The Price of Friendship Chapter 30
Darkness had fully descended upon the islands some time ago. During the time of the setting of the sun, plans had been made�good-byes had been said and now, individuals went in a multitude of directions into the unsettling darkness.
Martha, Davis�s sister, made her way to another more remote island to enlist the help of relatives and friends in the fight against Russell Johnson.
Matthew sailed for yet another nearby island, which had the only radio available for the surrounding islands. He had plans to radio the coast guard then to go to Johnson�s island to help Davis, James and JC in rescuing the remaining member of the group of Americans.
Thomas was to stay behind with his mother, Imelda and care for Joey and Justin, with Lance�s help, while JC was to head back toward the cave and walk slowly on the trail so that Davis and James would be able to find him.
It would take at least 2 hours before everyone was at his or her respective places, enough time for JC to think and rethink Davis�s plan.
Before the three men parted ways, Davis gently grasped JC�s arm. He had to ask one more time to make sure that the young American was absolutely certain that he was ready for what was to come. Once they stepped out of the yard and entered the forest and into the view of the cameras, there would be no turning back for any one of them�no matter what, if this plan was to be successful.
�Joshua,� Davis said quietly. �Do you trust me�us?� Davis asked as his dark eyes carefully searched JC�s blue eyes in the dim light provided by the many small fires lit in the yard surrounding the hut that Davis lived in with his family.
Davis saw a hint of fear pass over JC�s face, and then calm�utter calm.
�Yes�I trust you�and James,� JC answered quietly as he cast his gaze down to the ground then back up again. �I know that things are going to get kinda scary when the time comes, but I know that whatever you guys happen to do, it�ll be to just convince that mad man, Johnson.�
�You know that whatever happens, we do not wish to hurt you, but�� Davis began.
�I know, but it will probably happen,� JC said with a small, grim smile. �Just�if you do happen to hit me, just be gentle and don�t go for the face,� JC added with another smile, but one that was somewhat bigger and had humor behind it.
Davis nodded his head and placed his hand on JC�s shoulder and gave it a small squeeze as he returned the smile. He and James did not want to hurt the young man, but in order for Johnson to be fully convinced of their sincerity, their next encounter would have to as realistic as possible.
�I will do my best to protect you, but everything will need to be very real for Johnson,� Davis said quietly.
JC nodded in reply. Davis dropped his hand and watched as JC turned then slowly walked away toward the general area of the cave where the plan would begin to unfold.
�He�s going to be okay, Lance,� Joey said wearily as he watched his friend begin to pace back and forth in the confined space of Imelda�s bedroom. The pair was in there watching over Justin�s unconscious form.
�How do you know that, Joey?� Lance said in frustration as he ran his hands through his hair, only to wince in pain when he accidentally made contact with the stitches that Thomas had sewn to close a cut on his head earlier in the day.
�I just know it�I have to believe it, Lance and so do you.�
�They�re going to attack him, Joey. He�s going to have to relive what happened three days ago,� Lance said in a voice full of anguish. He was agonizing over the fact that part of Davis�s plan involved convincing this man named Johnson that JC was being brought to him, on a silver platter. Davis knew that Johnson would be watching and waiting to see if there would be any retaliation against those involved with the vicious attack that had left Justin not only beaten and unconscious but also involved Chris taken away.
Joey gave a small sigh and lay back against the cushions that had been placed on the floor for himself and Lance since Imelda had taken over the small cot that he had been laying on in the kitchen. She had been caring for the young men for more than 24 hours and needed some rest and she insisted that Justin continue to be in her bed while Thomas would continue to care for them.
Joey stared at the thatched ceiling above their heads as he searched for the right words to say. He was beginning to feel very weary and was unsure how Lance would take anything he said at that point. He was just too overwhelmingly distraught over the situation.
�Listen�Lance,� Joey slowly began as he turned to look at his friend continue to pace back and forth. �Lance�please,� Joey said as he reached out his hand and brushed it against Lance�s leg as he passed by. Lance looked stopped his movement and looked down to see that Joey was looking up at him with a sympathetic look on his face.
