Attack of the Killer Leeches

Taman Negara National Park is home to many exotic animals which Americans such as ourselves do not have the opportunity to see in their natural habitat. Among these are tapirs, gibbons, sun bears, siamangs, leopards, and even elephants. There are also a variety of fish, birds, and insects native to the jungle, displaying a broad range of majestic colors and unique behaviors that fascinate the wandering trekker for hours on end.
And then there's the leech, the bloodsucking demon-spawn of the jungle underworld. We were warned of their prevalence here while spending time in the Perhentians, where we encountered a friendly group of Brits with numerous battle wounds from these hellish creatures. Locals also told tales of how leeches emerge after heavy rains, wandering the jungles in search of vertebrate blood as zombies in search of fresh brains. We trudged boldly on, though, ignoring the warnings of both foreigners and locals, and arrived at the gates of Taman Negara in high hopes, as the locals told us there had been no rains for several days.
Then, last night, it rained... all night. Even though we remained optimistic, our hopes were dashed by the inclement weather. The day started out simple enough. After a nice walk on the canopy bridge, a leech landed on my finger (flying from some unknown destination above). I asked Evan if it was a leech, but he said no, it looked more like an inchworm. I concurred and flicked the creature harmlessly to the ground. Little did I know that the creature only appeared inchworm-ish because it had not yet filled itself with the sweet nectar of life that is human blood.
Gideon was the first to be struck. Atop a hill, we paused to check ourselves and found one gorging itself on his leg. Then another a mere hour later on his heel, fatter than the feast as it appeared to have been enjoying its meal for some time. Then again at lunch, somehow a leech had burrowed into his shoe and bitten through the sock, where it could dine unnoticed for quite some time. Lunch time count: Gideon 3, everyone else 0. The afternoon evened the count up a bit. There were many close encounters, leeches would jump from trees but spoil their surprise attack by making a faint sound when they landed on a shoe or an arm. I was struck in the heel and again on the calf, where a leech must have been for a number of hours. By the time of his discovery he was too fat to even roll over on the ground. All told, there were only five bites, but many more may have come if we had not taken the necessary precautions.
The worst part about being leeched is not any pain or blood loss, although there is a significant amount of bleeding after a leech is removed. More than these, it is the feeling of robbery and violation afterwards. One's blood is one's life, and to have it drained by a non-sentient leaves one feeling very cold and vulnerable. Our few, minor wounds will heal rather quickly, but the terror instilled in us may last a life time.