The Survivor - Twenty-eight (743 hits)
Category: GeneralLabels: The_Survivor
Rating: 2 on 14 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by <brdn_nkd.at.yahoo.com> (View user info) at 2004-11-03 10:56:11 EST
Part 1 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/47397
Part 2 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/47534
Part 3 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/47688
Part 4 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/47784
Part 5 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/47955
Part 6 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/48120
Part 7/8 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/48263
Part 9 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/48399
Part 10/11 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/48513
Part 12/13 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/48700
Part 14/15 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/48779
Part 16-18 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/48915
Part 19 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/49334
Part 20 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/49638
Part 21 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/49717
Part 22/23 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/49818
Part 24/25 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/49950
Part 26 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/50030
Part 27 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/50356
I woke up with Gina next to me in bed. Last night was wonderful, after all we'd been through such simple things as hot food, showers, and a comfortable bed did a lot to ease our pains. I got into the shower and let the hot water wash over me. I stood there for several minutes until Gina walked in and joined me. She was a very beautiful woman and I felt more for her than I'd ever felt for another woman. I tried to check my feelings knowing that stress can cloud your judgment but even through my skepticism I could tell I'd already fallen for Gina. We took our time in the shower thoroughly washing each other's bodies and kissing under the fall of the water. As we kissed the water suddenly shut off and we could hear banging on our door. We got out wrapping towels around ourselves and I went to the door.
I greeted Jeff at the door and was rewarded with a somewhat icy "Good morning Ben. It's time to pick up and head back to camp." He then turned and walked away. I had no idea what I'd done to warrant such a cold reception from Jeff but even his foul mood couldn't put a damper on the time I'd spent with Gina.
After the door closed Gina came out of the bathroom wearing nothing. "Who was that?" Instead of answering her I walked over, wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her. When we pulled our lips apart she looked up at me with her gorgeous blue eyes and said: "I think I'm falling for you Ben and if we get out of this I hope we can try to continue our relationship."
"We'll make it through this Gina and when we get back to the states I'm going to spend so much time with you that you'll be sick of me." I was feeling so good that I just couldn't imagine it any other way. Having never found such a deep connection with any other woman I would not entertain the thought that I might lose this one as easily as I found it. "We'd better get going." Gina shook her head and kissed me again and when we released this time I gently pushed her back from me and told her to get dressed.
We left our room to find the remainder of our group waiting for us; we joined them and headed back to our meager existence in the clearing. The next few days went by uneventfully and quickly. We went about our daily routines of gathering wood, food, and water, and continued to develop the friendships that I would later vow to avenge the loss of. Gina and I did everything together and it was very rare to find us apart. I believe everyone else was happy for us and there didn't seem to be any resentment in our group about our relationship. On our fourth day back from our "vacation" we found tree mail.
"Two out of three, you're doing quite well
but this challenge may seem like it's straight out of hell.
Come to the cliffs to learn your next task
Today in the sun, you will sit and will bask"
Nobody grumbled much; so far all of the challenges had at least been beatable. We made our way to the cliffs in silence walking single file except for Gina and I; we walked hand in hand behind the rest of the group. When we got to the cliffs we found Jeff leaning against what looked like a telephone pole stuck into the ground, there were seven more along the edge of the cliff.
"Good morning. You've done quite well for yourselves, to make it this far. You've won two challenges, completed a third, and carved a somewhat comfortable existence out of the jungle for yourselves. Today's challenge is a further test of the endurance that's brought you this far. You will be competing as a team as usual but also as individuals. The team reward, should you complete the challenge will be the same as the last reward. The individual award, for the person who outlasts the others will be a Subaru Outback delivered to your residence upon your return to your home.
I'm sure you've noticed the poles here; your job today will be to climb to the top of the pole using the ladders we've provided. There you will perch until there's only one remaining. The last one on top of their pole will win the individual reward. As a team, your objective is to beat this clock (he gestures to a large clock situated on the rocks behind us). To win as a team all of you must stay on top of your pole for six hours. If you fall from your poll before that time the team loses. If you are injured we will not provide any assistance. The clock will start when the last of you is situated on your pole, good luck."
