Ties That Bind
16. End Of The LineJust then sirens were heard wailing in the distance. Zac tensed up and pulled Beth into a hug, as to protect her from the cops who might be there to get them. It was a constant fear for the fugitives and these sirens weren’t fading off into the distance as they usually did, they appeared to be getting closer. Zac called out to Nikki.
“Get my kids and get in here!”
A moment later, Nikki and the twins appeared from the kitchen, looking at Zac expectantly.
“Quick, get in the bathroom and stay down!” Zac ordered, ushering everyone into the bathroom. The sirens cut out right in front of the cabin.
Just then, “We know your in there. Come out with your hands up!” was heard through a megaphone.
Beth turned to Zac.
“How do they know where we are?” she asked frightfully. Zac approached her, enveloping his arms around his nervous wife.
“I don’t know, but no matter what happens. I love you and our kids. I wouldn’t trade these last two months with you and my kids for anything.” he said softly caressing her cheek.
“Hanson, we know your in there. Release the kids unharmed. Then surrender yourself to the authorities. Your time has run out. We have you surrounded - there’s no where to go.” was heard this time from the megaphone speaker.
After a moment of silence, the megaphone sounded again.
“Don’t make us use tear gas or shoot the place up. Release your hostages.”
“Zac, maybe we should listen to them. Please, I’m scared for the kids. Just let us -” Zac held up his hand to quiet her.
“No! I am not surrendering that easily. I will not give up my family!” Zac shouted, unsure if the police heard him.
Beth slid to the floor and took the twins down with her. She held them close to her body and cried.
“Mommy, I’m scared that the police will shoot us.” Jacob began to say as Jenifer added. “Or Daddy. I don’t want anyone to die. Daddy, please let’s go outside and do what the megaphone says.” Jenifer pleaded.
Zac walked over to his frightened family, stood over them as he stared down at their curled forms intertwined within each others for a few minutes as they stared back up at him, waiting for his next decision.
“Stand up.” he ordered.
The three immediately complied. As soon as they were all standing, Zac pulled Beth into a tight bear hug, whispering into her ear. Each twin grabbed onto one of Zac’s legs and hugged it. After talking privately to Beth for about five minutes. Zac released his hold as Beth stepped backwards - looking intently into Zac’s eyes.
“Are you sure about this?” Beth uttered, unsure of herself and the decision that was about to be made.
“Yes, I just need to think about things. This is the best for the four of you right now.” Zac bit his bottom lip, reaching out and grasping Beth’s hand, squeezing it in reassurance. “Now go!” he ordered. Beth took the twins hands, taking a few steps backwards before turning around to walk forward towards the front of the cabin, never taking her eyes off Zac.
Zac stood there as he watched Beth and his children walk away.
Jenifer reached out for her Father, repeatedly screaming, “Daddy! Come with us! Daddy!” as Beth pulled her out of the bathroom.
“I’m sorry, baby! Daddy loves you!” Zac cried as he turned away from the sight, possibly seeing his family for the last time. He felt a slight pang of loss in his heart as he turned and gripped the sink before looking up at himself in the mirror. He went about this whole relationship with Beth all wrong and now after all the fear and pain he has caused her, she’ll never want to be with him willingly - even after he got out of prison again. He knew he probably scared her away forever. Zac hoped that in the time they had spent together, he had redeemed himself to her and made her see how he really felt for her - and that he was not the tormenting rapist she had come to know so well.
*
Once Beth and the twins had walked off the front porch. The swat team surrounded them and ushered them quickly from the house and to a waiting squad car. Before they could enter it, the chief approached.
“Who is left in the house?” he asked giving Beth a hard look.
“Just Zac and Nikki.” Beth replied.
The chief picked up his radio, “Move in! Use force if needed!” he ordered.
“Don’t shoot him, please! He’ll come out soon! He promised me!” Beth pleaded, as she latched herself onto the chief’s arm.
“Madam, I can’t take that chance. He is dangerous. He was able to kidnap you and your children and kept the three of you on the run for two months without a trace. It was lucky for you that we got a tip of where you guys were.” he informed her, dropping a bombshell that the police were actually tipped off by someone.
“What tip?” Beth no more than asked before she heard a riddle of gunshots.
Beth turned quickly towards the cabin and screamed out, Zac’s name as Jenifer screamed out for her Daddy repeatedly, as she ran for the cabin. A police officer scooped Jenifer up, holding her back from reentering the scene.
“Suspect is down, deceased.” Beth heard over the policeman’s radio. In hearing that news, Beth fell to her knees in tears. Jacob bent down to console his grieving Mother.
*
Meanwhile, inside the cabin bathroom. Nikki had thrown herself down onto Zac’s body. Refusing to let anyone near him. Burying her face into his bullet ridden chest. Crying out crazy gibberish about losing the love of her life.
