Enchanted Shores

The Precarious situation

"Ha! If you were even half as great as Mrs. Sinclair I defetinly wouldn't be-" He stopped himself but kept walking.

"What?" My eyebrows lower, "You wouldn't do what!"

"Nothing, Let's just find this Asai guy or whatever!"

I wanted to argue more with Derrek, hoping to get some clarification on his thoughts and actions. It was a little infuriating that he just kept walking ahead of me, ignoring my persistent questions. Eventually he threatened to stop looking for Asai if I didn't stop asking, which I found incredibly irritating. So even though it was tempting to argue more, I huffed but complied quickly in order to make sure that the rescue mission kept going.

As we continued to search for Asai through the thick jungle, an hour had passed.

We had looked over every tree stump and branch.

But with the rain beginning, the tracks of the tribe members and Asai were disappearing, and I could see that Derrek looked exhausted.

Asai where are you? Surely you didn't die big guy....

With a huge and loud sigh, he now turned towards me, shaking his head in disbelief. "Look, Madison," he exclaimed, annoyance clear on his face. "We aren't gonna find your giant jungle man."

As the rain drenched my hair and dripped down my cheeks, my teeth were clenched in vexation and despair as the realization hit me - Asai was most likely hurt or possibly...

Despite his words, I took more steps forward, trying to search for his tracks. But before I could take more than a few more steps, Derrek grabbed my arm. "You aren't going to find him," he stated firmly.

I ground my teeth in anger at his words. "You don't understand... I have to," I shot back at him, my tone becoming louder and more desperate.

"We had a deal!"

"I have all this guilt built up inside me, Derrek!" I exclaimed with increasing desperation. "He would've searched for me if I was hurt, I just know it!" I angrily tugged at his fingers, but that only made his grip tighten. "So let me go," I yelled at him. "You can have the walkie talkie, just let me look for him!"

I was now pleading with him to let me go, but his grip just tightened around my arm, causing me to shout out in pain. "Wouldn't it be better if I wasn't by your side?" I screamed at him, a mix of hurt and anger in my voice. "You hate me! You have a greater chance to live if I wasn't with you!" I asked bitterly.

"After all, I'm willing to head into danger, so why? Why won't you let go of me?"

"I can't let you leave!" Derrek said fiercely, holding onto me with all his grip. "Not after...everything I've been through." He seemed conflicted about what to say next, but eventually decided to tell me how he felt. "What I'm doing, I'm not doing for you," he said with bitterness.

I was taken aback at what I had just heard, the fear and the damp hair clinging to Derrek's head making the whole thing feel more serious. "What the hell are you talking about?" I asked him sharply, my gaze narrowing as I looked at him, trying to make sense of what he had said in the midst of his anger.

Has he gone completely insane?

I was completely startled as Derrek spoke further. His tone was now filled with coldness and resolve, making it clear that he meant every word he said. "I need you in order to get rid of you," he stated in an unemotional voice, which only shook me even more. "I'm sorry," he continued to state bitterly, clearly unable to show any amount of remorse for what he was about to do. "But it has to be this way," he finished off, letting out another cold chuckle and looking me straight in the eye.