Page 45 of The Vampire's Pet
“I try very hard to avoid the subject. Okay, generalized first aid,” Gwen read. “Most snakebites, even cobra bites, are not fatal. Bites should be treated as a medical emergency.”
This was really happening. “It’s a medical emergency, Gwen.”
“Here’s what it says about what we should do next. ‘The single most important thing to do is to get to a hospital without any delay. Don’t use any local or home remedies. There’s only one cure for snakebite, and that’s antivenom.’ Scanning,” Gwen said. “Okay. ‘Immobilize the limb that was bitten, but do not apply pressure. Lie still. Keep the victim calm.’”
“Are you kidding me? That’s all they’ve got?”
“Slow your breathing, Tess. The platform looks uncomfortable, but I don’t want to put a jacket under your head. It doesn’t mention elevating, and I think maybe keeping you as flat and calm as possible is best, so your circulation is as slow as possible.”
“Nothing else helpful?” Tess asked.
“It says to make a note of where the bite occurred and the time.” After a pause, Gwen added, “Okay, I took a picture with GPS coordinates, and it has a time stamp. Close enough.”
“Yup.”
“Immobilize. I’m not sure how to do that right now. I say just lay very still.”
“Okay. So I guess maybe if you can get to the truck and go get help? Take my phone with you so you have the snake appas soon as you’re within cell tower range. You can call and send them the video you have of the snake, and they’ll have action plans.”
“Tess, I can’t do that,” Gwen said softly. “This isNamibia.”
Tess shook her head.
“Stop moving. You’re to be perfectly still, regulating your breathing. Namibia has predators. The jackals at the campsite—”
“They’re lovers, not fighters.” Tess worked to release her frustration. “Time is the enemy here.”
“I’m working on it. I’m actively searching for a solution. I have my binoculars up. I’m scanning for someone to help us. So about the jackals humping at the camp. As I understand it, jackals on their own are one thing. A hunting pack is another. There are cheetahs up here and other predatory cats. If I leave you here alone. The bite might be the least of your worries.”
Tess opened her mouth to let out an exhale that seemed to come from the tips of her toes, whooshing up her body and out. Abraham had said something very similar to her out in the forest in Ghana. Tess knew this to be true. But sometimes, in life, you have to make tough choices.
“Please go,” Tess whined.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Bottom line, I’m not leaving you. I’m looking through the binoculars and can see a vehicle on the road.”
Without thinking, Tess started to push herself up to see, too. But with a hand on Tess’s chest, Gwen forced her down again. “Keep your arm over your eyes, Tess. Be still. Breathe. I’m going to try to use my signal mirror to shoot an SOS down and hit them in the window. I’ve got a second to get myself together. They’re not at a good angle yet.”
“You think they’ll come up here?” In the field, Tess wasn’t used to being the victim. She was so much better at managing a crisis.
Like Gwen, when bad things were rocking and rolling, Tess knew what to do and how to do it. But this scene pulled up a long-forgotten memory.
It had been a happy day. The Ya family thought they’d found safety in a quiet village. Tess had spent the day playing with the smiling girl who held Tess’s hand.
That respite from fear was brief.
The smiling girl climbed a tree where a venomous snake bit her. And very quickly, she was dead. The Ya family fled into the night, chased away by the villagers who thought the light-skinned child attracted demons. They truly believed that because Tess was there, the girl had died.
Tess buried the responsibility for the girl’s death deep in her heart.
But in the night, the story found its way free and haunted her dreams.
Right now, Tess felt fragile and childlike. It frightened her to feel this way. It felt like as much of a threat to her survival as the snake bite because Tess had worked so hard at being strong.
Was her strength all a mirage?
“Namibia isn’t like someone driving by you in Annapolis.”
Tess realized she’d missed some of Gwen’s words and scrambled in her mind to catch up.