by Francis Bate
Everyone followed him out of the room. They walked back to the dark corridor and out of the house. The cool breeze met their pale faces simply letting them feel a little diverse atmosphere. They walked through a dark path that only a flashlight was able to illuminate it. Standing on a wooden door, Osborne knocked five times as if transmitting a code for the other person to recognize. It flew open revealing a man in his sweater and sweatpants. He has gray hair with turquoise-blue eyes shining in the flick of light.
“Osborne, what have we here?” He asked giving the man a brotherly hug. He looked at everyone’s face trying to remember them but he could only recognize some of them. “What are you doing here in the evening? Oh no, I mean it’s almost midnight.” He continued letting out a fake yawn.
“My daughter has come home, Justin,” he claimed and smiled at his friend. Gasping, Justin looked with wide eyes trying to pinpoint who among them is his daughter. Remembering that only one resembles him, he thought that it was true after all. Justin smiled brightly showing his excitement and personal joy for him.
“Wow! I told you, she will come back for you. And see, I guess she also brought some friends,” he stated, chuckling to himself.
“Yes, she exactly did,” Osborne glanced over his shoulder, smiling. “Justin, this is my daughter, Patricia. And these are her two new friends who saved her, Stan Harris and Jarvis Bryant.” He introduced and chorus greetings went up enchantingly, “meet Justin Dubner, my ole’ friend who invited us here.”
“I see, you can come inside,” he invited after greeting them. Assessing the three new personalities, Justin saw that they haven’t surrendered their weapons and truck key. He led them into a room that slightly resembled that from the previous house. The only difference was it was the kitchen. He let them sit in the chair and faced them. He offered them some coffee while they wait for the dawn.
“Are you staying here for good, Stan and Jarvis?” Justin asked out of nowhere. The two looked at him and shook their heads.
“I’m sorry but we just came to drop Patricia to make sure that she comes home safe. But we can’t stay any longer because we have our own family to go home to,” Stan explained, still holding his gaze at him. He smiled reluctantly receiving no reaction from him.
“Why don’t you stay here for a little while?” Osborne insisted, trying to convince them. Jarvis shook his head, but Stan smiled.
“I think we’ll rest for a bit and we’ll hit the road back once we have fully rested,” Stan bargained. He was thinking about his family and he couldn’t spend more time away from them.
“That would be a fair deal, then,” Osborne agreed, grinning at them.
“But remember that Ted is strict, he orders everyone to surrender their weapons and car keys to make sure that everyone in the community will be free from danger,” Justin stated, bowing his head as he massages his chin. Osborne nodded in agreement but he remained quiet about it.
“Why would he be doing that? How could you people fight if there are intruders in the camp?” Jarvis asked, raising his eyebrow at them.
“I’m afraid that was one of his rules. Besides, he has men guarding the area so no one can barge in. You must give them your bags, surrender your keys and weapons,” he insisted receiving a full roll of negation from the two men. Osborne ordered Ryan to get Stan’s packs and other things but they refused.
“No, we can’t give you these. These are important to us. We will be leaving as earlier as possible and you can just treat us as your guests,” Stan replied back. He held his packs securely pocketing the truck key and clasping at his guns.
“No, you should deposit those so we can prevent further harm once Ted knew about this,” Osborne was trying to remain calm about the situation but he could hardly stay that way. Fear started eating him and the image of Ted kept chasing his mind.
“We can’t do that, Osborne. Just let this one go, we’ll make sure that no one will be blamed for a decision we chose to make,” Stan guaranteed, maintaining a straight face.
“Dad, let it go. They mostly need their things with them,” Patricia eyed his father defending his friends. With no other choices left, they let it past. Stan and Jarvis smiled at her whispering their gratitude. It has been a great help.
Patricia witnessed how important their supplies were with them. And only she knew what they have experienced throughout their journey. It wasn’t a plan but when the time calls for extra measures, they will need those badly, for safety precautions and for survival, as Stan usually quoted it.
The two old men have nothing to do about it. But instead, they allowed them to keep it away from the public’s eyes. It would surely cause some trouble and they will surely be under that same trouble. A woman came out of the kitchen door holding some plateful of foods in his hands. He placed the food on the table and went back in for more. After placing all the cutleries, foods and drinks, Ted announced that the newcomers should have their dinner.
“Anyway, this is my wife, May,” Justin declared kissing his wife on the lips. Everyone cheered and giggled at that sight. He introduced her to them before letting them devour in the foods prepared.
Although they looked tired and full, they accepted the offer. It will be once in a blue moon to eat good and complete meals since the occurrence. They let their remaining strength to work for them as they finish their meals. The food melted in their mouth as the flashbacks of eating processed foods triggered with so much difference. The feeling was explicable.
The food went well as they listened to the silent conversation of Justin and Osborne. They were communicating too afraid to let everyone hear their conversation.
“There’s a vacant room for you both upstairs. You can spend the night so you can rest for tomorrow,” Justin offered Stan and Jarvis. They seemed hesitant, exchanging looks at each other.
