Chapter 9
SMACK!
"Are we there yet?" Riley sighed. He peeled his hand off the back of his neck before wiping it on his jeans in disgust. It didn't matter how many cans of bug spray he went through, swarms of mosquitoes and gnats were jumping at the chance to dig into any area of exposed skin they could find. Another half hour or so, and his forearms would be ready to play a decent game connect the dots.
Ben rolled his eyes in exasperation, raising his machete to slash through another layer of thick vine. "No, Riley. Don't you think if we were there we'd stop walking?"
They landed at the airport two days ago. The flight was surprisingly relaxed. While Ben stared dreamily out the window, Riley did his best to flirt with an especially attractive flight attendant. There was still a faint tension in the air, but it was easily overshadowed by friendly chit-chat.
After spending the first day asking around, they figured out that the specific tribe they were looking for was called Pessoas Da Névoa, People of the Mist. As it turned out, they were more of a legend than fact. No one had seen them in hundreds of years, and even back then it was rare. When spotted, the tribes people had a tendency to up and disappear, as if they had turned into mist. Ben didn't let this discourage him though. If anything, he was even more determined. They rented a jeep and took it as far as they could before the forest became too dense and the path too uneven. They were forced to make the rest of their journey on foot, much to Riley's discomfort. They had been walking for hours; at this point, he wouldn't be surprised if they ended up right back where they started. The sun was starting to set and Ben could tell Riley was reaching his limit. He was stumbling more and more often and the once steady stream of chatter was becoming more forced.
Riley coughed lightly, turning to look up at all the impossibly tall trunks that surrounded him. He had to admit, no matter how much he hated hiking, the scenery was truly beautiful. Different plants harbored a vast array of vivid and exotic colors, while the trees stretched high, their branches only letting small streams of sunlight seep through to the forest floor. "You sure we're going the right way? I swear we've passed that tree a dozen times already."
Ben stopped and turned to stare at him. "I don't know if you've noticed, but all the trees look the same around here, kid."
"That's my point!" Riley threw his hands in the air before plopping down on a boulder to his right. He prayed that Ben wouldn't notice as he struggled to catch his breath. "Just admit it. We're lost."
"We're not lost! I know exactly where we are," Ben huffed, studying the map before taking another look at their surroundings. "And remember, you were the one who wanted to come."
"What? Don't you like my company?" Riley smiled, getting up and snatching the map out of Ben's hands. He brought it closer to his face, squinting in concentration as he tried to decipher the numerous curving lines. He needed something to take his mind off his rapidly tightening chest. He hadn't felt this bad in he didn't know how long. Besides, if he could hack into the most complex databases and secure servers in the world, he should have no problem figuring out something as simple as a map.
After a few moments, Riley was starting to get dizzy. He couldn't tell if the lines represented paths and roadways or streams and rivers. He also found himself easily distracted by the quick notes written off to the side in red pen. Riley had no trouble differentiating Abigail's neat, loopy cursive from Ben's messy scrawl. "I knew it! We need to be going that way! See?!" he exclaimed, pointing back the way they came.
Ben peeked over his shoulder. "Uh, Riley? You're holding it upside down."
Riley paused, face blank, before throwing the offending piece of paper in the air, dramatically sinking back down onto his rock. "We're gonna die out here."
Ben chuckled, walking over and patting the defeated techie on the shoulder. He took off his backpack and let it slip to the ground. "How about we take a break?"
Even though he hadn't said anything, Ben could tell that the long trek was beginning to take its toll. Riley's cheeks were slightly flushed and his breathing was becoming more and more labored. He knew the kid had struggled with asthma a lot as a kid before getting a handle on it somewhere in his late teens. When Ben asked him about it, Riley just shrugged it off saying he, "grew out of it." In all the years they'd known each other, Riley had never had any problems other than the occasional coughing spell. In spite of Ben's worry, he ignored any concern Ben showed with a series of, "I'm goods," and, "it'll pass." Regardless, he insisted that Riley carry his inhaler with him wherever they went, just in case.
Ben gazed up at the sky, vivid shades of red and orange beginning to bleed from beyond the horizon.
**FLASHBACK**
"Asthma?!"
"Yeah," Riley wheezed, tossing his bag onto the ratty motel bed. Being chased through the crowded streets of Dubai was definitely not on his to-do list. The rusty mattress springs squealed in protest as he sank down and promptly fell into a coughing fit. He was actually surprised he made it this far. Normally he would've gone straight home and watched TV until everything died down and his breathing evened out. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option this time, and he'd be damned if he face-planted right in front of Ben. So when his chest constricted and his air capacity plummeted to around fifty percent, he pushed ahead, ignoring the burn of his lungs until they lost their tails and made it back to their motel.
Ben crouched before him, ducking his head to meet Riley's eyes while his own widened in concern. "What am I supposed to do? Do you need me to get a doctor? I think we passed a clinic a few streets back." He jumped back up and made his way towards the door. "Just try to keep calm. I'll go get some help."
"Jeez, Ben. Chill! You're the only one who's freaking out!" Riley gasped, easing himself to the floor and pressing his back to the bed frame. He slowly drew his legs up until they almost touched his chest and brought his head down between his knees. "Just give me a minute."
He tried to regulate his breathing as he waited, listening for the sound of Ben retreating into the other room. He was used to handling these situations alone; he'd been doing it for years.
In...out. In...out. In...
