𝘼𝙐𝘿𝘼𝘾𝙄𝙊𝙐𝙎 » 𝙟𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 ✓ [1]

IX

CHAPTER NINE
WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH

The jungle was now scorching. Vegetation was becoming thicker the deeper we ventured, less light breaking through the trees to fall in between our footsteps. The occasional rustle of a bush flittering through us with brief spurts of panic.

I'd never seen the jungle so grey. I couldn't confidently say I even knew of this part of the jungle. It felt estranged to me, and without a map to tell me so, it'd be impossible to tell if I was right or just dehydrated. It unsettled me more than it should. Like wandering through the house you'd lived in your whole life, only to stumble across a room you didn't know was there.

Moss covered logs and thick branched trees were now shrivelled, black leaves and thick vines running along the jungle floor. They twisted and wrapped around everything attempting to grow underneath it; dead veins cut off from the circulating blood of the heart. I was constantly wiping at the sweat dripping from my face, a little self-conscious that my shirt was now see through. I flinched every time sweat sept into the wounds and small gouges from my fall earlier. Alex quietly tagged along beside me, chest heaving in and out as he concentrated on pacing himself in the climate.

'And exactly how far away is this resort, Laura?' asks Zach, tone adorned with even more sharp resent from the last time he'd asked that. Ten minutes ago.

Claire would never hear the end of this incident once this was all settled. I slashed at a vine with a grazed-peppered hand, huffing out a frustrated breath.

'Listen, man,' I say, shaking a twig from my boot. 'I don't care if you don't like me but, we're all on edge, alright? So chill. You're not helping your brother, and you're certainty not helping yourself.' There was growing strain my right calf from all the walking. And bickering. 'You can have your precious mocktail at Margaritaville when I get you both to the resort.'

Zach grumbled something under his breath, resisting the urge to retaliate at me. He stormed ahead for what felt like the thousandth time this afternoon. It was absurd to think about how three or so hours ago, I was confidently packing supplies into the back of that quad bike in the compound for a quick round trip to find Owen.