by Glenn Ball
Joe was glaring down her dress through the rearview mirror drooling with desire. Physically he was attractive. If he weren’t such a monster, she might gladly be with the man she mused. As it was, he sickened her. And the man on her right absolutely repulsed her from the beginning. His shaved head, ugly brown eyes and the tattoos were all a turnoff for her. His rude advances were worse. She desperately wanted to get out of that truck.
They had been out in the middle of nowhere, but she breathed a sigh of relief seeing that they were beginning to pass through some sort of town. They sat a little more upright and kept their hands off of her as they were passing through town.
“Hey Buck, I was just thinking, you remember that place with the woods just off the highway this side of Denham Springs?” They passed a traffic light. She wondered if she might not be better off making a break for it.
“Ooh, yeah. That place would be perfect!” She was having a hard time understanding their words, but by the tone of Buck’s reaction she was catching on.
“You think you’ll be able to hold out till then?” Joe was looking harder than ever down her breasts.
She felt so utterly naked. It was not something new to her, but it was something she’d hoped to God she had been able to leave behind for forever. Tracing Joe’s eyes she realized that he was also able to see all the way up to her buttock thanks to a rip in her dress there.
“I don’t know Joe. How long will it be till we get there?”
She tried to tell herself that she’d been through the ordeal so many times, what’s one more? The important thing is to make it out alive and well.
“I think we’ll be there in about twenty minutes. I would go faster but I don’t dare spoil our chances by getting some cop on our tail.”
Twenty minutes…she understood that. If she was to make a break for it, she would have to do it within twenty minutes.
********
They had been successful setting up camp in the cave. Susanna astounded Pedro with her swiftness and ease in getting a fire going. She had made what looked like a bird’s nest with dry leaves and twigs and a little moss that she had found. Using her flint fire-starter stick she had cast a few sparks with her knife over the nest and got an ember going. She blew on it softly, and in two minutes had it glowing nicely. She had small sticks arranged in a circle kind of like a teepee. She put the nest underneath, and the sticks caught fire. She put larger and larger sticks on it till she had built a nice fire.
They then smoked out all the insects from the cave, using large green spruce branches that they set ablaze. After they felt safe from insects, they got rid of the branches, and let the air in the cave clean out from the smoke. They made use of the time by taking a short hike down to the stream and scooping up water in their canteens. Susanna arranged some rocks in the stream into what looked somewhat like a dam in the shape of an angled wall. She then covered part of it with some branches.
“What are you doing?” Pedro’s curiosity got the best of him.
“Didn’t you say you were a fisherman?”
At that he immediately caught on to the strategy. Fish would follow the current down into the trap she had set, feeling safe under the greenery up top. In the morning it would be a cinch to get some fish for breakfast.
As they headed back to the cave her sharp eyes noticed some rabbit tracks. Stopping short, she pulled some cordage from her pocket. “I came prepared since I thought we just might see some type of animal tracks near the water,” she explained. She proceeded to set a snare on the path the rabbit made a habit of following, placing rocks on either side so that the rabbit would be sure to step in it. Then she lightly covered it with grass to hide it. “It’s sort of a long shot, but we need to make the most of every opportunity.”
As they again continued on their way, she grabbed a handful of pine needles off a low branch. “When we boil our water to drink, we may as well make tea. It tastes better and will give us some much-needed vitamin c,” she explained.
When they returned to the cave, they stoked up the fire and boiled their tea while they laid down the leaves they had gathered for the flooring. For a dark cave it wasn’t half bad Pedro decided. There were a lot of night sounds as the forest came alive with the sun having set. They could also hear their stomachs growl. “If we could have gone downstairs before leaving, I could have fixed us up real nicely with lots of energy bars and stuff. As it stands, we’ll have to wait till tomorrow.”
“No worry. We alive. Not be go downstairs.” He could see in her eyes that her thoughts were far off. “If father see you today, he be amazing. Your husband also be amazing.”
She looked at him and smiled. He had divined her thoughts correctly. “I miss them both, tremendously. I wonder what Adam is up to right now.”
As they drank their tea the weariness of the day took over and their eyelids began to droop. It only took a few minutes till they were both lying down sound asleep.
CHAPTER 26
Down
Captain Valencia stood in the raging storm, his hopes for accomplishing his mission buried by the failure of the GPS to lead him to the air vent’s door. He moved back and forth feeling with his hands. He had given up seeing anything in the inundation of sand.
“I will look to the hills, from whence cometh my help.” The words broke in on his thoughts, as if they had a life of their own. They somehow comforted him. Turning in the direction of the hills which were to his right something shiny caught his eye. It was the edge of the door to the vent being made visible as a gust blew some sand off of it.
A surge of hope filled his being. Someone beyond himself was giving him help. A certain unexplainable confidence grew in Adam as he considered the idea of Someone more determined than himself to stop this terrorist threat.
Digging through the sand he unburied the remainder of the door. There was a latch sealed with a large padlock. Ever more thankful for the sandstorm he pulled out his pistol and shot the lock off. Nobody could hear the shot in the roar of the storm.
