The Travelers, part 3

Taylor's eyes were so accustomed to the darkness that she would have had no trouble finding her way through the forest, had it not been for the thick fog. The other problem was, there was no trace that someone had abducted Frank, even though they had presumably been half-dragging, half-carrying him through the trees. There were no visible footprints in the dry pine needles covering the forest floor.
"Frank!" Taylor called again.
Her voice sounded hoarse and thin. It sounded small. Despair rose in Taylor's chest; she stopped short and tried to get her bearings. She thought she had been running in a fairly straight line, but she wasn't sure about anything anymore. Why on earth had she suggested taking that shortcut through Trenton Valley? Why had she been so sure those directions were telling the truth? She didn't even know the person who had posted the directions on their blog. He was just some guy at her school.
"Stupid party," Taylor muttered.
So much time had passed since Frank had picked her up at her house. So much time had passed since they had begun to drive to Nathan and Holly's party. How much time had passed since Frank had disappeared? Taylor wondered. An hour? Maybe two hours? She rubbed a hand across her throbbing forehead.
Finally, she slowly began to make her way through the forest again, looking carefully at the ground for any signs of footsteps, or of another struggle. She had just stepped over a log when she heard the crack of a twig, and the dull thud of feet on pine needles. Suddenly, before she had a chance to look around her, she was grabbed from behind. A rough hand clapped over her mouth, and she was pulled to the ground.
"Your friend was taken by members of an elite, underground force." A deep, husky voice said.
Taylor could hear the pounding of her captor's heart, as if he wasn't entirely comfortable with what he was doing. She tried to turn and look at him. Then, she felt his grip loosening, and he let her rest against a tree. Taylor gasped for fresh air. Her captor stepped in front of her, and peered down at her. He looked about her age, maybe a bit older. He wore ragged, stained jeans, work boots that had seen better days, and an old gray shirt with a baggy corduroy vest over it. His face was hard to see in the darkness, but Taylor could see that he wore a slightly bemused expression, one eyebrow raised as he looked at her.
"What were you saying about my friend?" Taylor asked cautiously, drawing her knees up to her chin.
He laughed hoarsely. "That's it? You don't want to yell at me for sneaking up on you? You don't want to know who I am? I want to know who you are."
"Who are you?" Taylor asked. "And where's my friend?"
He sighed. "I can't tell you my real name. Thoren will do. As for your friend, he was taken by a group of people whose name I also, unfortunately, cannot tell you. They will be known as Squad Number 5 to you."
"Why did they take him?" Taylor asked, feeling as if she was having a trick played on her.
It was all a trick, a horrible nightmare.
Thoren squinted at her. "Squad Number 5 takes whoever they like, whenever they like. They don't have to answer to anyone but themselves."
Thoren turned and began walking away. "Coming?"
"Coming where?" Taylor asked.
Thoren laughed. "Don't you want to get your friend back?"
"Well, yes!" Taylor yelled, scrambling to her feet. "But why should I trust you?"
Thoren stopped and turned to look back at her. He shrugged. "Trusting me is the only way you can ever hope to see your friend again. It's your choice."
Taylor sighed. Everything within her screamed not to go with Thoren, but she hated the thought of abandoning Frank, of not seeing him ever again. She took a deep breath, and plunged into the fog again, always keeping a close eye on Thoren, who trudged ahead of her. They weaved on, through the trees, their feet thumping dully over the pine needles. Finally, the moon began to shine through the thinning fog.
'The Travelers', Copyright 2012, by Katy Allie. All rights reserved.