked above him; the edge of the cliff wasn’t that far above him, thirty, maybe forty feet. How could that be? His hand slid off his chest and dangled in mid-air. He jerked his arm up and looked over his shoulder. Inches away, the ground dropped off and the river flowed beneath him. He had landed on a puny precipice, only inches from what he thought would be his final moments.

A terrified scream fell over the forest, and Jack cringed at the sound. What was Nate doing to Shawna? If only there was something he could do. He reached for his hip pocket and felt his gun still there. He hoped his aim was good, for he only had one chance.

“Nate!” Jack called out from his lucky landing place.

Amazement showered over both Nate and Shawna as Jack’s voice came from below. Just as Jack wanted, Nate ran to the edge and peered inquiringly over.

When Jack saw his head and shoulders appear, he raised his gun and took quick aim. Before Jack’s actions registered in Nate’s mind, the boy pulled the trigger, and the man fell backwards clutching his shoulder.

Shawna watched, spellbound as blood began surging from Nate’s shoulder. The man groaned in pain. She heard Jack’s voice call out her name, and she tried to crawl over to the edge of the cliff. During her struggle with Nate, she was positive that she had now broken her sprained ankle, for she couldn’t move it. Her arms was still bleeding from the knife wound, but she pulled herself with her one good arm and leg over to where she could see Jack.

Relief overtook him when he saw her beautiful face peer over the ledge. She was alright, his world had survived. “Shawna!” he yelled, “Go get Sherman! I think his house is right near here!”

Suddenly she screamed and disappeared from his view. “Shawna!” Jack yelled. He looked worriedly up, wondering what had happened. Then a rope fell down over the edge of the cliff and made its way down to him. He grasped it, mystified. As he returned his gaze to the ledge a familiar grey-haired face leaned out over.

“What are ye doin’ down thar?” the old man questioned. “Ya got some likin of holes an’ cliffs?”

“No Sherman,” Jack said, “this was purely accidental.”

“So was the last time y’all was down in a hole.”

He laughed at the old man and tied the rope around his waist. Jack looked up and asked, “You got it secured up there?”

“Yup,” came the curt reply.

Jack began pulling himself up, using the side of the cliff. Before long, he reached the top. Sherman extended his hand and hefted the boy up over. Jack’s eyes wandered over to Nate, who lay bound with ropes a few feet away.

“Do you always carry rope?” Jack asked Sherman.

“Yup, ya never know when it’ll come in handy. Used it two times today, both for y’all.” The old hermit looked over to the motionless body of the Sheriff, “What ‘appened to ‘im?”

Jack looked down at the seething Nate, “Nate got to him.”

Sherman reached into his shirt pocket and withdrew a small bottle of some unknown mixture of liquid. He knelt down beside Nate and put the bottle to his lips. Seconds after drinking the potion, Nate’s eyes slowly closed.

“Thar, take ‘im back to wherever he belongs. He should sleep for the next couple days.”

“What is that stuff,” Jack said wonderingly.

Sherman smiled mysteriously, “My secret.”

Shawna looked over at the dead body of the Sheriff, “What she we do with him?”

Jack gazed sorrowfully at the body, “He was a good man. He deserves some recognition, but we can’t take him back now.” He looked at Sherman, “Would you mind taking the body for us? We’ll come back for it later.”

Before any thanks could be given, Sherman, along with the body, vanished into the now serene forest. Only minutes prior, blood and evil had owned the land, but now all was calm. The peaceful melody of the forest flowed sweetly around its inhabitants and granted them a sense of harmonious accord.

Knowing that there was work to be done, Jack pulled the limp body of Nate upon his shoulders. Together, Shawna and he began their trek back to town. His breath got ragged as the walk continued, but he held on and kept going until they entered the town. Shawna hobbled along slowly beside Jack. Her ankle caused her much pain, but there was nothing she could do.

People gawked at the sight they encountered, but who wouldn’t? Two muddy and bloody teenagers come waltzing up the street carrying what looked to be a dead body of Nate Crawford, a highly esteemed man of such remarkable prestige. The totally flabbergasted stares followed the unlikely pair up the street to the courthouse. Once they entered into the building, a crowd of curious and innocent bystanders stood outside the door, conjecturing with each other about what could possibly be a credible justification of this scenario. None could quite give a probable answer.

The uncanny circumstances seemed to only thicken with bizarreness, when a man and lady shoved uncouthly through the horde of questioning people. Their pounding footsteps carried them through the courthouse doors and out of the sight of the spectators.

Rumors began swarming through the mass of people outside the courthouse, but inside, the conversation was altered fairly dramatically. Deputy Barlow had just informed Shawna that he had contacted her family and told them of her whereabouts. Rob and Lily then came barreling through the doors and froze in complete shock when their eyes fell upon Shawna. The understanding the elements of this situation had not been granted, but they had once again found what they considered their daughter. Her astounding story, of they knew almost nothing of, would come as an absolute stunning astonishment to them.

