The Jungle (A Dougie Poynter story)

Chapter 15- Crickets

It was only a few hours later when Pat came back telling us that he got 11 out of 12 stars. Not all of them but enough to be cocky about it of course. As usual, we all sat around the campfire, listening to what the trail was and what Pat had to do to win the stars. Pat being Pat, he had to tell us all in extreme detail about how he got each and every star but I wasn't really listening. It didn't take long before the conversation switched to 'Beat the Bug' for today. We had already agreed Chrissy and Emily would do it but Pat was only encouraging Emily. He was sayings things about how Chrissy could be a bit slow so Emily would have to pull her weight. He was saying it all right in front of Chrissy which just wasn't right. Not being able to take much more of listening to Pat, I went over to Chrissy. "Ignore him. He's a twat who doesn't know what he is talking about. I haven't seen him do a challenge for Beat the Bugs." I said deliberately loudly so Pat could hear me. When we arrived at the clearing, Ian Smith was waiting for us. He explained the task and we split into those doing the challenge and those who weren't. Dougie sat on the end of the bench, nearest to the other team, with me on his lap. Mark next him, then Jess and Pat taking up the rear."Chrissy looks like she's out to kill." Mark said looking at a very focused Chrissy. "Probably Pat," I said in a hashed tone. The two teams sat and watched as Chrissy had to stand dead still while Emily had to scoop bugs over her till the stars were found. Sinitta and Fatima were chosen from the other team which might have seen a good idea until we found out what the task required from our terrified camper. "I think Sinitta will drop them." Pat said in his usual negative way. "She might surprise you, "Jess said and Sinitta actually did, leading to the orange teams win. It was a shame to have to be put into the sin bin but it seemed only fair as we were winning 2:1. We got gunged and lead back towards camp on the way back Dougie gave me a piggy back ride while we sang our own version of we are the campions. "We are not the campions," we shrieked as we were locked into the Sin Bin."Guys. Chrissy is really upset. She is saying things during the trial. She seems really down saying these about not being pretty enough, or smart enough and how she feels like she's being left out." Emily whispered joining us on one of the new beds. "She's got a point. Pat has been so rude to everyone. He's a bully. It started with Sinitta, then Lorraine and now Chrissy. He treats her like she's an old woman who can't even put her wipe her own ass. Everyone is starting to treat her like she's sixty odd. It's not fair when Pat's no spring chicken either." I said before heading over to the showers to have a moment to myself and get the gunge out of my hair. When I came back, I went and sat next to Chrissy. "Thanks," she said. "What for?" I asked."Standing up for me." "Its alright. They shouldn't be acting like little children in primary school still," I said just as Mark comes over. He seemed like he wanted to chat so I left them to talk in privacy.*It was getting dark and Anthony was starting to cook dinner. Mark and him were arguing about potion size and how Mark had used too much rice yesterday. I felt bad for him as all he was trying to do was make sure everyone had enough to eat. It was his first-time cooking. I ate a bit after being force fed by Dougie again before heading off for an early night. We had three bunks and one bed I the small jail cell. Chrissy took the bed, while I took the top of one of the bunkbed. Jess went under me while Dougie went onto the bottom of Marks bed. Emily also got a top bed, leaving Pat with the last bottom bunk. I woke up the next morning and we were all let out of our accommodation for Ant and Dec. Pat was chosen again and if I was honest, I was looking forward to a few hours of quiet. All night long, he kept making horrible comments about people not doing their part which was a load of crap. Pat went to do the trail, and the camp continued on as normal. Dougie and Mark decided to spend their morning talking to Sinitta about her relationship with Simon Cowell and Brad Pitt."How does Brad look naked?" Emily asked leaning closer."Hot.""Who's better in bed?" Dougie asked, "I can imagine Simon's sex life to be so organised like 'Honey, we're having sex at 5pm'" Doug impression of Simon wasn't too bad to be fair. They sat around talking about random stuff for a bit but I was still missing home. The first vote off was coming soon, so who knew, maybe I would see them sooner then I think. I wonder who would meet me on the bridge. Mum or Liam. I just really wanted to see Abby. "You alright?" Dougie asked as he put his hand on my dangling foot from my place on my bunkbed. "Yeah, just thinking." "About what?" he asked. "The end of the show. Abby.""Hope you aren't packing your bags yet. I have a feeling you aren't going anywhere for a while." "Sure," I said sarcastically lifting my feet away from Dougie's grip. "I mean it," he called up to me, "People want to keep watching our ever growing love story. I mean, look at me. I'm eye candy and they want to see all this," he said gesturing to himself, "interact with all this," he said this time pointing at me, "Think about how beautiful our babies would be.""Oh, so I'm not here cause of my fans but because of yours. Oh, okay. I'm here to be your, what? Art work? Trophy?" I laughed as he was shocked into silence, "Only one thing was true in that sentence. Our babies would be cute." Pat came back ten and we all gathered around the small hole in the sin bin door to hear all about the trail. I admit, I wasn't really listening.It was dark and we'd just finished dinner when one of the crew came to let us out of the Sin Bin. Just as we settled down around the campfire, Willie emerged with a piece of laminate paper. "Celebrities!" he called, "tonight you will be facing Bed Bugs. All the tasks you have won in 'Beat the Bugs' will amount to time you have to spend sleeping in a bed. Just as the name says, you will not be alone in your beds. Blue team won two and orange time won one which means Orange team, you will be having a lie in and some extra time in your new beds. Your times will be added together as a group collectively." Two clocks were then wheeled into