Post by AuntRonda on Mar 14, 2004 11:26:26 GMT -5
"How far from the meeting place are you right now?" Mark said.
"It's a hike. We're a long way up the river on an old plantation."
"Those bounty hunters could be coming to you next," Vicki said.
"We don't see many people up here," Carl said. "We've taken a lot of precautions since our other hideout was discovered."
Carl said he would check back when he heard any news, and Mark hung up. An eerie silence fell over the group.
Finally, Zeke said, "I think we ought to pray."
The kids prayed for Judd, Lionel, Tom, and Luke. Vicki wiped away tears. A few minutes into the session, she got up and went outside.
Zeke joined her under one of the awnings the group had constructed between cabins. "I know you're upset, but you can't give up hope."
"I have to do something. The GC is making all the moves. It's like we're trapped."
"You know how long it would take you to get to South Carolina from here? The best thing you can do is pray."
"I don't want to pray. I want to do something!" Vicki sobbed.
Zeke nodded, his long hair swishing against his chubby shoulders. "I know exactly how you feel. When the GC picked up my dad, I wanted to go in there with guns blazing and get him out. You know how hard it is to know someone you love's going to die?"
Vicki couldn't speak.
Zeke put a hand on her shoulder. "Dad was ready, and Judd and Lionel are too."
"Don't talk like that! Judd's coming back, and I'm going to help him!"
Vicki ran inside the building. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need a vehicle."
Marshall Jameson stood. "Vicki, you can't be serious."
"I have to help them."
Shelly hugged Vicki and they both cried.
Mark ran a hand through his hair. "Vicki, this is insane."
She turned to Zeke. "Isn't there a part of you that wishes you had tried to save your dad? Don't you ever wonder if you might have been able to help him?"
Zeke just stared at her.
Colin Dial stepped forward. "If this program that Commander Fulcire created goes through, there'll be a million eyes watching. If everyone knows they can make money finding people without the mark of Carpathia, we'll be a prime target."
"The program hasn't started up here," Vicki said. "Besides, I'll stick to back roads—"
Becky Dial put a hand on Vicki's shoulder. "I know how upset you are, but Colin's right. You can't go anywhere right now. We have to trust God."
"He helped you by sending that angel Anak," Charlie said. "Maybe God will send an angel to Judd."
Vicki looked from face to face, sensing their concern. Everyone in the room wanted Judd and Lionel to return safely.
"I'm going to my cabin," Vicki said. "Call me the moment you hear anything."
Vicki raced away, wiping tears from her face. She collapsed on her bunk and sobbed, crying out to God.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Judd caught his breath as the two men in the next room shoved wicker furniture away from the window. Lionel struggled to his feet and moved toward the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" Judd said.
Lionel turned and felt along the tabletop. His eyes lit and he scampered back to the couch. With his hands still cuffed behind him, he held out his pocketknife. "He took this and some clips from me earlier." He sat on the couch, leaning forward, trying to open the small blade.
Max returned and Lionel sat back, hiding the knife in his palm.
"Get these two into the back of the truck," Max said, glaring at Judd and Lionel. "And switch your gun to kill. No more trying to be nice to these kids."
Albert hustled Lionel and Judd into the back of the truck and closed the tailgate. Max had fastened plywood over the broken window, and it was dark inside.
"You try to get away and it'll be the last time," Albert said.
The plastic cuffs were tight around Judd's wrist, and Lionel said he had lost most of the feeling in his hands. Lionel told Judd to scoot close. He pricked Judd's arm once with the blade, and Judd helped guide the knife to the plastic strip.
Lionel pulled the blade back and forth along the plastic. With the sawing motion they hoped to cut a notch into the thick plastic.
"Good thing they didn't have the metal cuffs or there would be no way we'd get them off," Lionel said. "You think the guy you saw was Luke?"
"I've never seen him before, but I can't imagine who else it would be."
Judd held still as Lionel worked. Max and Albert hadn't returned, and Judd wondered if they had followed Tom into the woods. After a few minutes, Lionel pulled the knife away, and Judd managed to get his little finger to the middle of the cuffs.
"I don't feel any notch at all," Judd said. "It's not working."
"I have another blade with a serrated edge. Let me try that."
Judd helped guide the blade again, but this time the edge cut his arm and he yelped.
"Sorry, man," Lionel said.
Minutes later the bounty hunters returned, and Judd heard the clatter of a weapon in the front seat.
"You know I don't do well at that place," Albert whined.
"It's not like there's a bunch of gators down there," Max said. "Just take these two and have them processed. I'll stay here and wait on the dogs so we can find the other one."
"Max, let me stay."
Max spoke through clenched teeth. "Go. I'll find the other one."
The door closed and the truck started. Lionel kept working on the cuffs as they bounced along the bumpy road.
"You ever think it would end this way?" Lionel said. "Guess you won't get to see Vicki again."
"Concentrate!"
Judd didn't want to think about anything but getting free. Now, as Albert drove along the deeply rutted road, Judd thought of Vicki. Unless Tom got back to his group and told the story, no one would know about Judd's and Lionel's fate. Is this God's plan? Judd thought. How could this possibly glorify God?
Years before, Bruce Barnes had said, "Pray as if everything depends on God, but work as if everything depends on you."
Lionel stopped for a moment and worked out a cramp in his hand. "Feel it and see if we're making any progress."
Judd ran a little finger around the plastic, feeling for a notch. Lionel had been working the new blade long enough to get a cramp, but Judd's heart sank when the surface was completely smooth.
