by Alex Temples
“I find it amazing we live in a world with the type of rapid, scientific progress we’ve made and there are still people who cling to centuries old beliefs. I just don’t understand it.” I said.
Sam sniffed. “Didn’t Karl Marx say that religion is the opiate of the masses?”
I nodded, swirling the wine in my glass before taking a sip.
“Yes, and I believe it is. I struggled early in my career to reconcile my scientific mind to the religious beliefs my father tried to impart on us. I truly did want to believe, because believing there is something more than this life makes it a lot easier to sleep at night. Better to delude yourself into a sense of security than face the fact that we only have these brief moments to live.”
Aiden perked up, his curiosity evident.
“So, you don’t practice a religion because it requires you to believe in something you cannot see?” He had a wry expression on his face as he considered me.
I pondered this, pouring myself more wine before responding. “Yes, I suppose it’s as simple as that.”
Aiden chuckled. “Is that not the very definition of faith, Brin? Believing in that which you cannot experience with your mortal senses?”
I shrugged. “I don’t believe I’m qualified to answer that.”
Sam tilted her head in a thoughtful manner. I was relieved when she interjected.
“What I don’t understand, is why people force their beliefs on their children. Shouldn’t children have the right to discover their own truths?”
Aiden chuckled. “I don’t think that will ever be the case. Mortals may not live beyond this life physically, but they certainly live on through their children. Their legacy is in what they leave behind. Why do you think so many people want to write a book before they die?” He paused, and then answered his own question. “They crave immortality.”
“Immortality, huh?” I considered him carefully, my lips twitching with amusement. “Yes. I suppose we all crave a bit of that. Those who don’t write books find some other way to achieve it.”
“Like having kids and raising them to do everything you couldn’t.” Sam joked.
I laughed. “Too true, Sam. but I don’t know if I’d want to have children in a world like this. We’ve become a lazy and inept society. There’s so little adversity, so little risk. People fear change with something deep in their marrow, yet change is the only constant.”
Aiden eyed me curiously, an unreadable expression on his face.
“You don’t fear uncertainty?”
I shrugged. “Why should I? Will fearing something yet to come make me any more prepared to face it?”
He pursed his lips thoughtfully. His eyes glimmered. He thought carefully before he replied.
“No. I don’t suppose it will.” He said, stroking his chin with one hand and considering his wine. His eyes met mine. “But I think your greatest fear isn’t what lurks in the shadows, but the possibility that there is nothing lurking in the shadows. The possibility that you have nothing more than this day, before you vanish back into the dust from whence you came.”
I stilled, uncomfortable with how easily he had read me.
Aiden waited patiently for my reply, resting an ankle on his knee and leaning back in his chair.
The fire crackled as the breeze stoked the flames higher. I wondered in that moment why I had followed him into this jungle. There he sat, looking dark and dangerous, his piercing eyes staring right into my soul. Warmth coiled in my belly. My heart skipped a beat.
Sam shifted next to me, her sudden discomfort apparent. She sat up straighter.
“Well, I think we’d better be getting to bed. We have an early start tomorrow.” She said, standing and setting her wine glass down.
I stood as well, eager to escape the scrutiny of Aiden’s gaze.
He tossed back his wine and nodded his agreement. “Yes, you’re right. We should all get some sleep. I hope you ladies have pleasant dreams.”
He winked at me and headed in the direction of his tent.
Sam and I turned towards the bunk room to find our hammocks.
We walked in silence, both glancing periodically into the darkness surrounding us, wondering what was out there.
Chapter Eighteen
We set out at dawn. The trees were full of noise, birds tweeting, leaves rustling, water trickling. I’d never heard so much life teeming in such a small space.
Much of the land around us had been cleared. We passed wide swatches of barren yellow fields and red dirt. According to Sergio, the locals often cut down trees to make room to graze their cattle. I cringed at the thought of how this must be contributing to the desecration of the rainforest.
