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Post by Hollywood Heidi on Jun 16, 2007 11:56:15 GMT -5
A mid-jungle area a little ways in from the mid-section survivor's camp. Location found in box F4 below: Each box is 3 miles by 3 miles. It takes an hour to walk 3 miles. But also keep in mind that hiking (like that really steep hill to get to higher ground) will take a heck of a lot longer and that if you're running (like from some jungle thing), that you'll get somewhere faster.
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Post by ana on Jun 16, 2007 17:12:47 GMT -5
**Ana-Lucia trudges in from G3 jungle outskirts**
Ana was leading Gwen and Severin back along a path she'd walked twice already today. It lead from the site where Jake had cremated his unfortunate friend to a spot deeper in the jungle. She picked her pace up a little more, partly because she didn't want to waste time and partly becasue she thought it might annoy Gwen.
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Gwen Havers
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Ready to Fallplg%%Gwen, Shannon, Etana%%
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Post by Gwen Havers on Jun 16, 2007 17:39:38 GMT -5
"So..." Gwen said, concentrating on her footing while trying to keep up with Ana. "I gather you already have a place in mind, to start looking..."
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Post by Severin on Jun 16, 2007 17:41:07 GMT -5
Severin kept quiet, just walking forward and following Ana. Striding, he had little trouble keeping up, but seeing Gwen struggling he hung back slightly. Ana in front, Gwen behind, and him in the middle forming a bridge between the two. "Yes, Ana, where are we going?"
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Post by ana on Jun 16, 2007 18:03:49 GMT -5
"We're not far off." She stated, not letting up her speed as she explained. "While you were off ignoring my suggestion that you find people with common sense, I went back to where I though Jake might have gone." Her hand moved out to push a branch back that was in her way. Had Gwen been behind her, she would have let it swing back, but she held it for Severin.
"It looked like someone had been there, and I found muddy footprints leading away. So I followed them."
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Gwen Havers
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Post by Gwen Havers on Jun 16, 2007 18:28:39 GMT -5
"While you were off ignoring my suggestion that you find people with common sense, I went back to where I though Jake might have gone."
"Look, we did the best we could on short notice. Walter's familiar with these woods, and Boone seems...fairly capable. And for the record, Ruby was a surprise to all of us," she remarked. "Everyone else was otherwise engaged."
"It looked like someone had been there, and I found muddy footprints leading away. So I followed them."
"What sort of footprints?" she asked. "Leading away to where?"
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Post by ana on Jun 16, 2007 18:39:12 GMT -5
"What sort of footprints?"
"Prints made by feet." Ana replied dryly.
"Leading away to where?"
"To where I'm taking you." She was starting to lose patience again.
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Post by Severin on Jun 16, 2007 18:42:38 GMT -5
"Would you mind being slightly more specific, Ana?" asked Severin, walking up to Ana.
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Post by ana on Jun 16, 2007 19:00:56 GMT -5
Ana stopped for the first time since they'd parted from the others.
"It's kinda hard to be specific when everything looks the same out here." She spread her arms out to indicate the surrounding trees which all looked alike. The look on Severin's face made her feel like she should at least make an effort to elaborate.
"Jake was wearing a pair of boots with an unusual pattern on the soles. I noticed it the other day. It's the same print I followed." She took a few steps further away from the pair of them, her eyes searching the ground for something.
"Look." She pointed to a footprint in the dirt.
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Gwen Havers
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Post by Gwen Havers on Jun 16, 2007 19:08:08 GMT -5
"Jake was wearing a pair of boots with an unusual pattern on the soles. I noticed it the other day. It's the same print I followed...Look."
Gwen kneeled and stared at the piece of ground Ana was pointing to, taking a while to finally discern the pattern she was talking about. "Was his the only set of footprints you found?" she asked.
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Post by ana on Jun 16, 2007 19:24:32 GMT -5
"On this path, yeah." She allowed them both time to look at the print before setting off again. "We should keep moving, we're nearly there."
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Gwen Havers
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Post by Gwen Havers on Jun 16, 2007 23:40:18 GMT -5
"We should keep moving, we're nearly there."
"But it doesn't make sense," Gwen insisted, readjusting the shoulder straps on her backpack as Ana seemed ready to be off again. "Why would he walk away from the beach? Ignoring warnings that I'm sure both of us gave him about how dangerous it was out here."
She kept a watchful gaze on their surroundings, noticing that it looked similar to the path they'd followed to the cockpit. Then again, as Ana had said, everything tended to look the same in the jungle.
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Post by Severin on Jun 17, 2007 9:32:28 GMT -5
Severin continued to remain quiet, although Gwen posed a good question. There was no reason for anyone to go into the jungle, not unless there was a serious reason. So, either he was exceptionally stupid...or he was lured into the jungle somehow. Maybe even taken.
Severin pushed the thought away, realizing he was jumping to conclusions. But still, it seemed the only logical answer.
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Post by ana on Jun 17, 2007 13:04:36 GMT -5
"Why would he walk away from the beach? Ignoring warnings that I'm sure both of us gave him about how dangerous it was out here."
"I don't know." Her voice was laced with concern and suspicion. Ana had been thinking the exact same thing. Gwen was right. It didn't make sense. She let her eyes focus back on the ground again, trying to pick up the footprints again.
"It looks like he started running, right around here." She pointed to where the boot marks began to get further apart. "But there's no other tracks, or at least no other people tracks that I can tell." She carried on, a little faster now, mimicing the pace that Jake must have been running.
"He ran to here..." She called back, after stopping in a small clearing of trees a little further ahead. "Then he suddenly stopped. And that's what worries me. The trail just ends. He doesn't backtrack, or move away. It's like he was picked up and taken."
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Post by Severin on Jun 17, 2007 13:07:00 GMT -5
"Then he suddenly stopped. And that's what worries me. The trail just ends. He doesn't backtrack, or move away. It's like he was picked up and taken."
"Picked up? Just...taken?" he asked as he moved to Ana's position, and crouched down. He searched the dirt for any trail that might have softened in rain. "By what?"
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Post by ana on Jun 17, 2007 14:10:27 GMT -5
"I was hoping you could tell me." Ana said, looking directly at Severin. "I can spot footprints, but that's about as far as my tracking skills go. You're an army man. I was counting on you having some experience in this."
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Gwen Havers
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Post by Gwen Havers on Jun 17, 2007 14:13:40 GMT -5
"By what?"
"By whatever killed the pilot," Gwen said in a near-whisper. One minute he was there, the next he was gone. With only cries of agony in his wake. And now the situation was suddenly much more serious.
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Post by Severin on Jun 17, 2007 14:14:41 GMT -5
"I can spot footprints, but that's about as far as my tracking skills go. You're an army man. I was counting on you having some experience in this."
"I do have training, but it was put into practice mainly with sand and dust." he returned, standing.
"By whatever killed the pilot,"
He looked over at Gwen, and moved quickly over to her until he was very close. "No." he urged her. "Not that. He was taken. Not dragged. Lifted, held above the ground and moved away. No blood. No remains. No noises. It's almost certainly human, it's very easy to cover up your tracks. In a jungle like this, you just...take off your shoes, tread softly and let the conditions do it for you. I doubt whatever killed the pilot did this. There'd be a lot more evidence."
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Post by ana on Jun 17, 2007 14:50:49 GMT -5
"There is evidence." Ana announced grimly, pulling something out of her pocket. When she held out her palm for Gwen and Severin to see, a set of dogtags lay there. The name Jacob Reynolds was just about visible under the blood stains.
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Gwen Havers
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Post by Gwen Havers on Jun 17, 2007 15:08:21 GMT -5
She nodded as Severin tried to reassure her. Of course his explanation made sense and she wanted to believe it, in spite of what she'd seen that day in the cockpit.
"There is evidence."
Her eyes widened when she saw the blood-stained dogtags in Ana's hand. "Oh God," she exhaled mournfully, looking up to Ana. Searching for some reason or excuse other than the obvious one. She was fairly sure an active soldier never removed his dogtags willingly.
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