The Wilderness

Chapter Seven

​Alex set off down the river and the others, unquestioningly, followed.

The day dragged on with solemnity and silence. No one was in the mood to talk, and their spirits were too low to bother even trying. Stephan knew that someone, principally the leader, should be encouraging their followers at a time like this. But Alex kept quiet.

​"Jason," Stephan said to the freckled-face boy.

​"What?" Jason replied, frowning slightly.

​"What are you going to do when you get home?"

​"I don't know...go to 'bout several dozen funerals."

​"Well, other than that. Is there something on TV you'd like to watch or maybe something you'd want to eat? Take a shower or go to school?"

​"Ha, that's a good one: 'go to school', ha! They're the ones who got us into this mess..."

​"I'd like to take a shower," Ally suddenly broke into the conversation.

​"Yeah, that does sound good," Jason said, suddenly brightening up, "And eat a pizza...yes, a large pepperoni pizza with a bit of sausage...and a side of breadsticks..."

​"I want to take a nap," Alex joined in.

​"Lying on the couch watching Desperate Housewives sounds nice," Chris said, mostly to himself. He than noticed that everyone was staring at him weird. "What?"

​"Seriously? That's what you'd be doing if we were home?" Alex grinned.

​"Uhh, no," Chris replied. He heard a snicker and looked at Jason, who gave him a smirk. "What you laughing at?"

​"You," Jason replied, without the slightest hesitation. Although he was much shorter than Chris, he no longer held the respect and reverence for the strong boy as he had before, and now he was all too ready to argue with him. Chris walked right up to Jason, reminding the shorter boy that he was no match for a five foot ten, hundred and seventy-six pound sixteen-year-old boy. Jason glared hard at Chris, and walked away, following after Alex and the two others. The three had ignored the standoff and were walking away rather quickly.

​As another night approached, the five remaining kids sat down at the base of a large tree with exposed roots. They were physically drained from the day's dramatic events, and each of them was looking forward to a night's rest. However, few of them got as much sleep as they wished for. The night's sounds seemed to grow louder, more frightening, and nearer. The small group gathered together and slept in a tight circle. Ally was given the center spot, which was also the warmest and most secure, as part of an unspoken agreement between the boys to keep her safe. Their masculine instincts told them that they must, above all, keep their female companion safe and out of harms way. That was the only thing they could fully agree on.

​Throughout the night, each member of the group thought about what the future held for them. What other tragedies would occur on their journey to civilization? Who else would die on their way home? Stephan wished he would've somehow convinced Chris to stay at the plane crash with the others. Maybe then they would've been rescued, and all those who had died since then would've made it home. He suddenly realized at that point that those kids who had died had families. Not that he didn't know it before, but he hadn't really thought about it till now. Those kids had parents who were praying for them to come home, siblings who were wondering what happened to them, friends who were missing them...

I wonder what Mom and Dad are doing right now, Stephan thought forlornly to himself. Are they looking for me? Do they think I'm dead? Tears once again found their way down his cheeks as he quietly cried. He stopped himself, though, knowing he was using up precious energy. It had been days since he'd eaten, since any of them had eaten. He had heard of people going sixty days without eating, so surely he and his friends weren't in that great of danger. It was the weather he figured was their greatest problem, that and any other dangers that may come their way. So far, the animals hadn't posed as much of a threat, though at night they were a real bother.