Running Man : Jungle Temple

Part One

WARNINGS:

   This story has themes of  death (not major character death, just side characters that don't have names)

A squeal of tires and displacement of gravel announced the arrival of an unmarked off-road jeep as it skidded to a stop just inside of the tree line.

A Nyanya woman got out of the jeep and took off a pair of shades. Deep green eyes survey the jungle with an observant gaze as her mouth upturned in a contemplative frown. She turned to her companion who had also gotten out of the jeep and had begun draping the vehicle in camouflage netting after getting their gear out.

"Rema, are you sure this is the place?" Miyo asked, coming up to the other Nyanya.

The silver haired woman nodded, handing Miyo her bundle of gear. "Yes, this is where the beacon led us."

Miyo looked back out at the jungle, both ears perked up and rotating all around to listen for anything, "I don't think he's here, are you sure this isn't some kind of trap? He didn't even tell you about this face to face." she pointed out.

"Oh ye of little faith" a voice spoke from above them. Both Nyanyas snapped their gazes up to the tree tops to see a steel blue mong smirking down at them. "You know, if this was all a trap, then you know I would have never went with the call Rems, no amount of pain could get me to do that" Spin smirked.

Rema rolled her eyes, "two years ago you stubbed your toe and broke down crying."

"You don't have proof-"

"In the middle of a crowded market" Rema finished before levelling him with an intense glare. "You better not be full of crap Spin, we're risking a lot by secretly crossing into Mong Tribe land."

"Why do you think I set up our meeting place so far out in the wilderness?" Spin asked as he jumped down from the tree. Rema handed him a bag, "here, it's some extra food and water, like you requested." Spin took it, opening it up and looking inside before pausing, he then slowly looked back up at Rema. "The med kit's with Miyo" Rema spoke, throwing a thumb over her shoulder to her companion, "why'd you need so much asthma medication and a ventilator anyway?"

Spin's expression fell into a serious and determined look, "you'll see soon enough, though I don't think I need them so much now."

"So, we illegally smuggled medications into a tribe threatening to go to war for nothing" Miyo bit out.

"No, you can say that the reason I asked Rema to get them suddenly died last night" Spin spoke, closing the bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "Hurry, we have to get to the site before sundown. There's a reason nobody has bothered to live this far out here, the jungle isn't the same at night as it is in the day."

Miyo and Rema shared confused looks, but shrugged off the creeping feeling, shouldering their own bags and following the Mong into the forest.

The two Nyanyas quietly hissed and swatted at the pesky insects that buzzed around their faces and attempted to dive into their ears. "I think I'm starting to understand why all the other tribes detested the Mong tribe lands during the wars a thousand years ago" Rema spoke, slapping a bloodsucking purple moth out her face.

"These bugs are irritating!" Miyo snapped and Spin chuckled, "don't let Shan and her brother hear you say that" he snickered and Miyo growled at him.

Soon the sun began to get low, the remaining rays illuminating a flat stone wall in the distance. There was a small passageway at the bottom, just big enough for the trio to walk through. "How did you even find this?" Miyo asked, "I doubt it can even be spotted from the air."

Spin smiled, "good question young lady!" he spoke cheerily, "the jungle grew over the whole thing."

As if on cue, the passageway opened up to reveal a temple courtyard with a canopy of vines, roots and branches above, shielding almost all sunlight from entering the area. "it's beautiful" Miyo spoke, but Spin frowned, "it's an illusion." He spoke lowly, causing the two Nyanyas to look at him with querying looks.

Spin set down his bag next to a remnant of what used to be a stone wall where a sleeping bag and a fire pit lay dormant, "set up your camp here for the night" he said, "it's best to wait before going into the temple. Wouldn't want to trip in the dark."

As the trio set up their camp, a thought came to Miyo's mind, "you didn't answer my question earlier," she spoke and Spin pressed his mouth into a thin line. "I was doing a patrol right before I got my one month leave from my duty, my partner spotted dark red smoke rising from the direction of this place. We would have went to investigate but had been given strict orders to stay away from this part of the jungle."

"Seems like being a DV7 has impaired your ability to follow orders" Rema smirked and Spin chuckled, "more like my ability to follow orders without question. When I came back to my tribe, I began seeing a lot of things that were very suspicious and out of place. When I saw that smoke, I waited until I was off duty to sneak off into the jungle early one morning."

Spin went over and helped Rema set up a canopy over their supplies as he continued, "I travelled for a few days before stumbling onto here, during the nights I didn't even set up a fire. I almost blamed it on hard to scrub out superstition, but I could literally sense something wrong with the jungle, like an evil presence watching me."

The two Nyanyas looked at him in alarm, "How come we couldn't sense that?"

Spin shrugged, "probably cause you approached the temple another way, it's close to the border, so you didn't have to travel through it as long as I had to."

"Anyway, when I got here, there was no sign of a fire, but I did find something... disturbing..." Spin spoke as he finished setting up the canopy and sat down, "inside the temple, there were bodies, I couldn't tell what killed them, there was no sign of a struggle and there was no blood nor any marks on them. It's like they just died on the spot for no reason."

"But, the medical supplies" Rema began and Spin looked away, "there was one alive, a Mong Warrior. She had trouble breathing. I tried to save her, but her condition worsened. Ther were times when her throat "closed up" and she wouldn't be able to take a breath, after those incidents she rasp out "it was strangling me". I could never get her to tell me what it was, let alone tell me her name or what she and the others were doing here."

"I searched the temple after burying the dead but found nothing, then I contacted you" Spin said looking at Rema, "the Warrior I tried to save died the night before you arrived, I buried her this morning before going to meet with you guys."

There was a long pause before anyone said anything, "Spin, are you okay?" Rema asked and Spin shrugged, "Our tribe has been teetering on the deep end for centuries since the war, honestly I've seen worse. Death by starvation, infection, all kinds of illnesses. It's not new to me, don't worry I'll be fine."

Silence fell between the trio as the din of nighttime wildlife echoed from beyond the temple walls.

"It's getting late, it's best to bed down for the night" Spin spoke.

Rema and Miyo shared a glance before going to fix their own sleeping bags, setting them up close to the wall under the canopy. "I'll wake you guys at first light," Spin spoke, tending to the fire, "then, we can go into the temple."