“Nah, we can just sleep in the truck so we can leave early at dawn,” Stan insisted and Jarvis affirmed. Justin couldn’t do anything more to convince them so he left the decision up to them.
Stan went back to where he parked the truck being followed by Jarvis. He has been carrying a weird feeling that he could not define since they stepped foot into that house. He remained silent trying to brainstorm for any suspicious events.
“Do you think we can just stay here and supervise? Do we have to take turns just like the usual?” Jarvis asked, turning back Stan from his thoughts.
“This would be better than staying in a place where everything is dubious. How can someone not allow other people to keep a gun for their own security?”
“We have the same thoughts, Stan. I was also thinking of that unless there seemed to be really wrong in here.”
“Exactly, so it’d be better to stay on your own pace than to be with someone whom you aren’t sure of with your life.”
When they have arrived in the truck, he checked it but nothing seemed to change. It was still intact. He walked towards the trunk and saw that there was something missing.
“Jarvis, I think we have a proof that our generalizations are true,” Stan stated in a rough voice. His eyes darkened ready to attack. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.
“What was it, Stan?” Jarvis held his shoulders trying to calm him down. Even in the darkness of the place, he could still feel the tension boiling up to the maximum. Stan was releasing his coolness. Pointing his finger towards the trunk, Jarvis gasped with a dropped jaw.
“We left ten gallons of fuel from Chris, and it all disappeared in an instant. Amazing, isn’t it?” He ridiculed, gripping on his gun tightly. Jarvis shook his head and opened his eyes again. The trunk was really empty.
“Who could possibly do that? Why the hell are they doing this?” He growled, thinking about how he could go back to Tampa for his family.
“I think, it was that Ted they were talking about. So, there’s something we need to do before we hit the road. And that’s something we have to figure out,” Stan commanded under his gritted teeth.
Stan pa
ced back and forth thinking of what to do. He saw a man leaning on a tree, puffing a smoke of cigarette on the air. He was having the best time of his life. A gun was revealed from his waist signifying his own honor. Stan and Jarvis approached him, trying to calm down once they’ve talked.
“Where the hell did you place the gallons of gas from our truck?” Stan asked with a stern voice.
“Somewhere you can’t see and away from you,” the man smirked, pulling off the gun from his waist. “Try to look for it and you can’t go home to your family.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. We need the fuel and we demand it back,” he insisted but the man chuckled. It was an insulting laugh signifying that it was impossible for them to get the fuels back.
“That could be impossible,” he smirked shaking his head and pointing the gun at his head. “You have to choose between it and your life.”
Jarvis pulled him away from the man and they walked back to the truck. Blood was still boiling in his face but he couldn’t do anything about it. Stan paced back and forth and strode back to Justin’s house. He knocked vigorously and the door revealed Justin in his robe.
“I demand the ten gallons of gas you took from our truck,” Stan ordered, without further greetings and respect.
“I can’t do that for you,” he said maintaining a poker face. “It does not even cover the supper you ate.”
“Supper? Are you kidding me? That’s not meant for a trading business. We can pay the meal just give our supplies back,” he urged but the man just chuckled.
“Come back tomorrow and we’ll talk about that. You need some rest; I can see that you’re just exhausted. Hopefully, by tomorrow, we can make a deal out of it,” Justin told him as he banged the door.
Stan ran back to where Jarvis was and told him about the conversation he had with him. They came up with a plan that they will be implementing at that same night. The hell will bend and the earth will be once again exalted before the sun rises back to its former glory.
“We got to do something, Jarvis. We need to get the gases back,” Stan muttered under his breath. He opened his fist and closed it back again.
“So, what’s the plan?” Jarvis asked, sitting on a patio nearby the vehicle. He looked ill at ease at Stan that kept pacing to and fro.
“If it needs bloodshed to take what’s ours, I swear to the unseen gods that I will do everything for that. We have to get what’s originally ours,” his dark eyes were in a fury.
“I think they are really serious about this thing. I don’t wanna die, Stan. I still have my family,” Jarvis bowed his head and covered his face with his big hands.
“No one will die among us, Jarvis,” he assured, glancing at him.
“You can’t tell, Stan. You ain’t a god,” he spoke with trembling lips. “They are armed. That Ted has men of his own. Who knows he is also planning how to dispatch us when we sleep? Let’s just leave the place or else we die.”
Stan walked to where he was and shook his shoulders. “Hey, hey, Jarvis, look at me. Listen to me, you will not die. Not you, not me and not Patricia. Okay?”
“What do we have to do to overpower fully armored men, Stan? This ain’t wizardry or anything magical,” Jarvis stood up straight and faced him. He faced the man whom he relied on his life during the early onset of the event.
“We’ll do everything. We can’t leave without our supplies. That would be the most convenient way to reach home faster. Are you going to cooperate with me?” He asked mastering the serious tone of his voice. Jarvis looked up to him and nodded.
