by John Sneeden
“Either the Dawanis or another tribe with hostile intentions, yes. I think the Dawanis are the most likely culprit because they wander across a large territory. One of the secrets of their success is their ability to stay on the move. There are stories of the Dawanis showing up in Peru and Columbia to the west, and in the hilly north near the border with Venezuela. They even raided an indigenous village mere miles from Manaus. It’s part of what makes them so frightening. They could show up anywhere, at any time. In fact, they’re so unpredictable that many Indians believe they’re spirits and not human.”
“And I take it they’ve been seen in this area?”
Jorge nodded. “There have only been a few reports, but they have been seen here on rare occasions. It wouldn’t surprise me if our friend Osak has heard of them, although he’s still young.”
“Maybe we should bring him in… mention your suspicions.” Zane leaned back against the tree. “Who knows, he might be able to help us keep an eye on things.”
“No,” Jorge said firmly. “I don’t want to tell anyone until I have more information, not even Osak. At this point, everyone understands that there is danger lurking out in the jungle. For now, that is good enough.”
Zane’s brow furrowed as he looked around the clearing. “Speaking of Osak, where is he?”
“He left about an hour ago.” Jorge nodded toward the other side of camp. “You know, he’s seemed different since we arrived in the crater.”
“How so?”
“He’s a child of the jungle, and yet he doesn’t seem comfortable here. He almost looks nervous, which is not like him.”
“Do you think he’ll be okay on his own?”
“I hope so.”
It wasn’t the answer Zane had expected. “Should we go look for him?”
“No, he’ll be fine. I didn’t mean to scare you. I don’t think he’ll go far. I think he’s trying to get a feel for the jungle down here, learn its ways.”
Zane hoped he was right. Because if Osak wasn’t safe, then neither were they.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
AFTER USING THE latrine, Corporal Dez Wilson stepped over to a nearby tree and retrieved his rifle. Despite all of the usual irritants, something about nighttime in the jungle was refreshing. It reminded him of moonlit fishing trips as a kid in the lowland swamps of his native South Carolina.
Gun in hand, he paused to enjoy the moment. It was then that he noticed something odd: the jungle had suddenly grown quiet. Just moments before, the forest had resonated with the noisy din of thousands of insects and the bark of dozens of frogs. Now, the silence was deafening.
“Strange,” he muttered.
Had some big cat approached? It was possible, but even if something was lurking out there, he’d be back inside the perimeter within a couple of minutes.
Suddenly a noise broke the silence. Wilson stiffened and turned in the direction it seemed to have come from. He couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like the soft pad of footsteps.
“Dez!” someone called.
Wilson flinched and lifted his rifle. The voice sounded odd, but they had clearly called his name.
Maybe it was Corporal Tocchet. He was the only other one on patrol right now. And yet the voice had come from farther out in the jungle. The whole thing didn’t make sense. Slowly, he reached into his pocket. He moved his hand around, searching for his radio, then cursed when he remembered he’d left it sitting against the tree just inside the motion-sensor system.
He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Landon, is that you?”
Hearing no response, Wilson flipped his night vision visor over his eyes. He scanned the area, looking for any signs of life. About a hundred yards away, high in the trees, he saw several heat signatures. A family of monkeys was hunkered down on a large limb. Strange, he thought. They seem to be frozen in place.
“Dez, over here!”
Wilson frowned. Now that sounded like Tocchet. But there was still something strange about the voice.
“Stay where you are,” he barked.
Growling in frustration, he followed an animal trail that led generally in the direction of the voice. The undergrowth was thicker here, making it more difficult to see anything off the path. He gripped his M4 tightly as he brushed past limbs and vines. The hot professor had told them that jaguars were most active at night, and if true, he wanted to be prepared to fire if necessary.
As he continued forward, Wilson tried to reconcile something in his mind. If it really was his partner, then what the heck was he doing out here? Their routine was to circle the perimeter of the camp in a way that put them on opposite sides at all times. It just didn’t make any sense.
A few minutes later, Wilson found himself in a clearing. He scanned in each direction, but there were no other ways out. The surrounding foliage was too thick. The trail seemed to have come to an end. What now?
He cupped his hands again. “Landon!”
Silence. The presence of a big cat or snake seemed the only plausible reason for the silence that gripped the forest. He remembered from a biology class in college that animals would instinctively freeze when a predator was close by.
Maybe that’s why Landon needs me. He’s in some kind of trouble.
“Hey, man, where are you?”
He heard the snap of a twig to his right and swung his rifle in that direction. A tiny limb jiggled, but other than that, he saw nothing move. As he continued to stare in that direction, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Some of it pooled and streamed into his eyes, forcing him to reach up and wipe under his visor.
Something just didn’t feel right. His sense of direction was good, and Tocchet should have been right in this very spot. In fact, if he’d been using the same trail, then he couldn’t have gone any farther without making a ruckus.
Suddenly there was a slight rustling directly ahead. It seemed to come from behind a large tree on the far side of the clearing, so he took a few steps toward it. “Landon? If you’re pulling my leg… man, I’m gonna kill you.”
