17 Enemies On A Narrow Path 2

Cyrus, noticing the awkward atmosphere, smacked the back of Don's head in attempt to bring him back to reality. His creepy laugh and shinning eyes left even Cyrus a little shaken, "I swear its like he hates them more than me." Even as their enemy, he was starting to feel a little sorry for how they might end up later.

Putting those extraneous thoughts aside, Cyrus explained his plan in detail. "I'm sure you all know about my issues with Jared, Tina, and Manny. The chances of the group outside being them is pretty high, so I would like to ask for your help in doing a few things, any objections?"

Innocent little Talia raised her hand, like a shy girl in class, "Ummm, will we be hurting them? I-I dont't like seeing blood, it makes me feel nauseous."

Sasha decided to but in as well, "If it's something I can do to help brother Cyrus, I don't mind. Justtttt, does little sister Sasha get a reward after?"

"Could you be a bit more shameless? Your a few years older than me!" Cyrus really thought that Don and this girl would get along spectacularly. "Mom always said, birds of a feather flock together....I might need to keep my options open for new friends."

Still, Cyrus was not one to get flustered so easily. Replying with a straight face and no emotional fluctuations, "No problem. You can make one demand that's equivalent to your contribution." Pausing for awhile and just as Sasha was feeling excited, he continued, "But it will be based on my opinion."

Sasha's face turned red and her cheeks puffed out in resenment. Trying to calm herself down with a few deep breaths, Cyrus decided to speak before she could interrupt again. "As for your concerns from earlier Talia, yes their will bloodshed so I won't ask for your personal particpation. You should priortize your safety when we take action because we won't have time to protect you."

She nodded her head and smiled in gratitude for the warning. Looking towards Jacob and the two twins, James and Connor, neither had any issue with helping. "Who knew things would progress this easily!" Happy, Cyrus described the improptu plan he came up with.

....

"There's a cave right up ahead!" Climbing up the rock face desperately, Manny charged towards this last bastion of safety 10 feet off the ground.

"Get some rocks to plug up the entrance as soon as we get in!" Jared was struggling a bit on this last stretch and could barely spit out those few words. Now with a chance to escape, he found a second wind that pushed his body past his previous limits.

Tina, panting and clearly out of breath, struggled to keep up with Jared. She new death only awaited the weak at this time, so she grit her teeth and pressed on with an uncharacterist iron will.

Breaking through the undergrowth they arrived at the small clearing in front of the cliff face. Attempting to find Manny, they spotted a small crevice, about the width of an adult, and that familiar devilish smirk which never went away.

By now they could not help releasing a sigh of relief upon seeing a chance to rest. It had been a very close call and a few more minutes could have resulted in a gory death. With no time to waste, they climbed up hastily and blocked the entrance.

Now on the inside, situating themselves in the most comfortable manner possible became difficult. Considering the situation, they would probably be stuck in this murky, cold cavern for awhile and some decent comfort would go a long way.

Adjusting themselves on the coarse, rough floor, Jared poked a hole in that makeshift barrier to finally get a good look at these monsters. Cold sweat instantly dripped down his brow as a chill encompassing his entire body, from head to toe, left him paralyzed.

Colossal, grotesque Gorillas entered the small glade in an overbearing manner. Violence seemed to radiate from them in waves as their blood shot eyes, containing enourmous amounts of hatred, surveyed the place.

They stood 12 feet tall and were supported by thick, muscular limbs that could exert explosive power at a moments notice. While the fur on their body, striped like a tiger with a yellow horse mane that trailed its back and a long, grey goatee, stood out distinctly from the usual green forestry. However, the protrusion that grew out from the head, like a shark fin with the long side attached to the spine, added an extra exotic and ferocious air to this imposing beast.

"D-don't c-c-come over! These things m-might notice us." In a fluster and stuttering on his words, Jared stumbled away from the gap.

"Look at this loser! Weren't you all buisness earlier, acting like the boss, ptooey(spit)." Manny blustered about but deep inside felt a gripping fear from Jared's earlier reaction. Not daring to even peek outside, he sat down and closed his eyes in silence.

