Afraid to Fall

by Nicole Douglas

  He raced around to his side, hopped in and twisted the key in the ignition. He didn’t even care that his seats were sopping wet. All he could think about the whole drive back to Jessica’s house was that kiss.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Waking up the next morning to the sunlight shining in his eyes, Kyle knew he had taken more than a brief nap. More pleasant times the two of them had spent in the rain from years before had made an appearance in his dreams. He blinked hard, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light and immediately noticed his empty arms along with the empty feeling that gave him.

  He squinted, looked around and spotted Jessica lying in the dirt on her side wearing his jacket. The disappointment that she was no longer snuggled against him and the longing he felt to change that disturbed him to the core. He rose to his feet and brushed some leaves and dirt from his clothes, suddenly fully awake.

  "Time to get up." He called out gruffly in her direction and gently tapped her tennis shoe with his boot for good measure.

  Feeling conflicted over his emotions that were slowly bordering full blown infatuation he began to gather the few belongings they had, giving her a moment to wake up. She weakly rose to her feet and rested her hand on her grumbling stomach, reminding him that they desperately needed food to renew their fading strength.

  Knowing they still hadn't covered enough ground, Kyle immediately led the way through the trees and continued their trek almost as soon as Jessica was on her feet. There was no way to tell where their enemies were in this massive jungle. He was growing increasingly uncomfortable with that thought each additional hour they spent there.

  "I just don't understand." She voiced softly after a long stretch of silence.

  "Would you just drop it?" He begged, barely above a whisper.

  Her head snapped in his direction at the emotion she heard in his voice. The stress of the situation he could handle; but the stress that came with being around her was taking a toll. He had no desire to try to explain to her why he left straight out of high school and not bothering to contact her when he was beginning to question the decision himself.

  "What's done is done. I can't change the past." He added in the same remorseful tone.

  She averted her eyes to her feet and focused on not tripping over the uneven ground. She had never seen Kyle crack before. She got the distinct impression he was having an inner battle over something. What, she didn’t know. She decided it had to be the fact that they were wandering through the woods. But, as he hadn't told her much information beyond the fact that they need to keep moving and get out of the jungle promptly, she couldn't be certain just how bleak he thought their situation was.

  She was about to reach out and tell him she wasn't asking him to change anything from their past; what’s done was done. She wanted to reassure him that everything would turn out fine. She would be on a plane home in no time, out of his hair for good. Just as he clearly wanted. But a village came into their view as they reached a break in the trees and stopped her train of thoughts dead in their tracks.

  It was an abandoned village, to be exact. That was evident as they approached it. Kyle had his rifle steadily in both hands pointed slightly downward, ready for a surprise. There wasn’t a single person around and it was eerily silent. There were five huts identical to the one she had stayed in at the beginning of her trip.

  Cautiously, Kyle stepped in front of Jessica and led them closer to the first hut. “Stay behind me.” He directed, his body tense as he looked around.

  Jessica knew he was on full alert as he fractionally tightened his grip on his rifle and entered the doorway of the hut. She stood outside waiting until he finished. All of the villager’s belongings were still sitting around as if they had left in a hurry. Bowls were stacked up next to the doors of huts. Blankets were left strewn across the ground inside.

  The thought that they didn’t have time to take anything with them made Jessica uneasy. The only difference between this village and the one she fled from was that this one had not been burned down. There were no bodies littering the dirt. No blood. These people at least seemed to have left on their own accord.

  Kyle repeated the systematic search in all five huts before he relaxed slightly and let his weapon rest by the strap. Finding it unoccupied, he turned to signal to Jessica she could come in. He began rummaging through the stacks of belongings that were left behind. She had a feeling he would find nothing in his search but had said nothing. He wouldn’t have been able to relax without making sure. Besides, it was better to be safe than sorry.

  "I smell food." Jessica informed him longingly, joining him in his search.

  The hut looked ransacked by the time they uncovered the source of the heavenly aroma; a stone plate stacked with homemade tortillas and a bowl filled to the brim with smoked meat. Jessica had no idea what kind of meat it was but she was so hungry that it didn't even matter to her. She snatched a piece from the bowl Kyle held out to her. He offered her the food with an unsure expression. The last thing they needed was for one of them to get sick. Still, they hadn’t eaten in two days and needed the fuel.

  Still slightly reluctant to eat the meat, he pulled a tortilla from the stack and took a large bite, slowly chewing the tasteless meal as he gathered supplies they may need later. He glanced at Jessica who sat on the dirt floor inhaling the unknown meat. He was thankful they found something for her to eat.

  "Aren't you going to eat?" She asked him with concern, noticing he was still nibbling on the same tortilla.

  "Yeah." He replied after brief hesitation.

  He knew he should eat before they left seeing as there was no telling how long it would be until they found a decent meal. He needed the protein to maintain his energy and forced away his habit of being a picky eater. Sitting on the floor across from Jessica, he reached into one of the bowls between them, grabbed a piece of cold meat and ignored the voice in his head screaming that it was probably crawling with bacteria.

