The Scream of Tribulation

Chapter 9

-Day 8
(Garret Hughes)

I had to hold myself back with all my will not to tackle that rat to the ground for shooting that innocent girl. I hear she's a dancer too. Such a shame to destroy someone's talent, someone's life like that. I'll be sure he gets what he deserves. Just not today. For now, all I can do is follow what he says. He surprisingly assigned me as a group leader to a bundle of people, all of us frightened but frustrated with Eugene. I was baffled at first when he assigned all of us in one group, until I put together he most likely just wants to group all of the less compliant people and send us off to our possible death.

"Remember," Eugene reminds us before setting us off on opposite directions, " you four stay here for the newbies that arrive tomorrow," he directs, pointing to the four at the bonfire, one including Ceecee for obvious reasons, " and you five keep heading west while us five head the opposite." He told me and my group. "Simple instructions, a child could follow these. Don't fuck it up."

None of us say a word to Eugene back. Jackie and I begin grabbing bags to lug on our backs for the next few hours, maybe days. Ollie keeps right behind our back, strolling behind us like a duckling. Kandel and Barry tread at a slight distance, already exhausted from carrying a few bags. Minutes go by of walking and I can barely make out a silhouette  of Ceecee, La'Shawna, Jaydon, and Bernie, I believe his name was.

Almost an hour past now, nobody calls over the handheld radio, no sign of any life form or village of any sort, nothing but mosquitos starving for blood and the scorching sun beaming down on our delicate skin. By this time,  we are all in a hypnotic haze of heat exhaustion, walking aimlessly down the beach, cooling our now bare feet in the warm ocean waves, hitch doesn't help too much but at least shows the slightest temperature change. Only have conscious of my whereabouts, I wake up from my day dream interrupted by a boggy drop off that I've tripped into. I gasp at the sudden fall. "You okay?" Ollie asks with sincere concern.

"Yeah, I'm alright." I check out the area to see what I've fallen into. "Might as well see what this is."

I paddle my way towards the middle of this pool of water, to see that this place looks like the ocean going into this huge indention in the beach to what looks like a swamp or marsh. It's nothing I've ever seen before, and its a pretty decent size too. The other side of the beach looks like its about twenty feet, and it looks about fifty feet deep into the forests. I drag myself back onto land. "Looks like we'll have to walk around this bog. Looked like fifty feet in the woods, but who knows? Too many trees to tell how deep it goes into the woods." Barry mentions that he can't swim immediately after, so that option is crossed off the list.

All of us stay silent, with a great stench of awkward vibes. "Then what are we waiting for?" Jackie asks through her thick accent, barely comprehensible of what she said. "Let's start hiking."

"Yes," Kandel says passionately. "Let us explore mother natures creation, to see what she has to offer!" All of us look at her oddly as she begins to merrily skip into the woods, warring nothing but some loose clothes and sandals.

"Why is she so happy?" Ollie whispers to me.

"Not sure." I chuckle in a hushed tone. "Just one of those tree huggers I guess."

Ollie releases a squeaky giggle and continues to walk in the tropical forest with us.

"You seem pretty comfortable leading the way." Barry hollers.

"There are no paths here, my friend." Kandel corrects him in a mellow voice. "In the world of nature, you make your own path." She continues her "own path" with the occasion of stopping to pick a few flowers that are pleasing to the eye to create a crown of flowers in her long, straight chestnut hair. Every once in a while you will hear her sniff the air to "appreciate the aroma of natural air."

Ollie couldn't hold back his giggles at any time that she did these odd gestures.

With a break for water or a snack two or three times along the ways, with a total of what felt like three to four hours, and ten to twelve miles, way more than fifty feet, we come across a stream of water that seeps into the pinnacle of this salty marsh. "Oh my god!" Barry shouts. "You think thats fresh water?"

"Why don't you find out?" I suggest.

Barry hesitates. With a slow shrug of the shoulders, he stresses, " I don't know, I mean, what if there is bacteria, or contaminated with somethi-"

"I'll do it!" Ollie eagerly rushes to the stream and slurps a big gulp.

"That's right, young one, drink the fluids that mother nature has provided you. All natural, no chemicals, naturally clean." Kandel praises Ollie, rubbing his back as he gulps cheeks of water.

He licks his lips and moistens his mouth, "Seems fine to me." He says with a smile, as Jackie and I look at Barry in a funny way, as he looks back, obviously felt defeated that a kid was edgier than him.

"Well lets hop over this stream and head our way back to the other side of the beach, shall we?"  Jackie proposes.

"I say we head up this stream first, and see if it leads to any more fresh streams. Possibly one closer to camp?" I throw out as and idea.

"I'm not a fan of it. I think we are safer on the beach. Besides, Eugene told u-"

    "Why the hell are we listening to Eugene?" Ollie said, thinking it was Kandel at first, both of them having higher voices. "He gave us a gun, he's nowhere around us, so why are we listening to him?"

    Jackie's eyes grew wide. "Ollie, you shouldn't say stuff like that! What has gotten int-"

"Some sense is what has gotten into him, and this fella right here is more adult like than some actual adults on this beach, so why can't he use adult words? This one is smart and I agree with him. Kandel, how you liking the woods?"

"Oh it's like Heaven!" Kandel whispers as she lies in the fertile dirt and sprouting spuds of wild plants.

"That's three to two, looks like we're following the stream.
____

It was nearly dark when we discovered three ginormous river streams combining into the one stream we followed. This is where we decided to set up camp. Everyone was settled, all tired of hiking, but glad we found such a discovery. No words were said. All that was heard was the crackling fire, the choir of frogs, the orchestra or crickets, and the whimpering of a feminine voice?

I hop to my feet in an instant and light a torch I made myself in case of an emergency like this. Blindly, I meander my way into the darkness, only directing myself by the jumpers and cries. It was like a game of marco-polo, but at any moment, a rumored beast could come in and swallow me whole. Although I've never seen one, I have seen on an occasion at the corner of my eye, a set of beaming eyes. I try convincing myself it's just m imagination, but there's only a certain extent of denial I can convince myself to go to.

    Alas, North of where our camp is, I find a bruised, cut-up and scratched young lady. She looks frightened at first, but I immediately comfort her as I pick her frail body up. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you. You're safe now. I'll bring you back to the others."

    "There's more?" The lady cracks, coughing up a mixture of spit and blood.

    "Oh yeah. Tons. Let's get you back." I respond, trying to sound as ginger as possible. "Why don't you tell me your name?"

She looks up at me as I cradle her in my arms with the sweetest blue eyes. "Sandy." She whispers, leaning her head against my chest. "My name is Sandy."