MARIEL

CHAPTER 2~ Calm Down, Mr. Jameson ~

The forest was quite beautiful and peaceful, but the mosquitoes that harassed Phil Jameson were driving him to the end of his patience. Several birds tweeted, the evening sun glistened in the trees, and a warm breeze rustled the leaves. The small lake sparkled and rippled.

A mosquito hummed in his ear. With a flared nose, Phil slapped at the side of his face and huffed with annoyance. He stared at the burger on his plate, and realized that he had no desire to eat. He was miserable. Frustrated, he looked up and glared at the women at the table.

Carolyn and Hailey did not return his pointed glare. Instead, they ate with quiet reservation, appreciating every bite, glancing around while chewing and acknowledging the forest's beauty. The more appreciative they appeared, the more it angered Phil.

Turning a little, he glared up at the tall, armed guard that stood behind him. The man was black with trimmed, curly hair. He wore dark-tinted sunglasses, black cargo pants, a black t-shirt. As the man held the AR-15 rifle that hung from a sling across his body, he stood strong and erect in his stance. He did not return Phil's glare. Solemnly, he stared into the distance, sometimes turning his head for a brief moment.

Phil slapped his arm and spoke in an offended tone. "Why is everyone so quiet? And how can you two eat when our lives are at stake?"

The guard snorted. Twice. Then, he tried to recover and remain serious, but resorted to chuckling once again.

Enraged, Phil whipped around in his seat. "And what do you find so hilarious, you piece of nothing?"

The guard's white teeth showed as his lips parted in laughter. He threw his head back and rocked back onto his heels, letting out deep, boisterous laughs. Finally, when he recovered, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and turned sparkling eyes to Phil. "Sir, with all due respect, you said your lives are at stake. I'm gonna need you to think about that." His shoulders shook as he laughed again. "Damn, that's funny."

Phil wanted to kill him, but he was certain that it wasn't a good idea. "Aren't you supposed to be silent? Isn't that part of your job description?"

"Darling." Carolyn spoke softly. "Let the man have a laugh. He's been staring at us for eight hours now." Gently, she nodded towards the guard, as though she were allowing him to continue his bout of laughter.

Phil felt his face grow hot and he whirled back to his wife, tightening his lips. "You and I will have a little chat later." He spoke the words, but he didn't entirely believe himself. Ever since the train incident, he'd been slightly fearful of his wife.

"Of course, dear." Carolyn smiled and brought her glass of iced tea to her lips.

Over a week ago, the train had struck him. Then, Phil had opened his eyes. It had felt as though everything had happened in a matter of seconds. Violently, Phil had jolted, confused, disoriented, and had turned his eyes to the phone camera and its glowing light. He'd been greeted by a scream from Hailey, and she'd dropped the phone after several moments of shrieking.

"The Lord does save," Carolyn had said, opening her arms towards him.

It had taken at least a day to understand his surroundings and his own body again. After a day of rest and recovery, he had finally confronted his family.

"You both tried to murder me!" he'd cried, waving the Bible in their faces.

"Dear, we didn't try, we actually did."

He'd raised the Bible with the intention to slap Carolyn across the face with it, but she'd politely reminded him that -

"Using the Bible as a weapon could be considered sinful in God's eyes," she had warned, and had taken it from him. "Now, please sit down and I'll explain, in more detail, how this will help your ministry in the near future."