Kian and the others descended into the basement, but they were met with an unexpected sight - a group of armed men standing guard. Kian and Jed immediately halted their steps, forming a human barricade to shield the rest of their party from moving any closer.
Poor Landon found himself sandwiched between Kian's broad back and a collision with the mysterious young man's head behind him - a painful double whammy that left him seeing stars! To his credit though, Landon managed to stifle any outburst of agony; screaming now would undoubtedly alert these heavily-armed thugs to their presence.
Jed sighed in frustration at this predicament. "They're all wearing night vision goggles," he muttered grimly. "Hiding in the darkness won't do us any good here."
