The Price of Friendship Chapter 31
The moonlight shining eerily through the treetops overhead barely lit the dirt path that two forms were walking on. One of the figures was carrying a small, canvas sack in one hand and a thick stick in the other while the second figure was weighted down by a human burden limply draped over his shoulder.
Quiet whispers between the two could barely be heard above the sounds of the night creatures that were out in full force�the screeches of monkeys from the surrounding trees, the rhythmic beating of wings as fruit bats flew overhead and the sounds of the multitude of insects were among the noises that assaulted the senses of the figure being carried through the forest.
�We are almost there, young one,� Davis said quietly to JC, as he balanced the young man�s limp form on his right shoulder.
�We will stop soon.�
JC did not answer due to the fact that Davis had gagged him as well as blindfolded and tied him up some time earlier that evening as according to their plans, but he was able to respond by lightly thumping Davis�s back with his head, letting the older man know that he was still alert.
Several minutes later, the pair stopped and knelt down on the dirt trail in an area near a clearing at the edge of the forest where Davis knew that no cameras were stationed. In the distance, a tall hill loomed over the far edge of the clearing. Seated along the sides of the hill were immense gardens, a small building and, situated at the top of the hill was an expansive structure.
Carefully, with James� help, Davis laid JC down on the ground and immediately pulled away the young man�s blindfold and gently untied his gag.
When the cloth left his mouth, JC slowly licked his dry lips and coughed quietly until he was pulled up into a seated position and a canteen of cool water was brought to his lips.
�Drink, my young one,� James whispered to JC, who slowly swallowed several mouthfuls of the cool liquid while Davis checked the bindings surrounding his wrists and ankles.
�How are you doing, Joshua?� Davis asked, his voice laced with concern.
JC swallowed then answered wearily. �Fine, Davis�fine. Are we almost there?�
�Yes, my young friend,� Davis answered quietly. �At the top of the hill in the distance is Johnson�s home.�
JC awkwardly turned his head to see that several hundred yards ahead of them lay the bottom of steep hill. Along the side of the hill lay several gardens that he was sure were beautiful in the daylight. Beyond the gardens lay a small building and even further behind the small building stood a palatial, plantation style home.
�Could Chris be in that small building?� JC asked anxiously as he eyed the wooden structure in the distance. He wanted nothing more than to find his friend and take him away from this place and the evil people who occupied the home.
�Most likely,� James answered as he looked at the building. �Johnson had wanted to keep the victims of his experiments there.�
Both men had earlier explained to JC, Lance, and Joey that it had been Russell Johnson�s intentions all along to take Joey to use in his experiment in mind control. But, then he had been injured when a tree had fallen on him during a storm a week earlier. Johnson then targeted Lance as his next guinea pig, but that had fallen through when Davis, his two brothers, Matthew and Thomas, and his brother-in-law, James had rebelled and decided to help the five Americans escape the island.
Now, Chris was at the mercy of Russell Johnson after being kidnapped from the island earlier in the day by Marco and his three cousins, who also worked for Johnson.
It was Davis, James�s and JC�s intention to rescue Chris by distracting Russell Johnson by offering JC as an added bonus. The trio had created an attack sequence in the forest in full view of cameras knowing that Johnson would see what was going on and would welcome the addition to his experiment. Davis knew that if Johnson saw who he and James were bringing to him, he would allow them to place JC in the same building as Chris, thus getting them to where they needed to be while, in the meantime, Matthew would be bringing other islanders to the island to finally defeat Russell and drive him and his wife, Leigh away.
For several minutes the trio simply stared at their target in the distance, until JC quietly began to complain of discomfort. Davis knew that this particular area was void of cameras allowing him to release JC from his bonds temporarily so that he could venture into the woods to quickly take care of his personal business.
While waiting for JC�s return, James suddenly realized something.
�Johnson will look for a mark�Johnson will check Joshua for a mark from the attack,� he quickly rattled off in his native language.
