It was a sunny day, the blue sky showed no single cloud and a soft breeze stroke their heads.
After filling Sam's backpack with food and water they headed out in the morning to avoid most of the tropical heat and burning sun. Noticing how much she suffered Sam handed a giant leaf to Claire so that she could shield her sensitive skin.
"Claire, why are you so white?", asked James jokingly.
"Oh god, James, you can´t just ask people why they´re white.", groaned Sam.
Ignoring their frantic laughter Claire led the way towards the hill. Armed with a stick she marched forward and cleared the path in front of them. With every step it became more difficult to walk until they had to hold on tree vines while marching up. By the time they reached the top, sweat was running down their faces.
As the jungle became more dense their feet sunk deeper in the morass, cold mud oozed into their shoes.
"Claire, where the hell are we going?", yelled James in frustration.
"Up, just as you wanted!"
Both boys groaned and Claire had to agree that this was an awful place with its trees, crested by long twisted branches resembling arms stretching out after them. The smell of rich earth lingered in the air along with a fine veil of mist, hiding countless of creatures observing them out of yellow eyes. Forced to leap from place to place in order not to fall into the surrounding waters they clung onto large roots and vines. Just as James was about to step on a rock a hand suddenly pulled him by the shirt.
"WATCH OUT!"
Dumbfounded he found himself sitting on the ground and blinked at the person who pushed him. "Dude, what was that for?!"
Silent Sam stood with his arms slightly raised, his wide open eyes flickering like silver as he stared at the black surface.
"There is something in the water…", he whispered.
He pointed to the large body with its dark scaly back and golden eyes that slowly rose out of the water along with its long snout . A faint hissing sound emerged from its jaws which made the surface vibrate. Intrigued they came closer and stared at the giant creature. None of them have ever seen one this close.
"An alligator! I thought they only lived in the sewers?!"
"What the hell, James?!"
Claire backed away, scared that the creature would lunge at them. "Oh god! What should we do now?!"
Sam stepped away from the animal and rubbed his chin in deep thought. They already traveled far, almost too far, as it could take them hours to find their way back through the new terrain and the sun already cast longer shadows than before. But since they had no idea what lied ahead they couldn't just keep going without possibly getting caught up by the nightfall. A chill ran across his spine by the thought of being stuck here in the dark.
He raised his head and observed the terrain. Not far away from them a small hill surrounded by water emerged from the fog.
"If we climb up there, maybe we´ll find a way out here. And we´ll be probably safe from that thing too.", he said while pointing on it. "Anyone has a better idea?"
Silent Claire stared at the ground while James whistled innocently.
"Okay, I take that as a yes.", declared Sam.
Nervous they made a great turn around the reptile and marched as fast as they could towards the hill. With a raised eyebrow James observed the alligator slowly following the group.
"Dudes, that thing is tailing us.", he mentioned casually and noted several more shadows emerging out of the water. "Oh, yeah and it's not alone."
To both their horror they saw group of five alligators coming from each direction. Their massive jaws held teeth that were almost as long as a human finger. Sam felt his blood running cold. He grabbed Claire by the hand.
"Run!"
Hand in hand they ran up the small hill unlike James. Still undaunted he stood by the bottom of the hill and raised his spear. He has waited for such a moment.
"What are you doing?! That´s dangerous!", screamed Claire.
"You can´t be in danger, if you are the danger.", he replied and tipped his forehead, smirking.
"JAMES!"
"Okay…sheesh."
He joined them at the top of the hill where he wondered why Sam´s face turned so pale but when he reached them found out why.
They were surrounded.
Several alligator of various sizes dug their long claws into the soil and pulled themselves up. An especially large specimen suddenly launched out of the water and although they were high enough the drops already reached their legs. With a loud splash it fell back, followed by a faint whimper.
Sam turned around, right by his side Claire collapsed on the ground and held her hands over her head. They were shaking. Tears emerged from her wide open eyes.
"This is it…", she whispered. "We´re all gonna die here…!"
Like in trance he observed how James tried to calm her down while the reptiles approached them. He raised his head. His large brown eyes met his, like a stab through the chest.
This is all my fault…if I don´t do something we´ll get killed…!
He clenched his fists. He couldn't let that it happen.
Determined he walked to the edge of the small hill. In a span of a few seconds he asserted the entire terrain. Not far away from them he spotted dry land emerging from the fog. He had a plan.
