Jungle Peril

Chapter Four

The overloaded bus flew at an outstanding speed through the rough untarred road that meandered the heart of the forest. The passengers protested many times but were ignored by the driver who also had a big headphone on his head. The bus bumped into a huge pothole and the big vehicle careened wildly.

“What the f**k man!” one of passengers shouted, he had a weird colour hairstyle that gave him a wild max look. He was holding a bottle of beer in his hands while standing in the bus. Apparently his head had banged the wall and his beer spilt all over his clothes.

We aint animals in the bus, another lady blurted

The driver seemed oblivious to their complaints. He reached out to his pocket as if to increase the volume of the music playing in his ears. That seemed to anger the crowd of passengers more. One of them reached out to the driver seat and snatched the headphone from his head. That got the drivers full attention and for a brief moment he turned his head to the trespasser, his anger showing clearly from his countenance.

All it took was that brief moment when his eyes were averted from the wheels to the people behind him for the vehicle to swerve off the road and into a huge mahogany tree that marked the boundary of the roadside. It was a hard hit and the impact was felt by everyone inside the big vehicle especially those standing. Some heads broke the glass while the drivers head and the front passengers crashed into the windshield. Everyone was dazed as they staggered out of the wrecked vehicle.

The vehicle had fallen to its side thereby closing the door and only entry into the vehicle. Every one of the passengers began to help themselves out through the windows of the vehicle. Azura extended her hands towards Donald and Kyle whose hands were lurching for hers. With one mighty ousting, Kyle pulled Azura out of the vehicle; she fell to the ground only for a moment and quickly rushed to her feet. Lisa was already out of the vehicle and was coughing loudly. Azura joined Kyle and few of the other passengers of the vehicle to observe the wreck of the big vehicle. The bonnet was baptized with white smoke, one of its tyres had been dislodged from its legs.

Shit, there goes our last hope; one of them commented.

What did the f**k happened? another inquired

This guy removed the headphones from the drivers head one of the passengers with a huge tattoo on his neck accused the passenger with the weird colour hairstyle. Everyones eyes went towards the accused. He looked trapped and implicated and protested.

I swear it wasnt me. All I did was caution the driver, he objected

No I dont think it was him, others pointed out still. Kyle separated himself from the arguing passengers; his attention seemed to be focused on the drivers seat. Was he the only one seeing it. Where the hell is the driver? For a split second he knew he had to think of something fast. The driver had disappeared from the crowd but they were yet to notice. He had to get the last map that he knew was hidden beside the drivers seat. With the ultimate stealth he could muster he made his way to the drivers seat and took the copy, hiding it swiftly behind him. It was the only map left and will soon be their only mode of survival from the dungeon. The crowd were yet to know that. He walked silently towards his crew; Azura had gotten her bag and was clutching onto it tightly.

The driver is missing, he whispered to his friend Donald

What do you mean the driver is missing? he whispered back but rather too loudly

I just checked now, he isnt there. He has gone poof Kyle whispered vehemently

What do we do now? What do we do?

“Get your bag and enter the bush quietly. Get your bag, dont draw attention. Tell Azura, I will tell Lisa”, Kyle instructed and went towards the luggage section. He slipped off his bag and observed the other passengers. They were still arguing on whose fault the accident was. Great, thats the perfect cover, they will be out of here before anyone can suspect a thing.

In the quietest and clear terms, he could muster, he informed Lisa on the new situation and half-dragged her out of the roadside. As soon as he was out of sight, he busted into a run with Lisa hands in his. He could hear Donalds running footsteps behind him. Hopefully, he had managed to hold Azura along with him without drawing attention. The team ran with their entire might, they ran for all its worth; as if their lives depended on it.

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Pabio led the couple that were cumbersome with excess loads and grudge in their hearts through the forest to the other side of the forest where there were countless natural caves just along the sss river.

Watch out for that! he cautioned and pointed to a beautiful forest plant that was in their path. Aviance stepped out of the way impulsively.

