George threw the stone he picked up earlier at the oak tree for the second time.

There was no response.

"Try again. If we don't let her know what we're about to do, she might jump out of there when the dynamite goes off and the whole plan goes to shit." Troubled Todd told George.

"I know." George replied.

He threw the stone again with all the strength he could muster.

George picked up another stone and was about to throw it when a head poked out of the oak's bark.

The head had a pretty face on it. A face that gave George comfort and made him smile.

"There she is." Todd said.

His eyes were fixed on Mary's and though his heart thumped at skipped beats as George, he kept his cool and smiled.

"So how do we let her know? We can't yell out the plan from over here." George said.

"I know that. How about we use gestures? I'm going to tell her to wait..."

"And I can show her the dynamite." George concluded in pride.

"Dude, why would you show her the dynamite? You'll just scare her!"

"Well if we don't, the sound of a sudden explosion would frighten her wouldn't it? You know I'm right Todd."

"Nope. I only know one thing right now and that's the fact that you're crazy."

"Well my crazy has helped a lot hasn't it?"

"Sure it did Mr Axe-slinger. Your crazy's got Mary bleeding. Congrats on the achievement." Todd clapped.

"You should've gone then!"

While pandemonium created a crack in the execution of George and Todd's plan, the sound of a familiar voice was about to ruin the last beam of hope.

Richard's motionless madness had come to an end. For him, time moved again and so did his feet.

"Alright boys, let's get ourselves some booty!" Richard said without turning back.

Todd's eyes counted his brother's steps.

Richard had gotten close to the little cabin. Too close.

"Fine. You show her the dynamite and I'll tell her to wait." Todd told George.

George waved the dynamite and Todd made wait signs with both palms.

He made a swift motion with his hands as though he patted the head of a pet. It was definitely the right way to say 'wait'.

Mary's head disappeared after a minute.
"I think she got it." George said.

He gave the dynamite to Todd.

Uncle and nephew took a break for a while and after letting out their worries to the wind in a deep breath, they were ready to make their move.

Todd took a stance that was quite familiar to a baseball player who was about to throw a pitch.

"Dude what the fuck are you doing? We haven't lit it yet." George said.

"I know that. I'm just practicing." Todd said while a nervous smile crawled on his face.

"Yeah right. We don't have to get ready for this. We just have to do it. The minute my dad gets into that cabin, it's all over and you know it. So, stop with the useless exercise and hand it over." George said.

He held a lit matchstick. A little flame burnt in dim flares as it walked up the matchstick.

George cupped his hand over the matchstick, to prevent the wind from gobbling the yellow flame.

George was about to light up the dynamite's wick when a sound like thunder's clap in a single thud, echoed in the forest.

In confusion, the dynamite stick fell off Todd's hand and George blew off the growing flame on the matchstick.

"What the fuck was that?!" George screamed.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it's definitely not a good sign." Todd replied.

"You don't think it's Mary do you?"

"No George, it can't be Mary. The sound obviously came from a distance. It has to be far from here. Mary's just behind that tree. By the way, she wasn't with an explosive was she? Or did she just decide to bring one too? She must have foreseen the future and our plans. My goodness, she's gifted in so many ways."

"Stop being sarcastic Todd. I know it's not Mary. I don't know why I asked. Fear maybe?"

"I get you bro. I can't even think right now. There are a million questions in my head but...this is also a good thing. Richard would be distracted for now. Someone did our job for us." Todd smiled.

"True story. There's no way dad would ignore that sound. For now, we should get rid of these."

"Shit! That's right! He'll come here! Quickly! Put them back in the bag!" Todd told George who had begun to struggle with the zip of the backpack.

"I'm trying to get this shit open!" George said, while his shaky hands fought a perfectly working zip.

"Shit! Hurry up George! He's coming this way! Just put the box of matches in your pocket. I'll hide the dynamite stick ..."

"I'm fucking trying here..."

"Well try harder..."

Richard's voice echoed from a step away.
George's fit with the backpack came to a halt.