A rebel army lived in the highlands. Their cocaine factories brought a lot of human traffic. Though there was some regulation, they often bribed politicians and government officials to keep their operation going. It was only recently cocaine factors had been banned.
Our hike was long and hot, the sun beat down, sapping our energy and forcing us to stop frequently for water and snacks. I was grateful that with each passing hour, my pack grew lighter. I’d almost finished the three liters of water I’d packed.
As we walked, I took in my surroundings. We’d passed several villages. The small wattle and daub huts with grass roofs were arranged in close together. Donkeys, chickens and goats roamed nearby. I longed to settle into the shade and rest. When Sergio finally called out for a break, I crumpled onto a boulder, sliding my pack to the ground.
“Thank you.” I murmured as Sergio handed me a pouch of tropical fruit. I devoured one slice of pineapple right away, relishing each bite. As I was eating my second slice, and examining my surroundings, I saw a woman and a small boy working over a fire across the field from our rest stop.
They had a kettle on the fire and were boiling something. Steam rose in swirls as they stirred. As usual, my curiosity got the best of me. I glanced around and saw the men clustered in a circle, talking. Sam was nowhere to be seen.
She must have gone into the woods to take care of business. I glanced back towards the campfire. I’d just go talk to them for a moment. I made my way to the small campfire, kicking up red dust in my eagerness.
“Hello.” I said as I neared them, trying to sound friendly.
The woman and boy looked up, startled. Right. They probably didn’t meet a lot of English speakers. I tried again in Spanish and the boy responded.
“Hello.” He said uncertainly. He was a slight child with large, dark eyes that examined me curiously.
“Do you live in the little village down the road?” I asked.
He nodded and replied. “Yes, with my grandmother and my father.”
“You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you.” The boy said, eying my fruit with interest.
“Would you like some fruit?” I asked, holding the bag out.
The boy looked to the old woman.
She nodded.
He reached into the bag and pulled out a deep golden slice of mango, popping it into his mouth enthusiastically.
I smiled.
“What are you making?” I asked, gesturing to the pot.
Before the boy could reply, someone cleared their throat behind me. Startled, I turned to find Aiden.
“What, we can’t stop unless it is on one of you pre-defined water or snack breaks?” I asked, annoyed.
“Not at all, it’s just that with you here and Samantha over there in the woods, we can’t very well keep an eye on the two of you when you split and go separate directions.”
“Samantha went where?” I asked, waving apologetically at the woman and boy as I followed Aiden back towards the donkeys.
He gestured towards the trees. “She said she needed to answer nature’s call, but she’s been gone a while. Do you want to go check on her?” He asked.
“Yes, of course. I’ll find her. I have to answer nature’s call myself.”
Aiden pointed me towards the woods. Sergio handed
me a roll of toilet paper. I thanked him and made my way towards the trees. Lush greenery grew thick, vines hung down on all sides. I picked my way through the brush, stepping over roots and stones.
“Sam! My voice echoed through the trees. The sounds of the forest grew quieter for a moment before the buzz of noise resumed. I called Sam’s name a few more times before hearing a faint reply off to my left. A large mosquito landed on my forearm. I slapped at it and picked up my pace, heading in the direction of Sam’s voice.
“Brin? Is that you?” Her voice was closer now. It sounded weak. Something was wrong. My heart sped up.
“Sam! Where are you?” I called, hopping over a log and cutting between two twisted trunks. As I stepped from the trees into a small clearing, I saw her sitting on the ground, clutching her leg.
“Oh my god. Are you okay? What happened?” My words came out in a tumble as I hurried to her side. I took a knee, sinking into the soft earth beside her.
Sam groaned. “I got bit by a snake.” She said through gritted teeth, grimacing in pain.
I glanced down to see two small puncture wounds on her rapidly swelling ankle.
“Oh my god.”
