Lost in the Maze

by Gary William Ramsey

  “Okay,” The Director replied. “Keep it short and sweet. Don’t address Governor Patton’s death.”

  Stewart hung up the phone and made his way to the disembarking area. Agent Bill Lewis as guarding the door.

  “Any problems Bill?”

  “Nothing except the press banging on the door. They’re acting like an angry mob out there. We’ve set up a podium, microphone and speakers for you.”

  “Tell them that I’ll issue a statement in forty-five minutes,” Steward replied and returned to the Captain’s Quarters. He made a call home to tell Susan he would be tied up for a prolong period. He spent the remainder of the forty-five minutes collecting his thoughts. At this point nothing made sense to him. At the specified time, he returned to the area where Agent Lewis was guarding the door.

  “Are you ready Sir?”

  “Yes, wish me luck,” Stewart said, unlocked the door and walked through.

  Immediately the press began shouting questions.

  “Did the Senator kill his wife?”

  “Is his death connected with the death of Governor Patton?”

  “What are you hiding?”

  There were so many questions yelled at him that Stewart raised his hands motioning for them to quiet down. He walked up to the microphone.

  “If you’ll settle down, I have a statement for you.” The shouting of questions continued. He stepped back from the microphone and waited.

  Chapter 17

  Dubov grabbed Macy and crushed his body against her as she passionately kissed him. He grabbed her skirt and attempted to jerk it up around her waist. She excited him more than any woman he had ever known.

  “Wait,” Macy whispered, “Its my time of the month. I’ll make it up to you later I promise.” The lie caused him to groan, and release his powerful grip on her body.

  “I’m going to check on the girl and take her some food, you need to tend to the scratches on your face,” she said, moving his hands from around her waist.

  “You’re a devil, but you are my property,” Dubov scoffed.

  Macy stopped by the library and picked up the new book by Gary William Ramsey titled Reflections of Life. She then proceeded to the kitchen, heated a can of chicken noodle soup, poured it in a bowl and prepared a ham and cheese sandwich. She placed the soup and sandwich on a tray with a glass of cold milk and went upstairs. After unlocking the door, she walked in and placed the tray and book on the end table. Lisa Roberts heard the door open, and walked out of the bathroom. Her hair was still wet from the shower, and she had dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. She looked young and innocent and frightened.

  “I brought you some food and a book to read,” Macy said. “You must keep up your strength. You’ll need all your energy when I help you get out of here.”

  “Why are you helping me?” Lisa asked.

  “All I can say is that I’m on your side and if you tell anyone, we’re both dead.”

  She nodded at the girl and left the room. Macy had to make an excuse to leave the house and call Director Stancil. She didn’t have the heart to tell Lisa about her mother and father at the moment. That information would devastate the girl and destroy her desire to escape.

  Macy went to the living area searching for Dubov. She heard him talking on the phone in the adjoining study and went there. Dubov was sitting at his desk. She waited patiently while he finished. Dubov was apparently talking to Nevsky.

  “The young girl is innocent looking, lovely and sexy, and Maxin, you will be delighted that she has spirit. She had to gall to attack me. I’m certain that she is a virgin. She is my gift to you to do whatever you please with her.”

  Macy couldn’t hear Nevsky’s reply, but whatever it was caused Dubov to laugh. “I’ll have Sturgess bring her to you tomorrow if you wish.” Another silence while Nevsky answered. “Yes sir, she will be delivered then.”

  Dubov hung up the phone and looked up at Macy. “The Godfather is exceptionally pleased with my present. That puts him in debt to me for such a wonderful and unique gift.”

  “When does he want her?” Macy asked.

  “I offered tomorrow, but he wanted her in two days. I’ll summon Sturgess to take her.”

  Macy shook her head. “Don’t trust her with Sturgess. He wanted to defile her on the trip here. If she arrives to the Godfather with her virginity absent, he’ll punish you for lying to him. I’ll go with them to assure she’s delivered untouched. I want you protected from any mishaps.” She smiled and walked over and kissed him on the head. “Honey I need to go to the drug store and get some intimate items for my present time of the month.”