I don't know how they did it but these eight poles were fixed in the ground at the edge of the cliffs. They were about fifteen feet tall and maybe a foot in diameter, not much of a perch to sit on for six hours. We all began our climbs to the top and everyone situated themselves on their respective poles as well as they could. The clock started running and we began a day far more grueling than we would have believed possible given the activity.
For now the only thing I had to worry about was staying on my perch until the six hours had passed. I don't know about anyone else but the car wasn't much of an incentive for me, it just didn't seem that important. So we sat, we talked and joked and talked some more trying to ass the time. It wasn't more than an hour later that I began to be really uncomfortable. My rear was numb and sore at the same time. I couldn't imagine how Todd was doing. He was kind of heavyset and although he'd lost weight since we got here still had a considerable sized ass to try to balance on the top of the pole.
By the time an hour and a half had passed I decided that I had to try to reposition myself and give my rump a rest. I carefully got up and stood. Looking down from this position was far scarier than when I'd been sitting but I also thought that I would be able to stand longer than I could have sat. I told the others how great it felt to be up and that I thought it'd be easier to continue standing for a while. I cautioned them not to look at the edge of the cliff if they did stand, as that is where I had felt the strongest vertigo when I was moving around. The poles were a few feet from the edge of the cliff but from up here it didn't look like much.
The sun was directly above us now, noon I guess, and it's very hot. There's no shade or water up here so we were quickly parched. By the time the third hour had passed I was beginning to feel stiffness set into my legs, I had to sit again. As I slowly lowered myself to a seated position I saw Todd topple over. I think he must have passed out because he just flopped over. As he fell to the ground headfirst I braced myself for his impact. He was completely, and perhaps mercifully, unaware as his head hit the edge of the cliffs before his body turned again throwing him into the water below. It was over as quickly as it started. Todd was no longer with us and I could just see his body coming to the surface of the water, before the current carried him away.
Right then, my only concern was putting an end to this challenge before anyone else was hurt. I told the others I was done and began to situate myself so that I could climb down. They'd removed the ladders but I didn't think it'd be too hard to slide down if I could lower myself over the edge of the pole. Before I could even get that far though, Jeff warned me that to leave the pole now would be a surrender of my life. I told him where to go and continued to work myself over the edge of the pole when Jeff pulled his gun and shot the pole just below me.
"Ben, forfeiture is not an option."
What could I do? To get down meant I'd be shot by a madman? I did the only thing I could do, I returned myself to a seated position and sat. Later, having lost more of our group, I found it hard to believe that any of us would make it through the remaining nineteen days on the island. I contemplated giving up then but found, even then, my desire to live was stronger than the terror I currently lived under. Just under three hours to go.
User Reviews
Submitted by Stagger_Lee (user info) at 2006-04-19 06:31:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Davros (user info) at 2005-12-28 06:24:21 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
How exactly do you "ass the time"?
Good stuff.
-Dave
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2005-11-04 11:41:16 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
RyuFu, thanks for rating all of these, as you can see I never got too many ratings.
Submitted by RyuFu (user info) at 2005-11-04 11:38:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Man, that's a pretty grueling task.
Submitted by Wrightcopy (user info) at 2005-09-12 09:30:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow. Just... wow.
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2005-06-29 20:01:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by mikethescottish (user info) at 2005-03-01 17:35:26 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Ed_0150 (user info) at 2005-01-21 00:27:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by jack11058 (user info) at 2004-11-26 12:26:53 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2004-11-03 13:52:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2004-11-03 13:26:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by DeathJester (user info) at 2004-11-03 11:32:36 (#)
Ranking: 2
Keep going my friend. Keep going
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2004-11-03 12:49:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by packofqtips (user info) at 2004-11-03 11:49:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
the delay between chapters is killin me
Submitted by DeathJester (user info) at 2004-11-03 11:32:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Keep going my friend. Keep going.