Planet 49

Part 6

Jordan tried to wake up, to pull herself out of her subconscious. Her heart was beating too fast. Each beat sounded muffled, wrong. Growing louder and louder, slamming her ears like boxing gloves. When she tried to move, her arms were slow and sluggish as if she were moving through molasses.

Jordan, just breath. She told herself. But when she tried, it caught in her throat. Her heartbeat grew even louder, enveloping her in darkness and suffocation.

"Jordan?" she heard a strange, warbled voice, felt herself being pulled. Am i dead? "Jordan!" this time it was louder, more clear. "Jordan, wake up!" She felt something hit her face, then the darkness seemed to dissolve. She gasped for air as her face broke the waters surface, and clutched the side rock like a lifeline.

"Jordan," A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the beach.

"Why was I.." Jordan blinked, trying to process her dream. Memory. She corrected herself. Minutes passed. Jordan rubbed sleep from her eyes as Charlie filled a canteen with water. She was suddenly aware of the awkward tension.

"Did I..... Say something?" Jordan asked as she stood up. "No, not exactly" Charlie screwed on the cap, turned ,then stood up. "You started sweating and tossing around. I thought you were just having a really intense dream, but then you jolted up and ran into the water yelling 'Im sorry!'." He stopped and looked at his feet. "What were you dreaming about?" He asked, looking up.

Now it was Jordan's turn to look at her feet. "Do you know where my shoes are?"

"Don't try to change the subject, Jordan."

"The sand is really hot and we're going to be walk-" she was interrupted by three people stepping out of the Jungle.

"You two ready to go?" Said Alex.

"Why aren't your bags packed?" asked Luke. oh, great. Thought Jordan. "what have you guys been doing?" he pressed. Jordan opened her mouth to lie about something that wouldn't involve her explaining her dream but Charlie spoke first, "We were," he paused quickly, "looking for her shoes. We lost them."

"Well, we gotta go, pack up your stuff, we're leaving, now." Luke said. Charlie knelt down and hastily stuffed everything in the bags as Luke, Alex, and Penny started into the jungle. "here." he handed Jordan her bag. "Thank you." she took the bag, but she wasn't just thanking him for handing it to her. If she would've told about her dream she would have had to tell them what she did. She could barely think about it without hating herself, how could they trust her if they knew what she'd done.

Jordan followed Charlie past the tree line and they quickly caught up to the rest of the group. "The smoke," said Luke, pointing to the smoke rising from the trees. "If we hurry, we'll make it there by morning." Jordan noticed the sun was setting below the canopy. Alex handed everyone two torches, one lit. "When the first torch is almost out, use it to light the second," said Alex. "We don't know what is out here, so at least we'll have some light."

As they walked, the trees began getting darker, thicker, and seemingly taller. Jordan noticed that the ground was getting colder under her bare feet. She also saw there was increasingly less and less animals the further they walked. A breeze rustled through the trees and seemed to be whispering an old ancient curse that sent chills up Jordan's spine.

Nobody spoke, they were all wondering the same thing: If we speak, what will hear us? All that made a sound was the crackling of their fire and the padding of their shoes on the damp forest floor.

Charlie and Luke stopped abruptly, ceasing the whole group. "Please tell me somebody else hears that." whispered Charlie. At first, Jordan heard nothing, but then something else registered. A faint sound. Almost like wind, but constant. It was eerie and reminded Jordan of someone slowly and airily exhaling. "Keep moving." Said Luke.