Hello wonderful readers! I was really not going to update anymore, but after receiving soooo many regular reviews, I decided to start writing again. This chapter is a little... I don't know? Not as good... at least to me. I kind of forgot how to write stories since its been years XD Anyways, enjoy and remember to send me some constructive criticism, and thank you for the support, even after I semi-quit already.
-Lgbabyblu
Frank froze in shock as he stared at Biff's dumbfounded face.
"Joe's not with me." Frank exclaimed as he clambered out of the hole with the assistance of Biff.
"What do you mean he's not with you?" Fenton said worriedly as he reached out of grab Frank's tense arm.
Fenton was beginning to feel a pit falling feeling, deep within his stomach as Franks eyes showed obvious confusion about the whereabouts of his younger brother.
Biff, Phil, Chet and Tony gathered around Frank and Fenton to try to understand what had happened.
"I don't know –" Frank said frantically as he subconsciously started looking around for Joe, scanning the surrounding forest to see if he could find that Joe was just fooling him and hiding somewhere, ready to yell BOO. "Joe was ahead of me when he dug ourselves out of the cabin, but just as I was about to get out, there was a small explosion and I had to dig myself out." Frank explained as he flexed and tensed his fingers in fists out of worry and that his fingers were still frozen from the digging.
Where could he have gone? How could he have ever expected something like this to happen? Joe was supposed to be out and safe. Where else could he have gone? Frank felt it was his fault. This trip was supposed to be a fun trip for the brothers to bond, and he was supposed to protect Joe. Now Joe was missing.
Frank started to pace constantly in mini circle, the lines on his face scrunched up in concentration of apprehension and thought. Not even the cold shivers that went down his spine distracted him from the thought that his brother was missing and there must have been a very horrible reason for why.
"The footprints!" Phil exclaimed as he pointed at the trail that he had found earlier. "Those were the only other prints other than ours that were in this area before we came."
The whole group automatically rallied to the footprints that seemed to approxiamately start from the hole that Frank had just climbed out of.
"Did you see anybody when you found these footprints?" Frank asked as he stared at Phil with hopeful eyes.
"No, but I am sure that this trail has got to lead to Joe." Phil exclaimed. "Logically, it makes sense. Nobody else could have randomly walked here, and walked back with something or someone." He said as he pointed at the prints that showed a set of prints walking towards the hole and then walking back into the woods with something that was dragged.
In his gut, Frank knew Phil was probably right. For a high school student, Phil was very intuitive and wise, probably smarter than Frank himself when it came to problem solving. That was when Frank noticed something on the ground.
Frank walked along the trail and dropped down on his knees and scooped up a handful of snow.
Everyone's eyes widen. In Frank's hand was a pink substance, miniscule in amount, but enough to make everyone look at each other with concern for the youngest Hardy.
"Boys, we have to make a plan, now that we know Joe might be in serious danger." Fenton said as he directed the boys out of worry, and out of detective instinct. He knew that if he didn't work now, the trail would be obsolete, and the only clue to finding Joe would disappear. "Tony, Phil… I want you to stay here and wait to see if Joe comes back. If he does he might need help." He said as he pointed to the two boys who nodded. "Frank, Chet… I want you two to go back to the cars and see if Joe might have wandered back there." Fenton said and he pointed towards the woods.
"No Dad!" Frank cried out in anger at having to go back. "I can't go back to the car with Joe missing!"
Frank stood his ground, staring at his dad in disbelief that his father wanted him to retreat while Joe might be in terrible danger.
"Frank. I understand how you are feeling, but you have been trapped underground for hours and frozen to death." Fenton said in a fatherly, yet authoritive way. "Biff and I will follow the trail and find Joe. You and Tony have to go back to the car and get warmed up…"
"But Dad!" Frank exclaimed in protest, but Fenton stopped him.
"I want you two to call for Sam and Sergeant Con Riley to get here. We might need back-up." Fenton said, torn between a missing son and an angry son. "Chet, make sure Frank gets to the cars and gets warmed up. I don't need two sons in danger right now."
"No problem sir." Chet said sadly, but affirmatively, not wanting to come between a father and his best friend.
"Boys, we need all of your cooperation if we want to get Joe back, so are we all clear?" Fenton asked.
