MissTaken: Ch8

    If you haven't read the previous chapters, I recommend you go to this page which has links to all the chapters as I post them. 

Chapter 8

One girl after the other, crouching or crawling to stay below the level of the various scrub and brush, they made their way around the bend. Jessica checked the position of the sun. They weren’t going to make it to her camp. She’d been sleeping in the shelter of a cave, with a fire. Nighttime without a fire or cover was likely to be miserable.

Finally, Jessica began her journey. She searched and smoothed out any shoe prints left by the girls, and she redistributed leaves and debris where crawling girls had cleared spots. As she disappeared around the bend, she made one final check for any obvious signs of human passage. Satisfied, she turned and hurried to catch up with the girls walking together in a group ahead of her.

“My parents died in automobile crash when I was fifteen.” Alyona said as Jessica joined the group. “I was sent to live with my aunt and her husband. They were very poor. She was always very sad and quiet. He was always very drunk and vyrodzhennya.

“One day, about two years after the accident, he came home after midnight, and came into my bedroom. I woke up to him groping me and trying to kiss me.” She narrowed her eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a vicious grin, “I clawed his eyes with my fingers, and I bit the tip of his tongue off.”

The girls gasped.

“What did he do then?” Meredith asked.

“He screamed and bled.” Alyona shrugged. “Not long after, he sold me to the son of a mobster, who was trying to make his reputation in the crime business. I found this out from him after two of his thugs kidnapped me and brought me to his mansion.” She snorted.

“I really think he believed I would just go along with his plans once he told me he had purchased me.”

“What did you do?”

“I bit the first thing he tried to put in my mouth too.” She paused and looked at the other’s, her eyes gleaming wickedly as she gave them time to consider the implications of what she said, “He also bled and screamed. Then he passed out, I think. I’m not quite certain, because one of his minions came into the room when he started screaming. I don’t really remember much after that until I woke up in the hospital with a broken jaw and a few cracked ribs.”

Alyona rubber her jaw, as if in memory. “His father heard the screaming too, apparently, and he came and saved me from being beaten to death. From, him I learned he didn’t care for his son—he thought he was a spoiled, selfish idiot. I also learned he wasn’t fond of the slave trade. He felt it was demeaning. He stuck to drugs, guns, the occasional extortion.”

Jessica gaped at Alyona as they kept walking. Alyona spoke so casually about her experiences.

“He was actually very polite to me. But he couldn’t just let me go. ‘Bad for business’, he said. Although, he actually sounded like he regretted it when he explained it to me,” She snorted disdainfully, “So he sold me to a group who worked out of Amsterdam.”

“I thought prostitution was legal there,” Meredith interjected.

“It is.” Alyona shrugged. “But that doesn’t mean the… willing supply… is enough to satisfy the demand. I was too unwilling though. A few cuts and bruises later, and I was sold to these Templarios. They said it was my last chance. I would either work for them, or they would kill me. So far, they are not making good on that promise.” Alyona smiled a small, grim smile.

“I’m so sorry,” Jess said.

Alyona waved her hand, as if chasing away an annoying fly. “And what about you? How did you come to be here?”

“I came here for spring break, with them,” She nodded toward Sarah and Meredith, “They slipped us some drugs and kidnapped us.”

Alyona look puzzled, “How then were you not with them? With us?”

Jess shook her head, “Don’t quite know for sure. When they took us out of the car, they took me to the house instead, and put me in a room alone. I managed to get loose and made a break for it.” She looked back to the others, apologetically. “I wanted to get y’all loose but…”

“But,” Alyona continued,” If you had tried, you would have most likely been caught again, and would be with us now recovering from our first day… on the job… Or you would be dead.”

They all walked in silence for a while, considering Alyona’s prediction.  She knew Alyona was right, but every glance at Sarah struggling along sent a stab of guilt through her gut. But trying and failing wouldn’t have changed that. The important thing was they were with her now, and she could keep them safe.

“You’re virgin?” Alyona queried, snapping Jess from her thoughts.

“Why do you ask?” Jessica asked cautiously.

“They took you to house, away from others. So, I’m guessing you’re special—more valuable. Virgin, yes?”

“Yes, but I don’t see how they would have known. They didn’t ask, and I didn’t offer. I guess I can’t be a hundred percent certain, but… I really don’t think they… Checked …”

Alyona stared at the ground, lost in thought. “The drugs, how did they give them to you?”

“They bought us all drinks.” Meredith offered, “They almost didn’t get Jess.”

“Oh?” Alyona looked at Meredith, eyebrow raised.

“Jess doesn’t drink,” Meredith explained, “They tried for a long time and finally persuaded her to accept some orange juice,”

“I should have been suspicious of that,” Jessica said, mostly to herself, “given how hard they were trying.”

Alyona pointed at Jessica, “Maybe they assumed you were virgin. If you don’t drink, you probably don’t party.”

“Oh my gosh!” Meredith looked horrified, the color draining from her face. “It’s my fault. Jess, I’m so sorry.”

“What, Mer?” Jessica stared blankly at Meredith, puzzled.

“I was a little buzzed, but I remember them asking why you wouldn’t accept a drink. I told them you didn’t ever drink, and they made some jokes about you being a prude. They said, ‘she’s probably a virgin, too, isn’t she?’ I said you were. Oh Jess, I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t be.” Jess placed a hand on Meredith’s shoulder and squeezed. “Them separating me is what allowed me to escape. It’s why I was able to rescue you guys.”

“If I hadn’t said anything, maybe they wouldn’t have thought to give you orange juice, though. Maybe they would have given up.”

“Maybe. Or maybe they would have taken you anyway, and I wouldn’t have known where to find you. Or maybe they would have found another way to get me, and there wouldn’t have been a way for me to escape, or maybe…” Jess looked skyward, “Maybe an asteroid would have crashed into the ocean causing a tidal wave that sunk Australia, and a lawyer would have come and informed you that you were adopted and that your real parents were the King and Queen of Siam, and they were visiting Australia when it sunk, so now you are the heir to the throne.”

Meredith furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to speak, but Jess cut her off.

“You can play the maybe game all day Mer,” Jess explained, “You’re just guessing at what might have happened. You can’t know for sure because it didn’t happen. And since it didn’t happen, it doesn’t matter.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Alyona said, smirking, “Leticia and I are very grateful to you for throwing your friend under the bus.”

