Chapter 10
Jorgina and the Snake
When day broke, the group surveyed all their injuries. Many of them were too sore, bruised, and hurt to travel. Cindi tried to use her walkie talkie again in the morning, but she didn’t get anything but static. Digging through her backpack, she pulled out her map. Panicked, she thought she knew the camp by heart, but when day came she realized she was disoriented. Looking around, she didn’t see anything familiar.
“Who thinks they can hike today?” she asked. Only C.J., Luna, and Jacob raised their hands.
“I want to leave. I want to get away from Cody. Jorgina was right. He is not worth it and only trouble to me. I’ve seen him flirting with everyone here, and he is only into himself,” said Luna. Sarah Beth and Jorgina applauded her after she came to that realization. “I’d like to go and get away from here.”
“What about you Maria? Do you feel like going? Are you alright?” asked Cindi.
Maria was shell-shocked and sat there like a mute. She had been quiet before but all the activity of the evening had traumatized her to an even deeper level. Cody was beaten up and so was Sarah Beth. They both had serious open wounds. Sarah Beth’s leg was twisted in the wrong way. She wrapped it with some gauze that Luna gave her.
Cody’s back was covered in infected gashes; it looked like a feral cat had clawed him. Jorgina’s feet looked raw and red with open wounds. Pain had replaced attitude in most of the campers. No one had any energy, not even to complain. Cindi checked over their supplies and found four cans of chili, one small loaf of bread and a small jar of peanut butter, along with a twelve pack of bottled water.
“Eugene, you don’t look very injured. Are you up for going with us?” asked Cindi. “What about you, Charlie? Are you going or staying?”
“No thanks, I’ll stay. I’m hungry, plus the girls need a guy to protect them and it looks like I’m the best choice they have.”
“We need to be careful and not eat too much because we don’t know when or where we will find more food. I need people who are able to come with me and look for berries, water, or another base camp. These supplies are not going to last for more than a day or two. We need to find water and get medical attention. Do you guys feel safe if I leave you here, or do you want Jacob, C.J. or Luna to stay with you?”
“No, we will be fine,” Maria spoke for the first time since the accident.
Charlie asked. “Do you think that wild boar will come back looking for us?”
“No, they’re more nocturnal. I think they will probably rest during the day. The main thing you need to watch out for is snakes.” warned Eugene.
“Is Eugene right about the snakes and the boars?” asked Jorgina.
“Yes, I’m afraid he is. You should be alright when it comes to boars but watch out for snakes,” confirmed Cindi.
“Oh no what should we do if we see a snake?”Jorgina queried.
“Usually the best advice would be to just leave it alone and don’t try to attack it,” said Eugene. “They usually just attack if they are feeling threatened.”
“Oh my gosh, I hope one doesn’t come along. I don’t think I could stand it. Man, I wish I was back home. It is nothing like out here.” Instead of saying it out loud, Jorgina thought I never realized how good I had it.
Sarah Beth said, “Could y’all just go already? We’ll be alright. I think we can manage. Just try to find us something to eat and try to get help. I’m pretty hurt, although I haven’t complained.”
“Yeah, I know you’re doing good Sarah Beth. We’re all going to be alright soon. So is everyone okay with us going? I’ll leave some medical supplies with Eugene just in case you need anything.” Cindi stated.
“I’m not okay, so just hurry and come back soon,” said Charlie.
The group of four headed off away from the base camp.
Jorgina sat in an uncomfortable position gazing up at the trees and the mess and the commotion the animals caused. She remembered the rumble of the boar’s feet trotting off proudly displaying her strength and power which left everyone traumatized. It felt as though her raw wounds had been dipped in alcohol. She studied the deep scratches on her feet and legs as she cringed and grabbed them in agony.
Trying to hold back tears, she raised her right foot to check the damage again. She had a two inch cut going all the way down to her heal along with hundreds of small scrapes and scratches. The burning pain felt like she had walked through a pile of glass with shards embedded all the way to the bone.
“Jorgina! Are you okay?” panicked Maria.
Jorgina said she was but inside she was screaming and wishing she was back in her king size bed with her feet resting on her lush designer pillows. However, she knew there was no possibility of that happening any time soon.
“Hey Eugene, can give me something to wrap my foot with?” she hollered, not able to hold back any more tears.
“How did you even know I have something?” he asked bending down pulling up his backpack.
“It’s you; of course you have a bandage or something. I saw Cindi give something to you,” Jorgina replied.
“True. Do you want waterproof or regular? Never mind I have some of both!” Eugene responded with pride.
Jorgina just pretended like she didn’t hear him and practically covered her whole foot with colorful adhesives. After getting all patched up, Maria helped her slowly hop back to the safety of their tent. Maria said she thought she should look for food or water. After discussing it with everyone, she reluctantly started to leave.
“Don’t go Maria,” Jorgina screamed desperately. “I can’t stay here knowing if anyone will come back! We might not even live!”
Unmoved by Jorgina’s cries, like a soldier on a mission, Maria turned and shouted, “I’ll be back soon.” She wandered off into the woods, but before she left she handed Jorgina a thick tree branch to help her walk.
Shakily Jorgina got up even though the pain was almost unbearable because she felt her legs and feet going numb. All circulation had been cut off as a result of staying in her uncomfortable position in the tree for such a long time. Maybe if I could find some mud or something wet it will make my feet feel better. She hobbled with her stick until she saw something that looked shiny. It glistened like slime and light shining on something wet. Her foot sank into the unknown substance, and she jumped disgusted by the feeling, but at the same time she felt a slight bit of relief. It was mud, and it felt cool against the soles of her feet. For the first time in hours, she felt the burning sting leave even though she wasn’t sure if it would ultimately help or hurt her condition.
She worried about what she was stepping in and then pulled her foot out of it and realized if there was mud then there had to be water near! A sick feeling swept over her. Maybe she had put her foot in manure from some animal. Bending down, she started sniffing, but her sense of smell wasn’t that good, so she decided to pull her foot out and investigate closer. She bent down and smelled the wet ground and was relieved when she realized it was mud. Gleeful, yet still hurting, she hobbled back to the camp.
“Guys, I found some mud. That is a good sign. It means there has to be some sort of water nearby. I hope Maria went in the right direction.” Her temporary joy was short lived when she heard a sizzling sound and turned to her right and saw a brown and black snake! Immediately, she crawled backwards to escape. She wished she had listened to what Eugene had said about snakes but she couldn’t remember what he said. It slithered towards her, opened its jaws, prepared to strike. Shivering in fear, Jorgina fainted and blacked out.
Eugene asked, “Where’s Jorgina?” No one even knew she had left, so they all started calling her name. Eugene started walking towards the shadows of the woods, and he tripped over her lifeless body. Jorgina slowly opened her eyes to the thud and pressure of a hundred and twenty pound weight.
When she saw Eugene’s face, she squealed, “Get off of me, you creep!”
Just as startled, Eugene jumped u
p, turned red, and began to stutter something nonsensical about dogs because he felt so uncomfortable. Eugene held out his face and she pushed it away. She tried to get up by herself, but she fell and Eugene caught her. There was awkward silence because again she found herself face to face with the nerdy face of Eugene so close she could feel him hyperventilating.
Eugene said, “I know CPR. I practiced on a dummy once and I could give you CPR.”
She pushed him backwards into the mud. Now they were both covered and they both heard the hissing sound of a snake. Eugene looked around for it and it was right next to him.
Worried, Charlie started looking for Eugene and Jorgina. He heard both of them screaming and panicking. He picked up a stick, and the snake and threw them into the back woods.
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