Chapter 6
"Frank? Frank, are you ok?" Joe slurred.
"Yeah, just a bit groggy. You?"
"Yeah, I wonder what that stuff was."
"I don't know. I only hope that we live long enough to find that one out," Frank sighed. "So that's McNelson?"
At the mention of his sister's kidnapper, Joe became more awake and irate. After saying a few choice words, Joe calmed down. The soft rain was helping the boys stay awake, but now, for Joe at least, the thought of justice boiled in his mind, helping him to stay alert and ready for action.
"So, how do you propose we get out of this one?" he asked his older brother.
After several moments of thinking, they still couldn't come up with anything. The drugs were taking their toll on the boys as they became more and more disoriented.
"Frank," Joe cried. " Oh man! I have an itch! Ouch! Grrr! Oh man, this is just great!" Joe grumbled as he jerked about.
"Joe! Will you stop that! Ouch! That hurts!" Since the boys were tied together, Joe's movements also affected Frank. As Joe pulled on the ropes, trying to satisfy his itch, Frank's hand was being dragged across the tree bark. He could feel the skin being rubbed raw.
The tree bark! Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.
"Joe!" he shouted.
"I'm sorry! Really! But I have this darned itch and I -"
"No, listen to me," he said, cutting his brother off. "I have an idea. Listen, move your arms up and down when I move mine. We are going to try to fray this rope on the tree bark."
"Hey! That's a great idea," Joe said as he began to move his arms up and down in sync with his brother's. "You know, funny thing, I was just thinking the same thing..."
"Can it Joe! I know you couldn't come up with that on your own!"
"Okay! Okay! Gesh! Take it easy!"
The two tried working the ropes for several minutes, only getting a small bit of the results they were hoping for.
"We have to keep it up. We can do this; I know we can. Just a bit more, I'm sure." Frank said, hoping to maintain his positive attitude.
"Sure, what else do we have to do! It's not like we can go anywhere right now!" Joe scoffed.
Several more moments passed and the boys' efforts were getting weaker by the second. The drugs were really beginning to have and affect on them. They were both almost to the point of passing out when Frank's sharp ears picked up the sound of breaking twigs in the distance.
"Joe! Joe, do you hear that?" Frank croaked.
"Hmm?" Joe mumbled, almost incoherent. Then with a thud, he fell against his brother.
"Joe?" Frank whispered as his eyes began to close, unwillingly. He could just barely make out the figures of men walking towards him. Once again, he saw the sun glint off the silver barrel of a gun that was in the belt of one of the men. Before he could see who they were or what they wanted, his eyes closed, shutting him in a sea of blackness.