What do I do? What do I do? What do I DO?!
The question played like a mantra through Howie's mind. It was a simple enough question, but with a very elusive answer. What the hell are you supposed to do when a particularly large and vile looking snake was using your chest as its own personal resting place? Howie'd give anything to just scream his lungs out, but it wasn't exactly one of his choices. I wish I could breathe. Howie thought fleetingly, as he was holding his breath, breathing very slowly, so not to startle the reptile staring into his eyes. Howie slowly turned his head, searching out his friends. He almost sighed when he found them all sound asleep still. Come on, guys. Help me out here!
As if in answer to Howie, AJ stirred. Howie watched as he rolled over onto his right side, biting his lip when AJ cried out and woke abruptly, causing the snake to hiss and pull back. Howie's brow furrowed when he heard a rattle, Dear God, its a freakin' rattle snake! What the hell is a rattle snake doin' in Alaska? Hell, I didn't think there even WERE snakes in this region.
AJ grabbed onto his side, his breath hissing through his teeth. I gotta remember to NEVER do that again. Once the pain subsided, he heard a hissing sound. It wasn't him, what was it? AJ let his brown eyed gaze sweep their fire lit camp, nearly fainting dead away when his eyes fell on Howie. A snake.... tell me that is NOT a snake... ...Breathe AJ, you gotta breathe, man. He slowly crawled his way over to Howie, whose fearful wide eyes bored into him.
"Howie?" AJ rasped softly, his eyes watching the snake for any threat, "You okay, 'D?"
Howie's expression grew lax and he raised an eyebrow. AJ closed his eyes, Yeah, I know. Stupid question. AJ was within a foot of Howie when the snake's head jerked in his direction, a rattle filling the night. AJ nearly fell, Oh, shit! A rattle snake?!
"It'll be okay, 'D. Jus' you sit tight," AJ tried to soothe his friend as he detoured to Kevin, missing Howie rolling his eyes. Sit tight? Gimme a break, AJ.
AJ carefully made his way to Kevin's sleeping form, he shook him lightly, "Kev... Hey, Kev... Wake up, we got a problem..."
Kevin groaned and then blinked his eyes open, staring into AJ's scared face, "What's wrong, AJ? You okay?" He asked, sitting up.
"Yeah, uhhh.... well, I'm okay. Its Howie that falls out of the okay category," he replied nervously.
"Howie? What's wrong with Howie?"
AJ nodded over to Howie and watched the color drain from Kevin's face. "Dear God..." he breathed.
They made their way back over to Howie, the snake seeming to become more agitated by the second. The rattle became louder and more insistent, the message clearly sent: Beware.
Kevin tried to look at the situation calmly, then silently laughed. Who am I kidding? He desperately tried to think of something, anything to help Howie. Kevin became frustrated when he came up blank.
For his part, Howie stared at the snake, his eyes watching for the slightest change that would signal a strike. He felt his body wanting to shake in the fear he felt, but somehow he managed to staunch the impulse. The snake probably wouldn't of reacted too kindly to that little function.
Suddenly, something flew out of the darkness outside of their camp. They watched in horror as a rock fell and landed on the high-strung snake. Startled, the snake attacked the closest thing to it... Howie.
Howie saw the change and sat up with a jerk, throwing his arms over his face as the snake struck out at him. He cried out and and scrambled back at a fierce stinging in his right forearm, he squeezed his eyes shut and gripped his arm, his breath coming out in panicked gasps. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, GOD! Jesus, no. LORD, no! This canNOT be happening!
Kevin watched through a stunned haze as the snake struck Howie, he then moved on instinct alone as he grabbed the serpent and flung it into the fire. Nick and Brian woke up with surprise at the chaos around them, their wide eyes trying to take in the scene before them.
"What the hell?!" cried Nick, staring in disbelief at the fire, seeing the long body writhing in its burning hot center. He turned to the equally stunned Brian beside him, "That's a snake, right?" Brian slowly nodded, not taking his eyes away from the dying reptile. Nick couldn't believe it, "What the hell is a snake doin' here?!"
