RETURN

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RETURN Page 13

by S. C. Deutsch


  Jax hopped off, a concerned look in the dark eyes, and trotted to where the knife lay. Returning, the little animal handed it to Ana, then sat back, out of the way. Cutting the binding and attempting to rise, Ana found she was unable to stand. Her muscles trembled violently, and she was so weak she was unable to overcome the spasms. Rolling over, Ana crawled to where the pack and the coconuts rested, knife still clenched in one hand. Jax had not touched the fruit, so Ana handed her companion one while she drank one of the remaining two. Taking the knife, she skinned the rinds and shared the thin flesh with Jax, forcing the meat down when her stomach tried to reject it. Finishing the meat, Ana shared the last of the coconut juice with Jax, smiling and assuring the worried animal everything was fine.

  The aftereffects this time were worse than the second flashback but so far not as bad as the first. Ana found she wasn’t terrified of the coming dark but wasn’t comfortable with being so exposed and had to fight the urge to flee the beach. Knowing there was nothing she could do to change the present situation, Ana lay on her side, facing the water. Drawing both knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms tightly around the legs and shivered, forcing herself to concentrate on the beautiful colors covering the sky. Eventually, the soft sound of the surf soothed her, and Ana drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, Jax watching over her while occasionally stroking her hair gently.

  9

  Chapter 9

  Week 3

  Day 3

  Ana stared glumly, both frustrated and disgusted at the newest problem confronting her. While she was sick of the constant tests the government kept throwing at her, this time there was no one but herself to blame. Ana could finally see the rendezvous site, but it might as well be on the other side of Atlantica for all the good it did her. It was so close she could almost touch it, yet still completely out of reach.

  Ana had not forgotten anything about her previous visit to the island. Everything was seared into her memory, causing her to revisit this loathsome place, both in dreams as well as at odd times during the waking hours. She had, however, failed to take certain things into account when making plans, both before returning and since arriving back. The impediment Ana now faced was one such failure.

  When she had created the diorama and planned how to reach the rendezvous point, Ana had not considered that the path she ultimately chose would bring the two of them to the wrong side of the poisonous river. Not that they could have headed in the other direction after finally reaching the beach, but had she stopped to consider the pros and cons of the choice of direction when they arrived at the swamp, Ana might have remembered what she would face by deciding to turn left. Too late to turn around and retrace their steps, Ana now had to figure out how to cross the river without letting any of the water touch her.

  She had already scanned the trees to see if there was some way to climb over, but none were close enough to the riverbank to allow either one of them that option. The river was too wide to step across and Ana didn’t feel strong enough to try and swim around it by heading out to sea. She was again faced with the option of either trying to create a raft and paddling across or heading into the jungle and travelling upstream until the river narrowed enough to safely jump.

  The more Ana thought about the problem, the clearer it became that she was going to have to enter the jungle. There were no logs around to even try and make a raft and even if something suitable could be fashioned, the current was so strong that it was almost certain to push the creation out to sea. At that point, Ana would have to attempt to work her way back to shore, either by trying to paddle the raft or by swimming. In her present weakened condition, her poor swimming abilities and declining muscle strength would be even more of a liability

  The pair had not had any real food in days and often ended up eating and drinking what amounted to starvation rations. Ana had been surviving on coconut water and its flesh for the last week, but the availability was inconsistent, and it was not giving her enough nutrition. She was constantly thirsty and often hungry as well but had not yet reached a point desperate enough to consider entering the jungle. When Ana had seen the river, she had at first rejoiced, thinking Jax would finally be able to find food for both of them, and that the little creature might even be able to locate fresh water. When reality hit and she saw how close yet how far the other side of the river was, Ana had dropped to the ground and started sobbing.

