Page 53 of Honor Code

It was nearly dark now, and the air was filled with the rich, earthy aroma of salt and decay—a sharp contrast to the clean, briny smell of the sea. In the brush, it would be even darker. There were no footpaths that he could see, which meant traversing the uneven terrain in the dark and dealing with all the associated risks.

The temperature had dropped, and without his shirt, he was exposed to the mosquitoes and biting flies, not to mention scratches and scrapes by branches and leaves. They had maybe half an hour of dusk, then it would be pitch black. While he had some experience with jungle warfare, Ellie didn’t, and he didn’t want to frighten her more than necessary. She’d already been through a hell of an ordeal today.

They both had.

He kicked at pole with his foot, then wiggled it until it came lose.

“What are you doing?” Ellie asked.

“Confusing our enemies.” He hauled it out of the damp ground and threw it into the dense brush, where it immediately got eaten up by foliage. “Come on, let’s go.” The longer they stood here, the darker it would get. “Stay close and move slowly. We’ll follow the trail until we get to the ranger station. They’ll have supplies there, and hopefully someone with a cell or sat phone.”

She gave an eager nod. As they moved inland, the vegetation thickened and gave way to forest. He noticed Ellie give a little shiver and shuffle closer to him. It was dark and cool under the canopy. Phoenix was grateful for the isolation and the cover of darkness. It would make finding them so much harder, but he could tell Ellie was uneasy.

He proceeded slowly, but steadily, heading uphill. He calculated the highest point was probably about fifty to eighty feet above sea level, which meant they’d have to cover a distance of approximately three to five miles inland.

On average, humans walked at about three miles per hour on flat, easy terrain. However, since they were navigating through dense coastal scrub and forest without a footpath, their pace would slow to about two miles per hour. Covering a distance of three to five miles at two miles per hour would roughly take one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half hours.

Ellie stuck close to him, letting him hear her breath coming in shallow gasps. She was tiring, and walking uphill was taxing. They’d had no food, no water, and very little rest since the inflatable had sunk.

When the underbrush rustled, Ellie jumped. “What was that?”

“Probably a lizard or a shy snake,” he said, trying not to frighten her. The forest floor was layered with fallen leaves, moss, and the occasional vine. Many that were still hanging smacked him in the chest or clung to his neck. He wished he had a machete to cut his way through, but this wasn’t Belize, and he didn’t have anything other than his trusty hunting knife, which wouldn’t do shit against this type of foliage.

A short while later, he held up a hand. “Listen.”

Ellie stopped, swaying slightly beside him. She needed a rest. “What?”

“Water.” A soft tinkling sound could be heard echoing through the trees. “It’s a river.”

Ellie blinked at him, not understanding.

“Fresh water,” he said. “We can rest there and regroup.”

“Okay.” A rushed whisper. She was close to collapse.

Taking her hand, he led her toward the sound until they came upon a small, clear freshwater stream. It seemed to gurgle up from a hidden underground spring then cascaded over the rocky bed, down toward the sea.

He lowered her onto a flat rock and gestured to the river. “Drink. We can rest here until you’ve got your strength back.” A little groan told him she wasn’t sure that was going to happen.

The freshwater tasted so good, and he drank his fill after Ellie. Then, he splashed his face, washing away the sweat. Finally, he took off the bandage to cleanse the cut on his arm. It looked red around the edges, and he worried it might be getting infected. Hopefully the ranger station would have a first-aid kit he could use.

“That looks bad,” she said, sliding over.

“It’ll be okay.”

“You don’t always have to be so brave,” she said, quietly. “I mean, I appreciate the show of confidence, but it’s okay to say you’re tired or in pain.”

“Really, I’m fine.”

She sighed and asked for the second time. “How much farther?”

“Another hour, maybe.”

“What if we can’t find it?”

“Then we’ll set up camp and wait until morning.”

Another nod.

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