Jaybird's Flight

Drifting Feathers

Blood. The taste overwhelms my senses.

Pain shoots through my jaw. My head and neck throb. Water droplets pellet my face, but this isn't normal rain. It stings and sizzles on impact. I try to catch my breath. Breath in, breath out. In, out.

My eyes flutter open. I stare into the sky, my vision blurred by the downpour.

I shift on my side and moan. Every muscle movement makes my body scream. My wrists press into the muddy ground. The dander is much worse, and when I cough, blood sprays onto the dirt. I feel a molar missing from my mouth.

Glancing at my hand, I notice it's covered with blisters, I'm assuming from the abnormal rain. The air smells chemical, but I can only guess what kind is affecting the weather. I attempt to sit up but the burn on my neck is worse than I expected, and I collapse in shock. My eyes close from exhaustion.

Did anyone getaway? Did Ridley and I hold them off long enough? Ridley could have gone down before I did. If the group didn't get me, then they definitely didn't get her. Others could be unconscious. I try to push through the pain and get on my knees. My hands feel around for my hasta.

Finally, my fingers wrap around the shaft. Well, part of it at least. The end is broken and splintered, but I found the long side with the blade attached. Better than nothing. I steady myself and use the spear as a support to stand. Once my sight reaches above the grass, I search for a sign that anyone is near. A shadow in the distance, the slightest rustle, anything. Nothing.

"Ridley!" I shout. Perhaps it's not the smartest idea to announce my presence. The gang could still be circling, waiting to kill me off, but I'm more concerned with my friends' safety than my own. "Paramine! Wilbur?" Using the spear as my makeshift crutch, with the metal down, of course, I start to shuffle forward. I can only see a few feet in front of me.

Suddenly, I'm a child again, cut, bruised, and lost in the swamps. "Come on, someone! Just anyone!" This situation is too similar to that traumatic one. A sob involuntarily escapes my lips. "Please."

The burns and blisters irritate my skin. I need to get the wounds under cold water soon or else they are going to get worse.

"Ridley!" I try again. This time I hear a faint response. I pursue the sound. "Dominic!" The noise occurs again. I strain to quicken my pace.

The ground is too slippery, and I'm too unsteady to be going at this speed. I stumble and eat dirt.

"Landon?" A weak voice cries. I look up in surprise. Ridley. "Landon, are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah," I answer. With new resolve, I get to my feet. "You?"

"I'm alive." Her remark implies humor, but I can hear the pain in her voice.

"Stay where you are and keep talking," I shout. "I'm gonna find you." My shoulders relax, and I trudge forward.

"Well, ok," Ridley croaks. "Any idea why those guys attack us now?" I redirect my course a bit to the right. "We've been out here for weeks."

"Your guess is as good as mine," I tell the darkness.

"They could have been tracking us and attacked when we were vulnerable."

"Sure," I say and turn to my left.

"Must have entered their territory," she groans. "Why didn't they just finish us off? It couldn't have been-," she inhales sharply and a whimper follows. I panic and force my legs to move faster.

The ground slopes upward, creating a sludge slide. I lose my footing and slide a little ways. I have to bury my blade in the dirt to keep me from tumbling to the bottom.