The Price of Friendship Chapter 20
JC dropped unsteadily to the ground, gasping, trying to catch his breath as he searched for anything that looked familiar to him�anything at all. In an effort to avoid the cameras hidden in the trees, he had left the trail, but in doing so, he had also lost track of it.
JC had not expected it to take him this long in finding the man who had taken care of Lance or the one who had sworn that no harm would come to him or the others. He had no idea that the island was so large and now it was growing dark and he was hungry, thirsty, tired and completely lost and nowhere near finding the ones he was searching for.
He ran a trembling hand through his hair and shakily drew in a deep breath as he felt slight panic beginning to invade his senses. In frustration he hit the ground beside him with his fist.
�Joey is depending on you,� he berated himself. �Get yourself together�get control of yourself.� He took several deep breaths then closed his eyes as he scooted himself back so that he could lean his back against a tree.
�Dear God�please help me�help me�help Joey,� JC whispered in a voice choked with fear.
�Do you think he�s okay?� Justin asked Chris in a voice barely above a whisper. He and Chris were sitting in the cave near the fire trying to care for Joey, who had not awakened since his seizure more than six hours ago.
�Who?� Chris replied, giving Justin a look that spoke volumes.
�Let�s see�I�ve got two friends,� he began then looked at Lance. ��no, make that three friends that I�m worried about.�
Chris held up one hand and began holding up fingers, counting as he spoke to Justin.
�There�s one who�s unconscious with a high fever and an arm that�s now infected, another wandering around, looking for the very people who attacked him and another who is blaming himself for things that aren�t in his control,� Chris ranted in a sarcastic voice.
�So, J�take your pick�who?�
Justin looked at Chris with wide eyes and swallowed hard. He knew that Chris was upset, but he had not expected such an outburst from him.
�I�m sorry,� Justin quietly apologized as he looked down at the dirt at his feet.
�Um�I�m going to go fill up the water bottles and look for some food and firewood,� he added as he stood up and brushed the bottom of his shorts off. �I�ll stay within yelling distance.�
Chris instantly felt smaller than his little finger. He was upset but that didn�t give him the right to attack Justin like that.
�J�please�stop,� he said as he gently lowered Joey�s head from his lap to a life jacket.
Justin stopped, but didn�t turn around. He knew that Chris hadn�t meant to sound so harsh�they were all worried, but still, the words and tone had hurt.
Chris reached for Justin�s shoulder and was glad that his friend did not jerk away from his touch.
�I�m sorry� Justin,� Chris quietly apologized as he slid his had from Justin�s shoulder to the small of his back. He drew Justin toward him into a tight hug and was thankful when Justin did not resist against him.
�I shouldn�t have been so harsh, J�I�m just worried and I took it all out on you,� Chris said in a voice thick with emotion as he ran a hand over Justin�s curly head.
Justin did not speak, but nodded his head against Chris�s shoulder as he wrapped his arms around the older man.
The pair stood there silently for a few moments drawing strength from each other. Finally, Chris pulled away from Justin and grasped the younger man�s face in his hands.
�I really am sorry.�
�I understand Chris�I care about all of them too and it tears me up knowing that Josh is out there somewhere all alone�he might get hurt or��
Justin couldn�t complete his sentence and Chris drew him back into his embrace.
�What we need to do is have confidence in him J,� Chris said quietly. �Have confidence and pray�pray hard.�
Justin nodded his head then pulled away.
�I�m going to go out�I�ll stay near,� he said. He picked up several empty water bottles before leaving the cave.
�Do you want me to take Lance with me?� Justin asked as he stood at the mouth of the cave.
�No�let him stay here�see if he�ll come in. He�s been standing right outside the entrance of the cave since we brought Joey in waiting for C to get back.�
�Yeah�he�s soaked,� Justin replied. �He blames himself you know...for not stopping JC.�
Chris nodded his head. �Yeah�I know, but you also know how persuasive JC can be when he has his mind made up about something.�
Justin slightly smiled at the remark. �Yeah�he can be that.�
�Look�you better get going before it gets too dark. Go for the food first then the firewood. I�ll take care of the water bottles�I�ll get Lance to help out with that.�
�Okay�be back in a bit.� With that, Justin laid down the bottles then ducked through the entrance of the cave and jumped through the waterfall in order to remain somewhat dry.