�You are right, my brother�you are right,� Davis answered in a solemn voice. He knew that from past experiences that Russell Johnson was a suspicious man and would more than likely inspect JC�s head for bruises and he regretted the fact he had missed that detail before they had reached this point in the rescue.
�What will we do, my brother? I know that you do not wish to harm the young one, but doing something will protect him in the long run,� James said, his words cutting through Davis�s thoughts.
Before Davis could speak again, JC walked slowly out of the forest and stood before the two older men.
�What?� he asked, not liking the shadowed expressions written upon their faces.
�Johnson is a very suspicious man,� Davis slowly began, trying to choose his words correctly as he motioned for the young man to kneel down before them.
�Yeah�I figured as much,� JC said, slightly confused by what was being said as he complied with Davis�s motions and knelt before the two men.
�I did not hit you, Joshua. On the trail�I did not hit you,� Davis said, searching the young man�s face in the dim moonlight for understanding and knew when the young man slowly stood up, that he grasped the message that they were trying to convey.
JC raised his eyebrows at the information then silently stood still, looking down at James and Davis�s knelt positions, seemingly in deep thought before slowly smiling.
�When you attacked me, there really wasn�t a lot of light there�right?� he asked as a plan began to form in his mind.
�No,� James answered.
�Just what the moon provided,� Davis added in slight confusion, not sure where JC was actually going with his questioning.
�And the cameras went off right around the time I fainted�right?�
�Yes�that is correct,� Davis answered this time.
�So�he didn�t have a chance to really see where you hit me or anything�he just knows that you hit me on the left side of my head�where my stitches are,� JC said with a slightly devious smile on his face, watching the other two nodding their heads in agreement.
�So�let�s just take out the stitches�let my head bleed a little and his suspicions will be taken care of.� JC shrugged his shoulders and quickly sat on the ground then lay down and looked up at Davis and James who were also smiling at the simple plan, but then their smiles slowly faded when they realize the pain that they would be submitting the young man to.
�It will hurt young one,� Davis said quietly as he approached JC carrying the bindings that he had removed a few minutes earlier.
�I know,� JC said quietly. �But, I think it will hurt less you doing this than hitting me�you pack a pretty powerful punch, Davis.�
Davis gave JC a small smile then handed the ropes and cloths to James.
�I will remove his stitches so that Johnson will not be suspicious and at the same time satisfy what doubts he might have about me actually hitting the young one,� he said quickly.
�You must tie him up�tightly�and place an extra cloth in his mouth so that he can not be heard by them when I remove the stitches,� Davis said nodding toward the house in the distance. He knew that since the wound was very fresh, having only happened the night before, it would still be very tender and sensitive to the touch since it had not had the chance to heal yet.
James nodded his head then knelt down beside JC. With it being an especially quiet night, the sound of JC�s discomfort or pain might very well carry to the Johnsons, alerting them of their presence sooner than necessary.
James too the objects from Davis then turned to face JC.
�Must bind you, Joshua,� he said then turned when Davis tapped him on the shoulder and handed him an extra piece of clean cloth. Taking it he turned his attention back to JC who had his eyes closed as he breathed deeply.
James placed the cloths on the grass then touched JC on the shoulder.
�Turn over, Joshua�must tie you,� he said. �You not move�not make noise�Johnsons not hear you.�
�Oh�okay,� JC answered, instantly regretting his brilliant idea. �I guess this is going to hurt, huh.�
James nodded his head as he watched the young man turn over onto his stomach then position his hands behind his back.
James made quick work of tying JC�s hands together then his ankles before turning the American back over then pulling him into a seated position.
�Open mouth�must put in�no sound,� James said quietly as he held up a wadded cloth in his large hand.
�No�wait a minute,� JC said quickly as he shook his head at the older man.
