I chose the Boulevard. I would have to run most of it, but that would allow me to gain precious time.
I would wait for him to fall asleep. I had my bear spray in the cargo pocket of my pants. I would use that to disable him. I needed to get my knife out of my pack, along with my headlamp. I wouldn’t make it very far without my light out there. I decided to try to get some sleep now so that I would have some reserves for when I tried to make my break. This had to work; it absolutely had to work. I knew if it didn’t, I would certainly die up here.
I must have drifted off, because I suddenly felt someone nudging me. I opened my eyes to see him standing beside me. He offered me a drink of water.
“Drink. I want you around for a couple of days, and it’ll be much better if you’re not dehydrated.”
Considerate of him, I thought.
I drank as much as I could before he grabbed the bottle away from me. Ten minutes later, I felt the room swimming around me. I started experiencing double vision, and that’s when I realized he drugged the water. Fear coursed through me. He saw it in my eyes and began laughing. That’s the last thing I remembered of that night.
Chapter 9
I awoke in a state of confusion, surfacing from a thick haze. My memory came flooding back in a rush, and I realized I was a prisoner.
My bludgeoned face was on fire, and my tongue was dry and swollen. I couldn’t move my jaw or open my mouth, so now I had no doubt my jaw was broken. My cheek stopped bleeding sometime during the night. My sleeping bag was covered in dried blood, and my face felt like it was the size of a balloon.
I had to look at the positives though; I was still alive. My injuries, while painful, were not life threatening. My arms and legs were uninjured, so that gave me inspiration to continue with my escape plan.
I contemplated how I would put things in motion. Should I wait until his back was turned? I’m not sure how that would work since I needed to have a direct hit on his face with the bear spray. If I was even slightly off, that could mean precious minutes lost to me.
Seconds later, he headed toward me with some food. It wasn’t possible for me to even get my mouth open, so I wondered how he imagined I would be able to eat. Then I realized he never intended to give the food to me. It was for himself.
He gave me a big smile as he started to take a bite. He ate and stared at me with those emotionless, evil eyes. It was very unsettling. I had this feeling he knew what I was thinking…knew about my plans for escape. I tried to look away, but I didn’t seem able.
Suddenly, he stood up and walked away. Seconds later, he was headed back toward me holding a rope and a roll of duct tape.
“I’m heading out for a while. I’ve gotta scout out the area and see what’s around. I’m gonna have to tie you up. You know I don’t trust you to stay here,” he said with a vicious smirk. I started hearing those voices again—nasty and terrifying thoughts about how he would torture and kill me.
I knew my time had come. I had to act now. It was daylight. I could get down the mountain without my headlamp, so I didn’t need to get into my pack. My bear spray was in my pocket. As he began to unwind the rope, I slowly inched my hand into my pocket. I needed for him to get very close so that I could be one hundred percent sure of hitting my target. It would incapacitate him for at least ten minutes. That would give me my head start.
He reached for me, and I released the spray on him. It was a direct hit in his eyes. He stumbled backward, fell to his knees and started screaming. He covered his eyes and howled in anger and pain. He was yelling profanities at me, but I didn’t stop to listen because I was out the door and running toward the trail.
I ran as fast as I could, careful all the way not to slip and fall; a mistake like that would cost me my life. It wasn’t long before my lungs started to burn as I continued to push on. I was thankful for it at first because it took my mind off of the stabbing pain my jaw was causing with each and every footfall.
I kept repeating to myself, “Only eight miles. I can do this in my sleep. Stay focused, Maddie.”
The burning in my lungs that I was initially thankful for soon turned into my mortal enemy. I somehow knew my lungs would explode soon if I didn’t slow my pace. Thankfully, my adrenaline rush was still in high gear. It enabled me to push myself as hard as I could, even though I was gasping for every agonizing breath. Still, I knew I couldn’t take the chance of slowing my pace. This was better than the alternative that was undoubtedly chasing me by now.