Leticia looked confused but smiled and nodded at the mention of her name.

Jessica chuckled, then grew serious as she looked at the sky again.

“How much farther?” Leticia asked.

“Too far,” Jessica said. “We’ve covered, maybe two-thirds the total distance today.”

 “What’ll we do?” Meredith asked, her voice tinged with fear.

“See that big boulder up ahead? We’ll shelter under it. Everybody pick up a few dry pieces of wood and carry them with you.”

“Fire?” Alyona raised an eyebrow skeptically, then looked downstream.

“Small and concealed,” Jess replied reassuringly. Alyona’s gaze maintained its skepticism, but she veered off toward a cluster of trees and collected several dry branches from the ground.

The boulder was about four feet high, with a flat face on the downhill side. Jessica directed the girls to move the dirt at the base of the boulder outward, to create a flat area where they could huddle together.

“Why don’t you take a break Sarah,” Jessica suggested when the work was finished. She then set the rest of the girls to gathering more wood, and some medium-sized rocks, while she pulled the netting out of the pack. She anchored one side on and over the boulder with some heavy stones, then she stretched the corners of the other side out over the flattened area, creating a makeshift lean-to shelter.

Under the shelter, she quickly set about digging a fire hole right at the base of the boulder.

The sky was starting to darken as she struck a spark into a handful of tinder with the fire steel. Using gentle breaths, she nursed the spark into a small flame, then dropped the burning mass into the hole, along with several small twigs. She added fuel to the fire until it was a big as she dared make it. She dropped several of the rocks into the pit next to the fire.

Jess pointed to the flat area. “Let’s use a couple of these heavier sticks to dig out a couple trenches.”

“Where we just smoothed?” Leticia questioned.

Jessica nodded, “We’re going to get some of these rocks hot, then well push them into the trench, bury them. and smooth it all out again. That way we’ll have a cozy spot to sleep on.”

The girls set to work, digging down until Jessica was satisfied the holes were deep enough to cover the hot rocks. She used a couple of heavier sticks to push the hot rocks into the trenches, spacing them evenly, then the girls then filled in the trenches and smoothed everything out again.

They huddled together on the warm ground, most of them exhausted from exertion and from the effects of withdrawal. Alyona seemed mostly unaffected; she was intimidatingly stoic. Sarah was hit the worst. She was shivering violently, and the vomiting began before the night was fully black. She would make it no more than a couple of feet clear of the shelter before she would drop to her hands and knees, retching.

Before long the air in the shelter began to carry the faint aroma of stomach acid. Nobody complained though.

Then the diarrhea started. The vomiting was definitely preferable under current circumstances. Leaves just aren’t as gentle or effective as toilet paper.

Jessica wished there was something she could do to help. She knew Blackberry root tea could help with diarrhea. Witch-hazel could help with the inevitable rash. Did either of those grow in Mexico? She hadn’t seen any in her travels so far. Maybe Leticia would know of something. Nothing could be done now though. They couldn’t forage in the dark.

* * *

As the darkness began to recede in the early morning, Jessica helped Sarah down to the river’s edge to clean up as best she could. Sarah was weak and unstable, and she leaned heavily on Jessica for support.

 “Rough night, eh?” Jessica cast her a sympathetic glance.

Sarah was quiet as she crouched in the river and sluggishly splashed water on her face, washing away dried bits of vomitus from her face.

“I was a virgin too.” Sarah said. It was barely more than a whisper.

“What?” Jessica asked.

“I was a virgin too,” Sarah stopped washing and stared at the water directly in front of her. Jess stared at the ground and shifted uncomfortably, uncertain how to respond.

“I mean, I’ve made out with guys before,” Sarah continued, “but, most normal girls do.” Jessica detected an almost accusatory tone in the way Sarah emphasized the word ’normal’. She decided it would be best to ignore it.

“Why didn’t they take me with you?” Sarah fixed her gaze on Jessica, her eyes a storm of emotions; grief, anger, pain.

“They probably didn’t know …” Jess started. “They were probably about the same age as us, and they were guys. They only knew I was ‘cause Merideth said so.”

“They asked,” Sarah corrected a tear escaping from the corner of her eye.

“Well … yeah ...” Jessica slid a hand under her hair to rub the back of her neck, “after they were making jokes about me being strait-laced and all. Maybe it’s like Alyona said. Because I didn’t drink, which was strange to them, they thought to ask.”

“They just assumed because I was drinking, I was loose,” Sarah spat.

Jess felt a twinge of guilt, vowing to herself to never again make those assumptions about anyone. “I’m so sorry Sarah.”

“And now I’m worthless.”

“What? No! Why would you say that?”

Sarah rolled her eyes, “I’ve read the bible. People who drink do that too you know. It says something like ‘a virtuous woman is worth more than rubies’ she paraphrased in a sarcastic, sing-song voice. It says something about some guys stealing ‘their most precious possession; their virtue.’” A fit of coughing interrupted her train of thought.

“I don’t think it means that.” Jess said.

Sarah shot Jessica a hard look and snorted. “Really.”

“Do you remember my Uncle Daxon? He visited our apartment just before thanksgiving.”

Sarah thought for a minute, “Yeah, he was really quiet.”

“Yeah,” Jessica said sadly, “He wasn’t always that way. He used to be super outgoing before he joined the army. He got stationed in the middle east and wound up in an area where there was heavy fighting. Now he hides in his basement on New Year’s Eve and for a week around the fourth of July. The fireworks remind him of the gunfire and mortars and stuff. He’s a wreck a week or so before, just anticipating it. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

“PTSD.” Sarah nodded.

“I think that’s what the scripture means. It’s not what they took from your body, it’s what they took from your mind.” Jessica placed a hand on Sarah’s shoulder. “I imagine it would be hard to be trusting and open after something like that. Seems to me that everything and everyone would seem a bit more … sinister.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” Sarah acknowledged.

“Makes more sense than God kicking you to the curb because of something that wasn’t in your control,” Jess checked the sky. The sun was well above the horizon “C’mon, we need to get moving.”

As she helped Sarah back up to the shelter, Alyona and Meredith’s voice carried through the air, the conversation becoming heated.

“We need to rest for a while,” Meredith said firmly. “At least for a day or two until we get over the worst of the withdrawal symptoms. We need to rest, and we need to hydrate.”

“We can’t stay here,” Alyona replied through gritted teeth, “We are still too close to where they are searching for us. This is not a good place to hide.”

