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Gray Thomas
Caves behind Pulhapanzak Falls
Honduras
Gray groaned. His head was pounding and his body aching. Shivers rocked his body. He dreamt of lying on a beach with Regan. The hot sun beating down on his body, warming him. Warming him too much. Water lapped at his face and body. The cool wetness brought comfort to his burning skin. He yearned for more. He wanted to dunk himself under but before relief came another chill would shake him to the bone again. He couldn’t find escape anywhere.
Gray opened his eyes. Jagged walls of the cave stared back at him. He groaned again as the memories came flooding back. It wasn’t the sun warming his skin. A fever was coursing through him. Every cell hurt. Every breath took effort. Strength he didn’t have to waste.
Gray didn’t know how much time had passed. It could’ve been days or hours. His stomach rumbled with hunger and his mouth was bone-dry. He needed water at a bare minimum. Gray’s gut told him he couldn’t have been out very long at all, though. A guide would’ve stumbled across him leading a tour of the cave at some point. Most likely, Guy had somehow diverted all tourist attention from the park until Gray could be found.
Gray tried to pull himself into a sitting position but pain wracked his body. He screamed from the sudden onslaught as he laid back down. One hand covered his wound while the other rested on his forehead. His hand gingerly touched the wound. The wet bandage was still in place. He peeled it back and lifted his head to look at it.
Shouldn’t have done that, he thought.
Pus and blood oozed from the opening. Gray knew an infection had been setting in before taking the plunge into the river. Now, who knew what bacteria and germs were flowing through his body. It was something fierce and fast acting, though. His body was already fighting back with a fever. A really high fever if the heat coming off him told him anything.
Gray reached over his head and felt around for his bag. He needed to refuel and to clean the wound. The shelf was barely wide enough to hold him. He had no space to work in in this position. He had to sit up. He had to find the strength.
Gray steeled himself against the pain. He grunted and clenched his teeth as he pulled himself up and over. A white-hot poker of pain stabbed his side with each movement but he forced himself to continue. His legs dropped over the side and into the water, feeling instant relief as the cool water touched them. He sighed.
After taking a moment to rest, he pulled the gauze completely away. He balled it up and set it next to him. Using a small bottle of alcohol from his med kit, he cleaned the wound. Gray bit down on his finger to keep from screaming, leaving tooth impressions in the skin while his other hand poured the antiseptic over the infected area. The pus and blood washed away. Gray squeezed the wound to get even more out. Nausea rolled through his stomach at the sight. He’d need medical attention and antibiotics very soon. But first, he had to get out of this prison, and it would take all his strength and concentration.
Gray breathed through his mouth until the burning stopped. Once it did, he poured more alcohol over it. The pain wasn’t nearly as bad this time. He applied a generous covering of ointment, hoping it would provide a layer of protection, and fresh gauze.
Gray nibbled on a soggy protein bar and sipped water. It helped him to focus even more. He gave himself a pep talk. Walking out of the falls was easier and less strenuous than walking into them. The water was at your back, not rushing into your face and blinding you. If he needed to, he’d be able to let the river do the work while he floated down it for awhile to rest.
There was always a danger of water moccasins and other predators, but Gray would go with the flow, so to speak. He’d swim to the edge when he could. Hopefully near a town.
Regan passed through Gray’s mind. He didn’t know where she was, or who she was with. If she was safe or in danger. The last clue he’d left her would send her straight to Guy’s hostel. From there, it was anybody’s guess where she would’ve gone.
Floating down the river wasn’t an option. The river moved away from G and G Brewery and Hostel. Gray needed to move toward it. He’d have to find the strength to climb out of the falls and up the side of the cliff. He could keep cover through the woods as he headed for town. Once there, he could hitchhike to the hostel.
With a plan, Gray set it in motion. In a fevered blur, he packed up his bag, including his trash, hoping he got everything. He heaved it onto his back. He grunted from the pain of even the small movement. His mind was distracted with the effort needed. He wanted to leave his backpack behind, but he would need the first aid kit, water and protein bars. He had no money and no way of obtaining any. A rough laugh escaped him at the irony of being ridiculously wealthy and dirt poor all at the same time.
With one final deep breath, he plunged out of the cave and into the crashing water, praying he had enough strength to make it.