So�This Is Montana� Ch. 29
Carrying JC�s limp form over his shoulder, Steven Cartwright followed John Williams out of the ranch house only to be partially blinded by the headlights of the approaching vehicles coming into the front yard. Both men visibly tensed until they realized that the first truck belonged to veterinarian, Charlie Reynolds. John turned to Steven and pointed at his lifeless burden.
�Put him down�just in case,� he said before redirecting his attention to the three vehicles. Although he had requested the veterinarian to bring the extra men, he had not known them for very long. Mike Simons, Kevin Metlock, Rob Bellows, Bruce Johnston, and Brian Bintliff had willingly volunteered to fill in for the ranch hands that had been arrested. They had even implied that they had no problem in taking care of Lance Bass and his friends if the need were ever to arise�and now it had. Cautiously, John continued to walk toward the men who were climbing out of the three trucks.
�Good�Charlie�s here,� Steven said as he watched John walk toward the first truck while he lowered JC to the ground in a less than gentle manner before following the senior ranch hand.
Seconds later, the group of seven men stood nearby listening to what John had in store for the four remaining members of Nsync and ranch hands, Troy Garner and Mitch Warden. John was angered that the one remaining member of the music group, Justin Timberlake, would not meet the same end as the others but he was fairly certain that the young man would more than likely not survive the harsh elements that the approaching storm would be providing�as long as he was unable to locate help or if he didn�t get to the young man first.
�First thing we need to do is take care of Mitch and Troy,� John said before pushing with his boot at the limp figure lying on the ground at his feet. Slight laughter came from various members of the group when a small moan escaped from JC as he slightly made an effort to move away from John, causing him to want to show the others just exactly who was in charge.
�We�re going to use this one to get us the cooperation that we�ll need,� John added before kicking JC harshly in the side in an effort to convey to the others the hidden message that he was the one in control of not only what was happening but also of what was yet to come.
When John�s boot made contact with JC�s side, he let out a small wheezing sound as the air whooshed out of his lungs and for several seconds he struggled to regain the ability to take in a deep breath all the while barely hearing the laughter above him through the roaring in his ears. Out of the corner of his eye he saw John�s boot again coming his way and before he even had a chance to cringe against the impending blow, his world became hazy with pain at the brutal contact of John�s boot meeting his side. Instantly, JC�s vision became blindingly bright white then gradually dimmed to blood red before finally fading into a deep black as he slipped mercifully into unconsciousness.
A loud pounding on the door of the ranch hand�s bunkhouse awakened Troy and he turned over in his bed to look at the clock sitting nearby on a small, bedside table.
�1:45�geez�who in the world,� he groaned as he pushed his covers aside and grabbed his jeans at the foot of his bed while the knocking continued. He pulled his pants on, zipping and buttoning them on his way over to the door while Mitch sat up in his bed at the other end of the room rubbing his eyes tiredly before also standing and pulling his pants on.
�Who is it, Troy?� he asked before yawning widely as he retrieved his t-shirt from the end of his bed.
�Beats me,� was the reply.
Troy unlocked the door and before he had a chance to open it, the wooden form swung open so violently that he was flung on his back to the unyielding wood floor.
�Hey!� Mitch yelled out in surprise as he took several steps toward Troy, who slightly stumbled in his effort to stand back up all the while watching several shadowy figures standing just outside the door�their identities indistinguishable in the darkness.
�Stay right there,� a familiar, deep voice said and both men watched first, in amazement then horror as several strangers walked into the darkened room, each holding guns pointed in their direction. That sight was alarming enough but that wasn�t what held their attention the most�it was the last man, Steven Cartwright walking into the room with a limp, bound figure draped over his shoulder.
�JC�� Mitch thought as he immediately recognized the limp burden when Steven turned to close the door behind him, exposing the identity of the body.
�What did you do to him, Steve?� Troy asked as he stepped forward, reaching out toward JC but he quickly retreated as Steven swung the limp form from his shoulder before dropping him to the floor of the room, then pointed his own pistol at the unconscious young man�s head. All of this was done without any sound coming from the comatose form lying on the floor.