“Jess,” Meredith asked as she approached, “What do you think?”

“Sorry, Mer,” Jessica responded, “we have to keep going.  Another half-day to a day, depending on how fast we can move. There’s a place in the rock where can hunker down for a while. There’s some food there, and a way to get safe water. There’s shelter from the sun too.” She added, noting the bright red skin on exposed arms, shoulders and backs.

Meridith looked around desperately. “What about Sarah? She’s completely trashed.”

Jessica glanced to Sarah. She was struggling to keep her eyes open, let alone stand. Could she make it?

“We carry her,” Alyona said.

Meredith furrowed her brow. “How far are we going?”

“We carry her, or we drag her.” Alyona responded without the faintest hint of humor. There was an awkward pause as the others stared blankly, trying to decide if she was serious.

“Let’s clean up the campsite,” Jessica sighed, as she started taking down the netting. “We need to cover up the campfire and the piles of sick, and we need to re-landscape the sleeping area. Leave no trace.  Nothing that will give them a clue we were ever here.”

MissTaken: Ch7

    If you haven't read the previous chapters, I recommend you go to this page which has links to all the chapters as I post them. 

Chapter 7

Jessica was awake before the first faint hint of dawn began to lighten the sky. She peered out of the window; the coal-black cat was still there. A panther? She couldn’t remember if they were just in Africa, or if they were a South American creature too. Maybe it was a black jaguar, or maybe panther was another name for a black jaguar.

Oh, well, it wasn’t all that important just now. Quietly, to avoid disturbing the cat, Jessica grabbed the pack and slipped between the seats into the back of the VW Bus.

“Mer,” She whispered, shaking her, “Sarah, time to wake up.”

Both girls groaned.

“Hey,” Jessica said as she gently shook the other two girls, “time to wake up, we need to go.”

It took several minutes and a considerable amount of shaking and urging to get the four girls to a semi-awake state. Merideth looked out of the van windows with glassy eyes. The second her gaze fell on the large cat, she sat up, her spine ramrod straight and her mouth agape. Her eyes now wide and clear, she gasped and pointed. “We can’t leave the van! There’s a lion out there!”

“Perhaps not fully sober,” Jessica said to herself, reconsidering her evaluation of her friend’s state.

“Don’t be silly Mer,” Jessica said, without looking up from her examination of the pack “This is Mexico, not Africa.”

The dark-skinned girl gasped, fully awake as well. “Pantera,” she hissed. All four girls were awake and panicking.

“Aah, so a panther then?” Jessica asked in a barely interested tone.

“The four girls ignored her, all talking at once, to everyone and no one.”

“It’s. Just. A cat!” Jessica said, raising her voice and cutting off their gibbering. They all stopped and stared at her, as if unsure they had heard her correctly. “It’s just a cat,” she repeated, softer this time. “They chase mice, play with string, lay around a lot…”

“Uhh, Jess,” Meridith said, “pretty sure that is a deer. It’s definitely not a mouse.”

“Yeah, it’s a deer.’ Jessica glanced out the window. “A bit bigger than a mouse, but not that much different. A rodent really. They sneak around at night, get into your garden, damage your trees. They’re a bigger, more destructive …tastier rodent.”

All four girls stared at her, brows furrowed, trying to decide if she was teasing them, or if she had lost her mind.

“Look,” Jessica continued, “It was out hunting last night, it has a nice, big, tasty snack, so it’s probably ready for a nap. It has no reason to chase after us. We are going to get out of the van on the opposite side, and we are going to walk slowly toward the river over there while staying close together. We aren’t going to go near the big cat, we aren’t going to stare at the cat, and we aren’t going to run. It may be big, but it is still a cat, if we aren’t threatening it or it’s meal, and we don’t look like we might be fun to chase, it won’t have any reason to take any interest in us, okay?”

Jessica opened the side door and stepped out. She paused for a moment, then turned, addressing the two strangers. “Oh, by the way, hi. My Name’s Jessica, Jessica Hansen. My friends call me Jess. She extended a hand to the blonde, who was the closer of the two.

The blonde girl stared at her hand for a moment, then up to her face. Her eyes hardened and she lifted her chin proudly as she stepped from the van. “My name is Alyona Kostenko”, she said. She stared challengingly at Jessica as though inviting a confrontation.

“Alyona,” Jess repeated, grabbing Alyona’s hand and shaking it vigorously, “pleasure to make your acquaintance! Love your accent! Where are you from?”

“Ukraine,” Alyona responded tersely, maintaining her posture of challenge. She was a full head taller than Jessica, and by her grip and her stance, this fashion model of a girl could hold her own, if it came to a fight.

“Ukraine? You’re a long way from home! How’d you end up here?”

“Long story,” she quipped, “After introductions, perhaps.” Alyona then stepped confidently past Jessica, walking in the direction of the river.

Jessica turned her attention to the dark-skinned girl as she exited the bus. “Hi,” she said with a smile, extending her hand again.

“Leticia Mora,” The girl said, shaking hands with Jessica.

“Habla Ingles?” Jess queried.

“I hear some,” The girl nodded, then smiled timidly, “I speak… no so good.”

“Jessica nodded. You understand we are going?” Jess pointed toward Alyona.

“Si,” Leticia nodded. Then she looked back at Sarah and Meredith, still huddled together in the van. Timidly, they climbed out to join the others.

Jessica smiled reassuringly. “Let’s go.” She said, gesturing with her head. She started forward, and the other three followed.

Jessica could feel a palpable rise in collective anxiety as they moved to where the van was no longer between them and the panther.  She slowed her pace slightly and moved to the side to place herself between the cat and the three girls.

“Just keep your eyes on the river and keep walking,” she said. “Let me worry about the kitty cat.” The three girls quickened their pace, closing the gap between them and Alyona. Jess glanced over her shoulder. The cat lay with its front paws wrapped around the small deer carcass. It eyed her with a look of half-interest, its tongue lolling out, almost like a panting dog.

Alyona stopped at the edge of the river and turned to watch the progress of the others. “Where to from here?”

“About twenty feet farther down,” Jessica pointed, “where that slide of rock runs right into the river. We’ll cross the river there.

Alyona looked at her dubiously, then at the river. “The other side is rock, maybe taller than me.”

“Yup,”

“Ten feet farther down is sand. We can just walk out.”

“We could,” Jessica agreed, “but we’d leave a trail.”

