Laura turned and began running up the trail that had led her to the cabin. She wasn't a very athletic person but that didn't matter right now. Her life would possibly be in danger if she didn't force herself to move as fast as her legs would carry her. Whoever had destroyed Steve's face was probably somewhere nearby, maybe even close enough to be watching her. Laura glanced to either side to check if there was anyone there and what she saw on her left stopped her in her tracks.

Parked across the street in front of the rest stop was a massive black pick up truck; a pile of refrigerator boxes horizontally piled in the bed. It didn't take long for her to recognize it as the truck owned by the man she had run into earlier. More than likely the same man who Steve had mentioned inviting to his home. Terry. Not wanting Terry to stick around and suffer the same fate as Steve, nor caring to walk the rest of the way back to Hilton Avenue, Laura raced towards the truck.

She ran around to the driver's side of the vehicle and began frantically banging on the window with one palm. If Terry was inside he probably would have responded immediately after she emerged from the forest. From where she was standing though, it didn't appear that anyone was there. Even though the windows were dark she would be able to see a form at this distance. There was none.

A loud sound came from inside one of the bathrooms behind Laura, causing her to jump and turn around. The sudden noise had startled her but she immediately realized that it was Terry. He had probably decided to stop by the bathroom before he met up with Steve. Laura nodded and started walking towards the building. She had only gone a few steps when the sound from a second ago repeated itself. This time it was louder and far from welcoming; it sounded like something hard clanging against steel.

Laura instinctively moved backwards while lifting a hand to support herself against the side of the truck's bed. She was still a little shaken from the discovery of Steve's remains and her legs were beginning to feel wobbly. What the hell is he doing in there anyway? When Laura's hand finally touched the side of the truck, it landed in something wet and sticky so she immediately snatched it away. She then turned to see what she had touched and had to cover her mouth with the other hand to keep from crying out.

Nearly the entire outside rim of the bed was covered with blood. It was lightly dripping from the rim's top and had formed a large puddle on the pavement. Laura looked upward, making sure that it hadn't come from the sky, as asinine an idea as it was. Right now she was just about ready to believe anything. The sky was clear and as bright as ever so she returned her eyes to the truck. She stared closely for a moment and realized that the blood was probably from something that had been moved into the bed.

"Help…me…" Laura's eyes went wide and she gasped in shock. The voice had been faint but audible enough for her to know that it wasn't her imagination. Even in her stupor, she knew that it had come from inside the bed. She just wasn't sure that she really wanted to see whom it belonged to. What if it's a set up?

"Please…Steve…please…" The voice came again. It was a male's voice, growing fainter with each syllable.

Laura ignored the warnings inside her head as well as the fact that every one of her instincts were screaming at her to leave. She moved towards the truck's cab and lifted one foot up, placing the sole up on the wheel. Then, she reached up and grabbed the rim of the bed with both hands. Do you really want to see what's in there, Laura? The answer was no, but that didn't stop her from pushing up with her foot and raising her head and shoulders above the rim.

Two rows of three refrigerator boxes were stacked in the center of the truck's bed, bound together by a sturdy rope. There was a single box lying closer to Laura that she hadn't noticed earlier. It probably wasn't thick enough to be seen from ground level by itself. Unfortunately, Laura didn't have time to wonder why it wasn't piled with the others. The answer was provided by what she saw trapped in between one edge of the box and the lid.

Terry. The upper half of his body was the only part of him that was observable. Everything below his chest was hidden by the box that he was trapped inside of. His shirt was soaked with blood and the box and the floor around it were also bathed in the crimson liquid. Laura hadn't even been aware that the human body contained as much blood as she had seen in the last minute. There's no way he could have lost this much and still be...

"Laura?" Terry asked.

Laura looked to his face to see that he was staring up at her with glazed eyes. Despite his panicked state in their earlier meeting, his demeanor had still been good-natured. She had known immediately then that his intentions were pure. The two now watched each other in a moment's silence that lasted an eternity to Laura. She had only met Terry once before but she was suddenly overwhelmed with grief and pity. The expression on his face was so hopelessly dismal that Laura felt every bit of it.

"I'm...sorry..." Terry spoke, his voice barely a whisper. He coughed hard a few times and blood spurted up from his mouth. "Wish...I could...have helped..."

Laura wanted to say something to soothe the man's obvious suffering. She wanted to tell him to relax, hoping that he would soon pass out due to the massive amount of blood he had lost. It had to be agonizing to still be conscious in his condition. A relentless torture that the poor man didn't deserve to be put through. Despite the fact that she had only met him a few hours ago, she suddenly felt that they were intimately linked. That he would understand her problems and the nightmares that had tormented her since August. What are you thinking?

As Laura was trying to decipher where these emotions were coming from, Terry cried out in agony. He clutched desperately at his chest with one bloody hand. Laura was too bewildered to do anything but watch as Terry writhed in pain. His teeth were clenched tightly together and his face conveyed what he must have been feeling. He obviously wanted to cry out again but he managed to stay silent, instead waiting for some relief to come. The hazy look in his eyes disappeared and left him staring intensely up at Laura.

"You can't…let him take me," There was a new determination in Terry's voice. In addition to the feelings of closeness Laura found herself admiring his will power. He was terrified but he wasn't letting it get the best of him. Despite the fatal amount of blood he had lost, he refused to allow himself to slip into shock. And even though he didn't have the strength to get up, he was fighting for it.

