The Price of Friendship Chapter 25
Marco led his three younger cousins, Samuel, Henry and Jordan, through the thick stand of trees that formed a natural barrier between the sandy beach of Topowgo and the forest standing behind them. They were searching for anyone of the young Americans as ordered by Russell Johnson. If one or more of the young men could be found, they would be taken back to the Johnson�s island so that Mr. Johnson could complete his experiments.
As the small group left the beach and entered the forest, Marco reached into a deep pocket of his ragged shorts to feel the cool metal of the gun that Russell Johnson had given him. A feeling of power surged through the island native, causing his heart to quicken its pace in excitement as he fingered the firearm that he had placed into the pocket once he had been out of the Johnson�s range of sight. With a small smile of satisfaction Marco continued to handle the gun as he led his cousins deeper into the forest.
�Mr. Johnson will be most pleased with me when I return with an American,� he said to himself. �Maybe he will even hire my cousins to take the place of Davis.�
At the thought of Davis, Marco�s emotions took a nosedive. He had always considered him as a brother�their friendship had spanned many, many years. Marco was at a loss as to what changed Davis other than the fact that the changes occurred with the arrival of the five Americans. As realization took place as to the possible cause for Davis�s change of heart, Marco made a small, silent vow that any Americans that they happened to find would pay for the loss he was experiencing�yes�they would pay dearly.
Marco�s thoughts were interrupted when Jordan quietly spoke to him.
�What will become of Davis?� he asked in his native tongue. He and Davis had also been close childhood friends but had grown apart as childhood days turned into worldly cares.
�I do not know what will become of him. I only know that I would not wish to be in his shoes if Mr. Johnson were to ever cross his path again,� Marco answered bitterly. �The Americans are the cause for his change�it is their fault and they must suffer for it.�
Marco�s cousins nodding their heads in agreement encouraged the older man to continue speaking.
�The Johnsons had done so much for us both�clothed us, fed us, gave aid to our families when needed�why in the world would Davis turn his back on all that�for Americans?� he spat out in frustration.
�I do not understand either, my cousin,� Samuel said sympathetically as he placed a hand on Marco�s shoulder.
�Believe this,� Henry added. �We will take care of the Americans�if we find more than one�we can return with one but the other can take a message to his friends�a message of our resentment in the loss of Davis.�
Marco slowly smiled at the words his youngest cousin had spoken.
�Yes�if more than one are found, one will return with us�while the others will serve as reminders for the others of our anger.�
The three younger men returned Marco�s smile, relieved that they were able to somewhat lighten the older man�s mood.
The small group continued walking along the dirt path in silence for several more minutes with their eyes and ears open for any movement or sound that would indicate the Americans being near.
As they rounded a blind bend in the trail, Marco froze in place and quickly ducked down. He looked over his shoulder to see that his cousins had done the same thing. He mouthed, �listen� and pointed further down the path ahead of them. They instantly stilled their movements knowing that sound seemed to carry on a hot and humid day such as this. The trio then strained to hear what Marco had heard and were all but ready to give up on hearing anything when voices could be heard�quiet, strange voices�voices speaking in English.
�995�996�997�998�999�1000,� Justin said in a voice that was choked with sorrow and disappointment as he and Chris came to a halt on the hard dirt trail.
Chris took in a deep breath as he placed his hands on his hips and brought his gaze up to the treetops overhead in an effort to reign in the emotions that were assaulting him as well as search for any hidden cameras...fortunately, he did not find any within the branches or leaves of the trees.
�I can�t believe we didn�t see anything,� he said quietly in bewilderment as he returned his gaze to the trail and surrounding area.
Justin, on the other hand, completely gave into the emotions that were pummeling him and slumped heavily to the ground when he found that he no longer had the strength to stand. �I know,� Justin whispered, his voice thick with unshed tears. He then dropped his head into his hands and slowly began to rock back and forth as he lost his battle with his tears.
Chris looked down at the top of Justin�s head then took in another deep but now ragged breath before kneeling beside the sobbing figure. He wrapped his arms around Justin�s shaking shoulders, stopping the young man�s rocking motion then laid his head on top of the unruly curls.
�Sh�sh�J�sh,� Chris whispered as he tried to comfort Justin and at the same time draw his own comfort from the young man.
As Chris listened to Justin�s quiet sobs, he found himself becoming absolutely heartsick over the entire situation�JC was missing�lost somewhere out here�Joey was very sick in the cave�Lance was blaming himself for JC�s situation�Justin was falling apart.
