Sage:
I'm taking deep breaths in and out to try to calm my wildly beating heart. My stomach aches from the ghosts of hunger cramps and people are gathered around me. Everyone still looks hungry but I'm not anymore. I feel like I would after a meal. Not overly full but content with my energy levels. A nice change from feeling dead on my feet for the past few days. Magnus is standing behind me with a worried look on his face, I manage to stand up and all eves turn to me. I suddenly start feeling very self conscious. And then one by one, they all fall to the ground. Screaming and shouting fills my ears as I realise that they are hungry. And this is what's called the death surge. It's increased dramatically and there's nothing anyone can do. Now it's live or die.
I watch with fascinated horror as the bodies lay still. I did a quick count of people who were sitting up carefully and it came to 7 of us left. Thankfully Magnus is among them. I may tease him and even resent him sometimes but I don't know how on earth I would manage without him. I wrap him in a hug and he hugs back. I should be mourning the boy.
At the very least we should be getting out of here now that we aren't hungry anymore. Actually, it's not that we aren't hungry, it's like our stamina increased hugely. I feel like I'm full but if I had to guess, I'd say that I didn't have any more food than I had before, I could just go on for so much longer. I could probably go without food for up to a month once I've eaten properly. The impacts of this set in. This process is horrible but they seem to be helping us in some way. We can now breath underwater, see in the dark and can go for months without eating. What have I forgotten??? Oh yes. And my incredible good looking face in the group. Joke. That was a joke.
I'm still sitting on the ground with Magnus as the helicopter buzzes in to collect us. I'm exhausted and I just feel like I need sleep. The urge to rest is the only thing keeping me going. That and the boy behind me, helping me up the ladder. And then we're rising. Rising....
