To Live For Once (Set Me Free II) - Episode 48

 

I'd wanted to round this off before the end of last year but due to the light issues, I couldn't get it done. Now, I'll like to finalize everything. It's three more episodes to go. 

Rory:

"Melissa?" I knock lightly on the cabin's door before letting myself in carefully. Can't have Jessica jump me without my knowledge. There's no telling if she's unto my plan. I pat the knife through my pocket just to be assured it's still on me.
"Melissa?!" I call louder this time. It's pretty quiet. I study the room. Michelle's favorite cushion sit idly on a chair and I thank God she wasn't here, in harm's way.
"You came." I lift my head up, all my senses in overdrive. Melissa or whatever she calls herself waltz over to stand in front of me without a barely there bathrobe. I feel my temples pounding hard. I try to curtail the impulse to jump her. I still need to know where she's kept Amaya. Please God, keep her safe for me.
"I was waiting for a while." The devil scrape her nails over my shoulder till she walks around to my back. I turn around with her. I can't let my eyes stray from her for even a second. She's not to be trusted.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" She says after a beat. I force my mouth to open. 
"What's there to say?"
"She left you. I was right about her after all." She says. I trail my eyes down her body, checking if she has any sort of weapon on her. I doubt it,  with the flimsy bathrobe she's clutching with her left hand. 
"Like what you see?" My eyes snap up to hers and she gives me a suggestive wink as her free hand flatten on my chest and trail down. I feel my skin crawl. Enough!  I grab her wrist harshly. She winces and her eyes fly up to mine. 
"What are you---"
"I should be asking you that, shouldn't I?  Jessica." I spit the last part out and I feel her freeze up in my grip. I pull her arm and twist it behind her back before she can react. She hisses a painful breathe as I push her to the wall.
"I--I" she tries to speak but my knee against her back makes catching her breath hard.
"You have only one option now. Where is she?" I grind out into her ear. She tries to wriggle free but I slam my knee into her spine. She tries to double over from the pain but my grip on her twisted arm only makes her yelp out in pain. I unsheathe my knife and press it into her side.
"Speak!" I scream.
"I don't f*cking know who or what you mean!" She screams back. 
"Oh don't play with me Jessica." I seethe. 
"I'm Melissa." She grinds out stubbornly. 
"The only reason you still have enough breath to lie is because I need to know where you have my woman. If you don't start talking Jessica, I swear to God I'll---"
"You'll do what?!" She screams, cutting me off.
"What more can you do huh?! You destroyed my life, you fucking monster!" She yells again.
"I ruined your life?! Even to your death, I tried to save you Jess! You were family!"
"Family! Would you do this to your family?!" With a shake of her shoulder, her robe falls off her shoulder and half of her body is bared out for me. My mouth drop with the jagged and ugly scars marring her skin. I let loose my guard and before I can register her movement, Jessica turns my armlock around and now I'm pinned against the wall.
"What the--"
"Shut up!" Now it's her turn to jam her knee against my back. I grind my teeth against the pain and try to use the advantage of my bigger frame to push her back. She's lithe and fast, she dodges my elbow and twist my other hand behind me. I groan in pain.
"You've become weak, Rory." Her warm tongue trace a path up my earlobe and I try to struggle to get free.
"Move! And I'll cut you from your balls up to your throat." Her voice sounds so cold as I feel the cold metal of a knife press against my thigh. I gasp in shock.  When did she take the knife from me?! My mind is just so over the place. She has the advantage.
"You disappoint me." She tsk.
"Let me go and see how disappointed you'll be." I snarl. This only serve to amuse her as a shrill laugh escape her lips. The tsking sound of the small hand of the wall clock I just notice is above my head only serve to intensify my anxiety. 
"You're right. Amaya doesn't have time on her hands. With the drugs Watson has in his system, she won't be able to get through to him. He'll end up killing her." Jessica chuckles.
"No!!!" I yell at my lack of use of any of my limbs.
"Yes!!" Jessica mimics my scream.
"I'm going to kill you!" I scream some more, banging my head against the wooden wall. Jessica just cracks up behind me. 
"Look how pathetic you​ are. You should have chosen me from the start." She spits.
"I'd rather die." I bang the wall some more with brute force.
"I'll gladly grant you​ that.  Then Amaya. Michelle comes next." My next hit to the wall does it and the wall splinter open.
"What--" with great force I slam my feet into the weak point in the wall. I collide into Jessica behind me just as the wall gives way and we both fall to the floor. Me to the other side of the wall and Jessica behind me on the other side. Our eyes clash for a beat, hers have shock written in them. My eyes drop to the knife on the floor a few meters away from her. I jump to my feet before she does and make a grab for it. She gets to it before me but then I jump on her and knock the air out of her. She slump and I grab her wrist.
