'We" unfinished

‘We’ were going to have the time of our lives. ‘We’ were going to be independent for once and be responsible. ‘We’ were going to go halfway across the country to an unknown world
‘We’ didn’t make it.
Our trip started out as planned, we threw our bags in the trunk of her baby blue 1996 Ford Mustang, it was her baby; her baby blue baby.
We were taking turns driving, we would drive in four hour shifts; she was going to drive first. We were both super excited about this trip because we were finally free of our parents, free of restriction like curfew and the rules about boys.
We were two eighteen-year-old women bound and determined to have the time of our lives.
Too bad we wouldn’t.
The drive started out perfectly, we were wide-awake though we’d slept little due to the pending excitement. We were singing to the radio and laughing at everything. Then our song came on the radio, “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera. It was our song to butcher, but we still loved it. Our main incentive was to butcher the song and sound like nails on a chalkboard.
While we sang I looked over at Jezzie, as I called her, but her real name was Jessabelle. Her hair drove me gonzo, because I was so jealous of her. Her blonde curls were always flawless; he blue eyes never stopped glittering, and her teeth where always whiter than the snow. Her smile could freeze a crowd; it was a warm smile, a kind smile.
I miss it already.
Jezzie’s beauty was nothing I could beat with my straight dark brown hair, my green eyes that were dull, and my smile only ever caught a room’s attention when someone noticed I had dimples. Stupid dimples, I hated them so much, so I avoided smiling most of the time.
But around Jezzie I couldn’t stop smiling, she was always smiling, and it was contagious.
She turned the music down, “What?” she laughed.
“Huh?”
“You stopped singing silly girl, what’s up Kirsten?”
I smiled and shook my head, “Nothin, I guess I zoned out huh?”
Jezzie laughed, “And you call me the space cadet.”
I laughed too.
Jezzie’s sparkling eyes looked back toward the road. “We’ll have to stop for gas soon.”
“I’ll buy this time,” I said. We had a pile of money hiding in a slot for gas, me volunteering meant I was buying the snacks.
We stopped at the next gas station, Jezzie filled up as I went inside to get the goodies. We had chosen a good store, the candy aisle was amazing; M&Ms, Skittles, and Butterfingers as far as the eye could see.
I felt like a kid in a candy store, oh wait, I was one. Well, I was a young woman, but I sometimes acted like a child.
I walked up and down the aisle trying to decide on the right candy. The Skittles were taunting me with their bright colors and many flavors. The M&Ms were calling my name, “Kirsten Chocolate Dunn, come over here,” too many temptations and I couldn’t decide.
I went to the back fridges, we had pop in the cooler in the war, but I decided we needed more variety. But that was another decision. Luckily for me I didn’t have to decide.
“Kirsten, get the A&W root beer, a bag of sour skittles and a bag o f Twizzlers, let’s go,” Jezzie yelled from the front.
She was good with making decisions; too bad she hadn’t rubbed any of that off on me.
Maybe it could’ve saved her.
I grabbed the 12 pack and the bags of candy and headed to the check out. Jezzie was standing there and smiling. I paid for the candy and pop and we headed to the car.
“Your turn to drive,” Jezzie said and threw me the keys.
I jumped into the driver’s seat and put all but 2 of the pops into the cooler. I put the two into the cup holders. I handed Jezzie the bags of candy before I put on my seatbelt and started the car. I held the clutch down and put the Mustang into gear and headed onto the highway.
Jezzie opened the Skittles first and handed some to me, we blared the radio and sang our hearts out again. I guzzled my pop down, and soon after had to pee. I thought I’d be able to hold it for the two hours I had left in my drive.
Stupid me, I should’ve drank my pop slower. Then none of this would’ve happened.
My bladder started screaming at me that it was overloaded, so I pulled into the next rest stop. North Dakota was a boring state, but it’s rest stops were even worse. This one was a worn down red brick building with only one door. Jezzie had fallen asleep.
“I’ll be right back,” I whispered and turned off the car locking the doors behind me and taking the keys.
I ran into the building and almost didn’t make it to the bathroom on time before my bladder finally exploded. After I was empty I carefully washed my hands and headed back to the car.
When I unlocked the door and sat down I said, “North Dakota is so ghetto, I practically had to-“ I looked over, Jezzie was gone. I looked in the backseat thinking she wanted to lie down, but she wasn’t there either. Then I noticed her door was unlocked and there was glass on the floor. I jumped out of the car and yelled her name. No response, I listened quietly, then ran into the building.