AJ was more worried about Howie, seeing his friend clutching his arm in pain was not a particularly good sign.
"Howie?" he asked, reached forward, "Howie, man, are you hurt? Did it get ya?"
Howie kept his hand clutched over his arm, blood was beginning to seep through his fingers, God, this hurts like hell! He simply nodded his head in response to AJ's question, thinking it was obvious. Oh, God. I'm gonna die.
Nick and Brian joined Kevin and AJ around Howie, their faces filled with concern in seeing Howie. They knew what happened. Kevin moved closer to Howie's shaking form, "Okay, 'D, you gotta stay still, okay? You're going to be all right, you hear me? You're gonna be fine."
Kevin reached forward and managed to tear Howie's hand away from his arm, revealing his white shirt sleeve and widening red stain. Kevin unbuttoned the cuff and pulled the material back, uncovering two distinct holes in Howie's arm, the blood flowing freely from them. Kevin didn't know what to do, should he suck the poison out? Is that what they do?
Howie's soft, trembling voice broke through the silence, "Oh, God, Kevin.... I don't wanna die..."
"You're not gonna die, 'D," stated AJ firmly, "We won't let you."
Kevin finally made a decision, "I'm gonna suck the poison out, its the only thing I can think of..."
Howie looked at Kevin's tortured face, "Do whatever you have to, Kev."
Kevin took Howie's arm and sucked out a mouthful of blood and then quickly spit it out, grimacing. Then Kevin stopped, he stared blankly for a moment. Something wasn't right.
"Kev, you okay?" Brian asked, noticing his cousin's expression.
"No poison," Kevin breathed, barely audible.
Brian leaned forward, "What?"
Kevin blinked and then looked from Howie to Brian, "No poison." This time he said it louder, firmer.
They all stared at him, Nick asked what was on all of their minds, "How do you know?"
"I didn't taste any," Kevin replied, knowing it sounded gruesome, but it was the truth. "The snake..."
"Yeah," AJ urged, "the snake... what?"
Understanding lit Kevin's eyes as it all fell into place, then his face fell in anger, "The snake, it was milked. It didn't have any poison to begin with, somebody milked it. There aren't any snakes in Alaska, let alone a rattle snake." Kevin's eyes narrowed, "Somebody put it here, and I'll give you one guess who."
Howie looked at Kevin in shock, eyes wide and mouth open, "No poison? I'll be fine? I'm okay?" He suddenly sighed, falling back to lay on the ground, "Thank God!"
Howie lay trembling, that scared the hell out of him. He thought he was dead. Dead. Now the relief with the knowledge that he wasn't and the aftershock... it was overwhelming. He didn't want to have that feeling of utter terror again, never again. He took deep breaths, his heart slowly calming its rapid pace. Howie squeezed his eyes shut, a few tears slipping and falling into his hair. God...
AJ sat, letting it all sink in. Howie is all right? He's not gonna die? AJ couldn't believe how close this was. If the snake would of had poison... Howie was as good as dead. Thank God for small miracles... Hell, huge miracles.
Kevin was seething. Nick could see it burning in his green eyes, and the way the fire light played across Kevin's angry features... Nick shuddered. I wouldn't want to be that woman right about now... nope, definitely not. Nick was a little afraid of Kevin right now, he didn't know what Kevin was going to do. Kevin's face was screaming bloody murder.
Nick tentatively reached out to Kevin, "Kev? You okay?"
Kevin stood, he didn't seem to hear Nick's words. Nick glanced at Brian as he saw Kevin's hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Okay, this can't be good.
Kevin's eyes blazed as he gazed out into the darkness beyond their fire's glow. It was a little lighter than before, but the clouds remained over the sun, even in the early morning light. Kevin's stare searched the murkiness, looking for the person that caused this to happen... so he could beat the crap out of him. Kevin had never wanted to physically hurt someone so badly in his life. It scared him, that he would want to purposely inflict harm to another human being. But, he reasoned, you could hardly call these people human.