�Lance�James�I do understand what you and JC went through when you were attacked the other day�I know how frightened I was when it happened to me, but JC will be okay. James and Davis will make sure that he stays safe.� Joey said the words with confidence and assurance was written on his face. He was certain that everything was going to be okay. Chris was going to be found safe and sound�Justin would awaken soon�the coast guard would be taking them home within the next 24 hours�
Joey�s thoughts were interrupted when he felt Lance�s hand slip into his.
�I�m sorry, Joe�you�re right,� Lance admitted quietly as he lowered himself to sit beside the older man. �I just want everything to be okay�everyone to be safe.�
�Me too, Poofoo�me too.�
When JC had finally reached a portion of the trail where he could sit down and rest giving him time to mull over what would be happening in the next few hours. He was going to act as the decoy during their journey to Russell Johnson�s island. The quickest route to where they needed to depart from the island went through the far side of the island. The cameras were still numerous there on that portion of the island where the members of Nsync had been for the past few weeks and many were still working, but no one had had the chance to find out which ones were operational. So, the trio was going to treat every camera as if it were working. Besides that, they needed to somehow convince Russell and Leigh Johnson that they were bringing another American to them. This was the part that made JC extremely nervous. In order to convince the Johnsons, he was going to have to relive an attack. Davis and James would �capture� him and �take him� to the Johnsons in order to put them to back under his good graces once again. The plan sounded good, but frightening�JC wasn�t sure he could face another attack�even a pretend one. The one that he had survived just days earlier was still fresh in his mind�still painful, but that fear might play well for the camera if this Johnson character was indeed watching.
Davis was certain, that in an excited state of mind, the pair would make mistakes. He was also certain that Marco, along with his cousins, would no longer be on the island. There was to be a large celebration for the next two days on the island that Marco and his extended family called home and Marco was known as one who would never miss an opportunity to celebrate anything.
JC took a deep breath then stood up and continued on his way down the trail, until he was in the general area where the attack would be taking place.
�This is for you, guys�dear, God�protect me�protect the others�especially Chris,� JC pleaded in his mind before taking one last deep breath. He exhaled then began to play his role in Davis�s plans.
JC stumbled along the trail, calling out wildly for his friends.
�Justin! Chris! Guys! Where are you?!� Frantically, he played his flashlight�s beam around the trees as he strained to hear a reply to his shouts. He knew that he had to look and sound panicked and he felt like he was doing a very good job of it�or at least he hoped he was.
JC pulled his emotions out from the depths of his heart�the emotions that he had been dealing with for the last few weeks and his eyes began to sting with unshed tears. In a voice thick with fear and his tears, JC continued to call out for his friends as he moved farther down the trail toward the point where he knew that Davis and James would be waiting for him.
At the same time, Davis and James knelt down in the cover of darkness along the widest portion of the trail, listening to JC�s frightened cries.
�He sounds so sincere, my brother,� James whispered to Davis. �Are you sure that he will go on with this plan?�
Davis nodded his head, the moonlight giving just enough reflective light for the two brothers to see each other.
�Yes�I know that he is afraid, but he is also a very, very brave young man to put himself in danger in order to save his friend.�
At the same time, Russell Johnson sat with his back pressed into the plush couch as he watched the events unfolding themselves before him on the monitor screens. On screen number one, one of the young Americans seemed to be desperately searching for members of his group. Johnson was slightly surprised to see one of the Americans alone, but with the recent circumstances that were surrounding the young men he was knew that he should have expected this to happen sooner or later.
�Let�s see�which one are you?� the older man said as he picked up several scattered papers and perused through them for the identity of the young man.
�No�no,� Johnson muttered as his gaze passed over first Lance�s picture, then Justin�s.
�Yes�there you are, Mr. Joshua Chasez,� he practically crowed with a triumphant smile.
�So�you are in search of your friends, maybe?� he commented as he reached forward and turned a few dials on the monitor and heard JC�s anguished cries.
�Chris! Where are you?�
Russell Johnson couldn�t help but grin at the name that was yelled.
�If only you knew, my young one�if only you knew.�
Johnson moved his gaze to the next monitor and saw two images kneeling in some underbrush. It was difficult for him to make out the images, but he was fairly certain that one of the two was Davis.
