Chapter 5: Our Old Friend, Paranoia
"Alright, that's enough!" shouted Robert, trying to break up the fight.
"What do ya' mean? They started it!" said a crewman, directing his fingers at the opposing group.
"Our break is finished and we must continue before the night arrives," said Mr. Spectacle, raising his voice higher than normal.
The crew finally gave in and stopped their argument. Still mad at each other, they packed their things quietly. The team and I all gathered by the boat and began discussing our plan of action.
"I will lead, followed by Henry and the rest of the crew," said Mr. Spectacle, while taking the first step into the unknown.
As the team began their journey, Robert and I decided to hang back. We wanted quiet, away from the blaring crew. I turned my head and said: "Hey, do you think Jerry's story is real?"
"I don't know, the way I see it, this jungle is huge, and if this creature was real, it probably wouldn't run into us. We're just scientists looking for a cure," replied Robert, jumping over a large root.
"Yeah...I guess so," I said, looking down at the mossy soil beneath my boots.
"You okay? You seem kinda down," asked Robert, tilting his head.
"Yeah, just this whole mission it's.....nothing," I said, hoping that we could drop the discussion. I didn't feel like right now was a good time. All I wanted was to sleep after a long and rigorous day.
"Well, if you say so," replied Robert with a reassuring tone.
We continued with our mission as the sun reached its peak. The heat started building, and I didn't know how much more I could take. I finished a gulp of water and saw something strange.
It was the bird, and yet it wasn't. Its body was now black, and its eyes were red. I could've sworn that this was the same bird. "How can it be?" I asked myself while looking at the dark and twisted soul. I continued walking as it moved from branch to branch, always keeping one eye on me.
The strange animal kept following me as I got further into the jungle. An eerie feeling came over me, wrapping itself around my body. I felt cold, and yet I was in the hottest place on earth, or so I thought.
The paranoia built as it continued following, eventually flying straight in front of me.
"Oh! Look at that, what an interesting creature. It's quite beautiful don't you think?" said Robert, unaware of its mysterious history.
"Yes....quite beautiful" I replied, trying to hide my fear of the bird. A creature so small, yet so intimidating; it could be a monster for all I know.
"Go on little birdy, fly away," said Robert, with a peaceful tone.
It chirped back as it flew forward, heading for the crew in front. I wanted to say something, tell everyone about my story, but I knew that they would've burst out laughing. I kept an eye on the crew, making sure everything was fine.
For the next hour, we kept the same pace, staying silent as there was nothing to talk about. I looked back for a brief moment to see a few crewmen steadily walking, but something was wrong. I ignored it until my mind clicked: Where's Jeremiah? I was sure he was behind me, but I had to ask.
"Wasn't Jeremiah behind us?" I asked Robert.
"He isn't?" said Robert, looking behind himself.
"Maybe he went ahead, let's not worry about it," added Robert, brushing it off.
"I'm pretty sure that no one passed us, can you check?"
Robert sighed and turned on his radio: "This is Robert to command, do you have Jeremiah up there?"
"No we don't, I thought you guys had em," replied a crewman on the other side.
"No we do not have him, can you check again?" said Robert.
"Just checked, he ain't here. You guys playin' a prank er' somethin?"
"No...we're not," added Robert as he let a sigh out.
"Okay, everybody, we got a missing person! Search for Jeremiah! He has to be around here somewhere!" shouted Robert, right before telling the people on the radio to look.
I looked around trees, and in bushes, but nothing came up. I searched for an hour, and like the rest of the crew, became exhausted and gave up. Altogether, we searched most of the pathway, and he was gone. Henry didn't take it so well.
"NO! DON'T STOP! HE'S ONE OF US!" shouted Henry with an enraged expression, hysterically looking for his friend.
"Henry, I'm sorry but your friend is gone, we must continue," said Mr. Spectacle.
"No...no, he can't be," replied Henry, with a sudden drop in volume.
"We will leave you behind if you don't follow," added Mr. Spectacle, without having a care in the world.
I placed my hand on Henry's shoulder, trying to pay my respects. "I'm sorry about your friend, Henry. He was a good person, and a better sailor than anyone of us could ever be"
"I know he was.....it's just.....not fair," he replied while on his knees.
"Think about the last thing that Jeremiah wanted, it was to complete this mission right? If we do it, we are doing something in his cause," I said, hoping it would inspire him.
"I suppose you're right," replied Henry, tilting his head upwards.
Henry stood and we could finally continue our adventure. After a half-hour, we stumbled upon a safe but well-hidden area that would protect us against dangerous predators. We set up a massive fire and sat around it, all quiet, not daring to say anything after today's incident. We each took turns watching our surroundings, making sure that we were all safe.
The loss of Jeremiah meant that there was something out there hunting us. Jeremiah told his story, and now he's dead. If I said mine, I would too. It turns out keeping my mouth shut might've saved my life.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone