by Nick Thacker
“Old habits die hard. ”
“Give me a break,” Ben said in reply, still lying prone on the ground. He turned his head to see where Reggie was and was surprised to see the man crouching, partially hidden behind a large boulder. “Seriously? You’ve got cover and you didn’t offer me any?”
Reggie was staring down the valley, toward the direction the gunshots had come from. “He’s not shooting anymore. He started running and I lost sight of him after that.” He shifted his focus and met Ben’s gaze, then held out a hand.
Ben grabbed Reggie’s hand and allowed him to help him up. Ducking behind the boulder, Ben noticed that the large rock was one of a collection of similar-sized boulders in the area. For the first time since they’d stopped there, he took in his surroundings in more scrutinized detail. The rock outcropping was one of two such formations situated on both sides of where they had entered the valley. Whether the rocks had fallen from the cliffs in this way or not was uncertain, as he realized they could have been rolled into position by the tribe.
When he started to consider this option, he had a revelation.
“Reggie, do you think these boulders are defensive stations?”
“Like a bunker?”
Ben nodded.
Reggie frowned as he looked at the boulder they were hiding behind, the rest of the boulders on the side of the entrance, and the similar arrangement of rocks on the other side.
“Could be,” he said. “Make sense to me.”
“In that case, let’s get to the other one. There’s nothing here, but —“
Ben’s last few words were cut off by the violent eruption of a grenade blast against the cliff wall. He felt his body being flung through the air like a rag doll, lucid only for the time he spent in the air.
When he hit the ground, he blacked out.
Chapter 64
When he came to, Ben had the sudden urge to remain in the peaceful sleep of unconsciousness. There was a war raging around him, and he had woken up in the middle of it. His vision was blurry, but he saw a dark shape leaning over his head.
“Ben! Ben, are you okay?”
The words sounded muffled to him, as if he was underwater. For a brief moment he thought about how, if he had made different decisions a week ago, he might actually have been underwater. He and Julie could have been on a cruise at this very moment, far away from the Amazon rainforest. Julie would be swishing some sort of fruity drink around in her hand while Ben nursed a beer with a lime in it.
“Ben, come back to Earth! Wake up!”
The words drifted into focus, as did his vision, and he saw that both the blur and the voice belonged to Reggie. Reggie was gently slapping his cheek.
Ben yanked his head sideways. “That technique really works?” Ben asked, groggy.
“I like your sense of humor,” Reggie said. “But this is really not a good time.”
As Ben’s senses returned to him and the world came back into view, he realized Reggie was right. He thought he heard gunfire from all directions now, knowing that most of the effect was because they were right next to the hard surface of the cliff. The screams had grown in intensity, though they were still far off in the distance.
“All right, big guy,” Reggie said, throwing Ben’s arm over his shoulder. “Take it easy, but hurry. We were a little late to the party.”
Ben looked over at the opposite set of boulders, about a football field away. At first, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. The rocks stared back at him blankly.
After a few seconds, however, he saw a head poke up from behind one of the boulders. As Ben tried to adjust his vision to focus on the new element in the scene, the head was joined by the barrel of a rifle.
“Get down!” Reggie yelled, pushing Ben back to the ground.
The assault rifle fire was far louder than it had been earlier, amplified by the natural reverberation chamber they were sitting in. They were pinned down, and Ben suddenly understood Reggie’s frustration.
“How?” The single word was all Ben was able to form on his lips.
Reggie understood the question just fine. “One of them must have made it to the mercenaries already, and untied them. No idea how they found the weapons so quickly, but I’m sure having a vantage point above everything else didn’t hurt.”
Of course , Ben thought. They can see the entire valley, and if the weapons weren’t hidden in a building they would’ve been able to spot them from anywhere.
“So what now?” Ben asked, even though he already knew the answer.
“I’ve got no idea,” Reggie said. “I was hoping you had a way to call in an airstrike or something.”
Both men waited for a moment as the gunfire aimed at them died out. It was the most harrowing situation Ben had ever been in — completely locked down by enemies trying to shoot him on two fronts, completely unarmed and helpless. His mind raced, trying to come up with options and solutions, each coming up wanting. His body seemed restless, as if at any moment it would spring into action against his own authority and try to make a break for it. He willed himself to calm down, just as he had done so many times in the past.
His memory traveled back to a time many years ago. He saw a vivid depiction of his father, trying to rescue his younger brother from the mother bear that had taken issue with his proximity to her cub. Ben remembered the feelings surging through his body at that time, but he also remembered the feelings he had replaced them with. Through willpower and determination, and many years of practice, Ben had been able to extinguish the smoldering heat of pain and replace it with the burning embers of grit. His ability to hone in on one goal — sometimes at the expense of people who cared for him — had been sharpened to a point. The vulnerability and complete helplessness he remembered feeling back then had almost fully been replaced by a numb, hollow recollection.
Almost .
Today, right now, in the middle of the Amazon rainforest far away from anyone who could help, Ben was experiencing the same feelings that plagued his younger self. He wanted to run away from it all, to hide, like he once did by becoming a park ranger, and escape the ‘real world.’ He wanted to ignore it, to let Reggie battle the demons trying to break into his protective shell.
