Chapter 39
CHAPTER 39
I STUMBLED OVER a rocky outcrop, losing my footing as part of the surface gave way beneath me. A bolt of pain shot through my ankle as I reached out, barely hanging onto a jagged ledge as I stopped myself from falling. Six days in the desert had slowed my reactions.
The agony in my ankle faded as a new throb started up in my hand. I looked down in fascination as blood oozed from my palm. On a normal day, it would have gushed, but dehydration left my blood thick and sticky. My heart struggled to push it around my veins, or at least that’s what it felt like. Every beat vibrated through me, reminding me I was still alive, but not for long.
The sun blinded me as I stepped around a boulder, burning into my retinas as I tried to blink. Even my eyes were dry. Up ahead, a cliff promised shade from the heat to come, and I forced myself to keep going. Just a few more yards, then I could rest. Or die.
I’d had the same thought yesterday, but my body hadn’t given up. Would today be my lucky day? I began to think that death was the better option. Anything would be better than…this.
I looked around at my prison—mile upon mile of emptiness. The only sign of human existence had been a discarded flip-flop a mile or two back. Why did someone leave a single shoe behind? A couple of times I thought I saw people on the horizon, but nature liked playing tricks. The first time a rock formation confused me, the second it was a dead tree. At least I wasn’t hallucinating completely. Right?
Black whispered in my ear, his breath making my skin tingle. “Don’t give up, Diamond.”
All very well for him to say. I spun around but he’d gone, floating away on the warm breeze that tormented me in my waking hours. It gave the illusion of coolness, but in reality, it robbed me of moisture and liquid was the only thing separating me from the Underworld.
I stared at the bottle containing the last of my urine. On day two, it had been pale yellow, the colour of a summer cornfield back home. Now it took on the hue of the setting sun, and it tasted disgusting. I allowed myself another sip, resisting the urge to spit it out, then fished the last glucose tablet out of my pocket. It’d take the foul taste away, but once I’d eaten it… Apart from a lizard I’d caught on day three, the packet of sweets was all I’d eaten since the crash. The waistband of my trousers gaped as it clung to my hipbones. At this rate, I’d be heading down the catwalk when I got back. No, not when. If. If I got back. Black always told me I’d find a way out of anything, but this problem left me stumped.
The cliff grew bigger until it filled my vision, and I looked for somewhere to hunker down for the day. Or maybe eternity, who knew? A soft patch of sand would be good, or a smooth rock. Anywhere out of the fast-rising sun.
What was that shadow? I stepped closer. A cave? I dropped to my knees and crawled inside, my eyes slow to adjust to the darkness as the hollow widened beyond the entrance. My hand hit something. What was it? I felt around the object, smooth, leathery, and covered in tattered cloth.
A body. A freaking body. Well, wasn’t that motivational? The poor guy had lain here for years judging by the state of him. What was his story? Intrepid backpacker? Elderly Bedouin? Or, like me, just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Whatever, I’d be sharing his resting place for the next twelve hours. Perhaps his tomb too.
A thought struck me, and I crawled back to the entrance where I could see a little. If I died here, I should leave a message. Finally, I had a use for that pencil. On a pale rock face, I scrawled my initials just in case anyone found me. MB. As an afterthought, I added + CB 4EVA, choking both on my fat tongue and the memory of Black on our wedding day. Well, I’d be seeing him again soon at this rate.
I took one more sip of liquid, wrapped the remains of the parachute around me, and sank onto the floor of the cave. Whether I’d see another dusk was out of my hands now.
I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes to the gloom. Was I alive or dead? My back still hurt from my adventure with the ejector seat, and I reached out until my fingers touched my new friend. Yup. Alive. I wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or disappointed.
I rolled onto my side until I saw the entrance to the cave. Orange light seeped in as the sun left for another day. Time for me to walk. Then again, could I be bothered? Soon, I’d have been searching the desert for a week with nothing to show for it but a handful of scrapes and a twisted ankle. Why not stay here? Sure, it may not have been five-star, but the company was good. Quiet, no endless chatter, just the way I liked it.
Except now he was screeching. For Pete’s sake, shut up! I turned to give him a few choice words, but he reached out and caressed my face.
“Oi, get off me!”
He touched me again, and I flipped my knife out, ready to introduce the pair of them. Only his hand had gone again. I took a step forward. What was he doing?
Then it hit me. Literally. A bat! There were bats everywhere. Somewhere deep, I found a reserve of energy and leapt at the roof of the cave, plucking my prize down by its wings.
Saved. By freaking Batman. Who says comic books aren’t real?
Within seconds, I’d drained the bat’s blood into my throat. Then another, and another. In the last of the light, I took my booty outside and skinned it, swallowing down the good bits like a glutton at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
With food came strength, and with strength came sanity. For the next few hours, I killed and ate what I could grab, and drained the spare blood into my empty water bottles. The pile of bodies made me feel guilty, but I had no choice. It was them or me. And with Black’s spirit coursing through my veins, I understood it wasn’t my time yet. As the stars twinkled overhead, I set my compass south and started walking. I didn’t want to die in this desolate patch of sand. After what I’d survived in my life, that would be insulting.
Black’s voice rang in my ears with every step.
Never give up.
Never ever give up.