Joe closed his eyes and let out a low chuckle as the nosey deer scampered away from the opening. Since the deer had been lurking outside he assumed it was safe to leave his hide-a-way. He slipped outside, stood erect, and stretched, remaining quiet and listening.
Hearing nothing, he walked a few yards into the woods, selected a tree and climbed up, hiding himself in it's branches. He had left the binoculars in the cave, knowing the sun would reflect on them and give him away. He put a hand over his eyes in a salute and surveyed the area.
He could see more than a few Assassins roaming around; the ones who had separated earlier had started meeting back up with their comrades and they waited to be joined by the others. Soon, he saw most of them head back in the direction they had come from. He guessed roughly a fourth had remained in the forest to try and find him. Not great odds, but better than they had been.
Joe kept watch until he was sure he had spotted all the men nearest him. The closest one was roughly a quarter of a mile away. He couldn't make out what he was doing but it didn't really matter. He figured the men would wait until dark then use night vision goggles. They would be able to see him but he wouldn't be able to see them.
He smiled. If they were going to be up all night, hunting, then they would either have to sleep in the morning or be replaced. But replacements would mean searching the same area twice and that wasn't very efficient. No, he would stay in the cave until morning then set about finding a way to find Frank and the Gray Man.
He descended from his perch and looked around on the forest floor as he walked. Spotting what he needed, he lifted the group of leaves on which it sat and gingerly carried it to the cave's entrance. There, he placed it on the ground near the center. Next, he gathered more branches and leaves and placed them near the entrance, making the arrangement look as natural as possible. Finished, he went back into the cave and pulled the branches up to its entrance. He only hoped the wind didn't shift.
Frank stood at the sink and splashed his face with cold water. It had been a battle, but he had finally managed to get the Gray Man's fever down. He had used the two shirts soaked with water as compresses and now he looked over to where the pants had fallen to t he floor by the toilet.
What kind of place is this? he wondered as he walked over and picked up a pair and put them on. This room, like the other, had only the one way out but it did have a toilet and sink. He would have assumed this to be a former prison...except there were doors instead of iron bars.
Frank looked over at the Gray Man who remained unconscious and wondered if he might have an idea where they were. He had a feeling it was in the middle of nowhere and when they escaped, if they escaped, they needed to know in which direction to head.
The Assassin had said Joe had fallen out of the helicopter, did that mean...JOE! Frank's eyes opened wide and his breathing became erratic. How could he have forgotten? He sank to the floor and hugged his knees, his hands trembling too much to lock.
Sure, he had been lied to about Joe being a prisoner; but there was no reason to lie about his death. Had Joe been alive, the Assassins could have threatened to hurt or kill him if Frank didn't talk. Oh God! Frank cried out silently as tears began to flow unchecked.
Early the next morning Joe awoke as a horrendous screech filled the air. Great! Not only do I have to worry about Assassins but bobcats as well, thought Joe.
He stretched as much as his cramped quarters would allow and listened for man-made sounds. Hearing nothing but the chirping of crickets and the occasional whistle of a bird, he poked his head outside. The ground had been trampled and Joe breathed in sharply, realizing how close he had been to being discovered while he slept. He grabbed the binoculars and stepped outside. Hurrying over to the trees for cover, he didn't take time to enjoy the magnificent sunrise.
He shinned up the tree and put his hand against his forehead in a salute as he surveyed the area before him. Feeling safe for the moment he put the binoculars to his eyes and focused them. He spotted three of the men who were looking for him. Two were sleeping but the third was awake and seemed to be keeping watch.
Joe lowered the binoculars. At least they had gathered together instead of being spread out. This would make his job much easier. First things first, he said to himself, climbing down from the tree. He returned to his cave long enough to leave the binoculars and grab the key which he had worked so hard to fashion into a fishhook. He went down to the lake and, staying as close to the brush and rocks as possible, set about making a fish trap.
He took three small branches and sat down on a rock long enough to take the yo-yo from his pocket and break off the string. Using his pocket knife, he cut enough of the string to tie a little line onto one of the sticks. Next, he cut at two of the branches to make a resting place for the third one. Fastening the improvised fish hook to the string he laid it down and went in search of a worm.