�What if I start to feel sick or something?� JC asked in a voice full of concern. He was already beginning to feel slightly nauseous at the thought of what it was going to feel like to have the stitches removed from a fresh wound rather than one that had been given time to properly heal.
James looked at Davis.
�He is right, James�he may become ill. Press your hand over his mouth�that should muffle his sounds if he makes any and if he becomes ill, you will be able to move quickly to help him,� Davis said.
James nodded his head then crawled behind JC and pulled him against his chest. Before putting his hand firmly over JC�s mouth he whispered into the young man�s ear.
�I try not to hurt�understand. Must hold strong.�
JC nodded his head in understanding, not trusting his voice at that point as he felt James first wrap his left arm over his chest to tightly grip his right bicep, completely holding him immobile against his strong body.
�Ready, young one?� James asked.
�Yeah�let�s just do this,� JC whispered as he watched James�s meaty hand come toward his face. Once James had placed his hand over JC�s mouth, nervously watched Davis clean a knife that he had pulled out of the canvas bag that they had brought with them.
JC closed his eyes and breathed as deeply as he could through his nose in an effort to calm his quaking nerves, then opened his eyes to find that Davis was now finished with his task and was now looking at him.
�I will make this as painless as possible, my young one, but be prepared for some discomfort. The wound is still fresh and my mother and brother do an excellent job when sewing stitches.�
JC nodded his head as best he could since James was already holding his head forcibly against his chest, then with eyes full of fear he watched as Davis approached with a knife. Seconds later he felt a painful tug on his scalp and he yelped into James�s hand as he flinched and jerked against the strong arm snaked across his chest. James only pressed his hand harder over JC�s mouth causing the young man�s head to be held motionless against him in his vice-like grip.
�Almost finished, young one,� Davis said as he worked as quickly as possible to pull the stitches from JC�s head without causing him too much discomfort, but judging by the pained expression on JC�s face along with his muffled moans, Davis knew that his efforts of making the procedure as free of pain as possible were in vain.
As Davis continued to work at pulling out the stitches, JC moaned into James�s hand and clinched his eyes shut tightly, but not tight enough to prevent tears caused by the pain from falling onto the hand clamped tightly over his mouth.
James felt the moisture of JC�s tears and felt pangs of guilt at what they were submitting the American to and what would further be happening to him once they would finally reach the Johnsons� home�terrible guilt.
JC�s harsh breathing and muted yelps of pain spurred Davis to work more quickly in the dim light of the moon and finally, he pulled the last stitch from its place and rested back on his heels.
�It is over, Joshua,� he slowly breathed out as he nodded at James, signaling him to release his hold and as he did, JC slumped against his chest, his breaths shallow and harsh, while tears of pain continued to cascade down his face.
Davis gently lifted JC�s head until the two could look at each other and sighed when he saw the trails of tears shining upon the young man�s face in the dim moonlight.
�I am sorry, young one,� Davis apologized.
�Untie me�please,� JC said in a quiet, urgent voice before swallowing harshly. �I�I need to go back into the woods�I think I�m going to be sick.�
James grabbed the knife that Davis had been using and quickly hacked through the ropes binding JC and within seconds, the pair watched the young man stagger about 10 feet away before hunching over to vomit. The two men gave JC the room that he needed and waited patiently for JC to finish. It was only when JC dropped to his knees and brought his hands to his head, did Davis get up and help him to his feet then lead him back to where James was.
�How are you, young one?� he asked quietly as he helped JC to sit down.
JC nodded his head then moaned at the pain that the movement caused. He reached up and touched the left side of his head then brought his hand away to see that there was a dark substance on the palm of his hand.
�Well�it worked,� he said quietly with a small, humorless chuckle.
�Yes�why don�t you rest, Joshua while we wait for Matthew�s signal,� Davis quietly suggested. �It may take some time before he arrives with the others.�
�Okay,� JC replied. He lay down in the tall grass and closed his eyes. Minutes later, Davis and James could tell by the sounds of JC�s deep, even breaths that he had fallen to sleep.