Tina walked over to the hole quietly before giving a similar reaction to Jared. As much as she did not want to, she was not as dumb as Manny who decided to ignore important information due to fear and pride. Dropping to the floor from a sudden loss of strength, her thoughts raced in confusion with questions that had no answer.

"Those things are impossible for us to deal with! What the hell is our instructor thinking!?! I don't think even our entire class could deal with more than 5 grouped together!" Stuck in her convoluted queries, the cave settled down and only the roars of beasts echoed endlessly.

...

An hour later, broken trees, dim sunlight, and crushed corpses spilling copious amounts of blood, left the eath in utter disarray. It was an apocalyptic scene that was hard to describe.

Cyrus found himself wandering the outside of the forest after the passing of those beasts. He dealt with the pressure much better compared to the others in his group. Shaken from the experience, Cyrus chose to leave them as he prepared the first part of his plan.

Treking through the forest and leaving behind a few, easily discernible tracks, his mind was working at super speeds amending some little details. "I shouldn't overestimate them too much and Victor also never mentioned not killing one another. Now that I think about it, besides Don and Jacob, the rest are not ready to end a persons life....what a shame."

"Whatever, I'll just have to stick with the original concept." Having left behind a couple of clues that would suggest multiple people leaving, Cyrus deftly set up some simple trip-vines with posinous thorns in a 'U' like fashion. Jared's team would have a difficult time avoiding an ambush in this enviroment.

"This probably would do well enough, buttttttt the more the merrier." Chuckling lightly, he impaled sharpened tree branches, of all different sizes, in the various bushes. "I doubt they could flee from here, right?" Inspecting his handiwork, it did not appear much different from earlier.

"Heh, with me blocking the exit and Don with some simple wood javelins, they are in for one heck of a surprise!" Although a little simple, it would get the job done as the truly difficult one was reserved for Victor. Cyrus took one last glance before dashing back to the cave with nimble foot steps.

After arriving and with upmost urgency, Cyrus directed everyone to take their positions. "Like we planned earlier guys, safety first. I'll give one last rundown so no one messes anything up."

Cyrus stated, in a concise manner, the main points to remember. "Talia, your jobs is lookout. Don't forget to only light the fire after they are out of sight and tracing the fake trails. James and Connor, your job is drawing attention, a loud argument that's realistic will suffice. Just wait for my attack and then you guys can take on one of them together. Jacob, you'll stick with Don and throw out the wood spears after the twins stop talking, everyone understand?"

Sasha seemed a bit embarresed but asked in a hushed voice, "you left me out...." Turning towards her, Cyrus said, "your bait, nothing else."

"But, but, but, I could be so much more. What about a damsel in distress situation. I know they might be bad guys, but who doesn't love a beauty!" Batting her eyelashes and flashing a charming smile, she posed like an innocent girl.

"Just stick to the plan and lie on the ground. The details matter, so add some blood to your neck, rip your clothes a bit, and mess up your hair so it seems realistic. They are bound to investigate your situation which will leave me with the perfect oppurtunity to attack!" A little proud of himself with coming up with such a plan, he smiled charmingly.

Regathering himself, he quickly pushed everyone out and moving.

.......

Still a little paranoid, Jared's group waited an extra 30 minutes before finally coming out. Glancing at the sun which passed its zenith, moving towards the west, the day was swiftly approaching afteroon.

"We need to find some food and water. Considering the situation, we have neither of these neccesities and don't even know where they are." Frustrated and his stomache grumbling from hunger, Manny complained the minute after stepping outside.

"You don't say...." shaking her head "let's just head deeper in. Theirs nothing good from staying put or heading back the way we came." Tina was just as irritated as Manny but kept her emotions in check. No was not the time to bicker as she shifter her eyes to Jared.

Understanding that questioning gaze, he spoke up, "I agree, we can head in th....Hoh? We might have a lead here, I found some tracks."

A little excited, they headed towards the 'supposed party that passed by' in hopes of getting some easy supplies.