“You think they will try to find us?”

“Yup. Probably find the van later today.” Jess stepped gently on the loose rock, so as not to disturb it, and made her way down to the water’s edge. She took off her shoes and socks. The water was relatively clear, and the bottom seemed smooth and free of sharp objects. “Doesn’t look like we’ll get more than knee deep. I’d recommend you keep your shoes and socks dry. Less likely to get blisters that way.”

Alyona arched an eyebrow. Then, shrugging, she pulled off her heels and stepped gingerly into the water.

Jess took note of her other companions’ footwear. Their shoes were all of the semi-provocative variety. Unlike Sara and Meredith, the shoes Alyona and Letecia were wearing must have been supplied by their captors, judging from the poor condition and fit. Still, even the best fitting heels were no good for back-country hiking.

Although the slow-moving section of water was no more than 20 feet wide and got only slightly deeper than mid-calf it took a long time to cross. The other girls moved slowly, halting often to probe the smooth rocks and occasional squishy spot of mud. Up ahead, Meredith froze, every muscle in her body tensed as she stared at Jessica over her shoulder with petrified eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Jessica asked.

“Something touched my leg.” She clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides.

“Oh my gosh, what if it’s a leech, or a piranha, or… or a crocodile?” Sarah whimpered, searching the river.

“It’s none of those things.” Jessica pinched the bridge of her nose. “It was more than likely a leaf.”

Meredith didn’t look convinced. “But—”

“Meredith, keep moving. You’re fine, I promise.”

Meredith grimaced, but she lifted her foot and continued across the river.

Jessica sighed. One crisis averted, how many more would she have to face? Hopefully they’d all be as minor and easy to solve.

 They stopped under the small cliff face on the other side as Jessica assessed it. It wasn’t really that daunting—maybe one foot higher than she could reach with her feet flat.  She turned and appraised Alyona. Then, she turned to Leticia, “You know how to tie a good knot in a rope?”

Leticia nodded affirmatively.

“Okay,” Jessica pulled a length of rope from the pack, “I have a rope here. If Alyona and I boost you up, do you think you could tie it off to a sturdy tree and throw the end down to us?”

Another nod.

“Give your shoes to Meredith. She’ll toss them to you once you are up.”

Jessica looked at Alyona as she positioned herself at the base of the rock. Alyona moved forward beside her and bent her leg slightly creating a stepping point. With help from Alyona and Jessica, Leticia climbed from knees to hips to shoulders. The two then used their hands under Leticia’s feet to push her up onto the top of the rock. She disappeared from view for a minute, then they heard a grunt, and a rustling of leaves. A bundle of rope appeared, uncoiling as it dropped, the end coming to a stop about three feet above the water.

Meredith tossed Letecia’s shoes up to her, then one by one, they each tossed their own shoes up to Leticia.

“Sarah, how about you go up next?” She glanced at her friend and performed a double take, frowning. Beads of sweat dripped down Sarah’s forehead, and her face was pale with dark circles beneath her eyes.

“Sarah, are you okay?”

“I think so,” Sarah responded feebly.

“Withdrawal.” Meredith eyed her with compassion. “They’ve been drugging us for the past several days. Heroin, probably. We are all likely to be a mess in the next day or so. Hope you have a good hiding place in mind, not too much farther from here.”

“I’m okay,” Sarah insisted unconvincingly, her voice weak and her legs unsteady. She took the rope, preparing to climb.

Alyona stepped next to her and braced her knee again.  “I’m easier to climb than rock wall, save your strength.”

Jessica braced herself on Sarah’s other side, smiling encouragingly. “Nice and easy.”

Sarah struggled, but, with the help of Jessica and Alyona from below, and Leticia from above, she managed to get onto the Rock. Meredith followed her.

Jessica bent, extending her arms down and interlacing her fingers to form a step, “Your turn, Alyona.”

Alyona Placed one foot on Jess’s hands. She reached as high as she could and grabbed the rope. Then, kicking off Jessica’s hand and pulling at the same time, she launched herself up. She released with one hand and placed it on the top of the rock. Her knees connected with the flat of the rock and she smoothly shifted forward and up to her feet, all in one smooth graceful motion, like an Olympic gymnast.

Jessica removed the rucksack from her back and tide it to the rope. She instructed the girls to raise it. They quickly did so, then the end of the rope returned.

Jessica took a deep breath, exhaled, wiped her hand on her hips, then reached up and grabbed the rope. Jumping would be less effective, as she would have to launch directly out of the water. Instead, she placed one foot against the rock, leaned back, then placed the other foot.

“No, no!” Alyona shouted down, “too much effort! Just hold the rope, and we’ll pull.”

“Okay.” Jess wrapped her arm in the rope and let it relax. She heard Alyona bark an order, then was pulled upward, she walked up the rock wall, then shifted forward at the top placing her palms on the top, Alyona grabbed her shoulder and helped pull her the final distance.

“Thanks.” Jessica said.

Alyona waved her hand. “Which way?”

“Upstream. We’ll stay close to the water, so we can use the trees and bushes for cover.” Jessica gestured with her eyes toward the strip of green. As the forest area they were in thinned, giving way to the rock and scrub of the desert, the greenery marked the river’s path through the otherwise barren hills ahead. She estimated they were a better than a half day’s hike from her base camp at a fast pace. She knew that was out of the question, yet she hoped they could make it before nightfall.

Feet were dried as best they could against clothes and shoes were collected.

“I think we have problem,” Alyona said, holding her shoes in front of her.

“She’s right,” Meredith said, “These shoes can be tricky to walk in on flat ground. They are likely to be lethal out here. Somebody will wind up with a broken ankle.”

“Pass me your shoes,” Jess said, holding her hand out to Sarah.

Sarah passed them to Jessica, who snapped the heel off before handing them back.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s better than walking barefoot.”

The other girls did likewise and slipped the now flat shoes back on their feet.

It was slow going.  The route was rough, with heavy vegetation as they followed the winding, upward path of the river. Sarah needed frequent stops to catch her breath; she was sweating, shaking and feverish. The other girls started to struggle as well as the day progressed.

“How long does withdrawal last?” Jessica asked Meredith later in the day, as they walked side by side through the scrub.

“Several days to a few months,” Meredith said. “Worst of it will be over in a couple days.”

 Jessica looked back at Sarah, who had stopped again and was leaning against a tree.

