The Georgia Series Collection

Chapter 9

Present Time

Present TimeI opened my eyes. There was no moon, no light, only blackness and the chilling cold. I rubbed my arms and legs to stimulate circulation and warmth.

Marion, you"d be so proud of me. I escaped my captors and avoided sure death. I became empowered. Yes. What were the words you said? Life only hands you what it thinks you can handle? So losing a husband to a pregnant girlfriend and finding yourself alone and pregnant wasn"t enough? Let"s get kidn*pped, threatened with death, lost, cold and alone in the wilderness. Of course.

Marion, you"d be so proud of me. I escaped my captors and avoided sure death. I became empowered. Yes. What were the words you said? Life only hands you what it thinks you can handle? So losing a husband to a pregnant girlfriend and finding yourself alone and pregnant wasn"t enough? Let"s get kidn*pped, threatened with death, lost, cold and alone in the wilderness. Of course.Marion—bite me!

Marion—bite me!I wanted to scream out, What am I doing here? Still, I"d done it. Escaped.

What am I doing here? Still, I"d done it. EscapedA few fitful naps and a lot of cold later, a hazy light filtered through the trees and I pulled my cramped body upright to move on. I stretched my limbs and found a spot to relieve myself. Everything looked so different from the night before. A light snow started to fall, making me anxious. If a storm came, I"d need to find shelter. I looked up and down the trail, not sure which way to go. It didn"t make sense for my kidnappers to waste time looking for me. But nothing about those two creeps made sense anyway. Besides, another fact needed to be faced: I was lost.

With no idea how to find my way back, I decided to follow the track in the other direction, forcing myself to believe it was the safest choice.

The snow came down heavily for a few hours. I wouldn"t let myself stop walking and concentrated on counting one step in front of the other.

One and two, three and four. One and two, three, and four.

One and two, three and four. One and two, three, and four.A sharp wind blew the snow all around and I shielded my eyes in order to see. The dampness chilled me to the bone and my feet felt numb. The path ended abruptly on the bank of a stream. I waded across in my socks and shoes, still wet from yesterday. “Oh, s**t …” My feet might have felt numb, but that cold water still shocked the hell out of me.

A well-used game trail followed the stream.

One and two, three and four.

One and two, three and four.The track moved through a tight line of trees and up an incline. I struggled to the top, spying a clearing ahead, and continued across the open field with limited visibility. A dark structure loomed up ahead. The structure began to take shape, and then, I saw it.

“A cabin … I"ve found a cabin.” Hesitation stopped me from moving forward. What if this is my abductors" cabin? A furtive glance around told me otherwise. There was no visible road to this cabin, no sign of activity. A recent memory of a conversation between my captors reminded me that a logging road led straight to their uncle"s place. No, it"s not the same cabin.

What if this is my abductors" cabin?No, it"s not the same cabin.I climbed onto the porch to see a padlocked door, and the windows shuttered and locked on the outside. “Hello … hello?” I pounded on the door until I was exhausted, and then sank down to my knees. I sat with my back pressed against the cabin wall, staring at the storm.

“Can"t go back out there … just can"t.”

A swaying sensation rolled through my abdomen like waves on a shore. My hands flew to my torso. “Oh … sweet baby.” The tears streamed down my face as I experienced my baby moving for the first time. “You"re alive, and you"re moving.” Determination filled me once more. I went from window to window, shaking the wooden shutters to see if I could break them. Fat chance. They"re built to keep animals out. Long nails protruded from the slats of the shutters and I had to be careful to avoid them. Obviously, they were there to discourage bears from breaking in, and they, also, stopped me from getting a grip on the slats. Once again I sunk down onto the porch, accepting my total helplessness. I shook my head from side to side in disbelief. “I"m so sorry little one … so sorry.”

Fat chance. They"re built to keep animals outMy head rolled backwards and all hope faded. In a matter of minutes, all feeling left my body. I let go of my reserve with a sigh. Nothing seemed to matter and soon everything began to fade away. I closed my eyes and slipped into blackness.

“Georgia, you can"t give up.”

My eyes shot open. What? No one there. I leaned back against the door. Wait … there … someone spoke again.

What?Wait … there … someone spoke again“You must get inside the cabin.”

At that moment, I realized that the voice came from inside my mind. A woman"s voice, although soft and gentle, it startled me. The hair rose up on the back of my neck. So weird.

So weird“How? I don"t see how.” I felt stupid, talking to a voice in my head. But then, it really wasn"t my voice I spoke to.

“Go to the back of the cabin.”

Exhausted but compelled, I pulled myself up to my feet. I labored my way around back, struggling against the fierce wind. An eight-foot wide overhang extended from the back wall and ran its full width. Stacks of cut firewood were piled under the roof. A narrow path between the stacks provided access to another door. It too was padlocked.

“Great …” My hopes diminished once again.

“You didn"t expect it to be open did you? Search.” I instinctively turned, looking for the person belonging to that voice, but saw no one. I"ve finally snapped and lost my mind. Still, I scanned the wood in spite of my thoughts.

