Chapter 4
The weight of Zen's, now lifeless, body was on top of Veronica. Veronica's leg was in severe pain from all the weight, but she had killed Zen, and that was all that mattered.
She rolled him off of her and slowly got to her feet. Pulling the blade from Zen's chest, she wiped it off, and placed it back in its sheath. She ripped cloth from Zen's shirt and tied it tightly around the wound on her leg, so she wouldn't bleed too badly on her way back to find Malone.
Ignoring the pain, she slowly began to make her way through the jungle towards the lake where she hoped Malone was still alive.
~*~*~*
"I'll check over here." Marguerite yelled to Roxton, who just nodded and checked out some things near him. Marguerite slowly began to inspect the horse tracks.
The tracks led her into the jungle where she began to hear heavy footsteps. She pulled out her rifle and took aim. Slowly, she placed her finger on the trigger. She was about to fire when Veronica stumbled through the trees. "Veronica!?!"
Veronica was covered in blood, mostly Zen's, but it looked awful to Marguerite.
Marguerite grabbed Veronica and began to support her and walk her back toward Roxton. "Roxton! I've got her!" She yelled as she walked towards the lake. She placed Veronica onto the ground when they were a few feet from the water.
Within seconds, Roxton was next to them. He knelt and touched the bloody cloth around Veronica's leg. "What happened?" He asked as he checked over the rest of her body, seeing only minor cuts and bruises.
"He stabbed me." She answered as she held Marguerite's hand tightly. Roxton and Marguerite exchanged worried looks, but quickly went back to Veronica. Marguerite grabbed a few things Challenger had given her from the pack she was carrying. "Who stabbed you? Where are they?" She asked as she handed a few cloths and disinfectant to Roxton.
Veronica looked at Marguerite and swallowed hard. "Ducart is back." She said starring at the surprised look on Marguerite's face. "His men attacked Malone and I and took me to Ducart. One of the men was upset with me for killing a few of his men, so he threw my own knife at me. Wait, where's Malone!?!" She jumped up quickly, but she felt pain run through her leg again. She looked and saw Roxton pulling the cloth from her leg.
"Malone is at home, he'll be fine." Answered Marguerite as she settled Veronica back down. "Now, how far is Ducart from here?"
Veronica closed her eyes for a second, then looked at Marguerite. "He's probably about a mile and a half from here. We should get." She answered, suddenly stopping in mid sentence. She grabbed onto Marguerite tightly and let out a low yell.
Suddenly, Roxton stopped pouring the disinfectant on Veronica's wound. He began to wrap it tightly with the cloths. He tied them tightly and looked back to Marguerite. "Time to go before we get some guests." He said calmly as he and Marguerite helped Veronica up.
~*~*~*
Now lying on his bed, Malone was sleeping comfortably. Challenger checked on him every-so-often because he had made Malone drink some tea with a sedative in it. He knew that Malone would be out looking for Veronica, if he hadn't helped him sleep. Challenger, himself, hated to just sit and wait, but he had to be ready the moment Roxton and Marguerite returned with Veronica. At least, he hoped they returned with her.alive.
He walked towards the railing of the tree house and looked into the trees. He sighed heavily and rubbed his head stressfully. "Bring her home unharmed, Roxton." He said to himself as he wiped a tear away from his cheek.
~*~*~*
"We'll rest here." Roxton said as he lowered Veronica onto a fallen tree so she could sit down. Marguerite sat next to Veronica and touched her shoulder lightly. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
Veronica looked around slowly and touched her wound slightly. Then, she looked back to Marguerite. "I'll live." She answered sadly.
"Veronica, Malone is fine. Don't worry yourself about this." Marguerite said sounding very sympathetic. She grabbed Veronica and hugged her tightly.
Thunder crashed loudly, and Marguerite jumped. Roxton ran toward them and helped Veronica up. "Time to leave." He yelled over another crash of thunder.
Marguerite grabbed her bag and rifle and helped Roxton with Veronica. She had Veronica resting on her shoulder, and Roxton had her resting her other arm on his.
