Unfortunately,We Were Lost PART 3-5

This is the story of a small group of teens who set out on an adventure to help those in need when a series of unfortunate and unforeseen events occurred resulting in them with a need for help.

PART III

I was torn. No--I was completely ripped in half by the two option that two options that were before us. I knew in my gut that following a stranger deep in the woods was not a good idea because, well, I’ve seen a fair share of horror movies. I also had enough common sense to know that not following this man would be silly. It could be days before we were found by the people from our trip. Also, the odds of this guy being a total creep was slim. I convinced myself of it.

This was right, this was a good idea, you have no other options. I kept repeating that with every stride I took carrying me deeper and deeper into the woods.

I was getting tired and I could tell Eisley and Bryant were too. We’ve been up for a long time. Also, hiking is good exercise, especially in the mountains. The air is much thinner here than what we were used to.

It felt like we were walking in circles. Every tree and rock and clearing we saw looked just like the tree and rock and clearing we saw before that. I was starting to regret not dropping bread crumbs behind us since we agreed to follow this guy. But then again, I didn’t have any bread and there was no changing the situation we were in.

Nobody has said a single word for the longest time. Although, I guess I did hear Bryant yawn. By the time we climbed up and down two mini-mountains in the mountains it seemed like hours past, and I was yawning too. The sun wasn’t up yet, so it couldn’t have been that long.

When we reached the bottom of the second mini-mountain, the man paused and motioned for us to walk in front of him. “Watch your step now,” he said.

We were all caught of gaurd. We paused too, took quick glances at each other then looked down at and around the ground. I was expecting landmines to be all around me or something along those lines.

Eisley, being the brave soul that she is, took the lead and walked past him.

“He’s talking about this wire.” Her voice was a tad shaking.

Sure enough, there was a barbed wire about six inches above the ground. It ran along the ground for as far as I could see.

What is barbed wire doing out here? He must live here? Is that even legal to live in a national forest? I had so many questions but I figured I should just stay quiet and go with it.

A huge wave of relief crashed down on me when I saw a house-type-looking thing through the branches and leaves. I knew this was where we were going because the three dogs took off running for the property and the man didn’t bother to call them back.

I tried my best to be observant of everything that surrounded us. The house was small, made entirely from wood, and looked old, very old. It could have been just a shed too, there were hardly any windows and it was only a little taller than I was. It seemed like the shack was built to fit perfectly in between the trees; there was no clearing. In fact, the brush was basically growing over the shack, taking it over completely. That seemed odd to me. Next to the shack on one side was something, maybe a pickup, covered by a large blue tarp. There was a large stack of firewood that was piled up against the thing under the tarp. It looked almost as if the wood was holding the tarp in place. This must must been firewood to burn for heat, but there was no chimney on the shack. Another little shack, taller than it was wide or long, was 30ish yards away from the house on another side. There were three dog houses that were placed near each other not far from the shack’s front door. No power lines anywhere. Everything looked abandoned.

We walked past this all. Creepy? Yes. But strange? Not necessarily? If this is where this guy lives, it makes sense that all of this stuff is here. But something in my gut told me something wasn’t right.

With the man leading the way, we walked to the door. He had to yank the door to get it open. He stepped in and motioned for us to come in as well. As we filed into the little area, the man was turning on a lamp that burned on gas or something. As he walked around with it in his hand it became apparent that this was not where he lived. This was not a house. This was barely even a shed. My heartbeat quickened and I swallowed hard to muster up what I was going to say next.

“Umm sir, where have you taken us?”

He laughed that laugh again. “Ohh no worries, this is just the first floor. This house is built down into the ground rather than up into the sky,”

As he was speaking he walked over to a corner and bent down reaching for something.

A door. He was reaching for a door. He pulled it open toward him and motioned for us to come over.

“The actual living part of my house is down here.” We had no choice but to believe him.

The man placed the lamp on the ground next to the first step going down.

“You kids go first so I can close the door properly behind us.”

“Alright,” said Bryant putting one foot in front of the other and stepping carefully down the steps.

I followed him and Eisley followed me. We stopped at the bottom and looked up at the man as he passed us the lamp. I took it from him and used it to light up the room and look around. This room was smaller than the room above it. There was a blanket or two in one corner, a small wooden table next to it, a steel shelf with cans of food maybe next to that, and that was it. This isn’t right. I looked back up at the man and he was closing the door, us on one side, him on the other.

“Sorry kids,” he said almost mocking us. “Better hope your parents pay good money for you.”

We raced up the step to try and stop him but we were too slow. The door was shut and locked. We tried pushing but it was useless.

We could hear the sound of his boots walking on the floor above us and the door being slammed shut.

We waited for hours (I think) hoping for the man to come back. It was dark and hard to tell the time of day without even knowing if the sun was up yet.



PART IV

That brings me up to where we are now. Luckily, Bryant had the composition notebook that trip leaders gave us for the purpose of journaling our devotions throughout the week in his backpack. Bryant had an idea to write down everything that has happened to us so that once we are dead and found some odd years later, they would be able to make a movie about us. He was kidding, of course; however, he was onto something. We figured it was a good idea to keep track of everything that may or may not happen to us.

Therefore, this is the written account of everything that has led us to the moment of being locked away…probably for the rest of our lives.



PART IV

I have no idea how long we’ve been down here. The last time we were told was eleven twenty, and that was a long time ago--it seemed like it anyways. We all fell asleep and we are unsure of how long it has been. Going by the fact that I felt well rested when I woke up is a hint that it was a while. I was tired, we all were. So tired that it was easy to fall asleep on a cement floor, sharing a blanket, and using a backpack as a pillow.

When we woke up we made a game plan: write down what has happened to us thus far, turn off the lamp and save whatever light power is left on it, get some sleep, regroup and analyze this situation when we wake up.

Well, now we are awake and we can’t figure out out to get this stupid lamp on.

“Forget it,” I said. “We can talk about this stuff in the dark.”

“True,” said Eisley.

Bryant wasn’t as okay with that call. I understand though, having a little bit of light would make this situation seem a little less scary; however, that wasn’t the case. There was a little bit of light though. As well as another clue that this place was ancient and abandoned: there were cracks of light peering through where the walls were coming together with the ceiling/floor above us. Tiny cracks but they were still there. We could see light. It was day. That gave us hope. Why? I do not know, but hope is hope and we were still stuck in a dungeon type thing in the middle of a remote part of the Rocky Mountains.

It was silent for awhile. Only one thing was running through my head: “Sorry kids, better hope your parents pay good money for you.”

I was scared and confused in my own head. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and I’m sure Bryant and Eisley were thinking about it too. So I spoke.

“What is happening to us?” I blurted it out a little more powerfully than I meant to.

Neither Bryant or Eisley said anything.

“I’m scared guys,” I was telling the truth. “we have to talk about this.”

“So do you think he’s going to go to our parents?” Eisley asked.

“I doubt it because that means he would be basically turning himself in for kidnapping.”

He was right. That man did kidnap up. The realization of it just hit me. I was beginning to feel a lump in my throat. It felt like tears, but I couldn’t bring myself to cry. I was angry… I think. I was still in so much shock I couldn’t get a grip on the situation.

Author's Note

This is a rough draft. Please be gentle with your honest feedback!