Days Are Numbered

32. Choosing sides

The boys were startled by a loud howl coming from the east border, it shook them awake. Each boy hopped from the tree and stared in the direction of the east border. Dhakirah watched with furrowed brows. Rafael came to stand beside him.

"That's the first time," Rafael muttered while watching the flocks of birds escaping the area at once.

"It is not safe to be out here, we must get to the signal quickly," Dhakirah said to him with all seriousness. Rafael nodded.

Dhakirah turned around, lifting his voice as loud as possible, "Pack up! It is not safe to be around here." He warned.

"What was that?" Vincent asked.

"You don't wanna know," Browne replied while picking up a bag.

"Where is the red haired?" Ethan asked with smugness in his tone.

Dhakirah looked around as his heart skipped a beat, he glanced at Noah's tree to find it empty. "Damn it, Noah." He muttered under his breath.

"Something got him while we were asleep." Evan joked. Vincent didn't find it funny so did the other boys, but Ethan and Browne shared a wicked smile.

"Noah!" Dhakirah called out with his hands forming around his mouth to project his voice. But no response followed, only void. Dhakirah growled under his breath.

"Pack up, we're leaving," Rafael instructed.

"What about, Noah?" Vincent asked.

"He'll find his way to us if he is still alive," Dhakirah said, sounding pissed, causing Vincent to gulp.

The boys resumed their journey into the woods looking for the switch, Dhakirah wouldn't let his worries for Noah slip, he knew Noah loved to sneak around, he also knew that he was foolish sometimes and it caused him pain, this time did it cause him life? Was he caught by those things and being devoured? However, they could not rescue him, why risk it all for one? Maybe that one is very precious. Dhakirah sighed.

"I'll trail behind, I need to keep watch." He said while planning secretly to go looking for Noah.

A branch snapped by their side and they all turned to the sound just to see Noah heading towards them.

Dhakirah frowned deeply. Vincent sighed in relief with a smile. "You're alive!"

Noah trudged towards the group, but before he could reach them, he was forced into a collision with a tree, courtesy of Dhakirah's forceful intervention. His wince was met with a momentary softening of Dhakirah's expression, quickly replaced by a stern scowl that rippled through the group, punctuated by hushed gasps.

"Stick with the group, Noah. We can't afford to search for anyone," Dhakirah's voice carried a note of aggression, a plea beneath the firmness.

Noah's response was a silent growl, his frustration simmering beneath the surface, unvoiced but palpable.

"Let's keep moving, everyone," Rafael's instruction spurred the group forward, leaving Dhakirah and Noah in the wake of their confrontation.

"Do you really need to test the limits, Noah? Just follow the rules," Dhakirah's appeal was laced with a hint of exasperation, his eyes betraying a deeper concern.

With a hesitant step forward, Noah's voice trembled as he challenged the notion of rules. "There are no rules," his admission barely above a whisper.

Dhakirah's grip on Noah's shoulder tightened, a silent plea for understanding etched in his features. "Where there are no rules, chaos reigns. Because you lived with no rules you got here, do you wanna go back with the same attitude? Is that what you want?" His words carried the weight of experience, a cautionary tale in themselves.