Chapter 15

Brook’s eyes opened to whiteness. The ground and trees appeared to have been sprinkled with powdered sugar. Any other time it would have been beautiful; now it was just cold and miserable. She pushed away her covering of leaves and sat up, riding out a violent spate of shivers. She had spent a miserable night fading in and out of terrifying dreams, hauled from sleep repeatedly by pain and cold. At one point, she had heard a loud snuffling close by and feared it was a bear, or worse. She had held very still, and whatever it was moved away. It was even harder to sleep after that.

Glancing down, she was shocked by the condition of her feet. They were swollen to nearly twice their normal size and the pain was intense. Already, ominous possibilities hung over her; frightening words like 'gangrene' and 'frostbite' echoed in her head. Removing her makeshift foot coverings, she noticed blood had soaked through in many places and the batting had stuck to the wounds. She gently pried away the padding, careful to save as much as possible, and inspected the soles of her feet. Covered in cuts, some superficial and some deep, they presented a chilling sight. Cradling her feet in her hands, she wept as she massaged them, trying to restore their circulation and prodding the cuts to remove debris. She worked on them until she couldn't take any more.

Using the nail file, she sawed another strip from the bottom of the shirt to replace the broken one. It seemed to take forever with her frozen fingers. She replaced the batting over her soles and tied her ‘shoes’ securely back into place. Hands shaking, she was careful to return the file to her purse.

Brook rolled to her hands and knees and her muscles screamed in protest at the movements. She hurt from top to bottom, and her head still ached. Hanging her bag over her shoulder, she slowly stood and then cried out as her feet made contact with the ground. Sinking to the forest floor, she crawled to the stream and drank greedily.

At least she had made it through the night, she told herself. Now she could go back the way she came, locate the road, and find someone to help her. She would soon be home. She would feel Clark's arms around her again. The thought fortified her and she steeled herself against the pain as she again climbed to her feet. She took a few faltering steps, testing her endurance, and then a few more before pausing to rest.

Brook stood and trembled in one spot for a moment until pressure from her bladder demanded her attention. She squatted to urinate, wincing from the pain. Voices broke the silence of the forest and Brook stood quickly, urine running unnoticed down her bare legs.

Is that help? She had begun moving toward the voices when she recognized one of them. Jase. She dropped quickly to the ground and crouched behind a tree to listen, eyes darting in every direction. Panic seized her, turning her insides to mush. How did they find me?

“Get your asses down there and see if the bitch is inside,” Jase demanded. With dawning horror, Brook realized she hadn’t traveled far at all during the night. Shaking her head, she felt disoriented. It made no sense; she was sure she had walked for hours. But, apparently she had not. She was still very near the wrecked car. Too near!

"Hurry the fuck up," Jase bellowed from the road above. "If she's still alive, drag her ass up here."

Sounds of scrambling and exclamations of anger filled the air. Brook could visualize Pete and Benny following Jase’s orders. All too soon, she heard the car door being slowly opened. It groaned in protest.

“The car’s empty,” Benny shouted. “And it’s about ready to go the rest of the way down. Just a little tree holding it up. It's some weird shit in here, dude. The seats are all cut up.”

“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Jase ranted. “Gina, you fucking bitch! This is all your fault! I should kick your fucking ass for letting her get away!”

“I didn’t let her get away,” Gina yelled back. “The psycho bitch attacked me. I coulda been killed, for all you care!” She broke into exaggerated sobs.

"It's not too fucking late for that," Jase threatened. "It's still an option, far as I'm concerned."

“Leave her alone,” Pete hollered. “You shouldn’t have left her alone to do your dirty work for you.”

A pregnant silence met this statement. Brook imagined Jase pacing at the side of the road, fuming. “You want to come up here and repeat that, dude?”

Pete didn’t reply.

“That’s what I thought!”

After a few more minutes of silence, Jase spoke again. “Benny, wipe the car clean of prints. There’s no way we can pull it up. Oh, and get the plate off the back. Pete, look around and see if you can find the bitch.”

“If I get in that car, I could dislodge it,” Benny called up to Jase. “I’m telling you, man, it’s just barely hanging on.”

“Then I guess you better be careful,” Jase answered.

Oh, god! They're going to hunt me down! Brook prayed the car would plunge into the ravine taking Benny with it and hopefully Pete too. Whatever happened, she had to get away from here. She fled, clutching her purse, the pain in her feet forgotten as she ran. She couldn’t let them catch her again. Nothing mattered but to put distance between her and her abusers.

"What the hell was that?" Pete's voice carried through the crisp air. "Did you hear that, Benny?" Brook stopped in her tracks. She hadn't thought about the noise she was making.

"I didn't hear nothing. Not one mother-fucking thing.” Benny's answer was muffled. "I'm pissed off right now, don’t even talk to me. You want to make me knock this fucking car loose?"

"Alright, dude. I'm gonna check over that way," Pete announced. "I know I heard something."

Brook couldn't tell how close he was. Fear overriding caution, she took off again. The improvised shoes loosened in flight and flopped against her feet, nearly tripping her. They soon tore away one after the other, but Brook continued to run, heedless of the rocks and sticks that gouged her. Stumbling over a large limb, she fell face-first into a patch of cold, clammy leaves. The wind was knocked from her and she couldn’t utter a sound, which was lucky since Pete moved within sight of her. The limb blocked his view. Trying to restore her breath without making a sound, she peered from under the fallen branch at his jean-clad legs. Mentally she willed him to turn the other direction so he wouldn't spot her makeshift shoes lying in the snow.

Relief flooded her when Pete moved away, calling, “I don't know what I heard, but it wasn't that woman. She ain’t anywhere to be seen. She’s probably dead, and if she ain’t, she will be soon. No one can survive out here naked and barefoot for long.” He added under his breath, "The poor fucking woman."

“Well, get the hell up here and let’s vamoose. If we get out now the snow will cover all our tracks. Nobody will even know we were here.”

A female voice mumbled something intelligible, and Jase snapped, “I said to shut your fucking mouth, Gina. I've taken all the shit I'm gonna take from you. You are this close, bitch. This close!”

Brook drew in long, quiet breaths, gasping for air as quietly as possible. Benny slammed the car door and she hunched her shoulders, expecting the wrecked vehicle to come crashing down the slope. Nothing happened.

Pete had rejoined Benny and they were talking to each other in low tones, but Brook couldn't make out what they were saying. She waited several long minutes and then began crawling away from the voices. Her purse was a hindrance, but she refused to leave it behind. It was the only string attaching her to her old life and she desperately needed that connection. Once she felt certain she couldn't be seen, she stood and hobbled further into the woods.

A tortured scream rent the icy air, trailing away to nothing. Chills ran up and down Brook’s back as the haunting cry sounded again and then faded, echoing off the rock walls that towered above her. Did Jase just kill Gina? Brook didn’t wait around to find out. She ran like a track star, ignoring the consequences to her damaged feet.