He wanted to, but he wouldn’t.
If there was anything Ben had learned in just over three decades of life, it was that he was not the type of person to shy away from danger. It didn’t make sense, and the logical side of his brain screamed against the infuriating insanity of his stubbornness, but he knew that at this moment in time he would fight.
He looked at Reggie, trying to decipher what his new friend was thinking. Reggie had a way about him, a certain aspect of his character that consistently belied his true feelings, but Ben thought he knew. Looking into his eyes, Ben thought he understood the turmoil that was going on inside him. It was the same . Reggie had a story, just like he had a story, and he wanted to know. He deserved to know, but even more importantly, Reggie deserved to tell it.
That would have to wait, but Ben felt a wave of assurance sweep over him as he made his choice.
He would fight to hear that story, just like he would fight for Julie. She was somewhere back in the village, waiting for his return. Reggie needed him. She needed him.
Something must have changed in his face, because something changed in Reggie’s.
“So you’re ready, I guess?”
Ben looked at Reggie and nodded, once. He gritted his teeth and spoke out of the thin line between them. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Chapter 65
Reggie knew that the next two minutes would be more important than the previous two days. If they weren’t able to get to their weapons, there wasn’t much hope they’d survive. And right now, it didn’t seem as though there was any way to get to the guns.
At the very least he had a kindred spirit in Ben. If he was going to fight, he knew Ben would be at his side through the thick of it. He thought of Joshua, and how the man had really grown
on him. He still didn’t fully trust him, but there hadn’t been any choice. He only hoped Joshua would honor his word and help them survive this.
“Reggie!” Ben yelled from his side. “Move!”
Reggie darted forward, heading for the cliff wall. He wasn’t sure what Ben had intended, but he wasn’t going to wait around for the men behind the rocks opposite theirs to start firing again. The cliffs were only a few feet away, but it was a specific section of the impenetrable wall he was aiming for.
Namely, it was the part of the cliff that was not impenetrable. They’d entered — albeit not on their own accord — less than a day earlier through a hidden passageway located somewhere along this wall. If he remembered correctly, it even seemed like there were multiple passageways through the stone, since he knew Ben had been carried through another entrance.
But it was impossible to tell exactly where these openings were by simply looking at the wall. Vines and thick vegetation covered the entirety of the wall, providing a carpet-like coating for the stone’s surface. He knew there was a hole, he just couldn’t see it.
And Reggie needed to find it, fast.
Ben was right behind him and reached the wall only a second after. Reggie jogged forward along the cliff, extending his left arm out and into the twisting vines. He pressed against the carpet, allowing his body to disappear halfway into the foot-thick wall of plants until his hand reached the cool stone. It was slow going, and the vines were heavy against his forward progress, but he continued until the wall gave way.
It happened almost exactly halfway between the rocks they were hiding behind and the opposite outcropping the enemy was currently occupying. He nearly fell sideways as the cliff swallowed him into it, but he caught his balance and continued into the tunnel. Within seconds the remaining light provided by the moon vanished completely, and he was thrust into utter darkness.
“Reggie?”
“In here,” he replied, his voice echoing now deeper into the cliff. “Thought this might be a good place to regroup.”
“This is a tunnel, remember? What if some more of the warriors return, and don’t know we’re the good guys? They’ll come in this way. And besides, don’t you think the mercenaries might be thinking the same thing?”
“Quite possibly,” Reggie said. “But I’m not sure we have better —“
He felt the cold point of sharpened rock on his neck, and then felt the nagging sensation that he was being watched.
“Well,” he whispered, “at least it’s not the mercenaries.”
Ben didn’t respond. The spear point on Reggie’s neck was joined by another, then another on his chest.
Someone from inside the deep black torrent of nothingness grunted a few words, which were answered by another man’s voice, still deeper in the tunnel. From around a corner the orange trickle of a flame emerged and grew brighter as its carrier turned and drew near. Reggie saw for the first time the silhouettes of five tribal warriors, three of whom were holding spears out and toward his body.
Both groups stared each other down for a moment, neither speaking. Reggie forced himself to breathe, careful to not move more than was absolutely required. The men with the spears kept their points on him, pressing just enough to keep him alert but not hard enough to cause him pain.
The tribal warrior carrying the lit torch walked toward them. His face was a twisted, shaking mirage in the dancing shadows of firelight. Reggie stood his ground. In the background, Reggie could hear the thudding sounds of gunfire, deeply muted by the thick cords of vines and overgrowth covering the entrance to the tunnel. He thought of the others, hoping Joshua would keep his word and help protect the rest of the group.
Even if Joshua did keep his word, they would need all the luck they could get. Joshua’s old team, the mercenaries, had already reached the stash of weapons and it was only a matter of time before they untied and freed the remainder of their crew.
The tribesman spoke, again a guttural, grunting sound, and Reggie raised his eyebrows. No idea what you’re talking about, man. The man repeated the noises.
