Chapter 7!
[[warning: language and a bit of blood ahead]]
The sound of crunching dirt and pebbles seemed to echo throughout the woods as the four TopGear presenters made their way through the forest. The trees around them were as dark and miserable looking as always, and the sky was becoming overcast. A breeze worked its way through the woods, delivering cool air and a moment of sweet relief to the four tired men. Finally, it's starting to cool down! There were many large boulders sitting in various places in the forest, many of which looked like a promising place to rest, but Rob knew well that if any of them were to sit, they would never get moving again.
This part of the woods was more pleasant than any of the places that they had been through so far, but Rob could tell by the eerie shadows ahead that the peace of mind would not be able to stay for long. Somehow, though, Rob felt more comfortable with the place now that he was traveling with the others, even if it was on foot rather than in a car.
There was obviously a certain chemistry between the three, and now Rob couldn't help but feel he'd intruded on something. It was almost as if that evil glare in Jeremy's eyes the night before had been some sort of chemical reaction. It became clear that, to Jeremy, Rob's presence was a disturbance. A threat. Jeremy wasn't angry at Rob - he was worried.
Rob would be sure to stir up some chaos just for Jeremy's sake once they reached the warehouse. He remembered how paranoid he had been before coming onto TopGear for the first time, but it was beginning to look like Jeremy would be the one locked up in the boot with the snakes. Rob chuckled at the thought.
"What's so funny?" Jeremy turned around and glared at him. Rob ignored the evil spark in his eye and just stared right back at him. Jeremy narrowed his eyes and Rob did the same. You are going to be in a world of hurt once I'm done with you, Jeremy. Rob could tell by the troublesome grin on Jeremy's face that the older man had read his thoughts. Jeremy then turned around and kept walking.
Richard and James exchanged confused looks, shrugged, and then caught up with Jeremy. Rob sped up as well, and as he did so, he locked eyes with Richard. He's getting to you, Rob...
Just shut up... Rob turned away from Richard and looked dead ahead. You're beginning to forget again, Rob... this is TopGear...
The team eventually reached a large, swiftly flowing creek. Before them was a group of large rocks. There were enough rocks to let them cross the creek without getting too wet, but they were very jagged and slippery, so they would have to proceed with caution.
The last thing any of them wanted was a broken leg or ankle.
Jeremy climbed onto the first rock. He was being somewhat reckless, which worried Rob. He sighed, following behind James and Richard as they more carefully climbed over the rocks. How on Earth would a Range Rover even cross something like this?! The camera crew had obviously made it across, as the tire tracks continued on the other side of the creek.
Even though he was going fairly slowly, Rob was still slipping and there were several occasions where he found himself just barely avoiding falling right into the rushing water. How was Jeremy, who was going pretty much as fast as he could, not falling over and killing himself?
"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!" Rob was so started by the scream that he lost is balance and nearly fell. Richard saw Rob slip and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him back to his feet.
"Thanks..." Rob was glad Richard had caught him. If he had fallen, he would have almost certainly hit his head on a rock and been knocked unconscious, or worse...
Then Rob realized that the four of them had a much more serious problem on their hands.
Jeremy was lying on his side on one of the rocks, holding his ankle and swearing between gritted teeth. James immediately began to throw a fit.
"You bloody idiot!!" James looked ready to throw Jeremy into the creek. "This isn't a god damned race, and now look what you've done!"
"It wasn't my fucking fault! There was a gap in the rock, and then I slipped and then fell and..." Jeremy hissed as another wave of pain violently pulsed from his ankle.
Richard let out a long sigh. "Let me see it, Jeremy..." Jeremy was hesitant at first to let Richard see his broken ankle, "Jeremy, I'm not going to touch it, I just want to look." Jeremy, beginning to realize that they were now in deep trouble, surrendered and finally let go of his ankle.
His foot hung uselessly, and blood dripped from a cut where it had slipped along the jagged edge of a rock. Richard grimaced at the sight, and Rob began to feel sick to his stomach.
There was a long pause of awkward silence as the four tried to figure out what to do. Rob finally broke the silence. "Looks like the shit's really hit the fan this time."
This was only the beginning.