Before Shawna explained her story to Rob and Lily, Jack informed Deputy Barlow of what had happened to the Sheriff. The man hid his sadness well. He nodded his head mournfully and asked where the body was.

“We left it in the care of Sherman, an old hermit. We can go get it if you like,” Jack said.

James met his understanding gaze and shook his head, “No, I’d like to do that by myself.”

Jack agreed and motioned for the rest of the people to leave along with him. As they left, James Barlow placed the sleeping body of Nate Crawford in one of his jail cells. The group of four exited the courthouse and were consumed by a mob a questioning townspeople. Neither Jack nor Shawna revealed any piece of information. The Deputy would provide them with the entire story later.

Once away from all inquisitive ears, Shawna explained everything to Rob and Lily, and they told her all that they knew.

“In all honesty,” Lily said, “we are your aunt and uncle. Your mother was my sister and only sibling.”

Shawna stared at her feet as she asked, “Why didn’t you ever tell me before?”

“I don’t know,” her aunt answered. “I thought it was best that you didn’t know at first, and as time went on, I got scared. I didn’t know what your reaction would be, so I always left it to later. I guess “later” caught up with me one day.”

Just then, they walked by the entrance to the hospital. Upon seeing the building, Shawna remembered Miss Lucy. “Lucy!” she gasped. She bounded up the steps that led to the front door. She shoved her way through the entry and found herself in the lobby.

Her pounding footsteps led her down the hall to room number six. She opened the door and stepped inside. An empty and neatly made bed shouted out and unwanted message to Shawna. Fearing the worst, she ran back to the main desk. Helen was handing some papers to the secretary right then.

“Helen!” she said, “Where’s Lucy?!”

A mournful glow entered Helen’s eyes. She looked into Shawna’s beseeching eyes and comfortingly grasped her hands. “She past away this afternoon, soon after you left.

Incredulity overtook her as she stared back at Helen. Tears blurred her vision and she looked down at her feet. “Lucy,” she muttered. Her mind flew back to when she had first met Lucy. From there her mind wandered through all the memories that she had made with the lady. A sense of lose greater than one can know until experienced veiled her heart. Discouraged and saddened, Shawna walked slowly to the door.

She met Jack at the door and fell into his arms. Tears of grief poured forth from her eyes, and Jack wrapped his arms comfortingly around her.

“Why?” Shawna sobbed, “Why did she have to die?” She searched Jack’s eyes, looking for an answer that would soothe her anguished soul. “I killed her, Jack. She died because of me.” She buried her face in his shirt.

“No,” Jack lifted chin once more. He forced her to meet his gaze. “You did not kill her, Shawna. Listen to me, you did not kill her. She made her own choice.”

“But I was part of her decision, I encouraged her to do what she did,” came Shawna’s tearful protest.

“There is only one person responsible for her death, and do you know who that is?” he paused. “Nate killed her. He pulled the trigger on her life. It was him not you.”

Shawna looked at him through glistening eyes. She sniffed and wiped away her tears. He placed his arms around her waist, and they walked carefully down the steps to the street.

Rob approached Jack and Shawna and asked what had happened. Jack explained, for Shawna couldn’t utter a word through her choking tears. When the story was told, Rob pulled Shawna away from Jack and held her close. He smoothed her hair with his hand and muttered consolingly to the girl, “Shh, don’t cry, don’t cry. We’re gonna go home, and everything will be alright.” He began walking with his daughter towards a carriage setting in the street.

He lifted his unresisting daughter into the wagon as he spoke soothingly, “We’ll go get your things, and then we can go home.” Lily crawled up and sat beside her as Rob and Jack turned and started walking away.

Jack pointed down the road, “Her things should be at the Crawford house.”

Rob didn’t answer, he only continued walked in Jack’s appointed direction. When Jack maintained his place by Rob’s side, the man said tersely, “Thank you for your help Mr.…”

“Manning, Jack Manning.”

“Mr. Manning, but I think I can take it from here. Your help will no longer be needed.”

“But…” Jack objected.

Rob turned and faced him, “Look, you’ve done what you need to do. We don’t need you any longer. Shawna will be going back home with us now. Your services were much appreciated, but are now unnecessary.”

He began walked again and Jack stopped him. “May I ask one thing?”

A blank stare answered him.

“I know I haven’t known Shawna very long-”

“Only I few days,” he interrupted.

“Please,” Jack said, “let me say this. She is the most amazingly astounding person I’ve ever met. She’s… there’s no word good enough to describe her, Mr. McGregor, and I have but one request. I love your daughter more than any man has ever loved a woman, and I long to ask for her hand in marriage.”