Dangling his feet in the void of the vertical shaft he found the ladder that had been welded to its sidewall. Quickly closing the door to the vent, he began his descent.
Adam’s ears rang in the stillness. In the silence of the shaft the roar of the storm had come to a sudden stop. He felt off-balance now that there was no wind pushing against him.
The shaft was so dark he could not see his hands in front of his face. As he cautiously felt each rung downward, he had the sensation that he was descending into the pit of hell itself. Each step took him deeper into a cavity swarming with terrorists, a cavern cut off from the remainder of the world.
There it was. His feet had hit solid ground. It was the landing where the shaft split up like a spider’s web branching outwards to the various bunkers. At the adjoining entrance to each of them was a powerful fan. The fans spun so smoothly they were virtually silent. Yet their blades were heavy and sharp enough to cut a man to shreds. It was here that he would have to temporarily exit the ventilator system, detouring down two levels before reentering below the fans.
After several minutes of listening for voices and footsteps through an air vent, he carefully removed the grille and slid feet first down to the concrete floor, replacing the grille as he did so. Immediately he began the gradual descent toward the lower levels.
Feeling as if he’d entered another world, his senses were on high alert. Nothing in the corridor escaped his notice: the musty smells, the sand grinding on smooth concrete under his feet, the cylindrical shape of the hallways.
He began to appreciate the ingenious design of the bunker compound. Not only was it camouflaged from the outside world, but here in the interior there were no hiding places, no shadows of refuge for an intruder such as himself. This was achieved with halogen lighting embedded in the walls and ceiling, and by eliminating corners. The tubular hallways spiraled downward in nearly concentric circles thus avoiding right angles. As a result, he was hopelessly exposed.
The two Iraqis were upon him faster than he could say, “Donde está el baño”? He resisted the temptation to take them out, choosing rather to act the part of a lost Mexican visitor. They grabbed his arms from behind, practically dragging him along the hallway.
Shortly the air became mustier and the odor of urine became detectable. They had arrived at the bathroom. His tailbone hurt as they dropped him carelessly on the cement floor. Pulling his arms behind him they tied him to a thick pipe that ran along the wall just above the floor. One stayed behind at the doorway to guard him while the other left saying he would return with the interpreter.
Adam sat in the darkness, his wrists beginning to hurt. He squirmed slightly, trying to ease the pressure on his arms.
Somewhere he could hear water dripping, slowly. Each drop echoed off the bathroom walls. Time was dragging.
Dank darkness suffocated him. He felt hollow.
Doubts and questions were churning inside of him. Would he be able to complete his mission? What would happen if he couldn’t? Maybe even Susanna would suffer from the attack. How many millions of people would die due to his failure?
In his loneliness his thoughts lingered on his precious Perle. He missed her more than ever. A thousand times he had regretted the way they had parted. It was always hard when they were apart. Now as he sat trapped in this terrorist nest, a prisoner on the opposite side of the planet, he wondered if he would ever see her again. Would he ever be able to hold her in his arms and press her lips to his? Could he ever make her happy again that she had married him? Or was he destined to disappear from the face of the earth forever buried in this tomb?
He was helplessly and utterly alone.
********
Having dodged the enormous rock by just inches Sky and Skip were hard at work trying to steer the raft out of danger. Van Horn was nauseous and dizzy. The paddle was slippery and hard to hold. Sky’s fingers had grown numb long ago and had banged against rocks countless times as they skimmed through the rapids. They both looked for reprieve from the incessant rain above and rough waters beneath.
The current dragged them swiftly. Sky’s only encouraging thought was that they were making good time. He was eager to get to Perle as quickly as possible, no matter the cost.
A hundred meters downstream a waterfall awaited them.
CHAPTER 27
A Fight for Flesh
A few smoldering embers were all that were left of the fire. Susanna looked up in the dark abyss, trying to place where she was, and to figure out why she had a crick in her neck. Pressing her hand on the fronds beside her it all came back like a nightmare…her home invaded, men trying to kill her, the escape for her life to the attic, then the roof during the thunderstorm, the exhausting hike, and now…sleeping on the dirt floor of a cave with no food. Jerking up to a sitting position she felt a muscle in her back pull. She was definitely getting too old for sleeping on the ground.
Pedro groaned, barely stirring in spite of her shaking him. It was important that they get out and gather food while it was still early. But his previous days had been far more exhausting than hers and having finally collapsed into slumber it had all caught up with him. After a minute with no results she gave up trying to wake him, thinking better of it. Maybe it was better that he slept and recouped his energy. God knows he would need his strength, and so would she.
Instead she determined to gather some food for them by herself. She would check the rabbit snare and do a little fishing. Stealthily she peered through the hedges that hid the entrance, assuring herself that nobody had come upon their entrance. All looked secure.
