Page 20 of Wandering in Darkness
“I want you to shut up.”
“You never said that! You think I’m supposed to read your mind? Lane, this guy thinks I can read minds.”
“Felix, please, just be careful,” Lane says.
“Will you carry me? This is a lot of walking and I’m not really meant for walking. Lane usually carries me. Can Lane carry me? I promise we won’t do anything suspicious. You can just plop me on his back and call it a day.”
“Shut up and keep walking.”
“I’m weak, man. I have teeny legs and you guys are over here taking mountainous steps.”
I hear more people, but most of them are quiet. For some reason, they don’t want us to know what they’re doing here… so then why would they bring us here? But Felix is right. They had shit like they were prepared for us… though who is just prepared to capture four random people who’d pulled over? If they’d just told Felix they were hunters or walking the trails, no one would have thought much about it. So… who do they think we are?
The ground changes from uneven to smooth, telling me we’re no longer in the trees. We’re probably a mile or so from the road, if I judge how far we’ve walked.
An odd smell hits me, and it takes me a moment to realize it’s marijuana. It doesn’t smell like someone is smoking; instead, it smells like the plant… or more accurately, a lot of plants all in one place.
Are they growing it and think we’ve moved in on their space? I mean… they have to assume we at least know of this setup to willingly lead us right to it. They’re obviously not hiding what they’re doing, just want to hide the route we’ve been taken on. We have to have been mistaken for someone else. And what do they plan to do with those we’ve been mistaken for? Do they plan to kill them once they get out of them what they want?
Fuck.
I hear a door opening, but it’s a strange style of door that sounds metallic, and when we’re crammed inside, the area feels stuffy. It makes me question if it’s not a building at all but maybe a metal container of some kind—possibly used for transportation or for temporary setup like an outpost during construction.
I’m forced down, and at first, I’m unsure if he’s putting me on the ground until my legs bump into the chair that I’m then bound to with tape.
“What the fuck’s with the pig?” one of the men asks.
“Fuck if I know,” another answers.
“That’s Brigadier Oinksalot,” Felix offers. “He’s a super-rare micro pig.”
“The only thing micro on that thing is its creepy eyes,” the first guy says.
“How dare you diss the pig?” Felix growls as the door slams shut. Evidently, they don’t care, but at least we’re given a moment alone.
I shake my head hard and rub it on my shoulder until the bag begins to give and eventually falls off, leaving my glasses slightly askew. I really should have put my contacts in before this whole mess.
“It’s okay, guys, I got this,” Felix says.
Startled, I look over at him. “You grabbed something when you put Copper in?”
“I sure did,” he says, whipping his bag off his head just as Lane does. It kind of looks like Antonio is the only one interested in keeping the bag on. Like… they didn’t tape it over our heads; does he think if he doesn’t remove it, he won’t have to face reality?
Felix gives me a grin and a wink, and I realize with relief that I shouldn’t have even worried. Felix will get us free, and then when they open the door again, I’ll get us out of this.
Simple as that.
“A part of me feels like I should apologize for getting you guys caught up in this, but another part reminds me that I told you not to get out of the vehicle,” I say.
Felix doesn’t seem the least bit concerned. “It’s fine. Just a minor detour. Now Brigs, come here, baby. Come, piggy, piggy.”
I hesitate as I wonder what he needs the pig for.
“Do you need me to get over to you? Did you get a knife or something?” I ask, prepared to bounce my chair over to him.
“Not quite,” he says as he rocks his chair a bit. I assume he’s rocking to get to me, but instead, he tries to pivot it toward the pig.
All the while, Antonio is still wearing the bag on his head.
