The Claw

Chapter 3 - Can I Survive All Alone?

Mr. Batra2022/01/18 20:41
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“Aaaaaaa” I howled, removing the freshwater crab from clenching my toe. I looked around and was slowly able to put two and two together. The river had brought me here. There was a searing pain in my head, and when I touched the epicenter of the pain with my hands, they became soaked red with blood. “Yup, definitely a concussion”, I thought to myself, looking at the blood I was. It wasn’t even the only part of my body that was bleeding profusely. My knees and elbow were all bruised. However, I was surprisingly able to stand up when I tried, though that required a lot of strength.

 

I was in that area of the forest which was even more quiet and unfamiliar than the place where we had set up our camp. The slanting rays of the setting sun were giving an orange tinge to the sky. I had never realized how much time I had lost when I was unconscious. Normally, I would’ve liked to sit back and enjoy the view but I had to look for Uncle Bao. This incident had flushed out all my distrust towards him; all I could pray for was his safety. Reciting my rosary, I dragged my legs along the bank of the river.

 

The day was losing light. With each passing second, I kept becoming increasingly worried for both myself and Uncle Bao. I pondered for a while and then decided to find shelter for the night. I could not afford to remain the spend the night in the open close to the river; that would leave me vulnerable to attacks by nocturnal animals. I entered the woods.

 

While my eyes adjusted to the pitch darkness, I remembered my flashlight and subsequently my backpack, which was still hung on my shoulders. “Did the concussion weaken just my senses or my memory too?” I contemplated. I took out my flashlight and turned it on, and kept the whistle in my pocket. I could not blow the whistle despite my urge to because I did not want attention. I did not take out the rest of the things, namely the can of food, the water bottle, the pliers, and my camera. The first-aid kit and the map, the most useful things, were not in my possession though. Oh, how I wished I had not handed them over to Uncle Bao!

 

As I trudged deeper into the forest, the sound of the water kept on decreasing till it was fainter than a trickle. Realizing that going any further would lessen the already bleak chances of surviving I had, I stopped and sat down. Although I had not been able to spot a single safe spot in my short journey, I could not go back as the battery in my flashlight could run out any moment. I switched it off and sat down on a rough brown patch. The taller-than-skyscraper trees and the lush green vegetation around me were casting scary shadows on the ground. I closed my eyes.