Wild Blood ◇(A Family Force 5 fanfic)◇

The Deeper We Go

Teddy was sitting comfortably on the couch reading his book when he thought he heard something. Josh had driven to the towns general store to pick up some things for tonight and Nathan was outside grilling hamburgers. Teddy had asked before Josh left, if they possessed any sort of weapon to protect themselves if anything may happen. Josh had hesitated for a moment, his mouth hanging slightly open. Finally he decided that Teddy should know where the rifle was at. If, by chance, there was any need for it. Teddy walked with him down the hall till they came to a small locked closet door. Josh looked for the key on his key ring and slipped it off, holding it in the air for Teddy to see, then unlocked the door. When Josh took the heavy rifle and placed it in Boldt's hands, he almost dropped it. Teddy had gone to a shooting range once or twice before, but other than that he had no experience whatsoever shooting. "Are you sure you would be able to handle that if needed?" "Ya.. Yes. Yes I would!" Josh looked at him. "Alright, I'm leaving the key here." Josh placed the key in a glass dish, usually used for cigars, on the table just an arms length away. Now he wished Josh was here. He closed his book with a hard thud and rose from the couch listening intently. He turned his head to the back of the house. Something almost aluminum was being scratched at. He passed under the stairs and went down the hallway which divided into two sections like a "T". He turned left and stopped at a door. Leaning against it he peered through the office like window. The light switch was on the inside so he couldn't really make out anything. He heard it again. Clearly, something was trying to get inside the garage. While it was still making the sound he slowly turned the doorknob and felt for the light switch. And as soon as he turned it on the scratching stopped. He listened, not moving. Nothing moved but he was still cautious so he turned the light back off and shut the door. When he turned around he was face to face with Jacob. "Woah!" Teddy slammed his back against the door. He wasn't expecting anyone to be there when he turned around. Jacob glanced at the door then at him. "What are you doing?" "I- I thought I heard something." Teddy looked directly at Jacob. "Why do you ask?" "No reason." Jacob returned the gaze. "Just don't mess anything up." Jacob was walking away when Teddy stopped him. "Wait." Jacob stopped mid-stride and looked back. "What is it." "Nothing.. nevermind." "No. Tell me." Teddy thought for a moment. "Have you- do you- does-..... Do you... sometimes... get the feeling that something is lurking outside. Like, watching you." Jacob looked at Teddy with a listening face, but never replied. He turned and proceeded to climb the stairs. Unfortunately, Jacob had been having the same feeling.

++

The van probably wasn't the best choice for small tasks like this. But it was all they had for the time being. Jacob had been complaining about how they had no food in the house and no toilet paper, which were necessitys. So Josh had closed his laptop, put on his jacket and headed out the door. The air had gotten chilly, for dark clouds hung over the sunshine. You could hear a tap on the windshield as he drove down the empty road. "Ahhh crap." In just a few minutes it started pouring. Heavy rain fell down from the sky, obscuring Josh's view. But by God's grace he spotted the Home Goods Store through the thick, cutting rain. He sighed heavily, bringing the vehicle to a stop. The heavy rain roared in his ears. He pulled up farely close to the store but was still liable to get drenched so he decided to wait in the van till it let up. Though it seemed like it never would. He unbuckled his seatbelt and shrunk down into the chair, bringing his coat collar up over his mouth as far as he could. The wind was beating against the van causing it to sway and causing Josh to feel sleepy. He shook his head and sat up. The rain probably wasn't going to get any better than this so he mustered up the courage to head out. He buttoned his jacket all the way up and grabbed Derek's deerstalker hat from the backseat. He wouldn't mind Josh using it for such a case as this. He put it on and placed his hand on the latch. In one very quick motion he was out of the van and onto the ground. The reddish colored water splashed up on his boots. The clay was muddy and he nearly fell before he reached the porch. When he stalked up to the porch, a farely young man was already opening the door. "Come in! Come!" Josh quickly stepped inside and proceeded to wipe his boots off on the mat. "Thanks. It's tough out there." "Sure is. What are you even doing out in it?" "Needed some things." "That bad!" Josh smirked at his remark. "Well, can't live without food." "True. Hey, I can get you a food package if you want. It's basically a weeks worth of food and supplies, initially made for hunters. But a lot of family's get them when the rainy season comes along." "Sure, sounds good. But make that two. No, three." "Three?.. Sorry, I'm not trying to pry." "It's fine, there's me and four other guys." Josh looked at the man. "We're a band." "Ohhh. Makes a lot more sense now. Alright I'll be out with your packages in just a moment. Can I take down your name for any future visits. I'm Patrick by the way." "Nice to meet you. It's Joshua Olds." "Glad to be of service Mr. Olds." Josh snickered. Mr. Olds. Gosh that's weird. Josh followed the warmth of the heater until he found it. Mmmmmm.. In just few minutes Patrick come out with the boxes. "Here we are. I can help you load them into your car if you'd like. Oh, and you said your name was Joshua Olds right?" "Yeah." "Well there's something else here for you." Josh reached out to grab the object from his hands. "A VHS tape?" "Yeah, I went to fill out your name on the checklist and your name was already there. Someone apparently left you this awhile back." "When? How long ago??" "Let me check.. ummm.. just over three weeks ago." Josh held the the tape in his hands. It was blank. Well that's what it looked like, but in actuality it had been recorded on.