He climbed down the stone ledges until he reached the ground below where Lance was now seated, looking at the forest surrounding the clearing.
Justin quietly walked over to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder.
�He�ll be okay Lance�he�ll be okay.�
Lance looked up at Justin, his eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying.
�I know�I know,� he quietly replied.
Russell Johnson glanced at the video monitors before him then pushed several buttons.
�Have you found them, dear?� his wife Leigh asked. Russell had spent the better part of the day searching for any sign of the five, young Americans and had had no luck what so ever.
�No�where are they?� he asked aloud.
Leigh knowing that he didn�t want an answer stood quietly watching the monitors. Suddenly, she picked up small movement on the third monitor.
�Russ�there,� she said as she pointed at the screen. �Isn�t that one of them?�
Russell jumped up from his seat on the couch and crouched in front of the screen.
�Yes�yes it is,� he murmured as he pushed several buttons causing the picture to enlarge. Within a minute or two, he realized that he was looking at the one named Joshua Chasez�but he wasn�t quite sure about the young man�s identity.
�What is he doing on the south side of island and where are the others?�
He pushed another button once again causing the JC�s image to completely fill the small screen. Russell Johnson was able to see that the young man�s face seemed to be streaked with tears as well as cut and scratched along with his arms and legs.
�Is that�Joshua Chasez?� Leigh asked. The image on the screen was somewhat fuzzy and his face was slightly obscured by the growing shadows of early evening.
Russell quickly looked over at a nearby counter and picked up several sheets of papers, which held articles about the group of young men. He rifled through them until he came to the one that he wanted. He held it up beside the monitor and compared the two images.
�Yes�yes he is,� he said quietly once he was sure of the young man�s identity.
Many unanswered questions crossed his mind. Why was he on a part of the island, which seemed to be unfamiliar to him? Where were the others? Had they had a falling out of sorts and he was being forced to be alone? Had he become lost somehow? The questions were endless, but his wife�s question was one that had not entered into his mind.
�Do you think he could serve as part of your experiment, dear?� Leigh asked as she looked over her husband�s shoulders to read the paper in his hands. Russell dropped his hands to his lap and stared at the screen before him, his thoughts rapidly racing through his head.
�Maybe�just maybe,� he answered, his voice holding a slight glimmer of hope.
�Have you seen Marco or Davis lately?� he asked. He needed one or both of the men to find this JC person in order to bring him to their home so that he could possibly carry out his experiment.
�No�I haven�t seen Marco and I do remember Davis leaving again this morning for Topowgo to once again check on his family,� Leigh answered as she walked back across the room to gather up the discarded dishes and glasses that had been left on the small table from lunch.
�Why would you want to use Davis anyway, Russ?� she asked in confusion. �Don�t you remember what he said to his brothers�his mysterious behavior��
�I need to deal with Davis, but that can wait until later,� Russell quickly replied, cutting his wife off. �Right now, I want Marco to find that young man for me,� he said pointing at JC�s image on the screen.
�I want him brought back to me. If I can�t get my hands on the one called James Bass, then I�ll have to make due with him,� he said, pointing at the young man�s image on the monitor.
Leigh glanced up from her task of straightening up the small table.
�Like I said a few days ago, Russ�he does remind me of you when you were a younger man.� Leigh�s voice was quiet, but after more than 30 years of marriage her husband was able to read the meaning behind her words.
A small smile played across her face and was met by a smile on his.
�Find Marco for me dear and we might be able to find out more about this young man from him himself.�
�Yes dear,� she answered. �I would greatly enjoy that.�
With that said, the older woman walked over to her husband and gave him a kiss on the check. Russ grasped Leigh�s right hand in his and kissed the palm of her hand.
Leigh lowered her gaze as desire for her husband filled her.
�I think you could wait to find Marco for a little while, Russell said in a quiet, husky voice as he pulled Leigh toward him and into his embrace.
�Yes�I think that it can wait,� she answered before allowing Russell to lead her from the video room down the hallway and into their bedroom.
�Watch Joey, Justin,� Chris said as he stood up. He held Joey�s head up and allowed Justin to slide himself under the older man�s head until he was able to rest it in his lap. Chris handed Justin the cloth that he had been wiping Joey�s face with.
