|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.
"This is good catch Robby." One of the men says briefly to Robby, who is the lanky childlike one. The man that had arrived with Robby is left to drag the meat over to a tree, tying it up. He is shorter, but not as short as red beard, with long brown hair that is tied into a ponytail. He contrasts the other men, sticking out like a sore thumb. While the others look barbaric, he appears put together and sophisticated even while living off the wild. His hair is thoroughly brushed and his clothes are clean and unwrinkled.
"We were just beginning our interrogation with our new friends, idnit that right?" Red beard says, laughing yet again. It's almost like he is saying an inside joke that no one understands. Robby laughs wildly, clapping his hands again. "Oh Robby boy, you is my greatest fan."
"Well I think it's about time we continue gettin' some answers." Red beard seems to do most of the speaking around here. I wonder if it's because the other's are fearful of him or if the reason is backed by something else. Red beard walks back over to the group of four tied to a tree and squats down. "Since tough guy here don't want to answer anything. Let's move onto you."
He moves in front of Lily waving the gun in front of her face as if she could even see it. He chuckles as she squirms under his gaze, obvious fear coursing through her.
"Don't be nervous girly." He says in a way that sends chills down my spine. Behind me Caleb has severely tensed up, angry at the man messing with his girlfriend. Caleb and Lily had made it official a week after we left the facility for a second time. Their new relationship has flourished, but red beard is putting in a strain. "Just tell me where ya'll got all of this stuff and I'll let ya'll go. It's a pretty simple exchange. Information for freedom. You're smart, ain't you sweetheart?"
Red beard's voice is sickly sweet as he speaks. Listening to him is almost nauseating. Lily whimpers her mouth turned down in an evident frown. Tears are stained down her face.
"We f-found it." Her voice stutters as she speaks in a quiet voice. I almost physically shake my head at her awful lying. If we get out of this, she's definitely going to need a few lessons. Red beard let's out an exasperated sigh.
"I like you. I really do, but if you gonna' keep lying to me, then imma get real angry real fast. You don't want that, innit that right?" His patronizing tone and gross attitude is like a cocktail of annoyance and disgust for me.
"I'm not-." Lily is cut off by a slap to the face by red beard's hand. It leaves a burning red mark on her cheek. He grabs her face with his hand, squeezing her cheeks like an angry mother does to her child. He leans in close, seething.
"Don't you dare lie to me again." His voice is lower this time, but I can tell it is forced. He is quite obviously trying to seem more intimidating than he actually is. If he didn't have a gun and bodyguards here to protect him, he'd be an easy fight. Hell, it wouldn't even be a fight. "Well then, let's move onto the next. If one of youse don't answer my question soon, imma have to turn to much more severe options. None of us want that."
His voice is back to its high-pitched tone making me almost wish for his fake deep voice. Red beard moves onto Sabrina, his teeth clenched in growing anger.
"So. Have some thin' to say?" He asks, not even crouching down fully.
"Fuck you." Sabrina says bravely, spitting in his face. As satisfying as it is, angering a man with a gun isn't exactly the smartest thing to do. Red beard wipes the spit from his face and laughs yet again.
"Maybe later, but for now how 'bout you answer my question?" He responds as his laughter increases. This man finds anything and everything funny.
"No thanks." Sabrina answers.
"We need to do something. We missed our opening already and they're getting hurt." Caleb whispers harshly.
"They could die if we get up now." William says through his teeth. I have no idea what to do. Every choice we make has consequences so it's hard to weigh which one is the right one.
Red beard hits Sabrina in the side with the butt of the gun causing her to gasp in a newfound pain. This man really likes hitting people it seems and it's clearly not even working. Maybe he's overcompensating for something.
"If we do nothing they could die." Caleb whisper yells back. Red beard hits Sabrina again, anger pouring out of him.
"Just. Fuckin'. Tell me bitch." He loses control fairly quickly as he hits Sabrina over and over again. His face has contorted into rage and it his actions seem so animalistic. I bite back a gasp as blood fills the scene.
"William." Caleb whispers louder, trying to get him to raise up. "Screw this." He says when William doesn't move.
Caleb grabs Kevin's gun from his hand and stands up in one swift motion. No one sees him for multiple seconds, their eyes trained on red beard, but a single gunshot alerts everyone of his presence.