"Oh, I forgot to tell you something," I say and stand up.
"What is it?" he asks.
"On my way through the woods to get here I saw these four men wandering through the forest just outside of your house with flashlights."
"Do you know what they were doing?"
"They were looking for people," I say. "John, I think they were hunters."
"I need to go tak to Alex about this." His eyes go wide and he rises to his feet. "They didn't see you, did they? They weren't headed in this direction, right?"
"No, no. I ran past them before they saw me and they were headed back the way I came."
"Good," he says and grabs my hand to pull me off of the bed. "Let's go."
"What am I supposed to do out there? You're the only one I know."
He laughs. "Socialize. Get to know them. They aren't that scary."
"To you," I say and bite my nail.
"That's a terrible habbit."
I punch him playfully. "Yeah, I know. Can't help it."
"Well, you have nothing to worry about. It'll be fine," he says and hugs me again.
I pull away and smile at him. "I hope so."
We walk back out into the living room again, holding hands. I hold on so tightly he has to use his other hand to make me let go. "Good luck," he whispers.
"Thanks, I think you actually just made me more nervous," I say through gritted teeth.
He laughs, lets go of me and taps Alex on the shoulder. He whispers something in his ear and they walk into the kitchen together. Soon enough, a couple of the guys surround me and include me in their conversation. I recognize them as Kyle, Ryan and Nathan.
"So you're the girl that he's been talking about," Kyle says.
"Huh?"
"John brought all of us here to find you," Ryan says quickly.
"Did he tell you why?" I ask.
"We don't ask questions," Kyle says quickly.
"No, he didn't," Nathan informs me. "He just told us that it was really important that we get to you quickly."
"And you just... Did it?"
"Well, yeah, we trust him," Kyle says. He seems like the most loyal guy I've ever met. I mean, they're all pretty loyal but Kyle's the only to keep proving it.
"He said a lot about helping you find out the truth," Ryan says.
"I'm guessing you know what he was talking about since you're here now, right?" Kyle asks.
"Yeah, yeah of course. He told me a few days ago."
"So, what was it?" Adam says, walking towards us. Josh, David and Jason follow behind him looking just as curious as he does. They all lean toward me for an explanation.
I look at all of them and they all seem genuinely curious. It's really odd, but it feels good to trust these people. People I barely know. I feel comfortable around them. It's because of that feeling that I tell them everything. I start with the picture and end with me falling asleep in John's bed last night.
"Wow," they all say in unison.
"I can't believe your father would do something like that," Ryan blurts out.
"He was in a lot of trouble," I say. "I guess I can see where he was coming from..."
"That doesn't make it any better," Jason says.
"I'm aware of that," I say quietly. "But I know the truth now and that's all that matters."
"So, are you ever going back?" David asks.
"I have to eventually but John told me I could stay for the weekend so I'm not going to worry about that now."
"Speak of the devil," Josh says as John walks into the room, followed by Alex. We all laugh and watch them as they walk over to us.
"I have an idea, you guys," John says. "We should all shift early tonight."
"You mean now?" I hear from the corner of the room. It's the first time Sarah has said anything at all since I came back out.
"Yes, I mean now," John replies.
"But why?" Kyle asks.
"Because there was a recent run-in with some hunters in the area and I think it's safer to shift now then later when they're lurking around the woods with flashlights."
"Sounds good," I say and smile up at John.
He smiles back at me and says, "Alright everyone, let's get going!" The room gets noisy as everyone rushes outside.