�Not your concern, Troy,� was the man�s reply before nodding at the four other men with him who walked into the center of the room, while Mitch and Troy took several steps back as they realized that there was really nowhere for them to go. With that in mind, Mitch immediately took a stance and raised his hands in a defensive move that gave the message that he was not going to go down without a fight, but Steven�s next moves quickly caused him to change his mind�the senior ranch hand had stooped down over JC�s body, grabbed a handful of the young man�s dark hair, lifting his head from the floor. He cocked the gun then placed the barrel under JC�s chin, all done without saying one word, but his look conveyed the message to both Mitch and Troy��just try me�give me a reason.�
�Mitch�don�t,� Troy said through clinched teeth, wincing as his hands were roughly pulled behind his back.
Troy�s words, as well as the young man�s peril caused Mitch to admit defeat and he slowly lowered his raised hands, which were promptly grabbed by one of the strangers and jerked behind his back.
�That�s better, boys,� Steven said as he released JC�s hair then smirked at the dull thud of his head making contact with the bunkhouse�s wooden floor.
�What do you want, Steven?� Troy spat out, pulling against the hands tightly holding him in place. �Where are the rest of the boys? Did you hurt any of them too?�
�You�ll be finding out soon enough since two are going on a little trip up to the western pasture.�
With those words said Steven nodded at the four others in the room while the door once again opened and Charlie Reynolds walked into the room.
�Charlie!� Troy shouted out but one of the men holding him clamped a hand over his mouth, cutting off any words before they even had a chance to escape.
�Got the stuff, Charlie?� Steven asked as he turned to glance at the man behind him.
Charlie simply nodded his head and pulled a brown bottle from his coat pocket along with a cloth. Slowly, he twisted the bottle�s cap all the while approaching Mitch who was also being held silent, much in the same manner as Troy.
Mitch shook his head as well as he could against the hand over his mouth in a silent bid to keep the seemingly inevitable from happening, but to no avail. Before he could even blink an eye, Charlie was pressing a cloth soaked with a liquid that smelled sickeningly sweet over Mitch�s face. Within a breath or two, Mitch�s vision began to dim and his ears began to roar�so much so that he could no longer hear Troy�s muted mumphs and moans just two feet away. Sluggishly, he tried to fight against the hands holding him all the while gazing through hazed vision at Charlie and the last thought that passed through his mind as he spiraled into the darkness was of how sad the veterinarian�s eyes were�how incredibly sad.
Moments later, Mitch�s lifeless form was lowered to the floor where he was immediately bound hand and foot.
In a mixture of terror and horror, Troy watched as Charlie slowly approached while once again soaking the cloth before handing the bottle over to Steven who quickly resealed the lid in an effort to avoid the fumes emanating from within.
Troy�s growing panic caused him to buck against the men holding him and Steven watched on in slight amusement knowing that all of the ranch hand�s hard work would be for nothing�he was still going to meet the same fate at Mitch, no matter what. Steven continued to watch as Troy�s struggles became so strong that the others that had held Mitch in their grasps joined the two men holding him. Together, the four men forced Troy to the ground and they held him down as Charlie knelt down and pushed the cloth forcibly over Troy�s face. Charlie did his best to try to avoid eye contact with the writhing young man, but he found that he could no better with his efforts than he had in avoiding Mitch�s gaze. A twinge of guilt trickled its way down the veterinarian�s spine as he watched Troy�s eyes give the unspoken message of not only his fear but also of his betrayal. Charlie knew that he had let the young men down, but he was not prepared to make amends�not yet at least. Too much was riding on his ability to follow through on what John, Steven and Selma wanted him to do�needed him to do.
With a sad tilt of his head, the older man stood back up and watched as Troy�s limp form was turned his back to his stomach before he was also bound.
The sound of Steven�s voice caused Charlie to jump and he quickly pocketed the soaked cloth and took back the bottle before heading out the door, with the sound of the ranch hand�s voice following him.
�Go saddle up enough horses for all of us,� Steven said to two of the strangers. �We need to be out at the pasture by the time the rains hit. Gonna let Mother Nature take care of our problems.�
Pete drove up to the top of a hill that overlooked one of the many pastures that he knew insurance investigators, Thomas Claire and Donald Crater had been using as an observation to the illegal, late night activities of the ranch hands employed at Hickory Creek Ranch. He was surprised when he didn�t readily see the pair once he had stopped the vehicle and he worried that he had somehow missed them...maybe they weren�t out there after all.
�Humph�where are they?� he wondered aloud as he stepped out of his truck and scanned the dark area for any sign of them, but he found it difficult to see anything.