  After crying herself to the point of another headache, Ana realized these outbursts were doing more harm than good and promised to stop letting her emotions take over. Pulling herself together, Ana swiped her eyes and looked over the surrounding area critically. Trying to consider every possible way across, she discarded each plan when it became clear it was unworkable. Ana was now certain entering the jungle was inevitable and shifted her thoughts from trying to figure out how to get across the river to steeling herself for a foray into the trees.

  The feeling of dread emanating from the jungle had not lessened and was still as strong as ever, if not stronger. Ana and Jax had stayed as far away from the tree line as they could, often walking along the water where the hard-packed sand made the going easier. Ana walked barefoot most of the time, the shoes slung around her neck and the socks tucked into the pack. Jax perched on one shoulder, the bushy tail coiled lightly, content to be carried until Ana sent the small animal after coconuts. The pair avoided looking at the jungle, preferring to look ahead or out to sea. Even an occasional glance made Ana uneasy and she therefore did her best to keep her eyes averted. A short glance resulted in goosebumps erupting all over and a slight headache to form in the base of her skull, and Ana had no desire to inflict whatever physical discomfort a longer look would generate. Now, however, she would have no choice but to deal with those feelings, and probably worse, in order to find a way across the river.

  Ana sighed. She wished Jax could cross over instead of having to inflict the jungle on her companion. But with no trees along the bank, Jax was also stuck here, leaving Ana no choice but to take the little creature with her. She lay back, staring at the sky, and tried to work up the courage to enter the trees.

  As she stared skyward, Ana saw thick, dark clouds beginning to roll in. Hastily sitting back up, she looked out to a sea that had suddenly turned violent. The calm blue waves had been replaced by violent gray swells that towered several feet before curling back into the roiling water. The surf no longer lapped gently as it struck the beach, instead pounding it with a fury that dug trenches with every hit. The sky was quickly becoming black, and a stiff breeze was now blowing, lifting the loose hairs from where they had stuck to Ana’s skin as the sweat dried. Ana could see forks of lightning dancing across the water and the sea was covered with whitecaps, causing large amounts of foam to be deposited as the waves crashed upon the shore. From her childhood living in Flaga, Ana knew this storm was going to be a whopper.

  She had mixed feelings about the coming tempest. On the one hand, it meant there was finally going to be an abundance of clean, fresh water. But on the other hand, it meant they had to leave the beach immediately. Ana had no intention of being caught in the open during a major thunderstorm, having seen firsthand what only one bolt of lightning could do. Needing to exit the area as fast as possible, Ana hoped that some sort of shelter could be found once inside the jungle. She called to Jax, who had been sitting on the riverbank as if lost in thought. Quickly donning her shoes and socks, Ana fished a soap sliver out of the pack and stowed it in a pants pocket. If it rained hard enough and appeared safe to do so, Ana had every intention of taking a shower and wiping a weeks’ worth of salt and grime from her body.

  Picking up the pack, Ana was forced to place it over her left shoulder. It felt awkward as she was used to slinging it over the right one, but the cut Makil had given her was now infected and any touch sent flames of agony racing up her arm. The cut on her back had been shallow and seemed to be healing, but this one had been deep, and without fresh water, Ana had not been able to clean it proper
ly. She could see the red marks spreading out from the center and knew if it weren’t attended to soon, it could end up costing her the arm, or worse, her life. With fresh rain imminent, Ana now planned on lancing the scabbed-over wound, letting the pus run until it bled freely. Once the bleeding slowed, she then intended to wash it as thoroughly as possible, using soap and fresh water to try and disinfect it. Hopefully, that would be enough until she was able to locate the healing leaves Jan had used on her mauled legs.

  “Jax!” Ana called again, noting her companion hadn’t moved. “We need to get out of the open. This storm is going to be wild and we don’t want to be marked as possible lightning rods. Let’s go!”

  Jax turned her head and looked at Ana, pointing to the path across the river.

  “Yeah, furball, I know. But right now, there’s no way across and we need to exit the premises pronto. I promise as soon as the storm lets up, we’ll start searching for some way to cross.”

