HEARTLAND OF FEAR IS BACK!
Emilie Hines, Year 12
Grace gasped. Tina nearly fainted. Elina didn’t seem to notice. She went out from under the willow and started washing her face using water from the little stream. Grace and Tina cautiously followed her out. After watching Elina wash her face for a minute or so, Grace copied her. Tina just stood and stared. Once Elina had finished washing her face, she stood up and surveyed her surroundings. Total silence reigned in the forest. Then Elina turned to Grace and Tina.
“We need food and water” she announced in an authoritative voice “Tina, get some water from the stream and put them in the cups you scavenged from the plane. You do still have those cups, don’t you?” Tina nodded robotically. Elina turned to Grace.
“Grace, we’re gonna need a fire. Can you sort that out?” Grace nodded as robotically as Tina had. Elina picked up a sharp-edged rock and declared that she was going into the forest to find food, and with that, she left. Another five minutes passed in silence. Then Grace spoke up.
“Tell me that didn’t happen……” Tina shook her head.
“It did” she replied, still in a daze. The two girls then went about their assigned tasks without another word. For about 40 minutes, nothing happened. Then Elina came back. She’d collected a large bunch of berries that she was carrying in her shirt. She was also holding a dead quail by the legs. No one asked her how she’d caught it or if she’d caught it at all. Grace just took the bird and started plucking it. Tina took the berries and started washing them. Elina sat silently by the fire watching Grace plucking the bird. She then spoke up.
“Grace” she said inquisitively “why did you attack me?” Grace stared at her a long time before replying.
“I was trying to wake you up”. Elina nodded and then chucked a bunch of random sticks into the fire. Tina looked up from her berry-washing.
“Were you awake Elina?” Elina didn’t respond. She began sharpening her makeshift knife with another rock. This action disturbed Grace and she said so.
“You wouldn’t mind doing that somewhere else, would you?” Still not responding, Elina got up and sat on a nearby rock to continue her activity. No one said anything for a while. Grace then announced that the bird was ready. Everyone assembled silently around the fire. Elina carved the meat, giving Grace and Tina the legs of the bird ad taking the small middle part for herself. Feeling all emotional at the prospect of her friend being back and giving her a decent chunk of meat, Tina leaned over and hugged Elina. Elina froze. Grace tensed, preparing to intervene at a second’s notice. It wasn’t required, however. Elina didn’t do anything. Tina pulled back uncertainly and continued eating. Another five minutes passed in silence. Then Elina spoke up.
“We should move out tonight, when the pole star is identifiable”. Grace and Tina stared at Elina in complete bewilderment. Elina pointed upwards.
“You see that star?” she asked patiently. Grace and Tina looked up to see a very bright star overhead.
“That’s the pole star” Elina explained “we want to walk away from it”.
“How do you know?” Grace asked uncertainly. Elina smiled.
“I just know. Can you guys dismantle the fire while I dispose of the bird?” Tina smiled.
“You were awake, weren’t you?” Elina smiled at Tina and, taking the bird’s remains, walked back off into the forest. Around thirty minutes had passed before the night hike was underway. Elina led the way, followed dumbly by Grace and Tina. The forest was just as silent at night as it was during the day. It had been an hour since they’d started the hike when the girls heard the yell. It was a male voice and it had come from nearby. Elina immediately took control. She shoved both Grace and Tina into a bush and then squeezed into another one herself. Within a few minutes, the yells drew nearer and became more identifiable. Grace made out that the language being spoken was French and that those speaking it couldn’t have been older than herself. It also became quite clear that those that were yelling were male, not female. Tina began quivering with fear. Grace felt herself sweating in anxiety. She couldn’t remember whether the French were friends or enemies. Then the scary thing happened: one of the yellers passed right by the bush in which Grace and Tina were hiding.
Tina was able to see him before she fainted. He was rather young, around their age. He had a roughly bandaged arm and was wearing a majorly soiled jumper. He had a torch and barely identifiable dark hair. The boy passed by the girls’ bush and headed towards Elina’s bush. Tina had fainted now, leaving only Grace to hold her breath. The boy began investigating the bush. Grace realised that Elina had left clear footprints in the mud right in front of it. Then, just like a jack-in-the-box, Elina leapt out of the bush, pinning the boy on the ground in an instant. The boy screamed before Elina could knock him out. Almost immediately, footsteps were heard running towards them. Grace pushed Tina’s limp body out of the bush, falling out herself. Elina had taken the boy’s torch and was examining his face. He had a very strong jaw, a big nose and curly ginger hair. The side of his head was bleeding where Elina had hit him with the rock. Grace got up, pulling Tina up with her. She whispered urgently to Elina that they had to get moving. She was too late, however. Another boy ran up to them, breathlessly calling for the boy; whose name appeared to be Mathias. Elina leapt on this boy as well. All that Grace registered as the torch briefly flickered on his face was that he had brown hair and a ruined Nike t-shirt. This boy was a little more effective in repelling Elina and the fight quickly turned into an almost childish squabble in the dirt. However, it was at this point that the other boy appeared and the fight stopped.
The other boy’s name was Jean. He was very big and very muscular. He was a thug. Of course, Grace didn’t know this, but she quickly guessed it when he grabbed her from behind. Grace screamed and Elina immediately stopped fighting. The boy she’d been fighting pushed her off him forcefully. Jean asked Elina something in French. Unbeknownst to Grace, Elina could speak some French, and she was able to respond. Jean then asked her something else. Grace was still in his grip. He was holding her in such a way that he had one arm around her neck and the other arm twisted around both her arms, pinning them against her back. Elina responded again. Grace whimpered. Tina stirred. The boy Elina had been fighting had run up to Mathias and was trying to wake him up. Jean then told that boy something, whose name appeared to be Michael. Michael then saved the day.
“Do you speak English?” Grace nodded as best she could. Elina replied.
“Yes” Jean then let Grace go, causing her to fall on Tina. Tina woke with a start. The sight that greeted her made her faint again. Michael continued talking to Elina.
“Are you in charge here?” Elina looked at him, clearly surprised.
“No one’s in charge. We’re friends”. Grace then spoke up.
“She’s in charge” she announced fearfully. Elina gave Grace an ugly look. Michael continued.
“What are you doing here?” Elina glared at him obstinately and retorted
“What are you doing here?” Michael stammered a response.
“A plane crash………..” he spluttered stupidly “there was a plane crash………..” Elina nodded, suddenly relaxing her still visibly tensed muscles. After an awkward silence she replied
“We saw it”. Jean then yelled something at Michael in French, who quickly responded. Jean had gone over to Mathias now, and was slapping him violently. Grace then spoke up.
“Listen, Michael, we were in a plane crash too! We’ve been here for over a week! Please……..” She was cut short by viscous glances from both Jean and Elina. Then Mathias began coughing. He’d come to.
