by Al McConnell (aka hyena cub)
This was a story I had to do for Creative Writing, ith a few changes. I simply went over it and changed what I had to to make it sound better and flow better. LOL It was one of those things where the teacher gave us a group of...phrases. And we had to put them all together in a story. I think all the things we had to put in it were: Action Trip to Belize, Johnny Carson as a commencement speaker, something about a dive instructor and barracudas...I think that's it. I think that the phrase Rough It was to be included as well, either that, or it had to be the title. Anyway, this is what I came up with.
Roughing It
"Roughing It" trip! Fun! Excitement! Action trip to Belize!
For details, call: 1-800-793-4478
"That's what we need," Daniel Johnson remarked to his friend and co-worker, Russel (Rusty) McFerral. They worked for the James/Hoffman/Turner Insurance company, fooling with the numbers and figures.
"You're right," Rusty agreed. "We been working too hard. We need a vacation."
"Should we call?" Daniel asked. He was a little more apprehensive than his friend, not having expected him to agree so rapidly.
"Yeah, why not? We ain't got nothing to lose by calling."
Daniel shook his head at the Irishman's misuse of grammar.
Daniel Johnson was 5'7", led an organized, normal, calm life He had plain brown hair and plain brown eyes. he wore plain, conservative clothes, and wore a tie everyday. He had no family, so he lived alone in his three room house. he did not mind.
Rusty McFerral, however, was as far on the other side of the spectrum as possible. He lived in a cluttered apartment with whichever girlfriend he happened to have at the time. He did not wear a tie unless he was threatened with bodily harm if he did not do so, and when he did, it was bright green, or orange, or something similar. He had bright red hair and green eyes. He enjoyed wreaking havoc in the town, and was always late for work.
"I suppose so," Daniel said.
They did call, and found out the specifics. Daniel agreed not to work during his vacation time and go with Rusty to Belize.
Their flight left for Belize in a month. They got their vacation leave from the insurance company, stopped paper deliveries, and mail, and everything else one does when oging on vacation.
The flight itself was uneventful. Well almost uneventful anyway. Daniel, who always got sick and scared on airplanes, vomited all over the floor, much to the digust of the passengers. He spent the rest of the flight in the bathroom.
The first ting the two men noticed as they stepped out of the plane was the heat. Daniel had worn slacks, a long sleeved shirt, and a tie. he wished he had listened to Rusty's advice and worn shorts. Of course Rusty had also had mless poilite things to say about his wearing a tie...and he even siwhed he had listened to that. Daniel loosened the tie and took it off. They were in Belieze City, the small capital of the country, and their tour personnel consisted of a guide, a dive instructor, and a cook.
The two men met the rest of the group at the library, as they had been instructed to do prior to the trip. There were eight other people: A bored-looking boy of about fifteen, A family with two kids, little boy/girl twins, some lady who wore too much makeup, a spacey looking teenage boy, and a girl of about eighteen who looked like she would be happier at home, doing her hair.
"Roll call!" the guide bellowed. Janet." The girl raised her hand. "Tom." The bored looking young man gave an uninterested snort. "Xanthe and Deems." The mother and father of the family nodded. "Cory and Connie." The child twins grinned and raised their hands. "Milo?" No one answered. "Milo...Milo Jensen, are you here?"
Rusty looked around. Finally, the spacey looking kid looked at the guide. "Oh." he laughed a little. "Yeah, I'm here."
There was a chuckle, and the guide rolled his eyes. But he was smiling. "All right, and is Janey here?" The woman with too much make-up raied her hand. "Okay," the guide said. "Looks like we're all here. before we get started, I want you to know what you're getitng into. This is not a luxury trip, with store-bought food, or cabins, or anyhting like that. You have your packs, and we will be sleeping under the stars with neture. Sammy, tlell them what they'll be eating."
Sammy, a short woman with short, red hair, turned to them and smiled. Rusty didn't like the looks of that smile.
Rusty's feeling was right. he goggled when he heard some of it, which consisted of gross sounding plants and animals.
When she was done, the guide continued. "Anyone want to back out yet?" He looked to the two insurance men, then to the girl who looked like she should be doing her hair. Everyone shook their heads. "Okay then, let's go."
Everyone picked up his pack and set off.
