Subjects

52 - In The Jungle You Must Wait

Fourteen hours.

Fourteen. Hours.

FOURTEEN!

Every time they wanted to make a stop, Roa would argue so much that in most cases they gave in. When they finally did stop, she was restless and anxious to go so they didn't stay too long. Alice thought back to college when she stayed up whole nights without feeling anything in the morning. No, this was definitely no college. Leo never had this problem. He would always go to sleep late and get up early. Alice wonders if this is an alien thing, or maybe a family thing. If so, Angie must have gotten her side of the sleep gene.

She glances at the rearview mirror and tries to find Angie, but the girl, as always, is asleep in someone's arms and cannot be seen. Eva is now the one sitting beside Alice. The rest, just like Angie, are asleep. Alice can tell that silence is not natural for Eva. She keeps shifting in her seat, looking down and then up again.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Eva says in a voice that convinces no one.

Alice can't say that she is the authority on motherly advice, but she has her moments. "I know that you must be worried about your father. Trust me, he will be okay, the most important thing right now is that you will be safe. That is the best you can do for him."

Eva's first instinct is to tell Alice she knows nothing about her or her dad, and that she should stop interfering in other people's businesses. Maybe it's the fact that Eva doesn't want to wake the whole car, or maybe it's that promise she made to herself, but something stops her from following her instinct.

"I know."

There is a short silence in which Alice contemplates whether it was the right thing to say before Eva speaks again.

"I am worried. My dad, it was always me and him. Always. No matter what happens, we have each other. He is the only person that... Can stand me." Eva's voice starts to get shaky. "I just keep thinking about him alone at home and I... And... I just..."

Alice reaches for the glove compartment and takes out a pack of tissues for Eva. Eva puts a tissue to her nose and keeps talking.

"What if he thinks that it really was me? What if he thinks I'm not calling because I ran away and I don't want to see him again? What if he gives up on me?"

"He won't give up on you," Alice says.

"How can you know that?"

"Because he is your father. He loves you. And even if you did run away, he would still go after you. I know because I can't go to sleep at night if I don't know that my daughter is safe. If I have to stay up for months, so be it. He will not give up on you, Eva. Ever."

When Eva says nothing Alice looks at her to see if everything is okay. Eva, for the very first time in her life (and I know I've said it more than once already in this story), physically can't speak. She just takes out tissue after tissue until her ability to talk returns.

The road to the cabin is one of the most beautiful places Ben has ever seen. If he had a camera here- Oh, wait, he does have a camera. If he could only upload this to his channel. He can imagine his voice speaking over shots of the road through the trees and then the path that goes over the lake. When they get there, he is going to go out to take a look around.

Roa is driving not too far ahead, and when they cross the lake and start driving on a road surrounded by grass and small trees, she motions for them to turn right after her. They start driving on a dirt road that goes around the side of the lake they just crossed. Two or three more minutes of shaky driving and they are at the cabin.

The cabin is small, made of the same type of wood that is all around them. They all get out of the car and stretch their legs before examining the place properly. Angie is the first to run around the cabin and asses its petite structure. There are two floors, maybe a small attic, and a porch at the back from which there is a wooden path that goes right up to the lake. All of the windows are closed and the place looks abandoned.

Roa walks up to the front door, takes out a key, and tries to open the lock. When that doesn't work she just kicks the door open and walks inside.

"Does she always do that?" Eva wonders out loud.

By the looks of the door, yes.

They walk inside after her and start opening windows. There is so much dust. Emily keeps coughing and eventually has to go outside until they finish opening the place up. Roa disappears somewhere on the second floor. The whole group goes back outside to take in the view of the lake in the late afternoon sun. Away from the cities and the main roads, it feels as if they are alone in the world.

"If you are going to be staying here," Roa tells them back in the cabin, "I need to get some human food."

"What do you eat?" Eva jumps in before she can stop herself.

Roger has this unnerving feeling that Roa is about to say something along the lines of 'human brains' but she just says "I don't eat here." Not so reassuring, but better than nothing.

"Are you going to the supermarket then?" Ben asks, he already has a list of things he needs in his head.

"Supermarket?" Roa spits the so-human word. Please, the only reason she would ever set foot in that place is to assassinate the cashier.

"Yes, where else would you get human food?" Ben tries to speak in her words.

"We have stocks of human food in the training camp, VEPP has all of the essential nutrients for humans."

"Oh, hell no," Eva looks horrified.

Ben rephrases her words, "are you sure there is nothing else we can eat? VEPP is very..."

"Making you want to die," Eva helps.

Roa wonders if all humans are like this. "And we wouldn't want that to happen, now wouldn't we?"

"You know what, VEPP will be great," Roger says.

"Great," Roa says. "I need to go back to the camp. Don't do anything too stupid."

After Roa is gone, Ben dares to say, "are you sure she is related to Leo? He was way nicer."

"Yes," Alice manages to smile while looking like the most miserable person on earth. "Yes, he was."