Page 35 of Totally Wrecked
The second time I wake, my stomach turns, and dry heaves tear at my throat. I feel like death.
Finally I sit up and look at Brooke. She is rubbing a knuckle against her head, like she needs to make her brain work. I know the feeling. Keyara is laying on the sand, but her head is in Brooke’s lap.
“We have to get water,” Brooke croaks. “It will be in the jungle…”
Yep—somewhere.
“Come on, Keyara.” I put my hand on the girl. “Sweetheart, you gotta dig deep for me…” I’m relieved to hear her groan, but she doesn’t move.
I stagger to my feet. “I’ll look for water. Then when I find it, I’ll come back and get you.”
Don’t think about the fact there might not be water on this island.
Brooke nods. “Go inland. Look for where the insect population gets more dense, that will lead you towards water.”
That makes sense. I’m glad she has some survival know-how. Mine is all based around the Pacific Northwest wilderness. Lack of water is never a thing there.
“Alright, I’m off. Don’t worry, we got this…”
I moved to Samoa to never have to be in a wilderness survival situation again—but here we are.
We got this, we got this.
Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck.
GRAY
What?
I can't breathe, can't see, and everything hurts. I cough and cough. Fuck, I’m trapped. Flames, smoke, screams…
Salt water?
I’m in the water. The ocean, not the forest.
What the fuck? Am I drowning?
Don’t panic. Assess the situation. Finally, I draw a proper breath. I’m definitely in the ocean, but it’s hard to open my eyes. They feel like someone has thrown acid in them.
“Gray, it’s alright, just float…” a voice croaks next to my ear.
Rex.
My racing heart settles slightly knowing Rex is with me. That’s when I realize I’m on my back and Rex is holding me up. I can feel his body move, like he’s kicking mighty hard.
“Land ahead,” he croaks. “Can you kick? Swim?”
“Yeah,” I try to say, but my throat just makes a gasping noise.
“I’m on my back as well. Just kick and I’ll steer.”
We kick for a long time. My legs are burning and my head throbs. I keep my eyes closed.
“What happened?” I finally ask when I can get the words out.
“Boat went down. Let’s get to land and I'll catch you up,” he says. “Kick, Gray. You gotta dig deep; only a few hundred yards to go.”
I do as my captain tells me and try to ignore the searing pain all over my body, instead concentrating on moving my legs in the direction of land. Finally opening my eyes—they sting like a mother—I move my head around and get my first look of what is going on.
