Seven Survivors

Oito

I awoke tired, achy and in pain the next morning, although it didn't really feel like I was ever asleep. More like I had closed my eyes for a couple of minutes and then opened them the next. Every movement was a predator, every rustle a snake, waiting to pounce and finish us all off. The rain poured for a good few hours, and the air was slightly chilly yet still hot and heavy. I wanted my mom more then ever, a gnawing in my heart that knew only her touch would make everything ok.

The noise was incredible; so many insects, birds and mammals. I was nearly chewed alive in my sleep, itchy bumps from pesky flies rising all over my body. The rain fell thickly in drops as large as blueberries all morning - there was no clothing that could keep it out. At least we had a supply of water. Everyone looked like survivors of a world war; broken, quiet, fidgety and fearful. No one had understandably slept well during our first night in the jungle; the black circles decorating our eyes were testimony to this.

When I was sure the sun had arisen, I untangled myself from James and left him to sleep, needing to stretch. My bruised limbs screamed in protest, and I was only able to hobble, actually feeling worse then yesterday but fighting through the pain. The world outside only offered green, no relief. Just a few days ago the rainforest had enchanted me, drawn me in by its beautiful greens and promise of wonder, but now the closeness, the sameness, the noises were all too much, like robbers at the door, banging for entrance and the phone line is dead. My wide-open eyes moved with pointless speed, I wanted to see blue sky and space all around - not those virescent arms that grope and lofty limbs that blot out even a patch of blue. The warm air, so reminiscent of saunas, had come to feel like soup in my chest. I would have run but my chances of survival were better if I stayed with the group...

"Juniper?" A hand on my arm made me jump, stumbling backwards. "Are you ok?"

"Oh, Chip... I guess I'm alright as I can be." I shrugged miserably, feeling claustrophobic and like a panic attack was due at any moment.

"It's ok Juniper, we'll get through this together." He murmured sadly.

"How is your eye?" I asked, noticing it had been wrapped with a t-shirt.

"I can't see anything out of it still. It hurts... aches, but there is nothing I can do right now." I nodded in response, blushing as my stomach gurgled noisily.

"Is there any food left?" I asked, knowing that Matias and he had naturally been elected as leaders.

"A couple of strawberry laces and a few chips left. You can have some but remember not everyone has eaten yet today." He explained, running a hand through his sandy blonde hair.

My stomach felt like it was caving in on itself as I tried to remember the last time I hadn't felt hungry. We may have had water, but we still needed food to live. There was no saying when we would be rescued, but I was hopeful we would be soon. What else was there to look forward to and give us hope? We needed to forage in order to keep our strengths up. I ate a sugary strawberry lace, saving the rest of the food for the others whilst I thought about what we could do to help ourselves. Abi-Mae and Paisley came out soon after, both of them starting to cry when they revealed how hungry they were, and saw how little we had to eat. I couldn't stay around them, otherwise I knew I would start to cry again too, and then I would be no help to anybody. I wanted to be numb. It was better that way.