Page 15 of Explorer's Revenge
Mechanical failure?
“I guess other people have been here before,” Way murmurs, sharing a look with Wilder, but we are all thinking the same thing—if they have been here before, then why haven’t they reported their findings?
Unless they didn’t make it out alive or they didn’t tell for a reason.
Neither option bodes well, but we can’t let the mood sour, so I turn the camera and pose in front of the ship, grinning. “I am the captain now,” I mock.
It does the trick, breaking the tension, and Wilder rolls his eyes. “Whatever the reason, we’ll leave them here. This doesn’t affect us. Shoot some footage if you want, but be respectful. We might need to show it when we get back so they can help identify the boats if anyone is still missing.”
I read between the lines—if there are any bodies, we need to be careful.
We shoot from all angles before turning our attention to the jungle. We can’t afford to be distracted, not in there, and it’s already late morning, which means we need to get moving if we want to cover ground. We plan to be in the city within the next two days, which means setting a grueling pace of trekking from sunup to sundown.
It’s nothing we haven’t done before, but in this heat and with the unknown factors, it spells trouble, so I promise myself I’ll keep them laughing. Otherwise, there’s no point. Wilder’s moods have the tendency to sour, especially on long excursions or if things go wrong.
It’s my job to keep him smiling and enjoying the adventure. He’s my big brother, and the only reason he is here is because of me.
They call him Wild, but if it wasn’t for me, he’d probably have a normal, mundane life. I was the one who needed adrenaline, adventure, and an outlet to keep me out of jail. He simply gaveme one, and he fell in love with it along the way, but I know deep down Wilder is the same as I am—a lost spirit in search of a purpose.
“Rick, keep up.” Wilder grabs my shoulder and shoves me in front of him. Way is in the lead, Wilder is at the back, and the rest of us are in the middle. It’s how we always do things. Way and Wilder keep us safe.
An hour in, Wilder hands me my bottle, silently demanding I drink. I roll my eyes but do as I’m told, knowing better than to defy him.
“Thanks, Dad,” I tease, and he rolls his eyes, but his smile grows.
He is like my dad. Our parents are amazing people, and we love them, but they could never handle me. They didn’t know what to do with me, so I always got into trouble. Only Wilder could calm me down and keep me sane. He’s the reason I made it through school and out into the world. Without him, my life would be very different.
He’s the brains, I’m the brawn, and that’s the way I like it.
He does all my thinking for me. “Look at that.” Aiy points, and we all follow his gesture through the densely packed trees.
“Is that—” I squint. “A building?”
“Looks to be,” Wilder murmurs.
“Let’s check it out.” Logan marches in that direction, and we have no choice but to follow, even as Wilder’s sigh fills the air.
Oh well, he should be used to it by now.
TWELVE
MAEVE
Most of the jungle looks the same. It would be easy to get lost if I didn’t keep checking my compass. I don’t want to leave many markings behind if I can help it, wanting to preserve as much of the island as possible.
Unfortunately, I don’t find a waterfall today, so I’m dripping with sweat. The heat is almost unbearable, and it also means I have to make more stops than I would like to hydrate and rest, but I don’t want to make myself sick or get heat stroke simply to get there a day quicker.
I’m sitting on a log when a little lizard scrambles across my leg and freezes. I know from its coloring its venomous, but I gently lift it into the air. He doesn’t bite, just stares at me. “You’re beautiful,” I tell him honestly as I look around. “You might get squished here though.” Standing, I head over to a boulder a little bit away and lay him on it. “There you go. You should be safe up there.” I watch him scurry away with a smile before packing up and carrying on.
I’m deep in the jungle at this point. I can’t hear the ocean anymore, and I’m at what we call the danger point. If anything were to happen, I’m too far to make it back and not deep enough to make it through to the other side, so I’m being extra careful.
I might be an adrenaline junkie, but I’m not dumb, not like those Adreno fuckers.
Just after dinner, I find an entrance to a cave in the middle of the jungle floor. It’s overgrown around the edges, but when I peer inside, I notice it stretches deep into the earth. It’s a pit stop I don’t need, but who is to say there isn’t an entrance or clues down there?
Besides, exploring a cave no one else has sounds like a good time.
I make a quick plan, crack some lights, then toss them inside so I can take a look around. It’s about seventy feet deep and looks pretty big from what I can see. Pulling out my gear, I secure my rope to two trees, testing it first, then I pull on my helmet, grab my flashlight, and sling my bag over my shoulder just in case. With a grin at the camera, I take a running jump and leap into the hole, spinning as I go. The momentum takes me about halfway, so I use the ropes and my legs to swing myself down the rest of the distance. When my boots hit the slightly wet rock below, I untie myself from the rope and swing my flashlight around.
