The Price of Friendship Chapter 13
�Do you have any idea what time it was when JC and Lance left?� Chris asked Justin. Both were sitting on the sand at the water�s edge, watching as the warm waves gently lapped over their feet.
�No man. Lance took his watch and I have no idea how to tell time using the sun like he does,� Justin said with a slight chuckle recalling the previously unknown talent that Lance had revealed a day or two ago. Chris gave a small laugh, but soon both returned to sharing nervous silence over the long passage of time that had taken place since Lance and JC had left for the cave. Justin and Chris, along with Joey, had been waiting for what seemed like hours for their friends to return to the beach with some aspirin that Joey needed for his aches and pains.
�I bet they�ll be back soon,� Chris volunteered as he once again turned around to scan the edge of the forest for any sign of his friends only to be disappointed in seeing only trees�no Lance or JC�just lots of trees. He returned his gaze back out to the ocean that spread endlessly before him before lying back on the sand to stare at the clouds floating effortlessly across the blue skies overhead.
�Yeah�you�re probably right,� Justin quietly replied, knowing that his voice was not reflecting the confidence that he was trying to portray in his statement.
Justin traced a design in the wet sand and watched as a wave washed over it, effectively erasing the marks, which is what he wanted to do with this whole experience�simply erase it from his memory. If only he could do that�if only he could go back to that moment in time when it the trip had been approved...maybe things would be different.
3 months earlier�
�Hey guys! Richard Hamby shouted excitedly, as he raced up to the stage that the members of Nsync were busily completing a sound check for that evening�s performance in Houston.
�Hey Ricky!� Chris stooped down by the edge of the stage and reached out to shake hands with one of the many business associates of their manager, Johnny Wright. Joey and Justin, then Lance and JC soon joined the pair after their checks were completed.
Once everyone had settled on the edge of the stage, Ricky explained his visit.
�I did it guys,� he said, looking at the reactions crossing the faces of the young men before him.
�You don�t mean,� began Chris in shock, his brown eyes growing as large as dinner plates with the news.
�We get to go?� Joey asked in complete disbelief. �We really, really get to go?�
Everyone watched Ricky smile widely and nod his head in answer to their question.
"You're not kidding us are you?� asked JC, not wanting to face the disappointment of another promised vacation falling through.
�It�s a done deal guys,� Ricky reassured them. �This one will not be cancelled�I can promise you that.�
�How?� Lance asked, not knowing if he really wanted to hear an explanation or not.
�I have my ways,� Ricky answered slyly. That brought chuckles from the group that ended when Justin leaned forward and waved at the others to follow suit. Once everyone had huddled closer together, he asked the question that he was sure was on everyone�s minds.
�Without babysitters?� asked Justin quietly as he looked over his shoulders for the ever-present bodyguards that were needed for their protection. He and the others had close relationships with their bodyguards, but there was always that longing for normalcy�a desire for there not to be a constant need for their shadows.
�Uh huh,� Ricky said with a sparkle in his eyes. With less than constrained whoops of joy, the boys could barely contain themselves long enough to hear about their deep sea fishing trip.
Justin was torn from his thoughts when Chris began quietly speaking.
�I think that one looks like a duck.�
�What?� Justin asked in confusion as he looked down at Chris who was lying on the sand, pointing at one of the many fluffy, white clouds drifting overhead.
�I said that I think that cloud looks like a duck.�
Chris had seen the troubled expression on his friend�s face and knew that he needed to get Justin�s mind off what ever was bothering him. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Justin look up at the cloud that he had pointed out.
�No it doesn�t.�
�Sure it does,� Chris answered with a small smile. His little childhood game was at last coming in handy. When there had been times of trouble earlier in his life, his mother would always distract him with the cloud game, as she called it. The two of them would lay in the grass for hours on end, trying to look for shapes in the sky overhead. It always seemed to work�troubles would be forgotten for that short amount of time for him and now he wanted it to work for Justin.
Chris watched Justin as he once again looked up at the cloud as it floated overhead.
�Nuh uh,� Justin said, looking down at Chris who had quickly erased the smile on his face, not wanting Justin to know that he was up to something. Chris returned his gaze and patted at the sand beside him as he spoke, knowing that what he planned to say would further help the situation. In a sophisticated tone of voice very similar to some of his former college professors, Chris spoke.
