Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Recap: Harold, LeShawna, Lindsay meet up with Owen and Noah. Eva builds a boat and sets sail leaving Courtney, Sadie, and Katie behind. DJ gets hurt. Beth helps him. Tyler runs off to find help despite protests.
"Are you sure it's okay for us to go off like this, Beth?" DJ asked concerned. "Tyler might be on his way back by now…"
"Well, we couldn't keep waiting for him." Beth said decisively. "If he hasn't found someone by now then chances are he took off in the wrong direction. We'll go this way and Tyler can always follow our tracks if he needs to when he comes back this."
"Yeah, that's true."
They walked along the beach in silence for a few minutes, DJ anxiously glancing about.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Beth asked glancing over at him.
"I'm fine, Beth," said DJ. "My leg has stopped bleeding and the cramp went away awhile ago."
"Then what's wrong?" Beth frowned. "You seem really nervous about something."
"I just don't like being so close to the water," DJ confided. "I'm afraid my curse will kick in and more cute, lil' animals will be hurt cause of me…"
"Well…" Beth cocked her head thoughtfully. "If you don't like walking around on the beach then let's go through the jungle area."
"What? Are you crazy?" DJ looked alarmed. "That'll be even worse!"
"DJ," Beth said patiently. "We're on an island in the middle of nowhere. How many animals do you think they'll be?"
"I don't know…" DJ scratched the back of his head.
"Look at it this way," Beth offered. "Oceans are home to thousands of species. This island probably doesn't contains that many and most of them would be insects." She smiled coyly at him. "Think you can handle being a bug repellent?"
"Yeah," DJ perked up. "Bugs I can handle. As long as they're not too big. Or furry. The furry ones just creep me out." He shuddered.
"We can go in over here," Beth pointed at some parted undergrowth at the edge of forest. "It looks like a naturally formed path."
They headed over and followed it into the jungle.
xXx
The farther and farther DJ and Beth went into the woods the darker and more sinister the vegetation appeared to be. The tree branches were so thick they almost blocked out the sun all together.
"Brr!" DJ shuddered. "Sure is spooky in here…"
"Yeah," Beth agreed. "This far in you can't even hear the crash of the surf. It's like being transported to a whole other world!"
DJ nodded in agreement.
A loud screech startled them both into a dead stop.
"What do you think that was?" DJ looked about, panicked.
"I-I'm sure it was just a bird," Beth stuttered. "Right. A bird far away in the distance. Heheh."
"Yeah." DJ chuckled as well and started walking again. "You're probably right, Beth."
"Um, DJ…" Beth voice shook slight.
"Yeah?" He stopped and turned towards her.
"You know what you said about furry bugs…"
"Yeah, why?" DJ asked apprehensively.
"It's just that…" Beth pointed. "Th-there thisreallybigoneonyourback!" She finished in one rushed breath.
DJ just looked at her blankly for a beat as he processed what she just said. Then, with a quivering lower lip, he slowly peaked over his own shoulder to come face to face with a hairy, six-inch spider with far too many eyes, clinging to his back.
"WAAAH!" DJ screamed girlishly. "Get it off! Get it off me! Get it off!" He jumped about frantically waving his arms about.
"DJ! DJ, wait!" Beth called soothingly, trying to get him to clam down. "Just stay still a minute! I can brush it off with a stick or something!"
"WAAH! IT'S CLIMBING HIGHER!" DJ hyperventilated, running around in a circle.
"DJ, wait!" Beth called again but he was too terrified to hear her. With another wail of fright, DJ dashed off deeper into the forest leaving Beth all alone.
"Well, that's just great!" Beth threw her hands up in exasperation. "Go ahead and leave me why don't you?"
She looked around.
"Heheh… accept you already did…"
Another loud squawk came out of the thick jungle, but this time much closer. Branches snapped and the vines nearby swayed back and forth though there was no breeze.
"Um hello?" Beth's eyes darted about fearfully. "Is someone there? DJ?"
But only silence answered her.
xXxXx
"What I wouldn't give for a glass of water…" LeShawna sighed wistfully, glaring up at the sun beating down on them.
"LeShawna, my goddess," Harold declared, giving a slight wobbly bow as they continued to walk. "Though there is no water in sight, I would offer you the sweat from my brow if only I had something to hold it in!"
Lindsay and Noah cringed at his suggestion.
"Eww! Who would want to drink that?" Lindsay asked. "Gross!"
"Heh. Could be heatstroke has finally fried his brain," Noah whispered to her behind his hand.
"Huh?" Lindsay looked at him bemused.
"Riiight." Noah muttered to himself. "Look who I'm talking to…"
"Uh, no thanks," LeShawna told Harold, suppressing a shudder. "I'm good." She walked a little faster to put some distance between them.
Noah hung back and looked over his shoulder.
"How you doing, big guy?" he called to their hefty companion trailing several yards behind them.
"Unnh…" Owen groaned in response. "Food…"
"Hey, hold up!" Noah called to the others ahead of him. They stopped and turned around. He signaled for them to wait while Owen caught up.
"Food… food… food… food… food…" Owen continued his mantra until he rejoined the group. Then he promptly collapsed on his stomach in front of them, wheezing.
"I – can't – go – on –" He coughed violently. "No long–er." He looked up at them pitifully. "Y-you guys just leave me behind…"
"Aww!" Lindsay cooed. "We can't do that!"
Owen just moaned pathetically. Lindsay looked down at him sympathy. The others exchanged an uncomfortable look and seemed to come to an unspoken consensus.
"What the heck," LeShawna plopped down beside Owen. "We could all use a little break…"
"Ahmen to that sol sistah!" Harold said enthusiastically sitting next to her.
"Harold…" LeShawna sighed.
"Yes?"
"Never do that again."
xXxXx