The Price of Friendship Chapter 12
The setting sun hung low over the horizon by the time Marco returned to the Johnson�s island. He immediately found Davis still working in the gardens and had him accompany him into the Johnson�s home to hear his report.
In a prideful voice, Marco told of how he was able to follow three of the boys without detection as they searched for food in the forest.
�Do you know the identities of those that you followed?� asked Mr. Johnson with nervous anticipation. Davis couldn�t help but be nervous himself for some reason while looking at the excited older man.
�Yes, I remembered the pictures that you showed me Mr. Johnson. The three were Lance�Chris�and JC,� Marco slowly answered.
Mr. Johnson�s face lit up with a smile. �Good�good,� he said. �Where were Joey and Justin?�
�I don�t know where they were, but I did hear the three speak of Joey having been injured by a fallen tree limb during last night�s storm.�
Mr. Johnson�s smiling face slowly transformed into one that spoke of anger. He then angrily turned to Davis.
�Did you know of this information?� he asked accusingly, pointing a shaking finger in the man�s direction.
�No sir. As I told you last night, the storm was so severe that I was unable to carry out all of your orders. I barely managed to secure most of the cameras before I had to seek shelter,� Davis calmly answered as he looked directly at Mr. Johnson. What he was saying was not a complete lie, but if he was not careful, Mr. Johnson could possibly suspect something and decide to pursue it further.
Marco and Davis spent the next several minutes watching Mr. Johnson pace back and forth before them, muttering quietly to himself, but neither of the natives could understand what he was saying.
Davis could feel the tension building in the room and wondered what was going to happen once it was released. Moments later, Mr. Johnson stopped pacing and with his back turned to the men, he gave further orders.
�There has been a change in plans. Leigh and I had discussed an alternate plan in the event that something were to happen to Mr. Fatone�Joey�something that would interrupt my plans�my experiment.�
Mr. Johnson slowly turned to face the two men as he continued to speak of his new plan. Davis felt his blood run cold with the new plans that Mr. Johnson was now speaking of, but he kept his emotions well masked. As Davis listened, his mind raced with his own thoughts. He had been right. He knew that when he found Joey injured, Mr. Johnson would not continue to use him. It would be the one that Davis had told his family about last night when he had stayed with them during the storm. Somehow, he would have to get to his family tonight and warn them of who to look out for�whom to protect from Marco and the Johnsons.
After Marco had been dismissed for the evening, Davis explained to the Mr. Johnson that he wanted to check on his family since the storm had been so violent. Russell called for his wife and, after much discussion, the pair relented, knowing that Davis�s family lived on Topowgo, but on the far side away from the boys. They did not feel any fear in the boys seeking help from any of the natives of the island�not after how violently they had been attacked by Davis and Marco. On the contrary, they were certain that the natives would be avoided at all costs. The Johnsons also allowed Davis to go on the condition that he seek the new core of their experiment.
Mr. Johnson handed Davis another syringe full of the concoction that he had created, a bottle of chloroform, several coils of rope and cloths, along with an earpiece and microphone for him to wear when instructions would later be given. Then Mr. Johnson handed out his instructions to Davis.
�Marco will be staying here to complete the repair work in the gardens so, I want you to have your brothers help you in finding that young man. You will inject him and leave him in the forest for the others to find. If another one of the boys happens to be with him, use these,� he said, indicating the ropes, cloths and chloroform. The next statement that Mr. Johnson made and his sinister tone of voice caused Davis to inwardly shudder.
�If there happens to be someone with him, use him. The threat of his friend�s safety and health will surely give this new one no choice but to cooperate with you.�
After having finished that statement, Russell and Leigh Johnson dismissed Davis and watched the man leave from the house.
�Do you think Marco needs to follow him?� asked Leigh in a quiet voice. She was not all that sure that Davis would be able to follow through on their plans, but she was not going to interfere by saying her true feelings.
�No�not yet anyway. I believe the threats that we made concerning the well being of his family will prevent him from doing something foolish,� Russell answered. Not long after Davis had been hired, Mr. Johnson had started his experiments, much to the native�s horror. Davis wanted no part of the experiment, but the Johnsons had threatened the health and welfare of his family giving him little or no choice in the matter. He had to cooperate to save them from the evil madness of the Johnsons.
�But dear�does he know that the threats are idle?� Leigh asked here husband.
�Would he be carrying out my plans if he thought otherwise?� Russell answered with a chuckle as the two made their way outside to sit on their porch swing in the darkness. He knew in his heart that he could do exactly what he had threatened to do to Davis�s family�in the blink of an eye he could do it.
It was almost 9:00 in the evening before Davis could leave for the island of Topowgo. Fortunately for him, there was a full moon to aid him in his late night journey. Along the way, Davis�s thoughts were jumbled. He wanted desperately to protect the welfare of both his family and the group of Americans, but in order to do both trouble would be caused for someone. Somehow, he needed to divert that trouble in his direction to save everyone. Looking up at the stars, Davis suddenly came to the realization that the price to pay for the well being of everyone would be a costly one�and he would be the individual required to meet it�possibly with his own blood�his own life. With those thoughts in mind, Davis prayed that he would have the courage to fight for the safety of his family and for the unfortunate young Americans.
