by S A Ison
She knew she shouldn’t, but she looked down and it was a long way down at that. The river below rushed, from what she could see, it was hidden in places from the mist that covered it. She could see the grays, blues and white of the churning water, and felt the mist of it on her face, along with the air current that was pushed up. Then she began to look into the hills they were approaching. That meant that their trek would be uphill, and from what she understood, it was a two-hour trek from the bridge.
Sarah had a feeling she was going to sleep well tonight, especially since they were feeding them one last meal. Tomorrow, all bets were off and they’d have to fend for themselves and hunt for food, shelter and water. Each of the team were given six hours to secure a location, claim the area and water rights, they were required to set down small flags to indicate their territory. Once claimed, no other team could encroach.
She felt the cage jerk hard and shudder and she grabbed onto Aiden who grinned down at her, and she saw that he was calm. Bastard, she thought, and laughed, she guessed he was used to this kind of thing. She wasn’t used to being afraid like this. Once more, she was glad she had Aiden on her team.
Once the teams found their area, they would meet back daily for contests to win or lose privileges or food, or things to make their stay easier. Each week, they would have a big contest and the losing team would have to vacate and head back home, which would be the same time the porters brought the next week’s food for the crew.
Because of the extreme isolation, one of the cameramen, Hudson Stevenson, was also an EMT and she believed William Bunt was a nurse, as well as Diana Martinez. She and Diana had spoken briefly, getting to know each other. Diana and her girlfriend, Alison, lived in Phoenix and Alison was a nurse, as well. Diana seemed very capable and had an easy laugh.
Sarah knew the crew carried medical supplies, such as IV fluids for hydration and other medications and such for just in case, along with several medical kits. No one chosen was allowed to have been on any kind of medication, nor have any allergies. It had been a long selection process and a lot of medical history passed along.
Now she knew why, getting out of here would take nearly a week, and there was no way to get out of here any faster than on foot. This had been a much-anticipated show, especially since it was a two-month run and such a huge payout.
Though, she’d not known where they were going originally, she was really glad that she’d worn her old hiking boots, they were buttery soft leather and waterproof. She’d seen enough shows where many of the contestant’s undoing were their feet. If they couldn’t walk, they couldn’t stay or survive. Her feet weren’t hurting yet, but she suspected that after the two-hour climb, they would be barking loudly.
She had put cushions in the soles. She’d seen that Carol had sandals, and shook her head at the thought. Blister city. Finally, she felt the heavy jolt of the cage landing on the other side, and she let out a long low breath. She wasn’t looking forward to the trip back and wondered how old that cable was? They disembarked and everyone sat down to await the others. Bruce, the cameraman was getting shots of them sitting down.
“Do you need us to do anything special?” Henry Zorn asked in his heavy Massachusetts’s accent, he’d said he was a lobsterman. He was combing out his damp hair with his fingers, he was going bald Sarah could see and was trying to do a makeshift combover, she hid her smile.
“Naw, we just need to get footage, and they will use it to fill in gaps or make up storylines. Just filler stuff.” Bruce assured them all.
“I wish they’d let us bring watches, I’d like to keep track of time a little.” Aiden said, rubbing his wrist where his watch should have been.
Sarah smiled, she understood the need for tracking time, but here, it seemed pointless, but kept that opinion to herself. “It will be nice to get to basecamp and stop walking for a while. I don’t mind hiking, but four days of it and I’m beat.”
“I think that is part of their plan, we will be so exhausted and brain dead from this, or at least most of us, that some will be at a disadvantage from the start, kind of like Carol and Vana. You seem like you’ve held your own.” He said, a soft smile curving his lips.
“Thanks, you as well. I do a lot of hiking in the woods in Maine, but it isn’t quite as hilly as this is. My legs are letting me know, they aren’t happy.” She laughed. He laughed as well and they both became silent, each in their own thoughts. It was nearly an hour and a half later when the last group came over, the porters staying on the other side.
