Frank gets down on one knee. The audibility of my pounding heart frightens me as the air around me instantaneously evacuates. It leaves me clasping onto the last bit of air left in my lungs. My trembling hands still cover my mouth as a mixture of warm tears and hot sweat glide down my face.

What a terrible morning to be alive.

I keep my eyes locked on Frank's body, not daring the presence of the snake to send me screaming, but my eyes forsake me and take a sneak peek towards the limbless serpent. If possible, I wrap my hands even tighter around my mouth to muffle any sound daring to push through. The creature slowly slithers his army green body closer towards himself. Or herself... you pick the gender Jess because right now that's the last thing to quarrel over.

Frank's palms hit the ground causing my eyes to dart directly towards him and I don't know whether or not to be thankful that he's distracting me from the slithery reptile. Not to mention that it's most likely poisonous.

As if choosing my fate, the snake leaps out into the air, directly towards Frank.

"What the-... Aaaahh! Get it off!" Frank's voice overflows with fear and panic as he tries to get up and run, except he trips over his own two feet. Instead of attempting to get up again, he scrambles backward trying to get away from the snake that is already latched onto his shoulder.

"It's a fucking snake!" Steven yells as he lunges backward.

"Get it off!" Frank's eyes widen with the realization that it could potentially be poisonous. Well, I'm guessing that's what he realized.

"It's a snake!" Steven doesn't move one inch closer to Frank.

"No shit Sherlock! Now get it off of me!"Frank continues to have a minnie battle with himself, throwing and shaking his body around trying to get the snake off.

"Fuck no!.. Get it off yourself. I'm not touching that thing." And just like that Steven turns around and walks away.

"What do you-... Where are you going!?" Frank yells. Fear still plastered on his face.

"To look for the girl you dumbshit," Steven yells in a 'duh' tone from a distance before continuing to walk.

The fact that I can currently see Frank's face while he struggles with the snake is what scares me even further. What if he looks my way? Or if he feels the presence of someone staring at him and starts looking around? I can't risk that.

Think Vivian... come on... think, I chant in my head.

Just then a random idea pops into my head and I decide to go with it as nothing else surfaces. I slowly remove my one hand from my mouth and up my head. As my hand travels up, I catch a glimps of my raw wrist and unwillingly remember the zip ties Steven used to restrain me before performing the punishment. The memory sends shivers down my spine. I grab at some of my brunette hair and allow them to fall over my face, camouflaging my light of complexion skin. I don't want or need Frank to see me. They cannot find me.

I use my fingers to carefully part my hair in a way that I can still see what's going on in front of me. Then place my arm down to the ground right next to my chest.

Frank somehow manages to get the snake to detach from his shoulder. The reptile now nowhere insight. Dammit. I wanted to thank it for being my knight in shining armor. Figuratively of course.

He starts looking around while rubbing his shoulder. Just get up and leave. Just get up and leave, I nervously chant. Frank lifts his behind and pulls out a cell phone from his back pocket. He types frantically before placing it against his ear.

"Hi, it's Frank... No, we haven't yet... I got bitten by a snake... A snake... I don't know. The rest are still looking... Can they continue while I get one of the nurses to check if the bite's poisonous?... And if I get an infection or die!?... I'll be fast, I promise. If it's nothing I'll leave immediately and join the rest... Okay... Thank you, sir." Then he removes the phone from his ear and places it back in his pocket.

He searches around one last time then rests his eyes for a few seconds before getting up. He turns and walks far away from me. So far that I instantly calm down and feel relieved. So far, that the pain I've been pushing aside in order to survive, comes rushing back at me all at once.

An instant shock shoots throughout my entire body and I cannot prevent myself from crying out in pain. Every limb in my body aches, every organ cries, every pulse throbs. I have never endured such a level of both physical and emotional pain in my life.

I remove my hair from my face then rotate my body in order to lay flat on my back. The space I'm currently tucked away in is so cramped it restricts me from stretching out my limbs. I stare up towards the sky, my tears now running down the sides of my face onto my ears.

I lay here thinking about my friends, my family, my life before this mess. Only three days ago I had it all and took it for granted. I never realized my privileges and blessings until now, until it was too late. I miss mom and dad. Three days without their one and only 'miracle' daughter, as they always put it.

