Chapter 29
Day 25
“It will be light soon. Once we have enough light, Derrick and I will take
a look around and see what we can find,” Dane says with dread in his voice. We are all getting weak and tired, but we have to push through it if we are going to be found. I see Dane over there digging a deep hole by the tree trying to find water, but he is not having any luck. He goes to another tree and digs, and still, nothing. We are down to six bottles of water. He and Derrick decide to leave the patch of trees in search of food and water. Henderson and I are under the blanket trying to sleep.
For a second, I thought I was dreaming, because I heard laughter and two
men bantering with each other. I open my eyes and see Dane and Derrick walking back into camp with some kind of snake. Dane holds up the snake and yells, “I killed a snake.” At least we have something to put in our bellies today. It might not be much, but at least it’s something.
After the snake is cooked and cleaned, there is only a handful of meat, which we divide evenly. Two bites of meat, that’s it. Hardly seems worth killing when that’s all you get out of it. But, I guess if you were alone, it would be significant. After the teasing mouthful of meat is gone, we wash it down with some water. It is 1:00 p.m. and we decide to sleep for the rest of the afternoon. At sunset, we will head out again.
The sun unfortunately sets, which means we have to trudge into the wilderness once again. It’s kind of ironic that just a few nights ago we were all admiring the beautiful sunset, but now it is just a signal that we must move again. We walk and walk until our feet ache. I can feel the blisters on my heels peeling, and my toes are numb. “I have to stop, guys. My feet are killing me.”
“Okay, we should all take a rest anyway,” Dane says.
We find something to sit on and rest for about half an hour. Derrick looks
at his watch and says, “4:00 a.m. It’s almost time to quit, Baby. Come on, you can do it.”
So, I pull myself together and stand up. I start walking and the guys follow behind me. I’ll be glad when the sun is up because that means I get to stop walking and can sleep for the rest of the day. There it is; the sun. My Dad used to say, “If you listen hard enough, you can hear the crack of dawn.” I swore up and down I heard it crack when I was a little girl, but I know he was just teasing me.
Day 26
We are searching for a place to stop and rest for the day. We have two bottles of water left and no food at all. This place is so dry with absolutely no vegetation. There are a few rocks on the ground and that’s it. Dane manages to find a few sticks so we can put the blanket up, but there is nothing else out here. We are exhausted and collapse on the ground under the blanket and sleep.
I hear voices. I am still on the ground barely waking up, and I hear voices. Derrick has Dane and Henderson pulled aside a few yards from me and I can hear him whispering, “She can’t go any farther. Her wrist is really bad. I think the break is a lot more severe than we realize, because she has a fever. She probably has an infection from the severe break.”
Henderson adds, “Yeah, she’s in a lot of pain, but she never complains. I think you’re right Derrick. I think she is getting a bad infection, which means her time is limited.”
“I know. I’m starting to worry, a lot.”
“What do you think we should do?” Henderson asks.
“I don’t know. I’ve thought about going ahead of you guys to try and find help, but I know it would be foolish to venture out on my own, especially out here. These elements are harsh and unforgiving, so we need to stick together--that much I know! Besides, Dane wouldn’t let me go anyway. Let’s wait and see how she is this evening, and then we will make our decision whether to go on or hope and pray someone finds us out here.”
Dane and Henderson both say, “Agreed!” None of them knew that I was listening; they thought I was sleeping. As I lie there thinking about what they said, and I will not be responsible for their death. I am even more determined to
press on tonight-- pain, or no pain.
Just before sunset, I get up and drink what water I have left in my individual bottle, which isn’t much. My lips are starting to crack and bleed, because I am so dehydrated and thirsty. I haven’t urinated at all since yesterday, and I have a pounding headache. I’m sure the guys are in the same boat as me, but they are not complaining at all. I remember seeing some large band aids in the first aid kit, so I wake up Derrick and ask him to give me a hand.
“Derrick, please get the antibiotic ointment and some of those large band aids. I need your help wrapping up my feet where the blisters are. I think if we pad it enough, I will be able to walk better.”
He gives me the biggest smile I have ever seen and does as requested. I know exactly what he is thinking, “That’s my girl!” My feet are wrapped, and he puts my shoes on for me; and it does feel much better. He puts his hand on my head and asks, “How do you feel, Honey?”
“I feel better now that my feet are wrapped. Are you guys ready to go?”
Dane and Henderson have everything picked up, so off we go again. I am
not sure how long I will be able to keep us this act, but I need to find my happy place and stay there for a while. We walk for hours and hours before finally taking a break. The time is 5:00 a.m. Looking around the landscape, there is nothing but a small grove of trees about 200 yards from our current position. That looks like a good place to stop for the day. We manage to get up and start walking toward the trees, but before we can get there, I collapse. Derrick rushes over to me and gives me a little swig of the precious water he has left. Then he picks me up and carries me to the grove. I’m officially done!