1403 Words, this chapter
Chapter Eight
Jess cried at the pain. She was huddled in a fetal position as the ferocious monkey things continued to tear and bite.
Then the tears began. She'd never see her parents again. Or Abby, Connor, Matt and Emily. Lester would be lost without her. Then there was Becker. She'd never get to say those three words to him.
It was over. She was going to die.
She heard more chattering, felt the things fighting with each other to get a better taste of her.
She thought of Becker's smile.
Then, she heard…static? No, she hadn't been able to raise anyone on her comm. Great, she was hallucinating.
In London, Cherry went though the Tijuca footage.
"It helps much that you are…on board," said Pedro.
Cherry laughed. "I find the creature or human survivor," she said, "send you the location…"
"And I send out the rescue," said Pedro. "We are good team."
"It helps I have lots of techs on hand to help," she said.
"Yes, that is good. I shall ask my boss for more hands," said Pedro.
"As big as Rio is, you could use the help."
"Yes, and then there is rest of Brazil too," said Pedro.
Cherry clicked through the cameras. Jess did a good job hooking everyone up, she thought. Picture after picture, Cherry searched.
"What is that?" asked Becker, looking over her shoulder.
"I don't know," said Cherry. She zoomed in on the brown mass. "It's furry, with a tail. No, two tails. No…wait…Oh, my God! It's a mound of…lemurs?"
"They're on some pour soul," said Lester.
"Some early type of primate," said Connor.
"Cherry, zoom closer," Becker said. He had that feeling of dread again. He saw some familiar lime green hiking boots. "It's Jess," he whispered.
Cherry's eyes got big. "I…It's probably not," she said, forcing the panic down. "Pedro, we need help sent to this location immediately."
Pedro cursed. "I do not know the exact spot where she lies. I will find it, however. I will get her help."
'If it isn't too late,' Becker thought, staring at the still, small mound. Then... "She moved!"
"Yes! That a girl, Jess!" cheered Connor.
"Those things…crawling all over her," Becker said with clinched teeth. "We've got to get them off!"
"How?" asked Lester. "We can't do much from here."
"And Pedro is still trying to get her precise location," said Cherry.
"I am trying my friends, desperately," he said.
Becker swore. He stared helplessly as the woman he loved was eaten alive. Tears began to fall.
And then…one of the little terrors tried to pull Jess' comm from her ear.
"Noise, send something loud through that," said Becker. "Scare them off her."
Cherry nodded, quickly accessing the comm link and Jess' private line. "Please work," she mumbled. "This is going to be loud."
"Sorry, Jess," said Becker.
Cherry hit a button.
At first, Jess thought she was dreaming. A loud blaring alarm swirled around her. She heard a loud, pained screeching. She felt tiny paws running over her.
She laid still. She continued to hear the alarm and realized her left ear was ringing slightly. She grabbed for her ear, but her hand brushed against something lying beside it. Her comm. The noise began to subside but her ear still felt strange so she put the comm in the other ear.
"Jess? Jess! Do you read?"
"Becker?"
"Oh, thank the Lord!" he cried with relief. "I thought… Are you alright?"
She didn't answer right away. She slowly sat up. "Um...I think so."
She stared up at the canopy of trees. Then she remembered. The prehistoric primates. The truck. Paula.
"Oh God!" she cried. She looked for the truck. "Paula!" she screamed.
She tried to get up. "Ow!"
"Are you hurt?"
She saw that her legs were covered with hundreds of scratches and bites. "Yes."
Becker cursed. "How bad?"
"I…I can feel everything. I'm in a lot of pain. I think my whole body is covered with bites and scratches."
Becker winced. "Jess…"
"I'm alive though."
Becker laughed. "You are and you're beautiful."
Jess tried to get up again. "I have to…get to Paula."
"Easy Jess," said Becker. "Don't injure yourself more."
She chuckled. "I don't think that is possible." She painfully took a step, then another. The truck seemed miles away.
"What were they anyway ?'
"Early primates," said Connor. "I can't tell without a closer look. They could be any one of a number of species."
"Sorry, Connor. I'm not touching one of those horrid things."
Connor laughed. "It can wait, Jess."
She moved closer to the truck. "How did you get them off?"
"Cherry blasted an alarm through your comm."
"Jess!" cried Cherry. "Are you deaf?"
Jess laughed. "No, Cherry. I'm fine. You saved me."
"I just followed the Captain's orders."
"Of course, Becker…" she said softly, a tear coming down. "You saved me."
"Thank one of the devil monkeys for playing with your comm."
"I'd rather thank you, Becker."
"Oh, I'd like that, believe me."
Jess approached the truck. "Paula!" she cried. There was no answer.
She saw a lot of dead primates on the ground by the driver's side. They weren't stunned. They were definitely dead. Blood was everywhere.
She peeked in the truck.
Paula lay in the seat, half-covered with more dead primates. She was bloody and pale. Jess pushed the things off of her.
"Please," she said as she tried for a pulse. Something dropped from Paula's hand: a gun.
That's why so many of the things were dead. She hadn't heard any shots, probably because the creatures were attacking her, she thought with a shudder.
"Medics are nearly there," said Pedro. "The loud noise was good signal. The rescuers make for it easily."
"Good," Jess said, as tears filled her eyes, "but I think it's too late."
"Meu Deus! No!"
"I'm sorry, Pedro. I can't…find a pulse."
"Jess, I'm so sorry," said Becker softly.
Jess cried, nodding. "She was…my friend. She protected me." She sat beside Paula, still trying to get a pulse reading. She heard movement from outside the truck and then shouts in Brazilian and English.
"Help!"
A second later, she saw the face of a medic. "My friend…I can't….I think she's dead."
The medic nodded, gently pulling her out of the truck. He led her away from it so his companions could work on Paula.
He sat her a few feet away and checked her for serious wounds. She stared at the other medics as they tried to help Paula, now lying on a stretcher on the ground.
Jess quietly cried.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," said Becker, gently.
Jess nodded, sniffling.
"I am going to give you a shot," said the medic with her.
She nodded again.
Jess braced for the pinprick. She closed her eyes. She felt the small stab, and then heard an excited shout from one of Paula's medics.
Jess' eyes popped open. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The medics weren't covering Paula's face and head like they do dead bodies.
Instead, they attached an oxygen mask and an IV bag.
Jess might not have understood the medic's words, but she got the message. "She's alive," Jess whispered in awe.
One of Paula's medics smiled. "Sim."
Jess cried, "Sim!"
She heard Pedro chuckling.
"Oh, thank goodness, but will she be alright?" asked Jess.
"A moment, Jess," said Pedro, listening to what the medics reported. "She has lost much blood. They worry that she will go into shock, but they take her now to hospital. They think however, that she may recover."
Jess burst into tears. "Oh…"
"That's fantastic, Jess," said Becker.
She nodded. "I wish you were here to hold me."
"Oh, man do I wish that too."
"Come back to meu ARC," said Pedro, "and I will hold you…for Beck-er." He flashed a bright grin.
Jess giggled. "Thank you, but I'll wait for the real thing."
Becker laughed. "And that's just one of the reasons why I love you, Jess."
Lester, Connor, Cherry and every head in London Ops snapped to his attention.
"Did he just say…?"
"I think so, Connor," answered Lester.
Cherry just smiled.
Jess didn't squeal, scream, or dance around in glee. She simply stared into the camera. Even though she couldn't see Becker, she felt him. "I love you too, Becker."
"Meu Deus," muttered Pedro. "I cannot win. Although… Lovely Red Hair, are you single?"
End of Chapter Eight