�Here�s a water bottle�wet the cloth every once in a while,� he advised the younger man before walking through the entrance of the cave.
Chris looked around for Lance and finally saw that he was sitting at the side of the pool of water nearest to the edge of the forest with his knees drawn tightly to his chest and his head resting on them.
Chris made his way down the rock ledges and walked quietly over to Lance who seemed totally oblivious to his presence.
Chris knelt down on his knees beside Lance and saw that his eyes were open, staring at the trees around him.
�I think you should come in now, Lance,� Chris said quietly as he put an arm around the younger man�s shoulders.
�I can�t, Chris,� Lance replied quietly, not lifting his head from his knees nor breaking his gaze from the tree line ahead of them. �What if Josh comes back and there�s no one here waiting for him?�
Lance then looked over at the older man. The dim light of sunset obscured Chris�s features, but Lance knew what Chris had to be looking like and he knew the look that Chris was probably giving him at that moment.
�Please�please let me stay out here for him,� Lance pleaded.
Chris remained quiet. He understood the reason why Lance was so upset, but he didn�t want to take the chance that Lance could be in danger staying outside alone. Suddenly, his thoughts for Lances� safety caused him to contemplate the safety for the one person who was out there in the forest alone.
�You can stay out here if you�ll come sit on one of the rock ledges by the entrance.�
Lance seemed to consider what Chris said and then nodded his head. He slowly stretched out his legs and took the hand that Chris offered him. Chris slipped his arm around Lance�s waist and the pair quietly walked back toward the cave.
Lance then sat down on one of the lower ledges.
�How is Joey doing?� he asked just as Chris reached the top ledge.
Chris closed his eyes and swallowed hard before answering.
�He hasn�t woken up yet but his fever is staying low�lower than when he had the seizure.�
Lance nodded his head.
�JC will bring back help�I know he will.�
�I hope so Poofu�I hope so.�
A flash of lightning and the distant sound of thunder brought a feeling of dread to both young men.
�I bet it will pass right by us,� Chris said, referring to the storm in a voice that lacked the confidence that he was trying to portray himself as having.
Lance didn�t answer. He simply drew his knees closer to his chest and laid his chin upon them.
JC�s eyes darted about the darkening trail. After his short rest he had once again began walking and after nearly 30 minutes, he had found the trail, but he still had no idea where he was. He glanced about him as the bright sky through the treetops quickly faded into a dusky purple and finally into darkness. The full moon was blocked intermittently by large clouds and gave JC very little light to use in guiding him along the unfamiliar trail.
If the lack of light weren�t bad enough, lightning flashing overhead and thunder could be heard in the distance�another storm would be coming soon and there had been no shelter in sight..
The wind began to pick up slightly and fearfully, JC began watching the treetops knowing that if he happened to find himself in the same situation that Joey had found himself to be in two days ago, he probably wouldn�t be as lucky as Joey. They had been able to find their friend fairly easily, but he was lost�no one would find him.
At the same time that JC was walking along the trail, the small group of men that JC had been searching for were also making their way down the same trail.
�When do you think Johnson will next carry out his plan?� Thomas asked.
�I�m not sure my brother,� Davis answered. �We must remain prepared though�it could happen any day.�
The group continued their walk in silence. They had spent the better part of the day checking on the cameras that were scattered about the island. They made sure that those cameras damaged by the storm several nights ago would remain damaged and irreparable.
A sudden flash of lightning and loud clap of thunder caused the group to jump.
�We must be on our way home soon,� Matthew said as he watched the treetops swaying overhead with the growing strength of the wind.
�Yes�we will, but we must check on two or three more cameras,� Davis answered as he pointed further up the trail, not realizing that within minutes their plans would be taking a different turn.
JC stumbled along the trail, blinded by the lack of light and by his tears. The storm had gradually gained in intensity and JC was finding it increasingly hard to stay up right with the high winds.
A flash of lightning and a loud crack caught JC�s attention. He turned around in time to see a large tree come crashing to the ground within a few feet of him. In a desperate move to avoid the tree�s branches, JC dove away in the opposite direction. In the swiftness of his action, he was unable to avoid hitting headfirst a large rock that lay at the trail�s edge. As JC�s head made contact with the rock, his vision exploded into brilliant colors and white-hot pain filled him before darkness swallowed him.