Brian Saves the World, Maybe

Chapter 27 - In the Mountains

"What's yer name?" the red-faced man asked.

They had been driving for several minutes. Brian's hands had been tied with baling twine, and a man in a straw hat had a shotgun trained on him.

He decided it would be best to give his real name, considering it's what they would find in his wallet, which they had already taken.

"Brian."

He looked at the shotgun pointed at him, thinking it was a poor choice of weapon for use inside a vehicle, but he decided not to comment on it. There were five men in the minivan beside himself.

TV, if you're secretly able to give me superpowers, now's the time for the big reveal.

Sorry.

Nothing?

I am afraid so.

Well, any suggestions on how to get out of this mess?

Try talking to them.

Great idea. Glad I asked. He rolled his eyes.

Still, he didn't have a better idea. Sighing, he looked at the red-faced man. "Well, you know my name. What's yours?"

"Name's Dwayne."

"I'm sorry about your friend, Dwayne."

No response.

"He sounds like a cool guy," Brian added, then winced at how stupid it had sounded.

Dwayne turned and glanced at Brian for a moment. "That, he was." He grinned, suddenly. "Say, boys, nobody holds his liquor like old Jake, eh?"

The other men indicated agreement with various grunts and hoots.

"So, uh. Where we headed?" Brian asked.

Dwayne grinned. "We're gonna find that place Jake told me about."

Brian looked out the van window. "In the dark?"

Dwayne gave a deep laugh. "Naw. In the morning."

"Okay. And, why are you taking me there?"

"Well, Brian, you were all curious about it. Now you'll get to see it firsthand. And then... You're gonna tell me what it is."

Brian frowned. "What makes you think I would know anything about that?"

"Oh, just a hunch," Dwayne said, smirking. "And, let me tell ya, my hunches are top-notch, ain't that right, boys?"

More grunts and hoots.

The bumpy, winding road they traveled had started to make Brian feel sick to his stomach (that, and the body odor that had begun to permeate the van). Eventually, they switched to a road with fewer turns, but more bumps. Finally, the minivan came to a stop, and everyone piled out of the vehicle.

It was dark, but Brian could see the dim shapes of trees all around, and there appeared to be a shelter of some sort just ahead.

The building proved to be a small hunter's cabin, with sparse furnishings. It was ill-maintained, and, judging by the scattered droppings, its usual occupants were not human.

The men pushed Brian into a small, wooden chair in the corner, and tied him to it snugly.

Brian swallowed hard. Aw man, they're going to torture me, I know it, he thought.

The man in the straw hat placed the shotgun in a corner opposite Brian, and then went outside with one of the others. The rest of the men busied themselves around the cabin, sweeping up droppings and wiping off a table in the center of the room. Soon, one of the men produced a deck of cards and placed it on the table. The two that had gone outside returned with a banjo and some other stringed instrument that Brian wasn't familiar with.