�Meanwhile, Russell Johnson had once again walked to the small guesthouse to check on Chris. As he closed the door behind him, he looked across the room to see that the young man was feebly moving about on the bed that he had been tied to. He had made sure that the chloroform that had been used just a few hours ago had been in a weak form to insure that the young man would awaken near the time that he had estimated that James, Davis and JC would be arriving.
With quiet, cat-like steps, Russell crossed the room and stood over the writhing figure, watching as Chris seemed to be fighting to reach consciousness.
�Soon�very soon, Mr. Kirkpatrick�soon you will understand what fear actually is. Fear�betrayal�violence�heart break�you will learn the true meaning of those emotions as well as others,� the older man whispered. �Soon�very soon.�
With that said, Russell quietly watched from a safe distance as Chris continued his struggle against his drug-induced state until he became bored. It was only then that he once again approached Chris to test the bonds holding him firmly to the four-posted bed.
At the touch, Chris slightly jumped, not actually comprehended that he was not alone in the room. He turned his head in the general of Russell and moaned into his thick gag before once again sinking back into the darkness that seemed to refuse escape.
With a smile Russell patted the young man�s shoulder then turned and left the room.
It was nearly a half hour before James and Davis heard a strange noise that signaled the presence of their younger brother, Matthew. By his signal, the pair understood that help was now nearby and more men were on their way.
Signals flew back and forth between the two groups in a manner that only they could understand and by the end of the exchanges, it had been decided that the moon would need to fall a little further before the plans could be put into place.
�We will need to awaken the young one in a few minutes,� Davis said quietly to James as he looked over his shoulder at JC�s slumbering form. In the moonlight, it was very evident that the opening of his stitched wound would provide sufficient evidence of their sincerity. There was a thin trail of blood snaking it�s way down JC�s left temple and onto his shoulder only to disappear into the grass that he was lying upon.
After gathering their things up, Davis pulled out two long coils of rope from his canvas bag while James gently roused JC from his sleep.
JC blinked heavily at the figure above him.
�It is time, Joshua,� James whispered.
JC nodded his head then sat up, wincing at the throbbing pain of a steady headache.
�Let me go into the woods,� JC whispered as he struggled to stand before accepting Davis�s outstretched hand. He then slowly walked into the forest behind them. Minutes later, the pair watched as JC slowly made his way back to the trail, all the while holding his left hand to his head.
James quickly reached into the canvas bag and produced a leaf then handed it to JC.
�Under tongue,� James whispered. �Head no hurt�you better.�
JC nodded and sat back down on the trail allowing Davis to make quick work of retying his hands tightly behind him, then his ankles.
JC squirmed slightly in discomfort then opened his mouth so that James could remove the leaf.
�Thanks�the headache is better,� JC whispered to James.
In the meantime, Davis grabbed one more rope that was much longer than the others and slowly wrapped it about JC�s chest, securing his arms to his side.
�Is it too tight, young one?� Davis asked in concern once he had finished with his task.
JC shook his head no, suddenly not trusting his voice. They were nearing the time that would become the most dangerous for them all.
Seeing the change in JC�s demeanor, Davis tried to reassure the young man.
�I know that you are concerned, Joshua,� Davis said quietly placing a hand on his shoulder. �You must trust us�we will do everything in our power to protect you and Christopher.�
�I know,� JC answered quietly as he looked down at his bound feet.
Davis allowed JC a moment of silence before he said his next words knowing that they were going to cause discomfort.
�It will not be pleasant,� Davis said in quiet tones as he grasped JC�s chin and turned his head so that they were looking at each other.
�Johnson will want your fear, Joshua�your anguish�your anger. Do not be afraid to give them to him. We will be there for you and will stay in control...we will be strong for you and Christopher.�
JC simply nodded his head then looked up at the night sky above for a brief moment in an effort to take in everything being said to him about the sick mad man who had Chris in his perverted grasp.