Kevin's eyes locked onto the backpack. He smiled. If I'm right, then I think that 'woman' didn't know about this anymore than we did. Still smiling, Kevin walked over to the backpack and reached in.
Brian watched his cousin as he smiled and walked to the backpack, reaching in. What is he doin'? Brian's eyes widened as Kevin brought his hand up with the black radio clutched in his fingers, "Kevin, what are you doin'?"
Brian's question caught the attention of the others, AJ paused in wrapping Howie's arm, before quickly tying it off and putting his full attention on Kevin.
Kevin looked at Brian, "I just thought I'd give our lady friend a little call, let her know how much we enjoyed her little surprise."
A lone figure out in the murky darkness heard this and cringed.
"Kev, are you crazy? You actually want to talk to that... that..." Brian broke off, not finding a suitable word to describe the woman.
"Trust me, Bri'. I think I know what just went on here," replied Kevin, then he depressed the radio button. He paused. He didn't know what to call her. Kevin shrugged, "Hey, Lady! You there?!"
He waited. The others traded nervous glances, not liking this one bit.
Kevin tried again, "Hey! This is Kevin! You know, one of the guys you dragged into this hell hole?!"
Finally, a response. For a moment, Kevin regretted the call.
"What the hell do you want?!" The woman's voice was sharp and cracked like a whip. Kevin slightly cringed, then took a deep breath. He started this, he was going to finish it.
"I just wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed your little surprise," he stated mysteriously.
Silence.
"What the hell are you talkin' about?!" The woman was not in a good mood. This Kevin, had just woken her from a very nice, demented sleep. She was seriously pissed that he called just to prattle her ear off about some damned nonsense.
Kevin smiled at her reaction, I was right. "You know, that snake you left us. A rattle snake, the one you milked and had scare the shit out of us. Just for your entertainment."
"What?!"
The woman didn't believe her ears, a rattle snake? Certainly not her rattle snake! Dropping the hand-held radio, she quickly left her room and stumbled into the observation room, skidding to a stop at a glass tank. No! He was gone, her precious little Satan was gone! What did they do with him?
She quickly scrambled to the screens and monitors, finding the one that recorded them at night and pushing rewind. She stopped it and watched as her snake, Satan, slithered onto... Howie? and then after a little while, he attacked. She watched through horrified eyes as Kevin grabbed her Satan and flung him into the fire.
"Noooo!"
She grabbed the radio, her knuckles white in the ferocity she gripped it with. "You killed him! You killed my Satan, you bastard!"
"You shouldn't of sent him after us," replied Kevin coolly, "Its your own fault."
The woman was shaking in her anger, "I. Did. Not. Send. My. Satan. After. You." She said this slowly, punctuating each word she spit out.
Kevin feigned surprise, inwardly smiling. It was nice to get one up on the sick woman, "Then who did?"
The woman's eyes narrowed, "Jake." The name hissed off of her tongue. Then louder she declared, "Jake." She knew he was out there listening, "JAKE! You get yer good for nothin' ass back here pronto! I know you're there, so move it!"
Kevin heard a faint curse and then a rustling in the bush. He smiled wider, "Hey, Lady," Kevin smirked, looking at his stunned friends, his eyes twinkling.
The woman's voice sounded wary, "Yeah?"
"Do you like your snake regular or extra crispy?"
The guys burst out laughing, Kevin grinned at the woman's response, "You-... you-... you-... Oh! Screw you, Richardson! You'll pay for that, all of you will. Mark my words, you'll pay with your lives!"
Then static emitted from the small radio, Kevin placed it back into the backpack and turned to the guys, who were just getting their laughter under control. He smiled, "God, did that ever feel good!"
AJ tried not to laugh, he really did. He failed miserably, and then paid the price. Pain lanced through his side, causing him to clutch the sensitive area. Oh, damn... no laughing, gotta remember... no laughing. Eyes shut tight, AJ concentrated on taking slow even breaths, the pain slowly dissipating.
Howie stopped laughing at AJ's gasp of pain, "Hey, 'J. You all right, man?"
AJ nodded his head, wincing, "Yeah, 'D. I will be in a minute, laughing does nothing good for cracked ribs."