"James! You two go ahead.", he declared. "I´ll stay behind and buy us some time."
"Are you sure about this?!"
"Do we have a choice?", he replied with a crooked smile.
James jerked his head at the alligators that came closer with each passing second. He let out a snarl and pulled Claire up, dragging her towards the edge which she heavily protested against by screaming and kicking.
"I can´t!", she cried. "I´m too scared!"
Fearing that she would succumb to her fear Sam grabbed her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Claire, remember the time when we jumped over that edge. You were so brave back then. You can do it again! James will hold you!"
"What about you?!", she asked panicked, suddenly realizing what this meant.
"Don´t worry about me! I´ll be right behind you, I promise!"
He was glad how reassured his voice sounded, knowing that he might break it. Seemingly convinced Claire wiped the tears off her face and took a deep breath, letting James lead her to the edge. As they passed him by he put his hand on Sam's shoulder.
"Hey, don´t die.", he said with a low voice.
The words made his stomach drop. "I´ll try…"
Still slightly stunned he stared at the ground, it was only when James and Claire landed with a loud splash in the murky water that Sam awoke from his frozen state. His eyes darted to the approaching alligators. He tightened the grip around his spear. With the sharp end of his weapon he lunged forward, driving them slightly back.
"Faster! Don't look back!", he shouted and glanced over his shoulder. What he saw made his blood froze.
One single alligator has abandoned the group, having discovered an easier prey. Horrified he watched how it sank into the water and swam away. Right after Claire and James.
His cry came from deep within the chest. "NO!"
A wave of adrenaline rushed through his body. His eyes set on the alligator he raced towards the edge.
And leaped off.
In a flash his spear rammed right through the reptiles head. Under his weight its scaly back broke with a loud crack followed by the sound of blood splattering on his face. The massive reptile twitched violently, apparently still alive, but suddenly stopped moving as he pulled the spear out. Stunned he slipped into the shallow water.
"Is…is it dead?!", he asked fearfully.
"SAM!"
His eyes darted away from the animal to where the scream came from. Not far away from him Claire and James jumped erratically, waving and pointing behind him. Without him noticing the pack had come dangerously closer.
Fear set it. Under their screams he raced towards the shore. Too terrified to see how close they were he fought his way forward as rocks flew above his head, occasionally hitting one of the reptiles. And although Claire almost never missed her targets he felt them coming closer with each stroke he made.
As scream escaped him as he felt teeth grazing his leg, making him stumble through the shallow water towards James.
"MOVE YOUR ASS!", he shouted and pulled him out of the way. Violently he kicked the alligator's snout several times while Claire dragged Sam to the dry land.
"RUN, RUN, RUN!"
Quickly James grabbed him by the arm and pushed both of them until their feet found firm ground. Screaming they escaped this horrible place, darting blindly into the depths of the jungle. And although there was no way for the reptiles to chase them any further they didn´t stop until they collapsed from exhaustion.
Sam staggered towards a tree and held, fearing that he would lose consciousness any moment. He closed his eyes, breathing in and out, trying to suppress the images that now resurfaced. His body trembled open remembering the sensation of piercing flesh and the cold blood splattering on his face. He couldn't hold it down it any further.
James flinched in surprise upon hearing the sound of puking coming from behind a nearby tree.
"Yo, are you okay?"
This earned him a glare out of feverish eyes. Loose strands of brown hair hung over his pale face.
"Please, go.", he whispered. "I'm fine."
"Dude, you're fucking wasted."
Ignoring his protest he grabbed Sam who was too weak to resist and carried him by the shoulder towards Claire. Face down she lied sobbing on the ground, no longer caring about the dirt that stained her clothes and face.
"Stand up."
"I can´t do this anymore.", she cried. "Just let me die here."
"Nope, I won't. I need your help to set up a place for the night, because this guy here…", he gently shook Sam. "…just passed out."
"Oh god, Sam!" Instantly she arose and rushed towards them. Her hands trembled when she put them on his face and even more when she realized how hot he was.
"That fight must have been a little too much for him."
Together they carried Sam to a small clearing by a river and carefully lied him on one of the many moss beds. Soon the crackling of the fire Claire created filled the air, casting shadows on his face. She ripped off a piece of cloth off her once white shirt, wiping the sweat and blood away with the water of a nearby river.
