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Yes...ok...it was funny to dump Mr. Cranky Pants into the sand. Actually, it was straight up hilarious! But now I felt bad, for Kris. I honestly thought that any repercussions of sending him in the sand, would have been directed at me. This just goes to show that AJ isn't the most rational thinker, most of the time...he works purely on impulse, more often than not, and that's what usually gets him into trouble. You would think that man would learn from his mistakes, at some point...but he's over 30 years running and still as smart as a box of rocks. Just...please don't tell him I said that, okay?

Once AJ followed Kris down the beach, leaving Resa and I alone, we resumed talking. But now it was different. It wasn't about personal things. Conversation was now surrounding the hike that looked more and more, like it was going to happen even though it hadn't really been discussed in any further depth. Isn't it funny how that happens? An idea gets brought up once and people debate over it...the decision isn't made, but yet everyone kind of comes to a silent understanding? Our small group had come to a silent understanding, I think, that this hike was inevitable.

“Do you think that, maybe, we should work on trying to make some of the backpacks or tether lines today? If we are really going to try taking this hike, we should do it while the weather is nice.” Poking at the fire, she shifted from one foot to the other before finally sitting down on the closest stump. “I'd really hate getting stuck in the middle of a huge storm. We don't have any idea what we're getting into or if we'll have any kind of protection out there.”

“The weather does seem to change rather quickly, doesn't it?” Wrinkling my brow, I started looking up at the sky. Everything seemed crystal clear at this very moment. “We should try to make good use of the weather while we can, before any storms start moving in.”

“Definitely. And these storms seem to roll in so fast. We could be completely blindsided by one, if we aren't careful.” She sighed a bit, twisting her lip. There was no doubt, that this hike could possibly present many different kinds of danger, for us. And there was no way to be fully prepared, either...especially when we probably had no idea what half of those dangers even were. “The storms don't seem to give much warning, either.”

“I know...they just seem to pop up out of nowhere.” I rubbed my hand over my face, realizing that we had to get working on preparations...any and all that we could possibly make. “We better work on getting some stuff done. We need to be as prepared as we can be...for whatever might be out there.” That was enough reason for me to start heading toward the tree line. Surely I could find an gather some useful items to help us. Then...it happened. I saw...the biggest...the fattest...the longest...

“Howie? Where are you going? Shouldn't you...” Resa didn't even get the chance to finish her line of questioning before my voice his it's highest pitch, piercing the air like a hot knife. Yes. I'm quite sure I was screaming like a little school girl.

“SNAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!” It was so close...so big...so vicious looking, as it hissed at me. Naturally, I tried to jump out of the way as it's head rose up, ready to strike. I'm sure the whole island could hear my screams as my life flashed before me eyes. I felt the long, sharp fangs pierce through the skin of my right ankle, sinking deep within the flesh and muscle. Pain surged up my leg, making my drop to the sand in agony. I could practically feel the venom trickling its way into my blood stream.

“HOWIE!” In a split second, Resa was kneeling by my side, pulling my leg onto her lap. The deadly poison was surely getting close to my heart, by now...taking over my system...filling my body. I've seen is on Animal Planet...I was lucky if I had any more than twenty minutes left, of my life and then it would be over. “Are you alright?”

“Does it look like I'm alright?! I'm gonna die! Dear God, above me, have mercy upon my soul!” Weary and already feeling the breath beginning to leave my lungs, I lay back in the sand, starting to gasp for the precious air I had previously taken for granted.

“Howie...you're going to be fine.” Oh how I wish that were true, but I could almost see the angels coming to greet me. How could a woman that had confided to me her fear of snakes, be so calm and collected in a time of such despair. Never before had I imagined that darkness and light could mix, quite like this...

“I feel...cold...tired...” How could she be so insensitive? She was rolling her eyes at me! And she was trying not to laugh! Even AJ had more heart than to laugh at a dying man. I was dying the kind of slow painful death that people feared...enduring the wrenching pain of a poisonous venom over taking my body...and she was just acting like it was a joke. Dropping my head back into the sand, I closed my eyes and let out a struggled groan.

“Seriously, Howie...if you'd just...” Her mocking voice was starting to get so distant...and fuzzy. Everything around me seemed to just...fade...slowly...away. So this is what death was like? I felt Resa's hand lightly tapping mt cheeks, trying hard to get me to pay attention to her. How selfish. I'm dying, but she wants the attention?