"Oh, man, I forgot about that. You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah," AJ assured, straightening, "Its already better."
Then AJ noticed something was missing, "Hey, where's Squeaker?"
Howie glanced around, "How should I know, he's your squirrel."
Then it hit AJ, "Aw, shit. The snake... squirrels and snakes aren't exactly best buds. He probably ran away when he saw the snake, I hope the little bugger's okay."
Howie could see worry in AJ's eyes, He's really gotten attached to that squirrel. Huh, never thought of AJ getting all mushy over a squirrel. "Hey, you wanna go and look for him? I mean, it looks like Kev's in the mood to start movin' anyway. We all could keep an eye out for him."
Gratitude filled AJ's eyes, "Hey, thanks 'D. I can't help but like the little guy, he's just so damn cute!"
Howie laughed, "I'll agree with you on that. C'mon, lets tell the others."
Howie and AJ informed the others of the missing rodent and they set out to search for the squirrel. They stayed together, of course, not wanting a repeat of what happened the last time they split up. They searched every place they could think of, from up in the trees, to under bushes and in hollow logs. They came up empty at every turn, AJ was getting really worried.
Soon, they decided to take a break and have something to eat. They all sat on the ground and leaned against the trees, waiting as Kevin opened the backpack. Kevin unzipped the pack and then opened it, looking inside. His jaw dropped and then he burst out laughing. The others glanced at each other in confusion.
"What's so funny, Kev?" asked Nick.
Kevin just grinned and reached into the backpack, pulling out a fat Squeaker covered in crumbs with a half eaten cookie clutched in his tiny hands.
"Squeaker!" exclaimed AJ, coming forward and snatching the animal from Kevin's grasp. "You little shit! You were in there the whole time?! And you were piggin' out on our food!" AJ wagged his finger at the suddenly contrite squirrel, "Bad squirrel, understand? Bad squirrel!"
Squeaker just blinked up at him innocently, then offered AJ the cookie. AJ stared, then sighed and broke into a grin, "Aw, I can't stay mad at you," AJ turned to the guys, "I mean, look at that face!"
The guys just shook their heads and grinned. Would wonders never cease?
~/~/~/~/~()~~~~~
Jake was surprised he was still alive. The boss was none too happy with him about her precious Satan. I didn't think they'd kill it! I mean, what were the chances of that Kevin guy actually grabbing the snake and throwing it into the fire?! I just wanted to scare them, get them back for humiliating me. I used to be the boss' favorite, now she desperately wants to kill me. Jake tentatively brought a hand up to his face, his fingers coming into contact with his freshly re-opened scar. He winced. She had slashed his face in the same place as his scar, it would be even more prominent than before when it healed. She had given him one more chance, if he screwed up again he was dead. Hell, if I screw up again, I'm outta here!
Jake stood in the back of the observation room, leaning against the wall. His boss was at the console, watching the monitors. From watching the guys, Jake had learned something. They seemed to be in more pain when one of them was in danger or hurt than if they themselves were the one's hurt or in danger. This seemed especially true of that Carter kid, it basically tore him up inside when one of his friends was in danger.
Jake smiled. He now knew how to get his revenge on the young man. Jake's black eyes sparked, I can't wait...
~/~/~/~/~()~~~~~
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"Things just couldn't look up for us, now could they?!"
Thunder strikes and rain falls, dowsing the five young men running through the dense trees on the incline of a mountain. Kevin's eyes are on the surroundings, trying to find shelter from the storm. The rain falls steadily, the occasional lightning lighting their way.
"Hey!" he yells, getting their attention. They stop and squint through the rain falling into their eyes at Kevin, who has his hand across his brow as a shield. "Lets keep moving, but lets not overdo it. Keep your eyes open for any kind of shelter. This storm can't last long." At least I hope it doesn't last long.
They silently agree, nodding their heads. They resume their trek, keeping their pace at a steady jog. They begin to feel miserable as the rain continues and they still haven't found adequate shelter, their assorted injuries aggravated by the constant movement and heavy weight of their water logged clothes.
