Island Rush (8 page)

He stiffened, realizing he had been caught and looked away. “So?”

I stared at him for a long moment.  “That is my business and not yours.  What kind of teacher are you?”

“An involved one.  You still need to tell me what else you are hiding from me.”

I shook my head.  How could he be so nonchalant after I caught him like this?  He was nosy and crossed a line!  One that a teacher should never cross.

I was angry enough to snap a red berry from the bush.  I opened my mouth and dropped it in, chewed, and swallowed.  I then smirked up at him.  I wasn’t thinking, and it was dumb, but he was getting to me.

He shook his head and scoffed in annoyance. “Great, we already have your back to take care of.  Now, you prove your grades are sufficient compared to your common sense!”

“I’m hungry, and you are making me mad.”

After a while of basically waiting for me to get sick, I smiled. “Oh, would you look at that.  I am not dead. And it was rather good.”

He just shook his head and started picking the berries with me, angry that I got lucky. And it was luck. I shouldn’t have let him and my stomach get to me. But I did, and I was still alive. If I kept taking those risks while here, sooner or later, I will end up dead.

We picked all the bushes and ate a few, planning on saving the rest for later.  I suddenly saw that beyond these few bushes were a cluster of more covered with berries. There were so many covered bushes that at the sight, we immediately shoved the remaining berries we planned on saving in our mouths.  We made our way to the dozens of more bushes.

We ate more until we didn’t feel starving.  Then we put them in the suitcase where there was room.  We continued walking along the bushes until the sight before me changed.  It caused me to freeze and stare. I didn’t take my eyes off of what was in the distance.

It was a small lake, about the size of a pond.  It was surrounded on one side by a cliff that consisted of huge rocks and moss growing up the sides. At the top, there was a waterfall!  A rush of water spilled over the side and into the little lake. Everywhere else I looked, there were trees spaced out with a lot of grass covering the area.  We stood a ways back on a hill by the bushes, a little higher than where the lake sat.

I don’t know how long we were taking in the beauty, the colors, and the relief before he laughed. “We just had to stop. A few more minutes of walking, and we would have found this.”

I felt Mr. Rush slip an arm around me after dropping the suitcase. At the contact, I felt my chest jump.  But it was to help guide me down to the lake, which made more sense. 

Approaching the lake, I could see a cut in the lake on my left, across from where the waterfall was. It was a small stream, flowing back in the direction we came from.  Back to the ocean, no doubt.

It was beautiful, this little lake.  I stepped closer to the water with Mr. Rush and saw it was just as clear as the ocean too.  Except this water was cleaner and we could drink it. He snapped me out of my daze. “Take your clothes off.”

I was shocked for a second, and his words made me blush.  Then I realized one of our reasons for making the trip here.  I slipped the shirt off slowly and carefully, cringing.  At this point, with the pain, heat, and my need for water, I didn’t care.  I stripped my dirty shorts off too, standing in my bra and underwear. Before I could do anything, though, besides blush with how awkward this became, he guided me into the water until it was up to our hips and stopped.

“I’m going to take the bandage off, and it may sting a bit,” he said with a strange note in his voice. His eyes never dared to look at me.

He reached down and untied the knot that rested on my stomach, and it went slack from its hard hold against my back.  It let the air reach my cut as the now sticky shirt came off. He grabbed it before it fell into the water.  Taking a few steps back, he flung it towards shore, which wasn’t far and it landed in the grass.

The water wasn’t exactly cold but rather refreshing in the heat. He moved back and stopped behind me. “Stay straight and don’t move.”

I nodded.  This reminded me of yesterday. I felt water splash up from behind me and hit my back like little needles. Of course, this was actually more relaxing than the burn salt water gave me.  When he was finished, he came back into my sight.

“If you plan to cool off, I would do it now. I will need to patch you back up once we get out. It would be very wise to drink as well,” he said.

I nodded as I watched him tend to himself.  He splashed water in his own sweaty face and leaned back, falling into the water until it was over his head.  I stared in curiosity at him as he resurfaced, his hair rinsed of the sand and sweat that once occupied his head.  He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the water as he stood, leaving me gawking.  It wasn’t just how gorgeous he appeared.  He looked so different.

Before he could open his eyes, I did the same thing.  I slid down under the water so he wouldn’t see me staring at him.  More important was the wonderful and glorious feeling it gave me.

It felt heavenly, floating all over my body as the sun’s damage was erased with the cool liquid. The sand at the bottom was soft between my feet. I took in the water when I rose up, swallowing greedy sips of water.  Then, I leaned back and relaxed in the water as did Mr. Rush. 

