Hush

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

The crackle of the fire and Andy's snores filled the otherwise quiet camp, and Bill leaned against a huge boulder behind him, his head facing skywards. He looked up at the stars, watching them twinkle faintly a million miles away. His mind drifted to his family, a common subject he always seemed to latch on to when his mind wasn't occupied with other things. Images of his parents and the rest of his family filled his mind, and he smiled sadly to himself. When can I go back home? he thought. Will I go home at all?

He got up, pacing around the camp, his mind far away. He walked towards the edge of the camp, peering through the trees into the darkness of the forest. He wandered into the foliage, careful not to slip on the frost. He walked farther and farther away from the relative safety of the camp, and into the hauntingly quiet depths of the forest. 

Suddenly, he heard a branch snap, and he froze. He turned around, looking out for anyone that might be hiding anywhere near him. There was no one there. He shook off feelings of fear threatening to overwhelm him, and kept walking, his cold breath visible in the air in front of him.

He stepped over a tree root, ducking to avoid the frozen branches hanging above him. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, shivering. In the silence, he heard a faint rustling from somewhere to his left. He turned, watching the still leaves of the trees. His curiosity got the better of him, and he made his way towards the direction of the noise. He peeked from behind the trunk of a conifer tree and could barely hide his gasp. For there, crouching in the darkness, was none other than Tom. Tom's back was to him, and he was doing something Bill couldn't see, the material of his jacket making the rustling noise Bill had heard before. His hood was still up.

Bill clapped his gloved hands to his mouth to avoid any sound coming up. Tom whipped around at the muffled sound, and Bill dived behind the tree, not daring to breathe. After a while, he peeked around the tree again, and this time he could see that Tom was cleaning a gun. Bill stepped backwards slowly, then ran back to the camp.

"Andy, Jake, wake up! Guys, wake up!" Bill urged,

Jake stirred.

"What's going on?" he mumbled groggily.

"Jake, wake up! It's the Hush, they're here!"

At those words, Jake bolted upright, his eyes wide. He started to pull on his boots.

"Wake Andy up! And how do you know?"

"I was wandering through the forest, and I came across him." Bill said as he shook Andy awake.

"Him? You mean there was only one person?" Jake said in disbelief, puting on his jacket.

"Yeah. Maybe there was more, I don't know, but I only saw one. It was the same guy that captured me before. Tom." 

Jake nodded.

Andy blinked.

"Is it my shift already?" he mumbled.

"Andy, get the hell up, the Hush is here."

Andy's eyes widened, and he got up.

"What are we gonna do?" Bill asked, turning to Jake.

Jake paused for a moment, thinking.

"Capture." 

"What, we're gonna tie him up and hold him captive?" Andy asked. "Why?"

"We can use him and get information out of him." Jake said.

Jake pulled out a piece of cloth and a bottle of colorless liquid from his bag.