Are We Alive?

Seventeen: Rhododendron

Rhododendron–I am dangerous

Imma start posting character files on these chapters until I've disclosed everyone's.

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Ryuji was out hunting in the woods farther from the farm than usual. He didn't know why, but something was telling him he should be there. He got lucky and caught two decently chubby rabbits, along with some squirrels and four bird eggs he found in a nest when he was climbing a tree to retrieve one of the squirrels.

As he was heading back to the main road, he heard it.

Screaming.

Not just any screaming–he'd heard that scream before. He'd heard it when he played a game of Tag with the group(minus the little ones and Torako)and he'd tackle Rin to the ground in a last ditch effort to not be It. Rin would shriek in surprise and then laugh loudly in his ear. He'd heard it when that one feisty cow almost projectile pooped on Rin. He'd heard it when that wild horse nearly bucked Rin off the first time he'd tried to ride the equine.

Ryuji tore through the forest without a second thought. When he got closer to the screams, he slowed down. There must have been several people that were holding his boyfriend captive. Rin could take down three people at once as long as they were predictable enough. There had to be at least more than three.

Ryuji hid behind trees and bushes as he got closer to what appeared to be a campsite. He was able to find an angle where he could see not just Rin, but their other missing family member too. Kinzou and Renzou were actually out looking for Rin and Marshal, but Ryuji was glad he'd been the one to find them. He was better for coming up with plans in minimal time. Rin was the one who made plans on the spot.

Marshal was laying still on a matress at the base of a tree she was tied to by her hands. She was completely naked and had several painful-looking injuries. Her right eye was bruised, her bottom lip was split, there were bruises all over her body, but the worst bruises were around her hips. And there were several bodily fluids leaking from her onto the stained matress. She looked sad and worn out. Whenever she blinked, it took longer and longer for her to open her eyes again. It took everything in Ryuji not to just charge the men at the sight of the obviously heavily assaulted woman.

As for said men, they were all gathered around Rin, who was tied to a tree almost naked and had rope burn and cuts everywhere. One man had a small paring knife and kept cutting into Rin slowly and deliberately wherever he pleased. Rin looked like Marshal did–far beyond tears and just worn out. He looked done. Blood stained his ripped up jeans, his boots were gone, and so was his jacket and shirt. His hair was down in tangled tresses and looked more brown and red than white. Whenever he kept his eyes closed too long, the man reopened old cuts and cut them deeper.

Rin's sword laid in a pile of weapons that were left by the van parked close to the camp. Marshal's gun also laid in that same pile.

Ryuji thought about his options. He could run forward, grab a gun from the pile, and shoot all the guys surrounding his boyfriend, then free Marshal and Rin and take them back to the farm.

But he didn't know if any of those guns had ammo. Did any of them have bullets in them? Did the men keep them empty until they needed the firearms? Had they empties Marshal's shotgun when they abducted her? He could end up running in and grabbing an empty gun and then he'd just get killed and Rin and Marshal would keep on suffering until someone else found them. He didn't know if he could trust a plan like that.

But he did know that both the shotgun and the handgun he had in the car that had just enough gas to get to this forest and close to the farm were both fully loaded. And he had knives as backup.