I'd Kill Just To Protect You

Chapter 12

I reached for my gun, but then I realised that I didn’t have one. But I do have one in the glove box that I keep there just in case. I ran back to the car to see that Marley wasn’t there. Her side of the door had been forced opened.

I cursed out loud and then ran to the car, calling out Marley’s name but she didn’t respond. I opened the passenger car and pulled out my gun from the glove department, loading the bullets. Marley screamed again.

I followed her screams, running into the woods. I couldn’t see a thing and I was terrified that something was going to happen to Marley and I wouldn’t be able to help her. There was some light from the moon as it shined through the trees, but it wasn’t enough light. I yelled out her name, but she never responded.

Suddenly I was grabbed from behind and thrown up against a tree. I turned around and threw a punch at the guy, but he blocked my punch. I went to kick him and he grabbed my foot, twisting it. I was pushed to the ground, almost hitting my head on a rock. The killer leaned his body over me, knocking my gun out of my hands and then put something against my throat. I think it was a thick stick as he tried to choke me with it. I struggled to breathe.

I managed to push him off me and flipped him over so I was lying on top of him, pinning him down by his shoulders.

“Where’s Marley?” I demanded.

He just laughed and then pushed me off him. We both got to our feet and I grabbed his shirt, slamming him into a tree trunk, demanding to know where Marley was. I hadn’t heard her scream yet and I feared the worst to what could have happened to her.

“Noah!” I heard Marley screamed.

I punched the guy in the mouth and then made a run for it. I found my gun and ran towards Marley’s voice. She wasn’t very far from me. She had her hands tied up to a branch while the rest of her body dangled from the branch. She was struggling to free herself so she could get down. There was also a piece of paper tied around her neck with a string, letters cut out from a magazine. It read “Prepare to watch me die.” No. He can’t be killing Marley right now.

I ran to her. “Marley, thank goodness. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

She shook her head. “No, he didn’t. Help me down please, Noah. I’m scared.”

“It’s okay, Marley. I won’t let him do anything to you.”

I looked up at Marley, trying to work out how to cut the rope. I didn’t have anything that could cut it and I was glad Marley wasn’t tied up too far off the ground. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to reach her. From the looks of it, I have to climb the tree to get her down.

“Noah, behind you!” Marley screamed.

I turned around to see the killer holding onto something. I wasn’t sure what he had in his hand and before I could defend myself, he wracked me hard in the back of my head, knocking me out.

I don’t think I was knocked out for long. When I woke up I could hear Marley telling the killer to leave her alone. I lay there and saw that he had gotten her down from the tree. He had an arm around her waist to hold her and Marley was struggling to free herself. The piece of paper that was around her neck wasn’t there anymore. I spotted a knife in his other hand.

Crap. He is going to kill her for real this time.

I stood up off the ground, ignoring the pain in the back of my head. “Let go of her, you freak.”

He laughed and then held Marley closely to him. He put the silver blade to her throat. She stomped on his foot hard. He grunted in pain and then just pushed Marley to the ground. I made a run to him and swung my fist at him, striking him right in the jaw. He kicked me in the gut. I ignored the pain and went to grab my gun that I had tucked under my shirt. But before I could grab it, the killer grabbed me, putting me into a head lock that I couldn’t get out of.