  Jax reluctantly got up, her fur now ruffling from the growing wind, and trotted to Ana’s side. Ana picked her companion up, placing Jax on the left shoulder, and then turned towards the trees. Stiffening her spine, Ana took a step forward, then another, until eventually entering the jungle and the all-encompassing malevolence it contained.

  Walking into the jungle felt like hitting a brick wall. The dread was almost physical, and Ana had to push to take another step. Jax had hunched tightly as soon as Ana stepped inside the tree line, the furry tail coiling more tightly around Ana’s neck and the tiny claws almost piercing her skin. In response to the little creature’s obvious distress, Ana told her companion that as soon as there was a place to cross the river safely, she would send Jax to the other side. The trees inside the jungle ran almost to the edge, but the dirt path that ran along the river on the other side kept the trees there too far away for Jax to reach.

  Taking only a few steps in, Ana stopped and turned around, facing back towards the sea. The light out there had darkened so much it almost matched the gloom where she now stood. Ana was hard pressed not to head back to the beach. Even with the matching darkness, the more pleasant atmosphere outside the trees could still be felt and it was only the constant streaks of lightning that kept her from attempting to ride out the storm on the sand. She didn’t want to go any deeper into the jungle but knew eventually there would be no other choice. However, Ana was now waiting on the rain, allowing her to not have to proceed any further just yet. When the first drops struck, Ana removed Jax, telling the small animal to stay put when Jax tried to climb back up.

  Ana placed the pack on the ground and looked at the sky critically. Deciding there was enough time for her to shower before the storm moved onshore, Ana proceeded to strip. Laying the clothing on top of the pack, she removed the soap sliver from her pants and stepped back onto the beach, letting the rain wash over her completely and enjoying the respite from the physical oppression the jungle gave. Inviting Jax to join her, Ana tilted her head back and filled her mouth with water, relishing the taste of it before swallowing. She drank several mouthfuls, cupping her hands so Jax could also drink when her companion stepped alongside. As the rain got heavier, Ana shooed Jax away and began bathing, moving as quickly as possible. Waiting until her hair had been thoroughly soaked and the water ran in small rivers down her arms and legs, Ana proceeded to wash every inch of her body. Starting with the hair and working her way down, she finished by balancing on one foot while cleaning between each toe. Luxuriating in the feeling of finally being able to remove the dried sweat, salt, and crusted sand, Ana paid little attention to the amount of soap being used. Right now, the ability to get completely clean eclipsed everything else. Ana had no idea how long it would be before another chance like this presented itself and she was determined to take full advantage of it. After rinsing the soap out of her hair and sluicing the water over her skin, Ana repeated the processes, scrubbing until the skin tingled while making sure to save a small sliver of soap for the infected cut.

  When she was done, Ana offered Jax the soap, but her companion shook her head, hunching over and looking completely miserable.

  “I don’t get it,” Ana laughed, her spirits considerably better now that she was clean. “You’ll take a bath or bathe in a stream, but you won’t have anything to do with the rain. And you refuse to swim in the sea or a lake, even though I saw you jump in the pool back home. Water’s water. What’s the difference?”.

  Jax shot Ana a pitiful look, indicating how miserable the little creature was, which made Ana laugh even harder. Jax, insulted at Ana’s behavior, turned and moved under a nearby bush, ignoring Ana and trying to scrunch into an even smaller ball. Ana laughed again and turned back to her shower, rinsing off completely before reluctantly re-entering the jungle. Taking the clothes off the pack, Ana stepped back onto the beach and rinsed them several times, trying as hard as she could to remove all the accumulated salt and dirt. She put her underwear back on but placed the rest of the clothing to the side temporarily. Removing the knife from its sheath, Ana washed it down with some soap and rinsed it with rainwater. Drying it on one of the remaining pieces of gauze, Ana stepped back into the trees, gritted her teeth, and sliced the cut open. Screaming in pain, she let the knife fall and dropped to the ground.