That looks beautiful but trust me. Its a trap. It was designed to catch antelopes for manure for these lovely plants but unlucky humans can fall into it. He laughed again.

We are there already he announced after a long time hiking through the very bushy forest. Pabio had brought a sharp cutlass along and was clearing the path for the crew.

I bet you guys dont have your own cutlass, he scorned. Kevin protested but Pabio was right. They had come along with many items but they had managed to bring one of the most important tool they will need for their trip.

“I told you he was only after your money. He is a novice too” Pabio laughed again.

Cant this guy just shut up already

This is a house provided by nature. The best you can ever find in this large unpleasant forest” he informed as he pulled out a large torch light from one of their bags. The light was conspicuous so the couple werent too alarmed at the infringement.

Pabio swept the inside of the cave with his lights. The floor of the cave was neater than any hut they had ever seen.

Who cleaned the place Kevin couldnt help but ask out.

This is work of other animals. Some animals are cleaner than some humans, Pabio chuckled as he bent over to enter the cave.

Is it safe then? Dont you think the animals that cleaned the place might want to come back to their homes, Nicole inquired

The time is 6:30pm already, any animal that owns the place would have been back by now unless its a nocturnal and that means it should still be sleeping inside but as you can see, the place is pretty empty

So no guests tonight?

The guest we might have are going to be friendly ones. Just enjoy the place for the night,

The cave was underneath a huge rock overgrown with forest trees. How the cave intact remained despite the heavy load under it was a mystery that the couple were yet to fully fathom.

Dont worry, nature can be surprising most times Pabio seemed to hear the questions going through their minds.

How did you know?

Most people ask the same questions when they see this place. You dont want to think about it too much. It is a wonder, one of the things that makes the sss a site for tourists all around the world

The couple shook their head incredulously

Do you know 20% of the worlds oxygen is produced by this great motherly forest, Pabio lectured.

How is that possible?

This forest is so large that people dont yet understand it completely. But what they do know is that it has so much trees that it consumes the majority of the earths carbondioxide and converts it to the oxygen that you and I breath in

Nicole could not help but wonder how this old and seemingly uneducated man could know so much about the earths oxygen and carbondioxide cycle.

There are about 50 inhabitants in this huge forest so much that it is estimated that about half of them have never seen civilization or other humans”, that got the attention of the couple who till this moment had only uttered monosyllabic words at each other.

“Wow, how is that possible?”

Pabio chuckled again the forest is just so thick that they couldnt be reached. This means if you want to see evolution in display, you can get first-hand experience right in this forest

That was an explosive information.

The forest is unknown so much that the government of the five countries that housed the sss instructed their tourist department of a limit to explore in the forest. Other exploration will have to be deliberate and be scientific

Wow, so we might meet some cavemen

Pabio looked at them for a moment. He was starting to enjoy the silent and obedient couple.

What exactly do you need from this trip, he inquired

We want to experience the feel of camping and perhaps explore new lands together. We need someone who can take us too, Aviance replied.

Tomorrow then I will take you around where I know. My father showed it to me and I am the only one of the tour guides that know about it, he boasted again.

Just take us when you see fit Mr Know-it-all.

right now, we need to sleep well. We will need it tomorrow, he advised and brought out a tinder from his pockets. He had gathered some dried leaves and was assembling it for fire. They heard thunder outside the cave and without warning the rain began to pour.

We werent even warned, Kevin protested

Welcome to the sss. You have to be ready at all times, Pabio was blowing air into the embers of fire in the dried leaves.

Its the reason I brought some leaves. To keep us warm

A trail of water began to make its way into the cave. Pabio scuttled and began to build mounds to channel the water before it quenches their fire.

Blow the fire for me, will you? he instructed.

Kevin bent over to blow some oxygen with his mouth into the dying fire. The smoke entered his eyes and nose and he jerked his head irritably. Pabio chuckled again. Kevin wished he could punch him right in his face but they need him. The trip was beginning to feel like a punishment that they must undergo for allowing their son to die. Pabio was done with making the mound and now he crawled towards the fire to keep warm.