“Jezzie! Jezzie! If this is some kind of joke, it isn’t funny and I’m not laughing,” I yelled making myself smile.


There was no one else at the rest stop. I ran out the door and ran around the building yelling Jezzie’s name. She wasn’t anywhere; so I grabbed my cell phone and called the police.
“North Dakota Highway Patrol, please state your emergency,” the operator said.
“My cousin, I think she’s been kidnapped,” I yelled.
“Okay ma’am, you’re going to have to calm down, what makes you think that?”
“We stopped…at a rest stop…she was sleeping…I went inside and now she’s gone.” I was beginning to hyperventilate.
“Okay ma’am I need you to calm down and tell me where you are.”
I looked around and noticed a sign. “I’m at the Shayne West Rest stop.”
“Okay ma’am I have a unit on the way. Please stay on the line with me.”
I did stay on the line and answered a few basic questions though I don’t remember it well. When I heard the sirens in the distance I stopped pacing and walked to the middle of the parking lot. When I could see the sirens I told the operator they were there and thanked him before hanging up. I put the phone in my pocket and started waving my arms.
“C’mon, c’mon faster!” I whispered and tears started to well in my eyes.
Finally the cop car came to a stop and the officer inside too his time getting out and putting on his stupid hat. I walked over to him slowly.
“Hello ma’am, I’m officer Max Powers, what seems to be the problem,” he was calm. His jet black hair was hidden under his had, but he couldn’t’ hide his forest green eyes.
“My cousin’s been kidnapped,” I managed to say.
“Okay ma’am you need to calm down, why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“I had to pee really bad, so we pulled over. Jezzie was sleeping so I locked the doors and ran inside real quick. When I came back out Jezzie was gone; her door was unlocked,” I was truly crying now, the tears fell down and I lifted my shaking hands to my face.
“Is that the car over there?”
“Yeah,” I said without looking.
“Okay, you lean against my car, and I’ll go check it out.”
I move over and lean my back against the car. A loud barking came from in it. I jump and scream simultaneously.
“Oh, sorry, that’s Jack, he won’t hurt you.”
I turn and through the tears and glass I saw a bloodhound now staring at me. I turn back and saw Officer Powers peering through my window, then walked into the rest sotp. He reappeared a moment later. He comes over to his car and radios for something, a technical term I don’t know.
Then he says, “I need you to sit in my car for a little bit, I’m going to take Jack and see if he can follow a scent.” He snaps on white latex gloves.
“I wanna go with,” I quickly state.
Officer Powers is stunned, he stares at me a minutes, “Um…okay.”
He grabs the dog from the back of the car and attaches the leash. The dog is ready to go to work. Officer Powers walks over to the car and opens the driver’s door. “I need something of Jezzie’s to get a scent from.”
I look in the car, “The sweatshirt is hers.”
He pulls the sweatshirt out and holds it to the dogs nose. “Get the scent Jack, get it boy.” He puts the sweatshirt back in the car and closes the door. “Jack, search!” he orders.
The dog immediately puts his nose to the ground and is weaving back and forth. Then he starts away from the car, away from the rest stop towards the exit. Then the dog bolts into the woods.
“This could be a very bad sign,” Officer Powers says.
“But every minute she’s gone it diminishes the likelihood that we are going to find her alive!” I object.
Officer Powers touches my shoulder, “I know the statistics ma’am, but I also know if I go into the woods with you and my dog alone I could get in big trouble and we could get lost. I’ll call for backup and they’ll be here shortly. We’ll get a search crew out here in a half an hour with more dogs. Just don’t worry. Trust me.”
Yeah, and I did for some reason.
So while we waited for the search team, Max, as he told me to call him, called out parents who said they were on their way.
“I’m so dead, “ I think as I hold the brown blanket that Max had given me tightly around my shaking shoulders.
A half an hour goes by, I sit in Max’s squad car with the door opened. More squad cars arrive, along with 20 plain clothes people. Four cops inspect the mustang, one took shards of the glass and putting it in a bag. Everything was so grotesque, so unreal and unwanted. I pinch my skin hoping the sharp pain would wake me up.
But it only makes my arm sore, “God I wish I could wake up.”
“We’re ready to head out,” Max says tapping my shoulder. “Are you sure you want go?”

That’s where I am now, debating . but I’m not going to think anymore. “Yes, I have to go,” I say standing up and placing the blanket in the car.