�We will need to do as Johnson tells us�you understand that�don�t you?� Davis asked JC, hoping that the young man understood what the words actually meant.
JC brought his gaze back down to the dark face before him to see Davis gazing intently at him with James behind him, his face mirroring the other�s seriousness.
�I understand, Davis. I know you�ll do your best to protect me and Chris�but�can we have some sort of safe word?� JC asked in a small voice, already knowing what the answer was going to be.
�Just some sort of way I can let you know that I�m afraid or it�s too intense or�� his voice dropped off as he watched Davis sadly shake his head no.
�I�m sorry, Joshua, but you will be unable to talk,� Davis answered lifting the cloth that he would be using to gag JC.
�Oh.�
For a split second the two exchanged glances then an unusual noise was heard intermingled with the surrounding nightlife sounds.
Davis and James began glancing about before James made a similar sound by cupping his hands over his mouth then shouting out a reply while Davis whispered and pointed toward the opposite side of the forest.
�That was Matthew�they are ready.�
JC glanced about him, but saw nothing then brought his gaze back to Davis.
�It is time, Joshua,� Davis said holding up the cloth gag.
�Wait,� JC said before clearing his throat. �I have something to say before you do that,� he said looking at the cloth dangling from Davis�s large hand.
�I want to let you know how much I appreciate what you and your family have done for the five of us. I consider you a friend, Davis�you and all of your family.�
Davis sat back on his heels and let JC�s words wash over him and he felt tears sting his eyes. He looked over at James and saw that tears were also filling his eyes.
�Thank you, young one,� Davis said in a voice choked with emotion as he once again looked back at JC.
�Now�do you trust us?�
�Yes�yes I do,� JC softly replied as he gazed into Davis�s dark eyes.
�You must, Joshua�do not give in to your fears of failure. You must trust me�trust James�Matthew�the others,� Davis said, his voice strong with conviction. �You must.�
Without hesitation, JC replied to the man�s words.
�I do trust you�all of you, Davis. Just get me and Chris out of there�okay?�
�We will, my young one.�
With that said, JC bent forward toward Davis and slightly opened his mouth. Davis pulled the cloth gag between JC�s lips and tied it tightly behind his head then tied a blindfold over JC�s eyes. Seconds later, JC was pulled gently from the ground, lifted up and placed over Davis�s strong shoulders. Once in place, JC felt the man on which he rested begin the long trek toward the side of the steep hill.
Meanwhile, the tone in Imelda�s hut was no longer unsettled or tense. Those inside the hut were quietly celebrating the fact that Justin had briefly awakened.
�He sleep better, my young ones,� Imelda said with a warm smile on her face to Lance who was seated at the head of the bed with Justin�s upper body resting against his chest and Joey who was seated at the foot of the bed with Justin�s feet resting in his lap.
Just minutes earlier Justin had opened his eyes, much to everyone�s relief and even more comforting was the fact that he was able to answer simple questions before slipping back into a level of unconsciousness.
Tears were evident in the eyes of both young men as they tried to deal with the overwhelming emotions washing over them.
It had been such a relief to hear Justin�s voice, although weak and broken, say their names.
�He knew us�he said our names,� Joey whispered repeatedly once Imelda had left the room to return to her cot to continue her much-needed nap. For the next several minutes, two young men replayed the joyful event in their minds.
At Joey�s insistence, Lance had moved from the foot of Imelda�s bed to the head of the bed, where he could lean against the headboard and wall. Very carefully, he had pulled Justin�s upper body toward him until he was resting against his head was resting in his lap, on a small pillow, between the V of his legs.
With all the movement that Justin had been submitted to in the last few hours there had never been any evidence that he was aware of his surroundings, who might be near, or what was actually happening to him�that is�up until now.