�Well�what are you doing out there, Davis?� Russell said as he perched himself on the edge of the couch. He looked back at the first monitor and realized that the cameras providing the video were very close to each other. Suddenly, Russell Johnson stood up and jumped toward the monitors in disbelief. All this time he thought for sure that Davis was betraying him. Maybe�just maybe, the native would be bringing him another American to use in his experiment.
Davis glanced up and saw that the camera above him and James was now on�both the audio and the visual. He carefully signaled to James and the two began speaking of their plans for the young man who was quickly approaching their hidden position.
�Johnson will be pleased with this one,� Davis said quietly, but loud enough for the camera to pick up his words.
�Yes�we will bring this one to him tonight,� James replied as he reached into a canvas bag at his feet. Several items were pulled out as the pair continued to speak, but due to the lack of light, Russell Johnson was unable to tell exactly what was now in James�s hands, but he could guess.
Davis tapped James�s shoulder and pointed in JC�s general direction and fired off several words in their native tongue to the younger man. When he had finished speaking, James crawled silently through the thick cover to a position behind JC�s approaching figure.
JC stopped walking and whipped his head back and forth in an effort to find the source of the noises that he had heard. With small steps, he slowly began to move backwards along the trail, not knowing that there was someone else already standing on the trail behind him.
�Justin? Chris? Is that you, guys?� he asked in a small voice, knowing who was actually making the noise, but the impending attack had him nervously anticipating each small noise that happened to be made around him.
He continued to take small steps backward along the trail, flashing his flashlight�s dim light along the trail, knowing that any minute, he would be meeting up with two very large men.
Russell Johnson barely acknowledged the presence of his wife, Leigh as she entered the room. In fascination he watched the events with a sick smile on his face. He already had plans for this video. He knew who would really want to watch�and that person was in an outer building.
JC took a chance and turned to run down the trail but was surprised to run right into the large form of James. With a surprised yelp, JC fell on his back to the ground and began to scramble to escape from the figure looming above him�it was time to pull out all of his acting skills and become scared senseless.
�No! NO!� JC yelled in a voice full of terror as he tried to scramble out from under the man looming over him.
James saw the look of terror take over JC�s features and he pounced on the young man. He didn�t want to harm the young American, but in order for the attack to be believable, it had been agreed that nothing was going to be held back.
JC wriggled within the man�s grasp. His hard breathing was matched, breath for breath by the man attempting to hold him down.
James tightened hold on JC and winced as one of the young man�s feet made contact with his shin causing him to temporarily lose his grip on the young man�s arms. He shouted out to Davis, spurring him into action as he approached from the other end of the trail.
Although the attack only lasted less than a minute, things moved in slow motion for JC. He heard James shouting at Davis and was able to jump to his feet after kicking the man in the legs. He looked for a way out, feinting left then right in an effort to run around James and possibly take him away from the cameras. He was too afraid of how realistic the attack might become and he still wasn�t too sure of how much he could fully trust the two strangers. Would these men remember that it was all an act? Would he be able to remember that it was all an act?
Suddenly, Davis jumped in front of JC and the younger man hit out at the much larger man and yelled in pain when his arm was grasped and twisted then forced behind him as he was spun quickly around. He was pushed into James�s waiting arms then shoved to the ground with his head making contact with the hard ground, causing his vision to momentarily dim. As JC lay stunned, James quickly flipped him from his back to his stomach, grabbed the back of his neck, pushing him face down into the dirt.
JC�s senses returned with the growing discomfort and he watched from the corner of his eye as Davis grabbed the items from the ground that James had dropped in an effort to grab JC. JC saw what was going to happen and continued to shout out his fearful protests, although more weakly. He found sudden energy and shouted even louder at his attackers and began to become almost too much for James to handle as he wriggled and struggled beneath the weight of the man holding him down. With an inward groan, Davis hurriedly knelt down beside JC, lifted his chin up and gazed into the young man�s darkened, fearful eyes. With a slight nod of his head, Davis lashed out with his fist, supposedly connecting with JC�s left temple and immediately, all was quiet and JC�s body became lax and unresponsive.
Davis kept his facial features neutral as he turned JC from his stomach to side. He grabbed a discarded flashlight and shone its dim beam on the young American�s slack features.
