Surviving The Jungle

Part Six: We Will be Invincible

~ Nahkt's POV ~

I awoke to the feeling of warm sunlight on my face. I held my hand in front of my eyes to reduce the glare. A golden ray shone into the cave and illuminated the entire cavern. It reflected all across the limestone.

I questioned: Eden? You awake?

There was no response. I glanced downwards. She was gone again. What was her problem?! Did she want to die out here in the jungle??

I grabbed my mask and snapped it on. I swiftly leapt to my feet. As I quickly slipped into my armor and sandals, I grumbled to myself.

When I find her, she's gonna get it! Time after time I've told her to listen to me! Does she obey? No! She absolutely has to go out and do her own thing! It's a miracle she's still alive! I'll teach her to never run away again!

After that, I held up my wrist bracer and activated the invisibility setting. I raced out of the small cave and leapt into the first tree I saw. I searched everywhere for the glow of Eden's tracker on my mask's display, but nothing was there. Through infrared vision, all I could see was the black and blue image of the dense vegetation. I felt dread rising in the back of my mind.

Out of nowhere, a shrill, blood-chilling scream rang through the jungle and rattled every bone in my body. It was Eden! She was in danger! This was not an ordinary scream of distress. It was the kind created by pure fear. It was the type of cry one would let out only before death took them.

I jumped through the branches as fast as I possibly could. My heart raced in my chest, in fear for her. Another cry erupted. As much as the terrible noise hurt me, it also gave me hope. As long as I could hear her screaming, I knew she was still alive. The closer I became to the source of the sound, the more anxious I became.

When I was incredibly close, her scream was cut off with a harsh choking sound. I arrived several seconds after and leapt onto the ground. I switched off my armor's invisibility.

Eden stood directly in front of me. Her body was propped up against a tree, and her head drooped like a wilted flower. A javelin had impaled her in the center of her stomach, pinning her to the trunk of the tree. Her crimson blood dripped down the hilt of the spear and splashed onto the mossy ground. There was already a large puddle of the red fluid. I ran up to her and removed her mask. I threw it aside. I caressed the side of her face with my hand and slowly lifted her head.

Then I uttered nervously: Eden?

Her eyes slowly opened. A stream of her blood dribbled out of her mouth and down her face. It splashed onto her neck and chest. Her cheeks were whiter than ash from severe blood loss. She looked up at me; a weak grin slowly spread across her face. Her once-white teeth were stained red.

She leaned into my hand asked weakly: Nahkt?

I tried to conceal my apprehension, but it was obvious I was panicked. She was...dying.

I said: I'm to get you out of this, you're going to be okay.

Her face fell. She stuttered: It's too *huk* late for me... Save yourself...

I objected: No, I'm not leaving.

She jested: You've always been so *cough* stubborn.

She reached out and put her hand on my chest. I put my own over top of it and squeezed, hoping to comfort her. I knew this would be the last time I would ever see her again...

I gasped: No, don't do this! You can't die! You can't!

Her facial expression showed she was in serious pain. Her every breath was labored and shallow. It was apparent she was desperately clinging onto life. She was quickly losing her grip, and death was taking over... Eden's eyes rolled back, and she drew in her final breath. Her arm fell from my grasp, and her head hung limp. Her palm left behind a red, bloody handprint on my chest. I refused to accept it, but she was dead...actually dead...