Surviving The Jungle

Part Eight: In Your Eyes...

~ Eden's POV ~

After sleeping serenely through the night, I awoke to the sound of exotic birds singing in my ears. My eyelids slid open. The trees swayed in the slight breeze, and the space above me remained a dark gray color. I looked up at the cloudless sky and gazed at the stars. Back at my old home, I thought they were bright. But here in the rainforest, they glowed like a million white suns. I could even distinguish the Milky Way in detail.

I turned my head to the east. After several minutes, I saw the golden sun begin to peek above the horizon. It would be daytime soon. I sat up and rubbed my tired eyes. A yawn escaped my mouth as I stretched my arms back. I looked to my other side. Nahkt was sitting on a branch while leaning against the trunk of the tree. He was still asleep, but something was very wrong. His head and limbs made twitchy, breakneck movements...as if he was having a seizure. His neck twisted strangely from side to side. The tusks on his mandibles scraped against each other. They made a sickening grinding noise. His hands opened and closed into tight fists, while clawing vigorously at the tree bark. Along with the alarming convulsions, Nahkt's voice muttered telepathically on my head.

He mumbled: No... No... Eden, I'm not leaving you...

His whispers transformed into worried yells. He shouted: You can't do this!.. You can't die!.. You can't...

In an instant, it all suddenly stopped. He fell silent, and his body froze up like a statue. He must've been having a nightmare. I was certain he was having the dream he was refusing to tell to me. I worried for him. A dream that caused seizing movements must have been pretty terrifying. I had to go over to check if he was okay.

I questioned: Nahkt? Are you alright?

I waited several seconds, but there was no reply. This greatly troubled me. I slowly crawled towards him. Again I called out, but like before, there was no response. I scooted right next to him and reached up to tap his shoulder. He didn't even flinch when I touched him. I climbed onto his lap and sat on his knees. I put my hands on his shoulders and shook them. His eyes remained closed, giving the impression he was out cold.

Aloud, I started, "Nahk--"

Before I even had a chance to finish my sentence, Nahkt's right hand lashed forwards in the beat of a heart. His eyes shot open and stared blankly. His once sapphire eyes had blackened into soulless pools. The way the dark orbs appeared was almost demonic. His fingers coiled around my neck and squeezed tightly-cutting my wind pipe off completely. His needle teeth bared in the dim light. Strangely, his eyes remained open- as if he was fully conscious, but he still must've been insensate in this phase. I tried to breathe, but it was impossible. The only thing I was physically able to do was making strained gargling noises in my throat. I grabbed his hand and tried to pry his fingers open, but it was no use. The burning in my chest grew worse with every passing moment. My lungs screamed for oxygen. Every time I struggled or gagged, he would tighten his grip on my vulnerable neck even further. Just when I thought I was doomed, I watched hopefully as Nahkt's pupils constricted until they shrank back to normal size. Upon realizing he was choking me to death, his eyes grew wide in shock. He instantly released my throat. I flopped down onto his lap and violently heaved. I breathed in deep gulps of the moist air and coughed involuntarily. The roaring heartbeat in my head slowly diminished.

I glared at Nahkt and said angrily: Well good morning to you too!!

He replied with an empathetic tone: I'm so sorry!! I didn't ev-... I didn't even know I was choking you!