Author's Note: Here's chapter 8. Enjoy, Review, you know, the usual! And thank you so much to everyone who reviews on a regular basis; you guys know who you are! Read on, people!
Kim's POV
Jack has just finished explaining the plan to all of us: We go to Skylar's estate (which I found out is the "Private Property" place I completely ignored in my search for Jack. I had beat myself up a little over that) and carefully look around to see if the Maniacs, as we were now calling them, were still there, and if not if we could find anything that told us where they went. Once we found where they were keeping Skylar's father, Jerry, Eddie, and Rudy would create a distraction while Jack, Skylar, Milton, and myself would work on freeing Mr. Larks. Jack had initially wanted it to be him creating the distraction while the rest of us freed Mr. Larks, so that he could put the rest of us in as little danger as possible. After all, they had already seen his face and he was sure they would go after him and give us a chance to grab Mr. Larks, but we had all told him "No." There was no we were letting him do it; he was still injured and we couldn't let it get any worse. If it started bleeding again, he could bleed out and die. So, he had reluctantly agreed to the arrangement we had now. Rudy was a 4th degree black belt and could help protect Eddie and Jerry. We started walking, avoiding the main part of the mall so we wouldn't have to face any questioning people, and slipped into the woods unnoticed. After a few minutes, I noticed Jack falling behind a little bit, and I wait for him to catch up then match his slower pace. "Are you okay, Jack? Does it hurt?" I ask him. "Kim, I'm fine," he lies to me. "Jack, I know you're not," I state. He admits defeat, and I let him lean on me as we walk so it doesn't hurt him as much. As soon as all of this is over, I'm taking him to the hospital; he refused to go before, saying that we couldn't waste any time on him when Skylar's dad was in danger. I could see he wouldn't change his mind, so I had let it drop for the time being even though I am worried about the injury getting infected, or it slowing him down on out little rescue mission and causing him to get hurt even more. I force myself to stop thinking about that; we were all going to be fine. We would get Mr. Larks back without any problems occurring. After another five minutes of walking we get to the tree where the sign that says "Private Property Keep Out" is nailed up and are continuing on when I hear a rustling sound, and a big bald guy jumps out at us, screaming at us. We all scream back in fear. Jack and Skylar are the first to stop. "Oh, thank God," Jack mutters, and Skylar runs up to hug the stranger. "Who is that?" I ask Jack. "That's Jason," Jack tells me. Oh, so this was the guy who had shot Jack with a dart. "I'm glad you're okay, Skylar, and you too, Jack," Jason says. I guess him and Jack were on better terms than it had looked to me at first on what I was calling the face-time incident. "Jason, are the Maniacs still here?" Jack asks, still leaning on me. Jason obviously catches on that the Maniacs were the creeps who took Mr. Larks, and responds, "No, they took David and left in a black van," he says, looking down as if ashamed. He probably was ashamed; it was his and the other guards' responsibility to protect Skylar and her father, and they had failed. "We need to follow their tire tracks, then. We have a plan," Jack tells him.
Jack's POV
"We need to follow their tire tracks, then. We have a plan," I finish telling Jason. He looks at me with a spark in his eyes, obviously realizing he had a chance to help get Mr. Larks back, proving he wasn't totally useless. Plus, I knew that Mr. Larks wasn't just his boss; they were good friends, and if anything happened to him, Jason would blame himself. I understand, because I will feel the same way if anything happens to my friends during this crazy plan of mine. I will do whatever it takes to protect them, even if it means putting myself in harm's way to do it. The eight of us continue on towards Skylar's mansion, me still leaning on Kim for support because it hurts my injury so much walking on my own. It was a little embarrassing, but not all bad since I got to be so close to Kim. Once we got there, we went in the direction of the tire tracks. After about an hour or so more of walking, we arrived at some kind of structure and hid in the bushes. It felt great to just sit down and rest for a while, because although I wouldn't admit it, my injury was really getting agonizing from the constant walking even with Kim for support, and I knew she could tell. For a minute, we just sit there, watching the shabby building (which had been constructed of trees by the looks of it, since the area around it was filled with stumps) for any sign of life. I see some movement by a small window, and I make it out as five guys walking by it . . . wait, I thought there would only be three. Then it hit me: The six Maniacs that had been at the mansion were just a few from one big group. This rescue just got a whole lot harder, and I could see that everyone realized that. This would be trickier than I had initially thought, and a lot more dangerous, but there was no turning back now.
Author's Note: Hey, sorry this chapter was a little shorter than the rest, but there will be some action in the next chapter, so I hope you guys will enjoy it! Review :)