Going Bush

“Well, he’s not here,” Zac sighed, frustrated.
Isaac frowned and scratched his chin.
“Ok. I say we wait a while, and then…”
“How long?”
“…I don’t know. Not long. Then go and tell the ranger. You never know, one of the patrols might have seen him.”
“Unless they’re in on it.”
“Well if they are, then they’ll give us no reason to worry, will they?”
Zac hesitated, his hands on his hips.
“Good point.”
Isaac grinned.
“Of course it is. Look, I’ll time it. Ten minutes then I go tell the ranger.”
Zac just shook his head and disappeared into his tent.

*

It was well over an hour before Nate returned. At first, Taylor thought someone had found them, but when the second captor made for the door the hopes soon diminished.
“What did you get?”
“Clothes, cash…” Nate grinned, “defense.”
The second man snatched the bag Nate was carrying, as Nate turned to bolt the door again. He threw the bag onto the bench with the tools he’d been sifting through, and opened it. Reaching his hand in, he pulled out a wad of money.
“Nice huh?”
“Good,” he nodded.
Nate glanced at Taylor, before following the man to the bench.
“I took a guess at your size man,” he began, pulling out some clothes, “looks pretty much right.”
They rustled around for a moment in silence, before the older man stopped, and pulled another large knife out. He looked it over, before Nate pulled out a gun.
“Where did you get that?”
“I happen to have contacts not far from here. Don’t worry, they don’t know where we are or what we’re doing. They didn’t even know I’d been busted,” Nate shrugged.
“And they just gave this to you? For nil?”
“Let’s just say the guy owed me a favour.”
Nate threw the gun onto the bench and stepped into one of the stable areas.
“You should probably get across the border within the next day or so,” Nate began, shifting some of the hay around.
“I shall. Will I have company?”
“I think I’m going to stay in the state,” Nate shrugged, sitting down on the hay he’d stacked into a corner, “the boys should keep me safe. You have contacts, right?”
“Not in this state.”
“Why the hell did they bring you this far anyway?” Nate frowned.
“En route to capital punishment. I was shifting out next week with Jo and Lesky.”
Nate nodded, glancing at Taylor. Taylor hurriedly turned away, avoiding eye contact.
“And what are we doing with him?” Nate indicated him.
“He stays with us. When we split, he’ll come with me. If he survives that long.”
Nate nodded his approval as Taylor closed his eyes.