When Davis later arrived on the far side of the island, his mother, older sister and her husband and two older brothers greeted him on the shore near their home.
�Hello, my son,� Davis�s mother, Imelda, said as she gave him a hug.
�Hello, Mother,� he answered wearily.
He greeted his sister and brother-in-law, Martha and James before saying hello to his brothers Matthew and Thomas. The group quickly walked up the beach to a trail that snaked into the darkened forest. After a short walk, they entered the three-room hut, sat down at the small table in the corner of the front room, and quietly began speaking of the events surrounding the new inhabitants of their island.
�Have you been watching the young men, my brothers?� Davis asked. He watched the three heads nodding in unison.
�Yes,� answered Matthew, the middle brother. �We even checked the cave as you asked.�
�Good. Did you find anything that might lead the Johnsons to them?�
�No, Davis,� answered Thomas, the youngest of the three brothers. �We did not find any of the Johnson�s equipment in or near the cave.�
�We even found the back entrance to the cave,� added James, who had been married to Davis�s younger sister for two short years. �It was well hidden and we had a difficult time discovering it.�
The three brothers had frequently played in the cave as young boys. One day, they happened to stumble upon the back entrance and it became their secret entrance and exit when they played games with the other children on the island.
�Good. That may come in handy later,� said Davis. After a few more moments of quiet visiting, Davis brought everyone�s attention back to the matter at hand.
�Listen my family. I have news. The Johnsons have chosen the young man that I suspected would possibly replace the one called Joey in the event that something happened to him.� Everyone nodded their heads in understanding, but was shocked at the next statement that Davis made.
�Johnson wants you, my brothers to help me in putting his plan into action...you too, James.�
As he spoke, Davis laid a canvas sack on the table that they were seated around and dumped out its contents onto its surface�the loaded syringe, a bottle of chloroform, cloths, and ropes. He also reached into his pocket and pulled out the microphone and earpiece that Mr. Johnson wanted him to wear during the potential attack.
Davis watched the reactions on his family, knowing that they would be just as upset as he. Matthew and Thomas fingered the items from the canvas bag. Their eyes spoke of apprehension at the thought of having to use any one of them on the innocent, young men. After several moments of uncomfortable silence, James was the first one to speak.
�The Johnsons have their plans. It�s time for us to carry out our own,� he said with conviction in his voice.
�Yes�we need to protect them all�especially the one that will replace Joey,� Thomas added. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
�What do you think we need to do, my son?� Imelda�s voice carried concern over the predicament that her son was finding himself to be in. Although she had never met the five, young Americans, she knew that if the evil Johnsons were involved, she would do everything in her power to keep them safe from harm.
Before answering, Davis picked up the loaded syringe and turned it in his hands as he looked at it.
�We will carry out a portion of the Johnson�s plans�but with our own little twist,� he said with a small grin as he pulled the cap off syringe and pushed the plunger causing the potentially deadly fluid to empty onto the dirt floor beneath his feet. He replaced the cap and leaned over the table.
�This is what we must do,� he said before laying out his plans before his family.
It was rather early the next morning when Davis, his brothers, and brother-in-law, hiding in the undergrowth, watched the group of young men slowly walk through the forest toward the beach. They could see that Joey was moving somewhat unsteadily and had two of his friends supporting him by the elbows while the other two followed very closely behind them. Davis and his brothers were too far away to hear what was being said among the group, but could see smiles on their faces and hear laughter every once in a while. Davis looked down at the canvas bag in his hand. It contained all of the supplies given to him by Mr. Johnson. It was decided that in the event that the brothers would happen to cross paths with one or more of the boys near any of the cameras, the supplies would be used in order to further cover their tracks. And, as far as the syringe was concerned, it was empty of the drugs, and now filled with water in an effort to further fool the Johnsons.
�They are going to be okay,� Thomas whispered in his native language, after hearing the laughter coming from the distant group.
�Yes, but I hope that the time to begin our plans will come soon,� answered Matthew.
�The time will be determined when the Johnsons make their next move,� Davis added quietly.
�Let us hope that we will be ready by then. We do not want to let those young men down.� All eyes looked at James, their expressions showing agreement with his statement.
�Remember, if we do happen to meet any of them, we need to make the attack believable,� Davis whispered, holding up the bag up, while at the same time feeling quite uncomfortable with that possibility. Davis could still picture the terrible terror on Justin�s face and his tortured pleas for mercy as he had struggled against Marco�s strangle hold right before he had placed the chloroform doused cloth over the boy�s face. What hurt Davis the most was seeing the tears streaming down the young man�s face and worse yet, was feeling those tears fall on his hand as he held the cloth. Those tears had burned a hole into his heart, causing him to try to find a way to save the young men from the Johnson�s evil clutches.