  “Go ahead, I’ve got things to do, and you’re just in the way.”

  “Don’t bother the girl. I’ve calmed her down and she probably is sleeping,” Macy said, and left.

  She took the red Jaguar convertible and headed toward Chicago. She stopped at the first Walmart located on Clark Street. Macy went straight to the electronics department, purchased a cheap phone and a prepaid calling card. She couldn’t take the chance to use her personal cell. As usual, she would destroy the phone after her conversation with Director Stancil.

  Macy returned to her car and parked in the far corner of the parking lot. She punched in the Director’s private number. There was a click of the phone being answered, then silence.

  “Code 54678,” Macy said, and hung up. That was the code to indicate volatile and highly sensitive information. As was the procedure for these calls, she waited precisely five minutes and called again.

  “987458,” was the answer.

  “17896,” she replied.

  “Ahalya, I’m on a secure phone in a private location,” Director Stancil said. “What is your urgent information?”

  “Sir, I want to stay in character. Call me Macy. I’m in an ominous situation here. Dubov and the leadership of the Russian Mafia were somehow involved in the situation with Senator Roberts. His daughter Lisa is a captive at his mansion in Chicago. He plans to deliver her as a gift to his Godfather Nevsky. She will be raped, drugged and after Nevsky is finished with her, probably sold to the Mafia contacts in ISIS. Young American girls are highly desirable to them for ransom purposes and maybe even beheading for political impact. At best she would be retained as a sex slave. I will be involved in her transfer to Nevsky with one of Dubov’s henchmen. I must facilitate her escape regardless of the cost to my undercover status.”

  “I understand,” relied Stancil. “Let’s discuss your plan.”

  “Sir, first I must report to you that Dubov said that both Senator Roberts and his wife are dead. I have not told the girl. He also said this was the first step to destabilize and control the US government. Apparently the Islam terrorist group ISIS has a convert at the highest levels of the Government. I was afraid to push Dubov for any additional information at this time. He may not even know the traitor’s name. The goal to destabilize the government seems impossible, but that’s what the man said.”

  “Oh my God,” Stancil responded. “With that information, I don’t know who to trust. The high level official could be anyone. If I talk to the wrong person you will be outed and probably killed. Then they’ll probably come after me. I’ll hold this news until you can get more specific information.”

  “Yes Sir, what information do you have on the Senator and his wife?”

  “I have my best man in the Agency working on the case. Mrs. Roberts is indeed dead. It appears that she and the Senator were taking drugs, and he stabbed her to death during a physical altercation. They were on vacation on a cruise ship with their daughter. The Senator must have committed suicide by jumping overboard, and it was assumed that he took his daughter with him. Now I know that is not true. Special Agent Gerry Stewart is in charge of the investigation and he is not convinced by many of the facts. Unfortunately the press is going wild with speculation. In a separate accident, Governor Patton of Illinois has died of Recluse Spider bites. All hell is breaking loose here.”

  Macy’s head
was spinning with the astonishing news. She new that she must use this information to get more facts and information from Dubov, and if he balks, she must get to Nevsky.

  “I know what I have to do,” she said. “I plan to arrange an escape for Lisa Roberts, and it must appear that I put up a fight to keep her from being taken. Is there anyone you trust completely to assist me, and put her in a safe haven until we get more information about the situation and who we can trust?”

  “With what you’ve told me, Special Agent Stewart is the only man I have complete trust in. You need to give me your exact travel plans when they are finalized, and I’ll arrange a safe house for the girl. Neither of us should trust anyone in the government. Later I’ll arrange for Agent Stewart to be expecting a call from you. I’ll provide you with a secure number.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow with the plans. I better get back so Dubov doesn’t get suspicious.”

  “Be careful Macy. At this point you are our only hope.”

  After hanging up, Macy stomped the cell phone, gathered the pieces and threw them out separately into ditches and fields while driving back to Dubov’s estate.

