Hello all! Welcome to day 27! One more day closer to the end of the month. Thank you for all the love on my posts so far even if they're just musings produced from my brainrot of the 141, Los Vaqueros, and Konig. I came across the prompt "Write about a time you were lost (figuratively or literally)." And I wanted to put my own spin on it. So, we look at how the 141, Los Vaqueros, and Konig may handle you getting lost with them when a mission goes awry.
The mission split your group, and you knew from the check-ins from the others they were safe, but alone.
You had been lucky to find the Captain quickly, stumbling across him in an alley where you nearly shot each other.
When he passed you a map and compass, you bit your lip.
"Sir, I haven't navigated in a while, maybe you ought to lead this."
"You'll be fine." He dismissed. You knew you were screwed.
After an hour of hiking through the backwoods, you broached it again.
"Sir, I think I've gotten us lost..." You all but force the map in his hands.
"Surely not... ah, well I'll be damned. I'll take it from here." He concedes, taking the lead with the map.
You could easily tell your Lt. wasn't happy at having to hike out of a mission gone wrong, let alone with you in tow. You had silently handed him the map at first, and he shoved it back into your hand.
"You nav, I'll keep an eye out for the others."
"Ghost, you really should-"
"Start moving kid, this isn't a discussion." You decide on a path you thought was moderate enough for you two given your mild injuries.
Too bad the map didn't account for damaged roads and washed-out bridges. When you came to a section you'd either have to wade through a knee-high creek or go back the way you'd come he turned to you.
"Where the fuck are we kid?" He growled, holding his hand out for the map. His glare was enough to make you hand it over and then quickly retreat from him.
"I see. Look, how about you take over looking for signs of the others, I'll keep this..." He nods, eyes simmering down from the boil they'd been a moment ago.
He hadn't taken you seriously. You realized this now.
"Soap, I barely passed navigation in basic and haven't tried since, now isn't the time to test it."
"Nonsense rookie, you'll be fine."
You were not. He seemed to recognize this too after an hour of walking.
"Hey, let me see that..."
A few minutes of searching later, he sighs heavily.
"You weren't kidding, were you rookie?"
Gaz seemed okay with the longer route home. He was reassuring you it was fine.
"Look, stop apologizing, alright? I should have listened to you."
"Still, after that horrid experience, I'm sure we'd both rather be at the safe house, not still walking around, I'm sorry."
"Well, I should have taken you seriously. We got into this together eh, let's get out of it together now." He'd smiled. You grinned back, nudging his shoulder as you walked.
"No problem, now let's go."
The man seemed more concerned with putting distance between you guys and the currently imploding plan you'd been trying to make work.
"Sir, I really can't navigate too well, maybe you should-"
"Let's get out of here first. We can find our way back when we aren't being shot at."
It was about a half hour of briskly dodging any noises before he turned to you again.
"Okay, I think we're good, now... where the hell are we?"
"I don't really know, I tried to warn you, sir." He nods, looking around before digging in his pack for a map.
"We'll be alright, out this way I think we can cut a path through..."
Honestly, he was amused after you were both out of harm's way.
"How about we pretend this didn't happen?" He asked, passing you a canteen as you walked. It had been about 45 minutes since the last check-in, so you knew you two would be the last to arrive.
"Why? I think the massive delay in time will tell them we got lost."
"Nah, we'll tell them it was just a detour..."
"...Alejandro will never let you live it down, will he?" You'd grinned.
"...No, no he won't." He laughed. You shook your head.
"Lead the way home then, 'cause I sure as hell don't know it."
The man's silence made you a little hesitant to ask him about the map you currently held. He hadn't raised any questions yet so far.
You two had ended up separated from the main group when an unexpected patrol came by in the midst of a recon op.
The goal was to be at a rendevous point by now, but it was dawning on you you had been walking in a path that was increasingly leading you away from the rendevous at about a 45 degree angle on the map.
"Um, Konig?" You'd murmured, halting where you were. He turned to you, staring.
"We need to alter our course. The rendevous is about a mile east..."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't realize, I'm sorry..."
"Let's just get going, they're likely waiting."
As you walked in your new direction, he spoke again.
"It happens to all of us, at least this is a calm time." You nodded.
The worst time I got lost anywhere was on a group trip to Yellowstone national park. Our group was split between two cars and we got separated after nightfall. At 18, that experience was absolutely terrifying. Almost hitting bison who were just chilling in the middle of the roads only made it worse.
TLDR, I do not recommend staying in Yellowstone past dark, shit gets scary fast.
Edit, posted after midnight, I'm sorry. Formatting is a bear sometimes.
