CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
From within the cover of the trees, Jason could see Tony as he searched for him. It was too dark and far for his vision to see Jason as he sat with his back to a tree, tightening his belt around his leg to stop the bleeding. His body was battered and bruised from the airplane jump. His forehead has an open wound from hitting the rocks, and now he has a bullet lodged in his thigh.
Jason saw Sally and the others slowly move away from him. Angry with himself, knowing he could do nothing about it. How he longed to hold her safely in his arms, protect her from all of this. He watched the last glimpse of their flashlight as they faded away into the jungle. Jason managed to stand up against a tree, but the pain was excruciating. He took one step forward, forcing pressure on his wounded leg, then fell back to the ground in pain. He tried to stand up again, and managed to limp from tree to tree until he was in the opening looking down at the collapsed bridge as it dangled from both sides of the river.
He knew he had no time to waste searching for another way across. The only way down was by the dangling bridge. It would prove quite a task for him to climb down using just one leg. Jason tested the strength of the ropes, and then began to lower himself one step at a time. Each wooden plank served as a ladder rung, proving rather easy for him to descend. As he reached the last rung, he was looking at a drop of nearly fifteen feet. Large rocks and boulders were the only things to cushion his fall. He looked back up the way he had come and then down onto the rocks. Jason had to land safely, knowing if he broke one of his legs in the fall it would mean the end for him. With his sharp vision, he calculated the distance as he let go of the wooden bridge. The fall seemed to last for minutes, he could see himself falling through the air, and then he felt the hard rocks beneath his feet. On impact, he rolled over breaking his fall, landing in the river. The cool water was a relief to him. But now blood was seeping out from the bullet wound, coloring the clear water. Jason tightened the belt around his leg, grinding his teeth from the pain as he pulled harder and harder.
The flow of the river was not too strong, but had an undercurrent that knocked Jason of balance, dragging him underwater a few yards down. He emerged from the river, making it to the other side where he saw the other remains of the bridge. The six remaining wooden planks were way too high for him to reach. Then he caught sight of the ropes that held the planks in place. Fatigue was setting in, and he did not know if he had the strength to climb. Not giving in, he gathered his remaining strength, and heaved himself up hand over hand. With his good leg he managed to find a foothold, and then again, he heaved himself up another few more feet until he was within reach of the remaining planks of wood. With both hands holding onto them, he pulled himself up, slowly making it to the top. Jason now lay exhausted face up panting for breath. Looking up at the night sky, he saw dark clouds as they passed over the tree tops blotting out the moon. The smell of rain was in the air, meaning trouble for him ahead.
After driving for ten minutes, Andreas finally spoke for the first time during the Jeep ride.
“Rain!” He said, pointing his finger up to a cloudy sky.
Kate looked surprised but took his word for it. As they neared the campsite, the heavens opened up. Droplets the size of peas were pounding on the Jeep’s hood. Andreas stopped to pull up the soft top, despite both of them already soaked to the bone. With headlights on bright, they could barely see in front of them. Andreas shifted to second gear, slowly edging his way through the now muddy jungle road. He came to a stop just a few feet short of the trees in front of him.
Kate asked, “are we here?”
Without looking at her, Andreas nodded his head.
“Yes camp is here,” he said, looking in front of him.
Kate jumped out of the Jeep.
“Aren’t you coming?” She asked him.
She noticed he looked on edge as if frightened to step out of the vehicle.
“No! I go back now,” he said.
Kate saw nothing but trees and rocks all around her.
“Where is the camp? There’s nothing here!” She said.
Andreas outstretched his arm waving his hand back and forth as if he was shooing off some animal.
“You walk now! Fifteen minutes in a straight line,” he said to her.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” She said, raising her voice.
He reached behind his seat and took out a battery operated lantern, and handed it to her.
“You go now! Or we go back,” said Andreas.
Kate had no choice but to take the lantern. As soon as she was clear of the vehicle, Andreas turned the Jeep around, leaving her standing there with nothing but the lamp in her hand. She waited until the tail lights disappeared through the pouring rain before turning around. Remembering what Andreas told her, she started to walk in a straight line as she possibly could. The rain continued to pour down as if it would never stop.
As she walked through the dark jungle, she began to think strange thoughts. It was as if she were in a horror movie, walking alone through the trees with no protection whatsoever. She was expecting at any moment for someone to reach out to her from behind. She dismissed her thoughts and concentrated on what was in front of her. She looked at her watch, counting the minutes that had passed.
The campsite should be in sight soon, but with the rain pouring down, she could hardly see ten feet in front of her. Then all of a sudden the lantern she was carrying blacked out, leaving her in the dark. Kate started to shake the lantern, hoping it might light up again, but it didn’t work. Assuming the batteries had died out, she threw it to the ground and continued on her way.
Walking even slower than before she moved from tree to tree holding onto each one to prevent her from tripping. After another few more minutes, she came to a clearing, and in front of her, she saw the campsite tents. She wandered into the campsite, looking around making sure it was safe to proceed. The camp had that ghostly feeling, no movement at all, dead silence except for the patter of rain as it hit the tents and ground. Kate ventured further into the camp until she came to the tent entrance. Careful not to make a sound she unzipped the flap and stepped inside.
Relieved to be out of the rain, she stood still for a while, letting her eyes get accustomed to the dark. Her clothes were drenched, and she needed to get out of them. She looked around the tent that was made for two persons. A camp bed was on each side, with sleeping bags laid neatly on them. She went over to one of them sliding her hand inside, feeling the warmth and dryness. In the back of the tent lay a wooden trunk. Curious to know what it holds, she opened it to find men’s clothing inside that consisted of jeans and some shirts. Choosing the size that might fit her, she removed her wet clothes, dried herself and slid into a pair of jeans and shirt.
Kate knew she could do nothing else until the rain stopped, so she decided to take a little rest. She got into the cozy sleeping bag and soon drifted off into a deep sleep.
Only a couple of miles away, Jason rose to his feet as the rain poured down around him. The river began to rise at a quick rate and soon turned into a rough flowing water. Fifteen minutes later and Jason would never have made it across. His leg had become numb, so he loosened the belt until he felt the blood flowing again. What he needed was something to hold onto. Looking around, he picked up one of the wooden planks, using it as crutches to help him walk. Steadying himself, Jason continued through the jungle with only one concern on his mind, to get his daughter back safe and sound.