God, why couldn't Alice just shut her mouth? Sam straightened the page he was reading and tried to understand the text. Alice's excited ramble filled his ears. She wasn't even put off by the fact that, in the seat next to hers, Jerry had sunk his face in his hands, obviously not listening.
Alice's words swirled around his head together with the content of the page and Sam found himself falling into an agitated sleep.
Tall dark trees surrounded him from all sides and dead vegetation crunched under his feet as he ran, trying to find a way out. Someone was watching him, chasing him, hunting him down. Storm clouds gathered over the sky in his dreams. Lightning bolts rained around him, paralyzing him with fear. And then it happened again. One of the bolts struck him, filling his entire being with dread.
Sam woke up, trying not to scream.
"Are you okay?"
Sam jumped. Kyle and Christine crouched next to his seat, worry on both their faces. Had he been talking or moaning in his sleep? Next to him, Alice and Jerry were asleep, Alice's head on his brother's shoulder. Sam straightened in his seat and pulled at his t-shirt, grateful that he at least hadn't screamed.
"I'm okay. It was just a bad dream." He looked from his brother to Christine. "What are you...?"
"Just wanted to check on you." Kyle stood.
The plane swayed dangerously and he grabbed on to the overhead compartments on the sides of the aisle. Christine fell over Sam's knees. The seatbelt sign turned on.
"Are you alright?" Sam asked, pulling her off him and trying to steady her on her feet. The plane shook again and she fell against him. His heart started beating wildly.
"I'm...fine." Christine spit a lock of hair out and looked at him, her eyes twinkling. "I'd better get to my seat." She lingered for another moment then got off him and headed for her seat.
Kyle punched his shoulder. "Nice one."
Sam smirked, grateful that the lights had dimmed and Christine couldn't see him.
The plane started its descent and landed in a matter of minutes. Once the bustle of recuperating their luggage was over, the group headed out of the airport and to a run-down old van. Sam did a double-take. That thing wasn't big enough for everyone to fit inside it. And again he found himself wondering where everyone else was. But he couldn't ask since Harris seemed to be on a roll and already moved toward the piece of junk.
Storm clouds covered the sky and lightning flashed, followed by the rumble of thunder. The wind blew hard, but it wasn't raining yet.
"We're taking this baby," Harris yelled above a rolling thunder. "We have to get to shelter before all hell breaks loose."
Sam jogged towards the van and got in the backseat. Outside the car, a staring match between Harris and Kyle ensued. Apparently, Kyle won because he snatched the keys from the professor and got behind the wheel. The rest of the group switched seats, trying to find the perfect combination which would lead to everyone fitting inside. Finally, Tina and Alice squeezed in the front seat while the rest piled in the back. In the meantime, Kyle adjusted the rearview and latched his seatbelt.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
Harris squeezed a map between the front seats and dropped it in Kyle's lap. He studied it for a second then rolled it up and started the car. It backfired, but once Kyle pressed the gas, it lunged forward.
Sam stared into the floor, wondering what time it was and how long it would take them to reach their hotel. He was incredibly uncomfortable squeezed between Jerry and Harris. To his utter surprise, they didn't stop in Cancun and continued going until they left the main road and started off on a dusty country path.
Thunder roared above them and soon, heavy rain drops pelted on the windshield. The window wipers screeched every time they completed a cycle, giving Sam a monster headache. No one spoke as Kyle drove faster and faster on the bumpy road.
Finally, after what seemed like days, Kyle slowed down and Sam's stomach stopped lurching. They'd entered a small village at the fringe of the jungle. Poor houses made out of wood and clay lined the dusty street.
"Just outside the village, now," Harris said.
It took ten more minutes to reach the end of the road. A musty looking two story wooden square building lay hidden between tall trees, a small patch of grass in front of it.
Harris shoved his shoulder against the door to open it and poured out. Sam took in a deep breath and scrambled out of the car as well. Kyle was already out and pulled Tina through the driver's door while Alice came out the other way, rubbing the small of her back.
"What's this?" she asked, looking at the rundown building.
"Our accommodations for the night," Harris answered, leading the way inside.
Alice's face flashed like a traffic light and she rushed inside after him. Sam looked around to make sure everyone was alright. His bones felt stiff after such a long time cramped up. He stretched and followed Kyle to the trunk to help him unload the luggage.
He had to agree with Alice. Did the project's funding not allow for better lodging? This place could hardly qualify as a place fit for a camp. It could hardly qualify as a place. But as long as no one else was complaining, he wasn't about to either.
By the time he and Kyle entered the building, Alice was sitting on a moldy couch, one leg over the other, her arms folded and looking away from Harris pointedly. The others stood next to a wooden reception, watching Harris as he bargained with the receptionist in rotten Spanish.
"He only has three rooms and said he'd provide two camp beds." Harris turned to them, holding three keys.
"What do you mean he only has three rooms?" Christine asked. "This place is deserted."
"He actually said the inn only has three rooms," Sam said. That's what he'd deduced from the fragment of conversation he'd heard.
Harris stared at him. "Well, that makes more sense than what I understood." He passed one of the keys to Sam. "We should get some sleep, so we can start tomorrow as early as possible. Our guides will be meeting us here and we'll have a few days to learn some basic survival before the rest of the team gets here."
