The barn was as abandoned as the grounds. A few livestock remained as some contractors were too far from home to venture out this late. They were fed and now their owners were busy taking care of their own stomachs. Jenna stopped to pat the flank of a proud stallion, his coat a striking midnight black. The animal responded to Jenna's soft voice, not bothering to question the gender of its owner, knowing only it was a human being with maybe a carrot to chew. Jenna had no food to offer, but a stroke seemed to be good enough.

Suddenly the tranquility was pierced by the ugly wail of a man in pain. Jenna swung around at the same time an object fell from the loft above. A man landed with a thud on the concrete pad a few yards from her feet. A pair of steers on the other side of the fence scurried away from the intrusion.

At first, Jenna stood there unsure of what to do. The shock of what had just happened settled in on her. Then she recognized it was Denny McIntyre and she ran to him without hesitating.

"Denny? Are you okay?" He moaned like a wounded beast. Lying partially on his back, his arms moved in an attempt to struggle to his side. Horror registered on his face and his eyes darted from side to side in rapid succession. Jenna reached for his hand and he pulled on her arm, trying to lift his weight off his back.

"My back!" He groaned out the words with such intensity that Jenna thought the blood vessels in his eyes would burst. Instantly, she thought his back might be broken.

"Don't move!" She knew enough not to move a man suspected of a broken back. When it appeared as if he wouldn't listen to her, she pushed him closer to the floor and he screamed out in agony. Jenna put her hands up in defense. Her touch was causing him great pain. She'd broken contact with him, but still his hands reached, searching for her.

"My back!" Jenna was confused. How could he attempt to move if his back were broken? His eyes were huge, the pupils moving to the corners of his eyes. He seemed to teeter on his side. She moved to look behind him, and when she got a glimpse of his back, her breath caught in her chest.

A metal hook protruded from the center of his spine!

She stopped short and a scream lodged itself in her throat but it never left her mouth. Horrified by the image now in front of her, she fell to her knees beside him, feeling utterly helpless.

"Oh my God!" finally found its way to her lips. She stared at the hook, then at Denny's pleading face. With eyes glazed over in pain, he fixed his stare on her, locking his eyes on hers.

"Take...it...out!" he gasped. "P-l-e-a-s-e!