The Chase

It has been three days since the incident, and I have never been more grateful for my training.  The skills I learned are the only things that kept me alive out here. It’s not easy to survive three days on your own in the jungle, but when you are a trained Marine you have a fighting chance. 

I am heading north along the river.  Its’ waters are crystal clear and a more vibrant blue than the sky.  I can hear the rivers movement as it crashes into rocks and where the fish jump in and out of its cold water.  The jungle around me is buzzing with life.  I can hear a moth’s wing beat as it passes in front of me and there are tree frogs singing in the distance. 

I move slow, what else can be expected of someone who has trudged in the jungle for three days.  I look haggard and sweaty, not healthy at all, but I am alive and that is what matters most. My uniform is torn and dirty, I can see the patches of mud where I tripped the other day during the storm.  When I am not thinking about food, all I can think of is what happened to our camp.

We were here on a humanitarian assignment, some locals were stealing needed food from a village and we were bringing new supplies and adding extra security for the town.  It was a quiet night, before the chaos happened.

 We had been here for two weeks and nothing had happened so the Commander decided to thin out the night guard a little bit so more of the men could get some needed sleep.  We had been on the new rotation for two days and the criminals we were trying to protect the town from noticed and took action.  They snuck into our camp and started a fight with the men on guard duty.  They had slipped past some of the men and were on a rampage in the middle of the camp too.  Tents were burning, people were screaming, and there was ruby red blood everywhere.

I shudder as I think about it.  It was horrible, and in the midst of it all I got separated from my platoon.  We were chasing some of the criminals who were trying to escape and we got ambushed.  That’s how I ended up alone out here.  I don’t even know if anyone else survived.  The pain I am in because of it is almost too horrible to bear.  

It is late afternoon now and I have sat down for a break.  The tree root underneath me is hard and rough but better than the ant infested dirt that is churning beneath my feet.  I relax as I eat a mango I found on a tree earlier, and then I notice it.  There is no sound.  The jungle as gone completely silent.  There hasn’t been silence since the moment I set foot in the jungle, and that can only mean one thing, I’m in danger. 

Without making any sudden movements I look around me.  It must be a big predator or the air would not be as still as it is now.  Now that I am paying attention, I can hear low growling.  A cat of some kind then.  I slowly stand up from my root and take another careful look around.  That is when I see it, and again I am grateful that my training taught me how to see past camouflage. My eyes seem to fix on the creature until I can see myself reflected in its’ eyes.  The cat’s fur is silky and smooth and the brightest orange I have ever seen.  It is so bright that I wonder how it could even hide in the midst of all this green.  The tiger is fixed on me and I can see its’ tail swish past a small cluster of grass behind it.   He is going to pounce on me at any moment, so I do the only thing I can think of, I run.

I take of at unnatural speed and I can hear the tiger’s growling following behind me.  He is dashing through the trees with grace and all I can do is try to not trip on the protruding roots.  If is stop, he will catch up to me, I have to try and evade him somehow.  I start to maneuver in a haphazard way, trying to shake the creature off my tail, and I never stop running. 

I find a low point in the river next to me and I cross over it.  The cold water seeps into my skin, feeling like it is freezing my toes in the process.  I run past so many different things.  The ferns bend as I pass and I can see little insects fleeing from my path.  They fly in my eyes and obscure my vision.  I can feel my strength start to wane and I feel as if I am barely moving anymore.  I try to run faster, but all that does is hurt my progress even more.   My legs feel like lead and I can barely hold my head up anymore due to the exhaustion.  Finally, I collapse on the ground ready for my final moments, but nothing happens. 

I turn onto my back and look around me.  The tiger is nowhere in sight and I can’t hear any more of its’ deep growling.  The dirt underneath my hands is hot and gritty.  My eyes dash about, looking for any sign of my pursuer and find nothing.

I sigh in relief, I lost it.  I am safe again.   Then I hear a branch above me break. I look directly up and see the huge creature before me.  Now that he is not hiding in brush I can see his muscled body.  He is as big around as a tree trunk and it is obvious that he is built for chases like the one I had just given him.  The tiger licks his translucent whiskers and I can see the light shine off of them.  He crouches lower on the branch, and all I can do is watch in terror, transfixed by the terrible beauty of the creature. 

I inhale.  He leaps.