Ah, there it was. The rest of the team. Though team sounded a bit weird for some reason. Sam shrugged and checked his watch. It was four in the morning. They hardly had a few hours to sleep.
The rest of the group agreed to meet at breakfast and sketch out a plan for the following days. It was finally starting to sound more like an expedition. Deciding to be satisfied with what he could get, Sam grabbed his rucksack and slung it over one shoulder.
"Sam." Christine came towards him, biting her lip.
"Don't worry, I'll take your rucksack upstairs," Sam said, picking it up.
"Thanks, but it's not that." Christine's gaze shifted from left to right. "We need to talk."
Sam raised his eyebrows. "Sure, go right ahead."
"Not now. Not here. Come over later." She grabbed her rucksack and rushed away, her high heels clattering on the wooden floors.
Sam prayed she had other shoes in her luggage. He followed the others up the stairs and stopped before the first room, next to Kyle and Jerry. He put the key in the lock, but it didn't turn. Shrugging, he pulled the door and almost hit himself in the face with it. The hallway was so narrow that the open door only left inches between it and the wall.
Kyle sniggered as he passed Sam and entered the room. Jerry followed shaking his head. The room was small, the beds seemed ready to collapse and the sheets looked as if they'd never been washed.
"Not very hygienic," Sam mumbled, his eyes on the dresser door which was half-fallen off its hinges.
"You think that's bad?" Kyle pointed to some bugs running circles on the ceiling.
Tina came in and stopped in the doorway, analyzing their room with a critical eye. "I guess your place isn't any better."
"No, it's simply revolting," Jerry answered.
Sam stared at him. He could've sworn Tina was talking to Kyle since her gaze was on him.
Tina straightened her glasses. "I totally agree." She tilted her head, watching Jerry as if he were a box of candies she considered eating. "Well, goodnight." She turned on her heels and hurried out of the room.
"That was weird," Sam said.
Kyle smirked and started searching his rucksack for something. Jerry frowned as if he'd just done something disgusting and dropped on the bed nearest to the window. After another few minutes of roaming around, Sam turned off the light and the three of them went to bed.
The sound of thunder and rain penetrated the room and the wind shook the dingy window. Sam stared at the ceiling, hoping that the rain would stop before they had to go out. He knew he should sleep, but he was afraid he'd have the nightmare again. And he also wondered what Christine meant by 'Come by later.' How much later?
He rolled out of bed and tip-toed to the door. It seemed that Kyle and Jerry were asleep. Careful not to make any noise, he opened the door and crept out into the narrow hallway. A lonely light bulb hung low from the ceiling.
Sam watched the light inside it flicker as he made his way to the room next door. He knocked once then changed his mind. Christine might be asleep. But, almost instantly, the door cracked open, hit him in the chest, and Christine sneaked out.
"I'm sorry. These doors are terrible. I hope we won't be staying here long."
Sam wanted to point out that the jungle wouldn't be any better, but decided not to ruin her mood.
Christine stood quiet for a few seconds, then said, "I thought you weren't coming."
Sam stared at her. He'd thought she was kidding. "I'm here. Shoot." Could he sound less blunt, please?
Christine blinked. "I...I wanted to talk about...what we said in the park."
Sam's heart jumped into his throat. He'd hoped she'd forgotten all about that. Apparently not. "Christine, let's not talk about that, okay? I already said I was sorry for being a jerk."
Christine waved her hand to stop him. "Yes, yes, it's not that. I want to apologize. My choice of words was way off and I exaggerated. Love is such a strong word..."
Sam frowned. "Wait, you mean to tell me you're not in love with someone else?" God, he could be a moron sometimes, but this time, he didn't really care. He was much more interested in the answer than his poor choice of words.
"What do you mean by someone else?" she asked at once.
"I..." Crap, what could he say to that? Christine waited and he realized she wasn't about to drop this. Maybe it was time he just came clean. "I'm sure you've noticed by now that I like you."
She looked thrilled, but her tone was even. "You like me."
"I really like you." A bucket of sand filled his throat. This could be the sentence that doomed it, but he'd be damned if he didn't get it out. He was sick of misinterpretations. "And I'd like to see where it could go from here."
Christine's broad smile lit up her entire face. "I really like you, too. And I'd love to see where we can go from here too."
"What, really? You do?" Then the whole thing in the park meant what?
She laughed. "Isn't it obvious?"
"But that other guy sounded so much better." There he was, cutting the tree branch from under his own feet again.
"There is no other guy." She wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
Sam wrapped his arms around her waist, basking in the heat between them. "Then why did you--" The words got stuck in his throat as Christine leaned toward him.
"Isn't it obvious I was talking about you?"
"But I'm neither of those things you said," Sam said shocked.
Christine smiled coming closer and closer. "That's what you think."
Did this mean Christine was actually in love with him? Sam's pulse raced so fast, it made him dizzy. This couldn't be happening. He was asleep and this was nothing but a great dream.
Christine stopped and stared over his shoulder. Her eyes widened and she let him go, stumbling back, her hands over her mouth.
Sam turned around and a huge weight dove into his stomach. The corridor was filled with armed men. Christine whimpered behind him, then let out a piercing scream.
Oh, look, traveling, nasty accommodations, the promise of some training, lovey-Dover stuff, when... brick in the face. You're welcome. Time to get down and dirty.
What do you think will happen next? Is someone gonna snuff it?
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