Falling for the jungle boy

Chapter 7

A ghostly silence filled the camp as no-one dared to do speak. The one  unspoken rule; whatever you do, don't break the silence.

I looked around hastily catching Brain's gaze for a minute before shooting him a queer state. He looked away almost as quickly as I had, implying he had something to hide.

I stood up quietly trying not to disrupt the pot on the stove that was bubbling away as a canteen of lukewarm tea was being reheated. I didn't even get a second glace as I paraded into the bush, further and further until the distance rippling of water gushed into my senses. The familiar feeling meant water was nearby, so close. Even if it wasn't around, it cooled my confidence and conscious.

I waded through the mountains of rotting leaves and slowly throughout the lengthy trudge, my mind wandered yet again.

***

Amy... please dont leave me Amy.

The nightmare kept being repeated. Tonight she was dangling off a cliff face. The spray churning below her slamming her in the back, tears were streaking down her face as her fingers started slipping. One... two... three... four... five ... she only had one hand straining against the stone. I lunged forward to save her but my profile was pressed against someone's side and prevented me from gripping her before it was too late. I flailed widly trying my best to escape from the grip. The fingers loosened on my waist as her fingers loosened on the stone.

The veins in Amy's arm were prominently displayed and her breathing ragged, she didn't have the strength to hold on . Not enough to save her life.

"Just let me die. Let me go," she sniffed, "I'm letting go, but I want you to know... you were the best friend anyone could ask-" her voice grew quieter and quieter. Realisation hit and the fact that she had kicked off the stone wall in silence and began hurtling toward her death, the mere recollection chilled me to the bone.

Not a single scream, it was silent this time. A thundering thud echoed at the bottom of the rock face. The water matched it with such intensity, that when I peered down, her body had been brought to the water, her having reached a very watery grave.

That was the thing about death, it always seemed over so soon, the passing instantatious, a few stretched screams, a pair of pained cries, a bubble of tears... And then they were gone.

First Gran, then Mum and Dad, now Amy. Why must it always be the ones we care most about?

***

I had been ambling for a while now, Reaching a nearby rock I sat down, contemplating reality. My dreams and the real world were being muddled, confusion stuffed my head like a swarm of agitated flies, each with a different ear-splitting hum.

Without noticing tears began to slip out of the ducts and trickle down my cheeks. A soft hand wiped them away before they could continue their route to my chin. My head shot up as a delicate kiss was placed on my forehead. But no-one was in front of me. As I was looking around, a nearby tree was shaken behind me and the dead leaves gilttered as they fluttered onto the ground. A shadow ran along the bushy treelines, continuously looking down to where I stood. I could tell an awe-stricken expression had plastered itself around my face.

"Close your mouth babe . You'll catch flies," the wink in the boy's voice was unmistakable. I couldn't help but stifle a sniffling chuckle.

Those few words were enough to make the tiniest of smiles appear on my face.

Though I could not fully see him, the fact that he was high up in the canopy of trees, somewhere was reasuring as well as daunting. Stalker much.

At least I had someone, some retard with feathers for wings watching over me, the strange connection between the wonder of a male and a guardian angel was too astounding to comprehend.

My train of thoughts was rudely interupted by an arrow wizzing past my head it scraping against my shoulder, ripping off the skin and causing the blood to trickle down timidly. Almost as if the tense moment had frozen up my circulatory system with shock.

I groaned and winced as I covered the wound, I bit down on my trembling lip the tears already spilling out of their enclosure. The red liquid entangled itself around my hand and encased it with a gooey consistency. It was clotting in places around my fingers. My mind began to spin, and my arms both stretched out to stablise my unbalanced self. I hissed between gritted teeth as a sting was roused from the area of bloody mess.

I staggered around and felt dark blotches cloud my vision. One foot in front of the other, the first thing in my line of vision was a tree, the branches retracted and small. One foot in front of the other... The trunk was getting closer.

A note was attached to the arrow and it stuck out of the tree that I depended on.

'1 down, three to go. Don't think you got off easy. I'm comming for you... you can't kill me if I kill you first!'

The threat burning in my mind. The holes in my head allowed my smushed brain to drip out of the confines of my skull. I already felt dead. I already had lost the will to live, ages ago. It was obvious a new chance at life was impossible. I was too scarred.

I heard an arrow being fired, the wooshing noise as it silced through the air makde me shiver with the familiarity of it all.

I dropped letting the lofty air surround me, letting it fill me with content.

The ground was cold, not too cold but cold nonetheless. The blotches were comming back to me. The black flame inside me ignighted.

If I live, i need to live to the fullest. Love and love throughly.  Breath and breath to the fullest of my ability.

____________

The whole arrow thing -kinda cliche but we all need a way to injure our prontagonist and get a message across 😄

Questions (that nobody answers but I do anyway) :

1) Thoughts on John's death?

2) Thoughts on the guy in the tree who still trains nameless

3) thoughts on the letter/warning/threat.

4) thoughts on the arrow hitting her and the blackout.

Thank you (as always) for reading. Please vote, comment and share!

Kisses all round.

-Glissmann