8

Luca

Luca was never so happy to unload a backpack. Carrying a couple gallons of water a mile in the hot jungle was the opposite of his favorite workout. He hefted the pack onto the ledge of the van’s hood. “Here’s enough water for everyone for the day. We’ll be back in a few hours.”

Bradley nodded, his head bent toward the engine.

“We are making great progress,” Sam said.

“Good.” Luca nodded, grabbed a few bottles of water for their group, then it was time to head back in. He turned to Avery and the others. “Remember, we’re looking for paths we may have missed yesterday.” He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it sooner. It just proved more that he and Avery made a great team. He needed her.

She needed him, too. Now if he could convince her of that.

Avery, June, and Benny nodded at his instructions to keep their eyes peeled, and they started back into the inferno. They hiked straight for the fork where their two paths met. Any deviation from the path would happen there. As they walked, Luca stumbled. A large stick lay in the path. It was as tall as he was, and as thick as a broom handle. It might be useful later, so he grabbed it.

He tried to keep an eye out for landmarks, to remind him where they were at any given point. As he passed a large bush, something rattled in the leaves. Luca slowed down and glanced around. No one seemed to notice the movement, so he kept it to himself as he raised the large stick and pushed the branches apart.

Something skittered out. It was small, no bigger than a squirrel, and it stopped a few feet from him to let him have it.

Avery giggled at the screeches as the baby monkey ran away.

Luca let out a rush of air, trying to keep his fear from showing. He’d been sure it was another snake.

“That little guy wasn’t very happy with you!” Avery said.

He attempted a smile. “No, I guess not.”

Just then, the leaves rattled again. At first, it was a small shake, but then the entire bush rocked back and forth.

“What is that?” Panic filled June's voice.

Avery and Benny backed away, and Luca swallowed hard. Raising the stick toward the leaves, he took a deep breath and pushed the branches aside for a second time.

Nothing.

He let out another rushing breath. It was nothing. They were fine.

He began to turn when a high-pitched screech erupted from the bush. A much bigger monkey burst out from the middle of the leaves. It was a larger version of the baby monkey from earlier. It had to be the mother, and she wasn't happy.

The monkey lunged at Luca.

Luca swung the stick, connecting with the monkey's leg. The monkey cried out but didn’t give up. It swung from a vine, doubling back and latching onto Luca’s shoulders. It used its furry little hands to go for Luca’s face.

Panic set in and Luca grasped at the monkey’s arms. “Get it off me!” The last thing he needed was rabies, let alone some other strange jungle disease.

Avery grabbed his stick and beat at the monkey. Most of the swings landed on his shoulders instead of the monkey, but the monkey’s grasp had loosened so Luca wasn’t complaining.

He spun in circles, pulling at the monkey’s arms, but his hands were slick with sweat and he couldn’t get a good grip.

“Over here!” June called.

Luca turned toward the sound of her voice and—

BAM!

Lights danced in front of his eyes, then there was nothing.

Splitting pain inched its way across Luca’s forehead when he woke up. The pain started on the left side of his temple and worked toward the right temple in a slow, steady line. He peeled one eye open, then the other. “What happened?”

Avery knelt over him. Her forehead wrinkled with worry and she touched a spot on his forehead.

Pain shot through his brain.

He winced.

“Sorry!” she said.

He swallowed down the sickness rising up his throat. There wasn’t enough in his stomach already. He sure didn’t want to throw up what little he had.

Slowly, gingerly, he pushed himself to a sitting position. Stars flashed in front of his eyes and he blinked them away. At least the monkey was gone. When he was sure he wasn’t going to throw up or pass out, he spoke. “What happened?”

Avery glanced at June and Benny then looked back to him. Her cheeks glowed red, but Luca couldn’t tell if it was from the heat or embarrassment.

“I was swinging for the monkey just as you turned toward June. I knocked you in the forehead by mistake.” She bit her lip, never taking her eyes off him.

He tried to think of something to say—anything—but his head hurt too bad to think.

“I’m sorry.” Her words came out in a whisper.

“I’m sorry, too,” June said. “I shouldn’t have called to you like that. I just thought there was a window of getting away…” her sentence trailed off.

“Hey, at least the monkey’s gone. You think you can walk?” Benny watched them all, shifting from foot to foot.

“Anxious about something, Benny?” Luca bit out. Let him get knocked in the head with a giant stick and see how fast he recovered.

“I don’t want to stick around for round two with the crazed monkey, OK?” Sweat dripped from Benny’s dark hair and down his forehead.

He had a point.

“Fine. Give me a minute, will you?”

Moving slowly so he wouldn’t get sick, he pulled a water bottle from his pack and drank a few gulps.

The nausea disappeared and the dizziness went away. “OK. I think I’m ready.” He put his hands on the bushy grass and began to push himself up, but something caught his eye. A path—grass clearly stomped down—led away from the path they were on. “Guys, look.”

Avery moved the brush aside.

The green path led ahead for as far as he could see.

“Maybe the monkey was good for something,” Benny said.

Benny was making lots of good points today. Luca nodded. “Yeah, it was.” He hauled himself up, bracing for the dizziness, but it didn’t come.

“Are you all right?” June asked.

“Yeah, I think I am.”

Avery returned his stick and they started down the new path.

Sweat ran down his neck and he wiped it away. Good thing he’d remembered to drop the sweatshirt from last night before they’d come on the search. Now if his headache would ease up.

As they followed the path, Luca took in the jungle around them. Trees draped over them in great, towering arcs. Huge white flowers blossomed from several trees, and a sweet smell drifted on the air. The path went on and on, but any sign of the missing girls was nonexistent.

The longer they walked, the more his dizziness seeped back. He took another drink of his water then glanced at the others.

Benny barreled through the overgrowth with his head down. He’d never find anyone like that.

June kept her gaze forward. Every few steps she’d stop and examine a bush. At least she was trying.

Avery looked around constantly. At first, he thought she was being extra vigilant about finding Gabby and Katelyn, but then he noticed her eyes. They bolted back and forth nonstop, like a criminal in a sea of cops. She hadn’t stopped frowning since they’d started on this path, and he realized she wasn’t looking at the flowers or looking for the missing girls. She was looking for something specific. He’d have to ask her about it later.

“Is this a turn in the path?” June’s words jerked him back to their reason for being in the jungle in the first place.

He stepped forward and checked out the stomped-down growth, then he took in the rest of the area. “Good call, June. I think you’re right.” He stepped onto the new path and began walking, but Avery stopped him.

“That path takes us even deeper into the jungle. Are you sure it’s safe?”

“It doesn’t matter. We have to find Gabby and Katelyn,” June said.

Avery bit her lip and looked to him.

Great. The girls disagreed and Avery wanted him to settle it. “We came out to find them.” There shouldn’t be an argument about it anyway. It was why they’d come into the jungle in the first place.

She glared. “Fine.”

“What? Would you rather leave them behind?”

She huffed and rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I just think it would be wiser to let the others know before we go even deeper into this jungle. If we get lost, they’d never find us.” Even with her brave words, though, her gaze continued to roam.

Something had spooked her. Too bad she wasn’t sharing what it was.

“We don’t have time to go back,” Luca said. “It would take the rest of the daylight hours just to get back to the desert and bring someone else out here. I say we keep going.”

She clenched her teeth but didn’t speak.

He took that as compliance.

She huffed and pushed past him, taking the lead.

Luca held in his sigh. Who knew what had scared her? In this place, there was no telling. One thing he did know. He couldn’t get out of here fast enough.