Day 22/ Marie

We started our trek up the mountain trail a little early.

After the slaughter on the coast, it wasn't much of a choice. Deeper into the woods seems like a bad idea to everyone. Blain said the cliff trail could provide a vantage point. Everyone seemed thrilled to leave the beach, but there was something reserved in Blain's voice.

I overheard Maurice talking to him after that. This is what they said:

"...it'll be taxing to search any further with Kalvin's one leg," Muarice said.

"It'll be taxing on all of us. I'm thinking, unless we find something obvious, I should scout ahead with a couple of people to try and find this civilization."

"Of cannibals?"

"There was also proof of gardening. I know it's risky, but we haven't got much choice."

"Who are you going to take?"

"I don't know yet. They have to be diplomatic but able to handle the journey. Bonus points if they can handle themselves when things go sideways."

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I have to stay with the wounded."

"Oh, I agree."

"Yeah... but we do need to find food soon," Muarice reluctantly agreed. "Honestly, I can't believe I'm saying this, but Mute nearly took that dragon-thing out."

"I wouldn't want near that without a .50 cal machine gun with butterfly triggers. Mute got lucky. He's a hell of a shot, but I'm not betting on that thing letting him get another before we lose someone else."

"Damnit... you're right. You guys try to find the tribe, but if you find any kind of food, you come back immediately. I don't care if it's one green bean. We need that, or a couple of the wounded may not heal." He grabs Blain by the hand and shoulder and gives him some kind of bro hug.

They both looked to me at that moment with various expressions of surprise. Muarice nodded at me and walked away, but Blain sidded up to me.

"So, did you hear?"

"I've been behind you the whole time."

"Yeeeah... I... uh, do you want to help? The scouting mission? You can pick someone else and I'll pick somebody."

"Alright, as long as it's not Ron."

"The suit? Yeah, I've got a better pick. Just make sure whoever it is they can keep up. I was going to ask you anyway. You were the first to see that dragon after all, and you rode it for some reason. Aside from that, you're the brains of the group."

"That was luck, but I'll try to find someone to keep you from eating something poisonous. I can keep you from getting eaten if we come across anymore 'dragons'. We'll still need someone who understands indigenous culture. Maybe someone who can understand another language?"

"Oh... weeell..."

"What is it?"

"I know someone who might fit, but you're not going to like him."

"Ron? Seriously? I don't think he's going to be very diplomatic."

"But he does know another language. I heard him yelling at his blank phone in Korean. He might surprise us."

"Alright, but if he says anything about my feet, I'ma put this boot through his face."

Blane raised his eyebrow at that, "fair enough. I'll pick a fifth to keep us in check."

"My pick's Mute."

"Really? We don't even know if he talks."

"Yeah, but he almost killed the dragon, and I have a feeling about him."

"Alright, my last one is Karla."

"Really? Both of your picks are girls?"

"Mute got a lucky shot, Karla can fight for sure. Here we are!" Blain shouted so the group could hear him up ahead. Then he pointed at a bush. A rather tall bush, but a bush nevertheless.

Everyone gathered around this random spot between trees and looked from side to side, trying to find this trail that Blain spoke of. Blain just started hacking away at the tangle of branches with a stone he had chipped into a knife. He made it look easy, as if he was just pulling the tree apart with his hands. He would bring the blade down perfectly into the Y's where stems met.

He had turned the bush into strips of wood in a matter of minutes, and furthermore, he packed those strips of wood into his backpack for later. I'm starting to think Blain eats wood.

The rest of the group (18/23 of us left) watched patiently as the branches opened to a smooth trail carved up the mountain as if it were man-made. It wound to the right and left for about a mile turning narrowly up the Cliffside but never quite breaking the jungle canopy above.

Finally, the trail stopped winding at a small circular landing level with the treetops, so we could just stare directly into the leaves of trees nearby.

Ron spoke up, as I often wished he didn't, "so, this is the vantage point, stick man? Great view... of the inside of these three trees."

Jennifer, however, was awe struck, "it's like a nest in the cliff. It's serene."

She lowered Kalvin down in a place where the light broke to shine along a fallen log, and they shared smiles as they cuddled in our new nest. I'm going to call them lovebirds from now on.

Between Blain and Ron, I couldn't tell who was more intensely frustrated at the lack of higher ground. While Blain was examining the landing like it was a crossword puzzle and failing to find a decent place to climb the smooth cliff around us. Ron was staring daggers into Blain. As if asserting some kind of dominance with a look could help anyone.

I was about to slap the shit out of him, but then Blain turned on him. I heard him whisper and ask if he could talk to him in private.

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Jennifer's Journal: Chapter 1

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Kalvin took his first steps alone on his prosthetic today. They were not great steps, and I should probably call it what it is, a peg leg. I don't know if that matters to anyone reading this, but I wanted to start with something good and simple.

I wouldn't call Kalvin simple, but he has been a becon of hope for me. I know that must seem strange since I've basically carried him up this mountain, but he truly is amazing. He travels around the world and volunteers at soup kitchens for refugees. He doesn't do anything else for money because he doesn't need to. His whole family died in a car wreck, and I think he feels guilty. It broke my heart when he told me, but he immediately tried to brighten the mood by telling me that he had a package of animal crackers on the plane. He couldn't eat them though, because the 'seal' was broken.

My name's Jennifer, by the way. I saw Marie writing in a journal and figured since she went with the scouting group, maybe I could start keeping track of our group here in the nest. I'm a middle school teacher from Long Beach, Florida, an amateur poet, and an advid Dungeon Master (role playing with dice) after school. Now that my introduction is out of the way, I should tell you about Draco.

Draco was on the plane with his parents. They were supposed to be vacationing in Venezuela, same as me. I tried to talk to him a bit, but he's still rattled from the loss, understandably so. While all of us adults were pacing around and cowering in the nest, Draco did something productive. Part of me wishes he hadn't.

As I was sitting here prodding a campfire and watching Kalvin stumble around, the kid just crawled out of a bush in the cliffside. It was as if he had just walked out of the wall. Once me and a few others gathered around the excited child, Muarice came over and ripped the bush out of the ground with his bare hands.

The entrance to the cave was so low that you had to crawl. Some of us had to go prone even, but just past the entrance way was a wide cavern tunnel. Leave it to a child to uncover the hidden wonders of this desolate jungle.

The tunnel opened up slowly. I placed my hand against the wall and helped Kalvin to his feet. I tried to pull my hand away from the wall, but it stayed. I managed to pull it away, but I brought sticky strings of white thread with me. It dawned on me immediately, but when I looked up to shout for the group, I was too late. A cluster of eyes opened up down the path. They illuminated the webbed tunnel more than Maurice's lighter.

The giant arachnid didn't jump straight to violence. It simply reached its long arms over our heads and placed a square of webbing over the entrance. It was gentle, calculated, intelligent, and so close it could hug us. We were frozen in horror as its fangs dripped poison over our heads.

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It seems so cynical
It took a journey to the edge of the world
To find love and rest
Atop the lovebird's nest

At first, so clinical
Nursing his leg made my heart unfurl
Kalvin makes me better
At least we'll die together