Chapter 25 #5
“Scarlett?” I heaved as my eyes searched for another vine. I wasn’t trusting one vine to get me through this jungle anymore. I’d been hoping I wouldn’t have to switch before the fall because my arms were beginning to burn. But that shit was dead.
Scarlett cleared her throat. “Yes, cousin?”
“Mane, where da fuck you been? I was almost gator food.”
“Sorry, I took a quick break to return my husband’s call.”
“Aaaagh!” I grabbed another vine, flying through the trees. When I felt stable, I huffed. “A break? When my life hangin’ in da balance?”
“You’re doing amazing, sweetie.”
I kissed my teeth but didn’t lose focus as another thicker vine came into view.
I prepared myself as best I could to leap onto it.
An alligator thrashed upward, growing impatient that I hadn’t fallen into the dark water yet.
Latching onto my vine, it pulled violently, and the vine broke away quickly.
It was perfect timing because I’d already jumped and landed on the next vine.
I slid onto it lower than I wanted to be but not close enough that any of the alligators could pull me off.
Using my legs to lift me higher onto the vine because my arms were done for, I was able to see over the lush.
Sunlight was beaming through from the other side, and I sighed in relief when I saw flat grass with a brown truck stationed on it.
I scrambled to regain my grip, muscles screaming in protest. I was going to try to make it without changing vines again.
Adrenaline was coursing through my veins as the alligators huddled together near the end of the water.
The largest one used its powerful jaws to break through the many vine strands around me, but luckily, it continued to miss mine.
Deciding I should leap once more since these motherfuckers were determined to knock me down, I used all my might to grab one last vine.
There were a few more trees cascading over me, but I could see the roof of the truck clearly now.
We were at the edge of the swamp now, but alligators had legs, and I didn’t want them bitches to get out and chase me to the truck.
I needed to land close enough or swing my ass onto the top of it.
“Shiiiit!”
I launched forward when the vine snapped without warning.
My arms windmilled as I sailed through the air.
I tried grabbing onto the last few vines around me, but nothing was long enough or close enough.
God was the only answer at this point because I could hear the rustling of the alligators and other animals surrounding the open area where the truck sat.
Oomph!
The wind was knocked out of me as I hit the back of the Jeep.
I could hear the sloshing of the muddy water as the alligators fully emerged.
Seeing the size of their legs and feet would’ve caused my ass to faint, but my blood was pumping so fast that all I could do was holler as my back burned from falling on it for the second time today.
Snapping was inches away from my feet, so I climbed up the back of the truck.
I didn’t think the truck bed was low enough for the alligators to jump on, but then again, I didn’t know if alligators could jump.
The motherfuckers could easily shock my ass since that’s all that had happened today.
Balancing myself while trying to steady my breath, I stood on top of the roof, looking at the ground.
The alligators stopped at the opening, circling each other, not making an attempt to enter the open area where I was.
A win was a win, but I couldn’t help but wonder why the bitches weren’t trying to come eat my ass as they had been when I was acting like Tarzan.
“Fuck you talmbout! Ahhhhh!”
Tilting my head, I beat on my now bare chest since my ripped shirt had fallen somewhere in the swamp, and I yelled into the air. I’d made it again.
“A fuckin’ hard body, baby! Y’all can’t get rid of me!” I slapped my chest again, the ache not overriding the victory I felt.
“Oh shit!” The truck ascended, pushing me backward as it began moving through the grassy plain. I was able to find my footing before I fell.
“Great job, cousin. Please get inside the truck.”
“Aite.”
The driver’s side window was open, so I slid in, damn near breaking my fucking back in the process. I was going to need two massages a day for a month once I finished playing Don’s games. I couldn’t wait to smack the fuck out of my brother for not warning me about this shit.
“Welcome to the savannah!” Scarlett’s voice broke through my thoughts, blaring from the speakers of the truck.
The savannah stretched out before me, an endless area of golden grasslands dotted with acacia trees.
The air, thick with the scent of dry mud and wild herbs, rushed in through the open window.
It was a welcomed change from the swamps’ suffocating humidity and vile smells of decay.
The truck bumped over a rocky, uneven ground.
Since the car was driving itself, I slid over into the passenger seat, with my arm folded out of the window.
The sun setting in the distance painted the sky in fiery hues of orange and purple.
