Page 49 of Explorer's Revenge
“I’ve got it, Wild.” Way hurries away, and when he comes back, he offers me the pills and some water. They help me lift my head, and I take the painkillers before they lay me back down.
I can’t do anything but wait for the medicine to kick in. Way sits cross-legged before me, and I look up at him. “Want me to distract you with some stories?”
“Please,” I whisper.
“How about the time Wilder tried to fight a moose?” I grin, and he smiles. “Or when Rick and Logan had to climb a mountain in Peru totally naked?” I laugh, and his smile grows. “Or my personal favorite? Okay, so we were in this tiny little village . . .”
I listen as he talks about everything and anything, embarrassing every single one of his teammates. The distraction helps me manage the pain, and when he’s done, he brushes some hair from my face.
“Sleep, okay? You need the rest. We’ll be right here.” Despite it all, I snuggle closer to Wilder and shut my eyes again, letting the pop and crack of the fire soothe me to sleep.
I snooze on and off all day. When I wake, someone is always there to feed me or offer me water. I know I should get moving, since we should dosomething, but I can’t. I keep slipping into an exhausted slumber, and besides, the storm isn’t letting up.
The howl of the hurricane follows me into my dreams.
THIRTY-TWO
RICK
Maeve is pale, but at least she’s awake. She slept all day and night, which makes sense considering what she went through. Aiy’s head wound is bad but okay, and Wilder is fussing over them both. With nothing else to do but take shelter, we pass the time slowly. The storm doesn’t lessen, though, and I know it’s worrying Wilder, although he won’t admit it.
“We need to check her wound,” Wilder murmurs, and I help him. Maeve sighs, turning her head away, and we slowly peel off the blood-saturated dressing. It doesn’t look good at all. There’s no pus or odor, but the skin is a strange color. She whimpers but doesn’t wake as we touch near the wound.
Wilder and I share a look, knowing there’s a problem. She could have an infection or worse. She needs a hospital, and it’s clear this storm isn’t passing anytime soon. We could be stranded here forever, and we can’t let that happen. We need to move and find help.
Covering her up, we gather the others at the edge of the tent, so we aren’t in the rain. Wilder’s voice is low as he speaks so he doesn’t wake her. “She needs help and soon or she’ll lose the leg . . . or worse. We can’t stay here.”
Aiyaret frowns. “But the storm?—”
“We have to risk it,” Wilder says. “They won’t be able to get to us here anyway. We need to be near the water so they can drop in quickly. We’ll pack up and move this afternoon. If we can get down the mountain and a little ways away, that’s good with me, okay?”
There is a noise, and we turn to see Maeve sitting up.
“We’re leaving?” she murmurs, having overheard us.
Wilder nods. “It’s our best bet. If we stay here, then we can’t guarantee they will come for us or that our call will even get out. We need to find a way off this island or something that can help us. Your leg is only going to get worse. It’s now or never.” He looks concerned.
“I can do it.” She clambers to her feet using the tree, waving off our hands. “I got it. I’m stronger than I look.”
“We know,” I tease. “You survived a fucking crocodile attack and still got us the hell out of there. You’re one badass bitch, Maeve Carter.”
“Don’t forget it when we get back,” she teases, some color returning to her cheeks. “You’re right. The storm isn’t passing. We need to push on.”
“Then it’s decided.” Wilder nods. “Pack up. We’ll move as soon as we can.”
We’re quiet as we work, and I shoulder Maeve’s bag as Wilder puts her on his back despite his wound. We’re all rundown and wet, but we are determined as we head down the hill. The storm is wild again, lashing us. I walk to Logan’s side, link our arms, and start to sing loudly and off-key.
He soon joins in, and then Maeve, Way, and Aiy begin singing as well. Wilder doesn’t, and she smacks his shoulder. “Don’t be boring.” She starts singing again, while the rest of us wait for Wild.
With a sigh, he finally joins in, and we can’t help but laugh as we sing loudly to old-school party tunes the entire hike down. The rain finally stops for a bit, and we make the most of the break to clear our path. The forest is waterlogged, our boots sinking deep into the mud, and it slows us down, but Wilder is unwavering, setting a hard pace toward the outer shore of the island.
We don’t stop at all, eating and drinking as we walk, and as the sun starts to descend and the rain begins again, we know we need to find shelter. We spread out in a line, close enough to see but able to cover more ground to find somewhere for us to spend the night. None of us want to sleep in the dirt again and on the ground where that thing could get us, but we might not have any choice.
“I see something!” I call, breaking the line as I slog through the mud and trees to the glint that caught my eye. I stop when I realize what it is. My eyes bulge, and I hear the others join me.
“Holy shit, is that a truck?” Logan whispers. “How?”
“Someone before us must have dropped it here when they came to explore. Idiots, it clearly wasn’t going to get far,” I mutter as I turn to Wilder. “It will do the trick though, right?”
