" Summer just got, a whole, lot, hotter."
...Year - 2042. A breakthrough in the scientific world. An island - a treasure trove of resources that were otherwise considered non-existent, hidden all these centuries behind a cloak of clouds has been dis...
"Should we start right now? I was thinking that it might get dark soon," June glances her wrist at the AI band, "It's 2:10 already." "It won't help to wait any longer, so just as well..." I check on the things inside the bag and unfix the portable oxygen cylinders from the cabinets. "We got four only." They were about a foot in size, one could last for half an hour at most when used continuously.
I carried two of them and the bag, and June was able to walk around almost normally so she took the other two cylinders. I take out a searchlight and hold it in my only spare hand. "Come on." I get down from the pod and turn back to help June out, "It's okay. I can walk without any help. It doesn't hurt anymore." I looked down at her knee, it sure was mild but I thought it hurt more on the inside. "Are you sure?" "Yep. Let's go." June joins beside me. "Well, I got to thank Ian for my knee. It hurt really bad on the inside but he did something you know, back then when he was bandaging it. He twisted my leg in a way, and it didn't hurt a bit. Rather it was relieving." "Okay, you can thank him if we find him alive." "Hey! You don't have to be that sadistic. I believe everyone is alright." June says trying to cheer up. I too am trying to believe, that's all we can.
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We start walking through the trail that the pod cleared up before. "Which way are we going?" June asks. Legit question. "Um, which way did Ian go?" "South I guess..." June responds to my question. "Same way then," I say, and we continue walking at a moderate pace.
I really don't know what we're doing anymore, except that this is the best we can right now. I'm not hoping much but if we do find Ian, maybe it'd be good after all. I do regret yelling at him before, a bit. Anyways, he was being unreasonable to walk away like that putting all the blame on me. I'm not someone who holds grudges easily, but if you've crossed the line once, I don't easily forget or give up either. A toxic trait, I know and it's brought more trouble than anything else before. "Don't think so much, big sis!" June exclaims pulling me out of my thoughts, "Everything will be alright." I nod and we keep walking for another half an hour.
"Let's take a break, what say?" I look at June and then at her knee. "Stop looking at my leg like it's amputated." I roll my eyes, "Just sit down for a while," I find a small area under a bush which had comparatively less mud and rotten leaves and sit folding my knees.
"Do you really think we'll make it out alive from here?" I say not really as a question to June but just to let the thought hang there for a while. "Are you expecting me to answer that?" June looks at me like I asked her if Earth has two moons. "No my! No, most definitely not." I mimic her in a dramatic manner. She laughs out loud, "Geez, you really can!" I chuckle back, "It's my superpower, can't help it." "Hmm..." She sighs. "What?" "On a more serious note, is it really that impossible to make it out of here?" I can't deny the trace of worry in her voice. "All we can is to try." I won't make empty promises now.
"Let's keep walking then." June struggles to get up. I get to my feet and give her a hand, "No I can get up on my own." I roll my eyes, this insolent kid! I grab her hand instead, "Stop being a stubborn brat." She gets up making a grunt. "So where we heading?" "Due South." We keep walking. One hour. Another hour. Taking occasional breaks by either sitting down if possible or leaning on to trees that didn't threaten with some fungus around it. "Why the hell does time seem to go really slow right now?" "This. Is known as helplessness." One of the things I hate feeling.
"Ok now you're gonna go on rambling 'bout.." "Shush!" I tell her to shut up gesturing a finger on my lips. "Did you hear that?" "Hear what exactly?" It wasn't a roar of course but more of a muffled yelp. "Human noise," I say as a reply.
"Way to describe a sound!" She rolls her eyes. "I really heard it...or was it only my head?" I put my hands around my mouth to channel my voice in the direction I thought I heard the sound. "Ian! Ben! Anybody there?" "Help!" It's Ian. I don't think I'd ever be this glad hearing someone's voice. "Ian?" I call out. "I'm... stuck!" We both exchanged looks for a beat and sprinted from where his voice was coming. "This way. Or this?" I fell into a dilemma after approaching a giant tree from where we clearly had to choose a left or right. "Ian! Hang in there we're coming." June calls out. "No. No, don't..." That much was enough to understand which way to go. "Don't come here..." He sounded like he was fighting back something. We finally caught sight of him. "Why did you come I told you not to." Too late. By the time I realised the situation, it was too late. Ian was half inside the earth and we both were slowly heading that way, our feet already sinking into the ground. "Holy shit!"
Short chapter I know, but just put your trust on me, the next chapter is gonna be worth it. Till then, Happy Reading! :)