“I’m worried about her,” Meridith looked back as well. “I don’t know if she will be able to go much farther.”

“Let’s stop here for a few minutes,” Jessica said, “and rest our feet.”

Leticia smiled gratefully as she sat down, her back against a tree, peeled off her shoes and began massaging her feet.

“You were right,” Alyona whispered to Jess, pointing through the small cluster of trees they were presently using for shade. From their current position they could see down to where they had crossed the river from the Volkswagen. Five men stood right about where they had entered the water.

“Everyone get down and stay still and quiet,” Jessica hissed, and the girls obediently crouched beside her. It was noon, and they had come quite a way from their starting point, but it was better not to take chances. An accidental reflection, or a flash of bright color might catch an eye; a careless conversation might carry farther than expected. The men might have binoculars, or a gun with a scope.

She watched the men through the foliage. The men stood close to one spot for a minute, looking around. One of them pointed across the river. The men conversed for a while, and another man pointed downstream. Then, two of the men began to make their way across the river while the other three fanned out into the trees. One of the two in the water waved his arm and then pointed into the water. The second man joined him as the others walked back to the water’s edge.

Jessica’s heart sank. Had he found a patch of disturbed mud? She thought of her climb up the rock face. Her feet had been clean of mud before she started the climb, and surely by now the wet footprints would have dried, leaving no trace. Still, she found herself holding her breath as the men continued across the river, eyes intently searching the water in front of them. They were below the rock face now, searching the bank, and then the water farther downstream.

They turned back to the three on the far bank, and one raised his arms in a gesture of frustration before exiting the river and moving downstream.

So far so good, Jess thought. Although she felt only slight less worried. The smallest thing—a broken branch, a shoe print—could give them away. She had been careful to lead them where the ground was hard, or where there was enough random clutter on the ground that any disturbances they made while crossing would blend in with the rest of the noise.

“I’m thinkin’ maybe we shouldn’t stay here,” Jess whispered, “in case they start searching back this way. Better to get moving now, while we have some distance. If we stay right near the water, and stay low, until we get around that bend, we should be okay. We’ll have the hills for cover after that. We’ll go one at a time, and I’ll go last and try to cover our tracks.”

MissTaken: Ch6

   If you haven't read the previous chapters, I recommend you go to this page which has links to all the chapters as I post them. 

Chapter 6

Jess heard the surprised yell from Marcos, and the sound of scrambling boots on loose rock. Her eyes went wide. “Oh crap!”

Thinking quickly, she released the emergency brake and moved the gearshift to neutral. The van began to roll backwards, and she turned so she could watch out the rear window as the vehicle picked up speed.

“This should be interesting,” she murmured. “What were you thinking Jess?”

The van was gaining speed. She glanced forward as Marcos clamored back onto the road. He was fifty yards or so away. He raced forward, brandishing his pistol. He fired wildly at the van but didn’t connect once.  The van rounded a corner in reverse, and she could no longer see Marcos.

Jessica tapped the brakes to keep the speed manageable on the narrow, winding road. But not so much that Marcos was likely to catch up. It was difficult to maneuver the van in reverse. The high, narrow rear window obstructed her field of vision, making it difficult to time the turns properly. She did her best to hug the uphill side of the road—better to bump it than to go careening over the edge.

She was navigating a sharp inside bend, when she realized there was an abrupt outside bend and a steep drop-off, she hit the brakes hard to shed speed, then released them as she jerked the wheel to make the bend, The left side front wheel, was nearly over the edge, breaking off loose dirt and rocks and sending them tumbling below. The body of the van tilted precariously outward, the right-side wheels almost lifting off.

Jess heaved a sigh of relief as the vehicle moved away from the edge. She continued down the winding road in a backwards descent for another ten or fifteen minutes, but the effort of managing the vehicle in reverse was fatiguing her. She was also becoming concerned about their ex-captors. How much longer before Juan returned with a vehicle? It wouldn’t take long to catch a VW bus, coasting in reverse.

Also, sooner or later they would run out of mountain. Probably sooner than later. The road was mostly following the river, and they were getting very close to the same elevation as the river now. There had been a few brief stretches of level and uphill on the road, but Jess had managed to build up enough speed to coast through them to the next downhill run. However, there was one uphill section that had her worried. Steeper and longer than the rest, it loomed before her in the back window.

The van began its way up the incline, tilting Jess forward in the driver’s seat enough she had to push back against the steering-wheel to keep her back against the backrest. Sky appeared out of the rear window as they neared the top of the hill. They were getting closer, but their speed lessened with every second. They had slowed to maybe five miles an hour as they reached the top and cleared the hump.

Jess exhaled, her shoulders sagging as the van started picking up speed again.

Ahead the road curved with an outside bend to follow the mountainside away from the river. Then an inside bend, then another outside bend. As she rounded the first bend, she looked out the side window at the second upcoming outside bend. The slope of the hill was relatively gradual. Roughly twenty yards down, a grove of oak trees started, and the river was another twenty or so yards beyond that.

She bit her bottom lip. Would rolling over the side work? What if she hit a tree or rolled and crushed them all?  She couldn’t continue to coast forever, hoping for a better opportunity. She maneuvered through the inside turn, applying the brakes lightly to shed speed. Out the back window the next outside bend was approaching. Now was the time to do it if she was going to.

“Hang on ladies!” She shouted. “The ride’s about to get bumpy!”

Jess turned the wheel to the right to follow the bend, then twenty feet into the turn, she spun the wheel hard left. The rear wheels were almost perpendicular to the road when they went off the edge. The bottom of the van scraped ground, then the front wheels reached the edge of the road, Jess straightened the wheels and tapped the breaks. Trying to control the rate of descent down the slope, which seemed considerably steeper now she was on it. She was worried if she gave it too much brake, the bus might just end-over and cartwheel down the hill.

The ground was also bumpier than it had seemed from a distance. The van bounced, tilted and careened its way down the slope as Jess fought the wheel, trying to maintain at least the illusion of control over the bucking vehicle. Her half-conscious cargo, thrown about like store mannequins, were heaped in an awkward pile of arms and legs at the very back of the van.

The trees were coming up fast. Jessica gritted her teeth and applied more brake, fighting the wheel to guide the van between two large trees, now looming on either side. As she passed those, she pulled hard right to thread between another cluster of large trees. She caught a smaller tree nearly dead center, snapping it off and sending splinters of wood flying. Jessica yelped but fought the instinct to close her eyes as she jerked the wheel to the left, panting under the exertion.  They traveled deeper into the woods, a few lower branches slapping the sides.

