by James Holler
"It will be dark soon enough," said John. "I better fix a place for you two to sleep." He walked into the jungle, and came back a few minutes later with an arm load of large leaves. "Take my word for it. It's better than sleeping in the dirt," said John, as he walked toward the hut. After placing the leaves inside, he came out and motioned for the women to come over.
"I might as well give you two a tour of my home," said John. Katie and Hailey reluctantly went over to the hut. "This is where I've been living," said John, standing by the doorway. Each of the two women took a short look inside, without entering, trying not to get too close to John. "I need to get more leaves. You ladies look around if you want," said John, as he walked off. After he got a ways off, they both went inside.
Spotting John's bug out bag, Hailey unzipped the top, to see what was inside. "We'll take this when we leave tonight," said Hailey. Saying nothing, Katie checked to make sure John wasn't coming, as Hailey looked around for anything else they might need. In less time than it took for the first load, John had more leaves, and was coming back. "Here he comes," said Katie.
Hailey quickly zipped up the bag, and tried her best to place it just as she had found it. Katie walked out before John entered and Hailey met John in the door, as she tried to get out. "Oops, excuse me, I'm not used to company," said John. Smiling, he stepped to the side, to allow Hailey to exit. After two more trips, John had what he thought were enough leaves to make the night more comfortable for his new roommates. The rest of the evening was spent boiling water, and refilling the container.
As daylight slipped away, the two newcomers mostly sat quietly looking at the fire. They didn't trust John, and were mostly focused on the plan they had come up with earlier. Of the two women, Hailey was much less comfortable in this jungle setting. As the noises of the night began to increase, she started to look a little scared. The darker it got, the closer she got to the fire, as she stayed close to Katie the entire evening. Katie could see that Hailey was getting uneasy about the circumstances.
After a long period when none of them spoke, Katie said, "We've had a long day Hailey, why don't we go to bed and get some sleep." "Good idea," said Hailey, as they both stood up. "I'll be there, in a little while. I have to get the fire built up a little," said John. As the two women walked to the hut, John began placing larger chunks of wood on the fire. After adding plenty of wood, John grabbed the pot, the water container, and his knife and went to the hut. As he entered the doorway, he placed the pot and the water container just inside the door. "I'm going to put the water over here by the door, in case you get thirsty in the night," he said, not knowing that they planned to steal them later.
As John lay in the pitch blackness of the night, he had a lot on his mind. How will I feed three people, when I can't find enough to eat for myself? How will they handle finding out that they are never going home, he wondered. Those and other questions were going through his mind. We were each chosen for a reason, he thought. Probably genetic diversity. Hailey is black, and Katie looks like she is part white, and part something else. I don't plan on being part of a lab experiment, or part of a breeding group, like a farm animal, he thought. I'll have to wake them up when the moon comes out later. That is the only way they will believe me.
He had put out so much effort earlier in the day that he was totally worn out. While he was fighting sleep, Hailey and Katie were wide awake, waiting to implement their plan. First though, they needed John to go to sleep.
Hailey reached out in the darkness and found Katie's arm, located her shoulder, then placed her index finger across her lips, signaling her not to make any noise. Hailey slid as close to Katie as she could, then placing her mouth right next to Katie's ear, she whispered "When we can tell by his breathing that he is asleep, I'll get the bag, and you grab the water and pot."
It was so dark that neither of them could see their hand in front of their face. Hailey scooted as close to John's bed as she could, to better hear his breathing. As it gradually began to get lighter in the hut, it became easier to see. Both of the women thought that their eyes were adjusting to the darkness. John unknowingly cooperated with their plan, by finally drifting off to sleep. His fatigue won over his desire to stay awake. He began to snore, so both women knew right away when he was asleep.
Hailey cautiously reached for the bag and the knife, which was right next to it. Katie was already crawling toward the door and picked up the pot with one hand and the water container with the other. As soon as she had them in hand, she stepped out of the hut, with Hailey right behind her.
They started in the direction of the beach, but only took a few steps, when they both noticed the moon. It was rising, and so large that it was even visible between the gaps between the trees. It was massive compared to the moon they were used to seeing. "Oh my God," Hailey said in a normal voice. "No! No!" shrieked Katie, as they both dropped their loot. Like John had been, at seeing the same sight, they were in shock. This was something that would take time to wrap their minds around.
John hadn't been out long enough to be in a sound sleep, so their voices woke him up. He joined them standing in the moonlight, as they stood there in disbelief. They were both crying, Katie much harder than Hailey. "I'm sorry," said John, in a tone that a person would use when speaking to someone who was mourning a family member. He knew exactly how they were feeling, because he was still feeling it a little himself.
"Why don't we put this stuff back in the hut," said John, picking up all the things the women had taken. "Come on, you will need to get some rest." John knew there was nothing he could do to make them feel better. After putting the things away, he helped them get their bed of leaves straightened up and helped them get settled back in.