As the sincerity and meaning of Jack’s appeal set in, the man stared long and hard at the boy. His voice was flat and emotionless as he answered, “Like I told you before, we don’t need you. I don’t want you to marry my daughter.” He paused as he glared aggravated at Jack. “Do you realize what you did to her?!”

Jack stared at the man, appalled.

“You ruined her!” he shouted, “You ruined my daughter! All the things you made her do. You could’ve killed her! I’m not going to place my daughter in the hands of some hooligan like you. If I let her marry you, she won’t live for more than a month, if that!”

No words of protest forced their way from Jack’s mouth, for no words came to his mind. He was in every respect speechless. He neither knew what to do or say. His only action was to stand flummoxed in his place.

Shawna’s uncle turned away and stalked toward the Crawford house. Jack’s gaze followed after him. He ran his hand through his blonde hair and sighed. What was he going to do? He loved Shawna dearly, and he didn’t want to loose her. He hadn’t risked her life; he had worked hard to save it. In his last few hours with her, Jack had decided that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman. He was ready to commit himself to her, forever, but what happens if the father doesn’t give his blessing on the marriage?

Jack turned and started walking back towards the wagon. He steps were slow and sad. This would be his final good-bye to the girl he loved. Sadness such as that is one of the worst emotions a person can endure. It feels as if an immense piece of your heart and soul is being unfairly and ruthlessly taken away from you. It leaves you feeling worthless and disheartened. This kind of misery is one that is never forgotten. It remains hidden deep within a person’s heart as long as they live. Those people always wonder what if? What if he or she had said yes? What if we would’ve tried? What if? Having those thoughts and questions twirling relentlessly through your mind day and night is far beyond miserable. It’s something no one wishes to have to suffer through, but many do.

He walked alongside the wagon and looked up at Shawna. Her blue-gray eyes met his own. He placed his hand on hers and held it tightly as he stared warmly into her face. “Good-bye, Shawna,” he whispered. It was all he could say, though he longed to say more. The lump in his throat choked his words, and all he could manage to do was hold onto her hand as if it was all he had.

All too soon, Rob returned and pulled himself into the wagon. He picked up the reins and slapped them across the horses’ backs. Their feet moved the down the road, pulling with it the wagon. Jack released Shawna’s hand as he gazed sorrowfully after the wagon. Shawna turned in her seat and stared longingly back at him as the wagon rolled along. Jack watched it until it disappeared down the road that led out of town.

Shawna stared at Jack, until his figure vanished because of distance. Since he made no suggestion of her staying, she assumed that he wanted her to leave. She thought that he didn’t want her any more. Tears filled her eyes and flowed down her cheek, for she didn’t want to leave. She longed to stay with Jack perpetually, but he didn’t want her.

As Jack turned to leave, a man walked up to him. Jack didn’t want to speak to anyone at that moment, so he tried to side-step him, but the man was persistent.

“Jack,” he said, “talk to me.”

The familiar, yet different voice, grabbed Jack’s attention. He looked up and found himself staring at his father. The man’s face was unusual as was his tone of voice. They held no suggestion of anger or drunkenness. Instead, they were calm and almost soothing.

“Jack, I came to say I’m sorry,” his father said sincerely.

Jack stared at him, wholly dumbfounded. His father was apologizing? Something had to be wrong, very wrong.

His father smiled when Jack only gave him an astonished look. “I found someone who loves me, and I never even knew it. I found a place where forgiveness is handed out freely, and I feel accepted there, Jack.” When his son still didn’t understand, he said, “Jack, did you ever go to church?”

“No,” Jack answered, still unsure about what was going on.

“Well,” his father explained, “the priest from that church down the road caught me at the bar today. Me and him had us a good talk. He told me about Jesus and God. He said that God has always loved me and is willing to forgive me for everything I ever did. You know Jack, I never felt so good. Then I asked the priest about going to heaven. I told him that I’m headed to hell for all the bad things that I did. He told me that if I confess my sins and believe all that the Bible has to say, that God will take me into heaven when I die. Can you believe that, Jack? I’m forgiven of all those bad things I did. I just needed to ask your forgiveness for all the things I did to you. Will you forgive me?”

His father’s eyes and voice seemed to be sober and honest, but Jack was still shocked by the transformation. The only answer he could give was a strangled, “Yes.”

He put his hand on his son’s shoulder, “Thank you.” He looked into the boy’s bright blue eyes and asked, “Will you go to church with me sometime?”

Jack felt a yearning for that feeling that his father had. By only talking to him, Jack could tell that his father possessed something wonderful that he didn’t. Something that could be obtained by simply believing what is commanded in the Bible. His answer was truthful when he said, “Yes, I would like that.”

His father smiled then looked down the road. “That girl left, huh?”

“Yeah,” Jack answered dejectedly. “I asked her father if I could marry her and he wouldn’t let me.”

“Why not?” he father wondered.

