Бесплатный фрагмент - Adventures in the Amazon Jungle

Adventures in the Amazon Jungle

Chapter 1

Disaster in the Sky

Jack sat at the controls of the small plane, his fingers curled around the steering wheel as if it were the only thing keeping him grounded. Lana sat next to him, arms crossed over her chest, trying not to fidget. The plane was almost twelve years old, and though it was an old but reliable machine, the sensation of literally floating in space still made his heart pound.

“How are you feeling?” Jack asked, not taking his eyes off the instruments.

“Fine,” Lana replied, trying to hide the worry in her voice. She stared out the window, where the endless horizons of Australia stretched, soon giving way to the ocean, and then, almost imperceptibly, the contours of the green Amazon jungle. This was the last leg of their journey — their direct flight across the Pacific and South America. The tension from the long journey still lingered, and though she tried not to show it, every sharp jolt of the plane made her muscles tense.

“You’re not afraid of flying, are you?” Jack tried to joke, knowing Lana wasn’t fond of these short private flights. Though they were both seasoned travelers, the small plane, with its shaky frame and antique engine, seemed less safe than they thought.

“Afraid? No, that’s more… inconvenient,” Lana glanced at the instruments, but the image reappeared before her eyes: a dense, vibrant ocean of greenery stretching to the horizon, without boundaries or clear outlines. She mentally estimated how long it would take them to reach the next point on the map.

But at that moment the plane made a strange jerk, and Jack felt the steering wheel suddenly become light, as if someone had turned off the controls for a second.

“What the hell?” his voice was tense. Before he could finish his sentence, the engines began to screech, and the noise that crashed down on them was so loud that Lana covered her ears with her hands.

The plane suddenly began to lose altitude.

“Hold on!” Jack shouted. He grabbed the controls, trying to bring the plane back into level flight, but the instruments were going crazy: the needles were darting around, pointing to zero, and the lights on the panel were flashing like crazy.

Lana felt her chest tighten with panic as she watched them rapidly lose altitude.

“Jack!” Her voice trembled. “What’s going on?”

“Something’s wrong with the engine! The motor!” Jack gritted his teeth. He cursed himself for not checking it before the flight, but there was no time for regrets at that moment. He tried to switch to the reserve tank, but the air was already starting to oscillate, and the craft wouldn’t respond.

A dim light flickered in Lana’s eyes, and she looked at Jack. His face was pale and focused, his hands gripping the controls firmly, but he was still helpless. The plane banked sharply to the left, and Lana felt the ground rapidly approaching.

“Jack, what should we do?” There was panic in her voice.

“We have to try to land,” his voice was clear, but Lana knew that even though he was maintaining his calm, inside he felt the same terror. “Hold on to something.”

Before she could finish her sentence, the plane began spinning like a ball in her hand. Lana grabbed the arm of her seat as the plane sliced through the air like a knife.

Almost without realizing what was happening, Lana heard a loud roar in her ears, as if the whole world was covered by a waterfall.

The next moment, she felt the plane literally crash into the ground. The deafening sound of the impact crashed down on them, and at the last moment, she saw Jack grip the steering wheel, and then — complete darkness.

When Lana came to, everything was strangely dark and musty. Her head ached, and she tried to figure out where she was. It seemed like the whole world around her was shifting, like logs on a river.

Pulling herself together, Lana tried to move, but her whole body, like a lead weight, refused to obey. Only after several seconds of intense effort did she manage to open her eyes.

Total darkness reigned around her, and a faint flickering light filtered through the dispersing dust. She felt the ground beneath her — solid yet crumbling, as if she lay not on a solid surface but on loose sand mixed with vegetation.

With no memory of how she’d ended up on the ground, she jumped to her feet and looked around. The plane was badly damaged. The cockpit was split in half, and the shattered wing hung in the air like a broken toy. Jack lay nearby, motionless.

“Jack!” Her voice was sharp, full of fear.

There was no sound in response. She rushed to him, trying to check his pulse, though everything inside her knew: if he was dead, she was one of the living.

“Jack… wake up, please!” She continued shaking him, feeling her breathing become ragged. After a few seconds, his hand trembled faintly, and he groaned.

“I’m okay… just a little… bruised,” his voice was weak but alive. She felt relief.

But the moment of joy was brief.

“We need to get out of here,” Jack said, trying to sit up. He held her shoulder tightly as she helped him up. He was bruised and cut, but he seemed to be able to move. “We can’t stay here.”

Lana nodded, fear thumping in her chest. They were in some unfamiliar part of the jungle. Even if it wasn’t the most dangerous place on earth, their situation was dire. Their only chance was to try to escape this catastrophe alive.

“We need to go… find water and…” her voice broke off. The sight of the wild, dense forest surrounding them made her heart beat faster.

“And not become someone’s prey,” Jack said with a grim grin.

They exchanged glances and immediately understood: for them, the fight for survival had begun.

Chapter 2

The first steps of survival

When Jack and Lana rose to their feet, they both felt their knees buckle with exhaustion and fear. The plane was destroyed, and the place where they found themselves was swallowed by dense jungle. A deathly silence reigned all around, broken only occasionally by the rustling of leaves and the cries of distant birds. The atmosphere was oppressive, as if the forest itself were burning them with its dense, frozen atmosphere.