“Does your back feel better?”

I nodded. I felt no pain in the water. I did feel my stomach twist though when I saw Mr. Rush raise a hand to his forehead, running his fingers back through his hair.  It made him look like the teacher I remember him to be. It was nothing like before, but it came close.  His hair was pushed behind his ears, and his bangs were brushed back as well. 

As I looked at him now, looked at the traits that reminded me of him being the perfect teacher, I realized he really must be hiding his hurt. He was supposed to be getting married soon.  There was a good chance that he would never see the woman he loved again. He hid it quite well.

“That leads back to the ocean right?” I asked, pointing to the small opening in the lake where a stream started.

“Probably.  We can follow that back to the beach when we need to.”

“Why would go back to the beach?”

“Food,” he stated.  “We haven’t really looked for food. We got lucky with the berries, but we will need more than that. Like fish and crabs.  We should be able to find more on land too while we stay here.”

“So ‘stay here’ as in we are building a shelter here?”

“Well it’s the best place,” he said, walking back up to shore, exposing his strong body and wet cargo shorts.  He walked up to the berry bushes and grabbed the suitcase and my clothes I had on, moving it closer to where we were.  He started looking around at our temporary home.

I got out after going under one more time.  I grabbed my black shorts, sliding them on.  Mr. Rush stared at me from where I stood next to him, looking me over with an expression I could not identify.

In the next moment, he moved and grabbed another shirt from the bag with the belt. He weaved the handmade belt under my arm and out the other, taking the two ends.  He tucked the shirt into the belt and came around to tie it tightly.  With his action, it caused me to jerk forward with it.  Even more, when his hand brushed against my skin in the process, it made my heart jerk too. He looked up to my eyes blankly, staring deeply.

“What?” I asked nervously.

He shook his head and backed away after he was finished. “Nothing,” he whispered.

I watched him, confused. Then, something snapped me out of it. A low beeping sound. One that set off warning bells in my head.  There was no way a sound like that should be here. It only beeped once, and it was enough for me to know what it was. It came from my pocket where I had put my phone yesterday morning.

Chapter 6

The morning of the crash came back to me with a squeeze in my chest.  I had put my phone in my pocket and never turned it off. I guess I was too anxious to really hear the announcement to shut them off before take-off. But what I couldn’t understand was how it still worked!

That wasn’t something I was willing to ponder over at the moment. Mr. Rush’s eyes grew and flashed down to my black shorts. I let out a gasp as I retrieved the device and saw it worked. The beeping noise was a warning.  My phone was close to dying and needed charging.

“Call somebody!” he practically yelled.

Who could I call? I couldn’t even think! I felt the phone being snatched from my fingers. His own flew over the buttons, dialing with rapid speed and determination. His eyes were bright with excitement when he put the phone to his ear. There was such hope reclaimed at that moment that we both thought was nearly lost before.

He pulled it away and looked at the screen after a minute. The hope dimmed as he saw that there was no service.  He didn’t – and couldn’t afford to – care, though.  There was so much determination in his face to reach somebody. Stretching his arm into the air, he held the phone up to get a signal as he slowly walked in circles.

It turned into a long process those few minutes. Of our hopes rising and falling with every movement he made.  It was torture when we knew that phone would die any second.  That’s why he didn’t waste time when we had no service in that area. He moved with purpose towards the waterfall.  

I followed behind him as he took swift steps, going up the bank of rocks by the falling and rushing water. The man decided to move cautiously up those rocks on the side of the hill.  He moved parallel but in the opposite direction of the gushing waterfall.  Mr. Rush stopped every few seconds, bringing his outstretched hand down to check the screen. That was until his features changed when he stared at the phone’s screen the next time he did that.  

“Did you get a signal?” I asked loudly up to him over the slight roar of the falls.

He looked the few yards down to where I was.  “It’s ringing!”  A bright smile grew on his face.  It was such a relieving sight… only to be taken away.

His expression was that of a child on Christmas morning, only to be instantly crushed. Every color and emotion were drained from his features as he rapidly moved his hand away from his ear, staring at the phone.

I knew it wasn’t dead yet.  He suddenly moved back down the rocks.  The man’s eyes continued darting to the screen as he climbed down, except he was more frantic and less cautious. He needed that signal, and his conclusion was he needed to try a different spot.