�Where are you two?� he asked himself as he once again walked in a tight circle, his eyes searching for the two men. A sudden flash of lightning gave him the answer to his questions for, about 100 yards away he saw both men huddled over something lying on the ground.
�Must be a cow or something,� he said as he quickly trotted over to them, eager to share what he had seen not too long ago�veterinarian, Charlie Reynolds driving through a lower pasture toward the ranch house with another vehicle following behind.
The closer that the man got to the pair of investigators the more he realized that they were not looking at a cow�it was a human.
�Tom? Don?� he called out then stopped in his tracks when Thomas stood up and pointed a gun in his direction.
�Wait�Tom!� Pete cried out as he slowly raised his hands into the air. �It�s me�Pete! Put the gun down��
At the sound of the familiar voice, Thomas�s shoulders visibly relaxed and he quickly waved the man over before kneeling down beside Justin once again.
�It�s one of the boys, Pete! Don�t know which one, but he�s hurt bad!� he said just as soon as the ranch hand was within about twenty feet of them.
Pete�s stomach dropped at the words spoken and he made it to the small group in a matter of seconds. Just as he reached them, another flash of lightning illuminated the darkness allowing him to see a mass of curls on the still head resting on Donald�s thigh and he gasped as he recognized the injured young man.
�Timberlake�it�s Justin Timberlake,� Pete said hoarsely as he took in the young man�s haggard, bloodied appearance. �Where�s all the blood coming from? What happened to him? What in the world is he doing out here without shoes or a jacket?� he asked anxiously as he quickly unbuttoned his long-sleeved shirt before pulling it off and handing it over to Thomas who was once again kneeling on the ground at the injured man�s side.
�It�s his side�apparently he somehow impaled himself on this branch,� he said as he pulled away an already blood-soaked shirt that had been pressed into Justin�s side. �He hasn�t come to yet so we don�t know how this happened or why he�s out here in the middle of the night dressed like this.�
�The only reason he could be out here is that something must have happened at the ranch�it can�t be good. No one in their right mind would be out running around in the middle of the woods on a night like this,� Donald said as he grabbed for Justin�s flailing arms. Although the young man seemed to be unconscious, he was continuing to struggle against those who were trying to help him, all the while quietly moaning from what they could only guess was pain and possibly fear.
�Pete�I could use a hand here,� Donald said in exasperation as he lost his grip on Justin�s right arm, but before the ranch hand could make a grab for the moving limb, the young man�s hand brushed against the branch impaling him and ragged, pain-filled screams and sobs filled the thick night air.
�Geez�grab his arms, Pete and hold them over his head so we can keep that from happening again,� Donald said, raising his voice in an effort to be heard over Justin�s screams and the thunder, which was growing louder as it drew closer by the minute.
Pete gently grasped Justin�s wrists in his hands then carefully pulled his arms back very slightly�but not so much that the limb jutting out of the young man�s side would possibly shift causing any further damage.
�That�s good�hold them right there,� Thomas said to Pete before gently slapping Justin�s cheeks in an effort to bring him around. He had to get some answers to his questions so that they knew what had happened.
It took several minutes of coaxing with words and physically prodding Justin with slaps and pinches to his face and arms before he awakened just enough that he could supply the three men with answers to their questions.
Since Justin knew Pete, the two investigators had made room and switched positions so that the ranch hand was now leaning over the young man and staring down into his face.
�Justin�Justin�come on, kid. I need you to wake up for me�you can do it�come on,� Pete said as he gently, but firmly pinched Justin�s left cheek in an effort to bring Justin over the brink of unconsciousness into some level of awareness. In response to the pain, Justin�s haggard, still features were replaced by a look of terror�his eyes half-lidded and sluggish in their movements as he gazed from one darkened, shadowy figure leaning over him to the next, not recognizing the first two that he saw. When his gaze fell finally upon Pete, he seemed to visibly relax for a millisecond before tears began to trace their way down his crumbling features.
�Pete�help�them�please, Pete�you gotta�help them.�
Justin�s chilling words were so weak and quiet that they were almost lost amid the sudden claps of thunder, but the three men managed to hear them just the same causing shivers to crawl up and down their spines.
�Try to find out who, Pete,� Donald said as he slightly tightened his grasp on Justin�s wrists as the young man continued to become gradually more aware of what was going on around him causing him to slightly struggle against him as he continued trying to hold him still.