Suddenly I’m following Officer Powers and a heard of other men. The three dogs are given the sweatshirt to smell near the grass. I watch as they raise their noses and smell the air.
Jack is the first one with his nose on the ground and bolts towards the woods again. I quickly follow him. I turn to see the rest of the men forming a chain and then start walking behind the dogs. I walk now silently, and I hear the men talking softly behind me.
In my mind I see Jezzie smiling and singing in the car again. It brings a tear to my eye.
Jack’s head rose suddenly as if he heard something, his ears perking.
“Could it be Jezzie’s screams?” I wonder, fearing the worst.
My stomach quenches with every step I take, I fear anything we find.
“I found something! A voice yells behind me.
For a moment I’m frozen with fear.
“It’s a piece of cloth.”
My lungs expand and I breath again. I turn to see a hoard of men standing near a tree. I suddenly see a camera flash and I feel I’ve been blinded by the light. When I finally reach the hoard the men spread so I can go through, a man is holding a bag with a cloth in it.
“Does this belong to your cousin?” he asks.
The pink cloth is town, but I know it is from Jezzie’s shirt. She was always wearing something pink. Today it was her cowboy t-shirt.
“Yes,” I whisper, they hear me and lower their heads. “This isn’t good,” I think; exactly what’s going through their minds.
“Okay men, let’s spread back out and start searching again,” Max chimed in, coming up behind me. He taps my shoulder and I turn around. “Let’s go.”
I follow him and Jack again; Jack sill has the scent even though there’s a slight wind from the west and the sun is beginning to set. Jack’s ears perk up now and then and I wonder what he hears.
Could it be the screams of my cousin? Or the sound of a squirrel climbing up a tree? Or was it the maniacal laughter of the kidnapper?
“Focus,” I accidentally say out loud.
Max is still moving forward and I’m walking close behind .he stops too quickly for me, and I run into him.
“Why did you stop? “ I ask.
“Jack stopped.”
I look at Jack, he’s sniffing the air, trying to find Jezzie’s scent again, he lost it.
“Did he lost the scent?” I asked.
“Um…no…I don’t think so,” Max says looking around. “How are the dogs doing?” he yells.
Men stop walking, “Betsy’s lost it.”
“Same with Roscoe.”
“What’s going to happen now?” I ask grabbing Max’s arm.
“Let’s see if Jack can pick the scent back up with the scent pad,” Max places the scent pad to Jack’s nose. He sniffs the ground a minute, walks around in a circle, and then sits.
“What’s going on?” I ask, tears welling up in my eyes.
“The scent disappeared,” Max says turning around.
“What does that mean? A human scent don’t’ just disappear.”
“Well it means her feet left the ground, her abductor probably picked her up or something.
I shudder at the sound of those words. An abductor was never a good thing.
“We should head back, it’s getting dark. We’ll start up again in the morning,” Max informs all of us. The rest of the men turned to leave, my feet felt like lead and I can’t move.
Max turns and his green eyes are compassionate, “You have to understand we won’t be any good to Jezzie if we are tired or we get hurt in the dark. I promise we’ll have twice as many men out here in the morning.”
“But the scent—“ I mutter.
“In the morning we’ll bring the dogs out again, but they probably won’t be able to pick up the scent again.” he held my shoulders and stared in my eyes. “Let’s go back, “We’ll put you up in a hotel tonight.”
I start walking Max’s arm around me. Soon we are back at the rest stop. Max has me sitting in his car as he talks with the men. Jack’s in the back seat; at first pacing, but now he’s got his head through the plexi-glass divider and he’s trying to lick me. But I avoid his large slobbering tongue. Then I’m staring out the window wishing I’d learned to read lips long ago. I can’t decipher what Max is saying.
The men disperse in multiple directions. I watch as Max walks past Jezzie’s car. It’s so different looking now; empty and desolate. Max gives me a fake smile whien I look at him. He climbs into the car and sits a moment.
“Where am I staying?” I ask.
Max looks at me, “Um…what?”
I notice there is a hint of tears in his eyes. “I…I… I asked where I was staying.”
“Yeah, you’re staying at the Motell Inn up about five miles. I’m going to bring you there now.”
I reach up my shaking hand up to his face. He quickly turns his face and wipes away the tears. “Let’s get you there,” he backs the car up and we head down the entrance ramp.