A sense of peace settled over me as I cruised along in the self-driving safari truck, silence only being broken by the chirping of crickets and the distant call of a bird.
“There are a few things that you must know about the savannah.”
My gaze shifted to the display of the truck, which was only a black screen with the temperature shown. It was ninety-nine degrees, but with all the windows down and my damp pants and shoes, it felt as if it was cooler.
“What I need to know, Scarlett?”
I was feeling like that nigga. There couldn’t be shit worse than those man-eating gators, or that Olympic swimming-ass shark.
Just like my brother, I’d defeated them, so I was ready for whatever now.
Don had mentioned four obstacles, and I was hoping falling from the copter counted as one so that it meant I’d only have one more to go.
“The savannah is home to a wide array of animals, including elephants—”
“Elephants graceful as fuck. I’ma be straight.”
“Zebras—”
“Dem black and white shits? Yeah, ain’t dey like donkeys? I’m good, cuz.”
“Giraffes—”
“Yeah, dey tall asses just wanna eat trees all day. Dey only fight each other.”
“Wildebeests.”
“Dey just some African cows.”
“Hyenas—”
“Now, dem some bottom-feeding scavengers. I’ll kick da shit outta ’em.”
“Various species of birds, reptiles, and insects—”
“No threats to dis top dawg! I’ll swat da fuck outta dem shits.”
“Cheetas—”
“Hol’ up, now, cuz…” I sat up in my seat, sticking my arm out the window. Cheetahs were fast as hell, and to my knowledge, they could catch me by the neck, drag me up a tree, and feast on me for days.
A herd of gazelles frolicked in front of the truck, which made no effort to slow down, but luckily, they hopped out of the way just in time.
Where there was prey, predators lurked nearby.
Scarlett didn’t have to tell me about the laws of the savannah; those shits echoed the life I’d lived in Memphis growing up.
Roooooaaaaaaarrrrrrr!
Hairs stood all over my body as a guttural rumble shattered the tranquility, sending a shiver down my spine. I caught a glimpse of orangy-brown fur in the side mirror, but it was a blur with how fast it had moved. The roar didn’t sound like a hyena, though, and them motherfuckers weren’t orange.
“What da fuck was dat, Scarlett?”
“Another animal that lives in the savannah is the lion. Please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle.”
Roooooaaaaaaarrrrrrr!
A massive lion burst from the tall grass to the left of the truck. Its eyes were fixated on me, muscles rippling beneath the tawny coat.
“Lions process objects differently than we do. When they see the truck, they see a giant predator. They won’t attack as long as you remain inside the vehicle.”
Roooooaaaaaarrrr!
Pulling my arms inside the truck, I pressed on the door siding to let the window up.
“Where da fuck is da button? How da fuck you roll dis shit up, cuh?”
Taking my eyes off the lion for just a second, I saw there were no buttons and no way to let the window up at all. When my eyes bounced back toward the lion, it looked as if it were about to charge the truck.
“Scarlett, dis big-ass nigga ’bout to attack! Let da window up! Now!”
“Sorry, Tunan. The windows are being rolled up now.”
The windows began moving at a snail’s pace.
I’d be fucking dead by the time the windows fully let up.
My stomach was clenched tightly, and the thought of this lion eating my ass alive tore at my fucking insides.
This was the craziest shit I’d ever had to deal with.
All these fucking animals—I didn’t know what Don’s obsession was but that nigga needed help.
I wish I had told Glow more so that she’d be more prepared to be a young widow.
The look in the lion’s eyes told me he was determined to attack and eat my ass.
“No worries, cousin. He won’t attack the vehicle.”
Roooooaaaaar!
“Where da fuck do you get yo’ animal facts from? Dis nigga ’bout to charge and flip dis fuckin’ truck ova!”
The lion began running toward me, causing me to scoot down in my seat. I clamped at the cushion while waiting for him to approach the safari truck. His head was as big as the door, so I knew with one shove, the door could possibly cave in.
“Calm down, Tunan.”
“I can’t! Dis nigga ’bout to eat me! And you calm and shit like I ain’t ’bout to die! “
Arf Arf Arf Arf
The lion paused, and although my heart was beating like a fucking drum, my eyes followed the lion’s big-ass head.
“Wait! Tunan, is that a—” Scarlett squealed.
“Puppy, run!” I shouted.
Arf Arf Arf