Surviving the Swamp (Survivalist Reality Show Book 1)

by Grace Hamilton

  “Yes, but it isn’t like he can come out here and find me. Plus, isn’t there like a two-week delay or something while they chop up and edit the footage to make it look far more dramatic than it is?”

  Tabitha nodded. “I assume so. It definitely isn’t live. Are you going to go back to Chicago? I mean… well, I guess I should ask if that was your plan. I think we all have to realize the world may be very different once we return to civilization.”

  “I don’t know. Do you think it was a bomb?” Regan asked. “I mean, what if we’re like the last people alive?”

  Tabitha burst into laughter. “That’s a bit morbid and extreme. I think we would have noticed a bomb big enough to wipe out the country, Regan. We’re in the swamp, but we’re not that far away from civilization.”

  Regan shrugged, still not convinced something big hadn’t gone down beyond the perimeter of the swamp. She kept expecting someone to come for them, truth be told. Wolf was a popular guy. People would be anxious to rescue him, right? The fact that they hadn’t seen or heard from anyone said much about what was happening in the world beyond the swamp.

  “We should probably be getting back. We don’t want the men panicking and thinking we got eaten by a gator,” Regan said, suddenly anxious about being apart from the group.

  She pulled herself to her feet and reached down a hand to help Tabitha up, knowing she was a little neurotic. She hated being with them, but also didn’t want to be too far from their protection and the thin amount of security they offered. It was a fine line between feeling safe and feeling crowded, she was learning.

  Tabitha popped out her bottom lip. “Do we have to? Let’s let them stew a bit longer. I’m enjoying the peace.”

  Regan stood staring at her friend, and then grinned in response, nodding. “Works for me.”

  “Seriously, Regan, we are going to have a lot more episodes like this. Things are probably only going to get worse before they get better. Are you going to be okay with all this?” she asked.

  “I have to be. It’s not like I have another option. You guys are it,” Regan said sarcastically.

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “You know what I mean. Wolf gave me the spiel about working together as a group and leaning on people. I know I have to and I can do that, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to like it all the time.”

  Tabitha nodded, brushing some caked mud from her pants and standing up straight with a sigh. “I understand. I think we all feel the same way. I mean, I’m used to Geno and there’s no one else I would want to be with at the end of the world, but no offense, you’re not exactly a real peach to hang out with.”

  Regan burst into laughter. “I know. But we’re going to make it. Thanks for your honesty, too,” she added, nudging Tabitha’s shoulder with her fist.

  Tabitha grinned. “Anytime. That’s what friends are for. Ready?”

  Regan nodded, and truly, she felt more ready to face whatever came next. As they walked back to the men, Regan thought about what it would be like when they got to the city. She honestly didn’t think she could spend any more time with the people she had been forced to be with, comfortable as she was becoming with Tabitha. When the circumstances changed, it would be time to reevaluate her situation.

  10

  It was midday, a full day and a half after they’d stopped for their first night of rest since setting out, and the trek through the swamp was taking its toll. Regan had thought they’d be out by now, and got the impression that Wolf had too, but it seemed that original projections of how much ground they could cover had been exaggerated, at best. The heat and humidity had become brutal, taxing everyone’s strength. Additionally, they’d encountered a nest of stinging ants that had gone unnoticed until it had been too late. It had all started with Tabitha screeching, and then the rest of them had found they were crawling with the nasty insects, as well. They’d had to practically bathe in mud, and then gone through most of Tabitha’s stock of natural medicine to control the intense itching and keep the inflammation down.

  The bites and their aftermath had put a serious damper on the mood. Moving out of the dense, wet area had at least brought them into drier conditions, but that in turn meant more pokes from needles and burrs clinging to the foliage. Regan was unspeakably thankful that she had on boots. The burrs and bugs covering the ground they walked on would alone have been enough to do her in.