I took a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm. I’d used enzymes from snake venom in my research. Considering our location, there was an excellent chance she’d been bitten by a highly venomous snake. In which case, we needed to get her to a hospital as soon as possible to prevent tissue damage.
“What did it look like?”
Sam looked down, her face pale. “All I saw was a flash of red and white before it disappeared. I think I stepped on it.”
I took another deep breath. It sounded like a coral snake. Did they have coral snakes in Colombia? It was a good bet they did. Sam needed antivenin as quickly as we could get it for her.
“Aiden!” I yelled as loudly as I could.
“It’s going to be okay, Sam.” I placed a hand on her shoulder and stared into her eyes.
Sam nodded silently. Quiet was not like her.
“How do you feel? Are you experiencing any symptoms yet?”
She winced, rubbing her thigh. “I have a terrible headache and I’m starting to have difficulty swallowing.”
Her voice was very calm, which worried me more. Coral snakes tended not to be terribly aggressive, but their bites were highly toxic and needed to be treated immediately or they could cause seizures and paralysis, or worse.
“Okay, we’re going to get you out of here as quickly as possible.” There’s a good hospital in Bogota. We just need to keep you calm, and your heartrate down so the venom doesn’t spread so quickly.”
My stomach twisted in a knot. I couldn’t handle anything happening to her. Worrying about Oren was already sapping all my strength.
Relieved at the sound of the men trudging through the woods nearby, neither of us stated the obvious – that we were in the middle of the jungle, at least a day’s hike from civilization and antivenin, with no cell signal.
Chapter Nineteen
The sound of Aiden and his team crashing through the words, cursing got louder, and then Sergio, Aiden and Neil appeared.
“What happened?” Sergio was the first to ask, rushing to Sam’s side.
He took one look at the bite and swung his pack down to the ground. “What did it look like?” He asked, unzipping a small pouch and digging through it before pulling out several vials.
“I think it was a coral snake.” I said, cutting Sam off before she could speak. Her eyelids were drooping ever so slightly, reinforcing my belief it was a coral snake bite.
Sergio nodded.
Neil pulled a bulky black phone out of his pocket and began dialing.
Aiden knelt next to Sergio.
“I thought we were out of range of any cell towers.” I sputtered. When I’d asked Neil if there was a way to call the hospital in New York to check on Oren, he’d told me there wasn’t.
Neil turned around. “It’s a satellite phone and carried only for emergencies.” His voice was sharp.
My eyes narrowed and I was about to give him a piece of my mind. Sam groaned and immediately I went to her side.
Curiously, I watched Sergio fiddle with the vials he’d pulled from his pack. He held one in each hand. Carefully, he tipped one vial into the other. Dried flakes fell into what looked like saline.
“What is that? What are you giving her?” I asked.
Sergio didn’t bother glancing up from his work. “It’s a synthetic antivenin.”
“Synthetic?” I asked.
He nodded. “It treats a wide array of snake bites.”
Sergio swirled the dried powder into the saline, before snapping the lid closed. Then, he pulled out a syringe and stuck it through the rubber center of the lid, filling it with solution.
There was currently a worldwide shortage of antivenin. Traditionally, it was developed using the venom of a specific snake. The global company producing the majority of antivenin had recently stopped producing it because it wasn’t generating enough profit. If it weren’t for the worry I felt for Sam, I would have asked Sergio more questions about this synthetic alternative. If one antivenin did in fact work for multiple snakes, it could save thousands of lives each year.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Aiden placed a hand on my shoulder. “Relax. They know what they’re doing.”
I watched silently as Sergio injected the milky solution into Sam’s arm. Neil who was on the phone a few feet away spoke rapidly in Spanish to someone on the other line.
Aiden’s hand felt warm on my shoulder and something in me unknotted a little as his fingers massaged my tense muscles.
“You can’t always be in control, Brin. Let others do what they’re trained for. Sometimes you simply have to trust that everyone is doing the best job they can.”
I stared up at him, knowing he was talking about more than just the snakebite. He met my gaze squarely and I shifted uncomfortably, but there was no challenge in his eyes. He simply stared at me, conveying with a look the empathy I so desperately craved.
Neil strolled briskly back to where we were huddled.
“I’ve called a helicopter. They’re going to meet us in a clearing nearby. It sounds like it’s only about a half mile in the direction we were headed. They touch down in 30 minutes.”
“Thirty minutes?” I exclaimed. “Why so long?”
Neil stared back at as me with a look of disdain. “You do realize we’re deep in the mountains of Colombia, right? If you were part of a regular tour group, you wouldn’t even have access to a satellite phone and it would mean a two-day hike just to get to the nearest village? There would be no helicopter.”
Aiden stepped forward shooting the taller man a look of warning.
“That’s unnecessary, uncle. She’s just worried for her friend.”
Neil’s withering gaze settled on Aiden and he glanced back and forth between the two of us before looking away.
“Can we get going?” Sam interrupted.
“Yes, we need to get moving.” Sergio added. “The antivenin will counteract some of the effect, but this synthetic venom hasn’t been widely tested yet and we’re unsure of its efficacy. She must be seen in a hospital as soon as possible.” Without another word, he scooped Sam into his arms and carried her towards the trailhead.
“As soon as I’m treated, I’ll head to New York and watch over Oren.” Sam said, turning to me with serious eyes.
“What do you mean? No. I’ll go with you to the hospital.” I argued.
Sam reached down and put her hand on my shoulder.
I tensed, knowing what was coming.
“You know you can’t do that. There are other people counting on you. People who don’t even know what is coming for them. You need to go find that plant and make that antiviral. Think of your brother.” Her eyes were serious.
I knew she was right, but it didn’t change the fact that I had been forced into a very uncomfortable position - c
hoosing between my best friend and my brother. Oren needed me. Sam would be fine. She would go to Cartagena and receive the treatment she needed and then head New York.
Still, my stomach twisted as I suddenly realized the comfort Sam provided me just being there. When she was gone, I’d be stuck with a group of men I didn’t know in a country I was unfamiliar with. I bit my lip.
“I don’t want to leave you alone in a strange city.” I said.
Sam laughed. “Where do you think I’ll be leaving you?”
“Alone on a strange mountain.” I replied.
Our eyes me and we laughed.
“I’ll go with her.” Sergio offered, overhearing our conversation.
We turned to him in surprise.
“You will?” Sam asked quizzically, her confusion evident.
Sergio nodded. “My man Arjani, will be able to take the group the rest of the way. He works for one of the big tour agencies and knows the area very well. I would like to go with Sam so she is not alone at the hospital.”
Sam beamed at Sergio.
“I think that sounds like a great idea, Sergio.” She turned to me. “See Brin, I will have someone with me to translate and make sure I get the best medical care possible and you will have Aiden and the rest of the guys. No need to worry. You’ll be done with this in a few days.”
I was about to remind Sam she didn’t need a translator, until I saw the way Sam and Sergio were gazing at one another. I sighed.
“Alright, I can see when I’ve been out-voted. I’m worried about you though. How are you feeling?” I asked with concern.
She shrugged. “I still have a headache, but the feeling in my throat is better.” Her voice was low and calm and I noted color returning to her cheeks.
Our eyes met and I nodded.
“Well, let’s get out of here then.” I hefted my pack onto my back. I paid extra attention to the ground as we made our way out of the trees.
Seeing the men carrying Sam, Diego began unstrapping packs from one of the donkeys. Two of the guides took the discarded packs and lashed them onto their own backs.
Diego gestured for Sergio to lift Sam onto the waiting donkey.
“Oh, thank goodness. Here I thought poor Sergio would have to haul me all the way to the helicopter, and after everything I ate for dinner last night.” She joked.