++

His fingers were prickling. After being in the cold for so long his body was going numb, shutting down. No! He had to wake up. He couldn't sleep, not now, not here alone. He had to rough it until someone came for him. Nathan, Nathan would notice his absence. But would he be able to find him. How far down stream was he? Was he even in Hollowstone Rock anymore? The water was slowly rising but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He lifted his hand out of the water, clinching it into a fist, then relaxing it. He did this multiple times. Slowly the river was rising. He had looked around and found that the pathway was blocked. To much foliage in the water. The log was basically in his lap, keeping him at the bottom of the river. He thought that if the river rose high enough it would float the log away. But he trashed that idea, for he knew the water would be over his head by the time that happened. It was getting colder. He grabbed the cap off his head and started to wring it out. His hair was damp and the biting wind sent a chill down his spine. God don't let me die here. The water had risen up to his neck, soaking his entire shirt. For a moment he closed his eyes and tried to steady his erratic breathing. For some reason he was having trouble taking in air. It wasn't because of the cold, he hadn't gotten that bad yet. But the thought of a choking death didn't seem like the ideal way to end it. He spit water out of his mouth as it started trickling in uninvited. And as soon as that happened he was tipping his head back to keep his nose and mouth above the surface. He scrunched his eyes closed to keep the water out, took a deep breath and exhaled it before taking the final one. And that was it. No more could he breath the oxygen over the water. He tried once again to push the log away but only ended up cutting his hand on the slick and jagged edges of the dead tree. The oxygen in his lungs could only hold out for a few minutes. He mustered all the strength he had, but still the log did not move. Bubbles popped on the surface, releasing the precious air he needed. Time was winding down. He opened his eyes and looked towards the surface. All he could see was a wash of blue color, rippling all around him. He started to gag. Water was filling his lungs and it hurt. He couldn't breathe. No matter How many times he tried to take a breath only water came in. Suddenly everything was becoming very dark. And a sudden coldness settled inside his bones.

Heavily his eyelids came open but quickly shut again. He felt lightheaded. He reached his hand out but there was nothing to grasp onto. Everything was silent. All he could hear was his breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Finally he opened his eyes. He sat up, or at least tried too. His body moved slowly, as if gravity was pulling him back down to earth. He looked at his hands. What is going on. Where was he. He looked at his surroundings. A bright shaft of light shone down on him. The water rippled almost twenty feet above his head. Wait.. How was he alive right now. How was he breathing. He must have drifted down the river and ended up at the bottom of a lake. He couldn't really remember what happened between that time and now. He was still wondering at the way he was breathing in the water. He sat there cross legged and took a deep breath. Air bubbled out of his nose and he smiled. This was amazing. But unbeknownst to Derek, his lungs had been genetically altered to filter the oxygen in the water into a breathable gas. Finally he stood to his feet. He felt like some would when walking on the moon. It wasn't like anything was weighing him down on the lake floor but his feet were planted on the ground. Though quite suddenly he begain to drift, feeling like a tumble weed blowing in the wind. With a leap he rose in the water. He thrust his hands towards the surface and pulled at the waves of blue. After stroke after stroke he finally breached the surface, his head bobbing on top of the water.

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Finally! I thought I'd never finish it. Took me long enough. *incoherent mumblings* Well, I hope you enjoy it. Happy reading lovelies!