Pete nodded his head then immediately leaned in even closer to the young man and gently grasped his face with trembling hands.
�Justin�Justin�it�s me, Pete. Can you tell me who needs help? Who needs help, Justin?� he asked quietly as he brushed his hands over the young man�s face, feeling the tears underneath his fingertips.
Justin�s face scrunched up in a mixture of pain from the pressure that Thomas was putting on his wound but, for the moment, he had no real recall as to how he became hurt. His face then took on a slight look of determination as frustration set in when he was unable to get up and lead the men back to the ranch where he knew that his friends needed help. His body felt heavy�something was pressing painfully against his side and for some odd reason he seemed to have no control over his arms�he had not comprehended the fact that not only was Thomas pressing a cloth against his side, but Donald held his wrists in his tight grasp.
Pete�s insistent voice crept back into Justin�s awareness and once again he pleaded with the ranch hand to get help, but this time he managed to let him know who needed it.
�Others�JC�Chris, Joey�Lance�help them�John�Steve�got them�danger�gunshot�help,� he said in a voice that was broken and weak since he seemed to be losing strength almost as quickly as he was losing blood from his side. He gazed once more up at the face just inches above his, blinking his eyes heavily before succumbing to the darkness that he had been struggling to hold at bay.
�Call for help, Don,� Thomas said as he and Pete wrestled Justin�s now limp and unresponsive form into a more comfortable position.
Donald slowly released Justin�s wrists just long enough to allow Pete to take over the position that he was vacating then he raced back down the hill to where they had left their radios. Minutes later, Donald had rejoined the group and was relaying what had been said while Thomas and Pete worked on stabilizing the stick that was still jutting out from Justin�s side.
�An ambulance is going to meet you two about five miles up the highway near the old Grayson Riverbed. They�re not going to be running their sirens so that the men at the ranch won�t be tipped off.�
Pete nodded his head at what was being said and mentally pictured the quickest route to the location. He knew that Justin needed help fast, but he didn�t want to take a route that could cause the young man discomfort.
�Tom, state troopers are being called along with local law enforcement. They�re going to meet me just up the road at Benton and Jenson�s Junction. They�re going to run silent and should be there and ready to move in about fifteen minutes. You�re going to drive Pete�s truck from Grayson Riverbed to that location and Pete will go with Justin to the clinic.�
�That might be fifteen minutes too late if those boys are in as much danger as this one thinks,� Thomas replied sharply, not even bothering to look up from what he was doing.
�There�s no telling how long he was running around out here before we found him�no telling at all.�
Thomas�s words cut through Pete like a knife and he shuddered at the thought that no matter what might be done to save the other boys, in the end, they might be too late.
�I know that, Tom, but our remote location is working against us right now,� Donald replied in a tone that let the other know that he was just as frustrated with the entire situation. In the back of his mind he couldn�t help but agree. The next fifteen minutes might mean the difference between life and death for the young men�something that he didn�t want to think about right now. Not while they had another young life to deal with and he kept his mind focused on the task at hand.
The three men remained silent as they finished tying several strips of cloth around Justin�s bloodied torso as well as winding several strips of cloth around the stick, securing it well enough that the trip to the ambulance could be made without fear of it moving about.
As carefully as possible, the three men lifted Justin�s limp form up from the ground and carried him the short distance to Pete�s extended cab truck. Pete quickly got behind the wheel while Thomas climbed into the back seat and slid to the far side of the cab while carefully dragging Justin by the shoulders until he met the cab door. Then, very gently, he pulled Justin up until his head was lying in his lap and he was lying on his left side. Once he had him settled, Thomas reached for the young man�s limp arms and the pulled his wrists into his strong grasp. He was determined to keep Justin from accidentally hitting the branch in his side.
Donald took one more glimpse at the scene and shook his head before bending Justin�s legs well enough that he could shut the truck�s door. Second�s later Pete drove through the pasture to a nearby dirt road that would lead to the highway with Don driving his truck not too far behind.