  “What in the hell am I going to do now?” She said aloud.

  Chapter 18

  My mind clicked on from the deep sleep. I felt the warmth of the still burning fire. Hearing the growl, I opened my eyes and sat up. The Jaguar moved toward me in an attack crouch. I picked up my fish spear knowing that it wouldn’t prevent him from tearing me to shreds. The gourds filled with salted meat lay beside the shelter. I grabbed the one filled with the squirrel meat, gouged out the remainder of the meat, and hurled it toward the hungry cat. He stopped, smelled it, gobbled it in one gulp, and shook his head violently. I guess that resulted from the salt water, which saturated the meat.

  The big cat just stood there for a moment staring and me. I remained motionless holding the spear over my head. After a moment, I moved closer to the fire, picked up a branch and stuck it in the fire. When it lit, I hoisted it. The Jaguar stood still, staring at the fiery branch and me. I got up and moved forward, thrusting the burning branch in front of me. I felt that aggressive action was necessary. The Jaguar back up, and then ran to the tree line. He turned again, looked at me, and disappeared into the woods.

  I was afraid to go back to sleep so I sat in my shelter, adding additional branches in the fire to keep it going. The only noise was the crackling of the fire.

  The moon was full and sent beautiful reflective rays of orange on the shimmering calm ocean water. The last thing I remember was thinking what a beautiful sight it was. Exhaustion overcame fear, and I drifted off to sleep again.

  When I awoke the sun was almost at the top of the sky. It should be at least eleven am. I must have slept about seven hours. The fire had denigrated to embers. I got up, walked to the side of the shelter and relieved myself, then finished the remainder of the water in the gourd.

  I sat there for a moment thinking. First I need to fill my water gourd and venture out to attempt to find life or anything else helpful on this island. I knew the dangers of snakes and the Jaguar, but it’s time to explore.

  I took the water gourd and cut small holes on both sides on the top, then cut a strip of cloth from the bottom of my T-shirt. I threaded the end pieces of the cloth strip into each hole in the gourd and tied them, and placed the strip over my shoulder. This allowed me to transport my water and keep both hands free.

  I didn’t want to encumber myself by carrying both weapons. I needed one hand free, so I chose my fish spear to take with me. I left the club inside the shelter. After grabbing a couple of branches, I covered the rest of the bird meat, hoping that the Jaguar wouldn’t return.

  “Get your ass moving and find a way out of here. Susan and Lisa need you,” I said out loud, and walked to the edge of the tree line. Looking up at the top of the trees, I saw no sign of Moses and his troop. I followed my broken twig trail back to the stream.

  When I came to the clearing, I hesitated. No wild animals were drinking, so I put my head in the water and took several long drinks. My thirst quenched, I filled the gourd, waded through the stream, headed north and deeper into the woods.

  The welcome sound of chatter broke the eerie silence. I looked up and saw Moses swinging from the branches. Zippy was by his side. He sat on a low branch watching me.

  “Hey Moses, glad to see you today. It’s time for me to find a way off this island. I could sure use your help,” I said, and laughed.

  He stared at me, and turned his head to the side making a rumbling noise like a cackle bark. It sounded like an explosive, hacking cough: “Aaaaccchhh! Ooooccchhhh!”

  “I wish I knew what you mean, but it sounds like your warning me,” I said. “I gotta go, but you can come with me if you like.”

  I trudged forward marking my way with broken branches and twigs. Moses chattered something to Zippy and the troop. They went south leaving Moses alone, following me.

  An hour passed. I continued dodging trees and vines in the woods moving north. Suddenly Moses screamed. It resembled a human scream. I stopped in my tracks and he squealed again.

  I looked down and about four feet in front of me was a very large snake. It was dark green in color with alternating oval black spots. Similar spots with yellow-ochre centres were along the sides of its body, and it had a large narrow head. The eyes and nostrils were set on the top of its head. I had seen pictures of an Anaconda before, and I froze. Its head rose as if getting ready to strike. The ugly reptile was at least fifteen feet long and maybe two hundred pounds. I remained motionless and saw some movement in the grass to the left of the gigantic snake. Abruptly the Anaconda struck the area where I saw movement. He recoiled and a large brown rabbit was in his mouth, his fangs deep in the animal’s neck. He circled his body around the rabbit as blood squirted from the neck and the squealing ceased. I was mesmerized by the spectacle.