It was at that moment when they were planning what to do together as a team. He placed his hand on his waist and his mind flew over. They came up with a plan that they will be implementing at that same night.
They sneaked on a dark path as they count all the buildings within the site. He was aware that it would take them so much time just by merely doing so. However, it seemed that every building varies in style and design as well as its size. They planned to walk around in silence to check every possible storage location. The moonlight became their light and the cascading stars served as their guide.
While they were walking, a sudden noise of a breaking glass caught their attentions. It was near them. They stopped trying to examine where the noise was coming from. They turned to the left and ran towards a building. Unlike the others, it looked old and isolated. Broken window glasses were still on the sill but it didn’t look so much to be a dwelling place. Tall grasses covered the area and vines climbed all the way to the walls.
Scrutinizing the place, Stan saw a secret path with footprints on it. It dawned on to him that they were at the back part of the building. Trying to figure out where the entrance was, they sneaked through the right side revealing a wide rusted metal entrance door into their sight. That was it. Another sound came out as it was clearer and louder that time. It came out of the building in front them. He walked to the entrance but different signs were posted on the front door that seemed to sway people away from it. It wasn’t locked but he was wondering where the noise was coming from.
“I guess, there’s someone inside,” Stan exclaimed sending wild guesses into the air. They were both standing in a huge door with various signs posted on it.
“But why would someone enter if there are signage and hazards just like these? High voltage and danger inside wouldn’t support that guess. Those signs help keep people away from this building.” Jarvis blinked his eyes and stared long at the metal. Just like Stan, he was filled with different questions all at once.
“Look, there’s no electricity power so this high voltage could impossibly be in effect. They placed those signs and left the door unlocked. This left me with a conclusion in mind,” Stan answered sticking his gaze on it.
“Danger might also mean there’s a poison or harmful liquid inside which could be bad for your health. Or there could be something they are storing to keep from the people’s prying eyes,” Jarvis shrugged and looked at his side. He saw something glow in Stan’s eyes that may have indicated that he has won.
“That’s what I’m talking about. They placed those signs to prevent people from barging in because they are hiding something in there. Neither high voltage nor radiation will be in effect in times like this so we are left with the latter,” he stated before unlocking the door.
They were welcomed with a warm breeze holding the smell of a variety of products. Some were familiar while others seemed to be a new scent to their sense. It was warm and dark. Two women tilted their heads and met their eyes amidst the darkness. They could barely see anything but they could feel a new company. They squirmed and squealed under the duct tape plastered on their mouths. They were tied tightly and left sitting on the dirty floor. Both men pulled off their guns and held it in a stance. They walked quietly trying to feel the area. One step, two steps, three steps. They took many steps.
The moon could no longer light the inside but rays of its light peeked through the broken windows. It illuminated some parts of it. At the back of a roomful of liquid, they saw two bold women crying painfully at them. Jarvis stared at them, his jaw hung open.
“Goodness! What’s the use of these guards if they just tie them down? This is ridiculous! You left a warehouse that serves as your storage room open and tied up your lady guards. This is odd, Stan,” he chuckled and watched him kneel before the ladies. He removed the tape from their mouth receiving a soft yelp of pain in return.
“This ain’t a joke, Jarvis.” Stan dismissed him and stared at the two women. “Can you please enlighten my friend, here, that you are being held captives or hostages by that Ted this town worships?”
Tears continued streaming down their faces. Stan knelt, thinking if it was just a trap or they were just being set up.
“Please help us, please,” one woman begged but his doubt was stronger this time.
“Ted offered us help, he told us to stay here and so we came. Only to find out that he will demand something in return. He want
s us to be his concubine in return but we refused. He threatened to kill us,” the other woman explained, weeping even louder.
“We were so afraid because he has the power to impose what he likes. We fear for our lives so we agreed to his condition. We became his conquest that secretly takes his pleasure from us behind his wife,” weeps and silent cries were heard in the enclosed room. They watched and listened; it all added up to the anger Stan was feeling inside.
“But when we decided to fight against him, he publicly announced that we are ungrateful bitches that tried to steal from him and kill him,” the woman started. Although it was dark, Stan could feel the utter pain they have gone through. “And he ordered us to be killed but he kept us here and ties us after he uses us for his personal desires.”
It rang a bell in his ears. He remained silent for a while as he listened to the pleas of the two hostages. Jarvis has stayed rigid in place as if waiting for a command to follow. He let Stan plan out a plot. Seconds past, there was still nothing. After few minutes, he could barely gain the courage to ask Stan about it. But he still did.
“You can count me in, Stan. I can help you. But what are you planning first?” he asked but he heard no response in return.
Jarvis turned and faced the wall, crumpling his almost long curly hair. Turning about face again, he heard Stan breathed in heavily and puffed the air out of his lungs.
“We have to place the tape back to your mouth,” he muttered and everyone wailed in protest. “Hush! You don’t want anyone to see us here, do you? Does anyone come in to check on you at night?” They became silent and nodded at his question.
“Ted usually comes in before dawn. He would be usually alone,” a woman stated.