Mom could never conceive a child. She was infertile and afraid dad would leave her for it, a seemly incurable insecurity, but he stayed by her side through thick and thin. After four years of heartbreaking disappointment, they simply gave up. The following year she began receiving rather odd symptoms, went to the hospital and found out that she was three months pregnant. With me of course. I cannot possibly imagine what they're going through right now. It breaks my heart that I'm breaking theirs.

I miss Jessica. The real Jessica. My bestfriend. Our friendship has always been based on honesty and trust. We have been there for each other for as long as I can remember, an inseparable pair. The longest I have gone without her was the week she ended up in the hospital when she broke her leg. Kate pushed her down the staircase at school, claiming Jess was 'eyeing' her 'boyfriend' in gym class. A false claim of course and a medical bill her parents were left to pay.

I miss Lucas. He always brought a certain type of energy to the group. A happy, joyful energy that could put a smile on anyone's face. Whenever Jess or I were upset, even at each other, Lucas would find a way to mend us back together.

Even though I strongly despise Nick, I cannot stop myself from missing him. There was a time period in life where he was all I could think of. All I wanted near me. All I ever dreamt of. He had me enchanted and I loved him dearly. I would've done any and everything for him. I hate what destroyed us, I hate the way it destroyed us, and I hate him for it. Yet, a part of me still loves him. Not that I'll ever get back together with him, but I don't want our last encounter to be our last memory of each other.

I lay here uncomfortably. Memories creating a storm in my mind. Flooding my eyes and breaking my heart. I lift my head to scan my body. New cuts and bruises all over. I was a canvas and the artists used a paint called pain and suffering.

The wind starts picking up and since all I'm wearing is a crop top, shorts, and sneakers, I slowly turn over to my side. I wrap my arms around my body while bringing my knees up to my chest. My eyes start to feel heavy and my mind gets sucked into a blackhole. Darkness overtakes my vision until my vision nor anything for that matter of fact is of importance.

I need to rest.

-₹៛₹៛¤៛₹៛₹-

I awake probably for the tenth time now. I've been in and out pockets of sleep all night long because of the wind, there's no denying how cold the air was. A blanket or even longer clothing would have helped. Luckily the sun's coming out now. However, the air is still damp and cold.

Peaking around, making sure that no one has come back to look for me, I make my way out of my hiding spot. My stomach growls from the lack of food. Once I'm out, I decide to continue walking through the trees.

But something catches my eye. I look over to the ground where Frank was sitting yesterday and see a granola bar simply lying there. Thank you so much Lord! I scream internally as happiness takes over. Frank must have dropped it when he took his cellphone out. I quickly pick it up and hurriedly open it. Knowing it's going to be my one and only snack, I eat it cautiously against my will. Remembering which way I came from, I continue in the opposite direction.

-₹៛₹៛¤៛₹៛₹-

After two hours of speed walking, I finally make my way through the desert forest. My granola bar sadly finished within the first fifteen minutes.

It isn't enough to fill me, but it gives me enough energy to continue. I walk away from the last tree and see a tiny spec of a silhouette in the far distance. My heart skips a beat at the possibility of it being a small town. It would probably take me an hour and thirty minutes to three hours to reach it depending on my speed.

For some or other reason I begin running as fast as I can. I run for a whole seven minutes before realizing that I'm only wasting my energy and decide to walk the rest of the way. The blazing morning sun doesn't make this walk any easier. As the silhouette becomes larger and larger, I soon make it out to be a little town. Once the realization hit me, I take off running yet again, only to go back to walking.

Being only a few minutes away from the nearest building, I run. But since my energy's on a dangerous low, it comes out more as speed walking. It surprises me that there's barely anyone around, not a soul in sight. Once I reach the building I see a tap behind it and go towards it first. I turn it open and fresh cold water burst through the pipe. I immediately bring my head down to indulge in some of the natures sweet nectar. I feel like a sponge soaking up all the water like my life depends on it. Which it does.

As soon as I feel fulfilled, I use the water to clean myself. Washing away the dirt on my face, arms, and legs. My chest and back are the most challenging and I decide not to even attempt with my hair.

"What do you think you're doing!?" a voice booms next to me just as I turn off the tap. My heart immediately jumps out of my chest and panic sets in.