If you are bitten by a venomous snake, stay calm. If not, your heart will beat faster, which increases the flow of blood to the bite and the amount of toxin into the tissues.
Sadie and I leave Dylan behind.
Something we both already regret.
Even though we don’t say it, deep down we are both worried Dylan may not make it.
That he sacrificed himself for us.
We push through the mud and plants. My legs cramp from the resistance and feel heavy from my pants being weighed down. I keep Dylan’s stick out in front of me, waiting to defend us if an alligator should pop up, wanting a mid-day meal.
As we glide through the water, it becomes shallower, though it’s still too risky to creep up on the path. Every now and then, we hear an occasional gun shot or yell in the distance.
She whimpers behind me but I don’t dare look back. “You okay?” I ask over my shoulder.
“No.” Sadie sniffs. “We never should have let him go alone.”
I agree but don’t say that. “He’ll be fine. If he can beat out all those alligators, these men won’t pose a problem.”
“I hope you’re right, Grace. Because I’m starting to wonder if we’re ever going to get out of here. Alive”
I stop and turn around. Sadie’s eyes are swollen and red. I touch her shoulder. “Sadie, you have to stay positive. If we let this get our spirits down, the chances of us not making it get bigger. We need to keep moving.”
She nods and wipes her face with her shoulder. “Okay.”
Sadie and I slide across the swamp, wading through clumps of floating lily pads and vegetation. Even though the water is only up to our knees now, gators and snakes are still a huge threat. They can hide in only a foot of water. And a small gator can do more damage than anyone ever expects. Even though I’m terrorized by not knowing what is beneath me, I push on.
Today, the sun blazes overhead so the water is a bit welcoming. If it wasn’t for what lurked beneath.
Sadie and I go back to being silent. It’s safer that way.
Which leaves me at the mercy of my racing mind.
All I can think about is how worried Birdee must be. Plus I’m sure she’s called my mom by now. Can’t imagine what Mom’s going through. Again. Wonder if Mo knows we’re missing. And if he does, will he come down to help find us? If not, I hope someone’s out searching.
I hear a motor.
I glance back and spot a boat moving slowly in our direction.
“Move!” I hiss back at Sadie. She sloshes through the water behind me until I spot a bank to climb. “There!”
When I reach the edge, I grab the mangrove roots and pull my waterlogged body out of the stinky water. I turn and help Sadie out.
A man shouts, “There they are!”
The boat motor speeds up and groans louder as it glides closer.
A shot rings out. Sadie and I duck into the cover of the mangroves. The roots create cages around us. Bullets rip through leaves behind us as we push and squeeze through the vegetation like Br’er Rabbit in the briar patch. Thick roots grab at our hair and wrap around our legs, trying to hold us back. The Everglades shows no mercy to visitors.
When the shots stop, Sadie calls out to me, grunting. “You think they’ll follow us?”
“I don’t see how,” I say, jerking a vine off my leg. “We can barely get through, and they’re twice our size. But keep an eye out. This may dump us back at the water and they’ll be waiting somewhere.”
She yelps in pain, which sends my heart reeling.
I spin around. “What happened?”
Her face is pale and she’s staring down into the water. “I...I think something bit me.”
I spot a ripple. A three-foot snake skims across the top of the water, racing toward me. I grab the roots and pull myself out of the water just as it passes under me. I poke it with a stick and it opens its white mouth.
A cottonmouth.
My heart tanks. Birdee has warned me many times about these snakes.
Sadie panics. “Grace? What is it? Is it bad?”
After it passes, I drop into the water and slog back to her. I work to keep her calm even though the pit of my stomach aches. “It’s okay Sadie. Let’s get out and take a look.” But deep down, my inner voice yells: this is not good. This is not good.
I clutch her arm and lift her leg out of the water. “Keep it high until we reach land.” I pull her to a break in the roots and drag her up on the silky mud.
She throws her arm over my shoulder and I lead her up onto the moist path. I sit her down against a tree and drop to my knees. My waterproof bag drips on the outside, but inside everything is still dry.
