Short Story (Drama/Kidnapping)

Cheyenne came to slowly, feeling queasiness in her stomach. Moaning, she choked back nasuea and tried to lift a hand to her throbbing head. Both wrists were bound tight to the roll bar on an old truck.

The old Chevy truck was climbing, winding its way through the dusty, rocky, old dirt road. She watched loose dirt and stones kicked up by the worn tires being thrust into the cold night air forming a cloud behind the truck. She managed to loosen the binds enough so that she could sit up and look through the window at the man behind the wheel.

He stopped abruptly in the middle of the narrow road near the top of the mountain. She looked over the edge of the bed and saw the thin sparkling line of the river far below. A vulture warned her as he circle high above the mountain, warning his prey far below.
"Please..." she cried out. "I've got money. Do you want money?" He ignored her and pulled the knot loose. He put the tailgate down and drug her to the gravel road by her ankles.

There was a fire, an illuminated light in his eyes. She recognized his hate, his body shuddered with an intesne heat. His face was illuminated by the moonlight and she saw he was drenched with sweat. His touch was like hot coals burning into her flesh. She watched him, his dark eyes sweeping over the steep features of the harsh landscape. He gripped her arm tightly then moved his hot, sweaty hands to pull on her hair. She fell to her knees with a stabbing pain.

The man who stood over her small body, fire in his eyes, was savage beast arrogantly smiling over his newest prey.

"He's coming." Breathing rapidly now, the stranger cupped his hand over her mouth. "I'm ready, I'll kill him. I want you all for myself." He jerked her to her unsteady feet. "I'm going to kill him. Kill him like a hunter kills his prey." He pulled a large pistol from his belt and stroked the barrel against her arm and moved upwards towards her bruised cheek. "You're going to watch me. I want you to watch me kill him. It's important that you watch me make my kill." She sobbed as he putted her long blonde hair, which had become tangled from their earlier struggle. "You will be mine. All mine."

"No." she managed to wriggle free of her captor's hard grip. The ledge of the canyon loomed at her back, dizzy from the height, she spun to face him. If she had lost her footing she would have fallen back, hard and fast to the canyon floor. She tasted the fear as she had tasted the blood at the corner of her mouth. It was a sharp and sour taste. Cody would come, she knew, and this man holding her captive would kill him. Gun him down like a wild animal lured into a trap. "I won't go anywhere with you. They'll hunt you down, they'll find you."

He laughed his eyes burning into hers. She shivered from the coldness in his stare. She felt him studying her bruised body. His cold eyes mesmerized her, they entranced her and terrified her. Before she could escape him, he closed his hand over her arm. She squeeled in pain. "They won't find us."

"I won't go with you." she whispered. He squeezed her arm more tightly twisting it into her back. She winced with pain and whispered. "I'll get away."

"You will not leave me. You will learn to do as you are told." He laughed again at her. "You are mine now." He twisted her arm harder as she helplessly struggled to get away.

She heard the vehicle as he did and she screamed out in pain as he threw her against the passenger's side of the truck, her head striking the cracked and rusty mirror. She fell to the ground.

The oncoming truck slowed and stopped turning it's headlights off. The man behind the wheel sat, motionless.

"Cody, he's going to kill you. He'll shoot you!" she screamed as he raised his hand to her. He let it down brutally onto her face and she rolled to the ground yet again, holding her jaw.

He quickly pulled on the rope and she stumbled back to her feet. He pressed the gun hard into her temple. "I'll drop her now." He said calmly. He smelled of sweat and rancid meat. It made her nauseous again.

"Slowly, step out of the truck." he ordered. "Keep your hands where I can see them." Cody stepped out of the truck, but stood behind the opened door. "Come on now...slowly." the crazed man coaxed. "No heroic stuff now or I'll blow her pretty little brains out." He pushed the gun harder into her skull making her cry out in pain. He twisted his other arm around her neck and made her struggle for air. "I'll kill her right now. Put down your gun." Cody froze. "I know you have one, cowboy."

"No. Oh, no." she was crying now. The tears stung her eyes as she watched Cody step around the truck holding the pistol in his hand. "Go back Cody!" she screamed before he pulled his arm against her throat so she was quickly silenced and left gasping for air.

Her captor loosened his grip as Cody dropped the gun and kicked it towards them. "Please, it won't gain you anything by killing him. I'll go with you, I will. Anywhere you want to go." she begged.

"Oh, I have everything to gain." he laughed. His deep voice echoed off the rocks and disappeared into the depths of the canyon below.

"Did he hurt you?" Cody asked quietly.

"I'm okay." she whispered back. "He hasn't hurt me, please go back Cody."

His eyes burned with fire. His muscles tensed as the gun pressed harder into her skull. Amused by the look of helplessness in what he figured for her lover's eyes he leaned down and smelled the sweet aroma of her hair.

He pulled the gun away from her temple and aimed at Cody's heart. Cody stepped back and put his hands into the air once more.

"No!" she began to struggle, only to have him twist and drag her arm behind her back again shooting pain up her spine. "I swear, I'll kill you." She swallowed the lump in her throat to fight back the tears. "Don't hurt him, please."

"Oh, sweetie, I have every intention of killing your boyfriend. When I'm through, you'll be mine. You will do what I say, when I say. You will come to realize this is all for the best." He held a firm grip on her and squinted one eye to take aim at the unarmed man before him.

"This is the part I enjoy the most." He jerked his head back. "I love the kill." he cocked the hammer and aimed at Cody, his arms now by his side watching them intently. "I believe I'm going to enjoy this a great deal."

Cody was watching his eyes. They were black and his skin was shimmering with beads of sweat. He didn't know what to do. He waited in the silence of the night for Cheyenne's captor to make his next move.

Cheyenne felt the sudden twitch of the captor's muscles and she took a deep breath and threw all of her weight against the arm that held the pistol. She was suddenly on her knees, a cloud of dust surrounding her.

"No. Oh, God. No!" she cried as she struggled to get to him. She was thrust backwards by his strong arms. She scrambled to her knees and saw the wooden butt of the gun Cody had slid towards them. She lunged forward taking it into her hands and looking up at the man standing above her.

He smiled, his toothless grin sending shudders down her body. Her hands, which shook with terror, gripped the gun tightly.

"I will finish off my prey." he chuckled. "He's not dead yet, not qite yet." He lifted the gun again and pointed it towards Cody's head.

There was no time to think. Her mind swirled with pain and anger. She closed her eyes and willed her hands steady. She aimed and gently sqeezed the trigger.

The sound of the shot echoed into the quiet canyon. It seemed to go on and on and on, ringing in her ears. She held the gun tight, her knuckles turning white afraid she'd missed. She drew back the hammer and fired again.

He stood, looking like the devil himself, above her. His hand reaching to his chest to press agains the blood forming on his tattered flannel shirt. He peered down at her and smiled, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. She squeezed her eyes tight and opened them again to find him stumbling, pressing his large hand against the wound, searching the ground for the gun that had so easily tumbled from his hands.

Then he stumbled. She saw a large rock jutting from the earth. He reached down to grip the pistol and bobbled. He lost his footing and fell backwards into the canyon below. Before she could blink, he was gone, with no sound.

The night fell silent. Her hand screamed with pain and she dropped the pistol into the dirt. She trembled with fear as she crawled to where Cody lay, crumpled to the ground. She began to cry as she tore her shirt into pieces to stop the blood. There was so much blood.

"You need a doctor." she whispered pressing the cloth to the wound in his side. "I thought he killed you. You were so still...."she broke off. "Let me take you to the hospital." She applied pressure and he squirmed a bit arching his back. "You are crazy, you should have stayed in the truck. I was stupid, I thought you were smarter than that Cody."

"I am in..." the pain was burning into his side and up his spine. It was unbearable. He wanted more than anything to reach out, to touch her once more. He opened his mouth, but the words did not come. Only a brief moan escaped his lips.

"Try to lie still." she choked back her tears. The blood had seeped through the shirt. "I'm going to take care of you. I won't let you die."

He opened his eyes wanting, needing to see her face. He couldn't see, the sky had become black and moonless. Exhausted from the effort he blinked once more and closed his eyes. He passed out.

Darkness enveloped him. His mouth was dry and his head was pounding. There was a pain in his side, not as bad as he had imagined, but dulled, nevertheless painful. He lay still, wondering if he was dead.

He blinked a few times and closed his eyes again. He sensed her. He felt her soft, cool hands squeezing his. Though he would regret it, he tried to sit up, he needed to see her face.

"Lie back down." she said sweetly. She touched his bare shoulders pushing him gently back onto the pillow. He felt a cool cloth against his head before his strength was gone and he fell unconcious yet again.

"I'm here for you." she cooed into his ear. She cradled his head against her cheek. "I'm always here for you."

He felt warmth on his face. He knew she was there, leaning over him. he could feel her smile upon him. He opened his eyes to focus on her beautiful face. Tear stains streaked down her cheeks, cheeks that were bruised and pale. He struggled to speak, but fell into the darkness once more.

It was driving her to the edge of insanity, the indefinite prognosis of the doctors, the way he drifted, so effortlessly in and out of conciousness. The doctors couldn't control the fever. She stayed with him, cooling his body with the cold water and praying when he slept, so still and silent. He couldn't leave her now. She needed him.

He had lost so much blood. The doctors had replenished his supply, but the color had drained out of his once tanned face and he looked weary. She'd managed to stop the blood on the mountain, until she drug him to the truck and hoisted him into the cab. She'd driven carefully and quickly down the winding narrow roads, holding his broken body, to the clinic about an hour drive north. The doctor had operated immediately, taking out the single bullet and bandaged his side. White bandages were wrapped around his bare chest. The nurses had come faithfully, changing the bandages to prevent infection.

The fever had come fierce and quick. It left no mercy on his weary body. He'd been awake for a few brief moments before he'd been consumed by it once more. She didn't know how long he could hold on, she knew that if the fever didn't break soon, no matter how many prayers, or how much medicine they pumped into him, it would take him. It would take him away from her.

She moved from the hard plastic chair to perch on the side of the hospital bed, brushing his unruly hair from his eyes. She held his warm and clammy hand in hers and gazed at his gentle, loving face sleeping so peacefully. Then she moved her stare to the window. She had drawn back the curtain hours ago to reveal the main street of the small town. Dawn was breaking. A new day would bring new hopes, and new fears.

to be continued....