Chapter 7 - Endurance
Two days later . . .
"Okay, I think the novelty of camping out in the woods has worn off," Tom complained loudly.
"No shit," Maggie agreed.
Ellie twitched. "If I have to go much longer without being able to write, I’m gonna go crazy."
"This sucks," Karen announced.
"When I get my hands on whoever’s behind this . . ." AJ began, cracking his knuckles.
"Well, we can’t just sit here complaining about it," Brian said. "We need to figure out what to do."
"What can we do?" Hazel asked.
For a moment, no one answered.
"Well, that would be our first problem, now wouldn’t it?" Tom pointed out.
"We don’t have anything we can use to get someone’s attention," Karen stated.
"And we’ve looked around here for any sign of civilization. We couldn’t find one," Howie added.
"Maybe we need to look further," Becky suggested.
"Guys, we have a more immediate problem," Kevin announced. "They only gave us enough supplies for another three days. What are we going to do after that?"
"Should we start saving them up now?" Sierra asked.
"Maybe they’ll give us more," Nick suggested.
"Why would they do that?" Ellie asked.
"To keep us alive," Brian proposed.
"What if they don’t care about that?" Maggie asked.
"So, it all comes down to what the hell are we doing out here," Tom concluded. "Once we figure that out, we’ll know whether they want us alive or not."
"Though it would be nice to know who ‘they’ are," AJ remarked.
"Has anyone remembered anything else?" Becky asked.
"I might," Hazel answered hesitantly.
Everyone pounced on her. "What do you remember?!"
"I just . . . I remember eating and then a bunch of us went to go to the bathroom. And we saw . . . something. Something bad." She shook her head. "I’m sorry . . . I don’t remember anything else."
AJ put a hand on her shoulder. "No, that’s good. At least it’s something."
Ellie was thinking hard. "What if we heard their plans? What if we heard the kidnappers talking and that’s why they took us?"
Everyone was silent.
"Okay, that would explain why they took you, but it still doesn’t explain why they took us in the first place," Nick said.
"They wanted us for something. What are they getting out of this?" Kevin nearly demanded, feeling that they were finally starting to get to the heart of issue.
Everyone thought for a minute.
"They could be asking for ransom," Brian suggested.
"But then why wouldn’t they be keeping us in a basement or something?" Ellie asked.
"Keeping us out here is risky," Tom pointed out. "The chance of escape is much higher when they can’t keep an eye on us."
"Keep an eye on us . . ." Becky repeated. "What if they’re watching us?"
Karen shuddered. "This is getting freaky."
"How could they be?" Sierra asked. "We haven’t seen any cameras anywhere."
"But we haven’t been looking," Ellie mentioned.
"They could be hidden," Howie agreed.
The group looked at their surroundings suspiciously.
"So, chances are that they want to keep us alive and they’ll probably give us more supplies," Hazel stated.
"How are they going to do that?" Karen asked. "Don’t they figure we’ll see them?"
"They’ll probably put them somewhere different, where we’re not expecting them," Tom said.
"Then how will we know where to find them?" Sierra asked.
"This is too confusing," Nick said, shaking his head.
"There’s just too much we don’t know," Becky agreed.
"I guess we’re stuck waiting and seeing what happens," Kevin said.
"That doesn’t change the fact that we’re all bored out of minds," Tom pointed out.
"I’ve got a job for you Tom," Karen announced. "Why don’t you figure out what the hell we’re going to do without any supplies?"
Tom opened his mouth and then shut it again. After a minute he said, "Eat a Backstreet Boy?"
~~~
Two days later . . . Again . . .
"C’mon, man! I gotta eat something!" AJ begged Kevin.
Kevin shook his head, guarding the supplies. "We have to make these last if we’re not going to get any more."
"AJ, sit down and don’t think about it. You’re driving us all crazy," Becky said.
"We’re all hungry, Bone. We just gotta keep our minds off it," Howie added.
AJ sighed explosively and joined Ellie, Tom, and Nick in pacing about the camp.