Everyone stood and Marla led the way to the base camp. Sarah could still hear Carol running her mouth and then they heard Grayson, “Carol, can you please shut your mouth so the rest of us can enjoy the hike to camp. For the love of Christ, give it a rest.”
There was a scattering of laughing and quite a few applauses. Sarah looked back at a brilliantly red-faced Carol who was shooting daggers with her blue eyes at Grayson, but at least she shut up. She could hear sighs from others as they started a steady climb into the lush mountains.
“It certainly feels primeval, it is like time never touched this place, there aren’t any true paths but this small one we are walking on.” Aiden said in a hushed voice.
“I know, can you imagine living like this for the rest of your life? I mean, this place is like an Eden, I really feel lucky to be here. That said, when I’m hungry and say I love this place, just smack the hell out of me.” Sarah grinned. Aiden sniggered softly and knocked her gently with his elbow.
For two hours they climbed steadily up, from time to time pausing, looking around. The trees were dense, but there were glimpses of mountains far to the east and west of them, all green and all covered with thick forests.
They heard a scream near the back and everyone stopped and looked back, it was Carol, who was batting at something and Grayson was trying to grab her and smack something off of her. When he finally got it, he raised an apologetic hand and signaled all was well. Once more, it was quiet and they continued on.
It was getting darker, and Sarah could tell that it was late afternoon. They would be getting to base camp near dark. That meant they had to start a fire as their first task, she hoped someone had opted to bring a fire starter. She was tired, dirty and hungry, they’d none of them taken a bath since boarding the plane to come to China, where they’d been whisked away on a bus into the northeastern province.
It had been a long five days since she left home, she supposed she couldn’t really blame Carol or Vana for being bitchy, she was tired too. All she wanted to do was sleep. Then she saw ahead, small crates and bags and equipment. They’d finally made it to base camp. Then the lights of the cameramen came on and they walked ahead of them and began to film. Christian started talking and she looked up and smiled tiredly as the camera zoomed in on her. She waved a little and kept walking.
Christian gave orders for everyone to go and gather wood for a nice big fire. And so, everyone dropped their backpacks and left out into the darkening woods. The sounds of the birds began to quiet and the night insects began their own songs. Thankfully, it didn’t take long, there were quite a few fallen branches, and Sam Lange had a fire starter and within ten minutes, the fire was blazing and everyone was sitting around it, numb and tired, the forest around them growing dark, their gazes blank and dazed.
The cameramen kept filming for a short time as Christian did his monolog, once more going over the rules. Everyone acted like it was their first time hearing it and looked at each other, their faces showing mock surprised. It was all scripted and there were no surprises. Then the cameras went off and everyone relaxed, Marla and Christian smiled at one another and high fived and then sat as well.
The cameramen brought over several bags, which contained MREs and she heard Aiden groan, she looked at him, her brow up in question.
“It’s nothing, these things are high in calories but also sodium, let’s just hope they don’t taste too bad.” He caught his MRE as did she and she read hers, “Chicken
Fajita, what did you get?”
“I got Chili Mac, not bad, I’ll live.” He grinned.
They heated up their main meals and everyone sat in silence eating their food. The crew began to set up their tents and get themselves settled in. It was quiet but for the buzzing and chirping of insects. Sarah could also feel the air around them cooling and she was glad for her windbreaker. It would hold her body heat in for the night. She’d opted for bathing suit shorts for underwear, in case they’d gone to a hot place, she could wear them as underwear and also swim shorts. She had to be practical.
The warm food in her stomach felt good and Aiden was right, it was salty and made her thirsty. They’d been given water bottles, and when she finished, she slipped the empty bottle into her backpack.
She nudged Aiden and she nodded surreptitiously and placed her empty bottle in his backpack. They both watched as others got up to take their garbage to a large heavy-duty plastic bag, that would be taken out the following week. They also watched as the others threw their plastic bottles away and they grinned at each other, thinking the same thing. Fools.
