Page 78 of Totally Wrecked
“Alright, you all take another fucking five—I’ll scout ahead.”
He should rest, but he won’t listen, so I let him go with no argument. Harvey, Killian, and I flop down on the jungle floor. I think about little Keyara in this jungle setting and it makes my heart hurt.
“He’s pushing us too fast,” says Harvey, emptying some debris from his shoe.
“He’s worried,” I tell him. “Keyara is his responsibility.”
“Brooke is with her,” Harvey says. “With all her wilderness training, they’ll be perfectly OK. Brooke is a power-house.”
“If only that were true,” Killian mumbles.
I look at him. “What do you mean?”
He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it again.
Harvey shakes his head. “Seriously, Brooke is better equipped than the rest of us put together. There is no need to rush like this.”
Again, Killian opens his mouth to say something.
“What is it?” I ask him.
He frowns. “I think Rex is right, and we need to find them fast. We can’t rely on Brooke saving the day…”
“You don’t know her,” Harvey laughs. “She’s probably already built a boatanda three-story tree house.”
I’m watching Killian as Harvey speaks. He is shaking his head slightly. Killian may not be comforted by what Harvey is saying, but I am. The idea of Keyara and Leander being looked after by superwoman Brooke fills me with relief. I put my hand on Killian’s arm and give it a squeeze. He places his own hand on top of mine. We sit like that in silence for another few minutes until we hear Rex returning.
“You won’t fucking believe it!” he pants.
A few minutes later we follow Rex through the trees and then out into a small glade. Light pours down through the opening in the tree canopy. That’s not what makes us stop and stare though. What brings us to a halt is the wreckage of a small plane.
“Shit!”
“Fuck!”
“Feck!”
The plane must have crashed a long time ago, the crumpled rusty fuselage is almost completely covered by jungle vines.
Killian immediately walks over and pulls himself up and through the doorway. “No bodies!” he shouts from inside. The doorway is several feet off the ground, and I heave myself awkwardly up and through. I let out a hiss when my shoulder bangs against the hatch.
Inside the plane are rows and rows of metal shelving, which must be bolted upright because it’s still standing. There is clutter everywhere, but it’s hard to tell what anything is in the gloom and the mess.
“Lots of broken china, but some is still intact.” Killian is digging around and holds up a ceramic mug. I let him keep investigating and wait for my throbbing shoulder to slow down.
“Look at this! Some sheets of metal—copper, I think?” he says. “And a fecking cast-iron frying pan!”
He digs around some more. “Bird cages…” and then, “shite! A tool kit—basically intact!” He walks to the entrance and calls out to Rex, telling him what he’s found.
“We’ll stay here tonight,” I hear Rex say. “I’ll go look for water.”
Harvey slumps down and puts his head in his hands.
I must have drifted off just leaning against the rusty hull, because the next thing I know Rex is nudging me and telling me to drink some water and then lie down. He holds a newly filled bottle.
“I found a spring, so we’ll stay here tonight.” It’s almost dusk now. Rex takes me by the arm and guides me to an area in the middle of the cargo hold.
Killian joins him. “Watch out for Harvey; he is already asleep.”