Russell Johnson was surprised and pleased at the viciousness of the attack. He now had no doubts of the sincerity of the attack. Quietly, he reached out and turned off the monitors. He had to prepare for the impending visit, and besides that, he was certain that there was someone else who would appreciate viewing what he had just seen.
�What are you doing dear?� Leigh asked as she watched her smiling husband pull out the tape that had just recorded the events that had unfolded before them.
�I do believe our guest would like to see that he will soon have company joining him,� he said in an almost singsong manner as he quickly walked out of the video room.
�How are you, my young one?� James whispered as he glanced up at the cameras above them to see that they had been turned off.
�Mmm...kay,� JC whispered without moving his lips as he feigned unconsciousness. He was exhausted and could feel himself beginning to slip away. As his senses dimmed, JC could hear Davis softly calling his name, then nothing.
�They are off, my brother�the cameras have been turned off,� James said in a voice that revealed his relief, but his relief was short lived when he saw Davis shaking the young American�s shoulder without receiving any response.
�Did you hit him?� James asked as he moved closer to the pair.
�No,� Davis answered. He aimed his flashlight�s beam at JC�s head and carefully checked to make sure that his fist had not made contact. With a brief sigh of relief, he found that he had not hit JC and he reasoned that the young man had merely fainted.
�He will be okay,� Davis answered in a shaky voice as he tied JC�s hands together behind his back. �I�m sure that he has fainted and is exhausted.� He handed James a length of rope and the younger man tied JC�s ankles together then before standing up.
�I�m going to see if the other cameras in the area have been turned off also,� he said before trotting off.
Davis whipped out a handkerchief and tied it over JC�s mouth.
�Come�we must leave now�Johnson will be waiting for us,� Davis said. Knowing that the cameras had been turned off told him that they had had an audience and now they would be expected.
JC became aware of his surroundings sometime later. He had remained unconscious during the trek across the island and even during the hour-long journey to Johnson�s island. Just as soon as Davis felt movement on his shoulder, he and James had carefully lowered the young man to the sandy beach that they had just dragged their boat upon.
�Joshua�Joshua,� Davis said quietly as he bent over the bound figure while James remained standing, looking for any movement from the nearby tree line that would spell trouble for the trio.
�Joshua�we have made it to Johnson�s island,� Davis whispered into JC�s ear. He sat back on his haunches and watched as JC feebly moved his head back and forth as consciousness slowly returned to him. He heard the natives words, but the meaning of those words were not quite making it through the intense thickness that he was feeling in his head at that moment. He tried to bring his hands up to his head, to press against the throbbing in his temples, but he found that he was unable to and that frightened him.
With a small muffled moan, JC struggled to open his eyes and felt himself being lifted into a half reclined position.
�JC�I will remove your gag so that you can drink, but I will not untie you,� a voice said beside him. JC nodded his head in response and was relieved to feel the fullness in his mouth being removed. He opened his eyes and blinked heavily several times before he could make out the shadowy features of Davis and James leaning toward him.
�Wha�happen?� JC asked before coughing slightly. Davis carefully held a canteen in front of JC and he allowed the young man to drink some cool water.
�You fainted after the attack,� Davis admitted in a tone of voice that spoke of the anguish that he felt at having had to make the attack seem so realistic to the young man�real enough to distress him into unconsciousness.
�Oh,� was JC�s small reply. �We did a good job,� he added with a small smile then grimace as his headache slightly increased in intensity.
�Here�� James said. �Open your mouth.�
JC complied and felt something being placed under his tongue that tasted green. He winced at the bitter taste in his mouth, but seconds later he could feel his headache easing slightly.
Moments later, James had him reopen his mouth and he removed the object out from under JC�s tongue.
�Thanks�where are we?� JC asked as he strained from his low position to look about him.
�We are on Johnson�s island,� Davis answered. �Are your bonds too tight, young one?� he asked in a concerned tone.
JC pulled against the rope around his wrists then glanced down at his outstretched legs and wiggled his feet.
He shook his head. �No�not too bad, but we need to keep it real, I guess�right?�
�Yes�and we must be going now, if you are ready,� James said as he knelt down beside the pair.