Rain began to beat down on them, but Roxton kept them moving. The mud was forming quickly, and they were beginning to slip as they walked. The lightning struck a tree behind them, and the thunder crashed loudly again.
Veronica felt something pinch her neck on the back. She stopped walking, causing Marguerite and Roxton to stop as well, and put her hand to her neck. She pulled a small dart from it and looked at Roxton and Marguerite.
"We have to get you to Challenger, fast." Roxton said as he took the dart and placed it in Marguerite's bag. He scooped Veronica up into his arms and began to run quickly through the jungle, followed closely by Marguerite.
~*~*~*
It had been hours since Roxton and Marguerite left the tree house.
Challenger was now pacing back and forth through the room. He would glance through the trees every now and then, but he saw no one.
Suddenly, Malone came stumbling into the room and sat in a chair. He rubbed his head.
"How are you feeling?" Challenger asked as he sat in a chair across from Malone. He began to check the bandage on Malone's shoulder.
"Where are they?" Malone asked groggily.
Challenger stopped messing with the bandage and sat in the chair across from Malone. "They will be home soon. The storm must be slowing them down. Maybe you should rest some more." Challenger couldn't help but lie to Malone. Challenger knew that Veronica might well be dead.
As if it were on call, the sound of the elevator rising caused Malone and Challenger to stand. Challenger ran to the elevator, seeing Marguerite and Roxton, who was holding Veronica's lifeless body in his arms. They were soaking wet and covered in mud, but Roxton rushed into the room and put Veronica in a chair.
"What happened?" Malone asked as he held Veronica up right in the chair.
Still trying to catch her breath, Marguerite put her things down. She then turned to Challenger, who was now checking on Veronica. "We were almost home, but someone shot this dart into Veronica's neck." She explained pulling the dart from her bag.
Challenger took the dart and ran strait to his lab. "Put her in her bed and clean her up. I'm going to figure out what this dart has on it."
TO BE CONTINUED.
The weight of Zen's, now lifeless, body was on top of Veronica. Veronica's leg was in severe pain from all the weight, but she had killed Zen, and that was all that mattered.
She rolled him off of her and slowly got to her feet. Pulling the blade from Zen's chest, she wiped it off, and placed it back in its sheath. She ripped cloth from Zen's shirt and tied it tightly around the wound on her leg, so she wouldn't bleed too badly on her way back to find Malone.
Ignoring the pain, she slowly began to make her way through the jungle towards the lake where she hoped Malone was still alive.
~*~*~*
"I'll check over here." Marguerite yelled to Roxton, who just nodded and checked out some things near him. Marguerite slowly began to inspect the horse tracks.
The tracks led her into the jungle where she began to hear heavy footsteps. She pulled out her rifle and took aim. Slowly, she placed her finger on the trigger. She was about to fire when Veronica stumbled through the trees. "Veronica!?!"
Veronica was covered in blood, mostly Zen's, but it looked awful to Marguerite.
Marguerite grabbed Veronica and began to support her and walk her back toward Roxton. "Roxton! I've got her!" She yelled as she walked towards the lake. She placed Veronica onto the ground when they were a few feet from the water.
Within seconds, Roxton was next to them. He knelt and touched the bloody cloth around Veronica's leg. "What happened?" He asked as he checked over the rest of her body, seeing only minor cuts and bruises.
"He stabbed me." She answered as she held Marguerite's hand tightly. Roxton and Marguerite exchanged worried looks, but quickly went back to Veronica. Marguerite grabbed a few things Challenger had given her from the pack she was carrying. "Who stabbed you? Where are they?" She asked as she handed a few cloths and disinfectant to Roxton.
Veronica looked at Marguerite and swallowed hard. "Ducart is back." She said starring at the surprised look on Marguerite's face. "His men attacked Malone and I and took me to Ducart. One of the men was upset with me for killing a few of his men, so he threw my own knife at me. Wait, where's Malone!?!" She jumped up quickly, but she felt pain run through her leg again. She looked and saw Roxton pulling the cloth from her leg.
