Allison had struggled with the rope binding her wrists until she could feel blood trickling to her elbows. Bitterly she conceded they just weren’t going to give at all; Jerry had tied them too well. As she lay on the cold ground, Allison realized she was probably going to die right here. If she had even been missed yet, she doubted Allison doubted she would be found. Jerry had brought her far out into the woods before tying her to this tree and leaving her to die. When Allison saw Jerry’s car in the driveway that morning, she knew she was in trouble, but she never would have guessed it would have gone this far, never would have dreamed Jerry would kidnap and leave her in the woods to die. Since Allison had remarried, Jerry had been jealous of her new life, when she had moved on after their break up and divorce. He had never quite been able to move on with his own life. He had begun stalking her with a passion. Jerry called several times a day, making threats and harassing Allison. When she tried to get the police to do something, they said legally touch him unless he did something physical to Allison or her husband. Alone in the woods, tied to this tree, Allison wondered if they would do anything to him now. As she shifted her weight to get more comfortable on the ground, Allison felt the stinging pain in her wrists and the blood begin tricking once again. Night was beginning to fall, and so was the temperature. Allison shivered at the thought of sleeping here, where any wild animal that smelled the blood from her wrists could attack her. She would be helpless to defend herself against them. Allison wanted to scream or cry, but she had worn out her voice earlier, trying to attract any help that might be near enough to hear. She tried again, but it was useless, her voice was gone.

Marcus paced anxiously in the waiting area of the police station. They had never taken Jerry’s treats seriously, but now maybe they would. Marcus hoped they would pick him up and make him tell them what he had done to Allison. When she hadn’t met him at the door when he arrived from work, Marcus knew something was wrong, and when she still wasn’t home by six o’clock, he knew Jerry was behind her disappearance. Marcus hoped Jerry was only holding her somewhere, and it wasn’t too late to save Allison.

Cold had slowly crept from the ground into Allison and now her shivering was uncontrollable. Every noise made her jump, and Allison knew no sleep would come tonight. The pain in her wrists had been slowly increasing, now it was a dull, constant ache. The rough ride in Jerry’s trunk, to this spot was also beginning to catch up with her, as her ribs aches. Her whole body begged for release from the bonds. No relief would come that night, Allison realized bitterly.

The sun rose brightly, but Allison barely noticed it. Her muscles ached and shook from the strain held on them all night. She wondered if anyone was even looking for her, and if they would come in time. After the long cold night, Allison could feel her strength fading fast. She knew with the cold night, she wouldn’t be able to hang on for long. Weak from the struggle, Allison began to drift in and out of consciousness, always to be awakened by her wrists reopening when she shifted her weight on to them in her sleep. When she was able to stay awake; Allison tried to keep her weight on her shoulders, avoiding the sharp pains in her wrists. Allison knew letting herself drift off could be fatal, but at times she was unable to resist. As another night fell, Allison felt the painful cold creeping in once again. The animals stirring around her kept her nerves on constant alert, she barely shut her eyes for even a moment. Early the next morning, Allison heard something large coming toward her from deep in the woods. Her muscles tensed and she readied herself to fight the best she could. If it was Jerry coming to finish her off, he would still have a fight on his hands, despite her already weakened state. The footsteps got closer, and finally a large shape overshadowed the figure on the ground. Allison turned her head reluctantly to see a large deer standing several feet away, the bright morning sun casting his long shadow. After munching a few leaves from nearby trees, the deer continued on his way. Allison was glad Jerry had not been coming after her, but also disappointed she was still tied to the tree. As the sun set on the third day, Allison’s hope of making it out alive started to die. She was facing another night in the cold, dark forest. Allison didn’t know how she was going to survive.

Marcus was very distressed when the police had shown little interest in looking for Allison. It would seem that a woman with a known stalker would be a high priority, but they just brushed his claim of her kidnapping aside, say she had probably run off on him. Marcus had gone home, and spent an especially anxious night.  By the third day, Marcus finally managed to convince the police that Allison really was in trouble, and start a search. They found Allison’s wedding ring on a road five miles from their home. Further search of the surrounding area didn’t turn up anything important. Marcus was distressed when he heard this news. Jerry had probably forced her to remove it before dumping her. Jerry only prayed she was still alive, and had not given up hope of rescue.  The search was slow, and at times difficult. Bloodhounds had picked up her scent and foot prints twenty miles from their home. The police figured at this point he had forced her out of the car, and walked her to where ever she was now.