Something moved in his peripheral vision. Wilson turned and saw a cloud seeping into the clearing. He assumed it was fog, but it had a strange odor, almost like the scent of a flower or herb.
Wilson took a deep breath then exhaled slowly. It was time to get back to camp. If Tocchet really was lost somewhere out there, then he wasn’t going to find him alone. He needed to bring back some of the others.
He was about to call out for his partner one last time when he noticed something strange: he couldn’t move the muscles of his mouth.
What the…?
Next he tried to lift his rifle. It felt like it weighed two hundred pounds, and he was able to shift it only slightly. Something was happening to him.
There was more shuffling in the undergrowth nearby, but Wilson was unable to turn and look.
The fog. The words echoed in his thoughts. It was the fog that had caused this. It’s why he couldn’t move.
Seconds later, Wilson fell over. He remained there, unable to move or speak. Paralysis now gripped every inch of his body. The rustling grew louder. Whoever was out there knew he could no longer defend himself.
A pair of black legs suddenly appeared in the mist, moving toward him. They stopped a few feet away. Wilson flinched in fear, his heart beating wildly in his chest.
Now he could hear others entering the clearing as well. He’d been lured into a trap, and there was nothing he could do to save himself.
A foot was placed roughly under his body and flipped him over. After settling onto his back, Wilson could see the silhouettes of several men looming over him, their features obscured by the fog.
One of the figures descended toward him. Seconds later, a face appeared out of the mist. It was painted black with white rings around the eyes.
Wilson tried to scream, but the sound died in his throat.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
“HE’S JUST GONE without a trace?” Katiya asked. “That seems impossible
.”
The group had assembled around the fire. Zane, Bennett, and Tocchet had just completed a two-hour search for Corporal Wilson, and several brief arguments had broken out since their return. The growing tension was now clearly inscribed on each person’s face. Some were angry but couldn’t figure out where to direct that anger.
Zane glanced toward the edge of camp to make sure the new measures were being followed. Tocchet and Artur were patrolling a shrunken perimeter and were now in plain sight of the others. He wished he’d done that before. Having such a wide area to cover had been a mistake, and he took full responsibility for any trouble it may have caused.
Bennett looked at Katiya. “As I said, ma’am, we searched as far as we possibly could. We were able to follow his footprints into a grove of saplings, but that’s where the trail grew cold.” He turned and addressed the others. “The good news is that there was no sign of blood… there weren’t even any signs of a scuffle.”
“I’m assuming you weren’t able to reach him on the radio?” Katiya asked.
Zane and Bennett exchanged glances. Zane nodded at the soldier, giving him permission to answer. “We actually found his radio against a tree just inside the perimeter.”
Max threw his hands in the air. “Now you tell us! Of course, you wouldn’t have had she not asked.”
Zane looked at the linguist. “What difference does it make where his radio was found? He obviously chose to leave it and his canteen behind when he went to the latrine. He probably figured it wouldn’t matter since he was only going to be gone for a couple of minutes.”
Max shook his head but remained silent.
Zane continued. “We actually believe it’s good news that we found no signs of a struggle.”
“We’ve a man missing. I can’t wait to hear how that is good news,” Max said.
Zane tried to suppress his temper. “I didn’t say that it was good news he was missing. If you’re not going to listen then shut up. The good news is that he likely just got lost. Don’t forget that there’s still a lot of fog out there. It seems to have cleared out a bit, but there are still some pretty thick pockets in low-lying areas.”
“Maybe he’s with Osak,” Amanda said. “We haven’t seen him in a while.”
“A good point,” Zane said. He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “Look, I can’t put a diamond necklace on this pig and make it look better. We have a highly skilled soldier missing, and that’s obviously not good. We told you before that the Amazon is a wild and dangerous place, and this crater appears to be even more dangerous than the rest of it. At least we have a sliver of hope that the corporal is still alive.”
Katiya frowned. “What now?”
Zane looked at his watch. “Dawn comes in a couple of hours. At first light, we’re going back out to the site and try to pick up his trail. The sun will make our job a little easier. There’s only so much you can do with a few flashlights.”
Katiya rubbed her face then ran her fingers back through her hair. Zane could tell that something was still bothering her. Finally she looked up and said, “I realize this is more difficult for you than it is for the rest of us. You’re responsible for our safety, and it’s important that you maintain an air of positivity. Dez is certainly not going to be found if we give up hope.
“But we have to be honest with each other. After all, we’re in this together.”
“What are you trying to say?” Brett asked.
“I may not have any experience with this kind of thing, but I do know this… something doesn’t smell right. This man was a Green Beret, and with all due respect, I’m not buying that a pocket of fog turned him around.”
“We didn’t say we were certain that’s what happened,” Bennett said. “We’re only saying it’s possible.”
“Out here almost anything is possible, but that doesn’t mean it’s likely.” She looked at Zane then at Bennett. “We’re a team, and a team communicates. Not communicating puts us all in danger.”
