Jiko blinked three times fast to refocus his eyes for the darkness. The sly figure disappeared around a corner and Jiko kept pace a few steps back. The mystery man looked inside a cabin but immediately left and moved on soon after.
"Who is that and what are they looking for?" Jiko thought. He figured it was one of Bradley's cronies trying to find where the medical supplies were.
The mystery man arrived at another cabin. This time he knocked. The door cracked open a little and a familiar face poked out checking around for anyone else.
"Rufus!" Jiko whispered to himself. Once deciding the coast was clear Rufus let the mystery man into his cabin. Jiko snuck around the side and peered ever so slightly over the windowsill. A lantern, just like in his cabin, was flicking on the floor. The shadows danced on the walls and he saw Rufus and the man talking in the middle. The man had a bandanna over his face but Jiko could tell he was tall and athletically built.
Rufus slipped him something that the mystery man quickly put into his pocket. Jiko's eyes grew wide trying to figure out what it was...there was something not right here.
"What are you doing!" Jiko jumped, startled and turned around to find a guard behind him.
"I ah...am just taking a midnight stroll."
"Guests are not allowed out of their rooms at night. This is forbidden and is for your own personal safety. Now I must take you back to your cabin." The guard pushed Jiko in front of him. He turned around for one final look and saw the mystery man sneak out of Rufus' cabin and jump over the banisters to the forest floor below.
The guard brought Jiko back into the cabin with a stern warning and his friends awaiting him. He explained everything to them as they sat in awe at what was going on.
"What do you think that package was?" JC asked.
"I don't know...but do you think it'll be safe if we ask Breanna about it tomorrow?" Mel questioned.
Jiko shook his head. "No, no...but whatever Rufus is doing, he's doing it behind Breanna's back...we have to figure out what it is."
"How?" JC asked.
"Tomorrow...we'll have to slip into Rufus' cabin and search around." Jiko said.
"How will that work? There are guards everywhere and Breanna is going to need us to discuss our plan of action."
"Not all of us..." Jiko said looking at David.
"Wait, what? What do you want me to do?" David said with fear in his voice. Jiko laid out the plan and everyone went to bed...some sooner than others, as David struggled to find comfort in his role the next day.
The next day the group gathered in Breanna's cabin where they found her deep in thought, sipping tea.
"We're ready to go over the plan now." JC said. She continued to sip her tea without looking up once. "Aren't you listening?!" JC said growing angry. "Our friend is out there and we need to help her now."
Breanna barely looked up from her cup and gave a small grin.
"Why are you smiling? I don't see anything that's funny." JC said.
"Ugh..." They all turned around to see David stumbling in the back.
"What's wrong?" Mel asked.
"I don't feel too good...can I be excused and just go back to the cabin to rest?" David asked. Mel looked back at Breanna who had now stood up and went over to her oak desk rifling through papers.
"Well...can I?" David asked. Breanna didn't even look up from the documents on her desk. She just waved her hand to excuse him.
"Look for anything suspicious and cover your tracks." Mel whispered before David left.
"Now are you ready to tell us the plan?" JC said sternly. "We need to get out there now."
"So eager...to try and save a friend that is probably dead." Breanna said sifting through papers.
"I don't care! We're going to try!" JC said slamming his hands on her desk causing paper to fly everywhere.
"And a short temper...tsk tsk...you're going to just walk into harms way and not only kill yourself but the rest of your group."
Jiko looked up from sharpening his knife.
"But fine. We're going to have to infiltrate his camp. I'm sure you're up to the task?" Breanna said looking at Jiko. He re-sheathed his blade and nodded. "Good...then here's what we do..."
Sweating profusely from the heat and his nerves, David looked around to make sure that no one was watching. Rufus had gone to the brook by the blueberry fields with two others to gather food and water so he knew he only had a limited time. He quietly crept into the cabin and immediately thought to begin searching the cabinets and the desk drawers. Nothing. He looked under the bed and in between the pillows. Nothing. The books on the shelves yielded nothing except that David was surprised to learn that Rufus could actually read.
He began to pace back and forth afraid of what Mel might say if he came back empty handed. That's when he noticed something written on the floor. It peaked out slightly from beneath the old red rug. He pulled it back a little and noticed a circle etched into the wood with symbols all around. Instantly he recognized a few being the same that they had seen on the creature in the woods a few days back.
"What is this!!" He thought to himself as he unrolled the carpet even more to unveil the entire circle. In the middle was a pentagram and spots where candle wax had dried. David was sure this was an altar of some kind but what and why...
"Bring the water to the basins. I'm going to take a breather." A voice from outside the door boomed.
"OH SHIT!" David said quietly. Rufus was a mere second away from opening the door and finding him in there. He had no idea how he was going to escape this one...it seemed like the end for him.
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