�Perhaps if you would scrutinize the clouds from my perspective, my boy, you could conceivably contrive a dissimilar conclusion.�
The comical expression on Justin�s face brought a smile to Chris�s face.
�Ooh...big words from the college boy,� Justin said as he began looking on the ground as if searching for something.
�What are you looking for?� Chris asked, knowing what was probably going to be said.
�I�m looking for the dictionary that you pulled those words from. You couldn�t have come up with them on your own,� Justin teased as scooted closer to Chris then lay back against the sand, his left shoulder touching Chris�s right.
�That was a good one, Justy. Now�is it a duck or not?� Chris asked with an amused tone, as he reached over and ruffled Justin�s unruly curls.
Justin laughed and pushed Chris�s hand away while squinting up at the cloud.
�I don�t know�kinda looks more like a dog�no�wait a minute,� he said in hesitation as he cocked his head to the right.
�I don�t know, Chris�maybe a cow?�
Chris laughed aloud at Justin�s confused reply and was relieved to hear Justin�s laughing with him.
It was nearly an hour later when Chris and Justin had grown tired of the cloud game. With a small sigh, Justin leaned up on his elbows, looked over Chris�s body and saw that Joey was still asleep in the shade from one of the many large boulders that dotted the shoreline as far as the eye could see. He had not stirred from his prone position since he lay down in the new location, with their help, not long after Lance and JC left.
�Looks like Joey is getting some rest,� Justin commented. Chris turned to look at his friend and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight.
�Yeah,� Chris replied. He slowly stood up and walked out waist deep into the surf to wash the sand off his back and out of his hair. Once finished, he returned to the shore and walked over to where Joey lay then knelt down beside him. He could tell by the frown on Joey�s face that he was still experiencing pain even in his sleep.
Looking closer at his younger friend, Chris saw beads of sweat glistening on Joey�s forehead. Then, as his gaze traveled down Joey�s body, Chris saw that a thin film of sweat also covered his arms and chest. Chris also noticed that although Joey was covered in sweat, he seemed to be slightly shivering, as if he was cold. A feeling of dread washed over Chris. How would they handle this new complication? Chris closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. He reopened his eyes and quickly scanned the tree line for JC and Lance and saw no trace of them.
�Where are they?� he quietly whispered, his voice full of frustration. He then brought his gaze back down to Joey and watched his shivering grow slightly in intensity.
�Hey J�come over here,� Chris quietly called over his shoulder as he kept his gaze focused on Joey�s shivering form.
�What is it?� Justin trotted over and crouched down next to Chris.
�I think Joey is getting sick. Look,� Chris said as he pointed at Joey�s trembling form.
Justin reached out and lightly placed his hand over Joey�s creased forehead.
�Uh oh,� he whispered as he lifted his hand and gave Chris a look that spoke of his worry.
�Fever?� Chris quietly asked, already knowing what the answer was going to be judging by the anxious look on Justin�s face.
�I think so. Feel for yourself,� Justin replied as he stood up and made room for Chris, who gently laid his hand on Joey�s forehead. With a groan, Chris could feel the heat radiating from Joey.
�I wish JC and Lance would hurry up. Joey could use that aspirin right now,� Chris said, his voice laced with fear and anxiety for Joey as well as JC and Lance.
�Me too, Chris�me too,� Justin agreed while he scanned the tree line for any sign of JC and Lance.
�If they don�t show up soon, we�ll need to go looking for them.�
�Joey isn�t up to that, Chris. One of us will have to stay here with him while the other goes looking for the others.�
�No way, J. We can�t risk another attack,� Chris replied, his voice firm. Neither one of them were going to risk the possibility of another attack.
�Then I guess that means we wait.�
�If they aren�t here soon we need to go anyway. Joey needs to be inside near a fire,� Chris said looking at Justin for agreement.
Justin bit at his bottom nervously and nodded his head.
�We�ll manage�somehow,� Chris said quietly as he once again concentrated on Joey.
