Chris Ryan - Survival

'OK. We had a good view of the lie of the land when we were up on the headland the other day. Remember, Amber?'

Amber nodded, although it all seemed a long time ago.

'We can't skirt the coast,' continued Li. 'There are mangrove swamps beyond this lagoon, both ways. Besides, it would take too long. I – I mean-' She stumbled to a halt, glancing quickly at Hex, then away again. 'What I mean is, we wouldn't do it in a day that way.'

'So where do we go?' asked Paulo. 'Through the rainforest?'

'Again, that would take more than a day, and it's very easy to get lost when you can't see more than a few metres ahead. We could end up going in circles. No, I think the best way is up. We should get out of the rainforest onto the lower slopes as soon as we can, then work our way round the eastern shoulder of the mountain to the other side. That way we can see where we're going and the distance is much shorter.'

'Any climbing?' asked Paulo.

'It's mostly just hard walking. There is one outcrop curving all the way round the shoulder to the other side, but I think I could free-climb that, then anchor the rope for the rest of you. Remember, Amber? The way we did it?'

'Yeah. That was OK,' said Amber.

'But we can't just abandon the camp and the signal fire,' said Hex.

'We'll leave a marker arrow, pointing the way we go,' said Alex.

'But we could split up,' insisted Hex. 'Amber could stay here with me until the rest of you come back.'

Alex nodded. He had been expecting this question. The truth was that Hex only had enough time left for a one-way trip, but that was not the answer Alex gave.

'It's not safe to split up,' he said, smoothly. 'Not with komodos hunting in this part of the island. Besides, it's going to take four of us to carry the stretcher.'

'Stretcher?' said Hex. 'You think I'll need a stretcher?'

Alex could have kicked himself. They had decided to keep quiet about how quickly the blood poisoning would develop. Now here he was shooting his mouth off about stretchers. He forced himself to grin down at Hex.

'You mean you don't want to be carried in state around the island, watching the rest of us sweat?'

'I'm not that sick,' said Hex, glaring up at them from fever-bright eyes. 'I'll walk. I'm not too sick to walk. Am I?'

'No,' lied Alex, 'but it would be better to rest that leg.' He started getting to his feet but Hex reached out and caught his wrist in a hard grip.

'You haven't said it yet,' said Hex.

'Said what?' asked Alex.

'Come on,' said Hex, still gripping Alex's wrist. 'Say what you always say. Look me in the eye and tell me I'll live.'

Alex looked down at Hex. He was not sure he could make such a promise. He knew how bad the odds were for Hex. This trek across the island was a desperate measure, but anything was better than sitting back in camp and watching him die. The chances of finding another radio or a cache of usable penicillin were remote, but it was Hex's only hope. Alex concentrated on that hope and pushed everything else to the back of his mind.

'You'll live,' he said, looking Hex squarely in the eye.

'And you always keep your word. Right, Alex?'

'Right,' said Alex.

While Paulo nursed Hex, the rest of them spent the hour or so left before nightfall getting ready for the trek. Amber and Li boiled up water and collected fruit. There was no point in keeping the remains of the komodo tail – meat went off too quickly in the tropical heat – so they buried it well away from the camp. Alex cut a couple of strong, fibrous vines and sat by the fire, splitting and plaiting them into one long and four short lengths of rope.

They worked in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Every now and then one of them would stare out to sea or search the sky, but no rescuers appeared and slowly the hope that their SOS signal had been picked up began to fade.

By the time the sun began to sink below the horizon, the camp was neat and tidy and the two rucksacks were packed, ready for the morning. Everyone had showered under the bamboo aqueduct and their socks were laid out in a row on the bench in front of the fire to dry. Alex looked around and nodded. He only had one more thing to do, but he had to wait until Hex was asleep first.

'How're you doing?' he asked, moving over to Hex's bed.

'I'm still here,' said Hex, struggling up onto his elbows. His face was flushed and his shirt was soaked with sweat. He grimaced with pain as Paulo gently removed the poultice and checked the wound. The swelling was beginning to spread up the leg and the whole area was red and angry-looking. The poultice had absorbed a lot of the poison, but the cut was full of pus and there was a bad smell coming off it. Paulo looked at Alex and shook his head before going off to make a new poultice.

'Time for some more aspirin,' said Alex, reaching for his survival tin.

'How am I doing?' asked Hex, after he had swallowed the tablets.

'Great,' lied Alex. 'Looking good.'

Alex took the first watch. One by one the other three smeared fresh coconut oil over any exposed skin and climbed, yawning into their beds. Alex sat by the fire, piling green branches onto the flames to create a protective haze of smoke against mosquitoes. He was waiting for Hex to fall asleep. The sun had set and the sudden, tropical night had arrived before he was finally sure.

Silently, Alex picked up the four shorter ropes he had made and moved over to Hex's bed. He stood for a moment, listening to Hex's fever-fast breathing, then he crouched down in the glow from the fire and began the job of converting the bed into a stretcher.

Li stared up at the cliff face. It towered above her: a vertical slab of dark, volcanic rock rising out of the mountainside. it looked smooth and featureless at first glance, but Li had been studying it for a good five minutes as she planned her route to the top and her sharp eyes had picked out hundreds of tiny ledges and crevices.

A little way down the slope behind her, the others were sitting with their backs against a group of rocks. It was only mid-morning but they were glad of the rest. Drenched in sweat, they had been on the move since dawn, struggling through primary rainforest to reach the lower slopes of the mountain. As well as carrying two rucksacks, two coils of rope and the rolled bunk blankets on their backs, they were also hauling Hex along on a makeshift stretcher-bed. Alex and Paulo had taken the heavier, head-end of the stretcher, with Amber and Li bringing up the rear. Alex had secured his vine ropes to each corner of the stretcher, where they served as four shoulder straps and helped to distribute the weight more evenly, but still the constant friction of the bamboo stretcher poles had rubbed blisters into the palms of their hands.

Li glanced over at the rest of the group, then turned back to the cliff. She mapped the route one more time, turning her head from side to side and squinting as she concentrated.

'Easy peasy,' she murmured, stepping back. She backed straight into Paulo, who had left the others and was hovering anxiously behind her.

'Li. You should not climb first,' he said. 'Not without a rope. Let me climb for you. Please.'

Li sighed. 'Listen to me, Paulo. It was funny on the Phoenix . Here, it's just a pain.'

'I am sorry?' said Paulo.

'Stop treating me as though I'm made of glass, Paulo!'

'But I am only caring for you.'

'Don't be ridiculous!' snapped Li. 'I could climb that with my eyes shut, so why not let me get on with it?'

Paulo hung his head. 'I could not bear it if you fell.'

He looked so miserable that Li reached up and put her arms around his neck. 'I won't,' she said softly. 'I promise.'

Paulo beamed down at her, then they both went to join the others.