Stepping out into the fresh air helped to invigorate her a little. After the rain the woods had become vibrant, birds singing, insects chirping, some frogs croaking, and the trees stretching, eager to take in the sun. The smell of the pines took her back to when she and Adam were here together. Trying to dismiss the painful thoughts of his absence, she began walking, loosening her stiff legs. As her tummy rumbled, she quieted it with the hopes of catching some breakfast.
She trekked down to the stream where they had been the previous evening, watching carefully for any edible plants, any palatable insects, as well as any dangers. After a few minutes along the way she came upon the rabbit snare. It was disappointing; at least it was not sprung. She left it in place.
She could already hear the babble of the brook as she left the rabbit snare. She had come prepared with her hammock to use as a net. Finding a small flexible sapling she cut it with her knife and then wove it in a circle through one end of her hammock. Placing it at the downstream end of her fish entrapment she then went back to the upstream end of it and began scaring the fish into the net. In a matter of minutes, she had three decent sized fish. Breakfast would be good this morning.
It took her a little time to filet the fish on a rock at the side of the brook and to dispose of the guts. All the while her stomach was grumbling.
Before returning she gathered more water in her canteen. Her throat was parched but the water needed to be boiled first before it would be safe to drink, and she would have to get their fire going again before it could be boiled.
Her urgency to get back was nearly her undoing.
She was hurrying back down the trail when she heard the ominous sound of a death rattle. Her blood froze. “Diamondbacks are common out here” she muttered, almost as if hypnotized. The rattle shook harder like a witchdoctor invoking a poisonous spell on his victim. Over the years she had known a number of people that had suffered its dreadful bite. One had died, another lost a leg, two others had nearly died; all had received medical attention.
Many a time she had heard her father explain the dangers of the diamondback. Using its fangs like hypodermic needles it releases its hemotoxic venom into the blood stream. The venom can cause all sorts of deadly reactions in the body. It attacks the nervous system and halts the breathing. The victim can be strangled to death by the paralysis of the lungs. It prevents the normal clotting of the blood, resulting in internal bleeding, severe swelling, joints and muscles rendered dysfunctional, internal organ deterioration and excruciating pain. In short, the entire body disintegrates over a period of days, as if eaten away from the inside out by a slow-acting acid.
Slowly she backed away, determined to go around it. She had to be careful because where there was one there might be a nest of them. She could not take a chance because she could not see it. It nevertheless could see her, feel her and even smell her. Having vision that is better tailored to darkness it could hide in the shadows and still see well. It could also feel the vibrations of her walking; snakes can “hear in their bones” so to speak. And if that weren’t enough, they have a very keen sense of smell due to the help of a flicking forked tongue. It’s almost as if they can “taste your smell”.
As she stepped back, she heard the grass rustle behind her and another death rattle. It could not be the same snake. She must be surrounded.
********
Alicia sat in the pickup cab desperately trying to contrive a plan for escape. To her dismay nothing came to mind. The only safe option that presented itself to her was to grin and bear it. Maybe after they’d had their way with her, they would let her go.
She felt nauseous. The thought of the bald passenger having his way with her turned her stomach. The driver’s lustful threats toward her also bitterly repulsed her, yet she had mixed feelings toward him. In a way he disturbed her more than the ugly passenger. At least she knew she wanted nothing with the bald man.
Lifting herself slightly off the seat she pulled her dress a little to the left so that the rip that Buck was using to rub her leg was no longer accessible to him.
With Joe she wasn’t sure what she wanted. For some reason she found him exceedingly attractive and was curious what it would be like making love to him. And th
is internal conflict angered her. It made her hate herself. It was an internal battle that she constantly faced in her profession.
She watched the power lines rolling up and down like waves in the ocean. They were almost hypnotizing as they kept time with the rhythmic clip clop of the highway. She went deeper and deeper into her thoughts, hardly aware of how her private parts were now fully exposed to Joe thanks to how she had moved her dress.
Doña Zen’s dark condemning eyes stared at her from her deepest memories. “You will never be more than a slutty prostitute.” She tried to shake the memory. Fingering the pearls absentmindedly she fought the fear that she was a monster. “You are my special princess and will always be beautiful.” She could still hear the soft reassuring voice of her grandmother instilling confidence in her. “You are His precious pearl” Artie had told her.
“You are a beautiful woman,” Joe’s voice startled her somewhat. It made her cringe a little with fear, not as much of him as of her own failure to resist his advances. Maybe he really did find her beautiful, and that made him all that much harder to resist.
To be held by an admiring man…she missed that. As much as she hated the denigration of her profession, she had to admit there were moments, with certain men, that it had met some inner need. She felt wanted.
Joe’s free right hand went unnoticed by her as he moved it down to her left leg.
And then there were those moments of physical satisfaction that nothing, but sex and drugs could provide.
His hand moved gently up her leg. It tingled. It felt good. But she was unaware.
There was a certain high that she experienced while in the act…she was starting to miss that high. It had been weeks now since she’d been with a man. Before, she had experienced that high many times each night.
Now his fingers were caressing her genitals.
The rhythmic white lines that guarded the center of the highway were disappearing. Her eyes were rolling back, the lids beginning to shut.