Max seemed to realize where she was going. “Is there something you’re not telling us?”
“I think there is a lot we don’t know.” She pointed off into the distance. “Just hours ago we were shot at by some men on a ridge. Someone whispered that it was probably one of the local cartels but that they wouldn’t follow us into the crater because of its reputation. Then tonight one of our soldiers goes missing. Call me crazy, but I find this all a little strange.”
Zane wasn’t sure who’d told her it was a cartel, but if he didn’t know about the Chinese, he might have thought the same himself. There weren’t many in this part of Brazil, but it wouldn’t be a shock to run into a small-time group transporting narcotics through the jungle.
He rubbed his beard as he thought about how to respond. Should he tell them about the Dawanis? He had a great deal of respect for Katiya, and he had to admit that she was right about communication. If the group was under immediate threat, then everyone deserved to know that in order to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves.
“First of all, we don’t know with any level of certainty who that was up on the ridge. For all I know, maybe we did cross through the turf of some cartel.” He looked at the fire for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “But I do want to share something that I haven’t up until now. Another government may be aware of this operation. We’re not sure how much they know or what they plan on doing with that information, but they have it.”
“You knew this, and you didn’t tell us?” Max’s face was red.
“We didn’t tell you because that’s all we knew. We figured it was possible they might send in their own team to investigate, but that wouldn’t necessarily involve violence.” Zane knew that he wasn’t being completely forthright, but he couldn’t mention the attack on Garet Slater’s lodge. That was classified information. “And even if they did send a team in, what are the odds that they would come at precisely the same time and decide to launch an attack on us?”
Max was about to respond, but Katiya held up a hand. “No, he’s right.” She looked at Zane. “While I still think you should have told us, I see why you didn’t. We knew what we were getting into. We knew that our government was trying to keep this a secret, and we also knew that other countries might want this information. In fact, I think Dr. Ross told me that very thing. Maybe it was his way of giving me a subtle warning.”
“Which country is it?” Amanda asked.
Zane told her.
Max muttered something about that being the worst possible answer then shook his head.
Zane looked at Katiya. “But I still can’t tell you who shot at us from the rim. Who knows, maybe it was a cartel. So far, I don’t have any definitive evidence that the Chinese are here. It’s all anecdotal.”
She nodded slowly. “Is there anything else we should know?”
Zane and Jorge exchanged a brief glance. The Brazilian then cleared his throat and said, “Like Senhor Zane, I can’t tell you who was shooting at us, nor can I tell you where the missing soldier is or what happened to him. But I want to remind you that while most tribes are friendly, there are some who aren’t.”
“Wait, wait,” Amanda said. “Back on the boat you told us that all the tribes here are friendly.”
Jorge shook his head. “No, that’s not what I said. I said that most of the tribes here are friendly. Of course, everyone here knows that Brazil has some indigenous people who aren’t. You’re all fully aware of the documented attacks.”
“I’m not aware of any indigenous hostiles in this area,” Max said.
“Have you heard of the Dawanis?”
Max shook his head. “The name rings a bell, but I can’t say I’m familiar with them.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Jorge said. “You won’t find this tribe in a textbook or on the Internet, at least not that I’m aware of. Some say they’re a legend, but there have been enough victims and sightings over the years to indicate they’re very real.”
Katiya’s eyes narrowed. “I’m like Max. The name sounds vaguely familiar, but that’s about it.”
Jorge used the next several minutes to give the group a more sanitized version of the description he’d given Zane. He simply told them that the Dawanis wandered through the region, terrorizing other tribes. Truthful but without the disturbing details.
“Good heavens,” Katiya said after he’d finished. “They sound horrible. But surely you don’t think they were the ones shooting at—”
Jorge gave her a half smile. “No, they don’t own guns.”
“Then what makes you think they’re here?” Brett asked.
“I’ve seen a few things out in the jungle that led me to believe we were being followed. You may be curious why I didn’t mention it before now. Well, that’s because I had no proof. The things I saw also could have been some animal of the jungle. Now, to be honest, I didn’t think it was an animal, but I wasn’t about to create panic without solid evidence that something was out there.”
“Do you think it’s possible they were responsible for Corporal Wilson’s disappearance?” Brett asked.
“I can’t say it was the Dawanis, but I do believe it’s possible the answer involves some hostile tribe, perhaps one that lives here in this place.”
Katiya frowned. “Has this ever happened before?”
“To my knowledge, there are no reports of Dawanis attacking people traveling along the Amazon. Of course, I’m not aware of any official confirmation that they even exist. The few Brazilians who do know the name believe it’s a legend.”
“You indicated that they were wanderers,” Katiya said. “Perhaps this is their home base. Perhaps they conduct their raids from here.” She picked up a stick and drew an odd-looking shape in the dirt. “If this is Brazil, then we’re somewhere in here.” She drew a small circle indicating the approximate location of the crater. “You told us earlier that the attacks have taken place from Peru and Columbia in the west to Manaus in the east.” She tapped the circle and said, “This crater is right in the center.”