Fic-kensteined Story: Adventure of a lifetime

Chapter 4: Separately Lost

Characters in this chapter:

Liam

Michelle-Joe(bro)

Sherry-Louis(bf)

Karly(Louis'sis)-Nick(bf)

When Sherry opens her eyes, she found herself staring at the tent ceiling. Jumping up with a start, she racked her brains, trying to think of how she ended up there. A strong pang of smell of BBQ hit her nose as she started to recall what happened four hours ago...

Cherie! Share-Reeeeeee! Sherry remembered Zac screaming hysterically after Cherie broke free of his embrace to chase after her best friend. My Cherie! was the last thing he shouted before he left the group as well to join the other four who ran away: Aracely, Genesis, Niall and Cherie. That five of them were the only ones who ran that time. The remaining twelve of the group were at a loss.

When Zac disappeared out of their sight, Sherry looked back at the bus driver, meanwhile trying to figure out how to save him when she noticed that the snake had transformed into a big blue dragon in their confusion. It was scaly all over and its eyes were crimson red. Its horns were standing tall and dangerous, as if it could kill anyone by accident if they stood too near when it swings its head. The dragon had a wingspan so large, it scattered everyone in different directions when it flapped its wings to take flight, taking the bus driver along with it in its talons. As it did so, the dragon let out a cry Sherry could have sworn, was from Mars or even Pluto.

The next thing she knew, helter-skelter broke lose and everyone shrieked in terror. The remaining twelve of them ran too, but nobody caring to stay as a group. They all just ran for their lives, including Sherry who scampered and scuttered, never stopping for fear the dragon would come after her as well.

This was when the bus exploded. A loud sound. Luckily for her, she made it far away enough to get out of its way of harm but the sound almost shattered her ear drums. An inner voice nagged in her head: Has everyone gotten to safety? She stopped dead in her tracks in a sudden and someone collided into her, the both of them falling onto the ground together. Why did you stop for? Sherry noticed that it was Karly, screaming in her face.

Sherry remembered Karly's brother Louis, aka her boyfriend and screamed back, Louis! Where's Lou?

I'm here! I'm here! Louis hugged Sherry from behind reassuringly. I'm still here.

And where is Shearel? Shearel! Sherry stood up and looked around anxiously. Much to her disappointment, only Louis, Karly and Nick were present.

Where are the others? Sherry shivered.

Everyone was scattered. We're lucky we happen to run in the same way, Nick said.

Don't worry, Sherry. Let's go look for them, Karly suggested.

And they did.

The four looked high and low, front and back. They searched for hours but still not a single soul could be found. A while later, Louis' tummy started grumbling and Sherry was falling weak. So the four of them agree on resting and eating before continuing on the search.

The smell of food might even lure the others out, Nick said with a grin on his face.

Aye. Louis had said while pitching up the tent for his girlfriend with Karly.

Sherry snapped out of her trance when she felt the tent being opened from the outside, the door flipped wide, revealing an excited face of Louis.

"You're awake!" Louis exclaimed. "I was so worried you're in a coma!"

Sherry smiled weakly at Louis as he prattled on, "I've brought food! I hope you're hungry. I made this just for you."

"I'm not hungry," Sherry said in a mischievious tone she knew Louis could never resist. "I'm famished!"

Laughing, Louis sat down beside her and tried to give Sherry a kiss but she dodged playfully away, Louis smiled as he held out the platter of BBQ food, "Well careful then. The food is still hot. Don't scald yourself."

And the two love-birds sat in the tent, enjoying the food.

It was awhile before Karly came in and invaded their privacy with an urgent look on her face.

"Sherry!" Karly announced. "Come with me please? Now."

When she was out, Karly whispered to Sherry, "I need the toilet. And I'm afraid of going alone. Will you... Um..."

"Yeah, I was thinking have I forgotten something as well, so it was this. Let's go." Sherry said.

Karly glanced at Nick, who then nodded his head knowingly as he continued to make somemore satay.

The two girls then walked further away from the boys, hoping to find somewhere suitable for them to attend to nature's call.

Swatting absentmindedly at a mosquito buzzing around her, Karly asked Sherry if there is any place they could do it.

"Behind that tree? I'll keep a lookout, you do it first." Sherry replied, gesturing towards a huge tree a stone's throw away.

"Okay," agreed Karly. As the both made their way to the 'toilet', Karly felt one of her foot stepping into thin air instead of solid ground.

"Sherry!" Karly yanked her down. Sherry slid, the ground giving way, crumpling into a hole of god-knows-how-deep, their screams sounding bright and clear, straight into the boys' ears who looked at each other, debating among themselves whether to give it some time or go look for them immediately.

When Michelle found herself slamming face-first into a tree, she fell back and landed on her buttocks.

"Michelle!" She was almost glad to hear her brother Joe's voice behind her.

"I'm okay!" Michelle said.

"Thank goodness you're not bleeding!" Joe heaved a sigh of relief as he proceeded to check Michelle for further injuries.

Noticing Liam not far away, Michelle shouted for Liam and he rushed over immediately. He looked as if he had just used mud to wash his face and realised his mistake a little too late.

"Shearel! Is Shearel here?" Liam demanded. "Is there only the two of you here? Seen anyone else?"

"Aren't they right behind-" Michelle's voice trailed off as she noticed for the first time that the group had been further separated. Most importantly, Zayn was not by her side.

"Zayn!" Michelle paced back and forth in distress.

"They're not anywhere near," Liam sighed as his shoulders slumped down. "Not even my Shearel. I've searched everywhere near. I was alone just now! I'm so thankful I ran into you guys though."

"What's that on your face?" Joe stifled a giggle.

"I fell in mud by accident. It's so slippery there and I swear the mud wasn't there before I fell in it!" Liam confessed.

"Do you think this might be the place Shearel was talking about in the bus just now?" Joe's voice quavered a little. "Illusions or hallucinations that the snake turned into a dragon?"

"Duck!" Liam bellowed out of nowhere as he grabbed the nearest person-Joe, and pulled him onto the ground with him.

Too late for Michelle to respond though. From high above, the blue dragon swept down and took Michelle away in its claws. What was left of her were her luggages and the echo of her screams echoing in the boys' head.

"Sister!" Joe was so stunned by the sudden appearance of the dragon that he almost couldn't manage that scream.

He got to his feet and tried to chase after the dragon.

Falling weak in his knees, Joe fainted as it downed on him that he had just lost his sister to an ugly blue dragon.

"Joe!" Liam caught him before he fell and laid him gently on the ground. Softly, he whispered, "What am I gonna do now?"