  Along with the strain of the humid day and their empty stomachs, everyone was in a sour mood. The fights they’d had two days before had fully altered the group’s dynamic. There was no joking or talking in general. There was even a strain between Tabitha and Geno that hadn’t been present before. He wasn’t being quite as affectionate, and she wasn’t doting on him. Regan had one ear trained on them to listen for their quiet voices chatting about mundane things, almost hoping for their banter to ring out and put the rest of them at ease but they weren’t talking to each other or anyone else. It was definitely tense between all of them.

  Regan was waiting for it all to come to a head and she hoped she wasn’t caught in the middle of a group quarrel when that happened.

  Holding in a sigh, she returned her attention to the man leading them. Wolf was doing his thing, hitting the ground in front of him, swatting at spider webs, and shaking bushes with his blasted stick as the group slowly walked along. He wasn’t talking, either, but that wasn’t anything new. It was his demeanor that told her he was feeling the strain of the situation—his slumped shoulders and the frown on his lips whenever he glanced backward. Despite what he said about hunger not killing them, she’d heard his stomach grumble along with hers not long ago. His stick thumped against the ground again. The sound had become a comfort to Regan. It meant they were still moving, and moving was a good thing. The more they moved, the closer they were to getting out of the swamp and branching out from one another.

  “Uh, guys,” Fred called out. “I hate to be a bother, but I think I need to get a bandage on my foot. It hurts and I’m sure I have a blister that’s now been rubbed raw.”

  Wolf slowed to a halt. “We’ll stop.”

  “I can make it a little farther,” Fred quickly said. “It’s not so bad.”

  “All right. Let’s look for a dry spot that isn’t too close to the water’s edge and make camp,” Wolf said, turning back around and beginning the procession once again.

  “Camp?” Fred echoed. “Wolf, I didn’t mean—”

  “It’s fine,” Wolf answered, waving his hand as if to cut off any apology. “We’re out of water and I don’t want anyone getting dehydrated. Tabitha, can you take a look at his foot while the rest of us gather what we need for a fire?”

  “Of course,” she said, looking happy to be needed.

  This time, despite it being early, Regan was ready to stop. They had risen at dawn and started moving right away. She was exhausted. Sleeping on the streets posed some dangers, but sleeping on swampy ground was far worse, despite the platforms they’d pulled together from branches and leaves. Now, they had walked for hours. Getting through the swamp before another night fell wouldn’t do them any good if they all collapsed in exhaustion.

  Wolf found what he considered a suitable spot for them to set up camp for the night, and Regan looked at the damp ground. She dreaded the bug bites they were sure to endure. Being on the move meant they didn’t get time to make a shelter or truly lofted sleeping area. They were stuck on the ground with all the creepy crawlies.

  “Another day or so and we’ll be to truly dry ground,” Wolf assured her as if he’d read her thoughts.

  She nodded. “Thank God. This is getting old.”

  He actually smiled. “Yes, it is, and I do this for a living.”

  “I’ll open the hammock,” Regan said quickly when she saw Geno fumbling it from his pack.

  “I got it,” Geno replied.

  “I’ll do it,” she insisted.

  The man held up his hands in surrender. She carefully let the sides fall apart and got ready t
o begin the process of hanging it and their packs up.

  “Have a seat,” Tabitha instructed Fred.

  “I’ll grab some firewood,” Wolf said, splitting off from the group.

  Regan pulled out the metal cup they would use to hold over the fire, along with a sheet of purification tablets. She hoped they got something to eat tonight. She didn’t think it was possible without any snares being set, but she was hungry enough to build up some excitement over the idea of catching a few squirrels for dinner. Wolf had promised them that they wouldn’t starve to death in a matter of days, and realistically, she knew that was true. The science didn’t satisfy her hunger. Her legs felt shaky now, and she got a little dizzy every time she moved too fast. She felt she’d been hiding it well, but had to take a quick seat when she leaned over the hammock too quickly. It was enough to draw attention.

  “You okay?” Geno asked her.

  She looked up, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “Me?” she asked in surprise.

  “Yes, you. Your hands are shaking, and you looked like you lost your balance just then.”