They hiked the rest of the day, stopping here and there to rest, and once for lunch, which was actually not too bad.
"This humidity is just ruining my hair," the teeneage girl, Janet, complained. She took out a can of hairspray and used it on her hair.
"You brought HAIR spray?" Tom, the bored looking boy asked in disbelief.
Hearing this, the guide turned and took the can from her. "You were told not to bring hair spray or cosmetics," he told her irritably."
But why?” she whined.
”Insects and animals are attracted by hair spray and make up. Do you have any more?”
She hesitated a minute. Then, “No.”
He eyes her suspiciously, as the rest of the group looked on interested. “Give me the pack.”
She gave him an indignant look. “You can search my private things!” she protested.
”I sure as hell can, if not doing so will endanger my group<” he said colmy. “Give.”
Janet pouted and threw the pack at his feet.
The guide started his search. Out of the pack came another can of hairspray, a make up bag chock full, two vrushes, and a large miiror, along with about eight changes of clothing. Tom snorted in disgust, and Janet shot him a dirty look.
Milo, the spacey one, gave her an odd look. “What does it matter?” he asked. “WHat do you need them out here for, the fish to see?” He shoved his sandy blone hair out of his striking green eyes.
”Shut up, nerd, what did you bring?
Paying no mind to the insult, he replied, “Some clothes and books and paper and poens for writing. And my sleeping bag.”
”Books,” Janet muttered.”
”All right,” the guide finally said. “That’s enough. It’s almost dark, let’s set up camp.” He set about making a campfire, around which the sleeping bags were laid. This accomplished, Milo took out a book and started reading it.. Rusty lay back and sighed as dinner wes cooked. The woman with too much makeup had also been made to take it off, but she didn’t care.
Daniel looked around and noticed the family, the Hammermans, rolling out their bags. The adults had olive green one, but the twins had Voltron bags. Rusty had to laugh, they were cute kids, all right. They both had curly brown hair, the same length. “Hey guys,” he said to them. “Cool bags!”
They grinned their identical grins, obviously pleased.
After dinner, he lay back in his sleeping bag and soon went to sleep.
A few hours later, he was wakened by Rusty shaking him. “Huh? What?” Daniel looked around blearily. “Is it time to get up already?”
”No, shh, listen.”
He did. “Just some animal, moving around. Go away.” Daniel trried to put his pillow over his face.
”No, man,” Rusty said. “It sounds like something big.”
Daniel sighed and listened agin. But then he frowned. “You know...,you’re right. So it’s a big animal.” He soudned nonchalant, but he had to admit, the thought had him worried. Other were waking up, roused by the noises.
”Mommy...”
”...what’s that?” the twins whimpered.
It’s okay,” the guide said. “It’s just me moving around.”
The others seemed pacified...all except for Rusty. His gut told him that something wasn’t right, but nothing happened that night. Everyone woke, saafe and sound.
Around noon the next day, they arrived at a small lake. They were going to learn how to scuba dive.
Janet, who was filing her nails with the one file she had bee allowed to keep, tuned the dive instructor out as she warned them all of barracudas, and the like. But then she heard a noise behind her. She turned to look, when a huge arm...almoist human, if not for the strange skin texture and its claws, grabbed her wrist. he screamed, as the rest of them stared in shock. Then the twins stated screaming, “Monster! Monster!” THe ting pulled her in the bushes, as she screamed frantically. As the guide snapped outof his amazement, he managed to geet her away from the beast and pull her away, where she collapsed to the ground, still screaming hysterically. Her face was scrated up, as was one arm, but her left one was half torn off. There were huge gouges on it, and the lower bone looked as if it might be broken. There was blood everywhere.
Sammy was the next to shake herself out of the shock. She ws also the team’s doctor. She ran to her pack, brought out the medical kit, and was disgusted to find there was nothing that was big enough to wrap the serious injury. She took one of her clean shirts and used it instead. She held the wrapped arm tighty.
Daniel pointed. “I TOLD you there was something big out there!”
The guide nodded. “Okay, folks!” he shouted. “All right you guys, calm down, calm down, its gone!” He sighed. “I don’t believe this. Look...all right. There is an emergency shelter about a half mile away. It has better medical supplies and a radio...Sammy, can Janet make it there or not?”