"He's still unconscious?"
Claire spun around, finding James next to her with his arms full of wood. Slightly surprised she watched him putting some twigs into the fire and sitting down on the opposite side. For a second she could have sworn to see a trace of disappointment behind his brown eyes.
"This dude is crazy, he basically doesn´t know us and yet he stood behind and fought those alligators."
James is right, she thought to herself. With him losing all his memories things weren't like before between them but still he put his life on the line for her. A stranger. Guilt throbbed in her chest.
"This is all my fault...if it weren't for me, he wouldn't have stayed behind and put himself in danger…"
"Hey, come on, don't beat yourself up about it. It was his decision to stay behind. You didn't force him to do anything. You gotta believe when I tell you that: he wanted this."
"But he's in so much pain now. How can I make up it up to him?", she asked desperate.
"I think you being alive is enough for him."
"You think so?"
"Yeah.", he replied without hesitation.
Hearing his words made her heart flutter. Tenderly she stroke his messy brown hair. He looked more peaceful and younger when he was asleep, she noticed. It must have been his eyes.
"Sleeping beauty.", commented James and leaned over him. "You should give him a kiss."
"Jay-Jay!", embarrassed she hit him with her elbow.
"Then I´m gonna try it. No homo, though."
"Noooooo."
Before his lips could find its target she pulled him away from the innocently sleeping Sam. After a long debate whenever a kiss could kill him or wake him up they decided splitting up their sleep time so that one of them could keep guard, starting with her.
"If anything happens, wake me up.", he told her while putting a giant leaf on the ground. "Man, I hope I can sleep at all…", he mumbled. However, there was no reason for him to be afraid seeing how after a few minutes he already laid with his arms and legs stretched out, sleeping tightly as if the events of today never occurred.
Now she sat all by herself along with the creatures of the night. She moved closer to the fire, seeking protection in the warm light from the countless pairs of glowing eyes hovering around her.
Afraid that something might attack them she stayed on high alert. They had no idea what was hiding in that jungle or whose territory they invaded. Everything depended on her reacting and warning everybody on time.
"Mum…no….not the..."
She almost let a faint scream escape her mouth.
"Sam?", she whispered. "Are you sleep-talking?!"
His chest went up and down, sweat was running down his forehead. He whimpered faintly, calling for the mother who he almost never talked about and hasn't seen in years. It broke her heart.
"It´s alright, Sam. Shhh, it´s alright."
"No…don't go…", he cried.
"I won't. I´m here. I will never leave you. I promise."
She pulled him into her arms and to her relief the moment she held him in her embrace a wave of peace swept over his face. The entire night she stayed by his side, humming his favorite song and stroking his hair. Only when James awoke for his turn to keep watch did she take a rest and finally fell asleep.
Hours have passed when the sun broke through the dense canopy and touched Sam's face. He raised his hand, covering his eyes from the dancing light. Under its warmth he felt the morning dew on his clothes, the soft moss on his back and the weight on his chest. He raised his head, long blonde waves cascaded over his shoulder, framing the face of the person who was lying atop of him.
Claire.
"Morning, sleeping beauty."
He almost didn't recognize the large figure with the dark circles under his eyes, sitting right on the opposite side of the remnants of the fire. He raised his hand and smiled wry before he flopped to the ground, snoring instantly.
What the hell happened here? Oh yeah…I fought some alligators and puked behind a tree…great.
Wondering he blinked at the light above him but the dense leave canopy didn´t allow him to figure out the position of the sun.
How long was I out? Hours? A day?
He put his hand on Claire's cheek, brushing the hair out of her face as gently as he could, revealing the dark circles under her eyes. Even her usually rosy cheeks have lost their color. Neither her nor James got enough sleep as he could tell from their appearances. They must have been terrified by the jungle at night, he realized.
"I'm sorry…", he mumbled, despite knowing that they couldn't hear him.
Despite the pain in his back he decided to resign to his fate as a body pillow and let her sleep a little more in his arms.
He closed his eyes and listened to the water streaming from a nearby river, the gentle rustling of the leaves and Claire´s calm breaths. Apart from that the jungle was calm, no monkey screamed, no bird sung. An eerie silence hung over them, so silent he could hear a raindrop falling.
Sam jerked his eyes wide open upon the sudden realization.
They weren´t alone.