Reaching the bottom, he staggered back around to where we were before.  He kept going until he reached the split in the lake that started a flowing river down to the ocean. He stepped into the shallow water there, walking to the center of the creek and stood, ankle deep.  There was no need for him to wait long this time. The expression on his face looked insane when he pulled the phone back down to his ear and waited. “I have service again,” he said to me.

I studied the small stream, the sun hitting the water and making it shimmer under the rays. And in the shadows along the banks, there were overgrown tree branches and vines that spilled out over the water.  Shades of red, brown, and green of the stones glowed from under the wet surface. In the middle of it all… was a desperate and worrying man. 

I stepped from the bank and walked out to him, my feet hitting those small colorful rocks as the current washed past me. I reached the middle and stood next to him as he still held the phone to his ear. I leaned into him, putting my ear as close as I could to hear the slight ring. It seemed to go on forever and with still no answer.

Then, it stopped. But there was no answer on the other end. Mr. Rush seemed to realize this and slowly pulled the phone away from his ear, fearing what he would see on the screen. It was my fear too — and it came true.  Nothing glowed on the screen of my phone. It was dead.

He stalked back to the bank, not giving me the chance to see his expression.  Staring at his back as I followed behind him back up the bank, I could see the tension in his body as he moved.  Not to mention the air around him completely changed.  This damaged him, and I saw the extent of that damage when we were both back on the bank.

He swiftly turned to me, surprising me with his sudden movement. The moment he did that, though, I could see it plain on his face.  I realized that throughout all of this, he was hiding his fear, his sadness, and worry. He played the tough guy this whole time, but I saw that was just another mask of his. He was terrified of our future and who might be alive and dead in it. Neither of us really wanted to acknowledge the future or the reality of the situation.

However, the reality was that there wasn’t much of a chance of escaping this place. Even with the chance of our message on the beach being seen, it didn’t help. Who would look closely enough to see that? Who would actually be able to see that in the first place?  I think this whole time, Mr. Rush knew that was a hope that couldn’t be relied on.  And when what seemed to be a miracle came – my phone – he couldn’t hide how worried he was. He lost his hope and faith about leaving here when that phone died. I could see it.  Now, he gave me the chance to hear it when he turned to face me.

“How could you be so selfish?” he hissed at me, catching me off guard.  “Why would you do this to me?” His voice picked up enough to be classified as yelling.  His eyes though with that tone… it was begging.

“W-What?” I gaped at him.  How was I the cause?

“You
knew
you had that phone. We could have been out of here.  But you just let it sit in your pocket, for over a day, waiting for it to die.”

“Why would I do that?” I asked, outraged.

“You don’t want to leave this place! I know you don’t. You would rather stay here than face your shitty life back home!”

“You think I would do that to you?! I wouldn’t drag you down with me, leaving you stranded with me no matter what I want.  No matter if I hate my life and want to stay here because I know you have a life worth living!” My words were automatic; I meant everything I said.  Including wanting to stay here.  Because though I was scared, I had to admit to myself that this was better than home. However, I would never condemn him here with me.

He shook his head as if he didn’t hear a word I said. “Your life is that screwed up that you would want to stay here, struggling to live.  The pathetic thing is you can’t be the only one here.  You need someone to leech off of just so you aren’t alone and scared.  You are so desperate and selfish that you would have me rot here with you. You would take down my chance to go home to my family.”

That was it. No matter how weak I felt here, I would not drag him down. I would never intentionally keep him here if there was a chance he could get out. And for him to think that I was heartless enough to do that... it sent me over.

I wound my arm back, balled it up, and swung with all my weight put into it.  I punched his face without another thought.  I didn’t think it through, but it felt good to have my hand collide with his jaw.  It made him stagger back, surprised by the power I put behind it.  I felt the need to shake my hand with how much it stung. I have punched before; punched my dad once and learned that would be the last time I did that. This was different. He didn’t hold power over me.

He looked stunned.  Waiting to see what else crossed his face wasn’t an option.  I sprinted off after that, grabbing my shirt that was still on the ground as I went.  I ran into the woods with a scowl on my face. I didn’t want to deal with him, and that was that.  I don’t know why he affected me so much, but he did. He knew how to get under my skin.  Accusing me and disrespecting me like that was something I wasn’t going to take.  

At first, I thought I heard him following behind me, but I was faster and soon lost him if that was the case.  I kept going and drove all my anger out through my feet as I picked up and went faster. I flew through the trees without a thought and soon, I knew I was far away from him.  When I couldn’t run anymore, I could feel that I exhausted that anger, making it fade away.