  "What exactly is it?" He asked, looking at it closely.

  "I don't know." She admitted, taking another bite. "It's just food. Now isn't the time to be picky."

  At that, he smirked and said a silent prayer that he didn’t get e coli or worse. He took a bite and, seeing that it wasn't as bad as he thought, filled a tortilla with meat. Together they devoured both bowls. When they were done they stood, energized and ready to continue their long walk.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hopelessness bubbled up inside Jessica as she trudged behind Kyle. Her shoe was rubbing a blister into the back of her heel that was beginning to hurt like hell. She suppressed a curse as she tripped over a twig and stepped into a puddle of squishy mud, courtesy of the rain the night before. The murky water splashed onto the leg of her jeans and filled her shoes. Every step she took was now followed by a nagging sloshing sound.

  "How much longer are we going to be walking?" She winced at how whiney she sounded and waited for his answer.

  "Not sure."

  Noticing she was falling behind he turned to wait for her to catch up. She attempted to ignore the blisters she felt forming and the intense burning in her thighs and calves. When she finally reached him, much to her disappointment, he began walking again.

  So much for a break.

  "We're about halfway there." He added upon hearing her sigh. Instead of complaining, she surprised him by bursting into a fit of laughter. He stopped walking and turned to look at her in utter confusion.

  "Are you laughing?" He asked redundantly. His question caused her to laugh even harder. He stared at her, his confusion slowly turning to amusement.

  "What's so funny?"

  Moments later she contained her laughter and took a deep breath. When she met his concerned stare she began giggling and walked past him, taking the lead. He shook his head and followed her.

  "Now isn't a good time for you to go insane on me." He called out to her teasingly, letting out a chuckle of his own at the bizarre predicament they were in.
>
  Chapter Eighteen

  "Do you even know where we are?" She asked after the sky began to darken.

  "Yes." He grumbled; annoyed at her lack of faith in him as well as the fact that he wasn't so sure he did know where they were anymore. But he sure as hell didn’t want to admit it.

  Kyle heard a sniffle behind him and realized she was crying. He sighed inwardly, immediately regretting his harsh tone. She wasn’t used to this type of stress in her life and he knew it was taking everything she had to hold it together.

  "We're never going to find our way home." She tried to control her shaky voice but the despair she was feeling was obvious.

  "It's going to be okay." He assured, slowing his pace to walk in step with her. "I'm going to get us out of here."

  He glanced down at her face, straining to see her in the rapidly dimming light. He could barely make out her features but could tell she was scrunching her eyebrows and trying to fight off tears. He looked straight ahead but stayed at her side in companionable silence.

  Suddenly a deafening spray of gunfire shattered through the silence. Without thinking, Kyle grabbed Jessica's arm and pulled her to the ground next to him. She hit the cold dirt with a gasp; her stunned body froze while her mind struggled to catch up to what was happening.

  "Get on your stomach!" He ordered, placing his palm on her back and urging her to do as he said.

  Her head popped up and she opened her mouth to say something. Seeing this, he automatically reached out and pushed her head back to the ground.

  "Stay down!"

  He kept his hand on her hair, weighing down her head to ensure she didn't try to lift it again. After several long minutes the noise stopped. Jessica began to squirm beneath his hand. He scooted closer to her, dragging his gun with him.

  "Stay put." He whispered sternly in her ear. "And don't move."

  At that he removed his hand from pinning her down, allowing her to look up at him wide-eyed.

  "What?! Don't leave me here!" She whispered frantically, moving to stand up. He shot his hand out to pull her back to the ground.

  "Just stay here, Jessica." He repeated. "I'll be right back."

  Tears returned to her eyes as she began to panic, breathing sharply.

  "Please don't leave me here." She begged, scooting even closer to him on the ground.

  The pleading expression he could make out through the darkness coupled with her terrified tone caused him to hesitate. He momentarily considered staying right there on the ground with her. But that was a foolish thought and he knew it. He knew he needed to investigate before they could safely rest for the night.

  "Jessie, I need to go see what's going on. I’ll be right back, okay?"

  She sniffled and opened her mouth to plead again.

  "I promise you, I’ll be back. Please trust me." He soothingly rubbed his hand across her tangled hair.

  Still looking alarmed, she nodded. He gave her one last look that he intended to be reassuring and quietly crawled closer to the noise. When he got close enough for comfort he kneeled behind a tree trunk, gun ready.

  Worrying about Jessica and wondering if it was a good decision to leave her waiting alone, Kyle strained to hear the voices of the three men that stood a few feet. He stood frozen behind an overgrown bush and held his rifle in front of him, hoping he didn't have to use it tonight. Jessica was scared enough as it was. Witnessing him executing three people would only increase her anxiety. He shook his head a fraction at the fact that he was so focused on her rather than the objective at hand and returned his attention to the voices.