As Lance settled himself against the headboard, he felt a tiny movement on his chest. Thinking that he was causing Justin�s head to jostle, he very gently placed a hand on his friend�s bruised cheek to steady him while he scooted into a more comfortable position.
Just as he settled himself against the headboard, Lance once again felt slight movement, but this time not only against his chest, but also now against his hand.
With a small gasp of surprise, Lance looked down at Justin and saw that his eyelids, although blackened and swollen, were beginning to flutter as if in an effort to open.
At the same time, after hearing Lance�s gasp and seeing his look of surprise, Joey quickly moved to the opposite side of the bed and grasped one of Justin�s hands in his own, all the while watching his younger brother continue his small efforts to reach consciousness.
�Justin�it�s time to wake up,� Lance said as he bent his head down close enough to speak quietly into the young man�s ear.
�Come on, Baby J�you can do it�you can do it,� Joey added as he turned Justin�s head toward him. Just as Joey�s hand touched Justin�s bruised cheek the young man�s eyes opened at half-mast and a small moan escaped from his swollen lips.
�Oy?� Justin moaned as he slowly blinked his eyes several time before repeating Joey�s name. He was finding it very difficult to pronounce his friend�s name. For some reason, his lips and mouth felt incredibly swollen and stiff, making speaking almost impossible for him.
�Oy?�
�Yeah, Baby J�I�m here and so is Lance,� Joey said quietly through his tears.
�Ansh?� Justin�s gazed about in search of Lance until he heard his voice above him and gazed up.
�I�m right here, Curly,� Lance replied quietly through tears of his own. He glanced up to see that Thomas and Imelda were standing quietly in the bedroom�s doorway, watching what was going on before them. Justin slowly followed Lance�s gaze to the figures standing in the doorway, but did not say anything or make any indication of any kind that he found it frightening or disconcerting to be in strange place under the watchful eyes of two strangers.
�That�s Imelda and Thomas,� Joey said quietly. �They�ve been helping all of us.�
�Oh�� Justin said in a near whisper as his eyelids began to briefly flutter then, close altogether.
While Joey reveled in silent celebration, Lance sat back with his head resting against the wall behind him, trying to work through the multitude of feelings he was experiencing�unspeakable relief of the fact Justin had awakened and more than that, he had helped dispel their fears of brain damage by looking at both he and Joey and speaking clearly their names.
He seemed unafraid of Imelda and Thomas�s presence�he understood that the couple was trying to help him, not hurt him as those of Marco�s party.
Imelda and Thomas also seemed greatly relieved to that fact since they had been concerned that Justin would awaken and be fearful of them, as JC had been the previous day. In no way did they want Justin to experience the same fear that JC had. Lance finally reasoned that Justin�s lack of fear had to do with the fact that he and Joey were there and had made sure to act comfortably around Thomas and Imelda as they cared for their friend during his brief period of consciousness.
Lance�s thoughts then wandered to Chris�how was he doing�was he hurt�was he afraid? The questions were disturbing at best�no�horrifying. Lance could not bear the thought of his oldest brother being alone and scared�wondering how or if anyone would be able to help him.
With a shake of his head, Lance�s thoughts then drifted toward JC who was taking a terrible risk in allowing himself to be taken straight into the hands of the devil himself. At the thought of JC suffering through another attack Lance felt his stomach roll and he fought against the bile rising in his throat.
At that same time, Joey happened to glance over at Lance and was alarmed to see how pale�almost gray, he had suddenly become.
�Lance�Lance�don�t worry,� Joey said quietly as he scooted up to sit beside him. �Everything is going to be okay�just keep those thoughts in mind, man�Chris and JC will be okay.�
Without a word, Lance nodded then, simply closed his eyes and leaned his head wearily against Joey�s shoulder. Joey leaned his head on Lance�s and gently clasped one of his hands in both of his.
�They�ve got to be okay,� Joey thought to himself. �Please, God�take care of them�please.