The Jungle

This one isn't finished, it's 3:00 a.m. and I need to go to bed. 

             The hot air was thick and heavy and had a musty smell and reeked of rotting vegetation. It was like being in a sauna located in an old basement and it made breathing difficult. Misery that's what this air was, pure misery! I could not wait to be back home and never have to breath this stench again! Sweat poured down my face as I lifted the canteen to my dry cracked lips and took a swig. The water was hot like coffee and in this heat offered little refreshment, but it was necessary to keep from dehydrating in this weather. 

               I lowered the canteen and gazed around my surroundings. Thick green jungle as far as the eye could see, which wasn't far! My arm ached from hacking away at the vegetation for hours struggling to only traverse a short distance. 

               I took another swig of the hot water from the canteen. Beads of sweat rolled down every inch of my body. I imaged it was the water I was drinking leaking out from the bug bites which also seemed to cover every inch of my body. The mosquitoes were relentless and endless in their numbers, for every one I swatted two would take it's place. 

                How much farther to the river? Not far I hoped, I could already hear the rushing of the water. But just as close as the sound of the water I could hear the war cries of the natives as they continued to gain ground on me. 

                 I swung faster and harder with the machete, furiously hacking my way through the thick undergrowth of the jungle. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! Went the blade as it chopped through leaf and vine with vigor. Harder and harder I chopped as the war cries grew louder. They were almost upon me! 

                 Suddenly the ground disappeared beneath my feet. Gone was the machete as I tumbled and rolled down a steep embankment. So this is how it would end, swallowed by the jungle. Well I guess that was better than being swallowed by a native! 

                  As I tumbled down the ground suddenly disappeared beneath me again and I felt myself falling for what seemed like an eternity.  Then I slammed into the water with such force it knocked the breath from my lungs. I clawed my way to the surface, my lungs felt as if they were on fire, I fought back the urge to gasp, knowing I would only fill my lungs with water. Harder I kicked and clawed at the water fighting my way to the surface, my lungs burning more and more with each effort.  for what felt like an eternity, finally my head broke free and I sucked in as much of jungle air as possible. Glorious air, no longer was it the misery it was before, it had become relief to my burning lungs, it was life. 

                   Gone were the war cries from the natives, only the sound of water and a few song birds. I bobbed there in the water for a moment. After swinging the machete for hours, tumbling down and clawing my way to the surface every muscle in my body felt limp and useless. With what little energy that remained I struggled towards the riverbank.