Curtain Call (The Jewel Project #7)

16. White Flags

It took maybe another two or three weird hallucinations involving jungles, Snitch Gravel and rainbow pooping pop tart cats before Kyle became fully aware.

Reddish light flickered through the dense foliage, which indicated that it was maybe dusk. And as he opened his eyes and glanced upwards, his mind started spinning and providing him with vital information.

He was in the same place he'd been since the moment he'd opened his eyes the first time. He'd been starting so much at those fichus leaves, he knew their shape too well by then.

His body ached, and for the first time, he could focus on it properly. His back and arms burned, his chest felt heavy and a sharp jolt in his ribs with every breath let him know some of them might be broken. Just like his sternum, maybe. He wasn't sure because he'd never broken it before. His head still pounded.

The crackling of fire and the warmth coming from it let him know that he really wasn't alone. He was also aware he wasn't lying on the ground, and he remembered a cot being involved anyway.

So that left what happened. He closed his eyes and focused, trying to pinpoint the last thing he remembered. The traps, Kay almost getting hurt, the wall shooting up between them, the spiked wall advancing towards him much too fast.

The terror returned as his final conversation with Kay played inside his head. At that moment, when he told her he loved her one last time, he was sure he was dead. After all, there was no way out, the spikes were nearing and he couldn't smash his way out of that one.

Had the others gotten out? Were they safe? How long had he been there? And the jewel? Out of deeply ingrained reflex, he lifted his wrist to check his watch. The dial was cracked, half of it missing. Fabulous.

Pushing back the tormenting questions, he focused on the more immediate one. How the hell was he still alive? His memory was very fuzzy, but it involved a lot of water and a lot of pain. He'd fallen... somewhere. Except he couldn't exactly remember how and when. Maybe a trap door opened or something. It hurt too much.

Maybe later. He still had another major problem to deal with.

"You there?" he asked into the silence.

There was a shuffling of movement and a face appeared above his. He wished he was hallucinating, but for the first time, Kyle was sure he was not. Snitch Gravel really was there, more real than necessary.

"Huh, you're up again," he mumbled, reaching out and taking his pulse. He then put his hand on Kyle's forehead. "And your fever is down."

He opened his mouth to ask what happened, but changed his mind. "How long have I been out?"

"Fourteen hours."

That didn't sound right. "I mean since you found me."

Snitch Gravel hesitated. "I'm not sure. Maybe around a week?"

"A week?" Kyle shot into a sitting position.

Nausea climbed up his throat, but he managed to push it back before he barfed all over Snitch Gravel. His head pounded and his muscles burned worse than ever, but he refused to lay back down. If he'd been there for a week and his watch was broken, the others probably thought he was dead.

Kay thought he was dead. No, no, no. He had no way to contact them. He had to get out of there.

"Where are we?" he asked.

Snitch Gravel quirked an eyebrow. "In the jungle."

"Yes, I get that, but where?" He didn't even have time to be snarky. He needed to get back to his family now.