"This can't be real," said Hailey. "It can't be, but it is," said John. "At first I thought I might be going insane, and this was all just a hallucination." "I want to go home," Katie said, sounding like a lost child. "I know. Me too," said John, trying to be as comforting as he knew how. Seeing and hearing what his guests were going through, brought up the same feelings in John. He'd tried to keep those feelings suppressed, but hearing the word home, made him think of his old home. He missed his friends and his family, and it was painful to think about them.
Chapter 4
It had been almost two weeks since the population of John's home went from one, to three. Hailey was still having a hard time some days, but on other days seemed to be adjusting better to the situation than John had at this point. Katie, on the other hand, was a wreck and almost catatonic some days. Her depression was not showing any sign of letting up, even though John and Hailey had both made attempts to cheer her up.
At first, John thought that having more people here would create more work for him, but Hailey had been a tremendous help. He showed her the location of all the fruit trees he knew of so far, and showed her how to catch fish. Some days she took on the water boiling chore, and some days John did. They had some long talks, and were both starting to think of each other as friends.
"I know we shouldn't bathe in the water we drink from, but I really need to wash up somewhere," said Hailey. "I know, me too," said John. "I think I know of somewhere. Do you want to go now?" "Sure," said Hailey. "I'll tell Katie we are going." Hailey walked over to the hut where Katie spent most of her time, and let her know that she and John would be gone for a while. They headed in the direction of the beach. This is a good idea, thought John, we are both getting a little rank. John knew that he was way overdue for a bath.
Once they arrived at the ocean, they walked south, or what seemed like south in their old world. In the area which formed a pool, there was one end that was separate from the main part of the larger pool. It was only a couple feet deep, and had rocks and coral separating it from the rest of the main pool of water. They both walked in and sat in the sand, with water up to their chests.
John leaned back and began to soak, running his fingers through his hair. It was matted and dirty, and it was hard to get hi
s fingers through it at first. He repeated the process with his beard and could see the dirty water running down his chest. As he began to scrub at his skin with his hands, he could see the dead skin, mixed with dirt, starting to roll up and come off.
While John was bathing, Hailey was having her own scrub fest. Like John, she only had the clothes she was wearing when she got here. She got in the deepest water she could find, then turned her back to John, and took off her shirt. She had stopped wearing her bra days ago. She swished her shirt back and forth, then wrung the water out of it, repeating the steps several times. She put her shirt back on, then took her jeans off and washed them as well.
Sneaking a few quick looks, John followed her lead. He took off his boxers, which were well-worn and grungy looking, and rinsed them out repeatedly. "I'm glad you talked me into this, Hailey. It feels pretty good," said John. "I know. We are going to have to do this more often," said Hailey.
After they both got their clothes washed, rinsed, and back on, they sat in the shallows enjoying the water. "You look a lot better cleaned up," Hailey said. "You don't look half bad yourself," John playfully shot back. "We probably should make a fruit run, on the way back. Don't you think?" said John. "Sounds like a plan. Let's enjoy this for a while though," said Hailey.
As time went by, John could feel the sun starting to burn his skin. "I'm starting to burn a little." said John. "OK," said Hailey, waiting for John to get up first. When he stood and looked down at his legs and arms, he noticed he was much darker than when he first got here. "Another month or two here, and I'm going to be as dark as you are," said John, smiling. "I kind of doubt that," said Hailey, with a polite chuckle. As Hailey stood up, John couldn't help but notice her breasts showing through her wet T-shirt. Even though he was trying not to stare, Hailey couldn't help but catch the lingering glance.
When John wasn't watching, Hailey took advantage of looking him over too. This was the first time she had seen him when he wasn't grimy and stinky. She already liked his personality and enjoyed their many conversations, but now she was starting to appreciate his appearance in a way that surprised her. As they walked away from the beach, John held his arm next to hers. "See, I don't have that much to go to catch you," he joked, comparing his skin color to hers. "Whatever," Hailey said, smiling.
On the way back, they stopped by two fruit trees, and collected as much as they could carry, mostly from the ground. They usually had to go through a few bad ones before they found one worth keeping. They were both feeling refreshed after their time in the water earlier in the day. Their little dip in the ocean was as close to recreation as they could get here.
"Why do you think they picked us?" Hailey asked John, out of the blue. "Well, I think genetic diversity has something to do with it. After all, we are all ethnically different," said John, without hesitation, having thought about it already. "So, you think they expect us to reproduce?" asked Hailey. "I think we are some sort of science project, or zoo animals, or part of a nature preserve, or something like that. I think they can track every move we make, and are treating us like humans treat animals. Who knows, maybe they think we are an endangered species," said John.
Hailey took a few moments to think about what John had just said. Even though she had similar thoughts herself, she didn't feel totally comfortable talking about them. "So, what should we do?" Hailey finally asked. "I don't know, but I don't like feeling like a monkey in a cage. It might be a planet sized cage, but it is still a cage, as far as I'm concerned," said John, not holding back.
They had similar conversations before, but until now John hadn't told Hailey exactly what he was thinking. After a long pause, John continued, "So what do you think?" "I think you are probably right," said Hailey. They didn't talk the rest of the way back home. At first, it was the hut, or camp, but now it was home. Like it or not, they didn't have a choice.