"What?" Laura asked. She climbed into the bed of the truck and stood beside him. "Terry…"

"It'll…be too much…" Terry told her, struggling to make sure that he was heard. "Please hurry…get me out of here…"

"Can I move you without hurting you?"

"No, but…I'll deal," Terry shook his head. His face showed signs of struggle for a moment and then his body slightly turned. He was trying with all of his might to move himself. "I'll take the pain, it won't be as bad as what he'll do. Please… help me before…"

A thunderous sound interrupted Terry in the middle of his sentence. Both he and Laura jolted violently before exchanging looks, alarmed expressions on both of their faces. What was that? Laura saw a different type of fear in Terry's eyes, one that told her that he knew exactly what was happening. He quietly mouthed a word that Laura didn't understand until the pounding sound repeated itself a few seconds later. Although it wasn't as loud as it had seemed earlier, it startled them both once again. Then the word slowly sank into Laura's mind as she stared down at Terry.

Footstep? Footsteps. She didn't have to listen closely to tell that they were coming from the bathroom. They were thunderously heavy, the impact of each reverberating through the surrounding forest. Someone enormous was walking in long, purposeful strides. That's when a grim realization entered Laura's mind. Steve had been brutally murdered by the same person who had injured Terry. The same person who was probably in the bathroom at that very moment. And the same person who is going to open that door any second now.

"Get out of here," Terry whispered harshly. Laura gave him a panicked look as she shook her head no. "Save yourself… go."

"I'm sorry, Terry," Laura said, sadly.

"Run!" He replied.

Laura forced herself to turn away from him, ignoring her conscience and the desire to help him. It would take too long for her to even get him to his feet so she was doing the right thing. Laura grabbed the rim of the truck's bed with both hands, using it to guide the rest of her body as she jumped over it and dropped to the ground. She landed frighteningly close to the puddle of blood and nearly lost her balance when she saw this. After teetering for a moment she regained control of her body and began running up the street in the direction of her car. Half a mile away.

Laura realized that she wouldn't be able to make it to her car in time. Running was not an option. Hide. She paused for a moment to briefly observe the area around her, searching for a place to conceal herself. Almost immediately she spotted a huge bush on the side of the road. There was about a foot of space cleared between the ground and the underside of the bush. It was also nearly concealed itself by the other neighboring bushes, trees, and various plant life. The only problem was that it was on the same side of the street as the bathroom. Not the best option but it would have to suffice.

Laura raced towards the bush, running as fast her body would allow. The few seconds that passed before she reached it lasted hours in her petrified mind. As she was nearing it she heard something that further motivated her to hurry. A door had blatantly slammed open. Laura glanced backwards as she dropped to the ground and rolled underneath the bush. She had made sure to lay with her upper torso in the bathroom's direction so that she could see what was occurring. Her head would be hidden from view along with the rest of her body. The low-hanging leaves were too thick to see through and they obscured anything more than a few inches off the ground from her sight.

A dark figure moved out from behind the bathroom door where it paused, allowing the door to close. Laura couldn't see above the person's ankles from where she was. She remembered Diane telling her that it was always important to have a description in similar situations. Otherwise the authorities would be left with insufficient information to take action. Too bad, I'm not going to risk trying to get a better look. Laura had a feeling that the more she saw of him, the more he'd be able to see of her.

Despite her limited view, Laura knew that the figure was a man. He was wearing massive dark boots and the bottom of a black leather overcoat lightly bristled against the tops of them. The man started walking towards the truck, the thud of each step sending a chill down Laura's spine. As he moved further away, more of his body became visible. By the time he reached the truck Laura could see his midsection, accompanied by his hands and wrists. He was a tall man, probably around seven feet in height. Finger-less gloves clothed his giant hands and the overcoat concealed his wrists.

The man reached the vehicle and immediately raised one hand out of Laura's view. She heard the truck's door open and nearly breathed a sigh of relief. The only thing holding her back from being truly thankful was that she hadn't been able to save Terry. He was still lying in the back of the truck and he wasn't strong enough to escape by himself. Maybe I can get the license plate and…

Laura's thoughts were cut off when a sharp pain stabbed through her left side. It was so sudden that she involuntarily groaned in discomfort and shifted her body. Her foot scraped loudly against the ground as she moved. Then, she realized that both sounds had been audible…probably loud enough to hear from yards away. Grimacing, she looked back up towards the truck to see that the man had paused. One of his feet was turned in her direction and Laura knew that he had heard her.

No. Laura watched in terror as he slowly stepped away from the truck. Don't come this way. Don't come this way. Just turn around like you didn't hear a thing and… The man then took a hesitant step towards her and both Laura's trepidation and pain intensified. There was now a relentless, fierce throbbing in her side. Slowly, so that her movement wouldn't be seen, she lowered one hand to press it against her aching oblique. It didn't help any but when the man took another step forward, she decided to keep it there.

Laura wondered if he had already seen her somehow. The chilling idea that he was toying with her crossed her mind. Maybe he knew that she was there but was waiting for her to make the next move. Or maybe he would come closer and closer until he was nearly right on top of her, daring her to budge. Please turn around…please… The man started to move even closer and Laura closed her eyes.

There was a long pause as she waited for the inevitable. He had seen her and it was simply a matter of time before he attacked. Laura braced herself. She wasn't going to go without a fight regardless of his size. Although she wasn't powerful, she had been in fights before and she was dangerous when cornered. What are you going to do when Terry and Steve were both helpless? Nothing. Laura felt a tear run down her cheek. Even if the murderer didn't know where she was, the pain was so sharp that she couldn't bear it. Soon she would…