Remi-niscent

Chapter 19:

It's as if we no longer know how to operate our own bodies as we mechanically set up a makeshift camp near the pebbled shore of the lake, still praying for the slim possibility that maybe our friends will still make it out safely. But it seems to all be in vain as our hopes are diminished even further with every sluggish hour that drags by. After realising that any attempt at sleep right now is futile, we start a fire and sit in silence miserably hunched around it, staring blankly into the flames in the hope of distracting ourselves even for just a little while.

Like a clockwork every quarter of an hour we rotate, taking turns at getting up to replace Jase's cooling cloth and to check on Remi. While this gives us something to do, it also makes it painfully obvious that more and more time is passing and there is still no sign of the others. Because at this point it's driving me crazy that I don't know what has happened, after all they're not here so the chances that they are still alive is slim to none, but as bad as it sounds we also haven't seen any concrete proof.

At least if we had that we could give them a proper farewell and burial, but like this they just seem to have disappeared into thin air, swallowed up by mother nature without a trace. When it's my turn to check on Jase and Remi, I get up slowly as my joints have stiffened from the cool mountain air. Around us, the rain has finally stopped pouring from the heavens and even the wind has died down to only the slightest whisper of a breeze.

Crouching down to replace the cloth on Jase's forehead, I am beyond concerned to see how pale and gaunt his frame has become in the space of only a few days. Even with only the dim flickering light of the fire to guide me, I can see that his lips are cracked and parched, so I carefully try to drip feed him some more water. To my frustration, even though his body desperately needs it, most of the water just trickles back out down his chin. Still burning up inside, beads of sweat roll down his forehead, his heart races unnaturally fast under my fingertips and his breathes come out fast and shallow. The only other movements he makes are when occasionally twitches and mumbles random nonsense, none of which makes sense.

Not being able to stomach leaving Jase in this sorry state, I call the others over to get them to help me slide Jase's sweat soaked shirt off and then roll him carefully back onto his stomach. While the boys help me do this, Olivia brings me the emergency kit as I then begin to peel off the bandages I had applied a couple days earlier. The moment the bandages are off it becomes crystal clear why Jase isn't showing any improvements, even after my careful tending of his wounds, the skin underneath is angry and inflamed. The lacerations are still open and have started weeping again due to the movement of taking his shirt off, so cleaning them out again I then carefully reapply the salve. Instead of bandaging his back up again so any bacteria present can fester in the heat radiating off of his skin, I decide against it alternatively leaving the wounds open and uncovered so that they can breathe. Knowing all we can do now is wait and see if this makes a difference, we resume our places around the fire, taking turns to watch Jase to make sure that he doesn't accidentally roll over in his fevered condition.

Staring into the flames, someone shouting something unintelligible from somewhere behind me startles me back to reality. Looking around to see what the commotion is all about, shortly after Sam comes running out of the trees over to where I'm sitting.

"Ty, would snow be good to cool Jase down?" He asks while looking at me with a hopeful expression on his face.

Nodding slowly as I deliberate his words, "Yeah I think it would and it'd also probably be good for his back. Why?"

Sam grins, "Well I was relieving myself away from the camp and then I thought I saw something glowing in the distance. So then I went and had a closer look and guess what! It was snow! There's not much of it, but it's still snow!"