by S. J. Bishop
Her story was both heartbreaking and unnerving. If she was working for the Gorillas, an organization that despised Americans, was I safe in her presence? What if she was only telling me all of this so she could lure me into a trap? Despite the risk, the journalist inside me wanted to know more.
I was just about to question her further when someone barged into the tent.
7
Kirk
To my surprise, Sidney was sitting beside Trang when I walked into the medical tent. After searching for her all night to no avail, I managed to find her here of all places. For a second, all three of us were quiet.
I felt like I was interrupting an important conversation, but about what?
“Sorry to interrupt,” I finally said, clearing my throat.
“No, please. Sit down,” Trang prompted, gesturing to the chair beside Sidney. After last night, I was sure she wanted nothing to do with me.
“Maybe I should just come back another time.”
“I should probably get going anyway.” Sidney got up, already heading out.
Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed her, my arms snaking around her waist, pulling her close to my body. “We need to talk,” I whispered, desperately looking into her eyes, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she would give me the opportunity to explain myself.
She shoved me away. “There’s nothing to talk about, Kirk. It’s too late to apologize.”
I sighed, watching her disappear.
“You two know each other?” Trang asked.
Her voice made me jump slightly. Just holding Sidney close for a few seconds had made me forget where I was and what I was doing.
“Yeah…”
“She seemed angry.”
“That’s because she is.” I slipped into the seat across from her, my hands on my knees. “And she has every right to be.”
“Oh?”
I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it. I just came here to find out if you were okay. What happened to you out there? You aren’t supposed to go in the jungle. Everyone knows that.”
She bit her lip, looking unsure for a moment. “If I tell you, will you swear not to tell a soul?” Her accent crept into her words, something that hadn’t quite happened before. Her eyes were wide and dilated. She was scared, but why?
I nodded. “Of course, Seal’s honor.”
Slowly, she tried getting up, holding on to the chair for support. I got up quickly to help her, placing my hand under her elbow. “What are you doing?”
“We cannot speak here. Just outside. It’ll be safer.”
“Why? None of the other nurses know how to speak English, do they?”
“That’s what they want you to believe. Come, we must speak outside.” She looked at me with a desperate look in her eyes.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to deny her, so I helped her walk out when the nurses weren’t looking. Once outside, I eased her against one of the support beams. Her skin looked sickly and pale. “Are you sure you’re well enough to be out here?”
“I’ll be fine.” She grabbed onto my shirt, propping herself upward so our faces were inches apart. Her lips were pursed together like she was about to lean forward and kiss me. Our noses nearly touched. I wanted to pull away from her, but it was like she had me trapped in a spell with those great big eyes of hers. “I need to tell you what I saw.”
I cocked my head to the side, wondering what she meant. “You mean out in the jungle?”
“Yes.” Her breathing was ragged. “A man… who looked just like you…”
“What?” I grabbed her, my fingers digging into her arms. Could it be…? “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Yes. I remember him well.”
“Where is he?” I demanded, my excitement getting the best of me. It had to be Jason.
Her eyes darkened. “You cannot go after him. The Gorillas have him hostage deep in the jungle.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How would you know?”
“Because I was their hostage, too.”
“What? So how did you get here?”
“I escaped.” Her words were steady and unwavering. If she was lying to me, she was doing a hell of a job. “You saved me from certain death, but I cannot allow you to meet your own. Anyone who goes into the jungle in search of the Gorillas will end up dead.”
“Where are they located?” My face was so close to hers that I could feel her breath on my lips. My fingers tightened, waiting for an answer.
“You’re hurting me.”
“Tell me where he is!” I bellowed, growing frustrated that I had finally found a legitimate lead to my brother and she was refusing to cooperate.
“Please…” she whimpered.
I snapped out of my trance, letting her go. “Sorry…” I mumbled, running my fingers through my hair. “It’s just very important to me that I find him. I’ve been looking for my brother for a long, long time. Please, you have to help me.”
8
Sidney
I had the urge to rush over there and slap some sense into Kirk. Didn’t he know that chasing after Jason was pointless?
I ground my teeth as I watched Kirk move even closer to Trang. I was starting to have a bad feeling about her. There was just something wrong with the way she looked at Kirk, like she was a poisonous viper, about to charm him only so she could bite him.
“I will show you where he is,” she finally agreed, lowering her gaze. “But I have warned you that doing so would not be wise.”
“I don’t care. Just tell me where he is. It’s too dangerous for you to go. But if you managed to get out of there, then that means I can get in.”
I tiptoed forward, hiding behind an old brick wall. It wasn’t like me to eavesdrop, but I just couldn’t stop myself. Something in my gut was telling me that I had to get to the bottom of this.
Trang was lying. I was sure of it.
