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When the men closed and removed the laptops then went back the way they came, the three of us just sat there for a while. "At least we know that Chance and Jared are still alive," I said. "I still don't think we can be sure they're here in this facility."
"Where else would they be?" Gracie Layne asked.
"They could be anywhere," Cassie said. "We never saw them get off the plane."
"We need more information. I don't know what to expect from Dr. Braun tomorrow. Do you have any ideas, Cassie?"
"A few. None of them are good," she said. "Let's go for a walk. We need to see how far our freedom will get us."
We walked out the front door and looked around. "We came that way," I said, pointing to a road that was cut through the jungle. We knew that led back to the airstrip. None of us remembered seeing any sort of civilization there, but then we hadn't realized we might need to know. As I turned in a full circle, I realized we were surrounded by jungle. Logic said this was a remote location since it was serviced by a private air strip. We found a well-worn path behind the lodge. We followed it for a few minutes, swatting at the huge insects that kept landing on our exposed skin. "Gracie Layne, did you pack any long-sleeved shirts?"
"Yeah. I thought we were going to the BITES Lab in Montana."
"Great. We're going to need them if we have to walk out of here." We noticed a few cameras placed around the lodge, but no one seemed to be following us. "I think they believe wandering off into the jungle would be suicide."
"Maybe that can work to our advantage. We'll have to see what we learn tomorrow," Cassie said. "We need a plan. I'm just not sure where to start until we know why we're here. If they're talking to us not the guys, is it possible this has to do with the medical stuff? Could the guys just be pawns in all this?"
"Double fudge," I said. "That makes twisted sense."
We didn't go far before we decided to head back to the lodge. If we were going to have to make an escape attempt, we needed to save our energy for that. We decided it would be wiser if we all stayed together in Gracie Layne's suite. Being together made us less vulnerable, and the kitchen area in the suite might provide some potential weapons. We didn't find obvious ones like a carving knife when we looked before, but we might have to take another look with a more creative eye.
Blank was standing at the edge of the clearing that surrounds the lodge, when we got back. "Did you have a nice walk, ladies?" he asked.
"Yeah, the bugs here are huge," Gracie Layne said.
"Some of them are big enough to carry off a pretty little thing like you," he said, reaching out and letting her pony tail run through his fingers as she walked by. I could see it creeped her out, but she didn't give him an obvious reaction. Back in my room, I grabbed a pillow and blanket from the bed. The hallway was clear, so I went to Gracie Layne's room. Gracie Layne and I could share the bed, and Cassie could have the sofa.
We had a lot to think about and yet too little actual information to make a plan. A few minutes after I'd made myself comfortable on the sofa with a cup of tea and my pad of paper, there was a knock on the door. It was Cassie. I laughed when I saw that she'd thought to bring a blanket and pillow too. I'm not sure why we were so worried about blankets. The rooms were air conditioned, but not kept particularly cool.
"Y'all are welcome to whatever of my things you want to wear," Gracie Layne said. "I know y'all didn't bring much with you. Next time we see Katrin, we should ask if they have laundry service."
"Why not?" I said. "We may as well act like guests until they confirm that we're hostages."
"Do y'all really believe that, Em?" Gracie Layne asked. "I mean they let us just walk away today."
"They know we won't leave without Chance and Jared," Cassie said.