Washed Up ≫ A.I

Chapter [9]

[Tyson Croke]

"Ty slow down!" I heard Emma shouting out from behind me but there was no way I could slow down for them. They were weighing the time down.

"Charlotte!" I screamed.

Tree branches whipped out in front of me, smacking me across the face and stabbing me in the sides. I could hear hurried footsteps running after me as Emma and Benson raced to keep up. The flaming torch in my hands was washing out the dull colors of the night as I ran at my full speed.

"Tyson!" Emma screamed at me again, warning me to wait up for the two. I continued to ignore her however.

I dove out from behind the nearest bolder, remembering the slight turn ahead from here. However, I didn't time it right and my heels skidded out behind me. My hands hit the dirt and the torch went out completely, leaving me in the dark. I scattered to my feet again and decided to run off through the dark.

"Charlotte!" I screamed again, worried that I might have missed something on the way up.

Sure enough, we hit the fork in the road and all things went the other direction. I looked over my shoulder for the others but quickly turned down the other path that snuck into the jungle deeper inland. I was running blindly, only able to see the short length of dirt in front of me. Somewhere off in the distance, I could barely hear Emma screaming for me still but I wasn't stopping ever. I knew Charlotte and Ashton went this way on accident and I had to find them now.

I keep whipping my arms up at the branches that swung down low and trapped me farther toward the ground. This path was thicker with heavier air. It was suddenly so hot inside the jungle that I was running out of breath for once. I took one last step forward before instantly feeling a smack in the neck. My legs suddenly kicked out in front of me and my back flung backward, smacking the dirt with a hard thud. I choked, gasping for air as the pipes in my throat burned with emptiness. Looking up I could see nothing but the thickest tree branch swaying from the impact of my neck.

"Oh my God!"

Emma was suddenly crouching down beside my head, placing her warm hands on my shoulders and then down the sides of my neck. I was sitting there with my legs bent and my arms flared out above my head. Huffing ran up behind us and Benson was next to squat down beside my head. Both angles were upside down until Emma helped pull me up.

"Way to go genius, you just closed-lined yourself." Emma scoffed to the side while pulling me back up to my feet.

I rubbed a hand down my face, wiping the amounts of sweat and blood from my temples. A large welt was already growing in front of my neck and swelling the inside of my throat. I could barely breathe.

"Wh- wh. . ." I couldn't get any words out as Benson unlooped the tin bottles from the first aid kit behind his back. "It's- ho," I was losing my breath. Emma ushered Benson to move faster as she brought the bottle up and to my lips. The warmth of the liquid slid down my clenched throat and at the sides of my mouth.

"Jesus Ty, drink!" Emma shook the bottle down my lips and water suddenly burned, bursting from my mouth and out onto Emma's shirt. She groaned and tossed the bottle towards Benson. I sunk to the ground again, resting my back against a tree trunk. "Why is it so hot?" I was finally able to spit out as I touched the rough dirt.

Benson squatted down in front of me and rested his hands on his knees. He looked me in the eyes and then side to side. Emma sat down to the left of me and moved her hands across my shoulder. I flinched at her touch but as soon as her skin connected to my burning throat everything felt soothing.

"Oh God!" She jumped pulling her fingers from my throat, "You're burning up!"

"Quick, Emma get the torch!" Benson suddenly ordered and Emma rose to her feet before running back towards the fork in the road.