�One more sip of water, please,� JC quietly requested. Davis complied then closed the canteen.
�I�m sorry, Joshua,� he apologized as he raised the handkerchief before the young man. JC simply nodded his head then parted his lips. Seconds later, the thick cloth was pressed into his mouth and a blindfold was added.
With a small, nervous yelp, JC felt himself being lifted over Davis�s shoulder. Soon, the trio would find that their plan had either be successful or not.
�Ah�Christopher,� Russell Johnson said in a gleeful tone. �I have something that I�m just dying for you to see.�
Chris jumped as a hand made contact with his face and his blindfold was lifted to his forehead. He blinked at the invasion of dim light and squinted at the figures of Russell and Leigh Johnson standing before him.
Chris grunted into his thick gag and with eyes wide with fright, watched as Russell Johnson knelt at his bedside with a large knife in his hands.
�I have something for you to see. I am going to cut some of your bonds so that you can sit up and watch something,� the older man said with a delighted grin.
With one swift motion, Russell brought the knife down and cut through the rope that anchored Chris�s hands to the bed�s headboard behind him. Russell then pulled Chris up into a seated position and tossed the knife to his wife as he busied himself in tying another rope to that rope wrapped about Chris�s wrists then tied the other end to the footboard, forcing Chris to stay up right.
Chris moaned into his gag and slightly shook his head. When he had been forced to sit up, the room had tilted crazily and the edges of his vision dimmed slightly. He had been lying down for so long, that his body seemed confused with the new position that it found itself to be in.
As Chris tried to regain his equilibrium, Leigh placed a small television at the foot of the bed and turned it on after plugging it in.
In confusion, Chris gazed at the blank screen then at the smiling pair standing before him.
�I�m sure you are totally confused by what is going on,� Russell said in an amused tone. To Chris, it almost sounded as if the man had a secret that he was just dying to tell and he was going to be the lucky one to hear it first.
�You will be having company soon�very soon,� he said as he signaled to his wife and she pushed a button on the set. Instantly, an image became clear on the screen and Chris could hear his name being called.
�Ma Phee,� he mumbled into his gag when he recognized the voice as being JC�s. Chris heard the anguish and fear in JC�s voice, causing the sting of tears to form at the back of his eyes.
The screen remained blank save the dark shadows of trees and underbrush for a few seconds more, and then�JC appeared. Chris mumphed loudly into his gag and allowed his tears to flow. He had been so worried about his friend and now he knew that JC was alive�and safe, but those thoughts vanished when Chris saw what happened next.
Chris moaned into his gag��mo�mo�Ma Phee,� as he watched the two shadows approach his seemingly unsuspecting friend. In horror, Chris watched the swift attack with blurred vision as his tears fell in earnest.
Russell and Leigh Johnson stood back and watched with great amusement as the young man watching the television screen began to hyperventilate as he struggled vainly against his bonds and screamed into his gag. He knew that what he was doing was useless to JC, but he could not believe that he was once again watching one of his little brothers being beaten. Watching Justin being hurt was bad enough, but to watch JC�s attack and hear the callous laughter of the man and woman beside him was too much for him.
Chris�s movements began to increase as the attack ended with the large native dealing out a swift blow to JC�s head. At that last show of force and violence, Chris turned his wild gaze to the Johnsons and began to yell muffled curses at them, but his shouts only seemed to amuse them even more causing Chris to struggle once more against his bonds, but to no avail.
Russell shook his head at Chris and through his laughter he signaled his wife to put Chris out of his misery. As Russell once again hacked through the rope holding Chris in an upright position, Leigh pulled a cloth from her apron and the same small bottle that Chris had seen earlier in the day.
Russell forced Chris to lie back down and held him in that position as Leigh placed the chloroform soaked cloth over Chris�s face.
Chris struggled against the hands holding him down and the hands over his face, but he could feel himself slipping away. In his last waking moments, he heard the sick voice of the mad man, Russell Johnson speaking to him.
�Don�t worry, Christopher�when you next awaken, you will no longer be alone. Your friend Joshua will be here with you and my experiment will begin.�
Chris moaned in a low voice��mo�mo�mo,� until darkness claimed him.