I watch Jezzie’s car as they load it onto a tow truck and it shrinks in my sight as we pick up speed. Soon we’re on the highway, the trees I stare at are all the same; tall and scary. I wonder what’s behind them. If Jezzie’s lying dead somewhere. Her body growing cold as the seconds pass. I close my eyes to fight back the tears.
The car stops and I realize we’re at the motel, suddenly my door creaks open and re-adjust my sight to see Max there holding the door. I climb slowly out of the car. Max leads me to the office where we immediately receive a key.
The room I’m given is fairly decent; a light blue comforter covers the queen size bed. The room itself is painted dark blue with splashes of waves on them. I sit down on the bed, Max stands awkwardly in the doorway.
“Um…I’ll see you in the morning okay? Bright and early.” Max says and turns away.
“Max,” I say raising my eyes to his level, “Please don’t go.”
Max turns, looks at me, then responds, ‘I…I…I can’t.”
“What if Jezzie’s kidnapper comes after me, I’m afraid.” I lower my head and put my hands to my face, trying to hold back the tears.
Max comes over to me and sits down. He slips his arm around me, “He won’t come after you, I’ll stay with you and protect you.”
I grab him and hug him. Tears flow from my eyes. IT is the fear that has been overwhelming me.
Max rubs my back, and I sit still, Max lets me go, “You need your sleep.”
“Okay, I will, but please don’t leave me.” I lay down, my head on the pillow. I am still, closing my eyes to try to sleep but images of Jezzie gagged make my eyes shoot back open.
After a while Max stops rubbing my back and I feel the bed sink behind me. I know Max is laying down. He doesn’t stay long. He gets up and I hear the door open and close. A tear falls from my eyes as I think that he’s left, but the door reopens and I hear jingling.
Suddenly the bed rocks and I realize Jack has jumped onto the bed. He lays at my feet and I hear motion in the room, I assume Max is taking off his belt and gun. I feel Max behind me, I feel his body heat, but he doesn’t touch me.
His breathing grows heavier and deeper. I close my eyes again and I see the darkness, but now I hear whispers.
I awake to hear Max’s cell phone ringing. Max sits up and answers it.
“Hello?” his voice is groggy, “Okay, I’m ready, we’ll be right over.” He stands up as I roll over.
“What’s going on?” I ask sitting up.
“We need to get going, the teams are all set,” Max is putting his belt back on.
Jack’s up and whining at the door. “I’m going to take Jack out and get him fed, meet me outside when you’re ready,” Max tells me.
I watch as he goes out the door; I get up off the bed and go into the bathroom. I turn on the faucet and splash som ewater in my face. I look in the mirror and see how tired I look; the same as I feel. I had slept last night, but in spurts. Max hadn’t slept much either, I felt him shifting and tossing over.
Thoughts race through my head as I head for the door, “Will we find Jezzie today? Will we find her alinve? Will I find her? Will the dogs be able to follow her scent from yesterday?”
I finally make it outside and I lean on the patrol car. Max appears from the trunk with a dish in his hand. He opens the back door and places the dish inside.
“Should we go?” Max asks.
I wrap my arms around myself trying to heat myself up from the chills. Max goes back to the trunk and pulls out a jacket that he wraps around me. Then he opens the door and I climb inside.
As we drive back to the rest stop I look at Max, his uniform is wrinkled from the night, but the dark blue color conceals that a little. His hair is slightly messed, but it’s really too short to notice. Before I know it we’re at the rest stop. There are many men and a few women waiting for us. The same dogs are there from yesterday and everyone is paying attention to one man.
The patrol car rolls to a stop and Max gets out. I’m frozen until Max’s door slams and I snap back into reality. I get out of the car, and head around the back. Max has Jack on his leash and we head towards the crowd.
“We’ll head out in a chain; scouring the forest for any clues if you find anything yell and everyone stops.” The man finishes up talking and he comes over to us, “You’re Kirsten, right?” I look up and nod.
“I understand how difficult this is, and I know you want to run through the forest to find Jezzie, but right now you need to stick to our plan, Officer Powers will be by your side the entire time. Jack’s the best dog here.”
I look at the man, but I’m not listening to him, I zone out trying to hear Jezzie. But when I start hearing my name being called by multiple voices; and hear the snapping of shuts, that I snap back into reality.
“Kirsten, can you tell us how you feel about the situation?”
“Kirsten, are you sure your cousin was kidnapped?”
It was reporters, vampires that had no feelings and carried around cameras and tape recorders.
