Consequences || Simon Ghost Riley

Chapter Twenty-Six || Mimi

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5:30 AM

"Sky, you need to hide," Simon commanded in a hushed tone. He gingerly maneuvered her petite figure behind the nearest palm tree. Their tropical surroundings temporarily silencing the drum of chaos unfolding not so far away.

     His nose brushed against hers in the close confines, their eyes locking in a moment of intense connection. It was a brief moment, yet it bore the weight of unspoken words and the shared anxiety of their predicament. But as he stepped back, breaking their enclosed silence, she answered his gaze with a gentle grin, her eyes sparkling despite the darkness. Her hand was tucked tightly around her worn-out bag.

     It wasn't long before the remaining team members cautiously stepped out from their shelters, their eyes scanning the vicinity for any lurking threats. "Ghost? what are you doing out here?" Price articulated, his tone soft and subdued, yet distinctly discernible in the tranquil hush of the dawn.

     "I was having a cancer stick," Simon's words barely escaped his lips, audible only to the captain's keen ears. He couldn't pinpoint the source of the noise, but he knew better than to compromise their hideout. Upon hearing this, Price let out a soft laugh. However, his jovial ambiance faded as soon as Madilyn stepped out from her tent that was situated behind him.

     "Keep your voices down, do you think it's Akim's men?" she muttered, her gaze darting nervously into the darkness, alert to the slightest hint of danger beyond the cozy confines of their campsite. Simon reciprocated with a nod, his focused eyes sweeping across their surroundings while his honed ears sought out any unusual noises.

     Emerging drowsily from the tent, John stretched and let out a yawn, exactly like his typical morning routine. "What the?-" John's sentence abruptly ended as his eyes darted around, attempting to decipher the strange sound that seemed to reverberate mere moments ago.

     "Well, I don't think they're going to be doing that again," Simon chimed in, doing his utmost to bring comfort to the group.

     Feeling a wave of unease travel up from her gut, Sky became abruptly overwhelmed with discomfort and fear from their ever-so-familiar voices. She didn't desire discovery, particularly not from them, but most critically, not from Madilyn. In a cautious, creeping motion, she advanced to the fringe of a dense cluster of palm trees, noticing her palms turning clammy and unsteady. Attempting to get a clear view from behind the leaves and understand what was unfolding inside the camp, she wasn't much successful. She internally concluded that it'd be wiser to stay concealed, and hastily retreated behind the palm, her heart drumming an intense, rapid rhythm within her chest.

     John cast his gaze around the room one final time, a subtle shake of his head conveying his concern. He cleared his throat, his voice emerging soft yet resonant, "We should gear up, in case anything happens." He suggested, a veil of caution hanging over his words. It was Madilyn who stepped forward, volunteering to keep an eye out while the others prepared themselves.

     As the rest of the team settled into their tents, Madilyn seized her chance to sneak away. She treaded silently along the windswept sandy path, her footprints shrouded in secrecy as they got swept away. She cast a cautious glance over her shoulder, double-checking to ensure she was unobserved before proceeding on her clandestine mission towards Akim's cohort.

     Observing Madilyn silently slip away from camp, Sky felt a surge of curiosity. She quickly rose, reaching for a smooth stone nearby. Carving an impromptu map into the bark of an adjacent tree, she traced the winding route to Akim's hideout. After taking a long, scrutinizing look at her hand-drawn diagram, and marking out a potential location with an encircled indent, she exhaled a trembling sigh. Tension hung heavy in the air as she wisely veered towards Madilyn's tent, where the shuffles and low mutterings of the familiar figure of Price, fumbling with his bag, reached her ears.