My Jewel - Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Chapter Eighteen - Turning Tides

Across the bazaar, the team, feeling a little more confident now after their trust and success during the last level, spent  the night in the village. Fridge was still bringing up the fact that he had de-fanged the snake. He clearly wasn't about to let that one go anytime soon. 

"I de-fanged that snake," he said the next morning, as though everyone may have forgotten over night. 

"We know, Fridge!"

"We haven't forgotten." 

Bethany caught up to Sawyer as the group made their way through the village.  "Spencer likes Martha."

"What?"

"And she likes him too."

"Okay..."

"Okay? That's all you have to say? We have a romance blossoming in our midst!"

Sawyer rolled her eyes.  "Maybe, but it's none of our business, Bethany."

"None of our business?! They're our friends, aren't they? We should help them."

They're our friends.  Sawyer hadn't thought about it that way yet. 

Her thoughts were suddenly broken by voices up ahead - armed men were pushing through the crowd as though in search of something.

Us, she realized. Van Pelt had found them again. 

"Uh oh, we've got company!"

"What do we do?"

"Run!"

The men weren't on their motorbikes this time, and they were in a crowded marketplace, so perhaps they had a better chance of outrunning and evading them this time. 

"Follow me!" Sawyer cried. With her avatar's speed strength, she could probably make it out of here pretty quickly. 

"Yeah, you guys go with Sawyer, I'll handle this," said Spencer, feeling surprisingly confident in that moment. It was a strange and foreign feeling, but it felt good. 

"Spencer!" cried Martha.

"It's okay, I think I've got this..." His voice wavered a little, but he sounded pretty confident. His confidence faltered a little as a hulking mercenary approached him.  "uh, I have to warn you, I think I'm a very strong puncher..."

The man didn't heed his warning and swung, Spencer having no choice but to punch him.  The punch had such force it sent the man sailing through the roof, and sending Spender's confidence soaring as well. 

"That is insane!" cried Bethany.

One of the mercenaries launched some knives at the group, but Spencer used Bravestone's quick reflexes to catch them. "Let's do this," he said. 

"Do what?" asked Fridge, but Spencer only handed him the knife and leapt back into the fight. "Here-" Fridge handed Sawyer the knife. "Put it in my backpack."

Meanwhile, Terri and Russell were also entering the bazaar.  Russell had sent the men ahead of them.  As they entered the vast marketplace, she could hear a lot of crashing - must be Bravestone fighting the mercenaries. She recalled him being a remarkable fighter. This was only confirmed when one of their men went flying through the ceiling. 

"They're here," growled Russell. He pulled her close, suddenly overprotective again. 

Bang!  She, as well as all the nearby villagers, jumped when Russell withdrew his gun and fired it into the air to get their attention.  

This also got the attention of the group in question. 

"Hello Doctor," said Russell, regarding Bravestone with a slight smirk and narrowed eyes.  " It's been a long time. I believe you have something that belongs to me." 

Spencer stared back.  "You're obsessed - no wonder your wife left you!" He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth, but not soon enough.   This whole avatars-talking-through-them thing was becoming dangerous.

"Spencer!" hissed Martha. 

"No, no - I didn't mean it!"

"Get them!" yelled Van Pelt. 

"No!"

Before the mercs could reach them, there was a sudden burst of smoke. Terri just managed to catch a glimpse of a pilot's jacket - Alex! They would be safe. 

When the smoke cleared, the group was gone. 

Russell stormed through the streets of the bazaar over to where the men had congregated.  And he did not look happy.  

All the men hung their heads.  "They got away," one bravely stated.  "They must have had help."

"Seaplane," Russell hissed knowingly.  

The man nodded. "He must have crawled out of his hole. Sorry Boss, it won't happen again."

Russell approached the man, almost trance-like, before reaching out and - hugging him? He really didn't seem like he was in a hugging mood...

He put his mouth close to the man's ear. "I know it won't."

Terri then watched in utter horror as a large scorpion crawled out of his mouth - his mouth! - and onto the man's shoulder, instantly delivering a deadly sting. Her hands flew to her mouth and a cry escaped her lips as, with a cry of his own, the man fell to the ground at their feet, dead. 

Her gaze rose back up to Russell - this was not the man she knew, and certainly not the man she had married.

"Y-you killed him," she cried.

"He failed me, and was therefore of no further use to me."

She stared open-mouthed back. "You just killed him! Killed  him!"

"He's not the first." He then turned to the others.  "Let his failures be a warning to the rest of you!"

She gawked at him, disgusted. All this for that stupid jewel! That's what greed can do, she guessed.  "What is wrong with you?! What the hell?!" She shook her head. "You're a monster. How could you?" The Russell Van Pelt she knew - and loved - wasn't greedy, and he certainly wasn't a cold-blooded killer.

"Terri!" The next thing she knew she was running - she had turned and fled, back into the jungle. She heard him calling after her, but she didn't look back and she certainly didn't stop.  She just kept running. 

She heard the screeching of tires nearby, and then a familiar voice. "Professor Ross! Is that you? Do you need a lift?"

"Nigel!" Terri raced around the Jeep's side and hopped in.  He wasted no time in driving on.  

"Professor Ross! I can't tell you how happy I am to see you!"

"I can't tell you how happy I am to see you too, Nigel," she told him.   "I need to ask you a favour."

"Anything, Professor Ross! Ask away!"

"I need you to tell me everything that happened while I was gone." 

(Nigel to the rescue - once again! ;)  Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :))