Soldiers - 5

Relief came towards the end of the second day. Finally the ground inclined upwards, and through the foliage could be glimpsed what had to be a veritable tower of a mountain. They had managed to improvise a stretcher for the injured Sarge, which had eased the burden of carrying him across the flat jungle ground, but which made the climb somewhat harder. The incline grew steeper and steeper, and soon enough the exhausted soldiers finally broke free of the jungle's claustrophobic vegetation, for the first time gaining an overview from above the canopy. What they saw was awe-inspiring, despite coming as no surprise and being more of a confirmation of their fears. The canopy that now stretched out below them like a green carpet continued as far as the eye could see. There was no break in the endless green. No blue water, no brown dirt, no grey smoke. There were hills and mountains at points in the distance, but they too were covered in flora. It seemed that they had happened upon the only thing rising above the timberline. They looked at each other hesitantly, then back at the sea of green.

Roth shouted in the distance, and waved for the rest of them to join him. While the others took stock of the landscape, Roth had made his way across the mountainside and had apparently found something. Once they had rejoined with him, the rocky and uneven surface giving Trent and Charlie some difficulties carrying Sarge, he pointed towards what he had found.

"Well I'll be damned...", mumbled Charlie.

"So... That looks like a path, right?" Buckley turned to seek confirmation from his companions.

"Sure does", replied Roth. His face broke into a huge grin as he could no longer contain his excitement.

They made their way towards the path. It was not wide, and no road by any stretch of the imagination. It was clear however, that some effort had gone into its creation. Boulders had been moved out of the way, and others had been put in, to provide a more even surface and a steady incline. Trent and Charlie could not help but notice the ease with which they now carried the Sarge. They continued up the path, which seemed to circle its way upwards along the mountainside. The mountain's apparent tower-like qualities gleaned through the foliage from below was reinforced here, above the jungle. It was taller than it was wide, and above a certain point it rose straight up, like the walls of a tower. It appeared to be flat on top. About halfway up the mountain path, the soldiers came upon a cave. It may have originally been natural, but there was definitive evidence that it had been modified to better serve as a shelter. The group's elation continued to rise at this corroborating sign of human activity.

"Alright", Roth began, "this'll be our shelter for the night. Trent, get Sarge comfy in there and keep an eye on him.  I reckon me, Buck, and Charlie can reach the top and get back before it gets dark." Trent nodded and Charlie helped him carry Sarge inside the cave.

Roth, Charlie, and Buckley resumed the climb with renewed vigour. Before too long they made it to the summit. It was indeed almost flat, but did not appear to have been constructed or in other ways altered by people. Although fairly flat in general, it was still uneven and jagged in texture. The three men made their way to the edge and saw that even from this vantage point, the jungle still spread out to the horizon in every direction. Buckley ran his fingers through his brown, sweat-drenched hair. He removed his black-framed glasses and used the lower part of his shirt to clean them before putting them back on. Although he did not expect to see anything new, he cast another look over the surrounding area. And that's when he spotted it. Without taking his eyes off it, he reached out for Charlie's shoulder and found it.

"Dude...", he shook Charlie's shoulder, "is that what I think it is?" Charlie turned to look and Buckley pointed. "There... Over there."

Charlie squinted and scouted for a moment, then his eyes widened. "What, you mean that river over there? You mean that goddamn river over there?" He grabbed Buckley's shirt with both hands and shook him excitedly. "That's a goddamn RIVER!"