JC and Lance anxiously stood watching the approaching figure. JC�s first instinct told him to run, but one quick glance in Lance�s direction told him that it would never work. Lance�s face had taken on a sick pallor and he was beginning to breathe rapidly as he clutched at his injured right side. JC pushed Lance back behind him with one arm, putting himself in between his friend and the large, dark skinned man, then extended his other hand as he began talking.
�I don�t know what you want, but please just leave us alone.� JC surprised himself with how calm he sounded on the outside, while his insides were twisting into knots with fear.
The man still approached. JC reached back and grabbed for Lance�s arm then started pushing him back while never losing eye contact with the stranger. He was carefully watching the man�s body language in the hopes that he might be able to second-guess any moves that he might make toward them.
As Lance�s breathing became more ragged and labored, JC tightened his grip on his arm and continued to push him into stepping backwards along the trail. He had to remain calm and in control in this situation for not only Lance�s sake, but his own as well.
Suddenly, the stranger spoke words that neither young man could understand and JC shook his head in confusion, not knowing that they were not the ones being spoken to. They had no idea that there were others in the underbrush besides this man before them.
(He is becoming ill my brothers. We must get him out of the range of the camera.)
Out of the dense undergrowth arose three more men�all of whom could easily outweigh even the largest of the Nsync bodyguards. Terrified at the new development, JC watched the first man as he lifted his gaze toward a tree limb overhead before speaking more unintelligible words.
(�The camera is on, but the microphone is damaged,� Davis said as he continued to watch JC and Lance�s unsteady retreat.
� We must carry out our plan but first we must help the green eyed one.�)
One of the three new men nodded his head then bent over and produced a canvas bag from the undergrowth which he then tossed to the first, who reached in and pulled out several lengths of rope and a handful of cloths before tossing the bag back to the other.
In the mean time, the third man reached into his short�s pockets and brought out a small brown bottle and white cloth. He opened the bottle and poured some liquid onto the cloth then closed the bottle before returning it to his pocket. While all of this was happening, JC could hear Lance begin to say one word repeatedly in a voice full of fear and anguish.
�No�no�no�no�no��
JC loosened his grip on Lance�s arm and brought his hand down to hold his trembling hand all the while continuing to move blindly backwards in an attempt to escape. More strange words were quietly spoken between the four men.
(�I think they has backed up far enough that they are out of camera range. Remember my brothers, we must make the attack believable, but do not harm them�be careful.�)
JC�s attention was suddenly averted from the men when he felt Lance stumble and fall heavily against him. JC quickly glanced back behind him and saw Lance lying in a fetal position, struggling to breathe as he spoke between panted breaths.
�Can�t�breathe�J�C�can�t�breathe��
JC heard more words spoken in what seemed to be concerned tones.
(�Thomas, you must quickly help him,� Davis said as he and the others quickly approached the frightened pair).
Turning back around JC saw the four men walking toward him rapidly. Out of sheer instinct, JC dropped to the ground and covered Lance�s trembling body with his own in an effort to protect him, all the while whispering to Lance that they would be okay and not to worry.
With the impending danger quickly approaching, JC�s fear suddenly turned into all out rage. He looked up from his position and with newfound courage, began shouting angrily at the men who were almost at his side.
�Stay away! Leave us alone! Go away!� he shouted as he felt strong hands pull him up away from Lance. JC began squirming and kicking at the legs of the powerful man holding him. The man quickly dropped to his knees preventing JC from kicking him and tightened his hold on JC�s upper body almost to the point that JC could not breathe.
(�James, bring me the chloroform�quickly,� Davis said as he continued to tighten his hold on JC.)
JC watched in confusion as one of the other men searched through a bush, grabbing at a few of the waxy, green leaves. Once he had made his selection, the man quickly went over to Lance�s side and knelt down. JC watched helplessly as Lance feebly struggled to move away from the large hands that were touching him.
�What are you doing to him?� JC yelled as he strained against the strong arms holding him. �Don�t touch him!�
It was then that James returned with the cloth drenched with chloroform. JC realized what was about to happen and began struggling as hard as he could, but found that he was not strong enough to break the man�s hold. He knew that if he was knocked out there would be no way that he could help Lance or himself. JC again began shouting again for them to leave Lance alone, but a strong hand clamped over his mouth, effectively silencing any more of JC�s cries.
