They were roaming from place to place but seeing nobody. They were not interested in anything other than looking for Rickie not even the rodents they comes across, no matter how big and slow the creature seems and how good the chances they have to catch them. The worst of it is that night is coming. They were yet to find Rickie let alone to find their way back to the shore.
“Every new day the worse is happening” Nazi complained.
“Absolutely. From the sea to this devilish forest. I thought it was better here on land” Dylan said.
“It’s like we’re stuck” says Mata.
“Do you say it’s like? Is it not obvious to you that we are not going out of here?” Nazi retorted.
“Sounding like that makes me feel worse”
“But that’s just the fact”
They were hungry and thirsty but there was neither something to eat or drink. Certainly, there was no hope for them. They couldn’t find Rickie and where to spend the night was another problem. Talking about returning to the shore, it doesn’t come to anyone’s mind again because they knew it was impossible finding a way.
It wasn’t safe spending a night outdoor let alone in a godforsaken forest like that. It was scary imagining it but it was something inevitable. No matter how they detest it they were going to sleep there. Who knows what they must face? They may stand the danger of animal attack, spirits or whether.
There was no better spot there. They had to prepare a place under a big tree. They gathered dried leaves and sticks for fire. Their luck was that Nazi was with the lighter in his pocket. They did all they had to do befall night falls. They made fire and sat round it. The fire was making them scared for something may see it from somewhere and would want to come and find out what it is. But staying in the dark was worse. At least with the fire one can see what’s coming. The night was deadly quiet even when some cicadas and other night creatures were active. They sat, not wanting to sleep. At times they were too weak and were taken unaware, but they hurried to sit up when they become conscious.
Darkness rules the forest ahead of time. Dylan had a wrist watch. The time was 6pm but there it was like 8pm which made him doubt his watch was correct. Suddenly a strong wind started blowing and not so long rain started falling. The water was too cold to bear. They had no place to hide and nothing to keep them warm for even their fire was quenched by the rain. They have never been drenched this way and have never felt so cold and hopeless.
“What a back luck!”
That night they stayed awake till day break because the rain didn’t stop falling till dawn. They were heavily soaked and sick.
Around 9am It began to drizzle. Their teeth were hitting and they were shaking as well, not only for cold but hunger too, wondering if they could survive it. They faced it because there was no place to hide.
“We made a mistake yesterday” Dylan said.
“What mistake?”
“We would have gathered dried leaves and burn them yesterday, as a signal. That would have helped him trace us. But now everything here is wet and the more we wait for them to get dried the further he’s going”
“I don’t believe chasing antelopes got us into this mess” Mata said.
“Everything about this hell is weird and strange. Nothing is normal. It’s as if we are being watched somewhere. From one torment or torture to another, serially. No rest no peace”
“At least for the sake of our mother, let there be a way out. Even if we must loose one part of our body each” Dylan.
“Even more” The rest supported to show how determined they were. This was a kind of suggestion they would have opposed if they were not in a situation like that.
“Who knows what Rickie will be going through now?” Dylan said. His brother have not stopped coming to his mind even for a second. He always think of him.
“That is if he is still alive” Mata said.
“Being alone will surely make his experience unspeakable” says Nazi.
“I can sense death” Dylan said. “We have no food. It’s only what we ate yesterday morning we still have. No fruit bearing tree here”
“You expect something good from here? This a place to die. If not from cold, hunger, animals, it could be by anything. I’m sure we are yet to discover more of what the forest has for us. This is just the beginning”
“I don’t think I can go further from here. My stomach twitch and grumbles painfully. I’m very weak”