I ran for what seemed to be hours, but in reality, only about fifteen minutes had elapsed. On the bright side, that put me at least a mile closer to my car and safety. I kept pushing myself forward. The pain in my jaw seemed to be easing a bit, most likely due to my desperation for safety. I started pondering about slowing down to see if I could hear him in pursuit, but my adrenaline wouldn’t allow me to do that quite yet.
After an hour or so, I looked at my watch to gage the distance I had covered. At the pace I was pushing, I was probably covering about a mile every ten to fifteen minutes. That would put me about a third of the way down.
I was approaching a fairly tricky spot that would force me to slow down. It was a point where the trail narrowed to barely a single footpath that literally clung to the side of a mountain. With the recent snow, it became all the more hazardous. There was a thick cable nailed in the rock for hikers to grab as a handrail. I had been on this trail in the past when it was icy, and it could get extremely treacherous. I didn’t want to take any chances here and risk losing my balance or my footing.
I decided to slow down, and that’s when I heard a twig snap in the distance. I gasped with fear. The noise turned my legs to concrete, halting my ability to move. I forced my mind and, hence, my legs, into action. I started running again. I had made it about halfway across the danger zone when I felt a searing pain in my left calf. The force of the impact spun me around. I looked down and at first didn’t realize I was looking at an arrow in my leg.
A second later, I felt another searing pain; this time, it was in my chest near my left shoulder. I gasped, not so much from the pain, but from the sheer shock of it. It threw me off balance, and then, the pain hit, leaving me senseless. I looked in the direction from which the arrow came, but I couldn’t see anything. I could only guess he would be upon me in minutes.
I couldn’t put any weight on my leg, and then, I felt my left hand going numb and losing its grasp on the cable.
I started to panic. I became dizzy and lightheaded, and my feeble hold on consciousness began to slip. I willed myself, ordered myself to keep moving forward, but my legs ignored my commands. My foot slipped, and the cable began to slide out of my grasp.
Reality barreled into me with the force of an earthquake. Survival was an absolute impossibility here. The fall was at least thirty feet, and that was a conservative estimate. If the fall didn’t kill me, the below freezing temperatures at nightfall and my injuries would; that is if my predator didn’t get to me first. The last thing I recall was scraping the side of the mountain, trying to grab onto to anything to stop my fall, only to come up empty handed. In slow motion, I saw my life pass before me. I don’t remember hitting the ground; I must have lost consciousness by then.
Chapter 10
The mist swirled around in my brain, washing over me like an early morning fog in autumn. First there was darkness, stars, and then bright lights. At times, I could feel myself spinning. I awoke with a start and sucked in my breath. Had I dreamed this? The pain that ensued with each breath I took reminded me this was no dream. I couldn’t move either of my legs. I lifted my head to try to see what had them trapped. I was lying on my right side. Where was I? What happened to me? When I raised my head and saw the arrows, my memory came flooding back, like a giant wave crashing over me.
I knew I needed to do something, but I didn’t know what. I took a try at pulling out the arrow in my chest, but the pain it created nearly made me lose consciousness again.
I began talking to myself, convincing myself of the importance of staying awake.
I wondered how long I could survive like this, exposed to the elements, with no water, like wounded prey, waiting for the hunter to return. The reality was I was at death’s door. I was more frightened than I had ever been. And freezing. Icy cold. I touched my fingers to my cheeks and that awful gash had started bleeding again. My mouth tasted like dirt. Dry and rusty. I was so thirsty. I cried. I didn’t want to because I couldn’t afford to lose any more fluids, but I couldn’t stop the useless tears.
Somewhere, in the recesses of my mind, I knew I must try my best to remove the arrows. I gritted my teeth against the pain and pulled as hard as I could on the one embedded in my chest. I succeeded in pulling it partially out when I blacked out. I awoke, disoriented and dizzy, with pain thrumming in every fiber, every molecule of my body. When I remembered where I was, I lifted my head to look at the arrow again.
