The Hunt Begins

…Jenna POV…

Being stuck in a hole in the ground makes you think, think about a lot of things. Especially the things that you could have done differently in your life. Regret is a big word, and to say that you regret something is even a bigger thing to say. In my little hole here, I am thinking of how I could have regretted something differently.

Every bad reaction has an even worse chain reaction if you think about it this way if the lazy ass cat dies, who is going to kill the dirty annoying mouse. Same as for a relationship, if you break something that needs no fixing and looks for fixing somewhere else, you are bound the create a bigger problem than what you started with.

You end up creating a monster.

You end up with this bad reaction that your chain reaction caused.

Luke that has been watching me intently, finally speaks, “What are you thinking so hard about gorgeous?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“If you say you love me, how can you tie me to a pole?”

He gets up from where he is sitting and comes walking up to me, “You will just go running back to him. You always do.”

“So, are you going to keep me here until forever?”

“If I have to, I will.”

“How is that loving someone then?”

“How is taking someone's heart and trample all over it every time you leave loving someone?”

For a brief moment, my heart feels sad for what I have done to him, but only a brief second, “It was never my intention Luke.”

“But you did it anyway.”

“No, you getting me all wrong.”

“I don't see how I can get this wrong.”

“You know I really cared about you.”

He looks at me in shock, “When did care turn into cared?”

“The minute you tied me to a pole.”

“So I guess love turned to loved somewhere between the tying up too?”

“Luke, no matter what you have done, what you are doing, or what you are still going to do, there will always be love in my heart for you.”

“Just not the kind of love I am looking for?”

I only but shake my head at him in an agreement, “Not this kind of love; from where I am sitting, all I can feel is rage. You have to let me go.”

“Unfortunately, I can not do that.”

“How are we going to have a normal intimate relationship like this?”

“I am still trying to figure that out for myself.”

“This is not the way to resolve our problems.”

“This is the only way to resolve our problems.”

I can see that he gets frustrated by my constant nagging, but I am not ready to give up, “God, Luke, please don't do this.”

“It's done; there is no turning back from here.”

“What happens if he finds me?”

“I hope he does not; I don't want to do something I am really going to regret.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don't want to make you a widow faster than you got married.”

I really hope that Tyler finds me, but if this is what Luke is going to do if Tyler does, then maybe it's better than Tyler doesn't. Telling this man what he wants to hear when I even don't want to hear it myself is harder than I thought it is going to be. To claim that there is a love for him is only going to feed that animal inside.

If only I listened to Tyler, if only I had worn it under my dress, maybe I won't be tied up, maybe I won't be in this danger. But ifs and maybes and buts are not going to save me from him. I need a solution, and I need it fast.

…Tyler POV…

Today should have been the happiest day of our lives. Today was the happiest day of our lives. The only thing that can make this day happy again is finding my wife.

“Brooke,” I turn to her concerned, “ You know this town better than me; where do we find any basements?”

“There is about six that I know of.”

“Are the houses all occupied?”

“Only three of them.”

“So we each take one.”

“We can't split up. It will be two against one.”

“It is going to take too long.”

Nathan interrupts me, “Tyler, he won't hurt her, but he will definitely hurt one of us.”

“Can we go then?”

We head off to the first house; standing outside this basement brings an awful feeling of dread over me. How do you react to a situation you have never been prepared for.

There no lock at the door; it seems that it has been abandoned for a very long time; I instinctively know that she is definitely not here.

I look at Brooke, defeated, “She is not here.”

“We have not checked.”

“She is not here.”

The sun is starting to set, it is getting really dark really fast now, and we still have two to go.

…Jenna POV…

I know Tyler is going to find me; I feel that he is getting very close. The only problem is, after our talk earlier on, it got Luke spooked; now he has taken me out of the basement and moved me to a barn at the very outskirts of town.

If there is a chance that I should never be found, I think I might just lose my sanity likeLuke did; maybe it is the loneliness that drove him insane and not me after all.

That day I looked him in the eye when I said my final goodbye; I thought I saw love. Did I see rage fueled by the fire that burns stone-cold hot?

…Tyler POV…

We just finished searching the second house and the second basement, no sign of her. It is pitch dark; Brooke wants to call it a night; I say we don't stop at all.

“Tyler,” Brooke grabs me by the arm, “You can't carry on without sleep.”

“I can, and I will.”

“Stop being so goddamn stubborn.”

“He wants her alive,” Nathan reminds me. “She will be okay.”

“What if he touches her,” the thought cringes through my mind.

Brooke looks me straight in the eyes, “Then I will personally cut his fucking hands off.”

“Two hours, that's it.”

We end back at Jenna's old place; there is some of the old furniture in here; at least it is a place to crash. None of us feel much up for talking, not even Brooke feels like flirting; everyone goes their own way, off to get some rest.

But I don't.

I wait until I know for almost certain that they both are deep off to sleep when I head on out again.

The third house is all the way on the other side; it is one of the big farmhouses on the outskirts of town. I am outnumbered by one and most probably have far less firepower than Luke does; it is not like I planned a kidnapping and standoff on my wedding day.

I get to the third house and make my way inside to search the house itself to see if anyone has been around here, but I do not find a thing.

Now the basement, to say I am not scared shitless, would be a blatant lie; I know I can handle myself; I don't know what he is prepared to do, though. I truly believe his intention will be to eliminate me completely. Monsters don't get reinvented with a conscience.

Where is the basement?

There is no goddamn basement!

What the fuck now?

Wait, there is a barn.

My heart is pounding out my chest; I think this must be it. I don't know if I should yank the door or just pull it.

There is no time to make a decision.

There is a rustle behind my back.

Everything goes black.