In Too DeepㅣJENLISA

Chapter 7

A faint breeze squeezed between the thick bushes and dense trees, earning slight groans of pleasure as it touched Jennie and Lisa's almost fried skin from the boiling heat that glared upon them for the past few hours of their journey. It was past six in the afternoon and the sun had already started its unhurried voyage towards setting.

They trudged through the lush evergreen trees that stood so firm as if the roots were clinging for their dear life. A sort of semi-darkness enveloped them. The sky was almost completely shut out by the canopy of leaves high above their heads, thankfully stopping any direct sunlight from reaching them. Rough vines as thick as a man's hand hung from above like snakes, tangled around the tree stems and diving between the condensed moist dirt.

At ground level, thick vegetation grew in every direction. The dense undergrowth additionally hampered their movements and made them wonder what creatures of nature could they be exposing themselves to every time they stepped between the thick slippery leaves. They walked through ferns and lush foliage, climbed over downed trees, and sank into a mud basin on their way towards the unknown.

The air felt stuffy and warm, yet slightly damp from the earlier storm, and had something peculiar to it. A smell of mosses and rotting vegetation floated in the air between their own unpleasant body odor. Even though they couldn't stop complaining about the heat, they knew that they would be counting the seconds until they could feel it against their skin once again when the freezing night fell.

However, all that was completely defeated by the sweet scents of plants and wildflowers growing around their path. The unpolluted air and smell of pure nature gave them a weird sense of comfort and made them wonder why were they still living in those huge metropolises instead of a small peaceful cabin in the middle of the woods.

All around them were nothing but the sounds of nature in its purest form. Above their heads sounded quiet bird calls and their cheerful chipping, wings fluttering loudly as they moved between the branches. From time to time they even caught the noises of monkey shrieks between the high tree crowns in the distance, the animals probably wondering what were those unseen creatures that invaded their territory. The sounds echoed all over, making the jungle feel eerie and strange.

Walking further, they saw many different types of plants and trees. Some of them bore flowers that they had never seen before. It was fascinating to see the world in a new light, in its most feral and untamed form, showing off all of its terrifying beauty.

They walked ahead, stepping over the crumbly wet ground in places, breaking sticks under their already tired feet as they squeezed through a stand of bamboo and felt its smooth texture against their chest and back. The air was thick on the tongue, coming out in waves of stale breath. Their bodies were slowly running out of energy, knees started to buckle under their own weight and it was a great indicator that they needed a break from their long journey.

"Lisa, I can't do this anymore," Jennie breathlessly said and stopped in her tracks, leaning on a moss-covered tree.

Lisa turned around and eyed her sympathetically. She herself was on her very breaking point and knew that if they didn't stop to catch a break right at that moment, they might not ever reach their final destination.

"Can I have some water, please?" The brunette asked, her throat feeling dry and sore. Every lungful of hot hair robed more water from her body. There was a slight pain at the back of her head that threatened to grow into a powerful migraine - a sure sign that dehydration wasn't so far away.

"Yeah" Lisa dropped the bag from her shoulder and handed it over to Jennie.

Sweat tickled her skin as it ran down her neck and face. They had lost too much water on the way and needed to regain it back somehow. The plastic bottle in Jennie's hand that was once full now contained less than five percent of its initial value and that wasn't looking any good for them.