¤¤
Aiden couldn’t keep the grin off his face. Sarah was a sneaky wench. He was impressed. Without saying a word, he knew what she’d meant. Those bottles could turn the tide when it came to time management. They could focus their time on tracking down edible plants and hunting. That meant a lot. Survival wasn’t a game, it was a thoughtful process, calculating and strategizing. With the bottles, they’d have a leg up. He shook his head. The men had underestimated Sarah. He didn’t.
The more he learned about Sarah, the more he liked her. She was well versed and down to earth. He thought it was her life in the wilds of Maine. She seemed very grounded. He liked that. Unlike Carol and Vana and he shivered at the thought of having one of them as a partner. Christ. No, he was well pleased with his partner and felt confident that they had a better than even chance to win.
CHAPTER TWO
Early the next morning, Sarah woke up, it was still dark out and she had to pee. It was quiet but for the snores of other members of the group, a few farts exploded softly and moans here and there. She had slept next to Aiden, and had put her back to his back for warmth during the night. She was so glad she’d worn jeans.
It wasn’t cold, but it was cool, and she’d kept fairly comfortable during the night. She could hear one of the girl’s teeth chattering and looked around the nearly dark camp. She could hear but not see her. She stepped over a few bodies and made her way into the forest. She went about thirty yards away and found a couple of soft leaves. Once she relieved herself, she went back to camp.
She walked by the black trash bag, and quietly opened it and pulled out four more plastic bottles. When she got back to her spot, she quietly unzipped her backpack and placed the extra bottles in. They could save water this way and not have to worry about it all the time.
She laid back down beside Aiden and scooched over to feel his back. She heard Aiden’s soft laughter, “You get more bottles?” he whispered softly.
“Yeah, we have six now. If you get a chance, get more.” She whispered back and with the heat coming off his body, she began to drift and then fell back to sleep. It was sometime later, the light began penetrating the dense canopy above, and everyone began to stir. The cameramen were up and beginning to film, short segments and then turned their cameras back off.
After about a half hour, the cameras went back on and Christian once more started his monologue about the rules and their task and challenge for the day, they had the stated six hours to find and secure a mini-campsite for their team, each team had already been given their own flags to plant and claim their location. Then Christian waved a big flag and everyone scattered. Sarah and Aiden grabbed their backpacks and ran like hell for the forest.
“Come this way, I hear a waterfall and that is running water, and we don’t have to boil water.” Aiden said, looking over his shoulder at Sarah, who grinned widely. They jumped over rotting logs and low bushes. Sarah tripped over a rock and nearly fell, Aiden caught her. They saw Henry and Gabe about fifty feet behind and off in the trees.
She hissed at Aiden and he looked behind, and picked up his pace. They had to grab onto trees, pulling themselves up and past each tree, the terrain rose sharply and the sound of the waterfall was becoming so loud they couldn’t hear anything, not even their harsh breathing. They came to the falls, and planted their flag.
They stood looking like grinning idiots when Henry and Gabe came into view panting heavily, and then they both realized that they’d been beaten. Her heart was beating happily, they had done it. Found their place.
Sarah couldn’t help but laugh at them and wave. She watched as they swerved and headed deeper into the forest and disappeared. And Sarah turned and laughed, “We got it, now let’s find a place to make a camp. We have fresh water, and I will start looking around for edible plants as we look for a place to live.”
“Awesome, and if I see anything to eat as far as animals, I’ll kill it.” Aiden laughed raising his machete, and they climbed the steep hillside.
“How many bottles were you able to get this morning.” She asked as they walked, their eyes scanning rock formations, heavily forested areas.
I picked out three more, I couldn’t get anymore, Christian was coming out of his tent. Nine bottles, that is good. I’ll try for more later.”
“Me too, the more we can get, the less work.” She panted.
