Free Primitive Nights by Candi Wall Page A

ached. The more she questioned her decision. She’d had to leave. Damon’s safety had been compromised by her appearance. It seemed the tribe suffered some dissension already, and her presence had made it worse.
    A sudden movement caught her eye and she crouched behind a cluster of thick foliage. In the distance, she could make out a small group of men. They were native men, heavily covered with painted markings all over their bodies. Two of the men pushed through the thick brush with a long stick slung over their shoulders. A large boar dangled upside down from the stick. The group passed quietly, their soft chatter fading into the jungle.
    Relief washed over her and she sat back against the base of a tree. Taking a water skin out of the bag Michelle had supplied, she splashed some on her tender hands and wiped the cool water over her face. Even under the canopy of trees, the heat was stifling.
    She replaced the corklike stopper and set the skin aside. The bag held several fruits as well and she’d nibbled on them through the day. Another bite was all she allowed herself. After all, there was no telling how long she would be on her own, and her knowledge of the native vegetation and water supplies was extremely limited. It would be important to preserve what little she had.
    Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, she sighed. How in the world had she gotten herself in this mess? But she knew. It had always been John’s dream, not hers. She’d followed him blindly on his quest.
    Somehow, during the months of listening to John talk about Damon’s tribe, she’d come to believe in the cause. Everything the members of Endurance International held as their mission made perfect sense. She’d found a sense of purpose here. A place where she was needed. A place to belong. Those same men and women had welcomed her, taught her and now depended on her for the information she’d gained.
    Stashing the fruit and water back in the bag with renewed vigor, she pushed up from the ground. Her muscles ached and the heat had drained her to the point of dehydration, but she knew there was no way she could keep herself safe for long, especially with night coming. And the people at E.I. needed the information she’d gathered. She had to keep going.
    Darkness was blinding by the time it fell in earnest. There wasn’t a star to be seen, no torches in the distance, not even a single firefly to give her hope that something lay beyond the inky black swallowing her. She tucked her legs up against her chest, huddling in a fetal ball on the small formation of rock she’d found. She hadn’t been able to start a fire, so God only knew what critters remained in the crevices. She’d kicked and banged and shifted everything she could to scare away any wildlife, but her mind was getting the best of her just the same.
    The palm fronds she lay on helped fractionally. She’d used more of the fronds to cover the opening in the rocks and had smashed a few pungent plants to help mask her scent. If luck held, she’d make it through the night.
    For all that she couldn’t see, the jungle kept its presence abundantly clear with a cacophony of sound. The hum of insects, the rustling of small creatures and the twitters of birds or bats surrounded her from all directions. It was impossible to sleep, or even close her eyes. She prayed for even the slightest form of sight, then immediately wished it away. There was no telling what sorts of creatures lurked nearby, and seeing them would probably send her heart into an arrhythmia. She pulled the sharp stone she’d stolen from Damon’s hut out of her bra and clenched it tight.
    Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt so scared. So utterly alone.  
    Even living with her father’s cold treatment, she’d had her mother. They’d stuck by one another when he was at his worst. It had been a rare occasion that he actually hit her or her mother, but the threat