There was nowhere left to go. A large tree loomed directly behind; Jess slammed on the brakes. Moments later the back of the van hit the tree, and the van came to an abrupt halt. There were cries, more of surprise than pain, from the tangle of girls. Jessica felt the breath forced out of her, and she was driven into the backrest by the force of the sudden stop.

Jessica lay still for a moment, catching her breath and letting her arms stop shaking from the exertion of fighting the unruly van.

“Is everybody okay?” Jess asked. “Is anything broken?”

The number of distinct groans she heard reassured her that everyone was still alive and conscious. Looking at the pile of arms and legs, nothing seemed particularly out of place, and no blood was visible, so it didn’t appear there were any serious injuries.

She slipped out of the van on trembling legs and braced a hand against the side of the vehicle to steady herself as she looked around. They were fairly deep in the trees, but better not to take chances.

Removing the hatchet from her sack, she hurried to lop off a number of smaller branches and arrange them over the hood and sides of the van, in an effort to camouflage it. Looking up the hill, she could see several small but discernable indicators of their path down the hill. She couldn’t do anything about the dislodged rocks, broken branches and exposed tracks in the softer earth leading to them except pray her captors didn’t notice.

Jessica was arranging the last branch when she heard an engine.

She slipped behind a large tree trunk for cover and peered around. A car came into view around the first outside bend, moving fast and kicking up a large dust cloud behind it. She followed its progress, shifting to keep the tree trunk between her and the vehicle as it advanced, then passed the point where she had left the road. The car continued out of site around the next bend.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jessica returned to the van to check on her companions again. She climbed back into the driver’s seat and peered over the backrest. They all seemed okay—relatively speaking. They were too out of it to be especially coherent, but they had managed to disentangle themselves from each other, so everyone was at least semi-conscious, and arms and legs appeared to be functioning. She’d have to wait for them to sober up to be certain. She twisted in the seat and stuck her head out the driver side window, looking at the sky speculatively. They were probably going to be spending the night here. Oh well. The van was shelter at least.

Jessica began an inspection of the van interior, looking for items that would be of use. She found a couple of empty beer bottles, a half-eaten sandwich, and a pack of cigarettes on the floor of the passenger side. In the glove compartment she found some loose papers, a handgun, two spare magazines, several loose rounds, and a few shotgun shells.

She removed and examined the pistol. It was a dull gunmetal gray with brown, plastic grips. The word “Colt” was engraved on the side, followed by “Super 38 Automatic” in smaller print. To the right of the text was an engraving of a rearing horse. Her daddy had a similar Colt 1911 38 Super, only his was shiny silver, with pearl handles. His was well cared for, whereas this one looked neglected.

She checked the safety, removed the magazine and cleared the chamber, then inspected the gun. The slide seemed to run smoothly enough; The trigger had more play than it should have. She dry-fired the gun. The hammer snapped forward powerfully. There was no holster to be found, so she stuffed the gun, spare magazines and loose shells into her sack.

Jessica crawled between the front seats into the back of the van to continue her exploration. Behind the passenger seat she struck gold. A weathered rucksack lay on the floor. She opened it up and emptied out the contents for inspection: a piece of camo netting, a pair of binoculars, a small first aid kit, a roll of electrical tape, flashlight, Swedish fire steel, and a metal canteen. The canteen was empty but smelled of something alcoholic.

She returned the items to the rucksack and transferred the gun and shells she had just deposited into her bag as well. She slipped the handle of the hatchet into a loop on the back of the rucksack, designed for that purpose. She tucked the arrows into an open side pocket, and the now empty bag into the main compartment of the rucksack.

Jessica peered out the window. The light was fading fast. She crawled back to the front seats and rolled up the two side windows. Back at her camp she would be huddled next to a campfire now, hopefully with something to eat. Since they had the van for shelter, and nothing to cook, a fire was pointless; they were close to the road, and she didn’t want to risk being seen.

A glance over her shoulder confirmed the girls were asleep. She sat in the passenger seat and thought over the details of the dream the previous night.

“I think you should try North instead. I think you will find the hunting more productive,” Her grandma-great had said. Lucky coincidence? Jess wasn’t much of a believer in luck. She adjusted the backrest as far down as it would, settled in as comfortably as she could, and closed her eyes.

“Grandma Dalton,” Jess mumbled, sleep taking hold of her, “If you can hear me, thanks. For rescuing my friends.”

Jess was awakened at some point in the night by a panicked whisper.

“Jess,” Came the hiss from Merideth again. Her words still slurred, but the tone of panic suggested soberness was returning.

Jess snapped to attention at the rustling sounds outside.

“I hear it Mer” She whispered back keeping her voice low. Jess reached into the rucksack and withdrew the pistol. Using it would be a last resort. The report of a fired handgun would give away their position, and her rescued companions were still in no shape to run for it.

The sounds drew closer, the sounds of something rustling through the leaves and grass on the ground. She heard no whispers or footfalls. Slowly, Jessica raised her head in order to peer out of the window. She couldn’t see anything from the passenger side of the van. The sound seemed to be coming from the driver’s side of the vehicle.

The sounds stopped. Jessica tightened her grip on the gun as she flicked her gaze about in the darkness searching for some clue to what was out there.

Jessica lowered her head and slithered from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat. She worked her way up so she could peer out. Still nothing. The small sliver of moonlight passing through the dense foliage provided little help in separating shadow from darkness.

Then she caught a faint movement of blackness against blackness, close to the ground. She looked to the side of the movement, to use her peripheral vision. It helped a little, but not enough to identify anything. Too close to the ground to be a person—unless they were crawling. However, the movement wasn’t right for that. It wasn’t going anywhere. The motion was in place. It reminded her of something she had seen before. A memory of the ranch flashed in her mind. A late evening, with heavy shadows on the northeast facing slope. She was riding a horse, next to her father, looking for a missing calf. He father stopped abruptly and pointed up the slope. In the deepening shadows she could make out the carcass of the calf, being dragged up the mountainside by a cougar. The movement and sounds outside were similar enough to ease her worry. She relaxed her grip on the gun.

“It’s just a big cat, Mer.” Jessica whispered, returning the gun to the rucksack. “Go back to sleep.”