"It's a hike. We're a long way up the river on an old plantation."
"Those bounty hunters could be coming to you next," Vicki said.
"We don't see many people up here," Carl said. "We've taken a lot of precautions since our other hideout was discovered."
Carl said he would check back when he heard any news, and Mark hung up. An eerie silence fell over the group.
Finally, Zeke said, "I think we ought to pray."
The kids prayed for Judd, Lionel, Tom, and Luke. Vicki wiped away tears. A few minutes into the session, she got up and went outside.
Zeke joined her under one of the awnings the group had constructed between cabins. "I know you're upset, but you can't give up hope."
"I have to do something. The GC is making all the moves. It's like we're trapped."
"You know how long it would take you to get to South Carolina from here? The best thing you can do is pray."
"I don't want to pray. I want to do something!" Vicki sobbed.
Zeke nodded, his long hair swishing against his chubby shoulders. "I know exactly how you feel. When the GC picked up my dad, I wanted to go in there with guns blazing and get him out. You know how hard it is to know someone you love's going to die?"
Vicki couldn't speak.
Zeke put a hand on her shoulder. "Dad was ready, and Judd and Lionel are too."
"Don't talk like that! Judd's coming back, and I'm going to help him!"
Vicki ran inside the building. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need a vehicle."
Marshall Jameson stood. "Vicki, you can't be serious."
"I have to help them."
Shelly hugged Vicki and they both cried.
Mark ran a hand through his hair. "Vicki, this is insane."
She turned to Zeke. "Isn't there a part of you that wishes you had tried to save your dad? Don't you ever wonder if you might have been able to help him?"
Zeke just stared at her.
Colin Dial stepped forward. "If this program that Commander Fulcire created goes through, there'll be a million eyes watching. If everyone knows they can make money finding people without the mark of Carpathia, we'll be a prime target."
"The program hasn't started up here," Vicki said. "Besides, I'll stick to back roads—"
Becky Dial put a hand on Vicki's shoulder. "I know how upset you are, but Colin's right. You can't go anywhere right now. We have to trust God."
"He helped you by sending that angel Anak," Charlie said. "Maybe God will send an angel to Judd."
Vicki looked from face to face, sensing their concern. Everyone in the room wanted Judd and Lionel to return safely.
"I'm going to my cabin," Vicki said. "Call me the moment you hear anything."
Vicki raced away, wiping tears from her face. She collapsed on her bunk and sobbed, crying out to God.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Judd caught his breath as the two men in the next room shoved wicker furniture away from the window. Lionel struggled to his feet and moved toward the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" Judd said.
Lionel turned and felt along the tabletop. His eyes lit and he scampered back to the couch. With his hands still cuffed behind him, he held out his pocketknife. "He took this and some clips from me earlier." He sat on the couch, leaning forward, trying to open the small blade.
Max returned and Lionel sat back, hiding the knife in his palm.
"Get these two into the back of the truck," Max said, glaring at Judd and Lionel. "And switch your gun to kill. No more trying to be nice to these kids."
Albert hustled Lionel and Judd into the back of the truck and closed the tailgate. Max had fastened plywood over the broken window, and it was dark inside.
"You try to get away and it'll be the last time," Albert said.
The plastic cuffs were tight around Judd's wrist, and Lionel said he had lost most of the feeling in his hands. Lionel told Judd to scoot close. He pricked Judd's arm once with the blade, and Judd helped guide the knife to the plastic strip.
Lionel pulled the blade back and forth along the plastic. With the sawing motion they hoped to cut a notch into the thick plastic.
"Good thing they didn't have the metal cuffs or there would be no way we'd get them off," Lionel said. "You think the guy you saw was Luke?"
"I've never seen him before, but I can't imagine who else it would be."
Judd held still as Lionel worked. Max and Albert hadn't returned, and Judd wondered if they had followed Tom into the woods. After a few minutes, Lionel pulled the knife away, and Judd managed to get his little finger to the middle of the cuffs.
"I don't feel any notch at all," Judd said. "It's not working."
"I have another blade with a serrated edge. Let me try that."
Judd helped guide the blade again, but this time the edge cut his arm and he yelped.
"Sorry, man," Lionel said.
Minutes later the bounty hunters returned, and Judd heard the clatter of a weapon in the front seat.
"You know I don't do well at that place," Albert whined.
"It's not like there's a bunch of gators down there," Max said. "Just take these two and have them processed. I'll stay here and wait on the dogs so we can find the other one."
"Max, let me stay."
Max spoke through clenched teeth. "Go. I'll find the other one."
The door closed and the truck started. Lionel kept working on the cuffs as they bounced along the bumpy road.
"You ever think it would end this way?" Lionel said. "Guess you won't get to see Vicki again."
"Concentrate!"
Judd didn't want to think about anything but getting free. Now, as Albert drove along the deeply rutted road, Judd thought of Vicki. Unless Tom got back to his group and told the story, no one would know about Judd's and Lionel's fate. Is this God's plan? Judd thought. How could this possibly glorify God?
Years before, Bruce Barnes had said, "Pray as if everything depends on God, but work as if everything depends on you."
Lionel stopped for a moment and worked out a cramp in his hand. "Feel it and see if we're making any progress."
Judd ran a little finger around the plastic, feeling for a notch. Lionel had been working the new blade long enough to get a cramp, but Judd's heart sank when the surface was completely smooth.
