Chapter 3

O'Kei asked what I was going to do with the two of them.

Ken-Gi and I elected to sleep next to the camp fire and the girls took the tent since we only had three sleeping bags the girls would have to share one sleeping bag. The girls spread out the sleeping bag and slept on top, I gave them my poncho liner to cover up with, it was cold but they were able to sleep.

I heard the intruder just as the barrel of a rifle pressed against my chest. I calmly opened my eyes to see several figures standing around our camp. Slowly looking toward Ken-Gi I could see he too was covered by someone with a rifle just as I was. The girls were dragged kicking and screaming out of the tent by the remaining individuals. A quick count told me there were at least eight of them, maybe more outside of our camp keeping watch. Each girl was rolled onto her belly, a short rope with a loop at one end was placed over their head so the loop tightened snug; their arms were pulled back to the small of their back where their wrists were crossed and bound with the rope; their ankles were then pulled up bending at the knee until their ankles were near enough to their wrists that the remaining length of rope could be used to bind them tightly in place. Bound this way if the girls pulled, kicked or fought the bindings they choked themselves.

Ken-Gi was being rolled onto his belly and a metal pipe was placed behind his neck a short length of cord was placed around his neck and the ends were passed through the O-ring bolted in the center of the pipe at the back of his neck and tied tightly in place; at each end of the pipe were additional O-ring bolted in place where a cord was used to stretch his arms by his wrists out to each end of the pipe; several zip-ties were used to keep his arms bound to the pipe as well. Leg braces were placed on each of his legs eliminating his ability to bend either knee. He was pulled to his feet and forced to walk straight legged unable to bend his knees away from camp toward the edge of the ridge maybe down toward the road.

Each of the girls was picked up by a man and slung over his shoulder carrying them in the same direction as Ken-Gi.

It was obvious that these individuals were here for Ken-Gi and probably O'Kei; Tia and Erika were just a bonus. I was most likely not a part of this and that meant I was expendable or a burden. I took the opportunity and roundhouse kicked the rifle and gunman's knee followed by a backward roll landing on my feet turning and running for the trees and the cliff about 30 yards away. I was praying that the dark and sudden action on my part would be enough to keep me from being shot in the back. The cliff was about 50 or 60 feet straight down with a few aspen and pine trees growing up from the base of the cliff close to the edge; I was hoping to use a pine tree to break my fall as I jumped over the edge, I would rather take my chances with the fall then wait to be shot dead for sure.

Luck was on my side as my fall was slowed down by a small pine tree about half way down the cliff and a large clump of bushes at the cliff base. Checking myself over I found that my left shoulder was dislocated, my left ankle was sprained but at least it was not broken. I had several cuts that would need some stitches, but I was still alive. The guys above me had fired several shots as I jumped over the edge, I was lucky that they missed. I had to move before they sent someone down to finish me off.

I hobbled away and found a good hiding place; watched for guys looking to finish me off; used my knife to sharpen a point onto a short stick and waited.

It had been daylight for two hours and still nobody was looking for me. I reassessed my injuries; dislocated shoulder painfully snapped back into place, not the first time I had done this and probably not the last either; sprained ankle treated with my nylon belt, used to form a figure eight brace over my boot; the three inch cut on my right thigh would need stitches as soon as I could recover my aid kit, the two inch cut on my upper left abdomen along the ribs might not need stitches after I cleaned it I would decide. Painfully I climbed back to the ridge top and hobbled back to our former campsite.

This was crazy, everything — everything was still there except Ken-Gi, O'Kei, Tia and Erika. I grabbed my gun belt and then took care of my injuries with my aid kit. Twenty stitches, an ankle air-splint in only ninety minutes and I was repacking my backpack. Less than 30 minutes later I was tracking the group that had attacked me and taken my friends.

Four hours had passed since this all started; could I make up that much time with my ankle the way it was? I had to try. The group had gone down the side of the ridge, crossed the road and climbed the opposite ridge before turning and heading along the ridge back toward Salida. Once I was on the ridge following their tracks I began to work on a way to free my friends. I had all my weapons and Tia's and Erika's pistols in my backpack, their rifles and shotguns strapped to the frame. They were not moving very fast, maybe because they were carrying the girls and Ken-Gi was forced to walk with the braces on, but why? That was something I would have to wait to get an answer for, right now I had to make up ground and my ankle was not cooperating. By sundown I could see them about half a mile ahead of me.

Tia's view:

When I was pulled from the tent by my ankle my first thought was Neal being a goofball. Then I was painfully twisted onto my belly, as I looked and saw the man standing over Neal holding a rifle to his chest I did not realize a rope was being pulled over my head and around my neck until it pulled tight and made it hard to breathe. Before I could reach for it my arms were pulled behind me and tied at the small of my back, to make it worse my ankles were then pulled up to my wrists bending my knees as far as they could bend and my ankles were then tied to my wrists. If I kicked or pulled on the rope I choked myself. I could see Erika and O'Kei were being bound just as I was.

I heard the thud and groan quickly followed by the sound of someone running and then several shots. I hoped Neal got away, our only chance would be if he got away and could somehow free us later. It sounded like several guys went after Neal that meant he at least got away for the moment.