He sighed, "You brat, if you keep running like this, we'll be trapped in this forest overnight. Ever think about that?"

In fact, Damian didn't care.

“Yeah, I don't like it either. How about you Let me go? You can't catch up with me anyway!" he said.

Damian was right. Not only was Damian smarter, the man had sprained his ankle. There was no way he could keep up with the cunning, energetic little boy.

But a light bulb came on in Barry's head. He was going to trick the boy.

"Okay!" he agreed.

Damian didn't move and sat still.

"You mean it? If you go back on your word, you'll be a cheating dog."

"I mean it! Scram!" Barry nodded without hesitation. Who cared what a little boy called him? If he couldn't bring this boy back, he would be dead.

Of course, Damian didn't believe him. His father had told them not to trust anyone. The only ones he could safely rely on were his family members. Anyone else might want something from him. This man was not his family. Why should he believe him?

Then Damian turned and continued to run. Barry was a Little confused.

Didn't he just agree to Let him go? Why would the boy scamper off like that? If he Lost him, he'd be in big trouble.

Because one of his feet was injured, he couldn't jump over the stream, so he had to walk through it, soaking his socks and shoes.

But when he got to the other side, the child had disappeared into the forest. Damian was nowhere to be seen. It looked like Damian had tricked him, rather than the other way around. Barry continued to search for the boy in the forest, looking this way and that, moving branches out of the way as he continued on. It was getting dark, and the sounds of the night creatures fouled any chance he might hear

Damian.

At the entrance of the forest

Gifford was trying to track down the kids when he came upon the minibus stopped at the entrance to the forest. He asked his men to bust the window of the minibus, and there were ropes strewn on a couple of the seats inside.

His intuition told him that the ropes were used to tie up the kids.

They were probably brought here. He looked at the forest briefly, wondering exactly where the children were.

He formed two teams from the men he brought with him, and had them go in different directions. He figured if they carved up the forest, they'd eventually find the children. He contacted Sheffield and Joshua.

Later, the forest was disturbed by a vehicle making its way up he road.

Various nocturnal creatures found quieter places to be. Wesley hopped out of the hum-vee. But by the time he got here, more than a dozen search and rescue teams had already entered the forest to search for the boys.

Someone was waiting for him at the entrance.

"Wesley, the chief said the children are inside. They have already entered the target area and he asked you to wait for them here!"

Wesley nodded with a sullen face and asked, “Did you send for a helicopter?"