Matthew saw that his brother was deep in thought and put his arm around his shoulder as he spoke in reassuring tones..
�Do not worry Davis. We will get them away from the Johnsons and Marco.�
They four natives continued to watch the group of young men walk further away until they were out of sight. Then, very quietly, the natives stood up and circled around the group to make their way toward the cave. They were going to make sure that there was no equipment near the shelter at all. They could not take the chance of the Johnsons or Marco discovering the boys� hiding place. Along the way, they noted which cameras and microphones were operational and those that were not. This knowledge would help them out later when they would begin to implement their own plans in helping the young men.
�How are you doing Joey,� asked Lance, as he dropped down to the sand to sit beside him. The group had been on the beach for nearly three hours. Joey had laid in the shade more than an hour ago while the rest of the group swam and searched the shore for items that may have washed up from the wreck during the previous evening�s storm.
�Sore, Poofu�really sore,� Joey answered with a slight groan as he attempted to find a more comfortable position in the sand, but so far, he was coming up on the short end of that stick.
�I sure could use some aspirin right about now.�
Lance watched Joey wince in pain as he rubbed his hand gently over the bandages surrounding his right arm. Joey had been taking some aspirin at the cave. They really hadn�t intended on staying so long down on the beach and had decided that it would be best to leave the bottle of aspirin there instead of risking the possibility of forgetting it on the beach, or, worse yet, losing it all together.
�Well, I know where we left it�I�ll just get JC and we�ll go back and get you some,� answered Lance as he stood up and brushed the sand off his shorts.
�Don�t go to that much trouble man. I can wait until we get back.�
Lance looked down at Joey and saw him wince once again in pain as he shifted in the sand once again in an attempt to find a more comfortable position.
�Hey, Joe�it�s no trouble�really. I�m just glad that you were able to come down here with us.� Joey looked up and saw relief written on Lance�s face. He nodded his head.
�Me too Poofu�me too.�
�Well, I better go round up Jace. We�ll be back real soon.�
Lance reached down and gave Joey a pat on the shoulder, then walked further down the beach to where JC and Chris were sitting.
Joey gingerly lay back against the sand and closed his eyes, all the while thinking of how fortunate he was to have such good friends.
Lance walked out into the knee-deep surf where JC was now standing, looking out at the horizon.
�Jace,� Lance said as he placed his hand on JC�s shoulder.
�Yeah,� JC answered absent mindedly as he bowed his head and crossed his arms over his chest.
�Joey is starting to hurt,� Lance said, choosing to ignore JC�s melancholy tone of voice. He figured that it wouldn�t help matters too much if they began to dwell on their current situation.
�Do you want to go back to the cave with me to get some aspirin for him?� Lance asked as he dropped his hand from JC�s shoulder
�Sure�why not,� JC said quietly as he turned toward the shore and walked back to the sandy beach with Lance walking by his side. The reality of their situation was finally beginning to get to him, but he was not ready to talk about it yet.
�Let me tell the others and then we can go.� Lance gave JC one last pat on the back and then took off at a trot further down the beach to tell Chris and Justin of their plans.
It was a few minutes later that JC and Lance headed into the dense forest toward the cave, not knowing that a lone figure was watching them, well hidden from their sight. As JC and Lance passed by, the figure waited for them to walk further down the trail before he stood up from his hiding place to follow them at a distance.
For nearly half an hour, JC and Lance warily walked along the trail leading to the waterfall and their new home. Their ears seemed to pick up every sound that was made and their eyes focused in on every little movement around them.
Finally, Lance had had enough of his nervousness. The tension that he could feel building was becoming thick enough to cut with a knife and he needed to calm down before he was too scared to go on to the cave.
�This is ridiculous,� stated Lance in frustration as he glanced at JC, walking at his side. �It�s giving me a headache worrying about being attacked.�
�Yeah, you�re right,� admitted JC, with a small laugh. �I bet the storm probably scared away who ever it was that attacked you, Joey and Justin.�
The pair visibly relaxed and continued their journey with less diligent care as before. Later, after much thought, they would come to regret the fact that they had dropped their guard.
They had not made it more than 20 feet further down the trail into a large clearing, when Lance heard a small noise off to this left that made his chest tighten in fear. He immediately stopped in his tracks and motioned JC to be still.
�Sh�listen,� Lance hissed at JC who was looking at him in confusion.
JC�s eyes opened wide and his breathing became quicker as he glanced around at the surrounding area.
�What did you hear?� he whispered to Lance, whose eyes were also darting back and forth, searching for the source of the noise.
�I don�t know,� Lance answered as he reached out and pulled JC nearer to him. �We need to stick close together and get back to the beach.�
JC nodded his head in agreement. The two turned around on the trail, but had not gone very far when they met up with the source of the noises.
�Oh�no�not him�not again,� JC whispered hoarsely as he grasped Lance�s arm.