Frank Hardy felt dizzy, his head was spinning, and his breath coming in short gasps. He had never felt so alone in his entire life. It was as if the whole world was full of darkness and rain. The thunder was directly over their heads now.

‘It’s like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock thriller’ thought Frank, as the thunder crashed above him.

It wasn’t a film though it was real. Frank Hardy had to make a decision and whatever decision he made would destroy his life. He knew it would. How could he choose?

"What if I don’t choose, what if I can’t choose" Frank looked Frazer in the eyes as he said this.

"That’s simple my boy, both of them will die"

"How do I know you won’t kill us all no matter what I choose" Frank tried to sound defiant but his voice sounded weak and hoarse.

Frazer walked up to Frank and stood directly in front of him. "Because that would be too easy Frankie, heaven is too easy a choice, I choose to make you suffer here on earth"

"You don’t know what pain is" continued Frazer "You’ve never seen someone close to you die, never felt the heart wrenching sadness of seeing your only child lie dead on the ground. I had to bury my child, bury him deep in the ground." "Because of you Frank"

Frank looked into the face of the angry man before him. He knew that Frazer had suffered and that indirectly he, Frank Hardy has caused the suffering. ‘Maybe he’s right,’ Frank thought, ‘Maybe I did kill him in cold blood, maybe I’m to blame.’

He quickly put these thoughts out of his head, he had done the only thing that he could, he had saved Callie and saved himself from death.

However Frank Hardy realized that Frazer was never going to understand that, that his mind, twisted with grief, believed that he was getting justice.

Frank has to decide. Unless someone saved them all soon he was going to have to choose.

He looked at his brother. Joe was trying to speak again, but no words came out. His body was growing weaker by the minute. Frank could see that. He knew that Joe had lost a lot of blood, that he was dehydrated and about to go into shock.

‘He’s been though so much’ thought Frank, ‘So much pain and heartache, I can’t let him die. What would I do without my brother, what would I do without my heart and my soul?’ Frank knew that without Joe he was nothing, his life would have no meaning. Those smiling blue eyes reflected a heart so big that there seemed to be room for everyone in the world inside it.

How could he choose Joe?

Then Frank looked at Vanessa and his heart almost broke. She was crying, sobbing silently he could see her tears clearly, even though the rain was beating down on her face. He could feel her tears, and see the fear in her eyes.

‘She means everything to Joe,’ Frank thought, ‘and she is one of my best friends, she is Callie’s best friend’ He thought about what he would do if Callie were standing there instead of Vanessa.

There was complete silence. The first minute seemed like an hour to Frank. He couldn’t think, couldn’t see any way out. A dark abyss of deep despair opened up in front of Frank Hardy’s eyes.

"Times nearly up" Frazer was standing slightly to the left of Frank. He turned once again to face him.

"I can’t. I just can’t" Frank could feel the tears filling his eyes and rolling down his face. Please, I can’t do it, I can’t choose. Kill me instead, please please…"

Frazer grabbed Frank’s face and made him look first and Joe and then at Vanessa.

"Look at them Frank, LOOK. You have to choose Frank, which one is it, Joe or Vanessa, choose Frank or they both die, choose one, I can kill them both" Frazer let go of Frank and walked over until he standing in front of Joe and Vanessa.

"All I have to go is kick out these two stools, that’s all Frank, and they both die.

Which one will it be Frank, which one? PICK ONE FRANK!

A sudden movement in the trees caught Frank’s eye. ‘Dad’ he thought

But Frazer had hand on the stool underneath Joe Hardy’s feet, he was about to kill his baby brother!’

‘Dad please’ Frank prayed for that his father would save them

He saw Frazer’s hand move. He had to say it, he had to save Joe.

"Vanessa" Frank Hardy shouted out loud, I choose Vanessa"

"No no no" the words were barely audible from Joe Hardy’s lips, his voice was almost totally done. "No"

Joe struggled against his bonds, he tried desperately to move but he couldn’t.