Hunted

Forty: Humidity and Mosquitoes

Humidity and mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes and humidity.

Things were becoming unbearably irritating in their secret hideaway, a small outcrop on the north end of the island. It was surrounded on either side with thick vegetation and backed with a high stone cliff face. The view from their camp gave them a clear view of the island below, the land stretching out to the bright, blue sea, but it offered little escape from the high humidity or the pesky airborne fauna.

The high-pitched buzz of the dreaded blood-sucking insects was the only intermittent break from the sound of the cicadas, warning them of the mosquitoes' imminent attack. Ian was enjoying catching them however, before they bit him, their sound alerting him to their approach.

Annakiya wasn't fairing as well. Yet she didn't complain. She didn't need to. Ian could see the swollen bites on her arms and shins, the inflamed red lumps rising sporadically across her cool-brown skin.

Ian rested his head back against the rock wondering when the humidity would finally break. A bead of sweat traced its way down his back, tickling his skin and soaking through his shirt.

Annakiya held her hair away from her neck in an effort to allow herself cool down, but it was of little use in the oppressive heat.

"There's a storm coming," Ian finally breathed, thinking longingly of the air-conditioned corridors of the New School.

"You've said that like six times," Annakiya grumbled, scratching her shin irritably.

"Doesn't make it less true," Ian replied, winking at her. "If only it would hurry the hell up. I feel like I'm suffocating out here".

"Aren't you meant to enjoy the calm before the storm?" Annakiya replied, with an exhausted sigh.

"We're confined to The Mountain, which, I have to admit, I was surprised to learn is the secret headquarters for the entire mosquito population of Kingston," he said, catching a particular large mosquito mid-flight and squishing it between thumb and index finger. "What's to enjoy? At least when the storm hits the destruction can distract us from this mind-numbing irritation".

Annakiya watched him, absentmindedly hitting a mosquito, which had landed on her upper arm. "You're not talking about the weather, are you?" she asked, her tone tight.

"What about the weather?" he frowned, gazing at her in confusion, his blue eyes glazed over slightly. "I'm talking about..."

A new sound, alien to Ian, disrupted his thought process. He pushed himself to his feet and moved to the edge of the clearing, where he could avail of the best view of Kingston. Annakiya clambered after him, a sudden rush of nervousness and excitement palpable in her every move.

"It's a plane," she whispered, holding tightly to Ian's arm.

Ian frowned watching the low-flying, amphibious plane as it descended towards the sea, preparing to make its water-landing.

"Bennett's back - is this our sign?" Annakiya asked, glancing up at Ian.

"No - we have to wait a bit longer," he replied, forcing a smile. He hoped he appeared confident, but he found he could hardly even fake it. "We'll know when they need us - don't worry. Anyway the mosquitoes aren't finish their supper yet. We wouldn't want to deprive them by leaving too early".

Annakiya laughed, though Ian could hardly appreciate it, looking back to the plane as it disappeared from sight.

The storm was finally about to break.

Thanks so much for reading Hunted! This is the first of three short installments! Please do vote before reading on and leave a comment if you feel up to it! I would love to get your feedback, especially seeing as it is our first insight to Ian's POV.