When they finally arrived back home, they set their fruit down on the ground, next to the fire. "I'm going to take Katie some water. She hasn't been drinking enough lately," said Hailey, picking up the drinking cup. Hailey filled the cup and made her way to the hut. She stepped in, then stepped right back out. "She's not here," said Hailey, sounding concerned. "She's probably just using the bathroom," said John. Not accepting that, Hailey called Katie's name twice, then listened.
After several attempts with no reply, John started to get a little concerned as well. "She usually heads over in that direction when she goes," said John, pointing to a nearby tree. They both walked in the direction John had pointed and he started yelling Katie's name every ten to fifteen seconds. His throat finally started to hurt, so he tried whistling. That sound will probably carry farther anyway, he thought.
They walked about a hundred yards, then stopped. "I don't think she would go this far. Let's try going back," said John. "This doesn't make any sense. She hasn't been out of the hut hardly at all, and today she decides to go on a hike," said Hailey. "Surely she wouldn't do anything to hurt herself, would she?" asked John. "I don't think so, but I don't know," Hailey responded, concern lacing her words.
John already had his knife, but when they got back home, he picked up the spear too. He and Hailey were both worried now. Katie had been so depressed that she barely moved on most days, only leaving the hut for short periods of time, to drink, eat, or use the bathroom.
They searched for hours, yelling and whistling, with no luck. As it got closer to sunset, they stayed closer to home, not wanting to get lost themselves. Finally they had to give up, before it was too dark to find their way home. "I don't want to leave her out here alone," said Hailey. "I know, but us being out here in the dark, isn't going to help her any. We'll build the fire up bigger and call from there. She'll be all right if it doesn't rain," said John.
Luckily, they had the firewood supply built up. They both started adding wood, and in no time the fire was roaring bigger than they ever had it before. They stayed up half the night yelling and whistling, while keeping the fire going, causing them both to be exhausted. "Maybe we should call it a night, and look for her in the morning," said John. "OK," said Hailey, in agreement, already lying on her side on the ground. After they entered the hut, John secured the door. They hadn't been using the door, but he thought they should tonight and got no argument from Hailey.
"I'm afraid," said Hailey, after several minutes of silence in the darkness. Without saying a word, John rolled out of his bed, and crawled over to where Hailey and Katie slept on the floor. He pulled her close, and they held each other. John had needed this kind of closeness for a long time. For a few fleeting seconds, he thought of his girlfriend back in Colorado, but he couldn't allow himself to have such thoughts for long. It hurt too much to think of anything in his old life. Hailey didn't fear John anymore, but she didn't totally trust him yet either.
They needed each other right now, but there was nothing sexual about their embrace. They were more like scared children comforting each other in the darkness, than the adults they were. With her head on his chest, they both fell asleep.
Hailey gently shook John, until he was awake. Except for being too short, it was the best night's sleep that John had in months. "We need to go find Katie," said Hailey. "I know," said John, closing his eyes, and letting out a sigh. "She needs us. She's probably scared to death," said Hailey, growing a little impatient. "OK," said John. He held Hailey's face in his hands and kissed her on the forehead. "What was that?" she asked, standing to her feet. "You better hope they aren't watching. With a move like that, they might replace you as a breeder," she said, with a big grin on her face. "Oh, man, that really hurt," John said, laughing.
Following their usual routine, they got the fire going, and put some water on to boil. They would need to drink plenty before they left. They knew they were probably in for a long day, even though they were both already tired, hungry, and thirsty. They each started drinking from the water container. They couldn't risk taking the container with them, because it wasn't made to carry when full.
A thorn from a tree, or accidental drop would make life a whole lot harder.
"Well, I'm not sure which direction we should go first. Any ideas?" asked John, while adding some wood to the fire. "Not really, but we should probably take the shirt, in case we find some fruit while we are out," said Hailey, walking away with the pot to get more water.
After having all they wanted to drink, and refilling the container, John and Hailey set out to look for Katie. The sun was very warm before they even got started. It was a very calm day, without a hint of breeze. The everyday tasks of survival, never left any time for exploring, so today, they decided to do some looking on the far side of the water pool. Once they got to it, they walked along the edge of the clearing, calling out and whistling for Katie.
Occasionally they ventured into the jungle, when they saw something they wanted to investigate further. Walking out into the clearing, put them in the sun and the humidity. The physical exertion was already making them thirsty, only a couple of hours into their search, so when the clearing narrowed, they decided to cross to the other side, so they could walk in the shade. The grass that they had to walk through was head high in places, making the trek slow and tiring.
They were relieved when they got to the other side, because walking in the shade was much easier. Neither of them had said it out loud, but they were both starting to feel like they might be wasting their time looking for Katie. In spite of how they felt, they both trudged on.
Wiping sweat from his forehead, John stopped and leaned on a tree to rest. After a few moments, he sat down and Hailey joined him. They were both so tired that they didn't even talk as they rested. Except for some birds in the background, it was very quiet. John sat with his arms on his knees, with his head hanging slightly. He raised his head up, and turned it from one direction, to the other.