The Disbanders

Chapter 15: The Man In The Coat

I'm in shock. I'm hearing another person's voice other than Will's, Alexa's, Chuck's, Evie's or Hayden's. It makes me feel like I'm back in civilization. I start to freak out, knowing that he saw me and spoke to me.

"I know you're there," he says. Shutting my eyes in despair, I rise up from my spot with my hands in the air, for some reason. I finally get a good look at him.

He's wearing a dark and long button down coat, with black messy hair and a slight stubble on his face. He's also got dark bags under his grey eyes, which stare at me like a coyote. However, I can tell that despite his aged appearance, that he's no older than about forty.

"What are you doing out here?" I look behind me to see how visible the house, along with the others, are from where we are. I can see the light of the campfire clearly, but luckily I can't hear the voices of my friends. "How did you find this place?" The words once spoke to me by Will echo in my mind.

"I'm.....camping," I lie, stupidly. That wasn't clever at all. It wouldn't be believable. The man looks clearly unconvinced. "What are you doing out here?"

    "I'm just coming home," he replies. "I built this place, you know." That's why he's here, and how he knew. "So, why don't you tell me more about how you, a little thing like you, is all alone out here, camping? In the middle of November?", he snarks sarcastically. I keep my mouth shut, knowing I've been caught in a lie. This is bad.

Suddenly, we hear the voices of the others getting louder. They seem to be laughing at something. Unfortunately, it draws the attention of the man. He takes a few steps closer, causing my stomach to churn. He's seen the house, along with everyone else at the campfire. "Well, it seems that you're not alone out here, are you?"

"No," I reply nervously.

"What are you really doing out here so far in the woods?", he asks again. The man reaches into his pocket, as if to grab something, although he leaves his hand there. He already knows we're here, so there's not much that can be hidden from him.

"Okay fine," I reply reluctantly, "I ran away from home and found this place. I've been living here ever since." The realization dawns on me that there's an important question that hasn't been answered. "If you built this place, and you supposedly live here, why are you only coming to find it now? How did you even build this place?"

"I was in prison," he says, "until recently. I tried to get my son back a few years back, which failed. It didn't take me long to end up back in jail. Until now. I built this home, gradually, and I'm staying." This all seems too specific for it to be a lie. However, I keep calm. I need to think of anything to get rid of him.

"No you're not staying. You left this place behind. Besides, you built this illegally. This is our home now. It's ours," I assert. As he walks towards me, I keep backing away nervously. His hand remains on the object in the back of his pocket. "Not anymore. You and whoever else is with you are going to pack your stuff and leave. Or else, things could go differently." Growing more confidence, I make myself look less scared and more assertive.

"How so?", I ask, before instantly regretting it. Without a second to waste, the man in the coat pulls the object out from behind his back. It's a gun, which he's now pointed at me.

If I was scared when Will had his rifle pointed at me, it was nothing compared to now. I know, however, that I need to protect my friends. In an attempt to remain calm, I take a moment before answering him, thinking carefully of my next move. We maintain eye contact.

"No," I tell him sternly. "We're not leaving. This is our place. If you really cared about it, you would've come here longer ago."

"You think I didn't want to?", he hollers. "I hate the world out there! I wanted to build a place for my wife and son. She's dead, and I lost my son! The plan failed. This place is all I have left!" He sounds almost choked up. His expression then returns to its original rage. "You go, that's how this works." I try to keep my tone of voice steady, but I'm panicking inside.