Fearful Love

Chapter 3-Mercy?

I was painfully aware of a scratchy sack over my head. It felt extremely hot and I wanted out. However, I heard Dave and Sam's conversation, and pretended to sleep.
"Look, Sam-" Dave began.
"Dave, stop. It's Uncle Sam!" Sam scolded.
"Why? You're not even my real uncle."
"The girl doesn't know that!" Sam screeched. Oh how wrong he was.
"And my identity needs to be kept secret." Sam added.
"Where are we?" Dave asked.
"Uh somewhere in Montana. We've been driving for two days. Surprised she's been out this long." Sam responded.
"And where are we headed?"
"Canada. I've got some friends up there who need a fall guy. Or in this case, a fall girl."
"Fall guy for what exactly?"
"Drugs. Zach makes them. I get different people to take the hit when the police come. Cody and Bryan sell them."
I was mortified. I would be put in jail to rot, and that was after I would've been dealing with some super creepy people.
"Wait, you said Shelly wouldn't get hurt. You said nobody I love would get hurt!" Dave roared.
"SHE doesn't love YOU."
"But she will! That's why I am working with you! You chose her for the ransom money cause her parents are rich and I agreed to help you because I want her back. It was the biggest mistake of my life letting her go, hurting her like I did." Dave cried.
   I couldn't take it anymore. I yanked the bag off my head and looked Dave in the eye. He nodded subtly.
   Dave socked Sam in the jaw and the car went swerving across the empty road, I snuck my arm past Sam and wrapped my fingers around the driver's door handle. I pulled it open and Sam flew out.
   Dave hopped into the driver's seat, slammed the door, and steadied us.
   "What's Sam's status?" Dave gruffly said, his jaw locked.
   "Well..." I trailer off. I could see the rise and fall of his chest, but his body was contorted in vile ways.
   "Battered but alive." I reported.
   Dave looked like he had just remembered something as he skidded to a stop.
   "Trust me, okay?" Dave pleaded as we stepped out of the car.
   "I can't do that, but I'll follow you." I sadly replied.
"Stomp extremely hard this direction and make it look like you are running. The tall grasses will provide a place for the footsteps to stop." Dave instructed. We did as he'd ordered.
"Take your shoes off and we'll hide in the grasses over here!" Dave quickly said, pointing in the opposite direction. I noticed an old truck driving from the north.
We ran to the field and lie down stiffly. A majestic mountain rose high up to the wispy clouds and was capped with snow. A pine forest blanketed the mountain's foothills.
Dave put his hand on the small of my back to calm me. I leaned into him as he slid his whole arm over me.
   In the distance, we saw Sam stumbling toward his car, which was lying still in the middle of the road. The rusty blue truck parked on the side near the Mercedes.
   A burly man with red hair and an unruly beard stepped out of the truck and leaned against the hood.
   After an agonizing 15 minutes, Sam and the other man met up.
   The man chuckled and cussed. "Not looking your best, Sam."
   "You think?" Sam responded, rubbing his shoulder.
   "Cody and Bryan heard about the emergency. They're currently unavailable though. Tied up somewhere." The man explained.
   "Zach?" Sam asked.
   "Yeah?" The man, Zach, replied.
   "Aren't you going to ask what happened to me?" Sam wondered aloud.
   "Go ahead." Zach sighed.
   "Well the boy I was working with threw me out the car and they drove off. Footsteps lead this way." Sam rambled, pointing to the footsteps Dave and I had faked.
   Dave's arm tightened around me as Zach looked around.
   "Let's head to base up north and regroup with Cody and Bryan. Well come back here in, let's say, three days. They oughta come back to the car by then." Zach planned.
   "Alright. We'll leave my car here then." Sam agreed. The two stepped inside Zach's blue truck and drove away. When they were just a speck in the distance, we stood up.
   "What's the plan?" I eagerly asked.
   "This." Dave said. He pulled me into a hug. It felt like when we were kids. Just two people happy to be safe, no complications whatsoever.
Suddenly, something cold and metallic plunged into my thigh.
"Why?!" I managed to gasp. A cough brought blood to my throat.
"You'll thank me later." Dave ominously said. He walked off into the distance, clutching the knife. Then everything went black.