The Elements Collide

Chapter Six

5 Years Later

Adam

I watched Lily fall backwards, her hair billowing in the wind. I tried to grab her hand, but it was too late. She began to plummet toward the ground. Her eyes stared into mine, devoid of any sadness or fear. She had accepted her fate. I stumbled back from the cliff, away from the sight of her crumpled and broken on the ground. I started to vomit and then collapsed.

I woke up sweating and shaking. I was still having this dream, after five years. As breathing slowed to a normal rate, I realised it was daytime. I stood up on the mossy ground and looked around my hut. The thatched roof was dripping with water, and the muddy walls let in cold drafts. I sighed and got changed. When I was ready, I walked out through the partially broken door.

The trees surrounding me reached up high into the sky, almost grasping the clouds. The dirt under my feet was soft and dry. A village of little huts sitting under the trees lays close to my home. They were hastily made and didn’t do well in bad weather. We had to rebuild many homes in a rainstorm once. 

The people who lived here had not always lived in huts. We used to have normal houses, with normal lives, but since the tsunami, we were forced to take shelter. None of us had died in the tsunami, except . . . .
I tried not to think about it.

All these people were my classmates. They said the only reason we were alive was that of my quick thinking and made me their leader. I was the person they came to when they had a problem. But right now, my hands were full trying to keep back wild animals from our camp. These weren’t ordinary beasts. We were plagued by mutated versions of animals that pounded relentlessly at our boundaries. I dreaded the day they got through.

“Adam!” a voice rang behind me. I turned around. Sophie was running toward me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked concerned.
“James was poisoned. We don’t know how.” She said trying to catch her breath.
I thanked her and ran in the direction of the infirmary. James was one of my oldest friends and Sophie’s brother. What had poisoned him?

When I reach the makeshift hospital, I was extremely anxious. I rushed into the hut and ran to the bed. James was lying on it, shivering.
“What happened?” I questioned Katie, the doctor, who stood beside him.
“It looks like he was bitten by something. We are not sure what.” she lifted up the sleeve of his arm to reveal a vicious bite mark, with purple veins going up the arm.
“It seems to be poisonous, ” she said
“Is there an antidote?” I asked, hope we could fix what was wrong with James.
“I took a sample of the poison, and according to my calculations there is, but...”Katie hesitated
“But what?”
“Well, the antidote is a flower that must be cultivated for 2 years. It is very rare that there is one growing out there, but there is a chance. “
I straightened up. “I will assemble a team to try to find it,” I said. “How long does he have?”
“Once it reaches his heart, it's all over. So, about five hours,” she said.

“James has been poisoned. I need some people to help me to get the antidote. ” I called into the gathering of people. “Who would be able to go?”
There was silence, then a couple of hands went up. Michael, Sophie and Brandon had put up their hands.
“Thank you for volunteering! We will set of off straight away.” I had packed some food and water. “Here is a weapon, just in case something meets us while we are searching for the plant.” I handed them each blowpipe, with one blow dart inside it.
“You have one shot each, it will tranquillize straight away.”
“What's out there?” Sophie asked, looking out towards the maze-like forest.
“I don't know, but I don't think it's coming for tea.”

2 hours later, we had searched around the perimeter of the boundary but had found nothing.
“I think we are going to have to go deeper into the jungle,” I said. Sophie gulped. Brandon looked at her and said in a confident voice “How bad can it be?”
Nonchalantly Michael responded with ”There are things in there that would rip you to shreds before you realised you were dead.” Brandon glared at him as Sophie whimpered. Michael noticed he had scared her and said in a jokey tone “Well, that's only if they catch us.” Sophie didn't look any less scared.