Chapter Twenty-Two

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My eyes peeled open as I heard the barn door squeak, the back of my head throbbing from the strain of hanging for so long.

"Rose?" A hushed voice carried across the room.

A small whimper escaped as I lifted my head,  the skin on my back pulling from the movement.

Footsteps moved faster in my direction. "Rose? Shit! We have to get you off of that thing."

My eyes widened as I glanced up. "Lisa?"

Her lips lifted in a half smile. "The one and only."

I stared in disbelief as she inspected the rope wrapped around my wrists. "What are you doing here? You need to leave. Now." My heart sped up at the thought of her being found.

"I followed you. Jackson and I knew something was up when you took too long coming back to the car, so he went out to find you." She whispered out as her fingers pulled at the ropes, causing me to wince slightly. "Crap. I'll have to find something to cut this."

I nodded my head towards the barn wall. "The wall behind you, there are some tools hanging on it." She glanced behind her, giving me a quick nod before she made her way to it.

"Did you see Jackson? Was he...is he..." My voice trailed off, a lump forming in my throat as I tried to get the question I desperately needed answered out. Lisa paused in her search, her sorrow filled gaze moving to mine.

"I was hoping he was here with you." She admitted softly. "After the gun went off, everyone panicked. I saw the car come speeding from the back parking lot and your head against the window. I didn't think, I just followed. I assumed they had both of you." Her voice trailed off as she made her way back over, a rusted saw in her hands.

"They shot him." I choked out, the lump in my throat growing bigger. "He was trying to save me....and they shot him." Lisa's face started to blur as my eyes began to sting. "They left him there." A quiet sob left my throat.

"Maybe..." She started softly as she brought the saw up to cut the ropes. "Maybe someone found him. Someone had to have called the police after hearing the gun shot." She paused, her lips trembling slightly as she attempted a reassuring smile. "Don't let go of your hope just yet."

I took a deep breath, reeling in my emotions as I gave her a quick nod. Now was not the time to dwell on things I couldn't change.

A few minutes went by before Lisa let out a huff, throwing the dull saw on the ground. "This isn't working." She ground out, swiveling around and gazing at the wall of tools. "Everything here is too dull and rusty."

"Lisa, it's ok. You should get out of here. Go and get some help." I urged, wincing as the pounding in my head grew.

She let out a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, I guess that would have been smarter. I've always been bad about reacting before I think things through." She furrowed her brows for a moment. "I may have something in my car, I'll be back in a moment."

"Yeah, you're not going anywhere." My heart dropped as Jacob's voice rang through the barn. Lisa's eyes widened in fear as her gaze met mine.

I leaned my head closer to hers. "When he gets to us, run. I'll distract him. You need to get away." I whispered as lowly as I could. Her gaze moved to mine, her head shaking back and forth quickly causing my eyes to narrow. "It's the only way we're getting out of this. You need to go get help."

His footsteps were getting closer, my eyes hardened as Lisa and I stared at each other. I understood where she was coming from, if the situation were reversed I wouldn't want to leave her either. But the situation wasn't reversed, and if I wasn't about to let her go through the same things I had. I let out a sigh of relief as she finally nodded in agreement.

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