Chapter 45 - Base 2 2 6
"Goddess"
Ethan's voice cuts through the frozen atmosphere between the two of us as we stare in horror at what lies before us. I slowly, disbelievingly step further into the room, my heart in my mouth as I scan the walls, the floor, the large whiteboard on wheels, the black board and even the half-buried laptop with the lid still open sat on what looks like to be an important desk at the far end of the windowless room. Maps, post it notes, string, paperwork consumes the fairly decent sized hidden room in a disorganised muddle.
"What is this?"
"Ethan. Focus." I push passed my own hesitation and step into the room, instantly making my way to the table, determined to find anything... or everything on Uriah's... Balewood's plans, his invasion tactics... just anything that can help this Ar... this Pack and me. "Ethan, take the laptop, see what you can find. Check emails, document..."
"I know" he interrupts, I glance at him and notice the grim look on his face as he makes his way into the room, pointing at the large map spread on the centre, circular table semi hidden under papers "you might want to look at that." Nodding in acknowledgement I make my way through the badly organised room and begin to gather the papers, pulling them together in my hands in order to see what lies beneath it. I barely care that I'm clearing the table to get a better look at the map, they'd know I was here. I'm going to make it god damned clear I was here and Uriah's not going to be able to do a damn thing about it this time.
Cool it Johnstone, you've not got anything yet.
I shift my entire focus to the map and make a strangled sound in the back of my throat "shit" it's four maps to be precise, each spread beside one another and the particular one I'm looking at is most definitely the Blackthorn Pack Lands.
A very detailed map of the Blackthorn Pack territory.
Pushing down the lump in my throat I splay my hand out and press the crinkled paper against the table, pushing out the creases as I stare down at the large marked out area of the Blackthorn Pack Lands. For a second, I'm surprised at how large Archers Pack Lands are and distantly find myself wondering how they sorted that out? Who got what territory, why some of the Packs are bigger than others, who claimed what lands...
Not important right now idiot.
Shaking my head I concentrate on the detailed map, covered in pencil markings and biro scrawling's, the handwriting illegible to me as I scan the map but from the looks of it I'm guessing it's indicating where important landmarks are. I feel my jaw lock and my body tense at the sight of several large red crosses marked deliberately with unnecessary force on the map. Taking a closer look my jaw clenches as they seem to make a circle around the Pack Land; there are four exes in a distinct square shape around the more centrally marked out area's of the Pack, the Pack House clearly marked inside the square with purple marker stating P.H next to it as well as what I presume is where Nan's house sits from the distance and direction from the Pack House. I easily pinpoint one of the red marks as where we are standing right now by tracking the Blackthorn Lake to our exact point that leads to a red mark. My stomach clenches with awareness as I take a closer look at the rest of the red marks, these are much closer to the outer markings of Arc... the Blackthorn territory.
A lump forms in my throat as I slowly draw my finger in a large circle through each red mark, recognising the circular shape and the distinct, deliberate planning of their movements, I notice several of the red marks have a black dot in the centre except the last three on the outer reaches of the territory.
A dark foreboding feeling washes over me as my breath hitches and understanding rocks through me... the dread building and building, higher than I've ever felt before.