Finally, a sign of relief, "Hey!" Yelled Nick, pointing through the rain and up ahead, "There's a cave!"
"Thank God!" cried AJ, quickly closing the distance to the presumedly safe shelter. "I'd had enough of that rain!"
AJ reaches the dark cave, cautiously peering into its depths. The opening is fairly wide, 7 feet high and 9 feet wide, but as AJ enters he notices it differs greatly. The cave opens up to an enormous cavern, cool.
"Hey, guys! You gotta check this out!" AJ's voice echoes through the blackness, causing AJ to shiver in the loneliness of it.
His friends soon join him and gape at the huge and spacious cave, "Whoa! This is cool!" cried Brian as he listened to his voice also echo, moving further into the darkness.
"Brian! Get back here!" yelled Kevin, snatching Brian's right arm and pulling him back towards the opening. "You don't know what's in here, there could be wild animals in this place. We stay close to the opening, got it? No venturing into the cave."
"Yeah, Kev," replied Brian, "I got'cha."
"Good. Now," Kevin continued, turning to the others and seeing Nick huddled against the stone wall with his arms wrapped around his chest, shivering, "We'd better get a fire started before we freeze to death."
They managed to find some dry wood and built a fire near the mouth of the cave, all five huddled closely around it and basked in the warmth it provided. The hours passed and the storm grew more violent, the lighting now cracked constantly, the thunder roaring nonstop.
~/~/~/~/~()~~~~~
"What the HELL?!" cried the woman, her screens and lights suddenly going blank and the room dark. "Jake! What the hell just happened?!"
Clears throat "Well, uhhh... I think the storm knocked our power out, boss." His voice came from the back of the dark room, flashes of lightning acting like a strobe through the sparse windows.
"What?!" She couldn't believe this. Now, besides being one man short, she has now lost her eyes. She needs her eyes, that was a major part in the game. She had to watch the players, what was she going to do now?
"Jake! Get yer ass out into that storm and see why our generator has lost power... NOW!"
"Okay, boss... I'm goin'."
Jake left the room and soon the cabin, forcing himself out into the rain. He stumbled to where they had the generator in a shack. He stopped. Oh, you have got to be kidding! Jake stared at the ruins of the metal shed, seeing it still smoldering after the hit. The boss ain't goin' to like this.
With a sigh, Jake went back to the cabin. He went to the observation room but paused outside the door. He took a deep breath and then pushed it open. He saw the boss still in her chair but with a flashlight clicked on in her hands. "Well?"
"Its toast, boss. It was struck by lightning."
Jake ducked as the flying light came soaring at his head, hearing it whip over him and crash into the wall. Surprisingly, it stayed lit, a beam of light cutting into the black room. He blanched at the sight before him. The boss still sat in the chair facing him, but the light hit her face and revealed to him the depths of hell on earth. Okay, NOW she's really pissed...
"Leave before I kill you," she hissed, fire dancing in her ice blue eyes.
Jake didn't need to be told twice and quickly left the room. He decided he'd go get the old lanterns out and light the cabin up, he didn't want her to change her mind and come after him in the dark. He wanted to be able to see her coming.
The woman sat. Fuming. I can't believe it... I just can't BELIEVE it! What the hell are the odds?! I'm still continuing the game, we still have our cell phones to communicate. I'll have Cal and Jake shadow them and report into me. The cell phones aren't the best out here for reception, the radios were better. We'll just have to cope... Damn, how did everything fall apart? It was going so great... Those boys... Those 'Backstreet Boys' ... have the luck of the Devil... But it won't last, their luck will end the minute they walk through that door. I will end it PERSONALLY...
~/~/~/~/~()~~~~~
Soon, night once again fell and the storm finally stopped, much to the relief of the five temporary occupants of the cavernous cave. They were tired, but also restless. AJ seemed to be able to entertain himself with Squeaker and Howie kept himself busy by watching AJ play with Squeaker. Kevin was poking the fire with a long stick, watching the sparks fly, lost in thought.
