For a second, Tom froze, his heart hammering, taking a moment to catch up with the facts, with his survival. He glanced down, saw the woodpile, and that brought him back to his senses. He bent down, scooped up the wood and ran, ran faster than he’d ever run, loose-limbed and weightless, lungs on fire, muscles electrified by all that built-up energy. He stumbled a couple of times as he looked behind, refusing to believe that the threat had gone, that it wouldn’t come after him, but he never fell, just pushed on faster.

Even as he saw the plane he kept running, even as he saw Joel and Alice, clearly in the middle of a disagreement, a heated exchange but with their voices low. Joel looked in his direction and seemed relieved to have a reason for changing the subject.

“Good job, Tom. Just put it with the rest of the wood.”

Tom reached them, struggling to stop, looking back one last time. He dropped the wood with a violent clatter.

“Whoa, what’s—”

“Call everyone back!” He was troubled by the sound of his own voice, how shaky it was, how hoarse. The words burned in his throat. “Call everyone back.”

He noticed Alice look at him with shock, even a little fear.

“Bro, you’re not making any sense.”

“I just saw a jaguar, big.” He shook his head, remembering just how big it had seemed, particularly standing above him, and how close, the dangerous intensity of its gaze.

Alice said, “Oh, my God! Are you okay?”

He looked at her, started to nod, but Joel said, “Tom, are you sure? You know, in the jungle—”

Tom grabbed hold of Joel’s T-shirt.

“I threw my phone at it! Now call everyone back!”

“Okay, I will, I will!” Tom let go, stepped back. Joel raised an eyebrow, as though to express his disapproval of Tom’s lack of control, then glanced up at the sky. “I’ll call them back, but we’ll give them a few minutes. They’re probably starting to come back anyway.”

Alice looked at him in amazement. “Did you hear what he just said? Call them back.”

“Or I’ll call them back myself,” said Tom, his anger building again, coming in waves.

“And create a panic? That’s the way we’ll get another accident.” Alice shook her head, exasperated, and headed to the steps at the back of the plane, hurtling up them with almost as much grace as the jaguar leaping from that tree. Joel nodded at Tom, before adding, “Look, the others are all in groups, so they’ll be okay. I don’t want people freaking out, possibly for nothing.”

“I know what I saw.”

“I’m not doubting you. All I meant was, the jungle, you know, it’s confusing sometimes.”

Tom wanted to hit him, wanted it so much, but he wouldn’t sink to that, particularly after what had just happened.