After about an hour of looking around, doubling back, and circling around, they found a small cave about a hundred yards from the waterfalls. They threw their backpacks into the cave, planted more flags around the cave opening and started out to look for food.
They separated, and Sarah began to look at the plants and bushes. She got down on the ground and dug around, she found a couple roots, she nibbled a bit, and spit them out and nibbled a bit more.
They tasted almost like potatoes, very starchy. She dug up a few more and looked around to make sure there were more, so she could come back over the next two months. She heard several jays in the canopy above, she also heard squirrels chittering and she thought food, she laughed, wondering if Aiden could catch one. She rooted around more and found a tree with small orange fruit. She picked one and nibbled, then spat it out immediately, it had a very bitter taste and her tongue began to burn.
She spat a few more times and bit one of the roots she dug up. That helped the burning and she continued looking. She sniffed flowers, and found several rhododendron hedges, they were massive and beautiful.
There were lilies near small ponds and she squatted and dug around in the water for bulbs, something like watercress. She bit into the plant, it was a little spicy hot, but good. It would go well with any kind of meat they could find. She stuffed them into the pockets of her windbreaker, which had become sodden.
She also found wild chives, and picked those as well. She ran into Aiden and he held up a headless snake and grinned, it was nearly four feet long. “That isn’t venomous is it?” she asked
“I don’t think so, I cut the head off when I found it. It didn’t have a spade shaped head, just long, and we have protein. Did you find anything?” he asked.
“I found some tubers, they taste a little like potatoes, so I think if I boil them, they should be good. I also found some grasses that taste like onions, I think they are wild chives, and I found watercress which should be great with the snake. The wild onions have tiny little bulbs on the bottom, but I think they will be good cooked with the roots. Oh, and don’t eat the orange berries, they’re poisonous. I also found ginger root, so I can make ginger tea for us as well.” She grinned.
“I’m going to take this back to our cave and keep looking. I saw a rabbit like rodent so I’m going to see if I can set a snare for it. If we can keep several days of meat handy, I think we’ll be okay.”
“Sounds good, I’ll keep looking around. I wish I knew the plants better, there is much I really don’t know, unle
ss it is a tuber or berry, I just don’t know.” She complained.
Aiden shrugged, “All we can do is all we can do. Oh, and I made you this.” He handed over a long stick he’d been carrying. She took it and looked at it, it had a very sharp end to it. She looked at him questioningly.
“It is so if you see a snake, you can stab the head, if you can kill it, that’s more food, or if you see another small animal, and can stab it, we can eat that.”
“Dude, you’re really hoping big here, but I’ll try. Just don’t hold your breath. Maybe if we can find a pool of some kind, we can fish. See you in a bit.” She said, raising her stick in salute. She watched him disappear into the trees. She heard someone shouting below, she didn’t know who it was. She was wondering how Grayson was doing with Carol.
¤¤
Aiden laughed to himself. She was a spitfire, that was for sure. He was impressed. Sarah had already found food. And this wasn’t even her country. They at least had dinner for tonight, it was a good sign. If they could keep their momentum going, they could keep up their calorie intake and therefore their strength. When they started doing competitions, that would come in handy.
Hopefully if they could catch fish and frogs, that would add protein to their diet. He was glad she wasn’t shy about going out on her own. He scratched at his beard and looked around. He wished he could shave, but that wouldn’t be happening for at least two months. At least he hoped. He could hear the birds around him and the air was crisp and clean. It was so different from Virginia. Though, going into the mountains was a lot like this place. But here, it seemed more primitive. He felt at home here and it gave him a peaceful feeling.
He was sure Sarah had a lot to do with that. He was sure he’d not feel so sanguine if Carol were his partner. Christ, poor Grayson. That poor bastard didn’t stand a chance. He sighed heavily and began walking. He’d like to find that big ass rodent, he was sure it would be good eating.