Read Eli Arnold and the Keys to Forever Book One: It's About Time Page 10
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Brady and I rose early and broke camp. Apart from some far off growls and roars, things had been pretty quiet and uneventful. The morning brought new hope to my brother and me. New hope and bugs. Mosquitoes, flies, and a variety of other flying insects descended on us like a starved man at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
I packed up the parachutes but had to keep stopping to slap the bothersome creatures away. Brady covered the fire with dirt to be sure it was totally out.
“Let’s try to get to that pyramid as fast as possible,” he said swatting a mosquito off his own cheek.
“Lead the way, man. These bugs are eating me alive.”
Brady nodded in agreement and headed off to the west. I grabbed my pack and fell in behind him. The thickness of the jungle surprised me. The densely packed foliage made progress slow going. Two people couldn’t walk side by side. Within fifteen minutes, we were both breathing hard and after thirty had to stop and rest.
“We just started and I’m already worn out,” Brady said breathing heavily.
He was shouldering most of the work being in front. It was much easier for me to follow the trail he made. I pulled one of the water bottles from my pack and offered it to him.
“Let’s rest a few more minutes,” I said, “and then I’ll lead for a while. We can keep swapping out until we get to the pyramid.”
Brady drank a little water and handed the bottle back. “No, let’s try to keep moving,” he said. “We need to make it to the pyramid by nightfall. Did you hear those growls last night?”
“Only the ones coming from your nose.”
Brady stared at me for a few seconds then broke into laughter. “Get moving, Eli,” he said shaking his head. “And I don’t snore!”
“Whatever you say, man,” I replied pushing on into the jungle. “Whatever you say.”