I pull out my kit and cut back her pant leg. Blood trickles from two small teeth marks. The area around the bite is already red and swollen. This tells me a lot. The snake is venomous and the venom is acting fast.
Sadie whimpers when she sees the wound. “This is bad isn’t it?”
I touch the side of her calf, where blood spurts out of two tiny holes. “Don’t panic, Sadie. That’s the worst thing you can do. It forces the venom into your bloodstream faster. Stay calm okay? You’re going to be fine.”
I try to remember what Dad taught visitors about snakebites. Ideally, medical attention and anti-venom are the best way to offset the venom. But out here, what other choice do I have?
I can’t sit here and do nothing.
Sadie starts to shiver. Snakebites resemble septic shock and this is the first sign that the venom is attacking the tissue. I have no choice but to attempt to suck out the venom, then tourniquet her leg. It the only option I have. And it’s not a good one.
I sit back on my heels. “Okay. Listen, here’s the deal. Because of the color and swelling, it was probably a cottonmouth.”
“That’s not good, right?”
I try to smile. “It’s not great. But think how much you will impress Dylan.
“Okay.”
“Sadie, you’re going to be fine, I promise. I’m going to try and suck out some venom but we may have to wait this out. Together.”
Tears stream down her cheeks and she nods. “I trust you.”
“Good, because I’m all you got right now.” I grab my first aid kit and clean the outside with an alcohol wipe. I try to mentally prepare for the gross deed. The deed that has little chance of saving her life. The deed I have to do.
“Now. This is going to hurt a little.”
I press on her leg and use Tommy’s knife to slice a small incision across the wound.
She yelps and bites on her shirt. “Thought you said a little.”
“I lied.” I give her a pouty lip. “Sorry. You ready?”
She shakes her head no as sweat beads trickle down her face.
“Too bad. Here goes.” I pinch the wound and put my lips on her leg. I suck out a small bit of blood and liquid then spit it off to the side. My stomach flips a few times, getting queasy, but I push on. I’d rather throw up than let my friend die. I repeat the sucking and spitting a few times and then wash my mouth out with water. Even though venom is only activated through blood, extra caution can’t hurt.
By now, Sadie is in full-blown shock and pain. I lay her back on my plastic poncho and prop her leg up on a small log. I take off her shoes and mine. If I don’t dry them all out, we will get a bad case of trench foot from the water soaking through our socks. To minimize the smoke, I dig a hole in the ground and start a fire. I check to make we’re not sending out a signal to the men. I place our shoes and socks next to the hole. Then I stretch out my white, wrinkly feet, letting the warmth dry them out.
I sit quietly next to Sadie and check her wound periodically. Her leg is still swelling. Most likely what I did won’t have any effect, but I don’t know what else to do.
She cries out in pain a couple of times. I hold her hand and let her squeeze. To keep her from yelling and attracting Uncle Bob’s men, I give her stick to bite down on. If they find us, we’re both dead.
The whole night, Sadie shows symptoms of a bad bite. Pain, swelling, shivering. Large dark blisters show up around the bite mark. At one point, her breathing grows labored. Doesn’t surprise me. The cottonmouth’s venom can cause serious tissue damage and force a body to shut down.
Now there’s nothing to do but wait.
And hope.
And pray.
I rest my head against the tree and focus on the best outcome possible. Sadie will come out of this - probably deeply scarred - but alive. She has to.
Yet, a small piece of my brain can’t help but slide to a popular outcome in my life.
Death.
It’s natural. But, for some reason, it loves hanging around me. First Dad then Seth. Hopefully, Sadie breaks my running streak.
Sadie cries throughout the night.
I comfort her by whispering in her ear, “You’re going to be okay, Sadie. I promise.”
A promise I can’t keep. One I have no control over.
I don’t even know if she hears me anymore.
By midnight, her eyes roll back into her head, and even though her spasms have waned some, her leg continues to swell. And her pain appears to get worse.
As the sky darkens, my eyes struggle to stay open. I’m afraid to go to sleep but the adrenaline of the day has worn down my body.
My eyes close, and I pray Sadie’s still alive when I open them in the morning.