I achieved my goal on the third attempt. It took everything I had, but the arrow came out, leaving a gaping hole of ragged, bleeding flesh. I pulled my shirt over the hole and tried to put some pressure on the wound, but I was so weak I was pitifully ineffective. I held the offensive weapon tightly in my hand for no apparent reason. Then, I returned to the blackness that released me briefly from the grips of agony.
* * * * *
Everyone has defining moments in their lives, moments that they can recall with precise clarity the details that shaped them. I had several up until this point.
The first one was when my mother died. The second was the day my father died. Anyone I have ever met who has lost his or her mother will tell you how painful that loss was. In my case, the worst was the loss of my father. Maybe it was because I was such a tender age when I lost my mom, or maybe it was because it had only been my dad and me. In any case, the profound and abject misery I felt when he died will be carved in my memory forever.
I remember the announcement over the intercom…my physics teacher’s slight nod to acknowledge my departure from class…the clicking sound of my heels as I walked down the tiled corridor…the cold feel of the door knob as I turned it to enter the principal’s office…the looks of pity on the faces of those present…the smell of the principal’s aftershave…the feel of the cold cloth on my forehead when I regained consciousness…the sounds of the emergency room…the antiseptic smell of the hospital…all the machines to which my dad had been hooked…the deathly pallor of his face. I remembered it all as if it had just happened…every single time I thought of it. What would happen to me in the next weeks would come to hold many more of those unforgettable defining moments.
* * * * *
I opened my eyes to see her standing about five feet from me, shrouded in a hazy mist. She reached toward me, and I started sobbing. Why did I have to start hallucinating now?
“Maddie, don’t cry. I’m here to help you. You must reserve your strength. Crying will only weaken you, and you can’t afford that now.” She placed her warm hand on my brow, soothing me. It was an odd sensation.
“Oh, for the love of God, Mom! Why do you have to show up now? I have spent so many hours thinking of you and wanting to talk to you. Why now? This is so not fair!” I croaked between sobs.
She replied, “I told you honey. I’m here to help you. You are not in the best of situations right now.”
“Really, Mom? Who’d have guessed? I’m dying, right? It’s okay, you can tell me. My life hasn’t exactly been a cloud of cotton candy, you know.”
“Maddie, don’t say that. You cannot possibly want to die. You are destined for great things in your lifetime. You must believe that,” she scolded.
“I’d like to, Mom. I really would. I can’t help but disagree with you on that though,” I muttered. “I never thought things would end up like this. You know something? If I’m going to die here, no one will ever know I’m gone for at least a week or so. That’s the kind of life I have, and that’s not much to brag about.”
“Oh, Maddie, I’m sorry. You know it wasn’t our choice to leave you. It was not in our hands. There are much greater powers at work here.” Regret laced her words.
“I’m not blaming you. I know you and Dad would still be with me if you could. It’s just that life doesn’t mean a whole lot if you don’t have anyone with whom to share it. I’m just glad you’re here now, so I don’t have to die alone. You will stay with me, right? I mean I’m so scared,” I begged.
Her image seemed to become clearer as she continued to speak. “Maddie, listen to me. Help is on the way. I’m not going to let you die. The man who hurt you turned away after you fell. He thought you had died. I’m here to see that everything is done to prevent that; trust me when I tell you great things await you if you’ll only be patient a bit longer.”
“Mom, I can’t feel my legs. I don’t get it. They should be killing me. I’ve been shot, right? I pulled one of those arrows out, but I don’t think I can get the one in my leg. My head and my face are killing me too. What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I feel my legs?” I could feel myself panting from exertion.
“Maddie, just stay calm. Take slow deep breaths for now,” she advised. “I’m here with you.”
I wanted so badly to hold her hand that I found myself reaching for her, begging, “Could you please just hold my hand?”
