Sunburn by Darren Dash

Author:Darren Dash [Dash, Darren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Horror, Supernatyral
ISBN: 9781511568807
Amazon: 1511568801
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2015-04-13T04:00:00+00:00

FIFTY-FOUR

The sun was no longer beating down on him, but there was little comfort to be found in the coolness of the night. Dominic was stinging all over. His head wasn’t spinning as wildly as it had been – the sleep had done him at least that much good – but otherwise he was caught in the same physical nightmare, where he almost wanted to chop off his limbs rather than endure the ever-present pain.

He paused at one point to wipe his chest clean of blood with the leaves of a large plant. He was tempted to chew on a leaf, to quench the dreadful thirst that had befallen him, but was wary of trying a plant that might be poisonous.

A short time later that problem was solved when a small stream cut across the path. Dominic eased himself on to his knees and tried to cup a handful of the mountain water. When the stream proved too shallow, he leant and supped from it directly, even licking the pebbles that lined its base.

It was a slow process, and he was eager to keep drinking until full, but he forced himself to stop after a minute and rest. He let the water settle in his stomach before drinking again, then rested, drank, rested and drank.

He needed to go to the toilet when he was finished, but walked a safe distance from the stream before pissing, not wanting to contaminate the water in case he had to drink from it again.

Dominic felt better after his drink, and when he came to a clearing along the path, where the light from the moon intensified, he paused and studied his scalded flesh. At last he saw the raised blisters, like crops of mini mushrooms. They troubled him, especially since he figured there were more that he couldn’t see. He wondered if he should rub them with a dock leaf, or cake them in damp earth. But he was no survival expert and he feared doing more harm than good.

“Should have watched those wildlife programmes with Dad,” he mumbled bitterly. His father spent most of his spare time watching documentaries about the natural world, but Dominic had always considered them a waste of time.

Something rustled in the trees overhead, maybe an owl or some rodent on the prowl. As Dominic listened, he thought for the first time of the danger he might be in if the blood had been Curran’s. If the forest was home to a creature capable of disabling his taller, stronger friend, why shouldn’t it target Dominic too?

He couldn’t believe he hadn’t taken that into consideration before. He was normally very quick to focus on his own needs, something he had in common with Curran. What would he do if a wolf came barrelling down the path towards him, or if a bear sprang out of the bushes?

“Shit myself and die,” he cackled, but he couldn’t raise a smile.

Another good reason to go back. He was crazy to press on. What was he trying to prove? Nobody would blame him if he abandoned this string of a path.

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