“Okay,” Meredith rolled over to sleep, and Jess did likewise.

Grandma Dalton was in her rocker again. It seemed strange, since they were sitting by a campfire, next to an olive green, square, canvas tent. The stars above her were unfamiliar. Beside her, a coal-black cat was curled up, purring softly with an unusually large mouse carcass between her front paws. She examined Jessica with cool, uninterested eyes.

“This is a pretty spot.” Grandma said.

Jessica looked around. It was dark, but she could still make out tall, inviting trees and hear the soft babble of a nearby stream. The grass under her was cool and soft. The air smelled of lilacs and roses. Jessica breathed deeply and sighed.

“Can’t stay though,” Grandma said, her tone stern. “Storm’s a comin’. Need to get moving at first light if we’re to stay ahead of it.”

The cat stretched, yawned, then casually swatted at its prize a few times.

MissTaken: Ch5

  If you haven't read the previous chapters, I recommend you go to this page which has links to all the chapters as I post them. 

Chapter 5

Jessica spent the next few days making rope baskets from the cordage. She coiled and shaped thicker cordage while she used thinner cordage to bind the coils together. She narrowed the openings and added rope handles to a couple of the smaller baskets, so she would be able to use like canteens. She gathered some lumps of pitch and dropped them into the rope jugs with hot rocks from the fire, shaking them about until the rocks cooled. After doing this a few times, she filled them with water and checked for leaks. She repeated the process until she was satisfied the smaller two containers were watertight. The larger container leaked a little bit, but as she intended to use it only to carry dirty water from the river to the cistern, minor leaking wasn’t a serious concern.

Jessica also made a couple baskets by weaving together thin, flexible branches, to be used for storing extra meat or other sundries. She used the last bit of cordage and some sticks to build a basket fish trap. She placed this in the river, hoping to add a little variety to her sparse diet of mostly tiny, somewhat crushed rodents caught in the deadfall traps.

Jessica also spent time working on the bow, adjusting the limbs, and shaping the arrow rest until she was able to hit a two-inch target consistently at twenty yards.

As the sun went down, she decided to try her hand at catching birds.  Many birds would sleep, or at least rest in the trees at night. Maybe she could sneak up on one in the darkness and catch it.

She made her way back to the cluster of trees and discovered the first flaw in her plan. Even with the moonlight, the treetops were shrouded in darkness, making it difficult to pick out the shapes of roosting fowl.

She did manage to locate a few birds, but no matter how slowly or carefully she moved, they always seemed to sense her approach and took flight before she was close enough to make a grab at them.

After a dozen disappointing attempts, she abandoned the effort and returned to camp. She lay down and drifted off to sleep.

“What plans tomorrow?” Grandma Dalton asked. She was in her home again, sitting on the couch, while Grandma Dalton knitted in her rocking chair as in the previous dream.

“I think I’ll head down the draw tomorrow.” Jessica said, “I saw deer sign when I was down there a few days ago, checking the fences.”

Grandma stopped knitting, looked skyward, then turned her gaze to Jess. “You know, dear,” she said, “I think you should try north instead. I think you will find the hunting more productive.”

 “Grandma-great?” Jess was puzzled by this suggestion. “North is higher up into the mountains and high desert. I don’t think I am more likely to find deer there, and with less cover, it will be much harder to get a good shot.”

The old woman returned to her knitting. “You do as you like. But I really do think you should go north tomorrow.”

Jessica woke early the next morning, and in spite of the late night, she felt well rested. “A full belly, enough water and a soft place to sleep,” she reasoned.

She hurried through the morning routine of checking the traps, refilling and sterilizing the cistern, and making breakfast. The traps were empty this morning, but for one rodent a bit bigger than a mouse or a rat. It wasn’t especially tasty, but it was food, and she wasn’t in a place where she could be picky. She needed to start working out some vegetation that would be safe to eat. An all meat diet would get old after a while. The only non-protein nutrition she had taken in over the past few days had been some pine needle tea she brewed, just for a break from drinking boiled water.

Her dream from the night before kept slipping to the front of her mind. She had definitely been in her home, talking to her ancestor. However, the geography of the conversation didn’t fit with anything at home. It did fit with her current geography and plan of action, though. She intended to go south to hunt deer, so the description of “north” in the dream fit here.

Nevertheless, just as in the dream, she couldn’t figure the sense of going north instead of south to hunt and gather more cambium for rope making.

But Grandma Dalton seemed quite insistent that she should go north.

Why? She couldn’t shake the feeling it was more than just a random, meaningless dream.

What if the feeling was her gut trying to tell her something? Was it worth the risk of following the pull north? She really needed to establish a better food supply. It was the next key step in thriving: First shelter and fire, then water, then food, then conveniences.

Without shelter, you could die in a matter of hours. Without water you died in a matter of days, and without food you died in a matter of weeks. Once you were solid on those, the sky was the limit.

She had constructed a primitive “cooler” to store surplus meat in—she had piled rocks at a secluded point on the river to create a circular fence where she could sink any meat in her woven baskets. Water flowed through it to keep it cool and extend its life for a few days, yet fish and other scavengers wouldn’t be able to get in. Not as effective as the ice-cold mountain streams where she spent her summers, but still better than open exposure. Now she just needed a surplus of meat to put in her “cooler”. A haunch of venison would definitely supply that, and it would be considerably more enjoyable than her present rat or squirrel diet.

Using a small piece of rope, she tied the loops of one of her water bottles to her belt. She stuffed her arrows and the hatchet into her sack, gathered it and her bow, and slipped out of the cave. She stood, looking north, then south. She heaved a deep sigh of resignation, shook her head, and turned north to start following the river upstream.

She had traveled no more than an hour when she came to a shallow gravel-bottomed area that was an ideal crossing. The water was clear, and the stones in the stream bed were worn smooth by centuries—or perhaps millennia—of water flowing over them, grinding and polishing them. She took off her boots and socks. While she had the second, pilfered pair of socks, she only had the one pair of boots. The resulting blisters wet boots would likely create were something she preferred to avoid if possible.

She made her way across, gingerly placing each footfall after a tentative exploration with her toes to make certain the rocks she was stepping on were as smooth as they appeared, and that they were solidly in place and wouldn’t slip, revealing unpleasant surprises underneath.

Jessica made a mental note to make a pair of moccasins from some of the animal pelts or cordage, just so she would at least have a backup pair of shoes if hers got wet.