  Kyle could only assume the cease of gunfire meant the target was dead. The name Rodriguez was spoken loud and clear. Although it was a fairly common name, Kyle felt a tingling sensation course through his veins in recognition. He shifted the gun silently in his front of him and leaned forward, trying desperately to hear the full conversation but still only getting bits and pieces.

  "...send more out to search immediately...they can't get away..."

  Kyle cringed when he heard their voices becoming fainter, knowing they were walking away.

  "...perfect hostage for negotiation..."

  Knowing the situation just went from bad to worse, Kyle waited until they were far enough away that he could no longer make out their voices whatsoever before he crawled quietly back to where he left Jessica. He was happy to see she was in the same spot he left her, laying as still as possible with her cheek resting on the ground. Her only movements came from her rapid breathing as she continued to stave off panic.

  Not wanting to scare her, Kyle whispered her name before he approached. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected sound but was quickly flooded with relief that was evident on her features as she realized it was just him. She closed her eyes, letting her cheek rest against the dirt and gathered composure. When she opened her eyes again, he placed one finger over his lips while signaling with his other hand that they needed to move in the opposite direction that the men had. She nodded in understanding and he helped her to her feet. The two began hiking quietly through the dark jungle once again.

  ***

  The sun rose, painting the sky a swirl of baby blue and deep orange, as Jessica and Kyle continued on. She had managed to keep up with him throughout the night, desperate to not venture too far from his side. She was much too scared of the mysterious noises and the vast darkness. She blindly held onto his arm while they walked, letting him guide the way.

  Now, in the light of day, she kept a healthy distance between them. He couldn't help but miss the feminine touch that always ignited a fire in his veins, realizing he had secretly enjoyed the distracting sensation she gave him. They had taken no breaks during the night and although he would never admit it even to himself, Kyle had grown just as exhausted as Jessica at this point. He attributed feeling consumed by her touch to that lack of sleep and not something deeper.

  The sound of rushing water brought Kyle's wandering mind back to the present. They soon found that the source of the sound was a river, much deeper, wider and rougher than the last one they came across. They stood on a steep embankment several feet above the fast flowing water. He knew it would benefit them to be on the opposite side of the river from those that were searching for them; that if they followed the river by walking on the embankment on the opposite side it would eventually lead them to some sort of civilization.

  There was only one tiny problem with that idea.

  "I can't swim!" She exclaimed after hearing his plan.

  "I know...but we don't have a lot of choices. We need to get to the other side." He stated calmly, hoping his relaxed demeanor would rub off on her.

  "Why is that?" She demanded defiantly.

  "Well, because-"

  Before he was able to explain his reasoning the familiar sound of gunshots erupted again. One pierced the gently flowing water on the side farthest from them. Kyle grabbed Jessica's hand and jumped down into the water, pulling her with him. She let out an initial shriek but quickly suppressed it. They hit the water hard and Kyle pulled her to the surface, fighting the current that had already pulled them several yards down the river.

  Her eyes were wide with fear as she spit water from her mouth and gasped for air. He knew the shooters were somewhere behind them, hidden by the dense forest. They had been easy targets standing around in plain view. But they were also easy targets with their heads bobbing above the water.

  "Hold your breath." Kyle ordered before pulling her underneath the murky rapids.

  She immediately began flailing her arms in an attempt to resurface. His hand firmly gripped hers as he wrapped his other arm around her waist. She calmed a fraction in the knowledge that she wasn't alone, however she fought hard against her inner urge to be in control. This moment was in no one's control.

  The rushing water pulled their bodies downstream quickly and she felt as if she were being shaken around in a snow globe. Just when she thought she couldn't hold her breath another
second, she felt herself being pulled to the surface again. She struggled to take in a full breath into her burning lungs. Being terrified of water and her inability to swim, she wanted nothing more than to get out right away.

  Kyle, on the other hand, appeared to have other plans as he let the current continue to pull them downstream. To her relief the worst of the rapids seemed to be behind them. He held onto her arm to hold her above water. Unsettled by the feeling of freely floating in the water, she flung her arms around his neck. She returned his smug smile with a bitter glare.

  "It's going to be okay." He reassuringly wrapped an arm around her waist, tightly holding her against him as he looked toward the trees for any suspicious movement.

  The current continued to tow their tangled bodies past the trees. When the pull of the water weakened even more and the depth was shallow enough for him to firmly plant his boots on the bottom, Kyle decided it would be safe to get out of the river and begin walking along the bank. He waited until Jessica, who was several inches shorter than him, could reach the bottom as well before he released his grip on her and led the way.

  He climbed onto the steep dirt incline that led up to the tree line. Sopping wet, he turned to watch Jessica slosh through the shallow water that barely reached her knees. Her golden hair was tangled and plastered to the sides of her face. Frankly, she looked angrier than a wet cat.