Chapter 18: Chapter 18

I breathe carefully through my nose, narrowing my eyes slightly to get a closer shot. My fingers wrap around the gun tightly, holding it with a firm grip so it doesn't recoil backwards and slap me in the face. Everything around me is eerily silent as I focus on my aim, waiting for the right moment to shoot. Behind me, Uncle Tobias is watching carefully, giving me instructions.

"Lift it slightly higher." He mutters and I obey immediately. He inhales sharply and I know what his next words are going to be —

"Now shoot."

My finger press against the trigger and I immediately feel the force of the gun flying backwards. If it wasn't for my tight grip, I would have dropped it. The gunshot echoes in the air, disappearing through the trees. I hear birds rustling with desperation to get away, the noise of the gunshot disturbing their sleep. I slowly lower the gun, letting go of the breath I'm holding. My eyes travel to the target opposite me and when I see the bullet pierce straight through the middle of it, I grin widely.

"Bullseye!" I yell, turning around and holding my hand up for Uncle Tobias to high-five. His own lips stretch out into a smile as he slaps his palm against mine.

"Good job kid. Not bad for your tenth go."

I scowl at him, lowering the gun and turning the safety on.

"That was my eighth try actually." I mutter, handing him the gun. He lets out a low chuckle, taking a seat on a fallen tree trunk behind him. In that moment, his phone begins to ring and he reaches for it inside his pocket. I watch as he listens to the person on the other end, his brown eyes darkening considerably. Any emotion vanishes from his features and I hold my breath, hoping it has something to do with my parents.

"Alright, cheers." He mutters before ending the call. I search his face for any clues but he's not giving anything away.

"What is it? Are they dead? Oh my god, they're dead!" I cry out, my heart hammering inside my chest. Uncle Tobias' eyes widen in surprise and he shakes his head, standing up to take hold of my shoulders.

"Stop it Ruby, they aren't dead."

I stop hyperventilating and nod slowly, my heart rate slowing down pace. I make a mental note to stop getting way ahead of myself until I know the truth.

I really need to work on it.

"Who was it?" I question and Uncle Tobias looks at me seriously, his eyes intense.

"We've found a location."

"What?" I gasp, jumping up and down. He walks ahead of me and begins to pack up, zipping everything away in bags.

"How? Where?" I question quickly, needing more information.

"I called an old friend of mine to scan your phone whilst we were gone. He managed to track down the location of the last call. There's a high chance that your parents are there." He explains, motioning for me to follow him out of the woods. A burst of hope fills my heart and I breathe out a sigh of relief, the weight on my shoulders lightening slightly.

"When are we leaving?" I ask him, our footsteps crunching the leaves underneath us. Uncle Tobias pauses and turns around, looking directly at me.

"We leave tonight. Are you ready?"

I nod my head automatically. I don't know if I'm ready but I have to be.

We only have fourteen days left.

*****

"I want Woody to come with us." I say quietly, packing the last of my things in the bag. Beside me, Uncle Tobias pauses.

"Why? He can stay here."

"No, I think he should be involved. He's your family and I don't want him to feel left out. Besides, we can use the extra pair of hands." I explain.

"No Ruby, it's not safe for him." Uncle Tobias shakes his head, eyebrows furrowed together. I place a hand on my hip, my eyebrow raised.

"But it's safe enough for me?" I question. Uncle Tobias lets out a sigh in defeat, his shoulders slumping down. I zip my bag up and swing it around my shoulders, walking towards the door.

"I've already invited him. He's probably outside." I comment. Behind me, Uncle Tobias lets out a disgruntled noise.

"I don't like the way you go behind my back Ruby."

"I'm just like my mother in that aspect." I shrug, giving him an apologetic look. He shakes his head, the serious expression still plastered on his face.

"I think it's a good idea, really." I say softly. Uncle Tobias lets out another sigh, picking up his backpack and heading towards me.

"Come on, we need to leave."

We both head out into his apartment complex and he locks the door, pushing it a few times to make sure it's definitely secure. I glance around at the filth covered floors and grimy walls.

"Why do you live here? You could definitely use an upgrade." I scrunch my nose up, heading for the stairs.

"I don't need luxury in life. Materialistic things don't mean anything to me." He responds, his voice low.

"I'm not asking you to buy a mansion. I just think you should live in a house that you don't have to share with rats." I shrug.

"I don't live with rats."

"Yeah, I'm sure those brown spots on your floor are chocolate buttons..." I shudder, wrapping my jacket around myself.

"Can we focus on finding your parents first and then we can discuss my living arrangements?" Uncle Tobias snaps at me. I hold one hand up in surrender, pursing my lips at him.

"Alright, alright. Don't bite my head off."

"Sorry sweetheart. I'm having a bad day." Uncle Tobias breathes out. I give him a sympathetic look, pushing open the door to the apartment complex. My eyes land on Woody who's leaning against the wall, twirling an unlit cigarette in his hands.

"Hey Woodster." I smile, remembering how he apologised to me in our previous conversation. He gives me a salute in return —

"Hey Jessie."

Uncle Tobias frowns, turning towards him.

"Who the hell is Jessie? Her name is Ruby."

I stifle a laugh and wait for Woody to explain. When he doesn't, I roll my eyes and explain for him.

"He's Woody, I'm Jessie and you can be Buzz Lightyear if you want?"

My explanation earns a crazed confused look from Uncle Tobias. He begins to mutter words under his breath as he walks ahead of us.

"One big crazy family." He shakes his head causing me and Woody to chuckle behind him.

"He loves both of us really," I smirk, turning to Woody. He's also carrying a string bag over his shoulder, ready for the events we have planned ahead.

"Yeah, I bet he does. We're just as crazy as he is." Woody comments, dropping the cigarette to the floor and squashing it with his foot.

"That's a waste of a cigarette."

"It doesn't tempt me if it's crushed." Woody shrugs as we both follow Uncle Tobias to the car park.

"Are you ready?" I question him carefully, feeling nerves flutter inside my own stomach. Woody nods immediately, his dark eyes shadowed over.

"Is it weird that it feels like Tobias has trained me for this exact moment?" He says carefully, looking ahead in the distance. I shake my head, disagreeing with him.

"He couldn't have known my parents would end up kidnapped." I respond quickly. I take a chance to think hard about his words and reach out to take hold of Woody's arm. A chilling shiver runs down my back. Woody pauses, glancing down at my hand on his arm.

"He couldn't have known, right?" I murmur, searching his eyes. Woody looks directly at me, his expression truthful.

"No, he didn't know this would happen. It just feels like he's trained me up to be ready if something like this does happen." Woody explains. I exhale the breath I was holding, nodding my head.

"Yeah, I hope you're right." I whisper, my thoughts running away with me. Woody takes hold of my hand, surprising me. His touch feels warm and I smile down at the sight.

"Come on Jessie, it's road trip time."

I can't help but smile further at his words, my tense muscles beginning to relax.