STRANDED

19

Even though it was over, but my mind kept repeating the whole scene to me again and again. Every small thought made my heart sob.
I tried to look around the dense to destract my mind with some or the other thing, but every piece of that land reminded me of his fatal face. His wounds and cuts; the way his skin and clothes were torn together, and the smile he didn't forget to give me till the last.

Tom, Lavender, Theodore and I were figiting the way out for somewhere. We knew that walking just like that would not help, but staying at a place wouldn't make a difference either. So we chose to walk.
In my mind was the thought of Jeon. The only real friend who I met moments ago, and now we got separated.

Seconds passed, then minutes that got converted into hours. We were just walking, only God knew where.

"Hold up!" Theodore pitched his voice in the silence. Tom, the one who was leading us to the 'nowhere', turned around in a swift. Then he gave a what is it? glance to Theodore.

"I guess we just passed these marks." He told us as he pointed the trees. I didn't pay much attention to every single detail. I just went through the parched red marks that were surrounding a few trees. The marks were on the stems and a few on the ground. My mind had no expressions. Okay. So we are going round about! Ffuff..!
I looked at Lavender who seemed interested in the evidence about the same. I didn't cared about anything. I don't remember clearly but I can just say that I had no idea what to to do and what not to. So I stayed in my own world, thinking about the pleasures that I had in my past life.

Tom crossed me and made way to Theodore. Three of them babbled that seemed like argument. That part went numb for me as I was in my own world, thinking something that I never could recollect. It might have been my sullness.
I waved around a tree, played with it's thick stem until everything resumed again.

"What do we do now?" I heard Lavender.

"How would I know? Ask your leader." Theodore barged.
I made my way to them. I saw as Tom made an annoying face for Theodore.

"What is it guys?" I asked calmly as if nothing was serious.

Lavender twisted her head and said, "Finally..She cares!"
She seemed to abash me. Maybe she was mad because I abstained earlier. But honestly, I don't remember what was wrong with me.
I ignored her and then asked Theodore. "Aren't we moving?"

Theodore side-glanced me, then sighed. He took a couple of steps crossing me then said, "Moving! That's what we do." Then sighed hard turning his torso to Tom. "Let's go. I am leading."

Tom rolled his eyes then indicated us to follow him.
And then we started walking again.

--
This time it seemed that we were on a different route. The shrubs got throny and the dense trees seemed to lighten. Compact space started getting spacious and we, wabbit.

After a long fifteen minutes passed the break.
While I was trying to make my way out of the throns, I saw someone. I could figure out that it was a little girl. She was sitting by the tree in an awkward manner which was as usual, unusual.
I paused to have a look at her while the other three continued walking since they didn't notice her.
A pink frock and a small ponytail was recognisable. Then it took me a mili second to indentify that it was Shelly.

As soon as her name hit my forebrain, I twisted and called the rest of them. "Lavender... Tom. I see someone there." I pointed as Tom made an eye contact.
She was at some distance from us. I cleared the bushes as I made my way to her.

"Is that Shelly?"

"I guess so." I headed over the girl as I replied to Lavender.

As I neared her, I could make out that she was over something. She was sitting on her feet, her face and body bent over a body that seemed much like a man. I could figure out brown boots and a silver watch that was lying at a distance from them.
I approached the girl from the behind and patted her on the back.
She turned over, terrified.

"It's okay.. Shelly it's me." I calmed her.
As soon as she noticed me, she sighed hard and then hugged me. I was glad she could recognise me.

"Oh man.. No." I heard Lavender just as my sight caught the body.
'He was wearing a t-shirt with half-trousers. He seemed in his thirties.' He was Mr. Green. I moved Shelly to the side and went over him expecting something good.
His body was in a good condition with some mud and dirt; no savage marks.

Theodore knelt down on his knees and lifted his hand to check the pulse. We stared at him until he said, "Still alive."
I sighed but wasn't releaved yet. Mr. Green was motionless, eyes closed.

"Is he sleeping?" I turned to Lavender and thought Who asks such a question?
She giggled and shook her shoulders.

Tom came over to Shelly and questioned.
"Were you both together?" He knelt down to her and asked humbly.

Shelly nodded.

"What happened? Since when is he like that?"

Shelly looked upto Mr. Green and then answered in a soft voice.
"His head hit the tree when he ran."

"He does have a bump on his head. Too harsh. Maybe unconscious." Theodore said as he examined.

"Why did you run? Was someone chasing you?" I asked her.

Her expressions drowned and said made a cute sad face. "Big purple monkey jumped from the tree. So uncle Green ran and hit his head on the tree."
Her limited words explained us everything. It was clearly a try for escape when both of them encountered the beasts. It was reliefing that the predators didn't harmed Shelly.