Heavy grey clouds hung in the sky above the canopy of trees, a light rain fell against the skin of an unconscious Lara. Beside her, a tourist helicopter lay in ruins, shooting flames and ash into the thick forest. A slight cough snuck out between her lips, then a heavier cough. Soon she was sitting up, drenched in sweat and mud. Lara dabbed her fingers against her forehead, feeling the blood touch her skin. The world around her spun quickly as she forced her weak legs to hold her body up. She leaned against a tree, taking in the surroundings. This wasn't where they were supposed to land, this definitely wasn't the ranger station. All she could remember was the pilot warning her they drifted too far into the dead zone, then it was all black. Lara took deep breaths and finally the world stopped spinning long enough for her to stumble over to the helicopter. The cockpit was barely intact and the pilot was for sure dead. This all seemed so familiar to her, the plane back at Yamatai, searching the dead pilot for anything useful. She just wanted a vacation and this is what she got...stranded in the middle of the Amazon with only what she brought with her...A light went off in her head. Her bag full of goodies was strapped into the cargo area which was in the back of the helicopter. She looked around for the tail end, no sign of it in sight. Lara sighed and let out a quiet "Shit."
The sun had just started to set, the canopy blocking out the light making visibility very limited. She followed the trail of little patches of fire and debris. But there was still no sign of the cargo hold. She wiped sweat from her forehead and smoothed back her hair, the heat was almost too much but she had to push forward and find her things. A faint shine in the firelight came into view as she pushed through a wall of vines and thick branches. There it was, the piece she was missing. She almost collapsed to the ground in joy, but she forced herself to stay on her feet, she knew she didn't have the energy to get back up. She entered the large chunk of debris, ignoring the flames surrounding it, and started tossing out crates. She didn't know what was in them, but she had a glimmer of hope in the back of her head. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her trusty ice axe and pried open a wooden box. Her eyes widened as she dug through the contents. Food and bottles of water, just what she needed. The other two smaller boxes held bundles of rope and some medical supplies. She fell to the ground, exhausted from her walk and opened a bag of pretzels. She devoured the small bag and reached for another but stopped herself. The supplies were finite and she had to ration herself.
Lara had fallen asleep against a tree, the rain at a steady downpour now, sunlight slowly fading away. She awoke to a twig snapping in the distance. Her body jolted upward, her hand quickly grasping the axe tight. She could see a man, holding a bow, his arrow pulled taut. A white powder covered his face and dots of red lined his cheeks. He stepped forward, the fire slowly exposing him. She didn't move, he had a bow and all she had was her axe. Her mind raced, her body told her to attack but her brain told her to stand down. She watched his fingers quiver against the pull of the arrow. Lara knew he was about to let it fly, she could sense it, she could see his hand getting tired. The arrow flew through the air, slicing across her cheek. She fell to the ground, diving into a puddle of mud, her nose hovering above it just enough to breathe. She hairs on the back of her neck stood as he inched his way closer to her, investigating her body. She leaped out of the mud, driving the axe into his kneecap. He screamed and slammed his elbow against her cheek, a purple bruise instantly forming underneath the caked on dirt. She fell back to the ground, her body weak. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and stabbed it into her shoulder. She held her teeth together, only letting a small whimper out. Lara pushed him off and pulled the arrow out. Her vision blurred from the pain. The man lurched forward, she shoved the arrow through his throat and fell back against a tree. Her body slowly giving up. He rolled around in the dirt, gurgling on blood. She quickly grabbed her things and a few packets of food and took off for the front end of the plane. Adrenaline kept her up and going as fast as possible. In the distance she could hear cries, like a mother mourning the death of a child, then chants, and the bright light of torches getting closer.
"Oh fuck, oh fuck." Lara said, gulping hard, holding the wound in her shoulder.