Janet was still on the ground, her screaming had subsided, as she was half unconscious. “No,” Sammy said. “I am afraid to move her the way she would have to be carried thee. She’s going into shock, and losing blood fast.”
The guide growled, and shook an angry fist in the direction the beast had loped off i. None had seen him clearly. “Sammy. You stay here with her. i want two others to stay as well!” He scanned the group.
”I’ll stay,” Daniel offered.
After a moment of Daniel persuading him, Rusty also agreed to stay.
As soon as he did, the guide took out his pack and retrieved a handfun and some ammnition. “You know how to use this, you two?”
Daneil shook his head emphatically, but Rusty and Sammy both knew how to use a gun. “You know first aid?” the guide asked. Rusty shook his head. “Okay then you take the gun.” As he handed it to him, he said, “You see that...thing again, shoot it.” To the rest of the group, the guide said, “Everyone, stay away from the bushes, and stay together. We’re heading out, let’s go, and let’s hustle!” he started out, then turned back. “Be careful, you guys. And thanks.” Then they left. The twins were crying in fright, and their parents conforting them. Tom had just thrown up, nd Milo was walking around looking as if he had peered into the depths of Hell itself.
As Rusty looked nervously around and tried not to point the gun at his companions, Sammy said to Daniel, “Give me that sleeping bag, please.” he did so, and she covered Janet with it, after having secured her arm still.”
”It’s 200 degrees out here, and you’re covering her up,” Rusty said.
”This way she won’t have to look at it.”
”Oh.”/p>
Silence. Daniel looked at Jaent. She looks like Sondra, he thought....Sondra had been his high school sweetheart. As he looked at the injured young woman, he remembered his graduation. It had been talked about all year, as Jahnny Carson was to be the commencement speaker, which no one actually knew. But all the students knew something big was up, and they all were talking about it. Daniel had not known what happened at first, but is seemed that a few of the students had been caught in the backstage room, holding handguns and talking about killing Carson. One of them was Sondra. As they were taken out by the cops, Daniel had been slackjawed in shock for about tweny minutes. Then he ran to his car and drove away in tears, all before the graduation ceremony was over. The girl he loved was a murderer.
Daniel had always been sensitive, a trait he loathed. But it is the reason he was amazed he hadn’t freaked when Janet was attacked. He supposed that since he was needed, his mind got his emotions under control. Later he would freak out.
He was driven from his reverie by Sammy;s voice. “Uh oh,” she said. “She’s fallen unconscious. I sure hope they get here with that emergency vehicle quick.” She sighed, then her eyes wiodened. “AHH Look out!” She pointed franically behind Rusty, who jumped about a foot in the air.
They all looked. A horible looking creature was ambling towards them on all fours. It LOOKED human...but like no human they had ever seen. Its skin was brown and flaky, and its eyes were high in the head. It had no nose, and dripping fangs protruded from its mouth.
Rusty frantically tried to steady his shaking hand to aim. He shot, hitting the beast in the arm, causing it to unleash an unearthly howl of pain and lumber away, apparently deciding it did not want humans for lunch after all. Rusty shot at it again, but missed, as it crept into the heavy foliage. “God...” he whipsered.
A loud rumbling sound came rom their left. Rusty spun, aiming the poistol at the oncoming cloud of dsust, but Danile grabbed his arm and forced the weapon down. “No! You fool! It’s the jeep!”
THe jeep, containing only the guide, stopped beside them. “I heard shots...did you kill it?”
Rusty sighed, thumbing on the safety. “No,” he said. “I shot it in the arm, and he left.”<>/p>
The guide nodded and hopped out of the jeep. he helped Sammy lift Janet into the jeep, then turned to the two men. “Fellas,” he said. “We don’t have anymore room, and I have to get her to the clearing, where the helicopter is gonna land. The emergency station is about a half mile south. Can you make it there by yourself?”
They nodded, and Rusty gave the gun back to the guide.
”Thanks. And good work, you two. Remember, go STRAIGHT there.” The jeep sped off.
”Don’t have to tell ME that twice,” Rusty muttered. “Daniel?”
”Yeah?”
”The next time you have any bright ideas about vacation...”
”Yeah?”
”Keep them to yourself.”
With no hesitation, Daniel nodded. “Right.”
With that settled, they turned around...and ran.
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