Disastrous

10

Two days passed without any sign of Colby or the other Trapboys.  I was getting used to this weird hippie lifestyle, and I learned a little more about Ben, Mitch and Jillian.

Ben is actually Sam’s older brother, which is why they look so similar and have the same last name.  I was very embarrassed that it didn’t click until I hung out with everyone for half a day.  But he’s really smart, being able to do very complex math problems in his head, and claims he’s very educated on hacking into shit.

Jillian is Jake’s younger sister, and for only being twenty one she was much more responsible than her brother who was three years older than her.  She loved to dance, being self taught.  The people here didn’t have music, or any electronics for that matter.  Maybe it was too expensive or just a lifestyle, but when I brought it up to Tim I got a couple of strange looks from the older women he was surrounded by.

Mitch was a really good friend of Colby’s apparently.  He didn’t party like the Trapboys did, but actually was a part of this hippie gang-group before they recruited him a couple months back.  

I wanted to go on a run with Mitch, partly to get to know him better and partly because Jillian pointed out that I needed to defend myself.  The first step to that is getting fit, in my opinion.

Jillian, who I believe is a goddess, lended me some athletic clothing for me to workout in.  It was a matching black shorts and sports bra, and even a matching hair tie for me to keep.

“Okay,” Mitch handed me two pocket knives with two straps, “Wrap these under your shorts.  I chose lighter knives since you probably aren’t used to running but just in case something happens,” He trailed off.

“Thanks,” I said with a grin, taking them from his hand and wrapping the straps around my thighs before slipping the knives in them and pulling the shorts over it.  If you didn’t look too hard you wouldn’t be able to see them, which was most likely a good thing.

“How long are we running for?” I asked as we stepped out of the apartment building and began our trek down the street to a nearby trail Mitch was telling me about when I prompted him yesterday.  

“Uh, I usually run for five miles, six if I have time,” Mitch ran his fingers throug his golden brown hair, “Plus a workout,”

“How long is five miles?” I questioned.  I never really took the time to calculate how long it would take to run a mile, maybe two or three minutes.  I also didn’t know how long a mile was, but I could guess.

“Five miles,” Mitch responded with a smirk, and I punched him lightly in the arm. 

He grabbed it, feinting an injury while I giggled, “Um, you probably won’t be running the full five miles.  You’ll probably only get to one or something.  It’s rough if you aren’t used to it,”

“Don’t underestimate me,” I declared, “I will be running circles around you,”

“Sure you will,” He said before directing me down another street, a drive specifically, that had woods at its end.

“The fence goes through about half of this,” Mitch explained, “But it’s one of the spots the officers and people around here don’t check, so it’s perfectly safe for working out and doing stuff like that,”

“Do you come here often?” I asked, looking at the smaller homes that had no visible entrance with the windows and doors being boarded up.  It’s as if people knew something was going to happen and just left.  Or were killed.

“No,” His voice rose in pitch and I glanced at him, causing him to elaborate, “Simply because I don’t like to come here alone very much, and though I love Ben and Jillian, they hate it here,”

“Why?” I noticed the change in his expression, the way he gulped and his face got pale.

“There was once four of us, you know? Before you came along, there was someone else with us,” Mitch began, adjusting his shirt uncomfortably, “Um, you know Colby?”

“Yeah,” I said with an obvious tone of voice, because both of us already knew htat answer.

“Well, he has a brother. Had a brother,” He corrected, pausing to let me get the hint.

“Oh my god, what happened?” I asked with a gasp, “I’m so sorry,”

“It’s okay, you didn’t do anything.  It’s just a tough subject to talk about, you know?” Mitch glanced at me, and I gave him a nod which was enough encouragement for him to keep talking.

“Colby’s brother was named Gage.  The coolest guy ever, let me tell you.  He taught me everything I know about defending myself, and he’s the reason I am here today and I’m grateful for that,” A hint of a smile crossed his face as he spoke, “Jillian and him fell in love, it was bound to happen and everyone could see it,” His eyes got dark when he looked at me next, “What we didn’t know was that Gage was someone who worked with Tim and those people we don’t mention.  Not even Colby knew,” He said with a shake of his head.

“He accidentally told some of this to Jillian, and Jillian told Ben who told me and I told Colby since it was his responsibility,” I nodded as he spoke, because that’s what I would have done if I were in his shoes, “Uh, they needed to test him.  So, Colby, Gage and the other three boys flew out of state, to Kentucky or Kansas maybe? I don’t know, a state that starts with “K”.” I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as his story continued.

“I don’t know what they were doing there, it’s not necessarily my right to know.  But I think that’s where Gage’s boss was at the time, so Colby was going to kill him in front of Gage and then fly him here and kill him.  Which did happen, but not how we thought it was going to,” Mitch paused, probably trying to think of what else to say.

We were far into the woods now, and it probably wasn’t wise to discuss things like this because the government probably has it bugged.

“I’ll tell you his name, but you’ll be surprised to hear it.  The boss went by Kumar,” My eyes widened, “And you’ve probably figured out by now that most of the important people go by their last names.  Which is why I go by my first,” He joked, trying to lighten the mood.

I didn’t smile at the joke, I didn’t react to anything he said.  My last name is Kumar.

Someone in my family is a traitor.

“Do you know his first name by chance?” I asked, letting my hand drag along one of the many trees I walked next to.

“Yeah, I do actually,” He squinted his eyes as he thought deeply, “Dave? Davonte?”

“Davonte,” I said with a whisper, stopping in my tracks.

Davonte Kumar.

My grandfather.

The traitor, the boss.

Everything was slowly starting to make sense.

“What usually happens to the family of bosses?” I asked, glancing over at Mitch.

“They get killed.  Trapboys have to do it, it kind of explains their name,” Mitch said with a sigh, “They’re boys who trap people.  Once they have their mission, there is no getting away if you’re the target,”

I didn’t know what I was feeling, a combination of so many things.  Everyone, except Colby for the most part, seemed to like me.  It was all a trick.

I couldn’t go back. 

They would kill me.