Somehow, she had to survive.
The leader came over to her and put his face beside hers. She could smell liquor on his breath. He slid a large knife around her open collared shirt. He let the weight of the knife point stick in the hollow of her shoulders. Monica felt herself start to lose consciousness as he pushed deeper with the knife on her already screaming shoulders. She had no way of understanding what he wanted or explaining she was not who he thought she was. Jack and Monica were warned some of the villages saw them as government agents sent to spy and stop the prospering drug channels which supported many of them.
The leader pulled Monica to her feet by the belt loops of her jeans and forced her to continue walking beside him. They were now in the second day of walking, never exposing themselves to any clearing. It didn’t matter anyway, no one would be missing them and only a few of the village children might question their parents where their teachers were. Everyone would be too afraid of these men to go against them and start looking for two whites.
Chapter 7
Jack fell again. This time, he fell forward on his face. He could taste the warm saltiness of blood in his mouth. He was getting so use to the pain, he barely felt the aching from the fall. He had no idea if Monica was still alive, but he had to believe she was. The attackers didn’t know he was alive. That was his only advantage.
Jack knew the next move might use all his available strength. Rolling up on his knees, he bent his arms as low as he could behind him. Sliding them down over his butt he pulled with his leg muscles, flexible from years of running, and slipped his body through the hoop formed by his bound arms. With his hands in front of him, he could now walk with better balance and focus on how to free his hands. Jack began looking for a rock along a stream bed that might work to cut the twine and free his hands.
Chapter 8
Monica could see in the distance what looked like an encampment. Olive green tents of various sizes circled around one central tent. An antenna poking out of the main tent reached up through a clearing in the canopy of trees. The low-pitched drone of a generator could be heard.
As the group moved closer to the tents, Monica heard voices. She couldn’t make out what they were saying but from their excitement they obviously spotted the men holding her coming through the dense growth. The leader of the group ordered the rest of the band to go up to the tents. He stayed behind with Monica. As the other men moved forward, he increased his grip around her arm. She could feel the tension in his clutch as he moved the two of them out of sight of the tents.
With no warning, the sound of automatic gunfire cut through the air. A rush of birds hollered and took flight.
Monica’s captor pushed her body to the thick growth of the jungle floor protecting her like a prize. One man of the original band came running back in their direction. The leader and Monica, hiding in thick cover, watched as the man passed them. Once passed the leader broke from cover and raised a gun from his waistband, aimed at the runners back and dropped him with one ear ringing shot.
Then the leader stood up in plain view of the men in the clearing as they shouted and waved for him to come forward. Keeping his grip tight on Monica, he dragged her to her feet causing her to roll over, stumble and land on her back on top of her arms. The pain of a wrist snapping made her scream out and lose all control of her bladder. The man muttered something to her, clearly disgusted with her. The leader grabbed her by her waist, lifted her over his shoulder the way she saw men carry bananas and carried her the rest of the way to the tents.
Chapter 9
Jack found a rock to work on the cord restraints around his wrists. With one final hard scrape the binding broke loose. Unraveling the rest of the twine he rubbed his hands trying to push life into them. He could feel the blood moving to his fingers as his hands began to swell in pain from the rush of blood.
Jack rolled into the stream and felt the cool water soak through his clothes bringing with it a charge of energy he thought lost. He stood up in the middle of the stream and looked down on his reflection in the water. Out of the stream he oriented himself back to the direction he thought the band of men headed with Monica. The trail was getting weaker as the matted grass he was following was springing back.
Close to the end of the second day of walking Jack could see in the distance a clearing with tents and a lot of activity. Jack figured it was either the men he was tracking or a mining party surveying this region. As Jack stumbled closer to the tents, he moved with more caution deciding to wait till night fall to move any closer. Jack found a spot away from the trail and closed his eyes for some needed sleep.
Chapter 10
When Monica and her handler stepped into the encampment the men greeted her captor like a returning hero. She looked at the bodies of the men who had been part of the raid laying in a pile next to the makings of a bonfire. The smell of diesel fuel coming from the pile of bodies confirmed what was planned.
The new gang led Monica and her abductor into the large tent in the center of the encampment. A radio was manned by a young boy she recognized from the village. The man holding her released her to another man who gripped her arm even tighter. The leader walked over to the young boy and ordered the boy to do something on the radio. The boy looked back at Monica. Their eyes met in instant recognition. He bent his head low away from her eyes.
Whatever the boy did on the radio brought an instant response back. The words angered the leader and he slapped the boy across the back of his head, knocking him off his chair. The man went into a rage kicking whatever was close and pounding his fist on every flat surface. He charged over to Monica and grabbed her face with one hand and for the first time spoke to her in poor English.
“You are a very unlucky woman.”
What he said after that was lost on Monica as he reverted to the dialect she couldn’t understand. He pointed an angry finger at two men sitting in the corner cleaning rifles. Jumping to their feet they ran over grabbed Monica from the man assigned to hold her and took her outside of the tent.
