Have Faith

Chapter 21: The Wild

We knew we had to remain unseen, but we were getting tired after a few hours of walking, so we decided to use the blankets as cover and sleep for a few hours.

"Someone should probably stand guard so we'll know if anyone is coming," Abby suggested.  Sophia and I agreed, so we set up a guard system.

I had a hard time getting to sleep.  I kept having the same nightmare.  The Nazi doctor who raped me would have me tied to the cot, and was moving menacingly toward me.  When he reached me, he would morph into my biological father, who would promise me that everything was going to be okay, then stab me suddenly with a knife.  Each time, I woke in a cold sweat, and  it took me a few minutes to realize that I was no longer in immediate danger.  I was relieved when Abby came to tell me that it was my turn to take watch.

When morning finally came, we continued to move south, and eventually, we found a brand new highway (one of the more positive results of Hitler coming to power).  For obvious reasons, we knew we couldn't walk on the side of the road, but the highway was cutting through a forest, so we followed it by distancing ourselves by a few yards.  This way, no one could see us, but we could hear the cars that would come down every few minutes, and this would alert us as to which direction we were headed.

However, there was still one major problem: the same problem we had had on the rooftop.

"How are we going to get food?" I asked.  "We are in a forest, and there isn't anyone for miles."

"Well, there are the drivers," Abby pointed out.  "But I don't think they would be willing to help us."

"Guys, look around you," Sophia told us.  "We are surrounded by life.  If we can figure out a way to hunt out here, we'll be set."

I realized she was right.  If we could kill some animals, it would keep us from going hungry, and we would have enough strength to make it to Switzerland.

"But how are we going to hunt?" Abby asked.  "Neither one of you knows anything about hunting, do you?"

"No," I confessed.  "But maybe we could make a slingshot, or even a spear?  That might help us catch something."

"Good idea," Sophia said, and with that, started searching the area for strong sticks.  We quickly joined her.  Before long, we had a shabby slingshot.  We made the stringy parts out of vines we had found growing on the trees, which were durable enough to be pulled back to a certain extent.

Our first attempt at hunting was a complete and utter failure.  Abby had seen a bird, and fired a rock at it, but the aim was all off, and the rock just hit a nearby tree.  The bird was frightened off.

"I'm sorry, guys," Abby said shamefully as she passed me the slingshot.  "That was bad."

"Don't worry, Abby," I answered.  "This takes practice.  Let's try to get another one."  With that, I took aim at a second bird.  I missed.  "See?" I said to Abby with a smile.

As it turned out, Sophia was the best at getting birds.  She shot one on her first try, and then another one a little while after that.

With the prospect of eating so near, all of our mouths were watering, but we had to think this through.  Unfortunately, the need to make a fire meant that we could no longer follow the highway: the people in cars were sure to see the smoke.  We had to travel for around two hours, heading east, away from the highway and deeper into the forest, until we were sure that the smoke wouldn't be spotted.

Starting a fire was another thing we were not prepared for.  None of us knew how to do it, other than rubbing sticks together, which didn't seem to work too well.  However, we didn't have anything reflective, and we certainly didn't have matches, so the sticks were our only option.  Through trial and error, we managed to get the technique right, but it wasn't until at least four hours later that we achieved fire.  By this point, we had all but given up, so seeing that little flame felt like a huge victory.

After plucking the birds (which was disgusting), we roasted them on sticks over the small fire.  By that point, we were all so hungry that anything would have tasted good, so we ate without commenting on the parts that were burned to a crisp.  It seemed that we had a silent understanding that we would get better at this with practice.

The next day, we once again set out, trying our best to head south, but without the aid of a compass, our only help was the sun, which meant that on days when it was cloudy, there was nothing we could do.

"Hey guys, do you hear that?" Abby asked suddenly.  We all listened.

"I hear it!" I exclaimed.  "It sounds like running water!"

We all rushed toward the sound, because it had been a few days since we had had any water.  Sure enough, there was a small stream.

Sophia and I rushed forward to get a drink, but Abby stopped us.  "We need to boil the water," she explained.  "If we just drink it from the stream, we could get sick."

"You're right," I said.  "But how are we going to boil it without any container to hold it in?"

"Looks like we're going to need more wood," Sophia sighed.

Thirty minutes later, we had something resembling a cup.  It was made out of sticks, bark, and leaves, and the whole thing was held together by more vines.  We had cleaned the inside of the bark as best we could before putting the cup together, which was just as well, because not only did it reduce the risk of getting sick, but it also ensured that the bark was wet, which stopped the cup from catching fire when we boiled water in it.  Of course, there were leaks, but not enough to put out our fire, for which we were all grateful.

While we were trying to survive in the wilderness, my body was betraying me.  The vomiting that we had thought was a side effect of the drugs we had taken had not stopped.  Every time I ate solid food, it seemed like I would just throw it back up.

"Kayla, something is seriously wrong," Sophia said after I had vomited yet again.  "You need a doctor."

"How am I going to get that?" I asked weakly,

"I don't know, but you can't go on like this," she continued.  "Maybe we can figure out what it is.  If we at least know what the problem is, that might help us figure out what to do next."

"You should list your symptoms," Abby chimed in.  "We'll see if they sound like anything we've heard of.  It's better than just waiting around for it to get worse."

"You're right," I said.  "I haven't noticed too many symptoms, other than the vomiting.  Although," I said, thinking, "I have noticed that I have been really sore in some weird areas, not just my feet.   And also, last night, when we ate those birds, they tasted bad to me.  I know some parts were burned, but even the parts that were cooked to perfection just tasted terrible.  Guys," I said suddenly.  "Having the symptoms spelled out in front of me like that, I think I know what's wrong.  I think," I started to hyperventilate a little.  "I think I might be pregnant."