  “Oh, I’m fine. A little hungry,” she said with a shrug.

  “Oh. Yeah. Me, too.”

  There was an awkward silence as she pulled the sides up and closed the hammock. It was time to hang it off the ground. Things would go a little smoother now that they had an idea of what to do, at least. While she and Geno worked together, she overheard Fred and Tabitha talking.

  “I forget I can be a little clumsy. I trust you to know what you’re looking for. I shouldn’t have gotten in your way the other day.”

  “It’s okay. I was cranky and stressed. You were only trying to get us some food,” she assured him.

  “How’s his foot?” Geno asked.

  “Not great and it’s only going to get worse. He needs to keep it dry, but I know that isn’t going to be possible,” she said with a scowl. “I think a good poultice on the foot may help speed healing.”

  With the hammock once again hung off the ground, Regan looked at the foot freshly wrapped with clean gauze. It wouldn’t be clean for long.

  “I should go help Wolf gather wood,” Geno said.

  Tabitha stood up and ordered Fred to stay put. “Do not get that gauze dirty.”

  “I really wish we had a plastic bag right about now,” he mumbled.

  “For what?” Regan asked, wondering what the mad scientist was up to.

  “For my foot, of course,” he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

  “We don’t, so stay put,” Tabitha ordered him again.

  Regan took the cup and headed for the water to fill it. When she returned, Tabitha and Fred were bickering about which plants would make the best poultice for his foot. In the end, Tabitha won.

  “This is called Jack in the Pulpit,” Tabitha was saying while waving a plant around. “This is what you need to help that blister heal.”

  Fred shook his head. “I still think the best choice is the Purple Avens. I’ve at least heard of that, and we can go looking for it.”

  “That shows what you know, Fred—Purple Avens doesn’t even grow in Florida. You need to listen to me,” she argued.

  “What is that?” Regan asked.

  Tabitha held up the bunch of plants she had pulled out of the ground, roots and all. “It’s a natural antiseptic. We can grind it up, making a poultice to rub on the blister. It’s going to promote healing and help keep the injury clean under the gauze,” she said, looking at Fred pointedly.

  Regan looked at Fred. “I think I would listen to her. She knows what she’s talking about.”

  “Thank you,” Tabitha said, looking satisfied.

  Fred sighed and took the plants.

  “Grind the roots,” Tabitha instructed him. “I’ll find you a couple rocks.”

  She quickly returned with a flat rock and a smaller rock for him to use as a makeshift mortar and pestle. Fred got right to work, making his own medicine.

  Wolf appeared with Geno behind him, carrying a load of wood.

  “I got some water,” Regan announced.

  “Good. Let’s make a tinder bundle and get the fire going. I really need some water,” he said, sounding tired.

  “I’ll do it,” she said, dropping to her knees and taking the moss Wolf held out. She used her fingers to form the moss into a circle that resembled a bird’s nest. “Do you have the mag stick?” she asked him.

  He held it out to her and stood back, watching her work.

  “I hope I can do this,” she muttered.

  “You can. Hold the flint steady, right over the tinder bundle, and pull the mag stick back toward you. That keeps the sparks where you want them versus running the spark over the top of the mag stick and having the sparks flying everywhere. Remember, you don’t have to do it fast. Hold the flint at a forty-five-degree angle and pull,” he instructed, falling into his familiar teaching voice.

  She nodded and did as he said. She groaned in frustration when the tiny sparks failed to ignite the moss, pausing to scowl up at him in defeat. “You may have to do this.”

  “No, you can do it. Once you do it, you’ll get the feel of it, and next time it will be easier. This is something you need to learn.”

  “If I can’t get it, you have to do it,” Regan answered simply. “There’s no point in all of us suffering because I can’t figure it out. The game’s over.”

  “We’re not suffering. Relax, take a deep breath, and try again.”

  She did that, and when several sparks landed on the moss, she quickly picked it up off the ground and gently blew on it.