One of the other warriors spoke, then turned and sneered at Reggie. Reggie shrugged.
He heard the odd set of words spoken a third time. The man in front of Reggie raised his hands, pushing the spears up and out of the way. Reggie waited, unsure of what the man’s intentions were. Is this another sacrificial ritual? He wasn’t about to force the man’s hand, but Reggie had never been the type of person to wait around for someone else to act.
Reggie took a slow, small step backward. The tribespeople tensed, but their leader didn’t budge .
“What are you doing?” Ben whispered. He saw Ben out of the corner of his eye, frozen in place opposite him in the tunnel. He had only moved his mouth, clearly as terrified as Reggie.
“We have to make them understand…” Reggie muttered. “The guns.”
Ben nodded. The leader of the indigenous warriors stepped forward, again closing the gap between himself and Reggie. Reggie thought about what he was going to say. What do you say to a group of people who have no idea how to understand you?
He decided not to say anything.
Reggie lifted his hands up, one in front of the other, in the shape of holding an invisible assault rifle. He curled the index finger of his right hand around a nonexistent trigger, and held his left hand in an upward-facing cupped palm. He pointed it to the side, toward the cave wall. Don’t want this guy to get the wrong idea.
The man frowned, then brought the torch down to see Reggie’s hands in greater detail. Reggie shook his hands gently, pretending to fire. He made the pattering sounds of gunshots with his mouth, keeping it quiet enough to — hopefully — not upset the warriors.
He repeated the process a few times, moving the positions of his hands to aim the “gun” in different directions, all the while continuing the noises. The warrior stared, still frowning, then brought his head back up and straightened.
His eyes widened and he turned to the others in his group. He pointed at Reggie, excitedly chattering with the two men closest to him. They discussed for a few seconds, and Reggie was relieved to see the spearmen place the butts of their weapons on the ground and stand at ease.
The lead warrior spoke again to Reggie, but his voice had changed. Where there was a slight gruffness before, the man was now using a different set of consonants, almost a singsong-like voice, and Reggie interpreted it as a question .
“See,” he said under his breath, “that’s the thing. I can’t understand what you’re saying.” He enunciated the words out of frustration at the language barrier. Reggie pointed behind him, toward the covering of vines at the entrance to the tunnel, and performed the gun-holding action once again.
The warrior spoke again, this time to his team, and three of them peeled off from the group of five. They walked to the front of the tunnel and pushed aside the vines, exposing the tunnel to a surprising amount of moonlight. The gunfire grew louder, and Reggie noticed that there didn’t seem to be as many screams emanating from the valley beyond.
We’re running out of time.
The leader of the warriors pushed Reggie forward. Reggie heard Ben moving alongside him as well. The two men were marched to the tunnel’s entrance, directed by the two warriors. When they’d reached the opening, the three warriors in the front suddenly broke into a run, aiming toward the group of boulders to the left.
They’re going for the guns, Reggie realized. Either they’re going to help us or I’ve just taught them how to use the weapons against us.
It didn’t matter which it was — Reggie didn’t have a choice. He was pushed out of the cave by the leader and into the vulnerable openness. He ran, hoping that Ben was behind him.
A head poked up from behind one of the boulders, just as it had before. They had only been in the cave for a couple minutes, so the men behind the circle of boulders were still guarding whatever weapons remained stashed there.
“Reggie, duck!” he heard Ben yel
l.
Before he could, he felt a cool swish of air just next to his head, then saw the head behind the boulder lance backward violently. Only then could he make out the outline of a spear, sticking up in the air above the soldier’s head, affixed to his skull. The man didn’t make a sound as he fell backwards .
Reggie was amazed. What a shot, he thought. The warrior who’d thrown the spear quickened his pace and reached the boulder at the same time as the first three men out of the cave. Reggie, Ben, and the leader of the small band of fighters were right behind them.
Unlike the other circle of rocks Reggie and Ben had hidden behind, this group of boulders had clearly been placed in a specific formation — a circle. In the center of the circle was a pile of weapons — the four assault rifles, sidearms, and combat knives from the four mercenaries who’d been sacrificed to the lake, as well as Reggie’s own weapons and the two remaining backpacks they’d brought along. Ben didn’t see the bag Joshua had been carrying, the smaller pack that the tribe had stripped from his back when they’d arrived.
While he was relieved to see a small stack of weapons piled there, it also meant that the rest of the mercenaries either already had their weapons back or were about to. He glanced to the lake but it was impossible to tell from this distance whether the soldiers were still tied to their posts. Once again he thought of Joshua, Archie, Paulinho, and the girls, and hoped they were safe or had somehow escaped.
There was also another problem. The guns weren’t the only things waiting inside the circle of boulders. Two mercenaries, not including the one who had already been killed by the spear, were posted inside the circle, each facing outward a different direction, keeping watch. I guess they’re not tied up anymore. One of the men was already swiveling around to see what the commotion behind him had been. He saw his dead comrade first, the spear protruding from the man’s face, leaning backward at a steep angle. Then he noticed the native warriors, creeping over and around the wall of boulders. He lifted the gun and fired.