Accident

Drew almost laughs. "Carson? Depressed? You've got to be kidding me. I ain't ever seen no one who had more enjoyment doing what he did. He must've been on something for you to think that about him."

His eyes reflect doubt about Misty, and he opens his mouth to say something, but is cut short as a huge flash of lightning illuminates the sky just in time to reveal a tree down in the middle of the road.

Drew swears and slams on the breaks, ripping the steering wheel to the right. The jeep spins completely around, skidding off into the shoulder, then down into the steep ditch. Almost rolling, the vehicle slams into a tree, jolting everything to a sudden stop.

Drew's eyes are wide, his fingers still gripping the steering wheel. He looks at the other two to make sure they're okay. "Whoa...that was....close..."

Thunder shakes the jeep, the wind tearing through the trees around them.

The vehicle's engine had died, and Drew tries to start it again, but it only spits and sputters before giving out again. Another curse is slung at the jeep, and Drew slams the dashboard with frustration. He picks up his phone only to see that he has no service from this location. "Well folks, I hope y'all have walking shoes on."

"In this weather?!" The guy in the backseat was pale, his hands starting to shake. "Are you nuts?!"

"They're expecting us," Drew counters sternly. "If they find us sitting her on our rear ends, we'll be in for it, and do you want some cop to drive by and come down here asking fool questions?" His eyes flash with anger. "We walk. There's a cabin two miles down the road. If you're too scared to walk in a little rain, then you can sit here and take the heat."

Drew pulls his jacket tighter around him, bringing up the collar. He cracks his door and glances over at Misty. "I'm expecting you to come with me."


Jason frowns at Nate as he receives the chastising. "Hey look, it wasn't all just me, you know. I wouldn't have done any of this if it hadn't been Reese's orders. He wanted to keep things under wraps because the more people that knew, the more likely Carson would find out." A bit of anger starts to boil. "And as far as Misty goes, whether she was told to watch Carson or not, she should have had more brains than to go off running by herself! That was just plain stupid of her!" He lets out a disgusted sigh, trying to calm himself. "But maybe you're right. Maybe I was the stupid one for not thinking she'd do this."

He starts to pace a little, trying to think. "Carson is supposed to be dropped off, and Rick.."

As if on cue, Rick suddenly appears on the floor, half leading, half dragging Carson. He has Carson's arm slung over his shoulders, and Carson tries to walk, but has to put most of his weight on the doctor. His eyes are barely open, his lethargic movements hinting that he's been drugged.

Rick makes his way over to them, on his way to the infirmary. "Jason. I got here just as they were dropping him off. What did you tell them to do to this guy?"

Jason rolls his eyes, his shoulders dropping as he sees Carson's condition. "Good grief. I didn't tell them to do that, that's for sure. The guys Reese had are rough, and they just got a little too happy." He reaches out to lift Carson's chin to look at the bruises on his face. "Carson?"

Carson lifts one eyebrow. He tries to bring things into focus, but it's not working too well. Was that Jason's voice? Or Nate's? Who was helping him? Where was he anyway? How had he gotten away?

Rick shakes his head. "Both of you come with me so we can talk. I've got to get his shoulder back in place and clean him up. He's coming out of whatever it was he was given, and I don't want him flying out of here in this shape."