Treasure Seekers

Now, I wasn’t going to ask why we were going here. You see, the three of them always assume that I can’t handle what they have to tell me, but I can. I can handle a lot more than what they think I can. They don’t understand me, they never have.

“Pete, why are you back there? I asked you to take the lead a few minutes ago.”

That was Shawn who was talking to me. He doesn’t understand what I’m truly doing here, and neither does the other two, but I’ll play their game for a little while longer.

“Shawn, please don’t consider me a straggler. I will go to the front when I am ready, but for now I’m not.” And Pete crosses his arms across his chest.

“Well, somebody has to take the lead, and it’s not going to be me. I’ve taken the lead every other time we have come out here, and I’m tired of it. So if it isn’t going to be you, how about you?” And Shawn points his index finger at Doug. The young man who wears baggy jeans, and a backwards hat. He jumps when he sees that finger pointing at him.

“What?” Doug asks.

“What do you mean ‘what?’ You know what I want you to do, so do it!”

“Shawn, if I take the lead we’ll end up west side of who-knows-where. Look what happened to us the last time you suggested that. I don’t think you’re thinking straight.” Doug was going to cross his arms in front of his chest as well, but then he saw that Pete was already doing it. He wasn’t going to copy Pete, not at all. And so he begins to whistle.

“You have got to be kidding me?” Shawn sighs. He already knows how this is really going to go down. He’ll point his index finger at Bill, and Bill will also tell him no. He will tell him that there is no way he is going to take the lead either. Not with everyone else refusing to take it. Bill will claim that if everyone else doesn’t have to do it, then neither should he. That would really piss Shawn off, and it wouldn’t be the first time he has heard that. Bill has used that excuse before, and he has stated that Shawn always picks on him. Shawn is a horrible human being who always forces Bill to do everything.

Shawn isn’t too happy with Bill at the moment.

“You there,” but he was going to ask him anyway.

Bill jumps almost as much as Doug. His eyes grew wide when he saw the finger now pointing at him, and the way Shawn said ‘you there’ to him. It sounds as if he were going to pick on him again; as if Shawn was going to ask him to do something that he doesn’t want to do. Shawn would do that, and he has in the past.

Bill wasn’t too happy with Shawn at the moment.

“What do you want Shawn?” But he already knew.

“I want you to take the lead. Everyone else has turned it down, so there is no one left for it. You have to take the lead Bill, and I’m not going to give you a choice. Do you understand me?”

Bill didn’t like that tone of voice, not at all. He recoiled a bit, and then came forward ready to go to war with Shawn. There was no way he was going to let this little pipsqueak boss him around. Not today, or ever again. He opens his mouth wide ready to shout all of the profanities in the book.

But then he stops when Pete speaks up.

“Hey guys,” he begins. “I think I am ready to take the lead now.

And they all three stare at him. Pete the one who was most likely not the type of guy to take the lead, has said that he now wants it. Shawn was very happy with this, and Bill lowered his guard just enough for Shawn to shove him away.

“You’re standing way too close ass clown. Back it up a bit.” And Bill listens, but he wasn’t angry at Shawn for calling him an ass clown, but he was happy for not having to take the lead.

“So, if you three want to get this show on the road, let’s do it,” Pete said. He’s a larger kid with glasses, but the three never really took him as a smart kid. He was always just Pete.

“I’m all for it, and I hope the rest of you are to. We are going in there today, and I don’t want any of you backing out. This is the third time we have come out here, and I’m still embarrassed to admit that we chickened out the last two times. I will blame all of you for that,” Shawn said. He was pointing at all of them with his one index finger. Bill really wanted to break the finger off; just pull it right off of his hand.

Blame me one more time for that, Shawn. I dare you. Bill thought to himself.

“So ladies,” Shawn the skinny kid with a messed up haircut begins. “Over there is our prize,” he huddles next to the three while focusing their gaze onto the old temple. It was very dark outside tonight, and the rickety bridge leading across the deep chasm shook in the gusty wind.

“Are you sure there is no one else in there? I don’t want to run into a psychopath,” Doug said. He was showing a small bit of fear.

“We’ll be fine, and like I said I don’t want any of you chickening out. This time we go all of the way. We go over that bridge, and we go inside of that temple. There has to be something in there. There has to be a treasure,” Shawn said.

“Did anyone bring extra batteries for our flashlights?” Bill asks.

“I have them right here,” Pete responds. He was patting his backpack with his right hand.

“Good job, Pete. Now let’s get going,” Shawn said.

Through the darkness they travel over the rickety bridge and toward the temple. Doug had said that he didn’t want to run into a psychopath, but little did he know there was already one of those within their group.