My Psycho Best Friend

Chapter 10

Ryder’s POV

    I wake up. I am in so much pain. My head hurts but it feels as I have been run over by a semi-truck. I groan as I try to drag myself to my feet. I am leaning against a tree because I can hardly keep myself upright. I look around and I do not know where I am. It looks like I am in the forest. I am not much of a naturist or a camper or hunter, so I do not know how to survive out here. I guess the only thing I can do is to just walk and walk till I find civilization.

    I just walk in a random direction hoping I am going the right way. I am walking and walking. It is taking me longer to make any progress because I must take so many breaks. I find a stream. I just keep following that stream because it must lead somewhere. I follow that stream for the rest of the day.

    It was getting dark so I leaned up with my back against the tree and tried sleeping as much as I could. It was hard since it was cold at night and I had no way of making a fire. The next morning, I keep following the stream. I follow it for a few hours and take breaks as needed. I was about to give up because I did not have much energy left. But I came upon a road. I looked both ways, but it still looked like I was in the middle of nowhere and this road did not get much traffic. I just decided to go a random direction. I walk down the road a way and a car drive by. I put my arm out and my thumb up so they might give me a ride.

    The car just keeps on driving. So, I just keep walking. A few hours later, a truck starts driving my way. I again, put my arm out and thumb up in the typical hitchhiking fashion. As they get closer, they start to slow down. They get to me and comes to a complete stop. The window rolls down and they ask, “Are you okay? You look bad. I can take you to a hospital.”

    In response, I say, “Yeah, I could use a ride. I do not feel good. I really need to get to that hospital.”

    I get in the truck and close the door. I get as comfortable as I can. The driver looks to be an old man maybe in his 60’s. He had pepper gray hair and just wore plain t-shirt and jeans. He looks like someone who does not talk much. Must be why he is out here in the middle of nowhere.

    It takes us maybe an hour to get to the nearest hospital. He helps me in and brings me to the nurse’s station. He tells them I need help. Once the nurses come to help me, he says, “You should be more careful next time. It is not every day that I find a hitchhiker who looks like they have been through a battle.”

    Before I can say anything, he walks out and leaves. The nurses take me to a room to get looked at. They give me something to eat and some pain meds to help with the pain. The run some tests to assess the damage. In a few hours, they come back and tell me that I have a few broken bones and looks like I have had a fracture to my skull. They said they will watch me over night to make sure I am okay but there is nothing that they can do so I can go home tomorrow.

    After getting some much-needed rest, I think about Britney. I am devastated that I could not help her. I know Ian was the one who dumped me in the forest because he would never let Britney out of that damn basement. He probably thinks I am dead. I am thinking I should tell the police but, if I do that then he would get out early on good behavior and I cannot let him be put away to only come back and try to hurt Britney again. I have to kill him to make sure he never touches her again.

    I do not know what I am going to do but, he must continue to think I am dead. I must wait a while, so he thinks I am dead. I will have to watch him to figure out his schedule. When he is home and when he is not. I hope he does not move her to some other location. Then I would be back to square one trying to figure out where she is again.

    She looked so broken. I had saved her from drowning herself. She was trying to kill herself. It was that bad that she did not want to be here anymore. I do not know what he has done, but for her to do that to herself, it must have been horrendous. I cannot even imagine what she has gone through.

    She did not even look like herself. She was black and blue from the beating she had taken which by my guess was not that long ago. Must have happened in the last day before I got there. She had only been wearing a t-shirt. It did not even look like she had underwear on. There was red so I am guessing that she must have been bleeding from somewhere on her body. She looked like she had lost weight. She was not the happy and cheerful girl I knew.

    From what I knew that she had told me of Ian, he liked to be in control. He never let her have friends. So, he must have gotten jealous from her and I being friends. It happened right around the time that I started giving her rides to and from school because her car was in the shop, getting fixed.

    The last time I saw her was on a Friday. She had invited me to hang out, but I could not since I had plans with my dad. He is very busy at work so; I do not get to see him much and he finally had a night off. I wish I would have invited her to come with me. Maybe if I had done that then, she would not be stuck in that basement and not being tortured by the guy who she claimed was her best friend and was like her family.

    I lay awake all night. I just keep thinking about Britney. The next morning, they call my dad to come pick me up and told him of my injuries. It turns out I was only 3 hours away from my town. My dad drives the 3 hours to come pick me up. He completes all the necessary paperwork, and I am discharged from the hospital. We get in the car and I do not know what to say to him. I do not want him to keep me from my plan. I know he would want me to tell the police. He spoke before I did. He asked, “so, how did this happen?”

    I take a deep breath and say, “I got in a fight. I guess I was hit in the head and confused. I did not know how I got in the forest where I woke up at. I am really sorry Dad.”

    My dad trusts me, so he says, “Alright, son. Just make sure it does not happen again.”

    With that said, we drive the 3 hours back to our town. We go home and I go to my room to rest. I know what I must do. I must watch Ian, figure out any weaknesses, and find a way to get Britney out. If it is the last thing I do, I will get Britney out and she will have her justice.