A few minutes later, he attached the worm to the hook and entered the water. He secured two branches into the lake's bed and topped them with the third branch letting the worm wave in the current between the branches. Finished, he returned to dry land. He took careful bearings then disappeared into the forest. It was time for some reconnaissance.
Frank woke with a start. He blinked a few times to try and rid the sleep from his eyes but his vision remained blurry so he used his fingers to wipe it away. It took a minute for him to remember where he was and why.
JOE! his mind screamed in anguish, but he had no tears left. He got to his feet and checked on the Gray man. He was still unconscious but his breathing seemed less labored than before.
Frank wondered what time it was as he began searching the room for listening devices. He found one under the sink and another at the base of the toilet in the back. And a third, and Frank was convinced, final, bug had been attached to the base of the door.
Frank smashed the "bugs" on the floor then went to the sink and turned on the water. He splashed some on his face and then cupped his hands and filled them. He drank from his hands. The water tasted a little rusty but he wasn't about to complain. He drank several handfuls before grabbing one of the tee shirts he had been using to cool Gray down and soaked it once more.
He took the shirt back to him and touched it to Gray's lips, squeezing the shirt gently and letting the water run into his mouth before taking the shirt and swabbing his head. Done, Frank sat down on the floor. Why was he bothering? They were going to be killed anyway. At least if Gray died from the fire ants poison he wouldn't have to endure any tortures the Assassins had planned.
NO! his mind screamed. They had killed Joe. They had to pay for that which meant he had to survive and exact revenge for his brother.
His mind made up, he stood and walked to the door. He knocked loudly but no one came. He screamed but still, no one came. He put his ear to the door and listened. Maybe they were sound proof whish is why the room had been bugged he thought but quickly pushed the idea away. Had the room been soundproof then there would not have been room for the bug beneath the door. No...either no one was in the immediate vicinity of this room or he was being deliberately ignored.
Probably a good thing, thought Frank, returning to Gray's side. He hadn't really thought through what he would have done had the Assassins opened the door. He had let his emotions control him. "Never again," he vowed, his brown eyes hard. If he were going to make them pay for what they had done to Joe, he would have to keep his wits about him and bide his time. "No matter what Baby Brother, they will pay."
Hearing nothing, he walked a few yards into the woods, selected a tree and climbed up, hiding himself in it's branches. He had left the binoculars in the cave, knowing the sun would reflect on them and give him away. He put a hand over his eyes in a salute and surveyed the area.
He could see more than a few Assassins roaming around; the ones who had separated earlier had started meeting back up with their comrades and they waited to be joined by the others. Soon, he saw most of them head back in the direction they had come from. He guessed roughly a fourth had remained in the forest to try and find him. Not great odds, but better than they had been.
Joe kept watch until he was sure he had spotted all the men nearest him. The closest one was roughly a quarter of a mile away. He couldn't make out what he was doing but it didn't really matter. He figured the men would wait until dark then use night vision goggles. They would be able to see him but he wouldn't be able to see them.
He smiled. If they were going to be up all night, hunting, then they would either have to sleep in the morning or be replaced. But replacements would mean searching the same area twice and that wasn't very efficient. No, he would stay in the cave until morning then set about finding a way to find Frank and the Gray Man.
He descended from his perch and looked around on the forest floor as he walked. Spotting what he needed, he lifted the group of leaves on which it sat and gingerly carried it to the cave's entrance. There, he placed it on the ground near the center. Next, he gathered more branches and leaves and placed them near the entrance, making the arrangement look as natural as possible. Finished, he went back into the cave and pulled the branches up to its entrance. He only hoped the wind didn't shift.
Frank stood at the sink and splashed his face with cold water. It had been a battle, but he had finally managed to get the Gray Man's fever down. He had used the two shirts soaked with water as compresses and now he looked over to where the pants had fallen to t he floor by the toilet.
What kind of place is this? he wondered as he walked over and picked up a pair and put them on. This room, like the other, had only the one way out but it did have a toilet and sink. He would have assumed this to be a former prison...except there were doors instead of iron bars.
Frank looked over at the Gray Man who remained unconscious and wondered if he might have an idea where they were. He had a feeling it was in the middle of nowhere and when they escaped, if they escaped, they needed to know in which direction to head.