  “There you go,” Wolf commented, sounding for all the world like he’d never doubted her. “You see that little bit of smoke; you keep giving the spark a little oxygen. It’s there, it needs a little nurturing,” he said softly, squatting down next to her.

  Regan breathed on the spark, watching the smoke curl up, getting thicker by the second.

  “Now, sway it back and forth, slow,” he cautioned as she started to wave it in the air. “Now!”

  She put it on the ground and quickly put little twigs over the smoking bundle of moss, creating a teepee effect. “Oh no, it’s going to go out,” she cried when the smoke fizzled.

  “Give it a little air. Put some moss over it and blow some more,” he instructed.

  Regan quickly did as he’d instructed, feeling as if she was failing and letting everyone down. When the smoke barreled up and she saw the first tiny dancing orange flame, she felt near giddy.

  “I knew you could do it,” he told her with a quick pat on her shoulder. “Now, keep adding twigs until it’s burning bright, and then we’ll add the bigger stuff. We don’t need it to be a big fire,” he said, putting a few small branches on the twigs. “We only need to heat the water.”

  “Maybe we could catch some fish and cook it?” Regan said hopefully.

  Wolf nodded. “Sure, I think we should try. We’re going to need something. With the calories we burned today and yesterday, we’re going to be struggling to walk out of here tomorrow. Even with what we’ve found,” he said, smiling at Fred and Tabitha in acknowledgement of what they’d been scavenging over the last few days. Regan nodded in relief, knowing that even as hungry as she was, she’d have been feeling worse without their efforts.

  “I’m struggling already,” Geno commented.

  “Okay, Fred, you keep this fire going. Tabitha, can you help gather wood?” Wolf asked.

  “Of course. I’ll look around and see if I can find any berries or maybe some wild edibles,” she added, putting away the first aid supplies.

  “Perfect. Fish and salad,” Wolf said with a smile.

  Regan didn’t care if it was a pile of weeds being served. She was hungry. She had gone without eating for a day or two in the past, but this felt different. The walking, stress, and humidity had gone beyond taxing her strength.

  “I’ll collect some rocks and put them in the cup. It will heat the water faster,”
Tabitha offered.

  “No, it won’t. It will only contaminate the water,” Fred interjected.

  Tabitha glared at him as the others watched the exchange. “We’re boiling the water to make it safe. The boiling will kill anything that may be lurking on the rocks.”

  Fred was shaking his head. “Adding rocks isn’t going to make it boil faster.”

  Regan found herself smiling as she listened to the two bicker about the merits of adding rocks to the water. She personally had no idea who was right, but it was amusing to listen to them. Tabitha’s tiny stature compared to Fred’s much bigger size made them mismatched opponents. And Regan’s money was on Tabitha.

  “He’s never going to win,” Geno mumbled under his breath as the three of them walked out of their makeshift camp.

  Wolf chuckled. “I don’t think any man ever truly wins an argument with a woman.”

  “Hey, if you guys ever knew what you were talking about, you would have a chance at winning an argument,” Regan said casually.

  Wolf and Geno both made a choking sound in response and she merely smiled as she followed them. Her mind was already on the fish she hoped they’d catch. She’d even eat the damn fish head if it came to it.

  When they got to the river, she was happy to see some ripples indicating movement. Movement was a good thing.

  “We should have brought the hammock,” Regan grumbled. “It’s one of the main reasons I brought the thing on the show! I planned to use it for exactly this.”

  “We could make one,” Geno offered. “I saw someone make one on another survival show. Tabitha was always watching those,” he added.

  Wolf looked around the area. “That would be a good idea if we had more time, but I think we need to try a spear.”

  “A spear?” Regan asked. “That seems like a crapshoot.”

  “There’s three of us,” Wolf pointed out. “We can use our bodies to corral them into an area and jab them. We’ll use double-pronged gigs to up our odds,” he added, picking up a branch and holding it up. “You have that knife on you?”

  She pulled the knife out and held it up. “Of course, I do.”