His Ranch

Chapter 26 A Fire Within Her

sorry about the delay. this woman's daughter has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is going through chemo and i had to step in and help with a few things and then i had my son so things have been busy. 

warning...it's graphic and disturbing.

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Flannery walked through the bunkhouse looking left and right trying to find Nolan. She had lost a small about of courage while walking to the bunkhouse, but realized that it had to be done. 

She bypassed the bathrooms and was about to continue on to the back recreational rooms when she heard whimpering. She stopped and spun around. There it was again! A small feminine whimper. 

Flannery looking to her right and saw a door that at first glance looked as if it was a cleaning closet. She pressed her ear to the door. The whimpering stopped for a minute, but then began again. 

She grasped the handle of the door and pulled the door open. She was greeted with grey concrete stairs and a faint glow of light. 

Flannery felt chills run up and down her spine as she began her descent. Her shoes made  crackling noise as they connected to each step and the small piece of gravel trailed by the previous occupants.

As she made her way further into the room, the whimpers became louder and louder. Just as she was about to touch the landing, a voice clear as day rang out.

"Somebody...help, please."

Flannery's feet hit the landing and she quickly turned her head. 

Emma.

Flannery's knees buckled and bent over at the waist, losing the contents of her stomach over the floor. She heard the whimpering stop and Emma's voice called out to her again.

"Flannery, please help me."

Her voice was broken and was barely more than a whisper. Her face was barely recognizable. Her eye's were almost fully swollen shut. Her checks were black and purple with bruising. Her lips were puffy and dried blood covered her chin. Her face was painful to look at, but it was her body that made Flannery vomit.

Her shoulders and upper chest were littered with cigarette burns. Her wrists and ankles were tied with rope and the rope that was once brown, was now died red with her blood. Her hands and feet were purple with lack of blood flow. Her legs were covered with bruises from kicks. 

"They...are coming..back...to kill me," Emma said, tears leaking all over her face.

Flannery snapped out of her shock and ran to Emma. She quickly and carefully untied the rope bindings from her hands and feet, grimacing when the rope pulled at the skin and reopened the cuts. Emma groaned and the whimpering began again.

"Oh, Emma, I'm so sorry!" Flannery cried feeling her heart break over the woman's wounds. "I'll get you out of here!"

Flannery made quick work of the binds and helped Emma stand up from the chair.

"Can you make it up the stairs?" Flannery asked.

"I think...so," she whispered back. "We need...to hurry."

Flannery swung Emma's arm over her shoulders and began to climb the stairs. Once at the top, she continued to move Emma as fast as she could to the door of the bunkhouse, all the while thinking, who could have done this to Emma? Who could've ever done such a thing to another human being?

"Hurry," Emma whimpered. Flannery took more of Emma's weight onto her shoulders and hurried as fast as she could towards the ranch house.

~~~

Coult felt an uneasiness take over his body as his horse thundered beneath him. He knew something was wrong. He didn't know what it was, but he wanted nothing more than to hurry back home and make sure Flannery was alright. 

It was still early and they were making good time. They would be in town in an hour or so. Coult was leading the pack with Danny at his side. 

Throughout the ride Coult had turned to glance at Danny from time to time. Each time, Danny had looked more and more furious. 

As Coult was about to yell to Danny and attempt to comfort his friend, a shout, a nay and horse flesh slamming against the hard ground invaded Coults ears.

His head whipped around and saw that his father's horse had tripped under him. 

Coult and Danny whipped both horses around and met up with the other men circling around Frank.

"Jesus Christ!" Frank called out, his hands grabbing the ground in pain. Coult jumped off of his horse and ran to his father.

"Dad! Shit!" Coult said aloud. His father's right leg was bent at an excruciating angle at the thigh, almost a perfect right angle to his body. 

Fuck.

"We need to get him to a hospital-"

"Go on," Frank said, grabbing Coult's had. "You and Danny ride ahead. The boys and get me to a hospital."

"Dad, I-"

"Get the fuck out of here, Coult." 

 Frank scowled at Coult before yelling out in pain and dropping his head back down to the ground and falling unconscious.

As difficult as it was to leave his father hurt, Coult ran to his horse. He heard Danny's footsteps behind.

~~~

Flannery was about to start up the steps of the house when the sound of tires spinning against gravel pierced through the air. 

She felt Emma tense and her whimpering stopped as she began to hyperventilate. Flannery turned her head and watched as a green Bug convertible pulled up the house and a heavier woman got out of the car.

"Emma? Emma!" she yelled running over. The woman began instantly crying and shaking as he took in all of Emma's wounds. 

"She needs a hospital-" Flannery began before the woman began rapid firing questions at Emma.

"Who did this? Are you alright? What can I do? Should I call an ambulance? Should we just take my car?!" 

"Let's just take your car," Flannery said quickly, turning Emma around and letting the other woman support some of Emma's weight on the other side.

"I'm Natasha Sheridan," the woman said. "I work with Emma. She's been missing since yesterday. I was going to come out here last night, but, but..."

The woman began crying again hysterically.

Flannery knew that the woman must be upset by the condition Emma was in, but now was not the time.

"Natasha!" Flannery yelled, "now isn't the time. Emma has lost a lot of blood. We need to get to a hospital. I don't know who did this and I don't know when they are coming back. We need to go. Now."

Emma entire body was shaking and Flannery looked down to see that she wasn't even attempting to walk anymore. Natasha and Flannery were dragging her to the car.

"A few more feet, Emma," encouraged Flannery. "A few more feet and we will get into the car and get you to a hospital. Everything is going to be-"

"Nolan," Emma's voice whispered. "Have to get away from Nolan and her."

"Nolan did this?!" Flannery asked, her steps faltering. Nolan?! Why? How? 

 A fire began within Flannery and she knew they had to get off the ranch now. Nolan could be anywhere. They only had a limited amount of time and the ranch wasn't that big. She had to get Emma out of there.

Just as the ladies had reached the car a voice called out and froze their movements.

"Where are you headed, sweet heart?"

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