External (Book 1&2)

Book 2|Chapter 6

|Red Beard Pt. 1|

A whole hour.

That's how long it took for any of the men to make a move. They had sat around the fire for an hour eating squirrel and snake like wild beasts. I had to watch their teeth tear into the almost raw meat, it was hard not to keel over right then and there. To add onto that, from where we are we can't even hear them talking, so all in all it was a very boring hour.

But finally, two of the men get up with their bags and head off into the forest to do God knows what. The three men left get up from their seated positions, heading over to the four blindfolded people that were left sitting by a tree. I hold my breath as I watch them pull out a long sharp knife. It glints with the sunlight, shining into my eyes.

"Why don't you tell me where ya'll got all of these little fancy things." A short plump man spoke first with a strange accent I definitely don't recognize. His voice is higher than I would think it would be. With his wide frame and large red beard, you'd think he'd have an extremely masculine voice, but that isn't the case. Red beard motions to the other two, who walk away only to come back with the facility bags. He pulls out a gun from one of them, a Glock 19, which I easily recognize as Marcus's. The man pulls the top back which makes a clicking sound.

"You can hear that can't you?" Red beard taunts. "I would'a taken off you're blindfold and show you what I'm speaking about, but I think you understand. Plus, I hafta keep our identities secret you know." He chuckles at his own words and presses the tip of the gun into the side of Cayden. I guess he assumes that he is the leader. Or maybe Cayden just pissed him off. After several seconds of silence, red beard speaks again.

"I'mma wait till you figure out what I'm sticking in your side. I'm gonna assuming you're a little bit slow and that's why you ain't talking." He says sarcastically as he jams the gun deeper into his side. "No?" He questions after more silence. Red beard raises the gun from Cayden's side and for a moment I think he will give up, but he instead throws his arm back and hits Cayden across the head. Cayden groans at the feeling and deep red blood drains down the side of his head.

I verbally gasp in shock at what red beard had done. The sound waves from that noise drifts all the way into their ears and they quickly snap their heads over to our direction. I instantly duck down and bite the inside of my cheek hard until I can taste iron.

"Go check that out." Red beard orders to the two men. They nod and begin to walk over. My heart rate goes rapid as I watch their footprints come closer and closer to our hidden position. We may be well concealed from afar, but close up they would see us in a matter of seconds. I can hear William shift silently and pull out his gun, removing it from safety. I very quickly follow his lead and Kevin, who still has Jacob's gun, pulls it out as well. Three guns against two men. The odds are in our favor, but we won't be able to help the other four if red beard decides to take one hostage against Marcus's gun.

They're no more then three feet away when a sound erupts from the other side of the forest wall. The two men stop walking and watch as the two other men return with a large deer dragging behind them.

"Looky at what we caught!" One speaks up in a highly enthusiastic voice. He reminds me of a child as he drops the deer and begins to clap his hands together. The man is mid-age, maybe in his thirties. He has a long lanky body that towers over the other man next to him.

"Good job my boy!" Red beard says, leaving our friends to greet the men. The two in front of us seemingly forget all about us as they walk over to the deer in excitement.