Everyone nodded their heads, with Frank crossed armed, but compliant.
"Okay, let's go." Fenton said, hoping to and praying that his youngest son will be found quickly and uninjured, as he walked into the forest after a trail that might lead to an unwanted sight.
"Please Joe, be all right." Fenton thought. "Please, please be all right. I will find you."
Joe groaned. He felt really cold and disoriented because when he came to, he was moving on his back. Nothing made sense because the back of his head hurt, but felt rather cold and numb, and those feelings enough made him feel very confused.
"Finally awake I see," said a voice that sounded unfriendly and unfamiliar.
Joe automatically flipped his whole body around to his front, kicking his foot away from the grasp of the stranger, and opening his eyes, facing the stranger.
The whole motion made him feel dizzy, but he shook it off. He knew that he was in danger, and he couldn't let momentary dizziness make him more vulnerable then he already was.
Who Joe saw didn't comfort him anymore. The man who stood in front of him looked about in his forties. He was quite tall and built, and had long, bushy hair. He was noticeably filthy, with worn out snow clothes. The scowl on the stranger's face didn't help his look, and it just intensified the angry scar that was on the man's face.
"Who are you and what do you want with me?" Joe asked forcefully.
Joe's eyes then widened as he noticed someone was clearly missing.
"Where's my brother!" Joe yelled frantically as he tried looking around.
He then remembered the tunnel and the explosion before he blacked out.
The man in front of him just laughed.
"Let's just say there was a small accident, and your brother won't be above ground for a while," the stranger said, which made Joe furrow his brow in anger and shock.
"If you hurt my brother, I am going to…" Joe started to say angrily before he was cut off.
"Going to… going to….Stt… sttt. Sttt… what?" The man laughed as he mockingly stuttered to make fun of the blond boy.
Joe was scared, but he didn't want the man to know this, so he tried to act as assertive as he could to find the fact that he was shaking like a child inwardly.
"Who are you?" Joe asked, still glaring at the man as he griped a handful of snow in anger, not knowing what else to do with his hands.
The man laughed in a scornful way, like it was a stupid for Joe to not know who he was and for even trying to threaten him.
"You don't know?" The man scoffed. "Your father put me in jail seven years ago after paralyzing my son, and putting him in jail also," he said angrily. "Now your welfare is your Daddy's choice, but you're surely not going to be returned to your father without my son and without payback for my son's physical conditions."
Joe got more scared when he heard why he was there, but he was never going to give the man the satisfaction of knowing that the stranger intimidated him.
Joe made a move to jump to his feet to make a run for it, but the sound of the cock of a gun made him stop.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the stranger said as he shifted his stance as if a cowboy were to stand, chewing slightly on his own teeth.
Making a stupid move right now wasn't the smartest thing to do, and Joe would just have to wait for the perfect time to outsmart the deranged man and get the hell out of the situation.
The next thing he knew, the stranger grabbed his neck, shoving the hard gun into the lower part of back, making him flinch.
Joe grimaced due to the uncomfortable position he was in, especially because the man was poking the gun hard into his back to make him move forward.
"You play nice and I'll make sure you won't be harmed…. Yet," the man said as he laughed at his own joke, "… but if you make any sudden movements, I can't reassure you that my finger won't make any sudden movements that would cause a very loud SPCHOO sound," he said, which made Joe cringe.
How was he going to get out of this?
"Frank… Dad… Help….." Joe thought as he trudged forward, not knowing what the man was going to do to him, and if there was even a future to have a hold of.
Again, very sorry everyone :( Long time no update. I haven't really felt like writing much and it was very hard to get started. I wrote this all in one night because I was soooooo bored, and I really wanted to get this chapter out there. I tried to correct as many mistakes as possible :P But eh... probably missed some.
Please give me some constructive criticism. I don't mind if you all yell at me for not writing a chapter in 2 years, but I expect it :(
Thank you again for the constant support, and hope you all enjoyed this story.
-Lgbabyblu
P.S. I am going to try very, very, very hard to get you all another chapter by tomorrow... if not, then tomorrow's tomorrow. I feel bad not updating for so long, and everyone has been so great :( Sorry again. I'll try to finish my stories this summer :)