Broken Part Eleven

Broken Part Eleven

Erica moved as quickly as she could and barely made it out of the way of Skeeter. She fell over a rock on the side of the trail and into the bushes lining a little gully that was made by water run off in the spring. She lay on the ground just waiting on Skeeter to come get her as she knew she could not get away with her leg injured. She figured she would take a good swing at Skeeter and just hope it was enough to knock him out. If she were lucky enough to knock him out cold then maybe she could get away. She waited but the sound of the 4-wheeler began to fade. Skeeter had not stopped to come after her as she had expected. She tried to think of reasons why but came up empty. She made her way to the edge of the brush and slowly looked out on the trail. She saw Ronnie making his way up the trail and quickly made her way back into the brush as quietly as possible. She tried to push herself into the ground as she just wanted to become a part of it right now so he would just walk on by her.

Skeeter wanted to stop and have some fun with Erica but he knew that she would not get far with her leg and maybe Ronnie would even find her on his way up the trail. He just wanted this nightmare to go away now and thought maybe he would just kill em all. He could blame Ronnie’s death on this guy he was chasing now. He was driving like he loved to on the trails, all out. He held nothing back as he began to hear the sound of the other 4-wheeler growing louder. Soon he was able to see Jed in front of him. He had to give Jed credit as the guy was going quite fast for someone who did not know the trails. He was enjoying the chase.

Jed knew Skeeter was closing on him but he was unsure about going any faster as he just did not know what was around the next corner or over the next hill. He took a glimpse back at Skeeter and knew he had to do something or he was just going to get caught and probably knocked off the damn machine. He gave the machine all it had as he came up the hill to try and make sure he had as much space as possible for what he wanted to try. After he crested the hill he stopped the machine in the middle of the trail and quickly got off to the side of the trail. He heard the other machine grinding quickly up the hill towards the top and then as it crested his eyes met Skeeter’s eyes. As Skeeter saw Jed and then the 4-wheeler sitting in the middle of the trail he realized he was in trouble. Skeeter’s 4-wheeler slammed into the back of Jed’s and while the 4-wheeler stopped from the heavy contact with the other machine, Skeeter was not quite so lucky as he flew over both of the machines in a pose Superman would have been proud of if he only could have seen it. Jed flinched at the sounds of the 4-wheelers crunching together and was amazed at Skeeter flying on by him. It was almost comical to him but his reaction was to run after Skeeter. Skeeter bounced a couple of times off of the trail before rolling down the hill and coming to a stop in a pile. Jed made his way there and Skeeter was moaning loudly. Jed stood over him and was trying to decide what to do with him now. Both 4-wheelers were inoperable now and he had no idea where Erica was or how to get to a place where he could get help. He just wanted to pound Skeeter until he could get some information out of him.

Ronnie had seen Erica moving in the bushes and stood on the trail looking in her direction just waiting to see what she would try and do. There was no place for her to go and she certainly was not in the shape to run away from him either. He wasn’t sure what to do with her anymore anyway. He knew he should kill her and end the threat but he also was having second thoughts about the whole thing. He wondered if maybe all the skeletons in the closets up here would be best let out of that very closet. He could take the time now and get himself as far away from this place as possible to avoid getting caught. He also could just turn himself in a hope to get a deal for providing information on all the secrets these mountains held of a not so beautiful past. He decided that for now he would just collect Erica from her hiding spot and then move back up to the cabin before making any rash decisions either way. Erica lifted her head and her heart stopped as she saw Ronnie looking down at her. She wondered if she was about to die now as he certainly seemed like the more violent of the two men even if he was likely the least crazy of the two. Her eyes met his and she noticed something a little different within them as he almost seemed like a civil man for an instant. Then Ronnie told her to get the hell up before he kicked her ass and ended it all right now. Erica’s fear and pain had her frozen in place though. Ronnie walked over and reached down to grab her which left him vulnerable to the attack she had planned. Erica swung with all her might and connected with the side of his head with a large thud. Ronnie immediately crumpled to his knees as a trickle of blood began to flow from above his right eye. Erica’s smile was the last thing Ronnie saw as his eyes closed on his way to lying in the bushes. Erica felt the adrenaline pumping through her body and the pain was gone for now. She got up and began to make her way back up the hill as she thought it would throw them off her trail. She walked just off the trail this time even though the terrain was rougher to walk on as she believed it would conceal her tracks. Night was quickly coming and there would at least be some shelter at the cabin. She didn’t dare to stay in the cabin but she could grab some blankets or something to keep her warm for the night. The thought of sleeping in the woods though made her insides quiver with fear.

Jed heard a weird noise come from below him and as his mind began to process the sound his World was becoming unraveled. Skeeter made the noise to distract Jed while he grabbed both his legs and pulled hard. Jed was fall and before he even hit the ground Skeeter was raining down blows on his face. Jed thudded to the ground with the surprisingly quick Skeeter in complete control of the situation. Each blow felt like a sledge hammer against his body and face. He tried to cover up the best he could but Skeeter seemed like an octopus right now with his quick hands striking just where Jed’s body was not protected. Jed began to feel faint but knew that if he didn’t dig deep now that it would be his last chance to save Erica and also to save himself. Somewhere deep inside him he felt the surge build and then explode as he began to lash back at the shocked Skeeter. They were now trading blow for blow as they rolled around on the ground down the trail. Jed was able to get ahold of Skeeter and make enough space to get his legs between the two of them. He curled them up and then exploded with all his might into Skeeter’s stomach. Now Skeeter was flying again and this time he landed on his back a few feet away from Jed but the sickening sound of Skeeter’s head hitting the ground again a stone left no doubt in Jed’s mind that Skeeter would not get up this time. As Jed moved towards Skeeter he could see the blood beginning to pool under his head. Skeeter was not moving and if he was breathing it was definitely shallow. Jed turned and followed the trail wondering where Erica was now. He hoped he could find her or get help but he really was feeling like it may be a hopeless situation for the both of them. He never should have taken her here in the first place. It just wasn’t her thing and now it likely had cost him her. He felt dejected as he followed the trail. Then he saw a cabin on the hill at what seemed to be a crossroads for many trails. He headed straight for that cabin.