The moon came out while they were inside the tent. The whole encampment was lit by the suspended nightlight.
Chapter 11
Jack woke staring into a bright moon that lit up the jungle around him. He could smell a cooking fire coming from the encampment. The thought of food made his stomach tighten. He struggled to stand, his legs and arms stiff from their rest. Once upright, Jack started cautiously towards the tents. Not needing to watch the trail as before, he looked forward rather than down. His lack of caution caught up with him. In only a few steps he tripped over what he thought was a downed limb. When he looked at his feet, there was a body, bleeding from a wound in the back. Jack crawled back over to the body, rolled it over and could see by the moonlight that he was one of the men who first attacked them.
Jack searched over the man for anything that might help him understand who these people were. He found a handgun stuck in the man’s waistband. Jack pulled the gun, not knowing exactly how to use it but stuck it in his own waistband hoping it was ready to fire. Finding the body, Jack knew he was dealing with men who would kill even their own. He hoped he was not too late for Monica.
Chapter 12
The new handlers seemed to have more compassion for Monica. One pulling a stained rag from his pocket, tried his best to splint her wrist with a stick. The pain while he moved it dropped her to her knees and he followed her down to the ground sympathizing with her pain. The other man found a canteen and offered her a drink which she drank with enthusiasm while he held it to her lips. They moved her to a tent just opposite of the main tent. Inside the tent was a cot and blanket. The moon filtered through the green canvas of the tent giving the inside a ghostly glow.
For the first time in two days, she was alone and not being gripped by someone. She was happy that Jack was dead and did not have to endure this same torture. She thought of Francis, and tried to picture him with her parents, free of any danger.
Chapter 13
>
Walking towards the encampment Jack felt a little braver with the handgun stuck in his waistband. The wound in his side was oozing from infection and he was feeling the fever through his body. His only hope was that he could hold on and find Monica. After that, he figured there would be little time left for him.
Jack made his way to the edge of the camp. He laid down in the jungle cover just beyond the clearing hoping that he would have enough strength to get back up when the time came. He could see a pile of bodies and tried to focus hard on the pile to make sure Monica was not part of it. Satisfied that she wasn’t he lowered himself closer to the ground.
It wasn’t long when the man who led the attack stepped out of the main tent. He was dragging a young boy with him. Only a few days ago the same boy was in his reading class in the village. The man pushed the boy into a tent and then turned towards the pile of bodies. He kicked the bodies as if they were sacks of garbage and then urinated on them.
Seconds after the two left the main tent another man came out. He was a white man, looking about the same age as the leader of the attack. He was not dressed like the others. Instead he had a tropical print shirt like those Jack saw men wear at the resorts. He wore a squat dirty hat and was chewing on the stub of cigar.
The man called the leader over to him in a tone Jack could tell was an order even if he couldn’t understand the words. The cigar chewing man thumped his finger on the leader’s chest and Jack could see the leader become weak kneed the longer the man talked.
When they finished the conversation, the white man walked to a jeep parked on the other side of the main tent. As he was climbing into the jeep he looked back in Jack’s direction. Even though the length of a football separated them, Jack felt the man’s eyes on him. A chill came over Jack as if he was hit with the first wave of a fever. Jack felt like this man was somehow going to be forever connected to his family.
Even though Francis was safe in the States, he was suddenly terrified for him. Before the man sat down in the jeep he threw his cigar into the pile of bodies. The mound went up in an instant roll of flame. A faint breeze blew down from the encampment and brought the smell of roasting meat.
The man rode away into the darkness of the jungle.
The leader, from Jack’s vantage point, seemed to be as shaken by the encounter as Jack was yards away.
Chapter 14
Monica was startled by the young boy falling into her tent. Immediately he started speaking to her in English. Calling her by the name she was known in the village,
“Ms. M you must get out of here. They are going to kill you. The man who captured you thought you and your husband were American drug agents. He wanted you for the big reward offered for your capture. It would have made him a big man with the drug people. He found out now that you are only a school teacher. When his men learn of his mistake they will most likely turn on him and make fun of him and kill him and you. He wants me to convince you that you must act like you are an agent. It is the only way we can all stay alive. The other men did not hear what I heard on the radio. They still think you are a prize.”
Chapter 15
Jack watched the jeep disappear into the jungle. He moved closer to the tents following the edge of the jungle grass. He could hear English spoken. He followed the sound to a tent across from the main tent. Two men stood guard outside, one in front and one in the back. Jack was sure that if Monica was anywhere, she was in that tent.
Just as Jack made that discovery, the leader came back, stepped through the tent and pulled Monica out with him. Following behind was the boy. Two guards fell in line with them. Jack took this opportunity to slip out of the brush and through the back flap of the tent. Inside he found the canteen of fresh water. He helped himself to a drink then replaced it as he found it. There was no place to hide except under the cot. He hoped they would bring Monica back and throw her in without looking. He pulled the gun from his waist and kept it tight against his chest.