With a shudder, Chris shook his head, closed his eyes and drew in another deep, ragged breath with his next thoughts.
What bothered him most of all�the most difficult thing to deal with was knowing that, as the oldest of the group, he would always feel responsible for everyone�for everything�this was ultimately his fault.
Those last thoughts broke the dam holding back his emotions and quiet tears traced their way down his sweaty cheeks. He buried his head further into Justin�s curls as he allowed himself time to pull his act together. He had to keep composed for Justin�s sake�for Joey�s sake�for JC and Lance�s sakes. He pulled in another deep, uneven breath and listened to Justin�s quiet sobs.
The pair stayed in that awkward position with little said for several minutes. Justin was too heartbroken to speak while Chris was sure that words would do little in comforting Justin right now and besides that, his voice would betray how he was truly feeling for the moment...scared�scared senseless for JC, Joey and the rest of the group. So, instead of speaking Chris allowed his mind to wander.
�Can you believe that Richard was able to get us this vacation?� JC asked as he sat down beside Chris in the crowded commissary of Jive Studios. JC was referring to one of their many members of the group�s management team who had pulled an insane number of strings in order for their short get away to become a reality.
Chris smiled then shoved a few ketchup drenched french-fries into his mouth and shook his head no in response to JC�s enthusiastic question.
�Are you packed yet?� JC asked before taking a bite of his sandwich.
�No�not yet, but it shouldn�t take me very long,� Chris answered after swallowing. He watched JC smile as he chewed. He was excited about the get away that had been arranged for them, but not nearly as excited as JC. �I take it that you�re all packed and ready to go.�
JC nodded his head and took a sip of his drink. �Yeah�since earlier this week.�
�I don�t think I�ve ever seen you this pumped for a vacation before,� Chris said as he swirled a few more french-fries through the puddle of ketchup on his plate.
�Just think Chris�it�s going to be the five of us�out on a boat�in the ocean,� JC said in a manner more fitting of a 5 year old and not a 25 year old. �No bodyguards�no fans�no management�nada�zip�zero�nothing but us...the water and the sun. How can you not be psyched for something like that?�
A rustling noise that could barely be heard over Justin�s sobs interrupted Chris�s thoughts. He immediately lifted his head up from the top of Justin�s head and gazed all about them as he wiped away his tears. He glanced up and down the trail both ways and then at the trees surrounding them in an effort to trace the source of the noise. Seeing and hearing nothing, Chris looked back down at Justin and quietly began to speak to him in an effort to comfort him. They needed to get back to the cave. He didn�t want Lance to have to spend too much more time alone with Joey�Lance had seemed so afraid�so nervous about the two hours that they had guessed it would take to walk the distance that they had down the trail and back.
Just as Chris stopped his speaking to Justin, he heard the noise again, but this time it seemed closer and coming toward them.
�Sh�J�be quiet,� Chris urged, but Justin mistook the words of warning as words of comfort and continued to openly sob.
Seeing that his words were going unheeded, Chris quickly pulled Justin closer to him, causing him to fall against his chest then clamped a hand forcibly over Justin�s mouth while wrapping his other arm around Justin chest, pinning his arms to his sides. Justin instantly struggled against Chris in confusion and slight fear as he mumbled into the hand tightly covering his mouth.
Chris bent his head over Justin�s and hissed forcibly into the younger man�s ear.
�I heard something�be quiet�be still�now.�
Justin immediately stilled his movements and became quiet as his breaths grew quicker and more shallow as fear set in. Justin�s eyes darted about him while Chris kept his hand over his mouth as he sat up and looked about him. Out of the corner of his eye Chris saw something that sent shivers down his spine. Justin felt Chris shudder against him and began to once again struggle against him all the while grunting into the hand covering his mouth.
�Shut up, J�don�t move,� Chris whispered into the younger man�s ear. �Some men are coming this way and I don�t see Jace with them.�
As Chris continued to watch the approaching men, he hoped against all hope that they would change course because it was too late�much too late for him or Justin to crawl into the undergrowth surrounding the trail without being seen or heard.
�I�m going to let go of you�stay quiet and maybe they�ll just walk on by us,� Chris said as he relinquished his hold on his younger friend, only to see that his hopes were being dashed as the four men walked straight toward them.
Chris and Justin stood up and watched as the four men continued to approach them. Fear took further hold of Chris and Justin when they realized what each of the four men were holding in their hands�guns.
Chris instantly pushed Justin behind him, effectively putting himself between his friend and the strangers as he whispered, �Dear God�please protect us,� while the strangers came to a stop and stood before them.