I could feel the blackness threatening to take over again, so I fought to stay awake. I didn’t have the strength to beat it, much less compete with it. It won, and I slipped into its comfort again.
In the dim recesses of my mind, I heard a constant murmur of voices. I couldn’t decipher what was being said, only sounds and whispers. I can’t recall how long I stayed in that state of mind. I lost all recollection of time.
Then, unexpectedly, three brightly glowing melon-sized balls of light came soaring across the dark sky. When they were a few feet away, from me, they elongated into long thin slivers. Moments later, the slivers expanded and then took form into three indistinct shapes.
I kept blinking my eyes, not trusting what I was seeing. I was positive I was hallucinating. This must be what happens right before you die.
Then, the indistinct shapes morphed into three men—three very tall, powerfully built men. They were identical in that they were all dressed alike—wearing black hooded cloaks that fell to their ankles. The hoods hid their faces, but I had the strangest feeling they were there to help me.
Eventually, I could understand words and phrases from the voices I was hearing.
“Serious injuries.”
“How long?”
“Does she know?”
“Fell…”
“Arrows…”
I was still fading in and out, but the hallucinations were disturbing. I couldn’t quite discern them. I heard one of the men saying something about a scanner. Then, I heard a high-pitched sound. After that, there were more discussions about injuries. I assumed they were speaking of my injuries, but I was so befuddled I wasn’t sure of anything.
I must have been crying because one of the robed strangers brought a hand to my face and gently wiped my tears away.
He whispered, “Hello, Madeline. We are here to care for you.”
“Who are you?” I struggled to get the words out, as it had become increasingly more difficult for me to speak or breathe.
Then, my senses were assaulted with the scent of an earthy pine forest—deep and luscious, the type of scent, that you could only experience hiking in the woods after a rain, when everything is moist and damp. It was simply wonderful as it blanketed me; I just wanted to continue inhaling it, enveloping myself in the heady aroma. It was extremely soothing, almost a sensual feeling. I didn’t stop to think it was unusual for my mind couldn’t focus on any particular thought. I was simply there. Was I still alive? Had I lost my mind?
“Madeline, we are going to have to move you, but do not worry. We have given you something for the pain, and we will take great care not to cause you too much disco
mfort,” the man said.
“Where are you taking me?” I whispered. “I’m really scared,” I pathetically squeaked out.
“We know, but do not be alarmed.”
Whoever spoke tenderly placed a warm, soothing hand against my uninjured cheek. I felt a soft, gentle touch that somehow soothed me.
“We are taking you someplace safe, where you can be treated. We are here to help you.” I felt this savior take my hand and hold it firmly, passing his strength to me.
I tried to lift my head, but I didn’t have the strength anymore. Then, I started feeling a sense of numbness wash over my body, and my pain began to ease tremendously. I think they had given me an anesthetic for the pain. Then, I felt myself being lifted, but I couldn’t open my heavily weighted eyes. I felt the comforting cocoon of darkness return.
Chapter 11
I awakened to see a strange, beautiful woman leaning over me, wrapping a bandage over my chest and shoulder. She was wearing a leather tunic and pants, much like you would imagine the Cherokee Indians wore two hundred years before.
Who was this woman, and why was she dressed this way? While I was curious about my surroundings, it was her astonishing face that captured all of my attention. Simply put, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
Her delicate features were absolute perfection. Her dark eyes, like molten chocolate, were soft and kind. Lips the shade of summer berries surrounded her perfect teeth. Her black silken hair hung past her waist, and she was tall and slender and seemed to glide instead of walk. I can’t define it, but a glow emanated from, and surrounded, her so that she lit up the darkness.
I continued to stare at her in amazement; I felt myself reaching to touch her to make sure she wasn’t in my imagination. Her bronze skin was warm and smooth. She let me rest my hand on her arm; she knew I needed that.
When she moved, I noticed there were others around her. They were much like her; all of them were beautiful. There were about ten of them; at least that was how many I could see from where I was lying.