“Kirsten has no comment at the moment, and you people are not allowed any further.” The man says as Max ushers me and Jack towards the woods.
“Okay people, let’s go,” Max says and the chain gang of volunteers head into the woods. We stand an arms length apart , Jack’s nose is pressed near the ground, the scent must still be there somewhere.
I can hear the footsteps on both my sides, but I see no one; my vision is like that of a horse with blinders on, restricted. I feel like a robot looking everywhere and zoning in on the littlest things. Hoping that the crucial clue will be caught by my eye. For a long time I see nothing, no clothes, no traces of footsteps, nothing, just leaves and twigs. I’m not the only one, no one finds anything for about an hour.
Then it happens.
“I’ve got something!” a voice yells. I turn toward the sound and run, a man with another of the dogs is holding a twig with a shoe on it. The shoe is covered in a red liquid, and as I near I realize it’s blood.
Everything goes black. I awake and see Max standing over me, “Kirsten, are you okay?”
“What happened?” I ask.
“You fainted.”
I sit up and get back on my feet, “Let’s get back to work.”
“Are you sure you’re able to go on?” the man from earlier comes over.
“I’m sure I want to find my cousin,” I brush off the leaves and start to walk again. I’m the only one wlaking for a minute, then Max catches up with me.
I hear as other footsteps start to move. Jack’s nose is back on the ground working quickly. I could feel Max’s eyes on me; he’s trying to read me, trying to figure out what my head’s thinking.
We trudge uphill now, my legs are feeling the burn; I’m going to keep going, I have to. I can hear water running; a river or waterfall, something. We are farther than we were yesterday.
“Kirsten, help me,” I hear the whispers of Jezzie. I run up the hill now, my heart racing. I almost fall off the cliff, a twenty foot drop, at least, into what I see now as a lake.
My eyes move quickly scanning the far edge; moving along the outer ledge. Then I see it, the body.
“Max!” I scream, “It’s Jezzie.” Why hadn’t I yelled her name first? My arm shakes as I lift it to point to Jezzie’s body.
Max’s arm touches mine. “We’ve found her, send in the chopper, We’ll wait for the chopper to get here to get her.”
I look at Max, I take off his coat, and I walk back past him. Then I turn around and run for the cliff. I leap over the edge and say a quick prayer that I’ll make it into the water. I do, and the water is deep. I quickly re-surface, and begin to swim towards Jezzie.
“Kirsten!” a voice yells from the cliff, but I keep going; even when I heard another splash, and then another.
I get to the shallow area where I can touch and I begin to run toward Jezzie. “Jezzie!” I scream as I get closer to her body. I fall to my knees next to her. Her hair and clothes are wet, and her forehead has blood on it. “Don’t worry Jezzie, I’m here now, and I’m never going to leave you again.”
She opened her eyes a crack, “Kirsten, I knew you’d come. I knew you’d save me.”
A tear falls from my eye as I hear splashing coming towards me. I turn to see Jack barreling toward me, and Max right behind him.
“Are you nuts?” Max asks. “How is she?”
“She’s alive, but just barely, she was conscious a minute ago, but I think now she’s relapsed into shock,” I say as I take Jezzie’s hand into mine.
“Wow, you sound like a doctor,” he clears his throat. “the chopper should be here soon.”
I lay down next to Jezzie and touch her face. Jack lays at our heads.
Max’s looking around, he looks up at the people who are looking down the cliff. Then he looks to the other side. “Where did she come from?”
I don’t respond, I just hold Jezzie’s hand praying she’s okay.
Max gets out onto the shore and starts to walk around. I can see him now out of the corner of my eye. He’s nearing the waterfall and suddenly he vanishes into it.
“Powers!” a voice calls from the cliff.
“I found something over here!” Max yells reappearing from the waterfall. I don’t sit up. “Jezzie I’m not leaving you, I’ll be right back.” I get up and walk to where Max is, “what is it?”
“Why don’t you go over to Jezzie, you don’t’ want to see this,” Max tries to push me away.
I look at him, “Max, let me see it, I can handle it.”
“Kirsten, it’s a crime sncene I can’t let you go in there.”
I push at Max, but he holds his ground, so I turn as if to walk away, I take two steps and the n I turn and run like a bat out of hell past Max and through the waterfall. Once I step inside I immediately wish I hadn’t.
On the walls are chains and blood is splattered everywhere. I gasp and Max pulls me back out before I can really notice anything else.