“What should we do?” Lana almost didn’t notice how her voice had become hoarse. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Jack, who, despite his injuries, was trying to maintain his composure.

“We need to get moving before it gets dark,” he said, even though he knew he had no idea where they were going.

“But where?” Lana glanced around the forest, dotted with trees whose trunks were so tall that the sky practically disappeared behind them. Vines hung from the branches, and dark leaves obscured everything for a considerable distance.

“We need to get out of here and find water. The Amazon is around here somewhere,” Jack said, wiping his sweaty face. He’d found the map he’d seen on the plane, but it was in terrible condition, several pieces torn and parts soaked in fuel. He glanced at Lana again. “I don’t think we can rely on this map, but there has to be a river somewhere.”

“Got it,” Lena said, not wanting to show fear, even though her heart was pounding. Besides, they were far from any populated area, and the nearest chance of help lay in some indefinite future.

“Let’s find a way through the jungle. Can you walk?” Jack asked doubtfully. He could see that Lana was exhausted, her movements slow.

“I can handle this,” Lana pulled herself together and nodded. After all, they both had to survive. She had no other choice.

The first few hours of the journey were excruciating. Jack tried to navigate by the sun, and Lana, feeling tired, followed him silently. Trails, if they existed at all, were poorly defined, and only occasionally did they encounter the tracks of wild animals — paths made by wild boars or small monkeys that disappeared into the dense bushes as soon as they spotted people.

From time to time they sat down to rest, and Jack tried to find traces of water. But the jungle was unforgiving. Lana began to feel the heat sapping her strength. She was losing hope, and every step became more difficult. Jack tried not to show his weakness, but his back seemed to be breaking with fatigue. The wounds he sustained in his fall made his neck and shoulder ache with every movement.

“Wait,” Jack paused. He listened. Something in the air had changed. Listening more closely, he realized he was hearing the sound of running water. Lana, despite her fatigue, immediately raised her head.

“Do you hear?” Her voice became a little joyful, but she understood that this was not the end.

“Yes, it looks like a river. We’re close,” Jack looked at her, but his eyes reflected excitement. For a moment, they both forgot about their wounds and fatigue. The sound of water — even if it was just a small stream — was like a balm on their wounds.

They quickened their pace. A few minutes later, the forest opened up, and a small river indeed appeared before them. The water was dark and turbulent, with the remains of leaves carried downstream.

“Water!” Lana screamed, not believing her ears. She stepped forward, but Jack grabbed her arm.

“Wait!” His face grew serious. “You don’t understand… the Amazon rivers can be dangerous.”

Lena froze. She looked at Jack with bewilderment.

“What do you mean?” Her voice became wary.

“Crocodiles. Anacondas. Even just entering the water is a risk. We can’t afford to make a mistake.” Jack waited a few seconds to make sure Lana understood.

“But we need to drink!” her voice became determined. “We can’t just stand and watch.”

Jack sighed. He understood her, but the warnings were true. He’d seen for himself how quickly the jungle could reveal its cruel side.

“We’ll drink the water, but carefully,” he said, slowly approaching the river. He crouched down, filled his hands, and tasted the water. “It’s not an ideal solution, but there’s no other way.”

They both drank, feeling the moisture seep into their bodies, soothing their parched throats and overheated bodies. The water wasn’t particularly clean, but at least they could keep moving. They decided to follow the river in hopes of finding signs of people, though in truth, there was little hope.

A couple of hours later, they felt the first signs of night. The dark shadows of the forest began to envelop them, and the temperature dropped sharply. Lana, feeling the chill creeping into her bones, suggested building a shelter. Jack agreed, and they began searching for a tree with thick leaves that could serve as a roof.

They barely slept that night. Lana kept waking up, hearing strange sounds in the darkness: the rustling of leaves, rustling sounds coming from the river. Her anxiety grew, but it was too dangerous to move on in that place.

Morning brought new fears. The weather was worsening, and clouds were appearing on the horizon. Jack tried to assess the situation: they were moving too slowly, and the chances of finding people or a safe route were dwindling. Their food supply consisted of nothing but the tiny nuts they’d found along the river and a few green leaves, which Lena carefully collected, afraid of eating anything poisonous.

They moved along the river again, but this time they were more cautious. Jack kept listening for rustling sounds in the forest, but he couldn’t figure out what exactly might be attacking them. Soon, Lana noticed something strange. Frozen figures — several natives — standing by the water, barely visible among the vines.

“Who is it?” Her voice was hoarse with excitement.

Jack looked closer. They were people, but their movements were unnatural, like animals. They didn’t approach him, but watched from behind the trees.

“I don’t know…” Jack slowed his steps. “Don’t make any sudden movements.”

But before they could figure out what was happening, someone sighed loudly in the forest.

Chapter 3

Animals and dangers of the jungle

Lana squeezed Jack’s hand as he slowed, looking around cautiously. A few moments ago, they’d spotted the natives by the river. It was strange. The seemingly harmless people stood apart, watching them. Their eyes were dark and restless, but not angry. They seemed to be waiting for something, or… someone.

“We need to move,” Jack whispered, feeling the tension rising. He was on the verge of panic: these people could be not only locals, but part of a tribe that had dark rumors circulating about them — savages capable of killing for food or… for something darker.