He looked at the couple again; he wished they got what they came to the sss to find. But right he needed to sleep ahead of the next day. They had run half a kilometre to get away from the other passengers. They could hear the quarrelling in the distance behind them the other people had found out about the missing driver. Azura ran with her entire being until she was breathing heavily. The under shrubs whipped her legs in punishment. Lisa had tripped twice already and probably still will with her high heels.

How do you think those people will get to the rendezvous? Azura screamed over her pounding chest at Kyle who had instigated the run.

I dont know, he screamed back as they reached the edge of a cliff. There was a river beneath

Its the sss, Donald blurted.

Oh nice, Kyle was looking over the map that he had stolen from the bus. The rest of the crew joined him.

According to this map, it seems there have to cross the river

Swim the sss, that sounds interesting, Lisa laughed.

I dont think I am ready to get wet today Donald added

Seems you have to. Look, there is no way we can avoid it, Kyle was tracing the river beacon on the map all around the forest. The rest of the three came around him to check

See right here, the river makes a circle blocking our destination, if we wont cross the river we will have to turn all the way back around to cross this bridge right here and its almost the same as travelling out of a country, he explained. The crew fretted. Azura had worries of her own.

The real question is how do the others get to the rendezvous without the map, she screamed while gesturing her hands in explanation.

Thats not our concern right now. It is survival of the fittest, Kyle finalized without looking at her. He was looking over the map with Donald; trying to figure it out.

I cant believe these people! How can we abandon about thirty people in an unknown forest? The rest of the crew seemed less worried.

So how do we cross the river? Donald asked again and it was a dare.

No, how do we even get off this cliff? Lisa screamed

Wait, is anyone even listening to me? Azura screamed out to the three; they looked up from the map for a moment at her but it was only for a moment because afterwards they continued examining the map.

See this lines here? Those are called contours, they tell us the steep sides and the gentle sides of this hills. See right here which I believe we are standing on has closed together contours; it means we are on the steep side of this hill but look over here where the contours are distance apart. It means the opposite Kyle explained to Lisa and Donald but couldnt help but notice the clothes all of them were wearing. Lisa had a short gown on which also revealed here entire shoulder not the perfect outfit for the forest. Donald was wearing a short pant that reveals his legs for the ever willing mosquitoes. Kyle himself was wearing a T-shirt but at least was wearing a trouser that covered his entire legs and sneakers that were still admissible for the forests terrain.

Do you guys have any clothes that can cover up your bodies? he asked

Dont you get it? We left everything in the bus and ran with you Lisa shouted

Azura was tapping her feet nervously; she didnt seem to be interested in the preparations her friends were making out of the forest but she did manage to take one of her bags that contained her clothes.

How far is the rendezvous because we will have to eat on the way? Donald inquired. The crew were alerted to the new reality

What the f**k!

What?

We didnt plan it well Kyle admitted.

What do we do? Lisa asked the crew but it seems the question was directed to Kyle.

We will have to go back. Theres no way we can survive that long distance without something to eat

Gosh! I cant believe this Lisa buried her face in her hands.

We have to, Kyle informed again. There was silence for a brief moment

How far did you say the place was again?

Judging by the distance we have already covered from the roadside I will say about five kilometres, Kyle explained

Thats not too far. I think we can make it in a day, Donald suggested. Another brief moment of silence.

Thats better. Trust me we dont want to go back there, Lisa scorned

They are going to maul us, Donald followed.

I cant still believe we are doing this Azura noted again. She checked her wrist watch.

Its almost prayer time, she said with teary eyes.

For Gods sake! Azura everyone echoed in disbelief

Why you all looking at me like that? I have to pray to my God, she protested.

Lisa shook her head. Azura seemed oblivious to their plight because she was bringing out her mat from the bag in her hands and was spreading it on the ground to pray.

You must be kidding me.

Kyle shook his head too.