"Get off!" She yells as I slam the hand clutching the knife into the floor. She holds on tighter.
"You. Are. Not. Getting. Out. Of. This. Now." I punctuate each word with a slam of her hand to the floor.
"Arrggghhhhh!!" She screams at the same time as she slams her head into my nose. I fall off her only to regain my composure before her. I kick the knife out of her hand.
"Fuck you!" She snarls as she roll out of hands length. She crouch in front of the small table in the room looking a bit disoriented. I see my advantage and lunge for her. I register the smirk on her face too late until I hear the gunshot. It's like slow motion as my eyes goes down to my bloodied trouser before my leg gives way and I slump to the ground.
"Jessica!" My hand still tries to grab at her legs. She squats before me and point the gun in my face.
"Look at you. Pathetic!" She spits in my face with venom in her eyes. My vision starts to cloud over.
"Jess--" my hand grab her wrist. She just bat it away like I'm some kid.
"I can't have you getting in my way at least for now." She says as she pulls my left hand. I sight the metal of the handcuffs before she pulls them from under the table and I try to move away. The cold metal of the gun press against my temple.
"Nah--ah." She hisses. My anger boils over. Is this how I'm going to die? Without getting Amaya safe? I promised her. Forever. Is this where our forever ends?
"Oh he's crying!" Jessica mocks as she laughs so hard while fastening one of my hand to one of the leg of the only sofa in the room.
"You're a fucking monster!" I manage to slam my head into the side of her face. She nearly topple to the floor but catch her self in time. Anger flash in her eyes as she pulls herself up to my level.
"I should just blow your brains out right here." She says while trailing the gun down from my temple to my throat. I spit on her face. She grins slowly.
"That'll be a waste though. I don't think that'll be purnishment enough for what I've been through because of you." She shakes her head and remove the gun only to press it against the wound in my thigh. I bite down on my tongue to stop from yelling out in pain. I can't give her that satisfaction. My face contorts in agony at the thought of what Amaya would do without me.
"Just kill me now. Be--because I--I-- I won't he--e--hesitate to end you if you don't." I manage to grind out through my clenched teeth. Jessica chuckle lightly.
"Oh don't worry. I'll surely kill you. But there are a few things I'll like you to watch me do to your loved ones before I finally end your misery." She lets up on my injured thigh and I pull it up to my chest. My eyes clench shut. I count to three in my mind before pushing the pain to the back of my mind. I let my eyes open.
"I'm going to kill you, Jessica." I say clearly without looking away from her eyes. She grins.
"I hope you do. But before that. Let me borrow your car." She push my body over to the side as she search my pockets. I try to fight her off but the butt of her gun just slam hard against my forehead. Blood drip down into my mouth. Jessica finally finds my keys.
"Thanks b." She giggles.
"Jessica! Come back here!" I scream at her back while she disappears into the cabin's room.
"Jessica!" I scream while pulling on the cuffs. They bite into my wrists. I do this for about five minutes before Jessica comes back out. She's now wearing a leather jacket and trousers. She hums a tune as she goes around the room picking up some knifes and bullets. I frown. She has the place stocked with so many weapons. I should have known she was prepared for me.
"Let me go, Jessica. This has gone on for too long. Please." I say when she continues to ignore me. She stops packing her bag full with her weapons.
"Let me think about that first. Umm. No." Her face close down as she goes back to packing the bag.
"Let Amaya go then. This is between us. Let her go and I'll end my life myself." Tears clog my throat as I say the words. I want Amaya to live even without me. She'll be okay once time passes and I'll just become a memory. The thought makes the tears threaten to spill. I bite them back.
"Please Jessica."
"Now where's the fun in that?" She pulls the bag unto her shoulder and smile at me. She drop a key on the counter where she's standing. How does she expect me to get there and take it.
"You should be able to figure the cuffs out. Before then, I'll be waiting for you at the motel room Michelle is currently at. Don't worry your precious Amaya will be there as well. Just get there on time okay?" She says while waltzing out the door. I scream and scream her name and curses. She doesn't even spare me a sec glance. I hear my car zoom out and I howl out like an injured animal.

It's 2020 guys!!
Another decade! May God say yes to all our secret prayers in this new year in Jesus name.
Happy New year to all of you.
Hope the love continues even in this year. Love you loads.