Fearful Love

Chapter 9 - Road to Forever...Maybe

   We had our plans all worked out, and on the seventh day, we were ready to execute it. I had no idea where the men were and if they knew my exact whereabouts.
As far as Dr. Roseband knew, Cole was visiting his Mom and taking me back home. He trusted Cole, just like I did.
   We packed a bunch of food provisions and emergency supplies in his Bronco. Anytime I offered to help, Cole told me to just relax, I was already stressed enough.
   After a few hours we were ready. We made a quick stop at the diner, where Cole continued to prove how amazing he was, before we hit the road.
   We drove endless miles as the sun made its majestic journey across the blue sky. We played the radio louder than we should and sang along. We had the occasional deep conversation and ate a lot of snacks.
   At about 11 o' clock that night we were done driving and set up a tent at a free campground in Wyoming. The next day we would drive through Utah, then we were home free into Arizona.
   As I snuggled deeply into my sleeping bag I realized how sleep deprived I was. The past seven days had been Cole and I pulling all nighters talking.
   I fell asleep quickly and before I knew it we were on the road again.
   "You feeling alright?" I asked as I took a bite of my Cliff Bar.
   "Yup." Cole answered. He yawned. He had huge bags under his eyes that were slightly bloodshot and was pale. He looked like he'd been up all night.
   "No you are most certainly not." I argued while pouting.
   "Maybe - maybe you should drive." Cole caved as he pulled over. I was about to step back inside the car when I noticed something in the distance.
We were near Yellowstone National Park, but on the very edge. I had seen a huge mass in the distance. It looked like some kind of animal.
"Cole!" I cried excitedly. He dashed back to the driver's side of the car and stood next to me.
"What?" He asked.
"There's something out in that field!" I grinned, pointing to the blob.
"I can't see anything." Cole disappointedly said.
"Come on." I urged, grabbing his arm and yanking him across the road. We were on the side closest the field where the creature was.
I stood on my tip toes and grabbed his lovely face in my hands. I turned it towards the possible animal.
"Do you see it?" I whispered. The animal moved again.
"Oh yeah I do!" Cole smiled.
"What do you think it is?" I asked.
"It looks like it has antlers, and since we're next to Yellowstone, it's probably a moose." Cole explained.
"Wow." I breathed, awestruck. I'd never seen an animal out in the wild like this. A light mist hung around the area. Wildflowers dotted the field. A lush forest sprawled out from the field.
   I looked at Cole's face. He was staring at the moose with wonder in his eyes. He was so happy and perfect for me. His deep blue eyes glistened brightly. His hair gently swayed with the wind. I kissed him gently and smiled.
   "What's wrong?" He asked into the kiss.
   "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." I blissfully answered.
   "Then don't stop." He laughed.
   But something did feel wrong now. Or rather, something looked wrong. The animal was being overtaken by five figures, possibly human.
   A loud gunshot sounded and Cole and I turned our attention to the moose. It fell to the ground and the figures all lined up, facing us.
   And one of them, the youngest looking one, had fiery red hair. Dave. I shrieked and clung to Cole.
   "Is that - "
   "Yes." I shuddered. We sprinted back to his car and gunned the engine. We peeled out and as we did I stared at the men.
   "What are they doing here? Why did they kill that moose?" Cole cried.
   "As a sign. That I'm next. Dave mentioned to me that once they were done with me I would be a goner. I must be so much of a problem now that they've come after me. Cole, I'm being targeted. They're trying to kill me." I explained. I realized the car was going extremely slow. We hadn't even driven a quarter of a mile yet.
   "Yes, you are." Cole said, locking his jaw and not being his happy, smiley, wonderful self. His face darkened and became hostile.
   "Cole?" I asked hesitantly.
   He didn't answer me, and instead pulled over again. He opened the door and calmly stepped out. He walked over to me and opened my door.
   "Cole?" I asked louder. He stood there, a sad look in his eyes.
   "Cole! What the heck is going on?!" I yelled.
   "Shelly, I'm so sorry. Really. I wasn't supposedly to get this attached, but I did. And it's going to cost me now." Cole finally answered.
   I shivered and he yanked me out of my seat, ripping the seatbelt. My brain couldn't even begin to compute what was happening. My instincts told me to scream and kick my way out of his deadly grip.
   But I couldn't. I sat there limp in his arms. I stared with tears in my eyes at his cold, empty face. The face that once shone with the light of a thousand stars when he saw me. The face that stayed up til 5 in the morning telling me about his life.
   Was he even telling me the truth? Did he actually love me? Or did I fall fast and hard, way too quick to trust him.
   "Cole, I - "
   But I didn't get to finish. He clapped his hand over my mouth and pushed on the pressure point in my neck. I felt dizzy, but then everything went black. Including my heart.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello my fabulous readers! I have been having some writer's block and have been super busy, but I'm back! And so is Fearful Love! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you guys so much for reading! This is so cool to me that people actually read my story, have your best day! 😉😊