[ 18 ] search party (part two)

Though the cabin wasn't very big, it was well furnished and well stocked with basic necessities like food and water. It had a living room area, a bathroom, a kitchen, and one bedroom. The first thing Ashton did as they passed the entrance of the wooden sanctuary was to rush to the fridge in the kitchen. He opened it and it was stocked with food that seemed to have been put there that morning, maybe a day ago at the latest.

That meant someone would probably come by again and could lead them back to the hotel where the other boys were staying. Ashton grabbed some bread off the bag on the counter after realizing he was too hungry to cook, and wanted something quick. 

He then went to find a toaster and some vegemite to put on his toast.

"Do you want toast?" He called from the kitchen as Kennedy was just walking in. 

She shook her head. She wasn't very hungry anymore, especially after she had eaten that muffin. It had done just enough to bring back good memories and calm her hunger.

While Ashton continued fixing himself up a snack, she left him to go explore the rest of the cabin. There was a phone in the living room, but when she picked it up and tried to dial a number, she found there was no dial tone. There was a leather couch and a large television which almost looked more like a window, as it was hanging on the side wall. The floor was a plush dark green carpet that was probably meant to imitate the color appearance of grass, since the place was a cabin.

Kennedy went down the small hallway that led to the one bedroom. She pushed the door open to find a king sized bed with a beautiful canopy and curtains around it for privacy. Inside the room was also another television and on the nightstand another phone which had no dial tone. The room was a rosy pink color that matched the sheets on the bed. She had never seen a place as elegant, and it was only a cabin in the middle of the jungle. Calum's family was adamant about providing their guests with the utmost comfort and style.

When she had been there too long, Ashton went to go find her with his plate of vegemite toast in hand. "Do you want to take the bed?" He offered, taking a bite of his toast happily. "I'll sleep on the couch in the living room."

Kennedy thought about it. Ashton came from a rich family and was used to this level of comfort. Kennedy couldn't even imagine him ever having to sleep on a couch. She had done it several times, whenever family came to visit and decided to stay the night. The first room to be offered was always Kennedy's because it was the biggest room in the house. Though Kennedy had refused, her father had offered it to her because she was his princess.

"You'd never be comfortable on a couch, Ash." She pointed it out.

He gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Its just one night. And..." He added with a grin, "The closer I am to the fridge, the better."

He was right. It was only one night. And when would she ever get to sleep in a bed that big again? Her own bed at home was a springy and pretty uncomfortable twin mattress. There was not an ounce of softness in it. But this bed looked fluffy and comfortable.

She bit down on her lip, but finally agreed. He had probably also figured how bad she wanted to be the one to sleep in that bed.

-

As the boys sat at the dinner table, most of them already eating, Calum got a notification on his phone. It was about a park vehicle that was leaving the station per the request of visitors. At first, he thought it was Ashton and Kennedy. Perhaps they had found one of the vehicle stops and had requested one to go to them. When he logged in to the security camaras, he caught a glimpse of three other boys. They were Luke, Niall, and Clint.

"Dumbasses." He muttered to himself. 

The track for the park vehicles was unfinished at the moment and it would just take them further into the forest without taking them back to the main entrance station. Calum pushed his chair back at the dinner table and got back on his feet. His abrupt movements caught the attention of his friends. 

"I have to go find Luke, Niall, and Clint now." He sighed in annoyance, informing the other boys. "Do not leave the hotel until I come back."

"They went to go find Kennedy and Ashton?" Lou asked in amusement. 

"Don't expect us to stay here!" Harry called. "We want to go too!"

Calum made his way toward the entrance of the hotel after leaving the dining room area. Lou, Harry, Liam, Michael, and Zayn followed behind the vice president of the host club who was too much in a hurry to ask them to stay in the hotel again. He also reasoned that it was better having them go with them, where he could watch them, than having them wandering off on their own.

It was a walk of a few minutes to the vehicle station, and just as the notification informed him, there was one car missing. 

"Jeep?" Lou raised an eyebrow at the sight of the park cars.

"Jurassic park." Zayn joked. 

Calum rolled his eyes at his friends. "Jeeps are the best suited cars for jungle travel. So just shut up and get in the fucking Jeep." As one car drove up to them automatically, Calum explained, "There are six of us and only five fit in the Jeep. We're going to split in groups of three."

"Harry and I will take the second one!" Lou yelled with excitement. He always liked to drive, but he wasn't entirely good at it.

"Go with them, Liam." Calum said and Liam nodded in agreement. The cars were automatic and drove themselves on the pre-determined track, but the club vice president still thought Harry and Lou needed a responsible person to supervise them. 

Michael, Calum, and Zayn climbed in the first car and it took off after giving them a couple of minutes to buckled off. It drove at a slow pace, having been designed to allow the guests to see everything the jungle had to offer. Within about a minute, another car drove up and the three remaining boys climbed inside with Lou sitting in the front driver's seat. His hands gripped the steering wheel and he frowned when he realized he couldn't steer it. The car would be driving itself. It didn't even have a gas or break pedal for him to step on.

"Cheer up, Lou." Liam placed a hand on his shoulder from the back seat. "You can pretend you're driving the car." He joked. 

But Lou pouted. He wanted to drive off the track and make his own way around the jungle.

-

The park vehicle arrived for Luke and the two other boys after about ten minutes of waiting. They climbed on and the car didn't move forward until they buckled in their seat belts. From the car, the boys used their flashlights to illuminate the surrounding trees of the jungle. 

Each of them called their friends names hoping they would get a response. 

It was about a half hour going deeper into the jungle when they saw they were approaching a light. It seemed to be coming from a small house, a cabin, somewhere in the woods. The track the vehicle was following would be passing directly in front of it. As they got even closer, the automated voice of the car said to them, "To stop at Cabin 004, say stop. Or hit the red button on the park vehicle's dash board."

If the lights were on in the cabin, it had to mean that someone was there. The only possible people who could be there were the security team that were searching for the lost teens, or it was probably Kennedy and Ashton who had found shelter for the night.

Luke was determined to find out.

As they reached the front of the cabin, the host club president called, "Stop." And the car came to a halt in front of a panel like the one they had used earlier to request a car. 

"You have decided to stop at Cabin 004. If this is not the destination you decided, please say 'go' for the vehicle to resume its course. Otherwise, hit the red button on your seatbelt to unbuckle. Enjoy your stay in Cabin 004, courtesy of Hood Amusement Parks and Resorts." On the car dashboard flashed a countdown from sixty seconds, which indicated that the car would continue after a pause of sixty seconds.

The three boys unbuckled themselves and hurried out of the car. The cabin was only a few feet away and with the lights on, they could see inside. There was a sleeping figure on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, but they couldn't tell if it was one of their friends. They would have to knock on the door to find out.

-

still pretty inspired with this story. so i hope you all enjoy the updates. as you can see, i have been updating pretty frequently, and i hope to continue that way. thank you all so much for reading and commenting and all that. it really means a lot.

have a great week! spring break! woo!

-clary xx