Fat, heavy drops of rain began to slowly fall as several strangers pulled a now conscious Chris and Joey from the ranch house out into the darkened yard surrounding the structure. The pair struggled to remain somewhat upright on their bare feet as they descended the porch steps, their moans of pain from their separate beatings muted behind their gags. Joey�s gaze was frantic as he searched for JC, Lance, and Justin. He had only awakened minutes before being brought outside and had no idea where the others were or what was actually happening. Barely staying on his feet, Joey had no choice but to allow the two large strangers to half drag him toward a group of saddled horses. In a mixture of horror and astonishment, Joey recognized two limp figures already seated on two of the animals�Troy and Mitch�their arms bound behind them and a gag pressed between their teeth. Both men seemed to be either asleep or unconscious and Joey felt defeat suddenly descending upon him�he had held out a small amount of hope that somehow, Mitch and Troy would save them from the nightmare that they were finding themselves to be in. But now�it seemed that the two ranch hands were caught up in the middle of the same nightmare leaving little hope of their being able to possibly escape.
Just behind Chris and Joey, JC and Lance were being carried over the shoulders of two of the strangers. Neither had fully awakened from the blows to their heads and were easily lifted onto two horses then secured to the rides�all done without protest from the pair, who had little more than a very vague idea of what was happening to them.
Chris gazed about him, shaking his head in horrified disbelief. Lance and JC were on horses, leaning forward heavily against the necks of the horses they had been seated upon. He then looked to his left and saw Joey looking at him, his gaze a mixture of fear and confusion�a look that Chris was certain he had upon his own face.
�I bet you wondering what�s getting ready to happen to you,� John said, his words cutting through the strained silence.
Chris and Joey turned their attention to the ranch hand, while JC and Lance seemed totally oblivious to the fact that someone had spoken.
�There�s a special place that we�re going to be taking you�out at the western pasture. A place full of gullies that fill up real good when the rains come�kinda like this,� John said in a voice full of amusement as he held out one of his hands to catch a few raindrops while at the same time taking in the looks of terror on the faces of the two young men who were listening intently to him.
Chris slowly began to shake his head at the ranch hand and voice his protests but all that earned him as a swift punch to the stomach that quickly doubled him over. Nervously, the horse on which he was seated began to prance about as laughter from the ranch hands and strangers filled the night air�along with the low, muted groans from Chris and the panicked, muffled screams coming from Joey.
It didn�t take too long before all of the horses were mounted and the group headed out of the dimly lit yard toward the western most pasture.
Pete brought his truck to a quick stop on the shoulder of the highway directly behind the waiting ambulance. Paramedic Grady Simpson opened the back door of the truck and quickly climbed into the back of the vehicle while paramedic Jerry Price pulled a stretcher carrying several medical boxes over to the vehicle with Pete�s help.
�How�s been doing?� Grady asked Thomas as he moved about the cramped space, first checking the stick jutting from the young man�s side before moving up to begin checking Justin for further injuries.
�He�s been unresponsive�his pulse has been steady but a little slow. He lost a lot of blood before we got to him. We think he must have tried to pull it out. His feet are a real mess�he must have been running around for quite sometime barefoot in the woods.�
�Yeah�I noticed,� Grady replied quietly. �I�m more worried about that stick though and the fact that he�s not only unresponsive to pain and has lost so much blood.�
�Hey, Jerry,� Grady called out over his shoulder. �We need to draw blood to have it typed and cross-matched. Umm�need two IV�s�D5W�s�let�s get something for the pain�2mg morphine push. I need the radio to notify the clinic of his vitals.�
�Got it,� Jerry replied as he quickly opened one medical boxes then began pulling items from it.
Several minutes later, the four men had pulled Justin from the truck�s cab and had placed him onto the stretcher where both paramedics worked quickly to prepare the young man for his long ride to the clinic while Pete walked with Thomas back to his truck.
�I�ll let you know what�s going on as soon as I�m able,� Thomas said as he climbed into the vehicle. �You need to stay with Justin until you hear otherwise from us.�
�Okay�be careful,� Pete said before closing the truck�s door. Thomas waved his hand in reply and quickly sped away.
Pet walked back over to the paramedics and watched as they worked on Justin�cleaning his other more serious wounds and wrapping the worse of his many cuts and scrapes.
�Will he be okay?� Pete finally asked, his voice slightly shaking as he realized that he wasn�t sure if he wanted to hear one of the possible answers that could be given.
�Yeah�he�s going to be okay,� Grady said confidently, nodding his head as he took just a few seconds to look up from his work to meet the ranch hand�s intense gaze.
Pete couldn�t help but heave a sigh of relief as he stood back and watched the paramedics do their work. Less than ten minutes later, he climbed into the back of the ambulance with Grady before they sped away into the darkness toward the county clinic.