Nick was sitting cross-legged at the edge of the cave opening, leaning against the stone wall and staring out into the dark forest watching the clouds roll out and the gray light roll in. He felt all of his emotions begin to catch up with him, slowly piling up inside him. He'd been struggling to keep them back since this whole thing started, trying to stay strong and support his friends. Now, it was beginning to overwhelm him. He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to keep it up. Just the idea of what was happening, let alone what happened to them so far, was enough if he thought about it. So, he concentrated on other things. The trees, the sky, the clean scent of rain, his friends, singing, his fans, his life, his family, his home... ...home. Somehow, his thoughts lead to things he longed for now. His family... ...HOME. Oh, how I want to go home. To my family, my house, the ocean, back to singing... All those things, to me, was home. Kevin, Howie, AJ, and Brian are a huge part of that, too. But... to go HOME... Please, I just want to go home...please... Nick stared into the night, anguish in his eyes and tears sliding down his face.
Brian was restless. He wanted to do something. He looked at his friends. Howie and AJ were playing with Squeaker, Kevin was staring blankly into the fire, I'm sure that would be a good place to start something...NOT. He turned to Nick and found him at the edge of the cave with his back to them, a good distance away from them. I don't think he wants to be bothered.
Brian sighed. So what the hell am I gonna do? His gaze led to the back of the cave. Hmmm... He glanced at Kevin and saw him still preoccupied with the fire. What could possibly happen? Brian quietly got to his feet and walked to the back of the cave.
Brian carefully walked, taking measured steps in the darkness. He couldn't see a damn thing. Aw, there's no point in this. What good is it if I can't see anything? With a sigh, Brian turned to go back to the mouth of the cave. Then he suddenly heard an flapping noise above him. Curious, he squinted up at the ceiling. His jaw dropped. He could swear the ceiling was moving. But... that would mean... Oh, man...
Brian started to quickly make his way back to his friends, when...
"BRIAN!" That would be Kevin... ticked off by the sounds of it.
The roof above Brian suddenly made another flapping noise, soon it escalated to be heard all around him. Then the ceiling seemed to fall down on top of him. Brian screamed as small claws and wings closed in and smothered all around him.
"Ahhh!"
Brian ran back to his friends, the black cloud following him. Brian waved his one free hand over his head, knocking them from his hair. He broke his way to his stunned friends, who were all on their feet facing him.
"BATS!" he yelled, grabbing Nick and pushing him out the cave and to the ground. Brian covered his head with his arm as he heard and felt the hoards of bats flying over him, out of the cave and into the night.
Once they all finally left, Brian tentatively lifted his head.
"Brian," Kevin's tone was low, wanting an answer.
"I know, I know," Brian said as he pushed himself up, "You told me to stay to the front of the cave. I'm sorry."
Kevin shook his head, partly at Brian and partly to shake the feeling of bats clinging to his hair. "Don't do it again, Bri'."
"Trust me," Brian smiled, "I won't."
Brian's smile abruptly left when something knocked him upside his head. He turned to face a smiling Nick, "You spaz. You couldn't let us have one moment of peace, now could ya?"
Brian's smile returned, "Nope."
"All right," said Kevin, smiling also, "Maybe we ought to get some sleep. We can go back into the cave by the fire, I think. Those bats ought to leave us alone until mornin'."
They all stood and turned to the cave, then froze. There, staring straight back at them with glowing eyes, was a really big cat. It stood poised at the side of the entrance, staring at them intently. The fire light from within the cave cast a glow on the cat, revealing long fur, a large mouth, huge paws, and a black outline on its ears, the tip a long black spike of fur.
"What the hell is that?" whispered Howie.
Kevin answered, "That, I'm afraid, is a lynx."
"What do we do?"
"Don't move a muscle."
"Yeah, okay... I think we got that covered," deadpanned AJ, "Now what?"
Why'd they always ask me? "I don't know," Kevin replied.
Then a sound reached their ears. Something was coming, making its way through the trees toward them. The lynx tensed. A loud snap was heard, just behind them.
The lynx sprung...
Seven Days by Refuse
