In one single sentence, Aaron said "Scarleteye." And Austin felt like he didn't even need to hear Aaron say her name to know that the girl who attacked him the other day in the Labyrinth was involved. The arrow alone gave it away; it isn't easy to forget the weapons of the person who attacked you, nor the person, for that matter.
"Oh, no," Zach exclaimed. "Her? Again?"
"Where is everyone else?" Atlanna's voice sounded small and nervous. "Are they… are they…?"
"Dead?" Austin had realized he had spoken, but when he did, he decided to continue on with "If they were dead, then there'd be bodies. I'd say they were injured and are now either in hiding or being held captive unless they are dead, this isn't a warning for us but, maybe, our assailants just didn't like the sight of bodies everywhere and decided to get rid of our dead... Or, maybe, they just ate them."
"Um, should I worry about how you came to that conclusion?" Atlanna asked, voice edgy with anxiety, but she sounded more nervous about this situation then Austin's answer.
"I just… I get these feelings about things, like…like gut-instincts about certain situations𑁋."
"Sorry to interrupt, but we are under attack, Newbie," Aaron said, glaring at the empty Meadows. "Ya probably right, though. If Scarleteye's attacking, she probably ain't even on her own; I'm sure she with her pals, the Bane Brothers, 'nd if that's so then it's likely tat they are controlling a bunch of armed psycho Scavengers to help 'em attack this place."
"What? They can do that? Control those cannibal's, I mean? Can they actually be controlled? Do they even have brains?" Austin asked, perplexed at the mere thought of such a feat being possible. Aaron nodded and Austin felt like some pieces if his puzzle-scattered brain was coming together to form a picture - a passage to some memory he was certain was up there long before he woke up in that cell the first time. He tried reaching for more prices - to dig deeper into his mind - but the same invisible force knocked him back, refusing him access to his own memories.
"How do you reckon they been livin' in the Labrinthe this long, Newbie?" Aaron's voice knocked Austin back to the present. "Look, we ain't got enough time. We probably late as is, anyway, so listen up guys and gals. Here are your orders "
All 8 eyes were on Aaron for their instructions. Even Trevor, who, now awoken, looked groggily and winced from pain as he finally managed to stand by himself, had his eyes on Aaron.
"Yeah, we've gotta split up. I need four of y'all to hear over to the Greylands with our dead. Be careful; if you encounter a Scavenger or, worse, a Bane Brother, then do not engage alone if y'all have to fight," Aaron ordered, as four of the Scouts began dragging their three fallen partners towards the graveyard area of the Meadows.
"Trevor and Atlanna, ya guys come with me," Aaron said, looking at the two. "We gonna head to the Infirmary to find some health supplies and bandages and other goodies we probably gonna need that. Cleo's not gonna be happy we takin' it without her say."
"Will you be alright for this?" Atlanna asked Trevor, obviously worried, but Trevor just shook her concern off, as he got to his feet from sitting on the ground.
"I'm not that hopeless. I can do this much, at least, especially since it's not nearly as hard a task as what Austin and Zach's gonna have," Trevor teased and took a step forward, winced but didn't fall; he just kept walking in a circle, as if to walk off the pain.
"Austin," Aaron said, facing Austin. "Go with Zach to the Flat Shack, bring back as many weapons you can carry."
"Okay" Austin said, nodding his head.
"On it," Zach agreed.
"It's not gonna be an easy task, though," Aaron commented. "If you're right, and our friends are being held hostage then the Flat Shack would be the best place because it's the only place that's not in the open, but subterranean, so don't do anythin' that'll get either of ya killed or our friends' for that matter.
"Also the Flat Shack is our default emergency shelter, so if there are any of our friend out still alive, they'd be there - Maybe free and in hidin, or hidin' in captivity. Your goal is to save them either way, guys."
It took Austin a moment to realize that Aaron was trusting the biggest and most challenging task to him and Zach. It made Austin wonder if the boy really respected him. Surely such a task wouldn't be advised for a Newbie like Austin, right? It didn't matter, though, because their friends needed him; he had no intentions of failing them.
"What are you going to do, Aaron? After you get the supplies?" Austin asked.
The guy's face darkened.
"I need to find out what happened here… What's goin' on. Don't do anythin' stupid, Austin," Aaron said, looking at his watch after looking at all four Gates. He grimaced. "The gates should've closed by now. Something is definitely wrong.
"Also, once me and Atlanna has the supplies we'll stash them somewhere and scout the Meadows, learn what area's safe 'nd what areas ain't, got it?"
As Atlanna nodded, Aaron continued with "That said, we'll all meet back up at the Great Oak after we finish our tasks. I gotta Feelin' a battle is inevitable if we are bein' attacked, so we'll regroup there and battle our way into the Oak House together."
"Together," Austin nodded in approval, feeling like they could do it.