Chapter 55: Picnic (Part 4?)

The calming and relaxing day finally came to a close, right? Sike, this is where things were just about to start getting interesting.

So after relaxing on their foldable chairs for a while, Ryan and Alex soon became bored. This was clearly portrayed by their facial expressions.

However, Ryan's face soon changed from a bored to an enlightened expression as he found a way to relieve this boredom, but first, he needed to check something.

Ryan - "Hey, dad, what time is it?"

Nathan looked at his black Jaeger LeCoultre wristwatch and said, "It's currently 3 pm."

Ryan – "If it's only three, that means we still have tons of time, right?"

Amanda – "Yes, we still have time as we promised to drop off Alex by 6, which means we would have to leave by five fifteen or so."

Ryan – "All right then, how about this we pack everything and then explore deep into the forest for a while. It will be fun."

Alex excitedly said, "An adventure in the forest. Now that sounds like fun."

Nathan – "Okay, if that's what you kids want."

Everybody then started helping to pack and tidy up the previous picnic site. Once everything was packed, the gang was finally ready to begin exploring the uncharted territories of the forest and have fun along the way.

As Nathan checked his pants to confirm he had kept his wallet in the car, he suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh my, how could I forget it."

Nathan, who had just closed the trunk and locked the car, headed towards the right-side front door, took out something from the glove compartment, and put it in his pants.

Amanda looked at Nathan in contempt and asked, "Do you really have to carry that? It's not like we are going hunting. We are just going to explore a natural and peaceful forest."

Nathan – "We are still entering the wilderness where anything can happen. So ensuring safety is a must."

"After all, this forest might not have wild animals in the outskirts, but deep inside, there is always a chance to encounter one."

Ryan and Alex looked puzzled at what was happening between Nathan and Amanda.

However, Ryan soon understood that his father probably had just taken a gun from his glove compartment for safety.

Ryan, in his mind, "Damn, I didn't know my dad was hood like that, but I guess it makes sense this is MERICA after all."

Ryan asked, "Dad, I didn't know you had a gun."

Nathan – "Of course I do. After all, we are in a wild Forrest where we can be in danger anytime."

Amanda – "All right, chop-chop, we got a forest to explore ahead of us."

The gang of four started their adventure of walking and exploring the wilderness. After roughly twenty minutes, they encountered something strange.

While talking, they suddenly heard a loud, weird noise from one of the bushes nearby.

Alex – "What was that?"

Ryan – "I don't know."

Amanda – "Kids stick close by."

Nathan – "I will go check it."

Ryan – "Be careful, dad."

Nathan then broke a stick from a nearby tree and poked the bush from a distance, and a chicken came out running out of the bushes.

"BE-KWOK?"

"ARGHH!" Alex and Ryan screamed in terror.

It saw the big crowd of humans and immediately ran away from them.

This caught everyone by surprise as it was extremely rare to encounter a domesticated animal in the wild in the modern era.

Ryan – "What is a chicken doing in a forest?"

Nathan – "I don't know."

Amanda – "That sounds like the start of a chicken joke."

As the gang was about to delve into discussing the chicken, the next thing they heard was a loud cry for help, leaving them even more stunned.

Ryan and Alex had fear, while Nathan and Amanda had surprise on their faces.

There was an awkward pause as everyone digested these rapid changes of events.

Alex finally decided to break the silence and ask, "Should we go help? Sounds like someone is in danger."

Ryan – "I will leave this decision to the adults."

Nathan nods and takes out his gun for safety before saying, "Follow right behind me."

The group then quickly started moving in the direction where the howling sound of help had come from.

At first, they could not find the source. To make matters worse, the noise suddenly stopped after a few screams.

They next hear a loud scolding and follow that to finally reach their destination outside a dark cave.

The loud scolding continues, and they overhear it clearly while standing outside the cave, "Ha, you think someone will come to save you? We are in the middle of a forest. No fool would venture out here."

Nathan whispers, "Looks like we have encountered some sort of hideout for kidnappers."

Alex is mortified by fear and immediately grabs Ryan's hand, seeking comfort.

Ryan shows urgency and whispers, "I think this is not safe anymore. I think we should go back and then call the police."

Amanda agrees with Ryan and whispers, "Yeah, honey, I think we should inform the police and get away from here."

Nathan - "All right, let's get going back. I would have gone in if we didn't have the kids here, but that isn't an option."

"So we will stay put and not risk the kids' lives."

Amanda is relieved letting and agrees with Nathan's decision.

Nathan – "All right, Ryan, you pass me that drawing notepad of yours."

"I will write the directions to this place on it, and then we can hand it over to the police."

Ryan – "Okay, here."

Ryan then took out a small paper notepad that he had been using to draw various natural sites they encountered. So far, he had drawn on only five pages in total.

Amanda looked over at the drawing and couldn't help but comment, "They look nice."

Nathan reminds, "Now is not the time, honey. We need to get out of here as fast as possible."

They then start heading back with the help of their fresh memory of the road they followed to come towards the hideout.

After tuning in, they finally cover enough distance to talk in a normal voice. Hence, Nathan takes out his cell phone, dials 911, and reports the hideout.

Operator – "What is your emergency?"

Nathan takes a deep breath and replies, "So we were out on a picnic in the woods and encountered a kidnapper's hideout and wanted to report it."

Operator – "What is your current location?"

Nathan - "We are currently deep in the Angles National Forest."

Operator – "How many people are with you? Is anybody injured?"

Nathan – "There are three other people with me my wife and two kids. Also, no one is injured."

"We just happened to hear a scream for help and followed it to reach a cave entrance."

"We then overheard him mocking the victim and decided to flee some distance before calling for help."

Operator - "Understood. Do you still remember the exact directions you went to escape this cave?"

Nathan - "Yes, I wrote the direction when exiting in my kid's drawing pad."

Operator – "Good. We will be sending the police force as soon as possible. For now, we require you to head towards the exit."

"You will meet a police officer waiting on standby upon your arrival. You can then hand him the notepad with the cave's location."

Nathan – "All right, got it."

Nathan and the gang then continued on foot toward the forest's exit at the fastest pace possible.

While running, Alex stepped on a sharp object that penetrated her shoe. Ryan, who was right behind Alex, said," What happened?"

Ryan's parents, behind me, soon came forward and examined Alex.

They helped her remove the sharp object, and seeing as she couldn't walk, they offered to pick her up.

However, Ryan refused, determined to pick her up himself. Once he picked her up in his arms, he continued running like before.

Ryan's parents allowed it as they weren't being chased and were not necessarily in a hurry.

They also didn't want to block any form of romantic gesture from Ryan.

Author Note: Discord Invite for those interested - https://discord.gg/Dbn6bYzj