8. Despair

Chrissy feels overwhelmed by their situation.

Chrissy and Emily silently returned to their little, make-shift campsite. Chrissy sat down on the ground with her back against a tree and closed her eyes as a wave of despair washed over her. The reality of their situation slowly sank into her. They weren't going to make it.

She had failed. Her number one priority as a mother was to protect her daughter and keep her from harm and she had failed!

She knew they had been in grave danger but she had held out hope that they could get to a phone and call for help. Now that hope was dashed. Help was not available anywhere in this county. They were completely on their own. They weren't going to make it.

She suddenly thought of Ian. They would probably disappear without a trace and he would never know what happened to them. He would spend the rest of his life wondering. She hadn't given him much thought for the past two days but now she found herself missing him with an acuteness that was painful.

The roads were deadly perilous to them and the authorities were helping their enemies. They had no food and little water left. They would die of starvation or exposure in the woods or they would be captured and killed. Well... they would certainly kill Chrissy. They might sell Emily into a child prostitution ring. Her heart ached at the thought. She remembered the story she had once heard about Boudica, a Celtic queen who led her people in a rebellion against their Roman oppressors. After many bloody battles the Romans finally put down the revolt. One version of the story held that as the Romans were closing in on her, Boudica slew her own daughters to keep them from becoming slaves.

She looked at Emily. The girl was silently sitting and staring forlornly at the ground. A resolve hardened inside of Chrissy. Her despair slowly changed to anger. She decided that the only way they would get to Emily would be by stepping over her own dead body. And she wasn't going to wait for the b******s. She was going to take the fight to them!

She stood and walked to her motorcycle and opened the tool pouch. She had already taken out the knife and screwdriver the day before. She took out all the rest of the tools and laid them on the ground. There was another screwdriver (philips), a small pliers/wire cutters, crescent wrench, a set of allen wrenches, and a small coil of steel wire. Not much to work with. She stared at the tools for a few minutes. Then she grabbed the screwdriver, pliers and the coil of wire.

“Come with me,” she said with determination as she stood up.

Emily followed her as she walked around the woods, stopping every so often and looking at their surroundings. Chrissy finally stopped at a spot where they could see a faint path, probably a deer trail. She pointed along the path. “Follow this path for awhile and scuff it up with your feet so it looks like someone walked through here. Then come back here.”

Emily did as she was told while Chrissy began cutting small branches off of nearby trees. When she returned Chrissy took a stick and outlined a two-foot square in the dirt of the path. She handed Emily one of the screwdrivers. “Start digging a hole there. Use the screwdriver to scratch up the dirt and then scoop it out with your hands.”

“What are we making?”

Chrissy started to sharpen the sticks with the knife. “There's no time to explain. You'll see.”

It was mid-afternoon before they were done. They were hot, tired, sweaty and filthy. Their last water bottle was nearly empty. Chrissy took a swallow from it and handed it to Emily. “Here,” she said, “Finish it off.” As Emily drained the last of the water Chrissy said, “We only need one more thing to make it work.” She gave Emily a sidelong glance and an evil smile. “Bait.”

Author's Note

Suggestions and constructive criticisms are always welcome.

Reviews

[Tina Kline]

Just when things look hopeless Chrissy gets an idea. Good chapter.
Very realistic too.

[Craig2591]

Thank you.

[Nienor Niniel]

It's just like Chrissy to fight back and not give up, even if the odds seem to be against her. Can't wait to see what she uses as bait!

[Craig2591]

Something irresistible you can bet. Thank you.