ZERO (Complete)

Chapter Twelve

The thought of Allie never left his mind, but he was overjoyed with his recent discoveries. The rest of the group was probably worried sick about him and Allie, but he needed to explore further before heading back.

Following the creek, Dane's gaze never left the giant statue that was in front of him. The massive head, losing a battle against the elements, had fallen from its frame and became lodged in the ground, sinking even further with time and decay. Despite being broken and succumbing to nature, he recognized it immediately as Bonky — the mascot from the famous Unity World theme park.

The park had been long since abandoned nearly a hundred years prior and nature had taken residency. Trees uprooted the pavement, grass and moss spread like a virus, and rust had eaten away at the exposed metal. The park was in a serious state of disrepair; however, it would provide shelter and potentially other lifesaving resources. Having it so close to a water source was an added bonus.

As he walked closer, he caught movement from the park and figured it was Allie, but in case it wasn't, he wanted to proceed with caution.

Approaching a large sign that once stood as the theme park's grand entrance, Dane hid behind the metal structure. He poked his head out to assess the situation. He didn't see or hear anyone. After a tortuous minute lying in wait, he anxiously left his position and ran toward a collapsed booth, assuming a crouched position once again to remain out of sight.

Maintaining a low profile, Dane darted from one spot to the next, zig-zagging his way through the park until he heard a commotion.

He positioned himself behind one of the abandoned rides and was able to get a good view of the situation. From his vantage point, he saw Allie talking to someone. Intrigued, Dane watched on with a keen interest.

Just then, the man shouted a command at her and Allie released what appeared to be a gun, allowing it to fall to the ground and become lost in the tall grass. The man then struck Allie, causing her to stumble backward. Then five more men emerged, all brandishing weapons. Allie was in serious danger, but Dane knew he wouldn't be much help. He was an artist and shied away from combat any chance he got, but he had to do something.

Taking inventory of his options, he could fight or flee. Since all he had was a small foldable pocket knife, he didn't foresee fighting as a viable choice. If he were to run back to camp, Allie would surely die before backup could arrive. Even still, his squad was unarmed and therefore wouldn't offer much protection. In all likelihood, they would all succumb to the same fate.

He thought it would be best to lay low and see how the situation plays out, and hope an opportunity or an idea would present itself.

From where Dane was, he couldn't quite hear what the man was saying to Allie. He needed to get a little closer. He emerged from his spot and shuffled behind another large object, then another. The closer he became, he could see that the man was badly beaten, undoubtedly at the hands of Allie. Dane made one more move until he had positioned himself within earshot of the conversation. From what he could gather, the men were upset with Allie for killing their friend. The man standing in front of Allie held a gun and aimed it at her head.

Despite being surrounded by six men with weapons, Allie didn't seem the least bit fazed. With her hair tied back, she looked ready for war. She cracked her neck and stood defiantly in front of her opponents with a look of disdain.

Dane desperately wanted to help, but was still unsure how exactly to do that. Feeling his pockets once again, he found something else that may be of use. He removed the smooth rock that he had picked up earlier and held it firmly. He had an idea.

Peeking over a barrier, Dane threw the rock as hard as he could toward a large metal sign. The clang of the rock hitting the sign caused everyone to look.