Heart Sunk, Ship Wrecked

Chapter 10: Lost Things

The scouting party divides into two. Charlene and Brian go together and Taiwo, Trivera, and I go together.

Both the groups have goals to get certain things. It feels more like a scavenger hunt than finding things we need to survive. The groups have to gather wood, cut and collect vines, gather berries, and anything else we find that we could use.

Taiwo, Trivera, and I wander for quite a while. So far we've gathered several vines, five sharp rocks, and a bunch of berries.

We walk around on this blasted island for hours. Our feet are starting to hurt, but we don't complain. We're drowning in our own sweat, but don't wipe it off. Our arms are getting tried from carrying what we found, but we still trudge onwards. We're dieing to break the silence, but don't dare to speak our minds.

I close my eyes for a second. When I open them, I find myself on the ground and head throbbing. The things I was carrying scattered.

Taiwo and Trivera wonder over to me.

"What happened?" Trivera asks with a quizzical look on her face. "Why are you on the ground?"

I don't answer. I look around, hoping to see what I ran into.

"Uh," I begin slowly. "I don't think those are important questions, Trivera. I think we should ask where that came from and how long it's been there."

We all look up to see a yellow plane.

Taiwo and Trivera back away. I pull myself up and go to the base of one of the trees the plane is in.

I look at the tree, searching for the best way up. The lowest branch is almost seven feet off the ground and I'm only five foot four.

I don't hesitate. I jump as high as I can. The branch is still out of my reach.

"Hey, Trivera, can you help me up?" I point at the branch I'm trying to get to.

"What are you trying to do?" Taiwo questions my mental capability.

"You'll see," I push him away because if he new, he wouldn't let me do what for sure would be on the totally wacky, insane, do-not-do list in anyone else's book.

Trivera puts her hands together and I put my foot in her hands. I reach up. The branch is finally in my grasp. I swing my leg over the branch and link my feet together.

I stretch my hand out to Trivera. She smiles her twisted, adventurous smile and takes my hand. I help her up onto the branch.

"If you're doing what I think you're doing, you're going to get your self killed!" Taiwo says concerned.

"Gees! You're such a pessimist!" I yell from the tree. "And if you're so sure we're going kill ourselves, give us a stick or a sharp rock or something useful! You're not much help being the damsel in distress down there!"

Trivera makes a failed attempt to stifle a laugh and her laugh echoes through the trees.

Taiwo defenselessly hands up two sharp sticks and a couple sharp rocks up to a still laughing Trivera. Trivera hands me a stick and a rock. I take it and contunue to climb.

I come to a branch that's horizantal and it's the only way to the door. The branch is at least 15 feet in the air.

Shit! I think. Curse my lack of cordination and balance! I slowly put my foot on the branch. Please don't fall. Please don't fall! Don't die! You'll be allri- My foot slips and suddenly, I'm dangling from the branch.

I refrain myself from screaming.

"Trivera," I yell, my voice cracking.

"Avice!" She yells. "Bloody hell!" I shake my head, my eyes growing wider end wider. She ingnores me and holds out her hand for me to grab.

I reach up to grab her hand, when she pulls her hand back and yells, "SIKE!" I look up at her with disbelief to see her laughing.

"Damn it, Trivera! You're so childish! And this isn't funny!" I say trying to pull myself over the branch. "Now, help me!"

"Fine, fine, fine," she says rolling her eyes. She gives me her hand and I grab it before she has another chance to pull it away.

I regain my footing and my balance and slowly walk up the branch.

Trivera and I get to the door of the plane and Trivera opens it. We examine the inside of the plane, seeing what we're getting into.

For the most part it's just a bunch of cargo boxes, parachutes on the side of the plane, and a really messed up cockpit. There's a bunch of places snakes could hide in and it looks like it'd be an interesting place for spiders.

"We have to be careful," Trivera whispers.

"Well thanks," I say. "Captain Obvious! Now come on."

We walk through the plane carefully. We watch our every step, careful not to tip it over or step on anything.

"Hey," I say. "Wanna open these?" I say pointing at the cargo boxes.

"Obviously," Trivera says rolling her eyes.

I grab one of the boards and make and attempt to pull it off. I fail miserable and end up asking Trivera for help. She has no trouble yanking it off.

As soon as it's open, Trivera jumps back. I give her a quizzical look, knowing whatever is in there would have to be pretty bad. I mean, she did just jump all the way across the plane and isn't easily frightened. I walk towards the box and peek inside.

Inside the box, are several pairs of simple black tops. I look at Trivera, a still startled look plastered on her face. I look back inside the box filled with tops.

"What the hell?" I question Trivera. "There's nothing in here but black shirts!"

She lifts her arm up to point at the box. "S-s-snake!"

I turn back around to see a snake slithering out of the box. I try to refrain from screaming. I manage to jump back to where Trivera stands and fall on my butt. A scream escapes my lungs.

I regain control of myself and stand back up. I remember watching a show on my television where these people went out and picked up wild snakes. They basically poked the snake until it's tired. In this case, I should just kill it.

I move towards the snake with the stick in my right hand. I poke the snake with the stick. It whirls around to face me. I reach around it and tap it. It spins away from me. I repeat this for several times.

I finally decide it's pretty exhausted. I put one foot on it's other side and with the last of the snake's rage, whips around and sinks it's fangs into my left calf. I grimace and grab it's head. I yank it off of me and smash it's head against a rock I somehow obtained in the battle.

I wrap the fat snake's face in a shirt from the box and threw if around my neck like a scarf. "Help me get down from here."

Trivera lifts me up and somehow manages to get me out of the tree. When we're back on the ground, Taiwo practically throws a fit. Trivera manages to get him to carry me back to the beach.

As soon as I'm in Taiwo's arm, I hear him tell me it's alright and I'll make it. He says it in such a way it makes me think I'm dying.

I must have blacked out, cause I don't remember anything else.