First she told me that she had spent a lot of time in the infirmary, then she told Kirk she had just escaped the Gorillas. How did that make any sense? She was trying to pull the wool over one of our eyes – or both.
“I cannot.”
“Tell me.” He began to shake her.
Her head bobbed on her neck so hard that I thought it would snap.
I was seconds away from stepping in when he stopped, seeming to realize what he had done. “I’m sorry…” He looked away, scrunching his nose slightly, the way he always did whenever he lost his temper and felt guilty for it. “But… please… tell me where he is.”
She sighed. “You will not heed my warnings?”
“I can’t. He’s my brother. He needs me.” Kirk’s eyes burned with a look of determination like I’d never seen before.
“When you enter the jungle, there is a main path that everyone uses to get to the next town. For the most part, it is protected – neutral territory – so you will not get hurt. Follow that up to the river. Once there, follow the river downstream. Eventually, you should see a large, moss-covered rock. From there, it is two miles due North.”
Kirk soaked up the information, nodding at her every word. “Thank you.”
Conveniently, Trang managed to give him all of those directions before she fainted, nearly collapsing to the ground. If it hadn’t been for his big, strong arms wrapping around her slender torso, she would have fallen.
Jealousy coursed through my veins. Wait, no, what was I thinking? I didn’t want Kirk. At least, no more than he wanted me. Irritated, I crossed my arms over my chest, thinking that I should just let him fall right into her trap, but deep down, I knew I couldn’t let anything happen to him.
So I waited.
After ten minutes, he emerged from the tent. What had he been doing in there for so long…?
Once again, my jealousy flared. Just the thought of him with another woman made me want to scream. But it shouldn’t have. We were no longer together. The flame that fueled our relationship had long since burned out.
When I turned my attention back to Kirk, he
was already making a beeline for the jungle. Leave it to Kirk to go on an impulsive suicide mission.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked, emerging from my hiding spot.
He stopped in his tracks, looking at me like he didn’t recognize who I was. “Sidney? What are you doing here?”
“Saving your ass, apparently.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look, I overheard your conversation with Trang –”
“You were spying on me?”
“No. I just happened to be here,” I lied quickly, even though I knew I had never been a very convincing liar.
He stepped forward, an unimpressed frown on his face. “If you’re about to tell me that there’s no point going after Jason, then you’ll just be wasting your breath. I’m going to find him. No matter the cost.”
“Just listen to me.” I reached out and grabbed his arm. “Something about her story isn’t adding up. She told you that she just escaped the Gorillas, right?”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s how I found her in the jungle. She was running for her life.”
“Okay. Fine. But care to explain to me how all the nurses knew her name? Or why she told me that she’s in the infirmary every other week? Come on, you’ve got to admit that there’s something fishy about her story.”
Kirk shook his head, pushing past me. His heavy, steel-toed boots nearly crushed my foot as he stomped away. He never could listen to reason when his brother was involved. It was like talking to a brick wall.
“Kirk, listen to me.”
He whipped around.
Not expecting him to stop so suddenly, I barreled into his chest and would have fallen over if it hadn’t been for his arms wrapping around my waist, pulling me close. “Listen to you? Funny how you want me to listen to you. I’ve been asking for that same thing since I ran into you, but you’ve never given me the time of day. Now, because you think Jason is dead, you want to tell me how stupid I am. But you’re wrong. I know he’s alive out there, whether you want to believe it or not.”
He let go of me as if my skin was suddenly burning him.
I was dazed. Kirk had never spoken to me with such hatred before. I shuddered but eventually went after him. “I’m coming with you.”
9
Kirk
I slowed to a halt. “What did you say?”
“I said, I’m coming with you.” When I turned around to face her, she had her hands on her hips and this fiery look in her eyes. I had seen that expression before. It would be a cold day in hell if I managed to change her mind.
I sighed. “And I guess there’s no way to convince you not to?”
“I think you already know the answer to that.”
“And you know that I can’t put you in danger like that. The jungle isn’t a place for you.”
“I can take care of myself. I’ve been living here longer than you have. I at least know how to speak the language.”
“Sidney…” I reached for her cheek, running my fingers along her soft skin. “You can’t possibly expect me to agree to this.”
“Look, I’ll make you a deal. You bring me along on your search and rescue, and I’ll let you talk to me about what happened ten years ago.”
“Why do you want to go so badly? You lost hope for Jason years ago.”
“You’re right about that.” She stepped forward, standing so close that I could feel the warmth radiating from her body. The animalistic part of me just wanted to scoop her up into my arms and take her right then and there, to make up for all the lost time, but somehow, I managed to keep my hormones in check. After all, even if I tried to make a move, I’d probably just be rewarded with a slap to the face.
“So, what do you want?”
“I need facts. I’ve been in this town for way too long, reporting about nothing but mundane, day-to-day activities. I need to put myself out there and figure out what’s really going on in this country.”
