Page 19 of Wandering in Darkness
“You know what? You’re right,” I say as I settle in. “Maybe Felix will annoy Grayson so much he’ll leave me alone out of fear of having to deal with Felix again.”
“Or maybe someone will hold them at gunpoint and wave for us to get out of the car,” Antonio says with a forced laugh. It’s so forced, in fact, that it makes me question if it wasn’t even a joke.
My head snaps around as I watch four men come out of the trees, two of them holding Lane and Felix at gunpoint and doing a very good job keeping guns pressed against their heads. Even if I could shoot them, it’s apparent they’re being extremely careful as they keep their vitals tucked behind the bodies of our two.
“Out of the vehicle,” the one holding Lane snaps. I can tell from the irritated look on Lane’s face that he’s pissed, and Felix has to keep reassuring Copper that attacking the gunmen isn’t a good idea at this moment. I know he’s afraid Copper will get shot again trying to protect them.
“I really thought I was joking when I said that stuff about them getting abducted,” Antonio says. “I swear they’re like magnets! Trouble rushes to them, and I’m dragged along with it.”
I kind of want to mention to him that he really shouldn’t be hanging around these two if he doesn’t want to be dragged into it, but look at me… doing the exact same thing. At least my excuse is that I’m an absolute mess.
Not knowing what else to do, I reach for the door handle while debating whether I should bring my gun or not. I doubt they’re going to give me an opening while the others grab us, but if they do and I don’t have a weapon…
The man is already waiting outside of my door, gun trained on me. If I lift my gun at this point, he’ll see it. So I push the dooropen before lifting my hands, leaving my guns where they are for now.
Why did I come here? Why didn’t I just go home? Why did I stick my nose into something like this? How did I fuck up so much?
I’m confident I can get out of this situation, but can I get three others out of it as well? I know Lane can fight, but how well can he fight when his vision has been taken from him?
“What do you want with us?” I ask.
“Shut up,” the man orders, swinging his gun at my head. I duck the hit, which seems to piss him off more as he kicks me hard, pushing me forward. Copper starts growling, not pleased with anyone hurting his people.
“Can I just put the dog in the car? Please? He did nothing wrong,” Felix asks, clearly more worried about Copper getting hurt than using him for protection.
I’m led away from the vehicle as the men seem to have some silent discussion before one nods. “Put him in there. Any funny business and I’ll shoot you in the head, got it?”
They must have decided that the scary-looking dog would be best removed from the equation. So Felix keeps his hands up while the man opens the door of the SUV and Felix tells Copper to get in. Copper has absolutely no interest in leaving us, even as Felix waves him in.
“Copper, come on now, go on. Get in.”
Copper plants his feet, and Felix looks at the man holding the gun on him.
“Can I pick him up and put him in?”
“Quickly.”
Felix picks the dog up and shoves him into the SUV before the man slams the door shut, making Felix jerk back. “Fuck, you nearly slammed my hand in the door!”
“Shut up,” he says as he pulls a bag over Felix’s head. I realize I’m about to get the same treatment and hate that they’re doing their best to have complete control over the situation. They first put a bag over my head, causing my glasses to jab into my face a bit, and then jerk my arms behind my back as they use duct tape to keep me from using them.
“I have money,” Antonio says. “I’ll pay you guys to just let us go.”
None of them say a single thing as I’m pushed forward, and I have to assume the others are too.
If they’re so anxious about us even being near this location, they’re going to want to move the vehicle too. Anyone would find an SUV suspicious that had a dog barking inside and no humans around. I just have to hope they don’t hurt Copper to make that happen.
I need them to fuck up. I need them to make a mistake so I can regain control of the situation.
I stumble on purpose just so I can determine how close the man pushing me along is, and the man grinds his gun into my back, like he thinks that’ll keep me from tripping over shit I can’t see. My mind is racing out of control while I try to think of every opportunity I have to gain control of the situation. Can I snap the binds? If I do, can I grab the gun, remove the bag, and shoot four men before they realize it?
The one behind me would be the easiest. I simply need to flip the gun and fire. He’s about my height, so with a bit of an angle, it’d hit something vital. Felix is on my left. I can tell by the stumbling stride and the way the pig is following him. That pig will always choose Felix to follow.
Antonio and Lane are on my right. Lane is resisting some as he walks and I can tell it’s irritating the man leading him, but they sound far from me. Realistically, the chance that I could take control and not end up with at least one of us shot is veryslim. But are these only four of many? Will our chances of escape diminish the closer we get?
I’m afraid I’m going to have to find out because the risk is too high.
“You know, if you’d have just let us take a piss in the woods like we’d planned, we really wouldn’t have even noticed you here,” Felix says. “It’s not my fault you four were over there crowded in a circle having a party that we weren’t invited to. Rather boring party, honestly. Like… what kind of party requires you to carry duct tape and bags? It’s almost like you were looking for someone to abduct. Gasp… do you have a fortune teller who knew we were coming? If they did, I hope they know that I like chocolate and have some waiting for me. Ow! Why are you pulling so hard on me?”
