Griffin Rock's Secret: A Cody Burns Fanfiction

Chapter 6

     As Dani and Graham inspected the marks in the stone, Kade and Heatwave walked around making sure all the burnt trees were soaked to ensure there was no chance another fire would start by a stray breeze. Chase and Chief were scouting around the area, trying to see if there were any other marks or unusual items nearby. Blades was just standing with Cody on the side lines at the moment, while Boulder helped Dani and Graham gather data.

     Cody couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of his family, who were trying to figure out what the marks were. He had once again been placed on the side, even though he was the one who had found the marks. The only consolance for Cody was the fact that Blades was with him and that the bot was actively trying to strike up a conversation with Cody, but kept stumbling with his words.

     "Cody, uh....why did-no wait, nevermind!" The bot shook his hands nervously, trying to figure out a conversation topic to talk about with the boy slightly spacing out next to him.

     "Blades!" Dani's voice startled Blades, and he gave a small scream, which he covered his mouth as an attempt to hide the fact. "Blades, we need you to help Boulder move some trees! I think we've got something over here!"

     Blades headed over to help Boulder, leaving Cody to sit on a stone by himself. As he leaned backwards a little bit to look up into the sky, something darted over the stone overhang. Cody leapt to his feet, his curiosity racing and started after what was above the overhang.

     He climbed some fallen rocks to get on top of the overhang, then raced deeper into the woods. Every now and then he would catch a glimpse of the something darting through the trees, sometimes in the branches, other times on the forest floor. Cody could feel the adrenaline racing through his body, excitement at his fingertips. This chase to find whatever was running through the forest was exhilarating!

     Cody didn't realize how far he had run until he stopped to catch his breath and realized nothing looked familiar. He had never seen this section of the woods before. There were sections of thick thorn bushes here and there and the trees were bigger and taller, the branches and leaves blocking lots of the afternoon sunlight. The forest floor was thick with green plant life, and Cody could hear what sounded like water running faintly in the distance.

     The adrenaline was gone now, and panic started to set in as Cody tried to orient himself and figure out how to get back. His com link was not on his jacket, and his only assumption was that it had gotten caught and fallen off as he had run through some thick bushes. Whatever he had seen before had left his mind completely, the fear that even with all his Lad Pioneer training he was truly lost. Cody took deep breaths and started to look around for sticks and other things that he could make a shelter out of.

     The sun was almost down as Cody finished building his small makeshift tent, the sticks and leaves secured to each other. There was little mud, as Cody has started to use spit, but quickly stopped, not wanting to get dehydrated too fast. He had not found the water source, and because the daylight was quickly vanishing, he refrained from searching.

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     A few minutes after Cody had run off, the rest of the Burns family had finished with their observations and hadn't found anything else besides the claw marks. The afternoon was still bright and sunny, and Dani turned to called Cody over. Only, he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

     "Cody?!" Dani shouted, catching the attention of the rest of the family. The bots called for Cody as well, but there seemed to be no trace of the boy. They looked for footprints, or anything that could give them a clue as to where Cody had run off to. The only thing that they found was his com link,  which was lying on the ground under a big bush. The leaves had been pushed aside and the branches were bent in funny angles, as if something or someone had pushed through the foliage. Otherwise, there was no clue as to where Cody was.

     "Dad, do you think Cody's okay?" Graham asked, watching his dad's worried expression. Chief Burns held the com link tightly in his hand, his fist clenched.

     "I think that we need to warn the townsfolk that there's a kidnapper loose here on Griffin Rock. We need to find Cody, and there's not much time. Boulder and Graham, go to Doc Green's lab and see if you can get him to make a tracking device or something. Kade and Heatwave, you'll come with me and warn the townsfolk. Dani, you and Blades are going to search the forest until dark. We all meet back at the firehouse before 10, understood?" Chief Burns ran over to Chase, who had transformed and was waiting sort of impatiently. The family nodded their agreement, then took off on their corresponding assignments, one though racing though their mind at the same time.

     We're coming for you Cody. Don't worry and do your best to stay safe.