  Moses squawked as if he was saying, get out of here you foolish human.

  I backed up and took a wide path around the feeding Anaconda. I realized that if I hadn’t paid attention to Moses, I might have been the prey of the hungry snake.

  Anacondas are usually near water so it’s safe to assume that fresh water in addition my stream exists nearby.

  I trudged on for another thirty minutes when I spotted several bushes with shiny black berries. I pulled one and tasted it. It was sweet and delicious. I filled my pockets with them and ate two handfuls. Moses dropped to the ground in front of me. I assumed he saw the berries and wanted some. I threw a handful at his feet. He looked at them strangely and screeched, not touching one. I realized that something might be wrong. He retreated to the trees and disappeared. I shook my head and walked forward.

  After what I think was another thirty minutes, I felt a little lightheaded. I sat down to rest for a moment and closed my eyes.

  Shades of green and pink and then red swirled around in my head. I opened my eyes when I heard a loud hiss, followed by a growl. I looked to my left and a haze hung there with bright eyes blazing through. I tried to focus and saw the form an animal. The mist began to subside and I got a better look.

  It stood about six feet tall and had long curved claws. The beast walked on two hind legs that appeared to be adapted for leaping, and had a long stiff tail. I recognized it as a Velociraptor, and attempted to scream, but my vocal cords were paralyzed.

  The beast opened its mouth and revealed many extremely sharp, curved teeth beneath his long flat snout. Some teeth were over an inch long. I had enough mind awareness to know that these carnivores lived during the Cretaceous period, about sixty million years ago.

  It leaped toward me, biting off my left arm and hissing. Blood spurted as I tried to hit it with my other arm. Suddenly a giant Pterosaurs swopped down and grabbed the Velociraptor by the neck with its razor sharp claws. The raptor squealed with pain and anger and twisted to bite the giant bird.

  The talons dug deeper into the raptor’s neck spraying blood all over me.
I attempted to get up and run but my legs wouldn’t operate.

  Looking wildly around, suddenly there was complete silence. I looked down and my arm was back as if nothing had happened.

  “What the Hell!” I screamed, but no sounds pierced the air. I looked toward the sky and it appeared that gigantic rocks were raining down on me. My world went to black.

  I don’t know how long I was out, but I regained consciousness with the sound of chatter. I forced opened my eyes and Moses was sitting on my chest. He was just staring at me. When he saw my eyes open he jumped to the ground beside me. I sat up and cleared the fog in my mind. I then realized what happened to me. It was the berries, which triggered the hallucinations. What I ate must have been Belladonna berries. I’ve heard of them, but thought they were green rather than shiny black. They were sometimes called deadly nightshade or devil’s berries. They cause hallucinations and if eaten in large quantity, death. I thought about emptying my pockets of the deadly berries, but decided they may be a useful weapon later.

  I was in no shape to continue the exploration, so I decided to return to my shelter before nightfall. When I got to my feet I looked at Moses. “I should have known you were trying to warn me when you refused to eat the berries I gave to you,” I said. “I’ll listen to you in the future, Moses.”

  He looked at me as if he knew exactly what I said, jumped to the nearest tree and waited to follow me. I raised my gourd to take a drink, but it was empty. Following the trail I marked, I stopped by the stream and filled the gourd and drank my fill of water. To my huge relief, no Anacondas were in sight on the return trip.

  I arrived at the shelter when the sun was setting, and immediately built a fire. My stomach growled and I reached for the salty bird meat. The gourd was turned on its side and the meat was gone. The other gourd was also empty, as I had fed the hungry Jaguar. I have no idea what wild animal stole my food. I checked the traps but they had been destroyed by something.