JC, Davis and his brothers reached the clearing that surrounded the waterfall and pool just as the afternoon sun was beginning to brush against the treetops. JC uttered a small sigh of relief and quickened his steps until he reached Davis�s side. He quickly grasped the older man�s arm in an effort to gain his attention. Davis stopped walking and looked down at the weary American.
�Maybe you should let me go in there first,� JC suggested after catching his breath. �My friends might not go for the idea of having you just suddenly showing up.�
Davis stood there looking down at JC all the while knowing that this was going to be the most difficult part of their entire journey.
�Yes�go ahead and tell your friends that we are here,� he said quietly. �Besides, I am sure that they have worried about you and are anxious to see that you are unharmed,� he added.
�Thanks�thanks for everything,� JC murmured as he quickly took off toward the stone steps leading into the cave. He was anxious to see his friends and he knew that they would probably be more than relieved to see him�they were probably going to be pretty mad at him for leaving like that�especially Lance. He had certainly left Lance on the short end of the stick since he had to be the one to break the news to the others. Somehow, he was going to have to make it up to him. With those thoughts in mind, JC reached the bottom ledge and was about to begin his climb when he heard a gasp from the group of men behinds him. He looked back at them and saw that they were looking at something above him�concern and worry etching their dark faces�especially Thomas�s.
JC turned to look above him and what he saw caused his heart to skip several beats. There on the top ledge by the waterfall was a swaying Joey.
�Joey!� JC called out in an effort to gain his attention. �Joey!�
Joey did not seem to hear JC�s cries. He had his gaze fixed on the water below him. JC watched as Joey mouthed over and over again�one word�water�water�water. Then, much to JC�s horror, Joey stepped off the ledge that was at least 30 feet above the pool and plunged limply into the water below with a resounding smack.
For just a few seconds there was stunned silence among the entire group then suddenly there was motion.
Thomas and James jumped into the water to retrieve Joey, who was floating face down in the water while JC stood dazed at the edge of the pool, watching the two men turn Joey over then pull him toward the shallow end of the pool of water. It never occurred to him to wonder where the others were and why Joey was up and about�the horror playing out before him distracted all other thoughts that might have come to mind.
JC�s weariness was forgotten and he raced into the water as Thomas and James drew nearer. The two men were exchanging words in their native language, calling out to Davis and Matthew, all the while carrying Joey�s limp form to the sandy bank. He was laid down on is side as JC dropped to his knees.
"Is he breathing?� JC asked frantically as he looked first at Thomas then at James who gazed back at him questioningly.
Knowing that he was getting nowhere, JC pushed their hands away and Joey limply fell onto his back onto the sand. JC then leaned over Joey, placing his left ear next to the younger man�s nose and mouth. Much to his horror, JC heard nothing�he felt nothing�Joey was not breathing. JC then placed his head on Joey�s chest and thankfully heard his heart beating. The four cousins watched JC�s frantic movements questioningly�as far as they were concerned the young man was dead�no breath meant no life. JC had other thoughts though�he was not going to give up on Joey�not without a fight.
�Okay�don�t panic�don�t panic,� he said aloud to himself as he rose from his position over Joey. He knew what had to be done. He placed his hand under Joey�s neck and pushed upward so that his airway would be clear then listened once more�still nothing then felt his carotid pulse to find that there was still a beat.
He pinched Joey�s nose, pulled his jaw down so that his mouth was now opened and breathed two quick breaths into the man�s mouth all the while watching to see if his chest rose or not�thank goodness�it rose and deflated�both times.
JC then began to breath into Joey�s mouth in earnest. One�two�three�four�five�six�seven�oh no�please breathe�ten�no Joey�no�thirteen. Finally, just as JC was about to push air into Joey�s lungs for the fourteenth time, he felt his friend stir to life and give a small, weak gasp, then cough. JC quickly tried to turn Joey to the side, but found that he was too worn out and weak�the surge of adrenalin that he had had was now quickly leaving his body.
�Help me turn him,� JC said quickly to James and Thomas who were stunned by what they had just seen. They had never seen anyone breathe life into another individual before.
Davis, on the other hand, quickly dropped to his knees and helped JC to turn Joey as he coughed up small amounts of water.
JC gently rubbed Joey�s back, encouraging him to continue coughing any water out of his lungs all the while thanking the good Lord above that Joey was alive. As Joey continued to cough and draw ragged breaths, he curled himself into a near fetal position in an effort to keep warm. JC and Davis wanted to turn Joey onto his back but the position that he had rolled himself into was not about to be broken�Joey was not going to be moved�he was too cold.