The Assassin had said Joe had fallen out of the helicopter, did that mean...JOE! Frank's eyes opened wide and his breathing became erratic. How could he have forgotten? He sank to the floor and hugged his knees, his hands trembling too much to lock.
Sure, he had been lied to about Joe being a prisoner; but there was no reason to lie about his death. Had Joe been alive, the Assassins could have threatened to hurt or kill him if Frank didn't talk. Oh God! Frank cried out silently as tears began to flow unchecked.
Early the next morning Joe awoke as a horrendous screech filled the air. Great! Not only do I have to worry about Assassins but bobcats as well, thought Joe.
He stretched as much as his cramped quarters would allow and listened for man-made sounds. Hearing nothing but the chirping of crickets and the occasional whistle of a bird, he poked his head outside. The ground had been trampled and Joe breathed in sharply, realizing how close he had been to being discovered while he slept. He grabbed the binoculars and stepped outside. Hurrying over to the trees for cover, he didn't take time to enjoy the magnificent sunrise.
He shinned up the tree and put his hand against his forehead in a salute as he surveyed the area before him. Feeling safe for the moment he put the binoculars to his eyes and focused them. He spotted three of the men who were looking for him. Two were sleeping but the third was awake and seemed to be keeping watch.
Joe lowered the binoculars. At least they had gathered together instead of being spread out. This would make his job much easier. First things first, he said to himself, climbing down from the tree. He returned to his cave long enough to leave the binoculars and grab the key which he had worked so hard to fashion into a fishhook. He went down to the lake and, staying as close to the brush and rocks as possible, set about making a fish trap.
He took three small branches and sat down on a rock long enough to take the yo-yo from his pocket and break off the string. Using his pocket knife, he cut enough of the string to tie a little line onto one of the sticks. Next, he cut at two of the branches to make a resting place for the third one. Fastening the improvised fish hook to the string he laid it down and went in search of a worm.
A few minutes later, he attached the worm to the hook and entered the water. He secured two branches into the lake's bed and topped them with the third branch letting the worm wave in the current between the branches. Finished, he returned to dry land. He took careful bearings then disappeared into the forest. It was time for some reconnaissance.
Frank woke with a start. He blinked a few times to try and rid the sleep from his eyes but his vision remained blurry so he used his fingers to wipe it away. It took a minute for him to remember where he was and why.
JOE! his mind screamed in anguish, but he had no tears left. He got to his feet and checked on the Gray man. He was still unconscious but his breathing seemed less labored than before.
Frank wondered what time it was as he began searching the room for listening devices. He found one under the sink and another at the base of the toilet in the back. And a third, and Frank was convinced, final, bug had been attached to the base of the door.
Frank smashed the "bugs" on the floor then went to the sink and turned on the water. He splashed some on his face and then cupped his hands and filled them. He drank from his hands. The water tasted a little rusty but he wasn't about to complain. He drank several handfuls before grabbing one of the tee shirts he had been using to cool Gray down and soaked it once more.
He took the shirt back to him and touched it to Gray's lips, squeezing the shirt gently and letting the water run into his mouth before taking the shirt and swabbing his head. Done, Frank sat down on the floor. Why was he bothering? They were going to be killed anyway. At least if Gray died from the fire ants poison he wouldn't have to endure any tortures the Assassins had planned.
NO! his mind screamed. They had killed Joe. They had to pay for that which meant he had to survive and exact revenge for his brother.
His mind made up, he stood and walked to the door. He knocked loudly but no one came. He screamed but still, no one came. He put his ear to the door and listened. Maybe they were sound proof whish is why the room had been bugged he thought but quickly pushed the idea away. Had the room been soundproof then there would not have been room for the bug beneath the door. No...either no one was in the immediate vicinity of this room or he was being deliberately ignored.
Probably a good thing, thought Frank, returning to Gray's side. He hadn't really thought through what he would have done had the Assassins opened the door. He had let his emotions control him. "Never again," he vowed, his brown eyes hard. If he were going to make them pay for what they had done to Joe, he would have to keep his wits about him and bide his time. "No matter what Baby Brother, they will pay."