Standing in a loose semi-circle Biff, Chet, Tony and Phil clearly understood the gravity of the situation. Frank’s ‘I-can-handle-anything’ façade was starting to crack under the strain of trying to find his family.

"Then we won’t leave these woods without them." Biff said resolutely. "Right, guys?"

A chorused response of "Right!", "You bet!", and "Absolutely!" echoed through the trees, bringing a tiny smile to Frank’s face.

"Thanks." Frank responded. "Okay, just like yesterday. We check in every hour or if we find something." He held up his walkie-talkie. "Let’s go."

*****

Just as Fenton had predicted, Laura heard Jarrell’s men pass by with frightening regularity. At times they sounded so close she held her breath, certain they could hear her shallow inhale and exhale. As the morning dragged on, Joe lapsed in and out of periods of heavy sleep. When awake, he constantly complained of being too hot and extremely thirsty. Although he was no longer throwing up the water Laura gave him, Joe still never seemed to be able to get enough. Laura tried to keep him cool with wet compresses, but it appeared to be a losing battle. Joe was now sleeping for longer periods of time, only to awaken deliriously talking to Frank or Vanessa before realizing where he was.

By late morning, Joe was sleeping so heavily Laura was convinced he’d fallen into short periods of unconsciousness. It took much longer for him to awaken and he moaned painfully as he did so, with Laura speaking softly to him in an effort to keep him quiet. As Joe began to awaken from yet another fitful bout of sleep, he moaned, thrashing from side to side. At the same instant, Laura heard the crackle of a walkie-talkie just beyond the entrance to the shelter as someone came to a sudden stop. Clamping a hand over Joe’s mouth, Laura held her breath willing the intruder to keep moving.

A bolt of fear swept through her as she saw the cover of the entrance start to move. Knowing she needed the element of surprise, Laura held tightly to the gun in her hand and stood up. With a final glance at Joe, she slipped behind the large tree, which easily obscured her petite frame. Looking down at the gun she held, Laura noticed a large branch lying on the ground at her feet. Cautiously peeking around the tree, she saw the interloper was having a little trouble gaining entrance giving her time to shove the gun in her waistband and pick up the branch.

Hearing the sharp rustle of branches, Laura chanced another look and saw the man who had kicked Joe in the ribs advancing on her son with a sadistic smile. As he raised the walkie-talkie to his lips, Laura emerged from hiding. Swinging the branch with all the strength she had, Laura struck a clean blow across the back of his head. The tall, dark haired thug collapsed against the tree, striking his head on the trunk and again on a root sticking up out of the ground.

Hovering over him with the branch poised and ready for a second blow, Laura waited, but he never moved. Giving him a slight kick in the ribs, he made no sound. Satisfied he was unconscious, she grabbed the backpack, dumping the supplies she’d stolen from the workbench onto the grass. Looking from her new captive to the assortment of supplies on the ground, Laura frowned. She wanted to ensure that she bound him tightly enough that he couldn’t possibly get free should he awaken before Fenton returned. Biting her lip in concentration, she made her decision and plucked the needed items from the grass.

Beginning with his hands, Laura bound them securely behind the man. Moving on, she secured his feet in a similar fashion. Not wanting him to be able to yell for help if he regained consciousness, she decided to gag him and then finished with a blindfold.

‘Just to add insult to injury.’ She thought smugly.

Confident that he wouldn’t be able to free himself if he woke up, Laura once again took up her position next to Joe. She placed the gun back on the ground next to her and held Joe’s hand, a little more confident in her ability to protect her son from anyone else intent on doing him harm.

*****

As noon approached, Frank crouched at the edge of the stream splashing cool water on his face. Right on schedule, his walkie-talkie squawked to life.

"Chet, checking in."

Shaking his head from side to side to rid himself of the excess water, Frank patted his face dry with the bottom edge of his t-shirt. Picking up the walkie-talkie, he pressed a button.

"Find anything?" Frank asked, hopefully.

"No, but have you noticed a lot of activity out here today?" Chet commented.

"Sure have." Frank replied the smile evident in his voice.

"Me too." Biff chimed in. "Why so happy about it?"

"Yeah, doesn’t that make our job all that much harder?" Tony queried.

Before Frank could respond, he heard Phil’s voice and from his tone, Frank knew he had figured out it out too.

"Nope. Not at all." Phil replied happily.

"How so?" Tony demanded. "This place is crawling with men."

"Those are Jarrell’s men." Phil responded.

"Which means Joe and my parents have escaped." Frank explained with relief.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Chet asked impatiently. "Let’s find ‘em!"