In his curled up position, Joey groaned and turned his head slightly back and forth as he struggled to climb through the darkness surrounding him. Then his teeth began to chatter as his body began to shake with cold. JC looked in alarm at Davis and then at the others. When he and Davis had turned Joey to his side, he had not felt cold�it had been the opposite�Joey had felt warm to the touch�almost too warm, but JC had been too concerned in helping Joey to breath for anything else to register with him.
JC looked back down at the huddled figure before him and laid his hand over Joey�s forehead only to feel the heat radiating from his friend.
�He�s so hot,� JC murmured. He looked up again at Davis and his brothers and repeated himself.
�He�s hot�too hot.�
Thomas dropped to his knees beside the limp body and felt the young man�s forehead then quickly began speaking in his native language to Davis. Thomas then picked up Joey�s right arm and glanced at it. He turned again to his brothers and spoken even more rapidly�his urgency evident in his voice.
Since JC had no idea what was being said, he could only sit by and watch the facial expressions of those around him in an effort to understand what was being said and he was not liking what he was seeing...not at all.
His frustration and helplessness with the situation was growing by the minute as he listened and watched the exchange�it was as if no one had any idea as to what to do, but in reality, Thomas was quickly laying out his plan of treatment to his brothers so that they would know what would be expected of them and he would not have to explain himself twice once he would begin treating Joey.
�Thomas wants to take your friend up into the cave...he feels that he can better treat him up there,� Davis said as he knelt back down beside Joey and gathered the trembling but unresponsive form into his arms.
Meanwhile, James, Matthew and Thomas, along with JC, had stationed themselves along the ledges leading up to the entrance of the cave. Davis reached the first ledge and lifted Joey up to James who took him then handed Joey up to Matthew on the next ledge. Matthew finally lifted Joey�s unconscious form up to Thomas who followed JC through the waterfall concealing the cave�s entrance.
Seconds later, JC�s gasp and his alarmed cry reached the ears of James, Matthew and Davis causing them to hurry their steps
They rushed through the watery curtain and ran into the main room only to see that Thomas and JC were knelt over a second figure lying on the dirt floor.
�Who is this, young one?� Davis asked as he knelt beside the trembling young man. JC looked up at Davis with tearful eyes.
�It�s Lance�the one that you helped�something happened to him�he�s bleeding,� JC stammered as he brought his gaze back down to Lance.
�Aren�t there two others?� Davis asked.
JC�s tears fell in earnest. �Yes,� he answered quietly. �Chris and Justin.�
�He�fine,� Thomas said in his broken English slowly to JC as he laid a reassuring hand on JC�s shoulder. JC nodded his head as he ran a hand over Lance�s blond hair, carefully avoiding the hair tinged red with blood. He watched as Thomas dug through one of the man burlap bags that they had brought with them on their journey.
Thomas brought out a plant and said several words to Matthew who quickly brought a small metal cauldron out of another much larger bag. Matthew handed the pot to Davis who filled it with water from the waterfall while James crushed the plant between two flat slabs of rock on the dirt floor.
�What are you making?� JC asked in a small voice as he watched the activity going on around him.
�Thomas is going to make a paste that will be put on your friend�s head wound,� Davis explained. �He then will make a solution for your friend to smell that will wake him up.�
�What about Joey�s arm�and his fever?� JC asked as he tried to remain calm in the rapidly deteriorating situation.
�Thomas is going to make another paste for his arm�a hot poultice. For his fever, he will make a broth for him to drink that will bring it down. We will take him back out to the water too once the poultice has been put on his arm,� Davis quietly explained.
James and Matthew rapidly spoke to Davis then separated. James went to the back of the cave while Matthew left the cave through the waterfall.
�Where are they going?� JC asked in bewilderment.
�James is going out through the back entrance to make sure that we were not followed while Matthew does the same through the front entrance,� Davis answered.
JC shook his head then returned his attention to Lance as Davis prepared the poultice for Lance�s head, while Thomas quickly crushed the leaves to add to water to awaken the unconscious young man.
Several minutes later, Lance was feebly sitting up with his back leaning heavily against JC�s chest as it was quietly explained to him who the two strangers were and why they were there.
Seeing that Lance had once again been helped with Thomas�s rudimentary medicines, JC was more than glad that he had made his journey out into the forest yesterday in search of the strangers.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, all was not well for Justin or Chris. Marco and his cousins had made good on their promise of leaving one of the young Americans as a reminder of their anger over the change in Davis as they dragged the other toward the beach where their boat awaited them.