Rider has betrayed us. I should have listened to Brendan. Rider gave me a smug smile and pulled out a gun. I froze with panic. He pulled the trigger and a bullet shot through my leg, but I didn't feel anything. I ran at him. My bad foot was perfectly fine. For a second I looked at my leg that was suppose to be broken and have an two inch hole in it. It was healed completely. The bullet size hole was gone also. What did Autumn do to me? I lunged at Rider. He fell to the ground and I aimed the gun at the guy in front of the door. Everyone stopped. They were all as still as a picture. "What's your name?" I asked.
"Slay. My name is Slay."
"Alright Slay. We are going to leave so move away from the door." He moved away from the door. "Alright gang, let's go."
Autumn taped me on my shoulder and whispered in my ear, "Give me the gun and check on your cousins." I gave her the gun and looked toward my cousins.
"No!" I shouted. There pail bodies were beside each other. I fell to my knees. "Why me?" I hit the floor with my fists and screamed a scream full of rage.
Kaitlyn tapped my shoulder. "We need to go." She said quickly and quietly. I got up and pushed open the door. Tears ran down my cheeks as I looked back at my cousins.
"Slay, you better watch your back because I'm coming after you." I growled at him. My dog, Scout, jumped up on my leg as everyone rushed past me. "Go on boy. I'm coming." Fatigue washed over me. I needed a rest. I doubled checked the lunch room making sure everyone in my group was out. The guys wearing black were already slinking to the back of the room. Rage mixed with my fatigue. They ruined my life. I made a mad dash out of the building. Everyone in my group was here to. I spotted Scout and Alex running toward the woods. "Perfect," I thought. "Come on guys!" I yelled. Kaitlyn, Jackson, Brendan, Autumn, and I ran like the wind to the welcoming arms of the dark green trees. We continued running until Jackson and Kaitlyn begged us to take a rest. "We will rest here for a bit. Do not make a fire. Who is not tired?" I was talking quickly because of pain and my body needing the gulps of oxygen I was breathing. Everyone was tired, so I took the shift of listening to chasing footsteps. Yes, I was extremely exhausted, but my group needed a rest. I wasn't about to let anyone be restless on my account. There was a big gray rock that shot out of the earth. A patch of sunlight warmed it. I made it my perch as I listened to the song of the forest and any other sound.
Brendan's pov
I woke up to a sharp shove and a voice. The voice told me quietly to get up. Thinking the voice was my mother's I groaned, "Let me sleep in peace, Mom." I heard a giggle. Then I was picked up. My eyes fluttered open. I was about to yell in protest, "Put. Me. Down.", but a hand came over my mouth before I could finish the word "Put." It was Waverly and the thought of biting her hand was tempting, but I heard footsteps. Waverly put one finger to her mouth. I rolled my eyes as she slowly took her hand away from my mouth. She cringed and wiped her hand on her jeans. I rolled my eyes again. We are in serious danger, but she's acting like it's nothing. Maybe this is another trick. I looked around as I listened to the hard thud of footsteps. We were covered by a bush and a tall gray rock hid our position in the back. We were in the shade of the trees where we could move and not catch attention to ourselves. The others were here too. This bush was a huge bush and the dark green leaves covered us from the front and both sides. Even though she woke me up, carried me here, and covered my mouth with her hand, Waverly picked a nice hiding spot. I was facing the gray rock wall and Waverly was on her knees facing me. She was looking up. That was the only place that could blow our cover.
The footsteps came closer. A familiar voice shouted, "They are clearly not here. Let's report to the boss." Waverly and I shared a look. That was the voice of the driver. Revenge seeped through me. I wanted to get these guys for hurting my friend's cousins. Waverly's eyes started to sparkle. She wants to get them too. She was in a position to jump. I grabbed her wrist and shook my head. She nodded and sat with her knees pulled to her chest. Losing everything must be hard. I still have my sister and brother. Retreating footsteps play a fast pace drum beat in the calm afternoon.
Waverly slowly stands up. "All clear guys!" She sighed. "Time to get moving."
"Can we walk this time?" Autumn asked.
"Of course." Waverly tells her. She looks at me and says, "Besides I need to talk to Brendan."
~
We all strolled our way deeper into the forest. Waverly and I dragged behind and she kept an eye on Kaitlyn, Jackson, and Autumn. Her silence drilled into my confusion. What does she want to talk about? When I asked this question in my mind, Waverly spoke. "Two things actually." She didn't speak in a whisper. She spoke quietly, but the group could hear her. I raised an eyebrow. "Brendan, I trust them, but I need to talk to you about Rider."
"Right now?"
"Yes." She sighed. "I should have listened to you." I gave a quick nod and raised my eyebrows. She shook her head side to side and after she was done rolled her eyes. "You're not taking this apology seriously!"
"Well you see... He didn't just trick you. He tricked all the others too." I looked at the others and raised my voice, " I should hear an apology from all of you too!"
Autumn shook her head side to side and said, "I'm not going to apologize to you! Better keep the one you're getting right now!" I rolled my eyes.
"I'm sorry!" Jackson looked at me and smiled. We laughed or Waverly did and the rest of us gave a few weak chuckles.
"So are we cool?" Waverly asked sheepishly. She was never good keeping a determined face in an apology.
I put my thumb and pointing finger on my chin. I waited a few minutes as I watched the gleam of hope almost disappear in her eyes. "I guess so..."
She stopped walking. She put her right hand into a fist and into the air. The she brought her right hand back down and said, "Yes!" Kaitlyn laughed but I was like, "Okay..."
She rolled her eyes. "Autumn I need to talk to you too." And just like that I was at the back of the group alone. I watched as Waverly took hold of Jackson's hand and swung it back and forth. Waverly talked to Autumn in whispers. Only a few words like, "gun", "keep", and "fine" I could figure out. Autumn must have a gun or something. Then I heard a sound behind me. I stopped walking and turned around. Then a guy wearing black hopped out of a bush. He grabbed me and put a firm hand on my mouth. How come this keeps on happening to me?
The guy whispered to me, "We are going to let you go but... The next time we come you must do exactly what we tell you to do or your sister and brother get it!" I shuttered and nodded. He threw me out of the bush. I didn't see my group in sight. I ran to catch up with them. I looked behind me a couple of times tripping both times. I caught up to my group and it looks like they were making camp.
Waverly looked up and said, "You okay? Where were you?"
"Just smelling the roses." I answered. She raised her eyebrows. She didn't believe me. But she wasn't going to pry either. I sat down against a rock and looked at the falling sun. I slowly fell asleep.