*
Back outside, the assistant police chief approached Beth and the twins who were still on the ground crying in their huddle.
“Madam, There is a Cameron here to see you and the deceased’s brother, Taylor is here to see you also.” he informed as Beth and the twins stood up to greet the unexpected visitors.
Beth looked up with tear strained eyes as Cameron and Taylor ran towards Beth both pulling her into a hug.
“He’s gone… Zac’s gone. What am I going to do?” Beth cried.
“Oh, honey. I am sorry, it came to this. It will all be ok soon.” Cameron soothed, rubbing Beth‘s back - comforting her the best she could in a time like this.
“But the twins and the new baby don’t have a Father anymore. Nikki doesn‘t have a Father for her baby either.” Beth sniffled.
“New baby? Awe! You’re pregnant again?” Cameron asked squeezing Beth. As Taylor asked rather confused. “Huh? That girl Zac ran off with is pregnant with his kid too? Seriously?”
“Yeah, but he didn‘t want anything to do with Nikki’s baby. He wanted her out of his life.” Beth shook her head. “But Zac was so happy for our baby. He thought he would be able to see this one grow up, since he missed out on the twins. It was my fault that he missed out on the twins growing up! I sent him away, I shouldn‘t have testified against him and had him sent to jail for being with him.” Beth rambled on, unsure if she was even making any sense. At that point she didn’t care anymore and just let the dam burst as she let her tears flow freely and heavily.
“I know, but you will make it work out. You did before with twins alone and you can do it again with the new baby.” Cameron reassured her friend as she continued to rub her back.
“But I can’t! I won’t! Not without Zac - he loves me and the kids. We’re a family!” Beth urged, grabbing her friends shirt.
Just then a middle aged white man in an expensive black suit came up to the group.
“Cameron, Taylor. May I talk to the two of you alone for a moment?”
Cameron turned to Beth.
“I’ll be right back, ok?”
Beth nodded and knelt down to talk to the twins. Cameron and Taylor followed the doctor a short distance away from where they were just standing.
“I am Doctor Julius Fraser. I just have some questions regarding the suspect and I will also help in the therapeutic sessions from this traumatic event.” he said as he pulled a yellow legal pad from his satchel and unhooked the pen from it, ready to write.
“Ok, well, we’ll do the best we can to answer your questions.” Taylor affirmed.
“My first question is, is this the first time the suspect has become obsessed with a former lover?”
“This is not the first time Zac has stalked a girlfriend and refused to let her go. There were four girls before Beth.” Taylor revealed.
“What were their names?” the doctor asked.
“Jenna, Katie and Christine.” Taylor answered, looking to Cameron then back to the doctor.
“And where are they now?” the doctor asked while continuing to write.
“They all ran away from Zac and stayed hidden, he wasn’t able to find them again. And Stacey wound up killing herself to make Zac leave her alone. Since nothing else she tried had worked with him.”
“Does the deceased have any other children than the two that he currently has with the victim in this case?” the doctor questioned, not looking up from his notepad.
“Well, Beth just told me that she’s pregnant again and that girl that was on the run with them, Nikki - she’s pregnant too by Zac.” Cameron informed him.
“And Stacey was pregnant by Zac before she died.” Taylor added.
“Ok, That does it for my questioning. Do either of you have any questions for me?” the doctor spoke as he put his notepad away into his bag.
“I do. Well Beth, you know before all this happened, couldn’t stand Zac and now she was just talking about how she couldn’t be without him and they are going to be a family. What has caused her change?” Cameron asked, folding her arms as she eyed the doctor, waiting on his response.
“She is suffering from Stockholm syndrome. It is where a victim falls in love with her captor. He had probably shown her, love and compassion while they were together for the past two months and now she sees the good within him and not the hell he had put her through previously. It will take quite a few therapy sessions before she fully comes around from that frame of mind. Try not to tell her any different, it will only upset her. Just work on her level with that information.” Doctor Julius Fraser informed the couple, then he was called away by another officer. “I have to go now, but I will be seeing you all in therapy tomorrow. Remember, the sooner we all discuss what happened the better it will be for everyone involved in this tragedy.”
Cameron watched the doctor walk away before she turned to Taylor.
“Do you think he’s right and that’s what we should do?”
“Yeah, we don’t want to mess her or the twins up any more than they already are from whatever Zac has put them through. The stress on her pregnancy from all this can‘t be good so we just have to keep her as calm as we can and not tell her any more news that we find out about Zac. No matter what it might be. We can‘t even let her go to his funeral, she might miscarry from the initial shock of being there and seeing his casket, so we‘ll just have to convince her it‘s all for that best, for her, the baby and the twins.” Taylor said, then put his arm around Cameron and lead her back over to where they had left Beth and the twins.