“I don’t know.”

“Jack, do you really love that girl, and do you honestly want to give yourself to her for the rest of your life?”

Jack looked into his eyes and said, “Yes, I do.”

The man’s solution was simple, yet so wonderfully complex. “Then go get her!”

Jack smiled, and then turned to run after the wagon. Before he went, he turned back to his father. “I love you, dad.” His feet carried him swiftly along the dirt road, in the direction that Shawna had been taken. The wind whipped through his hair and the ground seemed to push him forward.

To make up lost time, Jack cut through the woods. He darted smoothly between trees, leapt over rocks and branches, and ran like he had been granted the wings of an angel and maybe he had.

Jack cleared a small pool of water in a single bound and found himself tumbling over a bank to the road. He looked up and down the dirt lane. Had they already passed, or was he ahead of them? He held his breath and listened. Faintly, oh so faintly, in the distance he heard the sound of horses’ harnesses jingling. They had already passed by this place, but they weren’t too far beyond him.

Again, he took up running. After a few twists of the road, he came upon the wagon. The horses were plodding along at a leisurely pace. Once within yelling distance, Jack called out, “Shawna!”

She turned in her seat when his voice filled the air. She saw him running up the path after her. An uncontainable joy overwhelmed her. She jumped out of the wagon, forgetting about her broken ankle. She ignored her parents’ protest as she ran towards Jack.

When they reached each other, they ran into a tantalizing embrace. She held Jack so tight, for never wanted to let him go again. Jack’s face was buried in her hair as they spoke earnestly to one another.

Jack pulled away from her and put his hands on her face. “I never want to lose you, Shawna. I couldn’t stand to see you go.”

“Neither could I.”

He leaned close to her and lifted her face up to his. A mesmeric kiss that reminded them of what they really wanted and needed. Jack dropped down to his knees and took Shawna’s hand in his own. His charming eyes searched hers as he asked charismatically, “Shawna, will you marry me?”

Tears once more filled her eyes as she replied simply and honestly, “Yes.”

Jack stood and embraced her. He swung her off her feet. He spun her around and then set her feet back on the ground.

Their kiss sealed their promise. Forever was finally theirs. They belonged to each other forever. A kiss of enthralling ecstasy. It all at last fit perfectly together and it would so forever. Forever.

EPILOGUE

THERE are many seemingly coincidental happenings, but looks may be deceiving. A slight suggestion of what occurred was given but no proper explanation. Nate had planned his first meeting with Shawna. After the murder, he left thinking that he had killed all three of them. Shawna, the little girl, did survive. She wasn’t found, though, until later the next morning, and by then had lost a great deal of blood.

She was asked about what had happened, but she gave no answer. Her memory was completely gone, erased. Her real parents had once said, “If anything would happen to us, we would like Shawna to live with her relatives. We don’t want her to go to an orphanage. We want her to stay where we know she would be safe.” And that’s what came to pass.

Nate then read an article about Shawna. He kept that article and conducted his own search for her. He didn’t know where she was living, but he had to finish her off. If he didn’t, he would be an irresponsible man with no apparent wit. His thorough hunt lasted for several long years before he located Shawna. Then, he watched her. He learned all her habits and her favorite places to go. Then, he planted the article in the house. Just so she wouldn’t know the entire story, he poured black ink over majority of the paper. He knew her aunt wouldn’t reveal what had happened to Shawna when she asked. His planned meeting with the girl went well and they were on they way back to Haynesville.

As you know, Nate had his reasons for not killing Shawna right in the beginning. When he was ready to take her life, he wanted it to look like an accident, which is why he didn’t just come up behind her and shoot her. When things started to get out of hand, Nate got desperate. No longer was he trying to make it look accidental.

After everything was said and done, Nate was given the death penalty for four accounts of murder and several attempted murders. Miss Lucy had been helping Nate in the launch of the story, but not on her own will. She was being forced and paid. Her life got complicated when she found a liking for Shawna. Her loyalties were changed and that caused her death.

Nate’s wife and children disappeared. No was knows where they went, but it is thought that they wanted to get away from that town and their bad reputation. Mrs. Crawford and Jon did know of Nate’s bad deeds. Although Jon did not know everything that had conspired, he was on his father’s side. Innocent Lindsey knew absolutely nothing.

Jack’s father became a Christian and later taught his son what that meant. It wasn’t long before Jack himself believed in God.

After seeing what determination they had, Rob granted his blessing on Jack and Shawna’s marriage. They had a small, simple wedding a few days later. Jack and Shawna moved to a small ranching farm west of Haynesville and settled there. The people were friendly, so it didn’t take long to feel contented there. Jack found a small, modest church to which he and Shawna attended. Through the years, they had five beautiful children, all of which were told of the amazing story of how their parents were brought together, for it is quite the incredible and sometimes even unbelievable story.