The sun was starting to steal the darkness when the front flap opened and Monica fell into the tent. She fell with her back to Jack hiding under the cot. Jack reached around her back without touching her so that she could see his hand with his wedding band. He didn’t want her to jump or scream.
Monica rolled over on the ground to stare into Jack’s eyes. Jack lifted the gun to his lips gesturing her silence. Monica moved herself up to the cot the best she could with two limp arms. Jack worked to get to his feet, knowing that he had to make something happen now or they would be lost forever.
Without warning the flap of the tent flipped back. Standing silhouetted by the rising sun was the leader. Jack fell back at the surprise and found himself looking up at the man that two days ago changed their lives. Jack brought the gun up level with the man and pulled the trigger.
The sound rang his ears and the whole tent filled with the acrid smell of gun smoke. The man stumbled back releasing his grip on the center pole of the tent as his hand went to the shoulder hit by the bullet. With his free hand, he pulled a bush knife from his belt and charged towards Jack. Jack pointed the gun again at the man now only inches away from the barrel. Jack hesitated one second to long. The blade from the leader’s knife found its mark in Jack’s chest, severing crucial arteries. Jack turned to see Monica trying to get off the cot to push the man out of the way. That was the last thing Jack saw as he fell back with his knees bent under him. The man finished him by kicking him over on his side. Then he turned and punched Monica across the face sending her back down on the cot.
The young boy was standing outside the tent and saw all that happened. He wanted to reach for Monica but was frozen in fear. He knew if he went against this powerful man, he would be next.
The other men, hearing the shot, were now outside the tent. The leader ordered them to drag Jack’s body out of the tent and throw him on the burning pile with the others. He then ordered the two original guards to bring Monica back to the main tent.
Chapter 16
Monica couldn’t erase the image of the knife sinking into Jack’s chest. Her eyes were searching all around the tent looking for something to distract the image from her mind. Laying on a crate by the radio under a gun the leader had been carrying was their letter. Francis would never see the letter or learn why they loved the people of this village. All he would know in the future was maybe how they died. Lost in these thoughts Monica did not see the young boy walk into the tent.
The boy walked up behind Monica and started to plead with her.
“Ms. M, I am so sorry. I could not stop these men. They forced me to come or else they would kill my family.”
Monica, even in her condition had nothing but compassion for the boy. He was maybe just a year older than their son. She could only imagine what he had seen in his short years.
Monica, asked the boy to retrieve the letter from the crate.
He refused. To do so would have meant death. Monica pleaded again with him to bring it to her.
As part of the bargain, Monica asked him to remove the wooden cross around her neck. The boy reached out lifted the cross from her neck and shoved it in this pocket.
As the boy was about to give in to Monica, the leader charged through the door. Still in his angered state, his shoulder bloodied from the graze of the bullet, he walked over to the table and picked up the gun that had been holding down the letter. The letter dropped to the muddy floor of the tent.
The leader stepped out of the tent. Seconds later the boy and Monica heard repeated gun shots. One of the men fell back into the tent, bleeding from a shot in his chest. The boy pulled Monica from the chair by her shirt and raced towards the radio. He grabbed the letter laying on the ground, shoved it into a tattered pocket of his shorts and continued to pushing Monica through the back of the tent.
Looking back, Monica and the boy saw the man systematically picking off the men left in the camp. Monica stopped too long. Seeing his prize fleeing, the leader turned the gun in Monica’s direction. One shot
was all it took to drop her to her to the ground. The boy, now deep in the cover of the jungle, knew it was better to keep running. He reached in and felt the letter stuck in his pocket.
He knew he had to get rid of the letter but he couldn’t just throw it away.
When he made it back to village a day later his first stop was the priest’s hut. He stuck the letter in the priest’s door where villagers often left notes for him. He knew the priest would know what to do with the letter. Then he left the village knowing he could never contact his family again.
The Philadelphia Dispatch
July 25, 1980
Two missionary workers were found murdered in Brazil. Their badly decomposed bodies were discovered along with other bodies yet to be identified. Jack and Monica Stratton, both natives of the North Philadelphia area. The couple were in their last year working with the Peace Corps. They leave behind their son Francis Stratton currently a sixth-grade student at Our Lady of Hope grade school.
Part Two
What Goes Around, Comes Around
Chapter 1
U.S. Marine Camp, Amazon Jungle 1999
Captain Francis Stratton wiped sweat from his face. The towel he grabbed was already wet from the jungle humidity. Sweat continued to drip from a one day’s growth of stubble on his chin. He slid his fingers through the high and tight cut that left enough of the oily black hair on top to confirm at thirty he was in no danger of losing his hair anytime soon. A single light bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered with the inconsistent power of the camp generator.
Necessary Sin Page 2