Against all odds (The Pack)

Chapter 44

Rustle rustle

And there it is again. A faint, barley audible, rustling coming from somewhere outside. Jerome's brow furrows and he sits back up, swinging his legs over the side of his bed, and quietly rising to his feet. It's probably still animals... But I guess it wouldn't hurt to check just in case. Jerome figures, silently padding over to the door.

Jerome peeks through the small window on the door, eyes accustomed to the darkness, and scanning the surrounding brush. He can hear the soft lapping of water from behind, where the river borders one side of their hut. Everything seems still, with no animal or person in sight. When suddenly, movement catches his eye, accompanied by another rustling. Jerome squints hard, focusing on the bushes. Then his eyes snap open as suddenly a figure is stepping from the bushes, creeping towards the hut, moonlight glinting off a shining blade. Two more figures follow behind it. Jerome gasps lightly, and slinks back into the room, hastily turning and shaking Mitch's shoulder, trying to rouse him.

"Mitch. Mitch wake up." Jerome hisses urgently, Mitch groaning and cracking open his eyes.
"Mm what's up Jerome...?" Mitch asks tiredly, speech slurred.
"There's people outside. I think they're trying to ambush us." Jerome reports in a loud whisper.

This grabs Mitch attention. He abruptly stands, all traces of drowsiness suddenly gone as he brushes past Jerome to peek out the door. They're only about fifteen blocks away now, and now large numbers of figures have joined the three, staying a few paces back. Mitch estimates about thirty, carrying weapons and other shadowed items he can't distinguish. Mitch curses under his breath, ducking back out of the doorway.

"Wake the others." Mitch whispers, urgency evident in his voice and expression.

They've just begun to wake Preston and Rob when suddenly the door is being kicked in, and a small feathered dart is whizzing into the room, sinking into the back of Jerome's neck. He yelps momentarily in pain, and then Jerome's eyes flutter closed, and he collapses on top of Rob. Rob cries out in shock, and scrambles out from underneath Jerome, checking frantically to make sure he's okay. Mitch glares and draws his bow, aiming at the door, Preston shooting out of bed, startled and yelling 'what's happening?!'. The commotion rouses both Vikk and Lachlan, who by the time are fully awake and realize they're under attack, Rob has been pricked by a dart and collapses next to Jerome.

     "Block off the doorway!" Mitch growls, arrow still notched and ready to fire at a moments notice.

     Preston leaps into action, still confused but getting the importance of the command. He places down two dirt blocks in the doorway, only seconds before another dart can fly into the room.

      "What's going on?" Lachlan demands, drawing an iron sword.
      "Ambush. Hurry, break down the wall so we can get out." Mitch orders, throwing on his diamond armour. "And make sure to put armour on, they have sleeping darts."

     Preston, Lachlan, and Vikk throw on sets of diamond armour, and then Vikk chops through the wall with an axe, the four quickly rushing out of the room. Inside the shadowed figures have broken past the dirt barrier, and are working at binding the unconscious Jerome and Rob with ropes and gags, one of them pulling out two large burlap sacks. It doesn't take long for the other twenty some kidnappers to round the hut, surrounding them from three sides, the river stretching out behind them. The kidnappers make a half hearted attempt to pelt Mitch, Lachlan, Vikk, and Preston with more darts, but they bounce harmlessly off their diamond armour. Mitch lets several arrows fly, but their either dodged or deflected, and the kidnappers continue to slowly creep in.