She made it across without incident, dried her feet against her jeans, then replaced her socks and boots. She moved away from the river a bit and continued to parallel it as it wandered in a north-northwest direction. The ground began to steepen and climb in front of her as she moved forward over the rocky terrain, dotted with the occasional squat bush which had somehow managed to send roots into the barren soil and find enough nutrients to survive.

Above her, Jessica saw a high point with a stand of evergreen trees. She could scout the area from higher ground if she made the climb.

It was slow going, the ground mainly slide rock, which shifted treacherously underfoot.

As she neared a crest, she thought she could hear voices in the distance. She stopped walking and listened. The ragged sound of her own panting filled the air around her, muffling any other sounds. She held her breath, and cocked her head, straining to hear. She could pick out two male voices now. They sounded like they were yelling.

Jessica expelled her breath as an icy tingle shot down her spine. Should she turn back? It would mean losing all her progress and needing to start afresh the next morning. A waste of time if the voices didn’t belong to her captors. She needed to at least check the situation out before retreating.

Jess slowed her pace, and moved more carefully over the loose rock, to limit noise as much as possible. She came over the crest onto a dirt road cut into the side of the mountain.

The voices were coming from farther up the road to the north, around a bend.

Jessica crossed the road, hurrying into the stand of evergreens on the other side. Crouching, she slunk toward the sound of the voices. She scanned the trees for any sign of movement, anything that looked out of place, while monitoring the terrain to avoid dry branches or other debris likely to make noise under her footfall.

She plotted her course forward, favoring areas with darker shadow and thicker cover. She was getting close enough to make out words. The two distinct male voices were angry. They were trying to get their car running and were arguing about what they should do next.

“Angel’s gonna be pissed if we don’t have these four to the mine by tomorrow night. He was already threatening to feed us to his dogs for losing the other one, we can’t afford another slip up.”

“Hey, don’t blame me, man!”

Jessica froze. She knew those voices. The first was Juan, the second belonged to the one Juan had threated to kill for groping her. Jess fought to control the wave of panic threatening to overwhelm her. She dug her nails into her sweaty palms and inhaled, counting slowly to five in her head. She held her breath for five counts, then slowly exhaled for ten. She couldn’t afford to crumble now. The hadn’t found her yet. And they weren’t going to. Maybe she could use this to her advantage, by gathering information to stay one step ahead of them.

She willed herself to take another step forward, crouching lower.

“Look, we can’t be more than six or seven miles from Ixlayotla,” Juan said. “I’ll walk to the village and get a car. If we hurry, we can still catch our ride tonight. You stay here and watch the girls.”

“What, you want me to just sit here for hours?”

“Yes, I do. Keep your eyes on the girls, and keep your hands off them. They end up hurt or missing, it’s your head Marcos.”

Jess peered through the branches of the shrub she was using for cover. She saw Juan walking away up the road. Marcos stood, pointing his handgun at Juan’s retreating back.

“Point that pistola at me again, and I’ll cut your hands off,” Juan shouted without looking back. Marcos lowered the gun and kicked at the road, sending up a small dust cloud.

Jess remained motionless, staring at the beat-up van. Were her roommates in there? The image of Meredith from her dream returned. She looked from the van to Marcos who was pacing randomly, kicking at the dirt, and muttering expletives under his breath. He stabbed his pistol at the air occasionally to punctuate a particularly acid phrase. She noted that while he spoke Spanish, he seemed to favor English expletives.

She shifted her gaze from Marcos to the gun in his hand, then back to the van. What was she going to do? What could she do? She looked at Marcos and the gun again.

Jessica considered the bow in her hand. She had taken a four-point buck two years ago. She had located it in a meadow in the early evening when she was getting ready to return to camp. She spent an hour carefully slinking around the edge of the meadow to the downwind side, slipping quietly from bush to bush. She had moved to within twenty yards of the deer when she posted up, drew, and released. The slap of the bow startled the buck, but the arrow had already found its mark. It went cleanly through the buck’s side, hitting the lungs and heart. The animal jumped once in surprise then dropped, lifeless, to the ground.

She was no more than twenty yards away from Marcos. The thought of firing an arrow at a human being, even one as disgusting as Marcos, caused her stomach to twist and her throat to tighten. She could feel the adrenaline shakes in her hands and arms. She had felt that with the deer as well, but then it was with a sense of anticipation. Now it was pure dread.

Marcos kicked at the ground again, muttering more expletives. He stomped across the road, looking down toward the river. He paused mid-curse, staring at something out of Jessica’s view. He glanced around, as if to make sure nobody was watching him, then began to work his way down the slope and disappeared out of site.

 Don’t just sit there, Jess, move, a voice hissed in her mind.

Jessica scrambled forward, uncertain what she should, or could do. The hood was up, and the driver’s side door was open. She peeked at the engine—she couldn’t see anything obvious, but she really didn’t expect to. She had done a little work on tractor engines back home, but she was no mechanic. She had felt pushed by an otherworldly power to move, would divine providence smile on her again? Would the engine start for her, when it hadn’t for them?

Listening, she could still hear Marcos descending. He wasn’t particularly agile, given all the slipping, stumbling and stomping sounds she heard. He wasn’t moving very quickly, yet he was moving farther away. She listened for a minute more to his retreating sounds, then slipped into the driver’s seat. Looking in the back, she could see four girls on the floor, hands tied.

One looked like a native. She had dark skin and dark hair. Her features reminded her a little of native Americans. The second was a tall, striking, athletic-looking blonde with exotic features and full lips.

Her throat caught as she examined the other two. They were her roommates.

“Sarah? Mer?” she whispered. Meredith opened her eyes slowly; she moaned and tried to focus on Jessica.

“Jess?”

“Yeah Mer,” Jess said, “It’s me.”

Meredith tried to rub her face, but her movements were slow and uncoordinated, “Why are you here?” The words came out slurred, a bit like she was drunk, but not quite the same.

“I’m gonna get you outta here.” Jessica said with quiet conviction. She twisted around to face forward. She slipped out of the van, and carefully lowered the hood without latching it, that would have to wait until after they were away.

Jessica slid back into the driver’s seat and checked the radio to make sure it was off. She turned the ignition key one click, lights came on. The battery was probably good, then. She took a deep confident breath, set her jaw, pressed the clutch to the floor and turned the ignition. The starter emitted an unpleasant screech. The engine didn't turn over.