Jungle in Egypt?

As we took another route to the hotel, it was longer than we expected. Suddenly, the bus came to a stop in the middle of the road. It was already dark, and panic started to spread among the students. The road was empty.

"What happened?" the teacher asked, concern in her voice.

"Maybe the engine stopped working" the driver replied.

"The engine stopped? Isn't that only possible if it's cold?" Luka said nervously.

"So Kylex was right, saying that there's some evil power?" Luka asked, clearly afraid.

"Oh stop it!" James replied, frustrated. "Look, there's a jungle, and there's some fire smoke. It means someone is around... Maybe we can ask for help."

I instantly got up and looked out the window. A jungle? In Egypt? Is this a mirage, or is it real?

My instincts kicked in, and I felt something was different. "Kylex should go there!" James mocked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "He's the one who started the rumor about 'evil forces on no moon nights.' He's the reason everyone's scared."

"No! That's dangerous! It's impossible to find a jungle here... Don't forget, we're in Egypt, the land of deserts!" the teacher lectured.

"But—"

"I'll go" I said, cutting him off. It wasn't because I felt guilty, but I just wanted to escape from the constant mocking of the idiot. "You can't!" the teacher protested.

"Ms., it's a jungle! If we don't do something, wild animals will eat us anyway. It's better if one of us goes to ask for help, rather than risk everyone dying." I made up a fake story to convince her.

Jennifer stood up immediately. "If he's going, I'm going too" she declared.

Damn it, Jennifer! What's her problem? Keep calm, Kylex... "You can't!" I replied, trying to keep my cool.

"But I want to..." she insisted. I had no choice but to take her with me.

I stepped outside, using my phone's flashlight to guide the way. "Keep following me, don't get lost, okay?" I said.

"Okay" she replied.

We entered the jungle, where the road ended and the thick foliage began. We continued, moving toward the rising smoke. Jennifer flinched at the hoot of an owl. "You can go back to the bus; we're not that far yet" I said, trying to reassure her.

"But I promised myself to stay with you, even in dangerous situations" she said, her voice soft yet firm.

I stopped walking, turned to her, and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Listen, Jennifer," I said, my tone serious. "You don't need to do that for me. Why keep hurting yourself when you know I don't feel anything for you?" I said.

"Because I love you... even if you don't, Kylex" she whispered.

I sighed, the weight of guilt pressing down on me. "You need to protect yourself first, before trying to protect me. You should go back to the bus. I'll be happy if you're safe, okay?" I patted her head gently.

I knew it was the wrong move, but I just wanted her to stay away. She had feelings for me, and I couldn't return them. Besides, I couldn't forget that she almost died saving me. It happened at the zoo during a trip, when a tiger had escaped from its cage. The tiger would've eaten me alive if she hadn't distracted it. She took the tiger's attention, and in the process, it scratched her arm badly. She was hospitalized for a week. I felt guilty—so guilty. I just stood there, paralyzed with fear, unable to do anything. I couldn't forget that.

Jennifer nodded, accepting my request. She turned back and walked toward the bus.

I moved deeper into the jungle, the smoke now growing larger. I heard the sound of an owl again, and the air around me seemed to hum with tension. It felt like something was closing in on me. My mind raced with the sound of the jungle and the eerie quiet that had fallen over everything.

I reached the source of the smoke, but there was no one around. Instead, I found an abandoned structure near the fire. It looked ancient, and curiosity urged me to explore it. But what if it was a trap?

I looked around carefully, noticing no footprints. I approached the burning wood cautiously. As I was about to get a closer look, the fire suddenly stopped burning. The smoke disappeared. I shone my phone's light on the wood; it was dry, likely burned by the harsh Egyptian sun, but the fire had been burning too long.

I looked around again. No signs of life. It felt like a good time to head back to the bus. The jungle felt unnaturally silent, as though the entire forest had gone still. I could feel every motion of the air, every rustle of the trees. Then I heard it—the hissing sound. A cobra. It was unmistakable. Egypt is known for venomous spitting cobras, and my heart raced with fear.

I debated whether to go back or wait. But my fear of getting lost in the jungle was greater than my fear of the cobra. I couldn't risk it.

The hissing grew louder, and I crouched low to the ground, trying to hide. I would rather face a ghost than get attacked by a cobra. Crawling reptiles were my worst fear.

I made my way toward the abandoned place that looked like a library. Inside, half-destroyed statues lined the walls. Ancient symbols covered the walls, but I couldn't understand most of them. I could recognize some of the Egyptian hieroglyphs, but there was too much I couldn't read.

There was a chamber, and the door had already been broken, probably by wild shrubs. The jungle in Egypt was strange enough, but now I was standing in a library in the middle of it. Nothing about this made sense, but I couldn't resist exploring further.