We were supposed to look for the mysterious hooded figure three days ago. But Gus said he had to prepare some stuff. Today was Saturday and I texted him to meet at our usual meet-up spot along with Ricky. 30 minutes passed and Gus and Ricky finally showed up. Gus was carrying a large backpack. As if he was going out camping.
"Gus, what the hell is this stuff for?" I asked.
"This my blue-eyed, freckle-faced friend is our camping gear. I have packed enough supplies for the three of us just to make it through the weekend" Gus replied happily.
"You really think looking for the mysterious hooded figure is gonna take us all weekend and does your parents know?" I said
Gus nodded as he showed his phone. His parents were indeed fine with the camping trip.
"Where exactly are we camping?" Ricky asked
"In our tree fort of course. I made it so it has working electricity so we have a fridge for our sodas and a small kitchen area but no beds therefore I brought sleeping bags. Not to mention the view is epic so we can easily spot the hooded figure miles away." Gus said excitedly.
Ah yes, our tree fort. Well, it was a larger than average treehouse Gus and I spent all last summer building. It was built in the highest tree we could find. Gus wanted to call it Fort Boyard after the fort from the game show of the same name. But I was against it. So in the end the tree fort remained nameless. We started following a path through the forest until we reached a large pine tree.
I don't know how Gus managed but he had somehow finished building the spiral staircase that wrapped itself around the tree that we never got around to finish last summer. The staircase led to our so called tree fort. It looked like it was built by a professional and it even had a small porch that was supported by an incredibly thick branch. It was painted a marine blue color. Heck, Gus had even installed locks on the treehouse door. Gus pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. Once we stepped inside the treehouse was even more impressive on the inside. It looked like an actual house on the inside.
It had a living room with a TV and a gaming console, a small kitchen area, and a small dining area. The dining area table was an old worn-out table that we found at the junkyard and was quite the hassle to carry it up to the treehouse. The chairs however were a little bit easier
"Wow this is quite the impressive build," Ricky said
"Thank you. Make yourself at home Ricky. Imma go grab us some nice, cold, extra fizzy Cokes from the fridge. Watch some TV and enjoy yourself" Gus said heading to the kitchen area.
Ricky sat down on one of the bean bag chairs Gus had carefully crafted in school whilst I pulled out my sketchbook and colored pencils and started drawing the hooded figure.
What if he was dangerous?
Is it worth the risk of death?
There was only one way to find out