"Are we there yet?"
"Gordon, this is the third time you've asked in five minutes!" Scott snapped, finally losing his temper at the redhead's constant complaining. "We get there when we get there!"
"But I'm so tired! I feel like my legs are going to give way any second now! We've been walking for hours!" Gordon complained, drooping his shoulders dramatically as he followed his brothers along the narrow pathway leading to the fields nearby. He swatted away at the undergrowth obstructing the footpath they were walking down. One swiped bush recoiled back sharply, hitting Alan in the face. The small blonde grumbled, flicking it away as he shot the auburn a glare.
Scott just rolled his eyes, "Can it Gordon. We're almost there now."
Gordon pouted in response and readjusted the bag strap over his shoulder. He looked over at John, who was carrying a yawning Virgil on his back. He poked the artist. "Virg, don't you think John needs a rest from carrying your heavy butt around? There are no spiders here."
"That's what you think. They're hiding in the undergrowth, getting ready to strike when I least expect it. I'm not moving another inch on my own until I know the enemy aren't in our territory!"
"Geez Virge, it's not World War One." John rolled his eyes and readjusted his grip on Virgil's legs, giving him a small boost up his back. Half a mile back, the middle Tracy had had an unfortunate encounter with a large spider that had somehow made its way up the teenager's leg without being spotted. Virgil, being deathly afraid of spiders, screamed the park down when he noticed the creature. It taken all four of his brothers to calm him down and restrain him from taking off over the fields to get it off himself. After the creature had been removed from his person by Scott, who managed to flick it away with a big stick, Virgil had clambered up John's back for protection and hadn't moved since. Although tall and lean, John wasn't as physically strong as Scott and was now admittedly getting tired carrying him.
"You're such a baby, Virgil." Gordon teased, taking a few strides forward. He bumped into Scott, who had stopped for a moment, checking the large map he was carrying. He rubbed his nose and looked up at his older brother.
"Are you sure we're heading the right way?" Scott quizzed, glancing around at their surroundings.
"We're not lost, are we?" Alan piped up, trying to take the map from Scott. The seventeen year old placed his hand on the smaller blonde's head, gently pushing him back down.
"No, of course not! I'm sixty percent sure of where we are. Maybe fifty percent. Darn, I wish dad would've let us bring our phones here. They'd be much better help than this crummy map." He turned it around and frowned, trying to make sense of it.
"Well that's what you get for telling him you wanted to experience nature in its full glory." sniped Gordon.
A panting John made his way over to Scott. "Trade?"
Smiling at his weary brother, Scott grabbed Virgil and pried him off John's back, allowing the smaller teen to manoeuvre around his own chest and then onto his back so he could cling to the large backpack Scott was wearing. He then passed John the map. "Any thoughts?"
John span the map around and looked ahead, trying to gain his bearings. "I think we are going the right way, but the problem is this map seems to be one hundred years out of date. According to the map, if we carry on the way we're going, we're supposed to hit a small bridge, but I know for a fact grandma said that the bridge has deteriorated now, so there's no way of passing the river."
"Does that mean we'll have to swim across?" Gordon's eyes lit up, the pose of the boy suggesting he was about to dart off and find said river. Scott quickly grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him back.
