Chapter twenty
The calm before the storm
Jimmy walked obediently between two of Snitch Gravel's men, trying his best to lag behind. It wasn't too hard. One of the men holding him down was Clive, and he still seemed a little scared Jimmy would punch him out of the blue, so he avoided pushing him around. Fortunately, the one guy carrying Jessie over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes was right behind him, and most of Snitch Gravel's men had disappeared ahead, through the vegetation.
The sky had darkened and the wind had intensified, announcing rain. All he needed was a diversion and he could grab Jessie and escape. Just a few more...
"Omph!"
The guy holding Jessie doubled over and dropped her. She rolled to her back and kicked him in the stomach again. Clive and the other guy holding Jimmy looked back. Jimmy yanked himself free and kicked down the guy who wasn't Clive. Clive stepped back, his hands raised, trembling.
Jimmy didn't bother with him. He grabbed Jessie's hand, pulled her to her feet and rushed away through the vegetation. He could hear yelling, cursing, the rustling of leaves, and he kept running. Jessie yanked his arm and pointed to a tree that could easily be climbed. He gave her a boost and the two of them scrambled up and hid among the tree branches.
Moments later, the two knocked down men and Clive came bustling out of the undergrowth and stopped under their tree.
"Where did they go?" one of them asked.
"Shhh!" Clive pointed to his ear and all three of them listened carefully.
Jimmy held his breath, keeping as still as possible. The wind rustled through the vegetation, hiding any small noise. Thunder rolled from above.
One of the men jumped. "What was that?"
"It was probably the wind. Or some animal," the other answered after a few seconds. "Let's catch up with the others. I'm not comfortable in this damned jungle."
"But the brat escaped. The boss will have our heads," the first one said, a slight tremble in his voice.
"He beat us up," Clive said. "Then ran away, and we lost him. Also, the girl woke up. It was two against three and they had the element of surprise. The boss doesn't expect any better from us."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." The men started to move away. "Though I wish he punched me in the face. That way I'd have a mark to show for it." Their voices faded as the three men hurried away.
Jimmy kept in a sigh of relief. Good thing he'd punched Clive into submission. He'd practically saved their asses. Now all they had to do was find camp. They spent another few minutes up in the tree, in complete silence, then Jimmy indicated that they climb down. They couldn't linger very long. If the storm broke out, it would make things much harder.
They both reached the ground and waited in silence to make sure no one was around.
"Okay, I think the coast is clear. We should--"
Jessie frowned and aimed a punch at his face. Out of reflex, he caught her fist in midair. Her scowl deepened and she drew her arm back for another hit. This time, he let her punch him. Her knuckles collided with his cheek bone harder than he'd expected.
"Ow!" He stepped back, his hand over his face. "I'm sorry. You don't have to hit me so hard."
"Don't have to—You idiot!" Jessie turned her back on him, her fists clenched. "I should hit you somewhere else, you lying, phony piece of garbage."
Okay, that hurt worse than the punch. Why did he ever think he'd get out of this one easy? "Look, Jessie, I know I screwed up..."
"Screwed up?" She wheeled to face him, her eyes green slits. "I opened my soul to you, told you about my worries, about my family, and you were pretending to be my friend all along."
"I wasn't pretending."
"Wasn't pretending, my ass!" Her voice rose dangerously high. She seemed to notice, because her next words were in a whisper. "I thought you were different."
So did he. But he was hotheaded, rash, and a complete moron. "Look, you're obviously not a traitor. I agree, I'm an idiot, and I'm really sorry." What a pathetic apology. The look on Jessie's face showed she thought the same. "But we're lost and there's a storm coming. Could we continue this conversation when we reach camp?"
Jessie's lips pressed together in a thin line, but she nodded. As furious as she obviously was, she was still reasonable. She followed him once he started out toward where he thought camp was. He'd tried to memorize the path Snitch Gravel's men had taken them, but he wasn't sure he'd get it right. All the freakin' jungle looked the same.
"So..." he said conversationally. "How come you woke up?"
Jessie frowned and for a moment he thought she wouldn't answer. "What do you mean?"
"Well, Snitch Gravel injected you with something that he first told us had killed you."
"Snitch Gravel didn't inject me with anything. He knocked me out."
"Oh." Note to self. Never believe a word coming out of Snitch Gravel's mouth.
"You did something heroic and stupid, didn't you?" Jessie asked all of a sudden. "That's why we're the only ones out here."
"I don't know about heroic, but stupid, obviously," Jimmy mumbled.
A large drop of water fell on his forehead and he looked up. The little sky he could spot beyond the trees showed clouds moving ominously. The pitter-patter on the canopy above indicated that the rain had started. A loud thunder made him jump. The wind and rain picked up and water made its way through the vegetation.
"We should hurry," Jessie said, seeming worried.
Thunder cracked so loudly, the hair on Jimmy's neck stood up. Lightning flashed, blinding them for a second. A lightning bolt shot across the sky, followed by a deafening rumble. Yes, they definitely should hurry.
They picked up the pace, moving as fast as the thick vegetation allowed them while nature did its number around them.
In a red flash, another lightning bolt hit the tree in front of them and it went down in flames. Thunder boomed so loudly, it seemed to vibrate inside Jimmy's head. But the worst part was the flaming tree blocking their path. The violent wind made sure the fire would spread. The air rapidly filled with smoke.
Jessie groaned and cursed under her breath. Jimmy looked at her and took in a deep breath while the air was still clean. They had to find a way out, but they were almost caught in a circle of flames.
Jessie nudged him and pointed to a small hole. They both rushed that way, but once they reached it, Jimmy grabbed Jessie, pulled her against him and spun her around to make sure she wouldn't come close to the flames.
His direction was off. Fire still blocked their path. The heat radiated around them, and the smell of cinder filled the air. If they didn't step on it and find a way out of there, they'd both suffocate.
Jessie broke out of his grip, a scowl on her face. Jimmy leaned against a tree, his eyes searching for a way out. He jumped away instantly. The already hot wood scorched his t-shirt. Jessie waved her hand and indicated a new loophole. Before he could grab her again, she jumped through the flames. Jimmy followed.
Fortunately there were no more flames before them. Unfortunately, it was still unbearably hot.
"Which way should we go?" Jessie asked between huge gulps of air.
Jimmy glanced around, trying to spot anything familiar, and he finally saw it. Yes, he knew where they were and which way they should go. He opened his mouth to give Jessie the good news that they weren't lost, but loud thunder stopped him. Another flash of reddish light temporarily blinded Jimmy and something overhead cracked loudly. He more likely felt than saw the flaming branch falling towards Jessie. He lunged at her and shoved her out of the way. Sharp pain as he landed, an immense pressure on his back, a knock to the head, then darkness.