What Makes You Scream. Pt 4

James woke to the sound of two men arguing. Still groggy from the darts effect, he tried to stand and sat back down. He looked around, trying to focus on his surroundings. The area was extremely dense in Pine trees, so thick one could not see past the branches. His senses clearing, he thought of Margo. Panic set in as he stood and looked around for her. He wanted to call out her name but he could still hear the men outside arguing. James walked quietly towards a bundle of clothing laying on the ground near the edge of the stand. His heart skipped when he saw it was covered in blood. Not wanting to draw attention to his movements, James crawled on his hands and knees to the bundle. Slowly he unwrapped it, tears in his eyes at the thought of what he might find inside. As the last layer was taken away, relief filled his senses. A small deer was wrapped inside.
"Thank you, God" was all he could utter. He saw an opening in the stand of trees. As he entered what looked like a man made tree canape, he saw her. Laying on the ground, snuggle against herself in a fetal position was Margo. Unsure if she was sleeping or... otherwise, he slipped his hand around her mouth and held her to him. As soon as he touched her, she jumped and tried to scream.
"Margo... don't! It is me! Please don't scream, baby." Tears filled his eyes as he held her tighter.
Margo took his face in her hands and kissed him. "James! Oh God, I thought you were dead! I tried to find you but they said if I tried to get away, they would just kill me!"
"I can hear who-ever it is outside arguing. They are fighting about what to do with us. Did you see them? Who are they?!"
"One of them is the ranger. He called the other one brother when they tossed me in here. I don't know what they are going to do with us. The ranger said something about not fixing his mess ups anymore. I don't know what that means. James... beyond the trees here..."
Margo's voice trailed off and she began to cry. "Beyond the trees is what, Margo? Tell me."
"There is a stack of camping gear. Ours is in there too."
"We have to get out of here, Margo. I think they are killers. We have to find a way out and get help. One of us running might keep them here or at least separate them from each other. I can fend for myself and you are a faster runner than I am."
"No! God, no! We have to stay together, James! We can not split and..."
"And what Margo?! Stay here so they can kill us both together. There has to be a road near by. You find it and then stay in the trees beside it so you won't be seen. It is our only chance. You have to go Now, while they are still arguing!"
James kissed her and then pushed her through the small stand of trees. The arguing suddenly stopped. "Run Margo, run as fast as you can, Now!!!!!"
Margo was out of James' sight in a moment. The men came racing towards James. He knew the Ranger but the other one he had not seen. Looking down as they approached him, he realized the bare feet he had seen at the truck belonged to the man he figured to be the brother. As he got closer James knew the odor also belonged to this man. The man grabbed James and shoved him against the tree stand.
"Where is she?! Where did your wife go?!?!?!" The anger in the man's eyes made James second guess his ability to ward them off. The man reached down and grabbed James by his shirt, lifting him off the ground for a moment. "You can call her back or I will find her and kill her while you watch!" Drool was running down the mans face as he yelled. James thought he looked like a rabid dog. "You stupid idiot! I am going to kill you first and let her watch!"
The man raised his huge fists in the air and was about to bring them down on James' chest. Suddenly, a voice barked out from behind the man.
"Cleedace, Stop!!! Do not touch that man! I will hurt you if you do!"
James prayed a silent prayer that the man would heed the Rangers warning. He was sure one blow from the mans fists would kill him. At the very least, his chest would be crushed. The man stopped and turned to look at the Ranger. His face was still contorted in anger.
"He let her go, Bobbie! She is running away and it is his fault!"
He turned and looked at James with a look that scared James nearly to death.
"Where is she going to go, Cleedace!? How far do you think she will get before we find her, or a bear gets her!??"
"What are we going to do with him then? He is a problem!"
"He is coming with us. We can use him to catch his wife. He is our best bet."
"Can you tell me what is going on here?!"
Both men turned to look at James. He wasn't sure if he had stopped them or given them reason to kill him. The Ranger stepped between James and the other man.
"Your only care should be calling your wife back here! I mean that too. That is if you want to live."
"You are going to kill me anyways so I might as well know. Who I am I going to tell way out here?"
The Ranger stepped up to talk. "I am Bob and this is my brother Cleedace. He sometimes takes thing that are not his. He isn't all good in his head, but he is still my brother. I can not turn him in so I play advocate for him."
"The other family? Was there another family?"
"Yea, they really existed."
"Existed, as in past tense!?"
"He doesn't mean to hurt anyone. He just wants someone to like him and they always freak and then... Well."
"Why don't you just let me go and I won't say a word to anyone?"
The ranger just stared at James. James was hoping he was thinking about his offer. The ranger stepped forward and punched James in the face. The blow knocked James off his feet and he laid on the ground, staring up at the ranger. He thought the man was going to punch him again. The ranger leaned down and spoke softly to James.
"Listen to me. Your only chance is to trust me. I have to be aggressive or my brother Will kill you. I am taking you with us to find your wife. I can not hide his sins any more. I need you to understand that he is my brother and I have tried to keep him safe."
"When you find Margo, are you going to kill us?"
"I want to get you out of here and i am going to try but you have to go along with whatever I do."
Cleedace began walking towards them. The ranger kicked James in the side. "And I have no issues with killing you right here! You are coming along with us. When we find your wife, we are finishing this. Now Get up and walk, you piece of garbage!!!!"
James stood and walked towards the truck. His face was covered in blood and the kick in his side made him sick to his stomach. He could only pray that the words and the kick were still part of an act. As they drove away, he wondered how far Margo had gotten. He leaned into the window and cried.