Terry
hacked through the last few feet of mangrove trees onto the beach.
The sun slammed into his eyes making him squint, and hold up his hand
to block it out.
John
was standing on the rocks, about 50 yards away, dangling a line into
the sea. “John! You’ve got to come now! “ he shouted, “Jane
is … “He took a big wheezy breath in. Getting to the beach had
been a nightmare. The jungle was so dense on the island he'd had to
to use his machete most of the way, which was no joke, especially
when you were pushing 20 stone. John looked up and then ran over to
meet him. He’d been trying to catch a fish for dinner for the last
couple of hours with no luck, and was grateful for the distraction.
“Hey
Terry, take it easy” he said “just take your time.”
Terry
took a few more deep breaths. Fat beads of sweat had broken out all
over his forehead, and his shirt was soaked. “Jane is in trouble”
he said.
“Terry
calm down” said John “tell me what’s happened to her?”
Terry
looked at John “She can’t breathe John! I think she’s been
bitten by something. Her leg’s swollen up like a balloon. Look
you’ve got to come now – I think she’s dying!”
“Shit!
Let’s go” said John. They turned from the beach back into the
jungle, pushing their way past a wall of branches and leaves.
Damn
thought John. This was what worried him most about this trip. He
hated being the doctor. He wasn’t even officially the
expedition medic. Actually they didn’t have a medic. The
tour company said one would arrive days ago, but he never did. Serves
me right for being a cheapskate thought
John. Should have gone with a proper company instead of
these cowboys from Bali.
And
now I’m stuck with it thought John. He could have kept quiet
about his occupation (past occupation really), but he always felt he
shouldn't have to lie. So usually he didn’t.
On
the other hand he loved outdoor stuff, that’s why he’d
signed up for this trip.
Survive
for Three Weeks on an Uninhabited Tropical Island the ad had
said. Build your own shelter, make fire from scratch and catch
your own food – if you can.
He
couldn’t resist the challenge.
But
it was tougher than he’d expected. The island was mostly mangrove
swamp, so getting anywhere was a nightmare. It left you sweating like
crazy, covered in tiny scratches, and exhausted. And the scratches
would sting like buggery when your sweat dripped over them, which it
always did.
They’d
also struggled to get water. So far they’d only found one stagnant
rock pool, and had to boil the water to make it drinkable. Even then
Terry said it looked and tasted like piss.
It
wasn’t how most people imagined a tropical island. But John still
loved it, especially when he was out on the beach, fishing, or at
night sitting with the others by the camp fire. He was exhausted but
he felt good.
Terry
updated him as they went. Jane was at camp about half a mile inland
from the beach. He'd been boiling up water in a Billy can, to
sterilize it, when Jane screamed. He'd dropped the can, and turned to
see her holding her foot, which was red and swollen from her toes to
her ankle.
“She
was crying with pain,” said Terry, “she said something had
bitten her. I went over to have a look. She was wheezing like crazy
John,” he said, “and her lips had swollen up like bananas. I
didn’t know what to do, so I just came to get you, but it took me
nearly half an hour. Jesus John will she be OK?” said Terry.
“You
did the right thing getting me” said John not answering her
question “Let's just get there.”
Jesus
thought John sounds like anaphylactic shock. She's probably
allergic to whatever bit her. Fuck that could be bad. If her airway
closes up she’ll die for sure...
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