The Halfway Group (book 1)

Chapter 49: Finding Haley

Haley's POV:

Why is it so dark? This is so scary. Jimmy please hurry up and find me. I don't know how much longer I have. 

I hear a door bust down as I hear Jimmys voice and then gunshots. I hear Jimmy grunt as I struggle against the ropes.  Please free me.  I feel someone grab me and pull me outside and then the thing on my head gets pulled off and it's Chloe.  MY Chloe.  "Haley, we got you, you are safe now." 

"Wait where Jimmy?"  More gunshots in the house as I fear the worst.  "JIMMY!!!" 

Jimmys POV:

I look down and see my heart still beating as she lowers it into her chest.  "Our hearts are forever one now." 

"JIMMY!" I wake up to Max smacking me as Chloe is holding my head up.  "Oh god Jimmy, are you alright?  You had a seizure."  I sit up and grab my head and then feel my chest, heart is where it belongs in my chest. 

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."  I lied as I stood up and look at the sky, it's been an hour or so.  "I need a tobacco store." 

"Jimmy, you are not buying more chew." Chloe says as she stares me down but I stare right back, after that nightmare, nothing will make me falter again. 

"Chloe I'll do as I damn well please." She still stares me down.  I sigh and hand her my wallet.  "Don't lose it."  She pats my arm.

"You still fear me a little bit Metal head, that's how it should be."  I flick her nose and laugh. 

"I don't fear anyone, I'd just rather not argue."  I get in the car and wait for them as I head to the nearest tobacco store, since I've pretty much mapped them out for Oregon.  I run inside and grab a roll of Copenhagen and hide it as Chloe gets out and tries following me in. 

"Jimmy. I'm going to beat you relentlessly when we find Haley.  You promised all of us the other night you'd quit." 

"Yeah and I promised my mom I'd defend Haley and protect her no matter what, and look where that got us.  Drop it chloe, please."  I open the roll and pull out a can and pack it.  As I put a dip in I find a bottle and spit, I'm ready to bust shit up now. 

"Jimmy, I'm sorry I'll lay off. I know it's still hard on you but I just want you to know that-"

"You guys are still here and you'll help me I know, I'm not trying to sound like an asshole, I really do appreciate it and I do love you guys but, I do need a little space okay?"  Chloe looks so ashamed and I hug her.  "Chloe I promise, just give me sometime and we get Haley back I'll be fine..... I promise."  She hugs me back and I feel tears hit my shirt. 

"We need to get her back Jimmy.... we need to save her from this torture we have a few more hours before the worst happens.  We need to hurry."  Max gets on her phone and checks how far we are.

"Jimmy, we need to hurry it looks like they are heading out." I get in the car and drive... Chloe looks out the window and uses her breath on it and draws 'I miss you' on it.  I feel even worse but I'm gonna get Haley back for her.

"Jimmy take a left up here, and then keep going straight, we should be able to cut them off in about 5 minutes."  I floor it and skid that left turn.  Nobody will keep me from my sister.  That's when I see it.  On the highway next to me I see a truck that is my dads. 

John, your ass is mine.  I'm not letting you get away this time.

I floor it and head him off.  I notice there aren't any other cars on the highway, maybe that's why they call this 'Ghost Highway'  I skid to a halt sliding my car sideways as the truck comes to a stop.  But who comes out isn't who I was expecting. 

"SEAN WHERE THE FUCK IS HALEY AND JOHN?!  WHY ARE YOU DRIVING HIS TRUCK AND SPEEDING AWAY?" I get out of the car and slam my door rattling my window I run up to Sean and slam him into the truck. 

"Easy there son, your dad and Haley are still in the perimeter, I'm just trying to lure you away."

I pull out my gun and place it right under his chin.  "Give me one good fucking reason not to pull this trigger right now.  Give me one!"  I press it deeper into his skin as he gags. 

"Do it, it won't bring that bimbo back or get you to Haley any sooner.  Do it." I hesitate and as I pull my gun away and back up blood splatters me and Sean hits the ground.  His head has a crater in the side from where Chloe had pulled her trigger.

"Don't talk about my friends like that!"  She drops her gun and I run to her before she collapses. 

"Chloe!!!" I kneel with her to the ground and she hugs me tight and cries.  I've never seen her cry before or even shed a tear.  I guess Rachel was at one point more than a friend to her... 

"I miss her Jimmy. I miss Rachel so fucking much already, he's going to pay for it.  He's going to pay for killing my best friend."  She keeps sobbing into my chest as Max gets out and runs over to us. 

"Jimmy, Chloe we need to go now.  Johns on the move with Haley again."  I look back to chloe and make her look at me.

"Chloe, I swear on my life we will rescue Haley.  We will get her back I swear it."  I hug her again and she gets up.

"Let's go." I get in the car as Chloe wipes her eyes.  I put it in gear as Max directs me where to go.  After about an hour we stop outside of an abandoned looking house.  "Max are you sure this is it?"  She looks down at the phone and it shows that it's where we should be.  I get out of the car and pull out my gun.  "Chloe are you ready?"  She pulls out her gun and nods. 

"Let's do this thing." 

"Remember the plan, I go in first and you guys go in the back and get Haley."  They both say 'got it' as I get out.  This is it John the final fucking shootout between us begins.  One of us will not leave here alive.