The door shut, and I was left alone in the hollow silence. At least it was better than what I knew was coming. My entire body trembled, as I sobbed real, loud tears this time.
I turned on my side and curled in a ball, my knees tucked up and my arms around my middle.
Please, please find me soon.
We pullup a few hundred yards away from a large rusted gate, dense greenery packed in on either side. Mason hopped out of the driver’s seat, and we all followed along with him. He went to the trunk and pulled out a large metal case.
When he opened it, a drone sat in the middle, with a controller in the compartment next to it. The thing looked military, not one of the cheap ones you bought a hobbyist for Christmas. He pulled it out and set it on the ground, away from us, before opening the controller, which had so many buttons and dials I wouldn’t even begin to know how to use it. Software was way more my speed.
“What’s that?” Joon asked. This younger brother side came out of him quickly around Mason, and I couldn’t help but find it endearing.
“My recon team,” he said.
“Won’t the compound see that?” Marcus asked.
“If they looked up, probably,” Mason said. “But why would they?”
A fair answer, I suppose.
With a few more clicks, the blades started humming, creating a loud noise I worried others would hear.
“Aren’t they gonna hear that thing?” Joon asked, as if reading my thoughts.
“Can’t you have a little faith in your brother?” Mason asked. It was obvious he was getting frustrated by Joon, but he still spoke to him in a kind tone. That feeling was one I could relate to quite a bit. You wanted to yell at him, but at the same time, he was just too damn endearing.
It pissed me off.
And made me love him even more.
Hm. Love. I guess I did love him, all of them really.
I should probably tell them that.
But that had to wait until after. A few moments later, the device shot up, turning into a speck in the sky, and almost silent with the wind.
Everyone tried to crowd around Mason to see the screen, myself included. Indi brushed his arm, and he stepped away, pulling the controller with him.
“I’ll tell you if I see anything,” he assured.
Indi, Marcus, and I stayed put, though the waiting made my skin itch. I wanted to just go in there and tear the place apart until I found the son of a bitch. But it was obvious Mason had some kind of experience we lacked, so if following his lead got us the results we wanted, I would play along.
Joon was the only one who ignored his brother's warning, sidling up next to him without a care. He didn’t seem to mind as they both stared.
“Is that the main compound?” Joon asked, pointing to something.
“I think so,” Mason agreed, eyes still glued. They stood like that for several minutes, each one feeling more excruciating thanthe previous. Indi shifted so many times I was on the verge of telling him to fuck off. The amount of mud on the ground squishing into my shoes made me want to chuck them into the ocean. They would at least meet the bottom of the trash can when I got home.
“There,” Mason said, pointing to the screen. “That concrete building is most likely the holding cell of sorts.”
He turned the controller around. “The main house is here,” he said, dragging it back east. “It’s only about a quarter mile west, so getting there on foot will be easiest. It looks like there’s one person standing watch outside, but he might be drawn back by the… commotion about to happen at the base. It’s still good to be cautious. Bunkers like that only have one way in, and one way out.”
“Got it,” Marcus said. “Do you think Jason’s in there?”
“It’s a possibility. I can’t tell, so you’ll need to be cautious.”
I nodded. “We can handle it.”
“Good. As I said, I can’t babysit you.” Mason called the drone back. It came whipping through the sky and landed gracefully a few feet away. “And if something happens to my brother, you’re all dead.”