  Ana lay trembling, her entire world reduced to the agony now consuming her arm. She knew it was not enough just to lance it and that it required further attention, but Ana needed several minutes to deal with the pain before she felt strong enough to continue. Slowly pushing herself up, Ana inspected the wound carefully, trying to determine the best way forward. The pain was receding slightly, only to be replaced with a deep throb. There was a sickly yellow pus dribbling out, but no sign any blood was mixed in with it.

  Ana had no intention of trying to squeeze the cut this time. She felt it was too deep and there was no possible way to put enough pressure on both sides or squeeze hard enough to expel everything. She honestly didn’t think that with a cut this deep or this infected, that type of action would help anyway. In hindsight, Ana realized the wound should have been attended to it immediately, first cleaning it thoroughly, then stitching it up, but the shock and grief of Mikal’s death had driven thoughts of anything else out of her head. Knowing there was nothing she could do to remedy that oversight, Ana used the rain to create a small lather, washing both hands thoroughly and letting the rain rinse them clean. Using her thumb and index finger to make the wound’s opening wider, Ana tilted the arm, allowing more of the sickly fluid to drain out. Letting the rain flow through the cut, Ana kept at it until no more pus could be seen.

  Removing her fingers, Ana created another lather with the dwindling sliver of soap. Gritting her teeth, she proceeded to wash the cut thoroughly, fighting tears of pain when they hampered her vision. Once again letting the rain run over and through it, Ana repeated the process several times before placing a piece of gauze over the area and binding it with a strip of fabric cut from her shirt. She retrieved the knife, cleaned it thoroughly, then dried it and placed it back in its sheath. Finally, Ana washed her hands one more time, making sure to scrub deeply using what was left of her fingernails. Finishing the painful and exhausting chore, Ana lay back, intending to rest for a little bit before moving on. Instead, sleep overtook her, and Ana slipped into dark dreams, heedless of the rain and deep throb that now radiated from the wound.

  Ana had no idea how long she slept. When she woke, the thunder was now behind her and the rain was letting up. Jax had curled up alongside at some point, burrowing under one arm while curling into a tiny, tight ball. As Ana slowly sat up, Jax looked at her disgustedly and then purposely shook, causing water droplets to fly everywhere.

  “Nice try, furball,” Ana said, laughing. “I’m already soaked, so you’re little fit of temper is having zero effect. Matter of fact, I need to rinse again, having got dirty from sleeping on the muddy ground. So, shake away, friend. I can use the shower.”

  Jax shot Ana another nasty look and stalked off,
resuming her perch on the backpack. Ana continued laughing, causing the little creature to turn and once again present Ana with a furry back.

  Ana chuckled once more, then took several deep breaths and shakily rose. She felt even weaker than before and the atmosphere in the forest was making it difficult to move. The headache had creeped back in and she now felt slightly nauseous. Stepping onto the beach, Ana let the light rain rinse away the mud, squeezing her hair to create a stronger stream of water. Wishing there was another alternative, she reluctantly entered the trees again and returned to the pack. Reaching for the scattered clothing and finding them still soaking wet, Ana decided against dressing and instead draped them over her shoulders, only putting the socks and shoes back on. Shooing Jax off the pack and hoisting it, Ana placed it over her good arm, feeling off balance at the unaccustomed weight. Inviting Jax up, Ana laughed again when the small animal made a show of doing so only to appease her.

  Straightening and taking a deep breath to stiffen her resolve, Ana took a step forward, wishing she could see further than a few feet in front while holding out hope they wouldn’t have to travel far before being able to cross the river. She started chattering to Jax, trying to distract herself from the feeling the jungle was giving her. Jax, not happy about their present situation, hunched as close to Ana’s face as possible, often reaching out to touch a cheek as if seeking reassurance. Ana rambled on, talking about anything that popped into her head, but it got harder to keep up the one-sided conversation the further into the jungle they went.

 

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