view. The blue one with 30 mins on the clock and the orange one with an hour. We were separated into our groups and told to go different ways. We came to a clearing with seven bed and a board. The board had the names of all the people on the other team as well as different animals. Each animal was linked to a person from the other team and they would have to spend sleep in bed with that animal. We tried to choose animals that we knew certain people wouldn't like. When we were finished, we were told to get into PJ's they gave us, and to wait by the beds. Pat was in the furthest one, with Chrissy next to him, Jess, me, DOUGIE, Mark and then Emily. The Clackson went off and we all got in for remaining time before sunrise. The rangers put the lids on our beds and we waited for the creatures we knew were coming. "Rats!" Mark yelled. He started to squeal and jump around, not being able to move anywhere. Dougie and I silently laughed at him, "Guys, I don't think I can do this. I hate rats.""Calm down. Nice even breathing. We are all hear mate." Dougie said."They are just trying to get your scent. They will settle in a minute. Just take slow, calm breaths. Remember, they are more scared of you, then you are of them," I said. Mark tried to take some deep breaths but they were coming out broken. "Snakes." Dougie said as two large snakes moved into the tank with him. "You stay there and I'll stay here," Doug tried to reason with them. "Crickets!" I called as hundreds of the small buggers climbed into the tank. "They are going into my pyjamas.""You okay Heather?" Mark called."Nope. No I'm not Mark. Fudge. Stop it. They won't leave me alone. They're everywhere.""Heather. It will be okay. Close your eyes. Focus on something else. Just listen to my voice." Dougie said, trying to move as close to me as he could in a none-moving coffin. "Spiders," Jess called. "Howe are you with them?" Emily asked. "Frightened but I'm good.""Dougie, I don't think I can do this," Mark called. "Don't pull a Sinitta," Pat called back. Rude. "I think we should all just try and get some sleep." Emily said. In the end it was just me, Doug and Mark awake. We talked for a while before more animals poured into everyone's bed, waking them all up. "They are going up my nose. Doug they've crawled up my trousers. I can't do this.""Shhhh. Hey you got this. You are so strong. You can do this. I don't like to see you cry." Before he said it, I hadn't even realised I was crying. It was becoming suffocating as the cricket took up every space inside the tank. They were crawling over my face, the noise never ceasing to remind me they were still with me, even with my eyes closed. "When this is all done, we will go to the lake. Have a nice swim," Doug said trying to distract me, "you can even throw me in again. I'll even do a Mr Darcy moment if you want. Dripping shirt and all.""Why would I want that?" I tried to joke back but it came out more as an actual question. "You can leave if you want, we won't mind. You tried your hardest and we won't be mad." Jess said. "I am bloody freezing," Chrissy said, "I've been trying to sleep but I can't. I'm a celebrity, get me out of here." Two members of the crew arrived and let Chrissy out. "I want to go." Mark said."I want to go." Emily agreed. "Dougie," I said. The place felt like it was closing in around me. "Should we make a pact and go together," Mark asked. "Look at the sky." Jess said. It was light. We all cheered knowing the morning and the end of this trail was very soon. Before we knew it, the Clackson went off and they started letting us out. While they were getting us out, I started to feel really hot and itchy all over. My skin felt raw. I pulled the leg of trousers up a little as I climbed from the tank. The skin was blistered all over as if I was having an allergic reaction to the crickets. It was red and swollen and hurt like hell all of a sudden."Guys..." I said as I started feeling faint. I fell to the floor and the last thing I remember is Dougie kneeling down beside me. *I'd been in medical for a day now. Dr Bob was quiet worried that I had such a severe allergic reaction to the crickets. At least now I don't have to do that ever again. While resting they let me watch the show to see what I was missing down in camp. Dougie spent the day worried about me. He wasn't eating and spent most of the day by himself.The producers and Dr Bob came in the next morning. After a check up to see everything was in order, they asked if I was ready to head back to camp. "Are you sure?" one of producers asked. I nodded. I wasn't ready to leave like that. "You'll have to get your cream from up here every morning to help with the last of the swelling. The worst of the reaction was our legs so we want you to keep them wrapped up for a few days to make sure they stay clean. You are gonna need crutches for the next two days to make sure you are keeping your weight off of them." Dr Bob said. I got up, took the crutches from him and headed back out to the jungle. I hobbled off down to camp and the must have been able to hear me because Fatima said, "Is that someone coming to tell us she's not coming back?""No way are you trying to get rid of me. I hear we won the last trail. I think I might just stick around a little longer.""We missed you so much!" Jess said as she came barrelling towards me. She pulled me into a hug. Everyone else came and did the same thing with Dougie coming in last. He picked me up and span me around."I missed you." He whispered in my ear still hugging me. He decided that because I had crutches he was gonna carry me over to my hammock, sitting me down. He sat next to me and put his arm around my waist while I rested my head on his shoulder. I explained to him and the rest of camp about my reaction and what had happened in my time away. "We won immunity by the way." Mark said. "I know, I got to watch you guys live because the football in England so they weren't showing it." I said. I wasn't allowed to say much more. Everyone drifted into their own conversations, "So, you haven't been eating?" I asked Dougie. "I couldn't eat not knowing you were alright. They wouldn't tell us anything." He said wrapping both arms around me while mine went around his neck, hugging him to me. "Don't ever nearly die again. I missed you too much." He whispered in my ear.I smiled and whispered back, "I know, I missed you too."