Chapter 24
You could tell Austin was trying really hard to sneak into camp as quiet as he could so no one would bother him, but since Shane had a vantage point in the tree, sound wasn't Austin's issue.
"Yo" Shane hissed "Alex"
"What is it?" Alex whispered back.
"Take a look" Shane grinned in the dark.
Alex squinted at the camp. Colors swam and mixed before his eyes. The almost extinguished fire was a tiny orange blur in a black background with what looked like a circle of potatoes around it which he knew were actually his sleeping friends. But, he could just barely make out the outline of a slightly short person, kind of scrawny, no more than a hundred pounds.
"Isn't that Austin?" Alex asked quietly.
"Yup" Shane said as opened his pocket knife and stabbed the tree with it. Shane prod the slit in the bark with his finger, seemingly considering its value, the put his knife back in the groove and widened it.
"What are you doing?" Alex asked.
"Getting some sap" Shane spoke like it was the most natural thing in the world "what's it look like I'm doing?"
"I dunno" Alex answered "what's the sap for?"
"Sticky arrows"
"What?"
Shane sighed like he was tired of dealing with dumb people.
"Just watch" he whispered.
Alex looked over at Austin, now in his sleeping bag on the ground with the others, then back at Shane. Shane pulled three arrows from his quiver and lay them in his lap. Then he took his knife and cut the tips from the arrows and dropped them. He wiped the tree sap off his pocket knife on the branch below him and returned it to his pocket. Reaching into another pocket, Shane withdrew a large wad of cotton. He tore off a smaller wad of the cotton then picked up a tipless arrow. He took the end of the arrow that had lost its tip and put it in the slit in the tree which now oozed sap. He twisted it and moved it around until there was a decent sized glob sap on the end then put the small wad of cotton on it and wrapped the fuzzy material around the sap until there was a sphere of sticky cotton attached to the end of the shaft. After doing the same to the other two arrows he strung his bow and put the first one on it. After drawing the string back he squinted down the shaft and took aim. He released the arrow and it whistled through the air ending in a solid 'thunk' in Austin's midsection. That 'thunk' noise was quickly followed by a string of curses and loud noises.
Alex snickered.
"Ssshhhhh! Listen" Shane whispered.
Alex turned his head so his right ear was facing camp to hear better.
"What the hell!" Austin shouted.
The air grew cold and the fire died out. Now everyone was awake in the dark.
"Austin what's going on?" Sparky asked.
"I don't know!" Austin yelled "sumthin hit me!"
"You were probably dreaming" Paris scoffed "retard"
"Shut up! It won't a dream!"
"Austin, just go to sleep" Sparky said.
"I'm telling you" Austin said "something freakin hit me"
"Dude" Nick growled "I am about this close to ripping your larynx out"
James laughed and Jack yawned.
"Man" Jack said "it was probably just a pine cone"
"Whatever" Austin rolled over facing away from everyone else.
Everyone one around the charred remnants of the fire went silent again now. Alex grinned and looked over at Shane who was trying so hard not to laugh the his branch was shaking.
"Dude, that was awesome" Alex whispered.
"Ya" Shane said "he totally freaked"
"I meant the shot" Alex corrected "this has to be at least forty yards away and we're in a tree"
"This is easy stuff" Shane said dismissively "and I'll be making that shot again in about an hour"
"Actually" Alex considered the various impacts what targets would have on the conversation at ground level. "do you think you might could shoot Jack?"
"Sure" Shane said "he's twice the target Austin is"
"Hey, don't be rude"
"Well it's true" Shane whispered.
"Ya" Alex admitted "I guess your right"
An hour later, when everyone had fallen back asleep, Shane restrung his bow and aimed for Jack.
It hit him right on the shoulder. Shane leaned forward with anticipation hoping for another loud string of harsh words to erupt into the night but was disappointed when Jack only snored.
"Dude" Shane hissed "you just made me waste an arrow"
"I didn't make you shoot him!" Alex whispered "I just requested it"
"Whatever" Shane said louder than he should have.
Austin heard it and woke up. Alex heard Austin's noise as he sat up in his sleeping bag and looked around the circle.
"What was that noise?" Austin said loudly.
All but Jack woke up. Nick groaned.
"Will you shut up and sleep!" Nick shouted.
"Something ain't right dude" Austin said as the air got cold again.
Jack woke up confused and looked around at the group dazed. "What's going?" on he asked.
"Shane" Alex whispered.
"Huh?" Shane said while the others' arguing amused him.
"Shoot Austin again"
"What?" Shane said a little too loud again.
"Hey!" Austin said "I heard that! You retards better quit it before I come up there!"
"S****!" Shane cursed.
"Dude!" Alex tapped Shane's shoulder "shoot him"
"Good idea" Shane drew back and fired the last sticky arrow.
With another whistle and another 'thunk' Austin now had an arrow sticking strait off his forehead by the sap oozing from the cotton wrapping.
"I'm gonna kill you!" he shouted, flinging the arrow off into the forest's undergrowth "Do you know how hard sap is to get rid of?!?!"
"Austin, don't lie!" Shane shouted back playfully "just freeze it like last time and toss it in the woods"
Austin called Shane a few choice words including ones that were along the line of 'donkey hole' and 'piece of poop' then froze the sap while still cussing. Then he flung it away and lay down, again, still cussing.
"He gots a dirty mouf" Alex smirked.
"Ya" Shane agreed.
"Maybe we should let em sleep now"
"I guess" Shane said disapointed.
"If we don't, Austin might end your life" Alex remarked.
"Austin? No" Shane snickered "Austin has a hot temper is all, tomorrow he'll be laughing about it"
"Really?" Alex asked, surprised.
"Ya" Shane said "Nick, on the other hand, I may be running from come morning"
"Well" Alex said "have fun with that"
"I will" Shane grinned.