Todd placed his hands behind him in desperation to keep the dynamite stick out of Richard's sight.

Crushed by obvious fear and failed attempts to deceive, George and Todd forced the birth of an innocent smile on their faces.

Richard turned his neck side to side, in desperate search for the source of the loud bang. He began to sweat.

Beads of salt water, now strings of clear spherical crystals dropped in silent pats from his forehead to his lips. Richard's limbs shook like a feverish child. He bit his lips so hard, tissue began to separate, accompanied by pain.

"No! No! No! Shit! Tell me she isn't here yet? Fuck! No it can't be! She's dead! She's definitely dead. I saw her die...Maybe it's not her...It might be Mary...Did she regain her memories? If she did, this plan is so...Fuck! Fuck! I should've...Alice would..."

Richard muttered as quietly as he could while his head played drums as loud as his heart's beat at that moment.

Richard looked at the cabin and began to take a few steps back.

"Shit! It could be just a distraction...but I've got to be sure...I can't risk it...if it's her, no one is leaving this forest in one piece." He said while he turned back to his nephew and son.

Richard walked to where George and Todd stood.

He did walk but brown leaves and sand particles flew into the wind while he tread the shrub-filled forest grounds in anger.

"So boys, there's a change of plans. I see you're both scared out of your pants. Well who wouldn't be? Right now I need you both to be brave. We're going to find the source of that bang!" Richard announced.

"George, you'll go back home. If Todd and I aren't back in three hours, there's a number I need you to call."

"A number?" George asked. Curiosity had begun to eat him up piece by piece.

"Yeah but you should call only and only if Todd and I aren't back home in three hours. When you get home, you'll find a pouch under the chair, behind my reading table. It's the only chair with a fur cushion in my bedroom. Just slide your hand under the chair and your fingers would feel an opening. That'll be the pouch. There's nothing else there but two business cards. One for a clinic and the other a blank card with a simple note in Mandarin..."

"Dad wait a second...Pouch...Chair...Fucking Mandarin? Since when were you Chinese?" George asked.

His unsavoury thirst for answers had given him patience but the sudden instructions from his father were a mountain away from the word 'overwhelming'.

"George just shut it and let me the man finish!" Todd yelled at his nephew after a quick wink of guaranteed deceit.

He knew that moment and the words of his brother was the only shortcut to the questions he and George had been asking themselves. If they were going to get those far-fetched answers, then George had to keep his composure.

"Alright, where did I stop...Yeah the blank card...So when you get hold of the card with the Mandarin note, turn it over and you'll find a number. Call the number and the minute the call is answered, say the words 'The tiger's on the loose. Code Red.' You won't be asked any further questions. So once you say that, lock all the doors and windows in the house. Then you wait." Richard explained.

His eyelids blinked uncontrollably. Sweat drops by their tens tried to slip into his eyes.

"Wait for what?" George asked. Fear in its cold apparel had hugged the poor teenager.

"A truck will arrive in a day or two. Do nothing. Say nothing. Just wait. When the owner of the truck gets back with Todd or I...or the both of us if we're lucky...open the door." Richard said in a low voice.

"Wait! What do you mean if we're lucky? Seriously is this some kind of Hardy Boys game or Sherlock Holmes expedition? You're just filling our heads with more questions and as it is, you're probably sending us all to our deaths. We deserve a better explanation at least. What is this really about big bro?" Todd asked Richard. Hoping to give the man he once trusted a second chance.

"You two are making this difficult. It's not something you should get yourself involved with. If you both listen to me we'll all be fine. It might not be what I'm thinking. You're both better off not knowing. I'm trying all I can to protect my family and that's it! You're not fucking investigators, so don't question me and do what I say!" Richard said like a king would when pissed.

He turned to George and smiled.

"You'll be okay if you just do what you're asked buddy. Just trust me. Please. Go home and call that number. Remember you should only call it if Todd and I aren't back home three hours from now. If we do get home earlier, then don't go near my room or the chair. Not now, not ever. One more thing, don't breathe a word about any of this to your mother. Not even about the pouch under my chair. Not now, not ever."

