BLACKOUT; JR [1]

9.7

Relief flooded through me at the sight of him, and once I'd gotten my breath back, I actually laughed. Upon first seeing us where we weren't expected, he groaned unenthusiastically. Then he smiled at me, completely genuine. "What are you kids doing back out here?" He asked us, his spear in hand just like always. Sam, who was still pressed against my back, grunted a reply.

"Well, we're trapped, obviously." He deadpanned, throwing his hands up to protect his face from the debris falling from the net. Roland chuckled as he took a step closer to us, assessing our situation.

"Not the desired outcome, but a success nonetheless." He looked down at the three of us laying in the dirt, chuckled once more, and then made a move to help out.

"I'm soaked." Jake noted while we dug around, and finally found the edges of the mesh. He was pushing everything away from him as we gathered up the net, and Sam groaned in agreement.

"What a stupid place for a net to be, anyway." He added, kicking out his legs roughly a few times, his foot nearly colliding with my kneecap. Andy, on the other side of the catastrophe in the mud, decided to make small talk with our saviour.

"So, why'd you decide to live in the bush?" He asked Roland, momentarily stopping his collection of the web. The man perked up, seeming grateful that somebody had taken an interest in his personal life. He mustn't get many people to talk to, so I imagine that this would be a refreshing surprise for him.

"Well..." He started, staring off into space while he thought of his answer. For a long time, I had also been wondering the exact same thing. Andy and I both had our theories, but we never actually knew the truth. Rather abruptly, Roland straightened himself up, and dropped the line like it was burning him. It felt as if an electric current was dancing across the tangled trap, and it flew right into my fingertips and sent me reeling backwards. The forest floor felt similar to concrete when I landed roughly, the harsh impact sending the oxygen right from my lungs for the second time that day. Andy landed a few feet away from me, not looking as stunned as I felt.

"Stop messing around!" Sam grumbled, trying to find his way out as he rolled around in the mud. He seemed to be angry that an invisible force had thrown us away from him and Jake, pausing our intentions to free them. Roland stood upright, his eyes staring straight ahead but focusing on nothing. Felix was no longer searching for the talisman, and was now watching the scene before him with a wary expression. He locked eyes with me, and the emphasized stare his face greeted me with was enough for me to know that he was aware of the situation, and he looked scared.

"Roland, are you alright?" Andy asked him, no longer on the ground like I was. The man stood still for a few seconds, not answering to anything, then he started to shake violently. It was unexpected, and about a million thoughts raced through my mind all at once. His suddenly emotionless demeanour, his apparent blankness before he started to jerk in broken strings of movement gave me the impression that he was having a seizure. He continued to convulse while the three of us watched on in horror, not knowing what to say or do. I crept back a little, but never made much more of an effort to move. I held my breath, mentally willing for him to stop rattling in front of me. Then he did, and the pause was so sudden that it caused me to gasp.

"Just get us out!" Jake snapped, as he and Sam were in the dark about the current events outside of the net. Similar to a robot, Roland's head twitched to the side. Seeing his entire face made me do a double take, because there was something different about his appearance. His eyes, even the white parts, were blood red. Then he took a step forward, his attention now directed elsewhere. His eyes flashed back to normal, but he never blinked. Andy ran, ducking behind a tree before Roland could see where he'd gone. Then the man turned, returning back to the Sam and Jake, but they weren't what he was looking for.