Invictus

Chapter 34: Beginning Of The End

We debated for a few minutes on whether or not we should go back but Trenton squashed that idea, informing us that he hadn't brought a map.

"You're welcome to head back. If you can find your way." Trenton said laughing.

Adam would have burned Trenton's face off for that comment had Kya not intervened. Trenton didn't seem too concerned by Adam's anger though.

"We need to keep going." Trenton waved his flashlight in Adam's face. "I know you don't understand this now but I'm doing this to help us. It'll all make sense soon."

Once Trenton was out of earshot I voiced my concerns to the others. "He keeps saying that." I whispered.

We reluctantly followed after Trenton, walking until sundown. It was right around this time when we were making camp that I noticed the tree formations were starting to look familiar.

"Hold up." I said to the group.

"What now?" Adam grumbled.

"We already been here before. This the same spot we was in this morning."

"Yeah. That's because we've been walking in circles." Trenton said while setting down his pack. "Time to make camp."

Trenton started unloading. Along with the essentials: tent, MREs, and water. He also took out ten packages of what looked like thawed red meat.

"That dinner?" Adam asked suspiciously.

"Not our dinner, dinner for our new friend." Trenton said with a smile.

"Is that beef?" Santiago asked.

"Ten prime grade fillet mignon, you know it." Trenton said unpacking a perfectly folded brown piece of waterproof material from a small box, flinging the opened meat on the ground. It was a two foot thick square, no larger than a dinner napkin and it started inflating itself as Trenton spoke. "Been dripping the juice from these bad boys as we were walking. If there's something out there, he'll smell it."

I picked up the box that Trenton had unpacked the tent from since I was curious. It was some high-end, water repellant, nano machine technology that could program itself into whatever structure you wanted it to be. 

Cool.

I set the box down and noticed Adam looking mournfully into the dirt. "Where I come from, that's borderline blasphemous." he said pointing to the pile of meat. Trenton ignored him.

"What makes you so sure this Beast is a he?" Kya asked Trenton wryly.

Trenton flashed her an uncertain smile. "Guess we'll find out won't we?" He motioned for us to set our packs down.

I heard Adam curse behind me as he went to open his. "What in the name of heaven and earth is this?" Adam threw six dangerous looking golden metal objects with sharp teeth around them onto the ground.

Trenton didn't even need to turn back to see what it was. "It's a bear trap."

Adam didn't like that answer. "Boy, I've got half a mind to dry you out right now."

Then Trenton did something that surprised me. He walked over to Adam and got right up in his face. "Look, I get it. This all looks suspicious. Like I took us out here to die in some crazy found footage horror movie... on second thought, why didn't I bring a camera?" Trenton shook his head and continued, "Seriously though, we can't do this. Helena and her pack are close."

"Who's this Helena chick you keep mentioning?" Adam snarled to Trenton.

"A bad woman vaquero. She make those oso out there look like small fish." Santiago said, giving Adam a placating gesture. I could tell Santiago didn't want this to go too far; we were his best insurance policy against getting taken by Manuel or Helena. He needed all of us alive if he wanted a chance at surviving.