Ellie, Hazel and Maggie were chanting, "Must write, must write, must write . . ."
((Author's note: You've heard of writer's block? This is called writer's itch.))
"Will you three please stop that?" Sierra pleaded.
"But we’re going crazy!" Maggie shrieked, pulling at her hair.
"Yes, and you’re taking the rest of us with you," Karen told her.
"Why did we let him guard the supplies?" AJ asked. "He’s too damn good at it!"
"AJ, can’t you at least keep on the topic of conversation?" Nick asked, looking down at his band mate and promptly walking into Ellie.
"Watch where you’re going!" Ellie shouted at him. She stomped away fuming. "Head explodie! Head explodie!"
Becky started singing. "I am slowly going crazy. One two three four five six switch."
Karen joined in. "Crazy going slowly am I. Six five four three two one switch."
"Okay, that’s enough of that," Tom told them.
"I’m going swimming," Becky announced. "Anyone coming?"
"Me," Nick answered.
"Me," AJ and Hazel said in unison.
"Anyone else?" Becky asked.
Everyone else shook their heads.
The four left for the lagoon.
"At least we won’t have to listen to AJ whine," Karen said thankfully.
"So, now what do we do?" Brian asked.
"Maybe we should try one of those games they play on Whose Line is it Anyway," Howie suggested.
"Like what?" Sierra asked.
"Like . . . talking in only song titles or something," Kevin replied.
The others agreed.
"This is going to be interesting since we all have such varied music taste," Maggie remarked.
"Yeah, they won’t know half the songs we use," Ellie said.
"We’ll just have to take your word on it," Brian replied.
((AUTHOR’S NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all of these lines really are songs titles.))
"Okay, I’ll start," Kevin said. He turned to the others. "Hello, is it me you’re looking for?"
"Thank God I finally found you!" Karen cried, giggling.
"So what happens now?" Sierra asked.
"Was that a question or a song title?" Howie queried.
"That’s a song from Evita," Karen told him.
There was a long moment of silence.
"Carry on dancing!" Brian cried.
"Everybody," Howie added.
"What do I have to do?" Ellie said.
"Keep away," Tom answered.
"Don’t wanna lose you now," Brian said, giving Ellie puppy dog eyes.
"Oh my God," Ellie sputtered.
"I don’t think that’s a song title," Sierra said, grinning away.
"Wh-Whatever," Ellie managed. "And that is a song."
"Help me I am in Hell," Tom announced.
Maggie cackled.
"Fly away," Howie suggested.
"So long!" Maggie exclaimed.
"Don’t want you back," Brian said.
Maggie hissed at him.
"That’s what I get," Tom cried, throwing his hands in the air.
"But anyway," Ellie said, trying to move things along.
"In Heaven there is no beer," Karen stated.
"There she goes," Sierra said, sighing.
"Run away!" Ellie shouted.
"To the moon and back," Brian added.
"Stay," Kevin pleaded.
"Why?" Tom asked.
"Because you loved me," Karen answered, gagging.
Tom shuddered. "It’s all coming back to me now," he said sarcastically.
Maggie and Ellie burst out laughing.
"Save yourself," Ellie managed.
"Think of me!" Sierra cried randomly.
Kevin took her hand in his. "I love you always forever."
Sierra blushed madly.
"Well, that was sudden," Ellie remarked.
"Hey, that’s not a song title," Brian chided.
"Ask me if I care," Ellie replied.
Brian smiled sweetly at her. "Opposites attract."
"I do not want this," Ellie answered.
"Cruel," Maggie commented.
"Bitch," Karen stated indelicately.
Brian looked wounded, putting a hand to his chest. "What becomes of the broken hearted?"
"Faith," Howie said, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
"Put on a happy face," Sierra added.
"I’m walkin’ on sunshine," Kevin announced.
"Walkin’ on the sun," Ellie said.
"Dream on," Maggie told them.
Ellie threw her hands in the air. "This is the game that doesn’t end!"
~~~