"That number is the last resort. I can't believe I'll have to use it...Fuck that bitch! Everything's her fault. I'll fucking kill her and make sure she stays dead this time. I swear it." Richard said in what was meant to be a whisper.

George and Todd's eyes met.

Todd's eyes gazed at the cabin in brief seconds and then the oak tree. George understood and nodded once more.

They could smell the fear about them and it brought nasty shivers down their spines.

In pretence, they both smiled and acted like they heard nothing. Todd nodded at George, who nodded back.

"It's alright big bro. I'm sure George would do it all perfectly. You must have a good reason for this and I trust you. You can tell me the truth when you feel like it. For now, let's go scout the source of the bang." Todd smiled at his brother.

"Thanks Todd. I should've sent you to the house instead but I need you to scout out the bang-making bastard with me. I trust your instincts, like I did back when we went hunting years ago."

"Sure. I find the animal and you proceed with the kill." Todd did his best to laugh but an awkward chuckle slipped form his throat.

Todd's body temperature had increased.

His palms felt hot against his face and his legs had begun to lose strength. His brother's words were repeated in his head.

"Kill her! Make sure she stays dead!"
The words danced in his mind like persistent flies would on carcass.

He could only think of one person. The one person he wanted safe. The one person he wanted to protect. The one person that made him suspect the brother he looked up to for years. He had to keep that person safe. He had to protect Mary.

"Let's get going then. George, do what you've been told without screwing it up. I'd like to stay alive and see L.A again." Todd laughed.

"Sure. You guys get going. I'll do all I can." George said.

His eyes were fixed on the oak tree a few steps away from where he stood.

He bit his lips and swayed his hips lightly out of impatience. He had begun to hear the rustling of fallen leaves from where the oak tree stood.

His eyes met Todd's.

"Alright then, let's get going." Todd said.

Todd placed his arm over his brother's shoulders.

Richard and Todd took several steps beyond the little cabin and the fig tree.

After a few more minutes, they were both out of sight.

George stood still and took in a deep breath.

The wind sang in hasty whooshes and carried leaves as she moved. Birds' tweets were normal and the hoots of doves crowned the peace in the forest.

"Everything will be fine." George assured himself.

"First Mary, then the shed and then...fuck...I hope I won't have to make that call though...I just think...dad can't ..." George muttered his thoughts in stammers while he walked towards the oak where Mary hid.

Lost in thoughts, George was ignorant of his surroundings.

Something struck his head.

He was unaware of what had happened and confusion suppressed the pain but for just a second.

Like a hundred scratches from a panther's claw digging the same point, the skin on George's head burnt. The tissues and tendons on his forehead were on fire and a huge ball bounced around within his skull.

He gritted his teeth and placed his left hand over the spot he was hit.

George brought his hand before his eyes and like a bad dream his heart was at the brink of a pause.

Red in an undeniable liquid presence made itself known by large prints on George's left palm.

The pain in his head increased followed by tears.

"Fuck!!!" he screamed.

He looked up. Terror shut down the nerves that strolled in his limbs.

"Who...What...I...wait...please don't..."

His attempt to beg was cut short by another hit.

George's ears rang. His eyes were partially blinded by the blood that flowed down his face.

He tried to walk but lost his balance and his steps mimicked the dance of a drunk man.
In another attempt to speak, another hit followed. He fell.

George's eyes were fixed on the sky. The white clouds swam lazily across a bright blue sky. The wind whispered kindly across the pores on his face. It was a beautiful day.

A dark figure stood over him as his vision blurred.

George tried his best to keep his eyes open. He looked at his palms once more. They were both covered in blood.

His head hurt and his heart felt squeezed between cold palms.

He looked back at the dark figure and tried to say something but his lips remained shut.

He took in a deep breath and stopped the struggle to stay awake.

Everything his eyes could once see was engulfed in darkness.

He let go.