Read Village E3: Survival of the Human Spirit for Free Online Page B

past. He moved closer to the tree line where the walking was a
little easier. He started to jog, constantly checking for tracks near him, and
trying not to lose track of the footprints in the sand, farther out on the
beach.
    His heart was pounding, partly from
the physical exertion, and partly from excitement. As he neared the curve, his
excitement built. He wanted to see people more than anything he had ever wanted
before. He sprinted the final one hundred feet, and as he rounded the curve, he
could see two people in the distance. "Hey, hey, hey," he yelled so
loudly that it hurt his throat. Being too far away, they couldn't hear him. This
is going to take a while, he thought.
    John hadn't brought any water with
him, because he wasn't planning on being gone very long. He was already
thirsty, but for now, catching up to the two strangers was more important to
him. They were probably a mile or more away. He would have to pace himself,
while still trying to gain ground. Staying close to the tree line to take
advantage of shade, he walked at a fast pace, always looking ahead.
    Occasionally running for short bursts,
he had to hold the waist band of his boxers to keep them from falling down. The
two people ahead were walking slowly, so in a short time, he was making
noticeable gains. He could see them better now, and they looked like two women.
Quickly analyzing the facts, he came to a conclusion, as to why these women
might be here on this beach. He hoped that he was wrong, for himself, and for
them.
    John tried yelling again.
"Hey," he screamed with all the effort he could muster. They still
couldn't hear him because the ocean was muffling the sound of his voice. As he
got closer he could see that they were both young. They stopped walking, and
were talking to each other. One of them looked black, and the other one looked
either really tan, or some race other than
white. They were in the middle of the beach, but now they headed toward the
tree line.
    When they reached the edge of the
vegetation, they stopped and both sat down. Turn this way, he thought.
They were both looking out toward the ocean, but then one of them turned her
head in his direction. He quickly ran out on the beach and began to wave his
arms, hoping to catch her attention. She pointed at him, and the other woman
looked. He felt relieved that they finally knew he was here and began to jog
towards them, as they both stood up.
    He felt an instant shot of adrenalin
from the anticipation he felt. All the positive feelings he was experiencing were
instantly dashed when they started to run in the opposite direction. The
possibility that they might be afraid of him hadn't crossed his mind till this
moment.
    Why wouldn't they be afraid, he thought. He hadn't shaved, had a
haircut, or even combed his hair for months. And if that wasn't enough to
frighten them off, he was in his boxer shorts and carrying a spear and a knife.
He immediately dropped his spear, wrapped his knife with his shirt, and ran
after them. Every few seconds, one or the other of the two women would look
over their shoulder to see if John was still there.
    They stopped, talked for a few
seconds, then ran into the jungle. "No," John screamed. It was a
scream of frustration as much as anything. OK, I need to keep an eye on the
spot where they went in, he thought. He stopped running, and focused on the
spot, as he walked toward it. After a tiring twenty minute walk, he was nearing
the tree where he'd seen them enter the undergrowth. He stopped to rest and
think of some kind of plan.
    Did they go deeper into the jungle, he wondered. Remembering his first
day here, he thought they might be afraid to go too far away from the beach.
His throat was very dry from the yelling, running, and
walking. He could see that they weren't carrying anything, so he knew that they
probably needed a drink as badly as he did. I'll offer them water, he
thought.
    John walked as close to where the two
women had entered the jungle