I stopped, breathing hard and quick, sweat spilling over me at this point.  I considered pulling my shirt back on but decided against it for that reason.  The trees gave me a little shade but that didn’t stop me from sweating like a pig.

Standing there for a moment, I caught my breath.  My mind wandered back to Mr. Rush.  I could see how he might think I hid the phone from him, waiting for it to die. Because, really, how could I have not remembered my phone during all this?  Even more, how could I not feel it in my pocket?  I mean, my back was a lot of the distraction and so was everything else we had to go through. But the whole time, I wore these black shorts, not changing them like I did the shirts for my back. I honestly forgot about it.

Forgot about it.  Man… it really was pathetic considering it could have saved both our lives.  Forgetting wasn’t a good enough excuse. I didn’t want to go home but I would if it meant saving Mr. Rush from this fate too. He had a woman waiting to marry him, he had a future with her.  A future no doubt with kids and a good life.  I might have just taken away all of that from him.

I felt sick for more than one reason now and regretted my actions. This was only our second day here. It was foolish to run. It put both of us more and more at risk and now, I had to go back.  Not because I needed him but because he didn’t deserve that.

But I stopped myself.  He didn’t deserve my actions towards him, but he didn’t deserve me tagging along like a little, lost puppy.  That’s what he even said.  That I was a leech that would use him.  Was he right?  This whole time, he was concerned about me and my health.  I was dragging him down without thinking. He mended my back, lost time because of it, and lost more time since I was too caught up in my feelings for that dead woman.  He took care of me this far, but he had himself to take care of too. It was hard for him out here, and I wasn’t helping.              

So, I should stay away. Survive on my own and if I couldn’t, then so be it. One of us had a proper future if we were to return.  We both knew that wasn’t me. I won’t give up, and I will try my best, but I am not taking the risk of holding him back.

I marched ahead, making sure I switched my direction so he would have a hard time finding me because I knew he would look for me.  It made me feel bad but in the long run, it was better this way.  When he gives up looking, he will be okay.  I won’t be there to drag him down. 

So now… I walked.  Walked further away from him and hopefully towards a water source.  I walked for what felt like days.  Maybe because of the weather or maybe because I was now alone.  Either way, what I did know for sure, was that I walked until I could see the high sun move lower in the sky, coloring it orange and pink.  

I was looking for any reason I could come up with to just stop.  To stop moving in a seemingly limitless line.  I just didn’t and couldn’t yet.  I needed to find water (I figure I was far enough away from him by now).  However, the one thing that allowed me a popper excuse to stop walking was something I really was not looking forward to facing.

“Damn it,” I muttered to myself, my jaw clenching.  I came to a stop finally after walking for so long.  That didn’t relieve me, though; there was more that was making me feel unpleasant.  This was something inevitable that I would have to handle and get used to.  But God, it was disgusting to think about. 

And it was disgusting when I actually did it a few moments later.  I already handled urinating; that wasn’t too bad.  All I needed was privacy and some leaves.  Taking a shit, though… yeah, that was much worse.  It involved finding a sharp stick to dig a hole and more leaves. My biggest issue was just the fact that I had to do this out in the woods.  Even with nobody around, I still felt exposed in a way.  It was just something I was going to have to get use to out here.

After cleaning up, I was on the move again for a little while longer.  I wasn’t looking forward to it either.  I was sick of walking.  So tired of it and sore… I had an excuse to complain, though.  I ended up walking until the sun was too low in the sky to keep going.

I didn’t feel safe anywhere and knew it would be a rough time falling asleep tonight. The cool air swept through, and I tugged my shirt on.  It was colder than the night before, which didn’t help matters. I eventually just settled on the forest floor and having nothing to cover me with, curled up against a tree.

I kept telling myself I would be okay until morning.  That no crazed killer would come out and slash my throat.  There would be no bear that would come along and eat me.  But really, I was still scared.  Closing my eyes, I tried hard to stay strong. 

Darkness closed around me, and I tried my hardest to fall asleep.  It was tough considering I was hearing a lot of rustling around in the forest. I knew it was the same as the night before, the same noises. I was just being paranoid now that I was alone.

Somehow, I did fall asleep that night.  It was a nice escape from the cold and the reality of what was happening.  However, it was a short-lived escape. 

I woke to the sound of twigs and sticks snapping a few feet away in the dark.  I froze, terrified at how loud it was. It wasn’t just sticks snapping, though. Leaves stirred too.  I knew this was my mind playing simple tricks. This was my first night alone so I was scared. That was simple enough and most likely true.