Layla sighed, and looked down at the pulsating point on the tiny screen of the GPS unit in her hand, as she heard the voice of Becca call up from behind. "Are we getting close?" She called up, in an exhausted, panting voice, "are you even sure that bloody thing is working right?"
"I'm pretty sure, yeah. It should be just up ahead," Layla responded, less than confidently, as she zoomed in and out slightly, before recentering on their current location.
"Good, cause I'm so ready to be out of this goddamn jungle!" Becca grumbled, and Layla certainly couldn't disagree.
This entire expedition, it was safe to say, did not go as planned, and at this point, their academic futures and professional experience were decidedly the last things on either of their minds. Layla wiped her brow and fanned the inside of her spaghetti strap top, which was damp with sweat and sticking to her weak and tired body. The heat and humidity had become nearly unbearable and seemed to flood in on all directions, with little in the way of relief. She reached into her pack and fished out her teal aluminum water bottle, shook it a bit to assess how near empty it actually was, before taking a much-needed drink anyway and handing it back in Becca's direction.
"No, I'm fine for now. Thanks," Becca replied to the gesture, giving a weak smile, before that smile again faded away, into the discomfort and despair this God-forsaken jungle had to offer.
Layla trudged on, as she limply returned the bottle to her pack, feeling pretty deflated herself. She turned to look worriedly back to Becca, who seemed to be fading a bit, and said, "y' know, from the aerial maps on the GPS, it looks like the jungle gets pretty thick up ahead. We can take a break if you need to..."
But to Layla's surprise, Becca was already pushing past her, while at the same time unsheathing the machete from her pack, snarling, "oh, screw that shit! I don't wanna be in this jungle another second!" She looked back and flashed that impish smile that Layla couldn't help but admire, "besides, I could stand to slice some shit up anyway!"
Layla laughed weakly and watched the girl take the lead, grunting in a therapeutic release of anger with every swing. She sighed and looked up into the verdant tree canopy. Dammit!... It'll be dark soon...and there's no way in hell I'm trekking through this goddamn jungle again in the dark! But as her gaze fell back to the GPS unit, all that dispelled in an instant.
"Becca, we're here!"
"What?"
"We're here! I mean... we're not here, but we're really, really close! We should be right on top of it!" Layla panned the area around where they were currently standing, and back down at the GPS to get her bearings. "Should be... right... about..." She fanned out her other hand, pointing wildly at the tree line, before finally settling on a point, "there! Right over that ridge, and through those trees up ahead!"
The girls scrambled up the ledge with newfound energy at the thought of their potential salvation. Of their looming rescue and escape from this unfolding nightmare. The rocks were slippery and seemed to give way with the slightest inclination. Still, they endured the treacherous ascent, bracing themselves with roots and vines, and whatever they could seem to get ahold of. As they reached the top of the ridge, an overwhelming feeling of relief overtook them both, as they pushed through the remaining leaves and branches. Not knowing what waited for them on the other side. Not knowing what could possibly be located at the big red X on the map, but knowing that whatever was there, that more than anything, it meant their best chance at salvation. It meant they would be going home.
"When we get out of here, the first thing we're gonna do, is the two of us are gonna hit up the nearest little shit hole Guatemalan dive bar, preferably one that has karaoke, and just get wasted on cheap margaritas and shots of Qutzalteca Especial," Becca joyfully ranted, in between winded gasps to catch her breath, "just a heads up... I might end up making out with you before the nights over, but who can say love!"
The two girls howled with much-needed laughter, and Layla blushed, before turning their attention back towards the ridgeline. "Look, let's just get out of here safely, and then we can go from there!"
However, as they crested the ridge, and Layla pushed the last of the wild vegetation aside, allowing Becca to step ahead and cut a path with the machete, they found that directly on top of the big red X, the trees opened up into... absolutely nothing. And all they were faced with was another empty clearing, that matched the pit in their stomachs.
"I HATE THIS GODDAMN JUNGLE!!!" Becca shouted upward, as she swung the machete angrily at a nearby branch. Her voice echoed through the trees, sending a flurry of birds scattering noisily from overhead.
"But... this doesn't make any sense! I mean we're right at the point on the map, and..." Layla's words were abruptly cut short, as her knees buckled, and she fell prone onto the dirt.
"I told you the man was a bloody quack! Leading us all the way out here for..." Becca was obliviously scanning the remainder of their surroundings, before she turned around and saw Layla on the ground, rushing to her aide, "Christ, Layla! Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Layla couldn't speak. The sweat poured from her temples, as the heat this time was overwhelming. But not the jungle heat. No, it was that terrible, familiar, warm heat, that was even now aggressively jabbing at her from every side. Penetrating and overtaking her with one voice after another, till she felt as if she could hardly breathe. Calling out to be heard, in a language Layla didn't know, but for some reason could still
