Chapter Two: Cocky and the Other Guy
The campsite was small, crowded, and loud. The arrival of the ‘Dream Trip to Mexico’ winners had made an already packed campsite overflow. It smelled like sweat and dead fish, and the ground was covered in litter. Luckily, though, we each got our own little cabins to stay in (with no indoor plumbing, though…). The port-a-potties didn’t help the smell, unfortunately. As soon as they let us out of the jeeps, I hopped out and immediately decided I needed to take a walk.
“Mom, I’m going for a walk.” I said. My mom tried to stop me, of course, not trusting me in a big jungle all by myself.
“Sweetie, we just got here! Surely you can wait! And the jungle, it’s so dangerous, you shouldn’t be-” I cut her off before Mom had a full-fledged panic attack.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll stay on the trail, and I have my cell, so don’t worry, ‘kay?” I said. I waved goodbye and made my way over to the trail.
There was no good reason for me to feel claustrophobic. We were in a jungle in the middle of Mexico! Why was I so anxious to get away from everyone?
There was a more sensible part in my head telling me I was just sick of babysitting my siblings and their attitudes. But a smaller part was telling me it something bigger. Much, much bigger than annoying brothers and snotty sisters.
I had been walking for about an hour, enjoying the landscapes and funny-looking plants while trying to keep the panicky feeling down. But my fake-bliss was short-lived, because up ahead, I heard voices.
I crept up closer and crouched down in a suspicious-looking plant (I prayed that it wasn’t poisonous), and observed the scene in front of me. A man who had his back facing me was threatening a scared-looking man a little ways away. He had his hands up, and had a look of terror on his face.
“Now, you know what we do to spies, Mastian? Do you know what we do?” The man said, holding up something that vaguely resembled a blow-torch/flamethrower/machine gun. All I knew was that I would not want to get into a tangle with that beast.
You’d think, after I had just thought about how much I didn’t want to get involved with a beastly monster gun like that I’d keep my mouth shut and creep away. But no. I had to get a surge of adrenaline and jump out of the bush like an idiot and jump in front of him.
Oh my, I thought to myself. I had gotten myself into quite the pickle.
But I had gotten myself into this mess, so I had to get myself out of it. So I did it in the only way I knew how.
"Hey, guys, I don't know what the problem is here, but just put down the guns, and-" All of a sudden, two arms wrapped themselves around my waist and I felt a blade press against my throat.
Oh, so I try to save him and this is my reward?
So, instead of playing damsel in distress and screaming, I stayed calm, cool, and collected and did the first thing that came to mind.
I elbowed him in the gut.
He swore loudly and lost his focus, so I snatched his blade and pressed it against his sore side, the tip digging through cloth and flesh.
“Any more surprises? Or do I have to confiscate those, too?” I said, smiling. I felt weirdly confident for a 16-year-old teenage girl fighting two young men with dangerous and unfamiliar weapons. I grabbed him and pushed him over to a tree and tied him up around it.
The man shook his head and I turned to face the other one. “You have anything else that needs to be taken away?” I asked.
The cocky man gave me a cold look and crossed his arms. "No."
“Hand them over.” I said, giving him what I was hoping a stern look.
I gulped, hoping that he wasn't about to pull a knife on me or something. But then then he sighed and pulled off a large utility belt that was attached to his midsection. It dropped to the ground with a large plunk.
He continued to unload his arsenal of weapons that he had somehow managed to pack under his clothes, and dropped them all in a pile in front of me.
“Anything else I should take before we try to settle this disagreement?” I said. Both of the men shook their heads.
“So what’s the problem here?” I asked. The cocky one sent a dirty look over to the other man and said, “That Mastian trespassed! He stepped over the line.”
The Mastian scoffed. “I was just following orders! I didn’t want to do it, but I have to feed children somehow!” He yelled. I was very confused. I was guessing, though, that they were in some sort of gang and the one went onto the other’s territory. Maybe I shouldn’t get involved with this kind off stuff. It was too late now, though.
“Then why do you stink of human?” The cocky one asked, sneering. The other one stiffened and said in a dignified voice, “That doesn’t mean anything!” This had officially confused me. Just then, Cocky pulled out a gun from who knows where and shot the man in the chest just as he freed himself from the restraints and threw a knife at me.
I stared at the knife in horror, unable to move as it came hurtling at me. Out of the corner of my eye, though, I saw someone new come running into the clearing. If that person hadn't come running into the clearing, I probably wouldn't be alive to tell this story. If that person hadn't tackled me to the ground a split second before the knife passed by the very spot my heart had previously been in, I would never had done all of the things that made my life so important.
A pair of jade-green eyes stared down at me in concern and amusement, two emotions I never thought could mix in someone's expression without looking conceded.
"Hi. I'm Zynnister."
*****************************************************************************************************************
Please note that this is NOT a werewolf story if that's what you think he is.
YOU ARE READING
The Fallen (Now on hold. Or being rewritten. I haven't decided yet.)
AdventureIn all 16 years of Scarlette Anderson's life, she would have never guessed that she was a werecat. Or that she's been raised by werewolves. Or that she's the heir to the throne of a country that no one remembers. But that isn't all she's dealing wit...