Eyes still closed, Riley frowned in confusion. Instead of heading for the door, Ben's footsteps did just the opposite, they came closer. Huh. Maybe he just wanted a closer look at the freak that was hyperventilating on the floor. He didn't peg Ben as the teasing type but, then again, he could say that about over half the kids that picked on him. He'd just ignore him. He'd leave sooner or later.
In...out. In...out. In...
The bed gave a low creak and dipped slowly to his left. His already ragged and uneven gasps hitched in surprise. Couldn't this guy take a hint? He wanted to be left alone!
In...out. In...out. In...
Then his eyes shot open, breath catching in his throat. A hand suddenly clamped down over the back of his neck. It didn't hurt, it wasn't painful; definitely not what he was used to. The hand was solid, reassuring. Comforting. He closed his eyes again. It made him feel...safe. Almost as if in response, the hand gave a gentle squeeze.
In...out. In...out. In...
He wasn't sure how long they sat like that, but when Riley finally tried to lift his head, he found that his entire body was stiff as a board. Not very surprising. Neither was the fact that the weight of Ben's hand was gone. What did prove to be a shock was when he went to glance out the window to his right. The sky was dark. Their return flight was scheduled to leave at six-thirty. His face sombered. Had Ben left him? He probably got tired of waiting and hightailed it back to the states. Rubbing the back of his neck sadly, Riley rose painfully to his feet, swaying slightly. He just hoped Ben remembered to leave him his ticket. He'd figure out something.
"You alright?"
Riley's head snapped up, startled. Ben watched him quietly from a chair in the corner of the room.
Riley threw himself onto his back, landing spread-eagled on the mattress, and draped his arm over his eyes. His face burned. This was definitely not one of his better moments. He did take note of the tone of Ben's voice though. It had the usual gruffness, but at the same time, he sounded sincere. Frankly, he was exhausted, completely drained. It was almost as if his body was made of jello, wobbly and unstable. His head was spinning, and he was quite convinced the room was, too. But he didn't want Ben to look down on him, to pity him. A small part of him was starting to like man. He hadn't had anyone treat him like this in, well, ever. So he lied. "I'm good."
"If you're sure," Ben shrugged. He got up and stretched before making his way towards the door. "I'm going to get some coffee. You want some?"
Riley shook his head. "No time. We're gonna miss our flight." He started to sit up and tried to hide a grimace. His back and legs were sore from sitting on the floor for so long.
"Don't worry about it," Ben called over his shoulder as he left the room. "You need to get some rest."
His last statement filled Riley with dread. He hated this feeling! Always being seen as someone that needed to be looked after or looked down on. A burden. No one said it out loud but, then again, they never really needed to. Ben was just like everyone else, after all. He hung his head, gaze fixed on his shoes. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
Ben's head popped back into the doorway, his brow furrowed in confusion. "For what?"
Riley tensed. He hadn't meant for Ben to hear him.
"Hey," The man's expression softened. "It's no big deal. I exchanged our tickets earlier. We aren't scheduled to leave until tomorrow afternoon. Okay?"
He nodded but Ben didn't move, just raised his eyebrows expectantly. Riley sighed. This guy just didn't know when to give up, did he? "Okay."
Finally satisfied, Ben's face broke into a smile before he disappeared into the other room.
Riley looked up at the ceiling, taken aback. Maybe Ben wasn't such a bad guy after all.
Ben sipped his coffee wordlessly as he leaned against the door frame. To say that this morning had scared the hell out of him would be an understatement, and he wasn't talking about their little run. It was what came after. He had never felt so useless. All he could do was watch helplessly as Riley practically suffocated in front of him. They were definitely going to talk about it later. He'd planned on bringing it up when he returned with his coffee only to find that Riley had already passed out fully clothed, shoes and all.
He watched the steady rise and fall of the young man's chest. It was strange. He'd never felt this close to anyone before, especially someone he'd just met a few months ago. The kid seemed genuinely interested in his work. Not like Ian, who was only interested in his own personal gain. Whether he knew it or not, Riley had a craving for adventure. Something they had in common. If he could just get Riley to trust him, then maybe they could get somewhere.
He raked a hand through his hair, exhaling deeply through his nose. He grabbed an extra sheet and gently pulled it over Riley. This kid was going to be a real handful.
**END FLASHBACK**
Ben smiled fondly at the memory. That was the day that Riley actually started to let down his walls and let Ben help him. It was a critical point in their friendship. "We should set up camp. We won't make it to the ruins by nightfall. We could use the rest anyway," he stated, looking around for a place for them to settle for the night.
Riley was immediately back on his feet, face unreadable. "I'm fine."
Unfortunately, his voice wasn't as convincing. Though it was faint, Ben picked up a slight waver just before Riley turned and continued up the path. He sounded somewhat panicked. Almost frightened. Ben shook his head in confusion. What was he so nervous about? "What's your hurry? It's not like I'm just going to leave you behind."
Riley shoulders tensed before he glared over his shoulder. "I said I'm fine!" he snapped.
Jogging after him, Ben latched onto his shoulders and spun him around. "Riley, listen to me. The sun's going own. How well do you think we'll be able to navigate this place in the dark?"
Riley paused, taking a moment to weigh his options. He could either swallow his pride, admit Ben was right, and stop for the night, or get proven wrong later by ending up lost in the middle of the jungle deep in a foreign country. Dammit!
"Fine," he grumbled. "But if we get eaten by a giant spider or something in our sleep, it's on you."