ATTEMPT 3 – FAILED
LUKE
We’d been at this raft for days, patching it up, lashing new pieces of bamboo, making it as seaworthy as possible – not that I think it would pass any inspections. It just needed to get us to a nearby island fucking alive. We also needed to get there quickly – Josh’s leg was looking like shit and there was a faint red line running up his thigh which Sarah said was not a good sign. I saw the panic on his face but we didn’t talk about it.
She’d boiled seawater, washed out the wound, and smeared on some herbal paste Josh had read about in one of his survival journals. And while mango was good for his boredom, it wouldn‘ t kill an infection. If it did, Josh would be immune to infection by
now.
Finally, the sunset, and I did my best to get comfortable on the sand – not fucking possible but exhaustion would take over at some point. It always did.
A crackling whip of thunder tore through the silence, and I shot upright just as thick raindrops began pelting down. I scrambled to my feet, looking out at the once–peaceful beach, now a thrashing mess of rain and wind, trees bowing under the force of the storm. “Oh Fuck!” Josh yelled as his hammock swung wildly, then crashed to the ground.
“Get up!” I shouted as Sarah. I started grabbing what I could and put Josh’s arm over my shoulder to help him up.
04 07
ATTEMPTS
PTS–FAILED
“We need to get to the cave by the waterfall–now!” I yelled over the howling wind.
***
The first thing I noticed as I woke was the damp, musty air of the cave, the kind that clung to my skin and smelled faintly of wet earth. My neck ached from where I’d slumped against the wall, and the gritty taste of dried salt was still on my lips from the storm.
For a moment, I lay still, letting the sounds around me filter in- the soft breathing of Sarah and Josh, the drip of water from the rocks above, the muffled crash of distant waves. “Storm’s passed,”
Blinking the grogginess away, I shifted, stretching out sore muscles and standing up. Josh lay sprawled on his back a few feet away, his mouth slightly open, one arm over his eyes, oblivious to the world.
I nudged him with my foot. “Hey, rise and shine princess.”
He mumbled something incoherent, swatting me away like I was a fly, but then Sarah stirred, stretching her arms with a tired groan.
“Is it over?” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and glancing around as if momentarily forgetting where we were. Then her gaze fell on me, and she nodded, grim but awake. I helped her up, and the three of us shuffled outside, feeling the weight of the night’s chaos hanging heavily in the silence.
As soon as we stepped out of the cave, the destruction hit us like a punch to the gut. The jungle, once thick and lush, was
09:07
ATTEMPT 3–FAILED
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card (Jessie and Luke)