“So, you’re using me as a tool to do your job?”
“Yep.”
“Why not ask someone else?”
She parted her lips like she was going to say something before she pressed them together again.
“You didn’t feel safe going with anyone else, did you?”
“I didn’t say that.” She instantly crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. Bingo. So she still felt safe in my presence. I never would have guessed. “So, do we have a deal or not?”
“Fine. I’ll bring you along. But we have to leave early. That’s not a problem, is it?”
“If I remember correctly, I used to be the one dragging you out of bed in the morning.”
“Right. Right. I almost forgot you were an early bird. Well, 0600 tomorrow.”
“Aye, aye, captain.”
I shot her a dirty glare before she walked away. I couldn’t be sure, but I swear she was swinging her hips from side to side, almost as if she was teasing me with her body. I ground my teeth together, the blood rushing from my head down to my groin. Before I could get an embarrassing public erection, I marched back to the ship, knowing I’d have to secure some supplies for my mission.
“Where have you been?” Martin asked the second he saw me come aboard. “I’ve had to cover for you all day, and you know I hate doing that.”
I chuckled, patting him on the back. “I owe you one, buddy.” I guided him toward the prow, taking the stairs below deck.
“Where are we going?” he questioned.
“I need your help.”
“I don’t know if I like where you’re going with this.” Martin gave me a sideways glance. I could tell he was tense just being here. After all, we were supposed to be performing our daily chores, and instead, we were waltzing around the ship like we owned the place. If our commander found us, he would have our heads, or we’d at least be stuck on cleaning duty for a week.
“Kirk.” Martin planted his feet into the ground. “Why are we heading for the storeroom? I swear, if this is another one of your crazy schemes to rescue your brother, I’ll have no part in it.”
“It’s different this time. I have a serious lead on him.”
“That’s what you said last time. We both nearly got court-martialed because of your solo-stunt.”
“It wasn’t solo. You were with me.” I grinned, squeezing his shoulder. “Besides, it was pretty exciting, wasn’t it?”
Martin did not look amused. “Whatever you have planned, count me out.”
“I just need you to keep covering for me,” I said. “Come on. Someone claims to have seen a man that looked just like me with the Gorillas. I have to check it out. What if it is him?”
“And what if it’s not?”
“I rather take my chances that it is.” I pushed past him into the storeroom, grabbing a sidearm and some extra ammo, as well as the provisions I needed to survive in the jungle.
“Why do you need an extra gun? Let alone a tiny hand pistol?” Martin was hovering by the doorframe, looking like a disappointed father. “You aren’t going to take out the Gorillas with that thing. At least take an MP5 or something.”
“This is for Sidney.”
“Who?” He stared at me. “You aren’t seriously going to take some ditzy girl with you? Now I know you’ve completely lost your mind. What if something happens to her?”
I shot him a glare at his comment. “Nothing is going to happen to her. I would never allow that. Plus, she’ll be able to protect herself with the gun.”
“Does she even know how to use it?”
“I taught her how to shoot myself. Hell, I bet she’s even a better shot than you are.” I winked.
“Fat chance.”
I punched his arm playfully. “So, will you cover for me?”
“Why do I feel like I’m going to regret this?”
“You probably will.” I shrugged. “But you love me, and you’ll do it anyway.”
He sighed. “I hope this girl is worth it. That she’s as amazing as you make her out to
be when you’re asleep.”
I stopped and stared at Martin. “What?”
“Sidney.”
“Yeah…? What about her?”
“You dream about her.”
“I do?”
“All the time.” Martin grinned, something that was a rather rare sight on a soldier as serious as him. “Ooh, Sidney… I love you, Sidney…”
I hit him harder this time to get him to stop. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I needed something I could blackmail you with.”
“You are so dead if anyone hears about this – especially Sidney.”
“Whatever you say. Whatever you say.”
“I’m leaving at 0600. Make sure the captain doesn’t know I’m gone.”
Martin groaned. “If you cost me my pension, I’m going to kill you.”
“Don’t worry about it. Those Gorillas will most likely beat you to it.”
10
Sidney
I woke up at five, the old battery-operated watch on my wrist beeping faintly. If I weren’t such a light sleeper, I probably would have slept right through it.
With my body sore from sleeping in a weird position all night, I got up, hearing my bones crack with my every movement. I didn’t know how these people managed to live their whole life like this. I had been here no more than six months, and I felt like I had aged five years in that short amount of time.
Quickly, I tossed on some clothes. I opted for a long-sleeve shirt, despite the heat, knowing that jungle mosquitos were notoriously aggressive, even in the daylight. I shook my can of bug spray, but of course, it was empty. It had been empty ever since the first month of my stay. Why I hadn’t thrown it out by now was beyond me.