“Oh...my...goodness! Howard Dorough! Come on now...will you just let me help you down to the shoreline?” Was she crazy? If I'm lying here half dead, surely I can't get down to the shoreline! Doesn't she realize that my body has lost it's strength?

“The angels...are singing...to...me. I can...hear...them...they are...so soft...” With great effort, I was able to flutter my eyes back open, only to see that same amused grin upon her lips. But why? Did she secretly want to see a backstreet Boy perish before her eyes? I've heard that some fans have crazy fantasies about that sort of thing, but I hadn't pegged Resa to be one of them. Maybe I was wrong.

“You are such a drama king. Now come on...” Moving to lift my arm, she wrapped it around her shoulders and tried to sit me up. My head rolled to the side, landing on her shoulder as the world, around me, got even fuzzier than before.

“Please...tell my...family...that...I love them...and my fans...that...they have always...meant...the world...to me.” My last dying wish was just for everyone to know that I appreciated them and that...as the solo song had always claimed...my heart would stay with them. Isn't that a cruel twist of fate? All these years, of singing 'My Heart Stays With You' and now it was what my mind drifted to as I was dying.

“Oh good grief! Tell them yourself, Dorough...because you are not...I repeat...NOT...gonna die. Okay?” The woman was surprisingly strong as she lifted me up, off the sand. My leg felt swollen and the pain just increased throughout my entire leg. At least it wouldn't be long, and it would be all over. I had...maybe ten minutes left, now...if I was lucky.

“Daddy...here...I...come...” My breaths were becoming more struggled as my heart began to race faster than I ever even knew possible. My toes were cold...so cold...like ice. My legs had that numb tingling as if I had been sitting wrong for far too long. Even my fingers... “I see...my...sister...” I really could see her beautiful face float to the front of my mind, as my weakened body sagged against Resa.

“Oh I give up Howard. You are being utterly ridiculous!” I don't know if we ever even made it to the shoreline before my eyes fluttered closed once more. Alas...death was upon me...ready to consume me. The Lord must be in need of another angel, today.

Darkness took over me and my body just...felt numb. I have no idea how long I was floating there between life and death...but it seemed so short and so long, at the same time. Then...suddenly...a deep voice boomed inside my head. This was it...

“What...the FUCK...happened to Howie?!?” Wait...was that...God? It couldn't be! God doesn't swear. Does he?

“He just got bit by a snake and freaked out.” That angel's voice sounded to familiar, but why couldn't I see anything other than void darkness? Where were the pearly gates? Wasn't St. Peter supposed to meet me and...check for my name in the Great book or...direct me to the throne...something?

“That just fuckin' figures, the damn idiot!” Oh no! Could it be possible...that I went...the other way? No! No...it couldn't be! Please, no!

“Is he just...passed out...or what?" There was the soft voice of another angel. But I was still seeing no sign of heaven, just a never ending darkness. What the heck was going on?

“Pretty much. But I think it was more because of his panicking about death, than is was about the actual snake bite.” Giggles filled the air around me. Do angels laugh? I suppose they must, huh? But I still don't understand why God...

“And the shit head called ME a fuckin' baby! Oh just wait until Nick hears about this! What a damn moron. For fuck sake...it don't even look that bad!” ...was swearing. Furthermore...why does God sound so much like AJ? “I bet his dumb ass is layin' there...unconscious...thinkin' he fuckin' went to heaven, too! HA! Wouldn't it be a damn hoot if he thought my voice was that of God?” What the...? The next thing I heard confirmed that God sounded like AJ because it was AJ...no one laughs like that man does and he was just busting a gut, at my expense. What a dick!

“So...he's gonna be okay?” If 'God' was AJ...which is the weirdest and most screwed up sounding phrase EVER...than the angel speaking now must be Kris and the other angel was...

“He'll be fine. I tried telling him that the snake he was bit by, wasn't even poisonous. But...he was to into the dramatics, to listen.” ...yeah...that must be Resa. Wow was my head starting to pound. The pain in my leg was starting to come back, too.

“It's official...Howard Dorough...is incapable of dealing with a survival situation. First he lost a fight with a coconut...and now this?!” What a loser!” Whenever I got back on my feet...I was going to beat the cocky attitude right out of that tattooed know it all!

“But...um...if memory serves me right...” Kris' voice was soft and almost timid as she interrupted him. “...didn't you lose a fight with a coconut, too?” Oh yeah! He did, didn't he? HA! In his face!