"Malone is at home, he'll be fine." Answered Marguerite as she settled Veronica back down. "Now, how far is Ducart from here?"
Veronica closed her eyes for a second, then looked at Marguerite. "He's probably about a mile and a half from here. We should get." She answered, suddenly stopping in mid sentence. She grabbed onto Marguerite tightly and let out a low yell.
Suddenly, Roxton stopped pouring the disinfectant on Veronica's wound. He began to wrap it tightly with the cloths. He tied them tightly and looked back to Marguerite. "Time to go before we get some guests." He said calmly as he and Marguerite helped Veronica up.
~*~*~*
Now lying on his bed, Malone was sleeping comfortably. Challenger checked on him every-so-often because he had made Malone drink some tea with a sedative in it. He knew that Malone would be out looking for Veronica, if he hadn't helped him sleep. Challenger, himself, hated to just sit and wait, but he had to be ready the moment Roxton and Marguerite returned with Veronica. At least, he hoped they returned with her.alive.
He walked towards the railing of the tree house and looked into the trees. He sighed heavily and rubbed his head stressfully. "Bring her home unharmed, Roxton." He said to himself as he wiped a tear away from his cheek.
~*~*~*
"We'll rest here." Roxton said as he lowered Veronica onto a fallen tree so she could sit down. Marguerite sat next to Veronica and touched her shoulder lightly. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
Veronica looked around slowly and touched her wound slightly. Then, she looked back to Marguerite. "I'll live." She answered sadly.
"Veronica, Malone is fine. Don't worry yourself about this." Marguerite said sounding very sympathetic. She grabbed Veronica and hugged her tightly.
Thunder crashed loudly, and Marguerite jumped. Roxton ran toward them and helped Veronica up. "Time to leave." He yelled over another crash of thunder.
Marguerite grabbed her bag and rifle and helped Roxton with Veronica. She had Veronica resting on her shoulder, and Roxton had her resting her other arm on his.
Rain began to beat down on them, but Roxton kept them moving. The mud was forming quickly, and they were beginning to slip as they walked. The lightning struck a tree behind them, and the thunder crashed loudly again.
Veronica felt something pinch her neck on the back. She stopped walking, causing Marguerite and Roxton to stop as well, and put her hand to her neck. She pulled a small dart from it and looked at Roxton and Marguerite.
"We have to get you to Challenger, fast." Roxton said as he took the dart and placed it in Marguerite's bag. He scooped Veronica up into his arms and began to run quickly through the jungle, followed closely by Marguerite.
~*~*~*
It had been hours since Roxton and Marguerite left the tree house.
Challenger was now pacing back and forth through the room. He would glance through the trees every now and then, but he saw no one.
Suddenly, Malone came stumbling into the room and sat in a chair. He rubbed his head.
"How are you feeling?" Challenger asked as he sat in a chair across from Malone. He began to check the bandage on Malone's shoulder.
"Where are they?" Malone asked groggily.
Challenger stopped messing with the bandage and sat in the chair across from Malone. "They will be home soon. The storm must be slowing them down. Maybe you should rest some more." Challenger couldn't help but lie to Malone. Challenger knew that Veronica might well be dead.
As if it were on call, the sound of the elevator rising caused Malone and Challenger to stand. Challenger ran to the elevator, seeing Marguerite and Roxton, who was holding Veronica's lifeless body in his arms. They were soaking wet and covered in mud, but Roxton rushed into the room and put Veronica in a chair.
"What happened?" Malone asked as he held Veronica up right in the chair.
Still trying to catch her breath, Marguerite put her things down. She then turned to Challenger, who was now checking on Veronica. "We were almost home, but someone shot this dart into Veronica's neck." She explained pulling the dart from her bag.
Challenger took the dart and ran strait to his lab. "Put her in her bed and clean her up. I'm going to figure out what this dart has on it."
TO BE CONTINUED.