The pain was the first thing that crept through the black.
Everything was throbbing and aching – nothing was at peace, including Roanna’s mind.
She groaned as she moved her head, the throbbing getting more and more thunderous.
Roanna turned her head, trying her best to ignore the pain as she did so, and realized where she was.
She was in a tree.
A very tall tree, tangled in a mess of branches and vines.
Cursing mentally, she squirmed, trying to see her leg. If she had her machete still she could cut herself loose.
Cursing out loud this time, Roanna saw that the machete lay several feet away, caught in the crease between two large branches stemming from the trunk, nestled just out of reach.
Resting still for a moment, Roanna took a mental inventory of her body, searching for any major injuries.
“Oh, shit,” she whispered.
One long gash went from under her right breast to her left hip, torn skin flapping around, jagged edges crusted with blood.
How long had it been?, Roanna wondered.
A glance at the sky suggested about eight hours – it was going to get dark soon.
“Ohhh shit,” she whispered again.
Grunting, Roanna saw her ankle holster hanging on a nearby vine.
If she swung towards it and built up enough momentum she might be able to reach up and grab it, then shoot herself free of the vines that captured the top half of her body, leaving her to fall on some of the branches beneath her.
Roanna pursed her lips as she tried to decide if drawing attention to herself so close to dark would be worth it.
Gotta get out of here, she decided with a mental shrug.
Tensing her torn stomach muscles, Roanna began to roll, giving her the momentum she needed.
Twisting desperately, and in great pain, Roanna reached it, and held on to it with fierce hands.
She unsnapped the holster desperately and checked the safety of the automatic, grateful that she kept it with her.
She grabbed a handful of vines and bunched them together, and began shooting them until they broke, the bullets snapping them.
Finally, after half a round, Roanna was able to get clear of the vines holding her in place, and stepped over to get the machete.
With a sigh, Roanna spotted her pack on the ground below her and tossed the gun down to rest near it.
A quick search found her a vine long enough to get her within falling distance of the ground, and she grabbed onto it quickly, sliding down the length just as quickly and landing soundly on her feet.
“Damn it,” she whispered as she gripped the middle of her midsection, the wandering edges paining her with every breath.
She opened her pack and pulled out several shirts, including one that was Jack’s.
Ignoring the pang of worry and pain in her chest, Roanna stripped the shirt she wore and threw it near the pack.
She used the machete to cut strips from Jacks shirt and tied them around her waist and lower chest, so the wound wouldn’t be exposed to any dirt but could still drain of pus or whatever else it needed to drain.
Over that she put on a tight tank top, to keep the strips of fabric in place so they wouldn’t loosen the knots and shift places.
Finally, Roanna opened up her tent and set it up quickly before frowning at the foot situation.
She had two purification packets for water, one bottle, and a handful of energy bars and some cold rice.
Shrugging, Roanna sat in the tent and ate half the ball of cold rice. As she lay there on her foam mat, machete to one side and gun on the other, Roanna felt only a twinge of fear. Not that much for herself due to the surroundings, but rather for the others. Had they followed her instructions? Were they going ahead or would they waste precious time by looking for her?
Ninian would keep her promise and force them to keep after Aidan, Brianna’s fiancé. Brianna wouldn’t complain; she might be secretly happy. Erin would follow Ninian’s orders but secretly hate her for it.
And Jack would try to convince them to go after her; of that she was certain.
But Ninian would convince him otherwise, she knew.
One last glance at the map told Roanna that she was in the general area of where they would be looking. Ninian would have had them set up camp hours ago, and they would most likely be asleep – but Roanna would have to be sure to get up at dawn – she absolutely needed to find the others in the morning.
