As the last few words from the man hung suspended in the air, Maggie turned her head to the side to look at Tara, just as Tara had done the same to look at her, both silently asking the other what they thought about the offer. Maggie wasn't stupid, and she knew that her and Tara would have a better chance at saving their friends with the help of these people, but she had no idea whether or not she trusted them. After all, the man who seemed to be the leader and that had made this offer was the same man that threatened to slice open Tara's throat if she spoke.
"Alright," Tara responded after a few long moments of suspenseful silence, a slight sigh escaping; clearly giving away that she was hesitant about her decision.
The man grinned widely at the two women and extended his hand towards Tara, a loose lock of his dark hair falling onto his forehead, dampened with sweat. "Toby," he introduced himself as Tara reluctantly grasped onto his hand, pulling back away as quickly as she could.
Toby was a few inches taller than both Tara and Maggie: about six feet, with dark brown eyes and dark hair that was soaked with a mixture of sweat and grease, his chin covered with a small and scratchy-looking beard. "Ya know that one's Derek," he grumbled, jerking his thumb in the direction of the man who had pinned Maggie against the tree. Derek was an inch or so taller than Toby, but he was slightly more overweight and less muscular with hair that appeared to have been blonde under a thick layer of dirt and who knows what else. He nodded his head un-enthusiastically in the direction of Tara and Maggie, his gaze fixated on the ground rather than anyone around him.
"And that's his little sister, Melanie," Toby finished, lowering his hand back down to his side as he raised an eyebrow at Tara, waiting for her to introduce herself.
"Tara," she replied with a soft sigh, loosening her grip on Maggie's waist as she brought her hand to the back of her own head, rubbing her neck nervously as she squinted one of her eyes in the sunlight that was shining brightly through the tops of the trees. "That's Maggie."
Toby's grin returned to his lips as he heard Tara introduce herself and Maggie, knowing that he had gained their trust and that he, Derek, and Melanie were going to receive much needed help with their attempt to free their people. "Well, Tara and Maggie, looks like we're allies now, huh?"
"Yeah…" Tara spoke softly and without enthusiasm, still undecided on whether or not she trusted these people, "guess so."
"So, what're we waiting for?" Melanie called over to Toby, placing a hand on her hip as she rolled her eyes, clearly unamused that Tara and Maggie would be joining the three of them. "We should go there now and get this over with… go on our own ways."
Tara scoffed softly, shaking her head in disapproval of the suggestion. "We're not going back there today. We need to wait a few days at the least," she explained, ignoring Melanie as she rolled her eyes dramatically.
Maggie groaned softly, crossing her arms over her chest after she wriggled free from Tara's shirt, draping it over her own shoulder.
"And we're not having this discussion again," Tara grumbled under her breath, directing her comment towards Maggie's groan. "We just escaped from there yesterday, if the people at Terminus think we're planning on coming back to save our friends; they'd think we'd do it within the next few days: not wait too long."
Toby nodded his head in agreement to Tara's argument, clearly liking the way that she was thinking as he flashed her a small smile. "Good point. They expect something to happen: they'll be prepared, maybe even manage to capture us all again. It's smart to wait for a few days."
"They're gonna kill 'em," Maggie whispered in defeat, knowing that there was no way now that she was going to be able to convince them to attack Terminus before the people there killed at least one more of their friends.
"We'll save as many as we can, okay?" Tara whispered back in an attempt to comfort Maggie, nudging her lightly with her shoulder.
"That's not good enough," Maggie grumbled, stepping aside; away from Tara's reach, not wanting to be touched by her. Maggie removed Tara's shirt from her shoulder, considering throwing it at her, but she decided against being childish, and wrapped it around her waist instead, sighing heavily. Maggie hated not getting her own way, especially when it meant risking people's lives, even if deep down, she knew that Tara's call was the right one.
"So what're we gonna do for the next couple of days?" Derek asked, clearing his throat and breaking the tension that was beginning to build.
Toby shrugged his shoulders as he shook his head, a few more pieces of dark hair falling in front of his eyes. He placed one of his palms against the surface of a close tree, crossing his ankles. "We need an attack plan," he suggested, turning to face Tara and Maggie. "Got any ideas?"