Hustle | Chapter 21

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Hustle By Claire Chilton

21

Jungle Heat

Ellie pushed back the bright green fronds of a fern and widened her eyes at the scene before her. She stared in awe at the broken old village that was home to several wooden cabins with thatched roofs. Made up of broken shingles and weathered wood, the structures looked as if they'd fall over in a soft breeze.

She stepped into the clearing, frowning at the abandoned village.

Did people live here once?

She heard Jacob's footsteps behind her as he followed her into the clearing. She turned to face him. His eyes were wide with surprise.

"Did people used to live here?" he asked as he walked towards the first structure.

"There weren't any records of inhabitants in the books I read about the island." She followed him, stopping at the first cabin and peering through its broken window.

"These cabins aren't very stable. They must have been built quickly by people working here." He pointed to the pickaxes resting near the door.

"Working on what?" She pushed open the door and entered the cabin. The door wobbled on its hinges before expelling a loud creak. "And what made them leave so quickly?"

She stared at the table in the center of the room. Food bowls were laid out on the table top, covered in dust and fading with age. The centerpiece was a rotten carcass of some kind of animal, which was now reduced to bone.

She turned to see Jacob follow her into the cabin. He frowned at the table and then scanned the room. "I don't know, and I don't like it."

She wandered over to the unmade bed, taking a seat on it. It was hard and lumpy, but it was still a bed. "It's better than the jungle at night."

Jacob peered out of the open doorway at the darkening sky, and he nodded. "It'll do for tonight." He glanced back at her. "Do I need to tell you that running off would be stupid, or can I assume you've learnt that lesson?"

She scowled at him.

"I'll take that as a yes. I'm going to go catch us some dinner. You can start a fire and get us some water out of that well." He pointed to the wide well at the center of the village.

She rolled her eyes at him. He was right, of course, but that didn't make taking orders from him any easier.

He dropped the bag on the cabin floor and pulled out a knife and some Para cord. "Don't make too much noise and make the fire in the fireplace. We don't want to attract the whole jungle over here. Hopefully, they won't see the smoke at night."

"I was going to use the fireplace. I'm not stupid, you know."

He smirked at her, saying nothing before he turned and walked back towards the jungle.

She glanced at the bag.

I hope my lighter is in there or starting a fire is going to suck.

***

By the time Jacob returned, Ellie had filled two water bottles from the well, but she was still having problems trying to light a fire. The lighter was empty, and her plan to use the flint in it for a spark wasn't wielding any results.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked as he strode into the cabin with several fish slung over his shoulder, bound together with cord.

She held up the lighter and scowled at him. She'd tried really hard to light the fire. She'd fetched dry wood and kindling for it. It wasn't her fault that the bloody thing wouldn't light. "Well, I tried singing Prodigy's 'Firestarter' at it, but it didn't like it, so I thought I'd try a lighter," she said, offering him a dry smile.

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