Chapter 25


Just maybe, Barbara might have seriously questioned Jake’s sanity, once or twice, over the past month. She would have done it now but, Barbara did not particularly care about spending the rest of her life thinking about Jake Barton. She figured she only had about ten second of that left so, why not think about something worth while? Of course, Jake would just have to upstage anything Barbara could think of.

She even screamed at him not to do it. Did he listen? No! Why should Barbara be surprised by that? Everything else she had said to the man went in one ear and right out the other. Barbara had never thought, ever, in her entire life, that the last words out of her lips would be, “you idiot!” That was proving to be the case.

When the blade swung out, almost to the shaft wall, Jake pushed off and jumped for the pendulum’s swing arm. To Barbara’s amazement, he actually caught it! Jake had his arms and legs firmly rapped around it as the blade began it’s fall. As it swung back towards Barbara he was sliding down the arm.

Barbara might have given him four marks for bravery and even an honorable mention for ingenuity. Despite that she still thought he won the award for insanity and the Nobel Prize for absolute stupidity! His little heroics did absolutely nothing to improve her situation. In fact, as Barbara watched the blade swinging right for her abdomen, she realized that Jake had actually made things worse!

His extra weight caused the blade to fall a little bit more. It was not by very much, maybe a few centimeters at best but, it was noticeable. It was also more than Barbara had to spare. The last pass had already scraped her skin and left Barbara with a stinging little cut. This one was sure to do the job and finish her off. Barbara bit her lips, took her last breath, closed her eyes, and tried to make her body do something besides ceasing up in terror.

She heard the blade get closer. Barbara gulped. She could feel it’s presence and she squinted even harder in anticipation of that slice through her gut. Nothing worked for Barbara so she joined in with Jake on the screaming in terror thing.

Barbara heard the scrape. Was this what death felt like? Barbara was feeling little hot prickling sensations. Then she realized it was all over her face and not on her tummy. She also still heard Jake! She opened her eyes and quickly discovered the blade had passed her without making a dent in her belly. It did, however, put a pretty good gash in the cuffs on her wrists.

Barbara was stunned. How did that happen? Her head snapped around so she could see the blade as it reached the far wall. Jake was almost at the bottom of the arm now. The blade slowed as it began to change direction and, only then did Barbara realize that it was wobbling. Jake’s weight had done more than make it drop a little! He had thrown the entire mechanism off balance. There was no telling where that thing was going to strike next! Not exactly the best news in the world, not for Barbara, because it was coming back in her direction once more.

“Please move, please move,” Barbara repeated over and over as the blade dropped. She then blurted out, “more you ass hole! MORE!”

This time she watched the whole thing. She could not force her eyes shut. They were so wide they hurt! When the blade reached her she screamed as it passed over her feet. She saw sparks fly and Jake’s feet on the top of the blade.

She was still alive! Then the whole mechanism moaned in pain. Barbara heard the blade drop again only this time it did so with a violent clang. The thing was broken but, not good enough. Barbara and Jake screamed at the same time, “OHH SHITT!” The blade was falling back towards the platform. There was no doubt about it. It wasn’t swinging far enough to one side or the other. It was coming right down the middle, right at Barbara. As it got closer it was also obvious that at it’s present height it wasn’t just going to scrape her or, even gut her. This time it would cut her right in two.

When Barbara turned her head away from it and closed her eyes, there was no thinking. It was all reflex including her panicked cry of terror.