In growing terror, JC watched the largest of the four men forcefully open Lance�s mouth and place one or more of the leaves under his tongue before pushing his jaws closed. The man then laid one of his hands over Lance�s mouth to prevent him from spitting out the leaves all the while speaking to Lance in quiet, reassuring tones.
Almost immediately, JC saw that Lance�s labored breathing was easing and his body was becoming relaxed. Lance looked over at him and JC could see that he was totally out of it�his eyes were beginning to droop closed as he struggled to maintain eye contact. JC could hear Lance�s low moans through the hand clamped over his mouth before his eyes rolled back into his head and his body completely slackened. The man then released his hold on Lance, pried open his mouth and swept the leaves out of his mouth.
Seeing Lance pass out caused JC to totally panic. He began to struggle frantically against the powerful arms holding him. The hand clamped over his mouth muffled his screams of terror and he was unable to hear the words being said around him. One of the two remaining men joined the one holding him and together, they wrestled his squirming body to the ground.
JC continued to furtively struggle there on the ground until he was completely worn out and tears of fright and frustration began falling down his face.
He closed his eyes in fear as the remaining man approached with the cloth that had been drenched earlier with something from a bottle and placed it over his face. Immediately, JC�s vision began to swim as he breathed in the sickeningly sweet fumes. As he struggles became weaker, JC could hear one of the men speaking quietly to him in English.
�Sh�listen to my words�� JC forced his eyes to open and gazed up at the men bent over him. He looked at their eyes and did not see anger or hatred�he saw what looked like regret�sorrow�tenderness. The expressions written on their faces further confused JC, as did the words being spoken. JC began mumbling under the cloth and tried to pull away from it so that his words could be heard. Davis grabbed the hand that was holding the cloth and pulled it away from JC�s face so that he could hear what he was saying.
�Please�don�t hurt�my�friends�just�me�please�� JC weakly pleaded, his speech slurred from the effects of the chloroform�his eyes unfocused and struggling to remain open.
�We are not here to harm you, young one. There is one more powerful than us seeking to do that. You must trust me,� the man said in an insistent tone. �I swear upon my father�s grave that you and your friends will not be harmed.�
The cloth then was returned to JC�s face and after a few more shallow breaths, he felt himself falling into the darkness surrounding him and then felt nothing...nothing at all.
�Hold the cloth over his face for a minute longer,� Davis told James as he gazed down at the lax figure in his arms before gently placing his body on the ground.
�Thomas, help me carry Lance closer to the camera. We will bind him there and give him the injection. Remember, we must make it believable.�
The two men picked up Lance�s limp body and carried it further up the trail so that he was within the camera�s range of vision. They then tossed the young man to the ground then began to tie his hands tightly behind him. A rope was wrapped around his ankles and a gag bound around his mouth finished the job. Davis then reached into his pocket and pulled out the loaded syringe. Thomas pushed one of Lance�s shirtsleeves further up to expose his right bicep and Davis quickly pushed the needle into his arm and pressed the plunger, emptying the water into Lance�s system. Davis then stood up and held the empty syringe in full view of the camera then returned to help James and Matthew finish binding JC while Thomas remained at Lance�s side, monitoring his breathing as he pretended to tighten his bindings.
Minutes later, JC�s limp body was dumped beside Lance�s and the four men stood and looked down at the unconscious young men before them. In hushed tones, they discussed the next steps to their plans before quickly walking down the trail, leaving JC and Lance behind. They had not walked down the trail very far when they heard the voices of Chris, Joey, and Justin approaching them from further down the trail. The four men quickly left the trail undetected and within minutes, they knew that Lance and JC�s bodies had been found when they heard frightened voices shouting their names.
�Do you think the one called Joshua will remember what he was told before he lost consciousness?� James asked, his voice full of uncertainty.
�Let us hope so�let us hope so.�
Unfortunately, for the four men, Russell Johnson heard their last statement from a microphone hidden in a nearby tree. He and Leigh had watched the attack with unbridled glee, but now the words that they had just heard began to chip away at the joy that they had been feeling.
�What do you suppose they meant, dear?� Leigh asked her husband, who was pacing back and forth in front of the video monitors.
�I don�t know, but I will find out�I will find out,� Russell growled.