The silence that follows the disappearance is almost ear-splitting. Eli, Hiro, and Kayley stand on the shaded beach, surrounded by a group of Hyenas, most of which appear more relaxed now that the shadow man is gone.
But the gamers don't share this relief. In fact, it's quite the opposite. There's only three of them left... And they are hilariously outnumbered.
Just when things started to go right, they turned around and went completely wrong.
"Where are they?" Eli demands, yanking himself free of those holding him. They don't resist, seeing as he hardly poses a threat now. "Where did he take them?"
Banzai chuckles, one of the only minions at ease. He paces to the edge of the expanding water, gazing out across the frothing waves. "Somewhere Scar won't be interrupted, now that he finally has the mermaid."
Eli seethes, veins nearly bulging out of his neck. Shenzi chortles, pouncing to stand beside her friend. "He might be interrupted, since that foreign kid slipped away with 'em."
Banzai snorts, eyes lighting up with humor, before his smile drops into a frown. "Oh... Scar's not gonna like that." He scrunches up his nose, scratches it, and faces a roiling Eli. "Hope you weren't too attached to him."
"He's done for." Shenzi tacks on, casually tossing an arm around her comrade's shoulders. "He's fish food."
"Lion food." Banzai chuckles to himself.
Shenzi whips her wrist up to smack him upside the head. "Lion food? The doesn't sound as dramatic as fish food."
"Yeah, but the mermaid isn't going to eat him. The would just be weird."
"What does Scar want with her?" Eli treads forward, prepared to rip both their heads off if it means rescuing his friends. Many of the Hyenas tense up, but none move to stop him. At this point, Scar has already won. Nothing Eli attempts can ruin it now.
"What does he want with her?" A wide grin crosses Shenzi's lips, and she shares a conspiratory glance with Banzi. Chuckling, they shake their heads in feigned pity. Then, Banzai's face collapses, his smile replaced with a grunt of confusion. "We don't know."
Shenzi shrugs, shoulders drooping in defeat. "Scar doesn't tell us anything."
This does nothing to calm Eli's nerves. He inhales a sharp breathe, prepared to pound them into the sandy ground, when a nervous throat coughs behind him. Whipping around, he faces another greedy, smelly Hyena, this one bony and lanky, his face round and chubby, as if he hasn't yet grown out of his baby fat. He can't be any older than Mason; eighteen, at the least. The thought stabs through Eli's heart - do they all start this young?
"What?" Shenzi snaps, directing the attention of the young man onto her impatience scowl.
The kid shuffles his feet, redness creeping along his neck as he speaks. "He's here."
The sinister smile returns to it's place on Shenzi's darkened face. "Perfect." Shoving past Eli, she marches straight up to Hiro, who's been awfully quiet. He matches her piercing gaze, appearing unafraid.
"I have something I want to give you, and someone I want you to meet." She declares, delight brightening her features.
"Me?" He arches a brow, suspicion crawling into his tone. Anybody Shenzi wishes to introduce him to is anyone he could survive not meeting. Same goes for gifts. Besides, what could they possibly want with him? What do they have in store for him?
Kayley blinks, a hand drifting to her head, and she rests a palm on Hiro's shoulder. Her vision blurs - just slightly, but not unnoticeably. Maybe it's stress. Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's a combination of the two, mixed in with tiredness and anger. What she wouldn't give for a good night's sleep.