I"ve finally snapped and lost my mind.A small space gaped between the wall and wood stack to the left of the door. I removed my glove and squeezed my fingers into the tight crevice. Something cold and metallic feeling hung on a hook. My numb fingers shook as I retrieved a key and fumbled with the padlock. The door creaked as I pushed it open, and with a sigh of relief, I entered.

Blinking, my eyes adjusted to the dim light. I opened the inner shutters on the windows allowing some light to filter in through the outside slats. Dust particles danced in the light beams of this one-room cabin, about twenty feet square. A quick glance around the room, revealed a light switch on the wall by the front and back doors, and two wall plugs. I flicked the switches. Nothing happened. A small electrical box was mounted on the wall by the back door with wires running to the plugs and outlets up and down the walls. I went outside behind the cabin and saw a wire running from the corner of the roof to one of the outbuildings out back. There must be a generator. I decided to deal with that later and went back inside.

There must be a generator.A wood-burning stove stood on the back wall of the cabin, filled with kindling and dried sphagnum moss, all ready to light.

Matches … I need matches. My excitement at getting into the cabin, and the prospect of heat, left me shaking along with the shivering from the cold. My first priority—get dry and warm. A box of long matches sat on a shelf behind the stove.

Matches … I need matches.A lit match in hand, I reached out to light the moss. My hand froze in mid-air. What if Gary and Bobby see the smoke? They"d find me. I blew the match out. Instead, I removed all my clothes, wet and stiff from the cold. Leaving them in a pile on the floor, I curled up under the comforters on a brass bed. It was useless. The bed was as cold as I was and the shivering continued. No way could I warm myself. To hell with this. Take a chance, girl. The kidnappers won"t be out in this. They"re probably long gone.

What if Gary and Bobby see the smoke? They"d find me.To hell with this. Take a chance, girl. The kidnappers won"t be out in this. They"re probably long gone.Flames shot up immediately. Feeling returned to my icy hands as I held them over the heat, and with it, pain. Tears stung my eyes, mixed with relief. The throbbing confirmed I was still alive. A cardboard box of kindling with firewood stacked in front of it sat to the right, and I placed more wood in the stove.

Wrapped in a comforter from the bed, I curled up in a rocking chair. It didn"t take long for the warmth to make my eyes flutter shut.

Some moments later I jumped up, choking on wood smoke. “Oh shit.” The damper was closed. Tears stung my eyes, and bile rose up in my throat. Carbon Monoxide. How could I be so stupid as to not check the damper? I soon fixed that and flung the back door to the cabin open until the smoke cleared, then slammed it closed again, shivering. Both doors opened into the cabin. When shut from the inside, a wide wooden bar fell across the centre, locking it in place. I felt protected from the elements for the moment, and settled back into the chair. If my abductors found me, it would be because they came looking for me. It seemed unlikely with the raging snowstorm outside.

Carbon Monoxide. How could I be so stupid as to not check the damper?My body warmed and sleep claimed me, only to wake up some time later sweating from the heat. I stepped backwards to the front door and took toll of the interior. A picture window on my right looked onto the porch and across the clearing. A long, wooden table and four chairs sat under the window, with a kerosene lamp in the centre.

A counter ran the length of the sidewall, centering a window with a view of a stream. Cupboards lined the wall on either side of the window. The sink, fit into the countertop, made me smile. The pipe sat open and drained into a bucket sitting on a shelf under the counter. The rest of the shelves contained pots, pans, and dishes.

I sank onto a couch on the opposite side wall, flanked by matching bookcases, lifting my bare feet onto an old wooden trunk serving as a coffee table. A large round rug lay in the centre of the room. My gaze caught sight of men"s clothes hanging on hooks beside the table. A winter jacket, a pair of brown corduroy pants, and a jack shirt. In a dresser, one drawer contained socks, jockey shorts, and a couple of sweatshirts. I put on a pair of the jocks and an oversized sweatshirt, finishing with a pair of wool socks.

As the night grew dark and the light faded, I attempted to light the kerosene lamp. It seemed simple enough. After fumbling around with the wick, success was mine. Yay! My search through the cupboards revealed plenty of tinned goods: ready-to-serve soup, vegetables, fruits, fish, and various meats. Labeled storage bins of various sizes contained coffee, tea, baking supplies, dried fruits and some spices. I picked up the bin of raisins and sniffed, and then stuffed a handful into my mouth. Mmm, delicious. My stomach growled, reminding me that a bag of chips and a bottle of coke over two days wouldn"t satisfy the needs of a pregnant woman. My hands massaged my stomach. “Oh, sweet pea, let"s eat.” I grabbed a can of tuna, quickly opened it, and devoured the contents.

Yay!Mmm, deliciousOne last stoke to the fire and the bed beckoned me. An instant later, I got up and moved across the cabin to the counter. My eyes scanned the shelf, searching for one particular item. I tried to stay awake, listening for sounds outside the cabin. Too exhausted to fight my need for sleep, my heavy eyelids closed, the butcher knife safely tucked under my pillow.