Spirals

by Scott Bergin

  Alex took ten minutes to crawl back to the bush where he had planned to sleep. He didn't wait for Thomas to fall asleep, because he was afraid of falling asleep first. He had hurried back to the bush for the same reason. He didn't want to fall asleep along the way. Alex thought of attacking Thomas while he slept, but that idea didn't last long. He recalled seeing Thomas curling up to the fire with his hand inside his jacket. It obviously wasn't there to keep it warm, since it would be warmer near the fire. The hand was more than likely on the gun. That thought alone was enough to convince Alex not to attempt a night raid on Thomas. Alex wasn't so sure he was up to a fight after such a long day anyway.

  To his surprise, Alex couldn't fall asleep. He wondered if he might be too tired to sleep. Instead, Alex tried to figure out what it was that Thomas had been doing. It looked somewhat scientific, the way he had spent so much time balancing the pan and aligning everything perfectly. At the same time it seemed religious, the way he had clasped his hands and stared toward the sky. Alex found some amusement in the fact that the sky could not be seen. No stars were visible through the thickness of the canopy. Then Alex questioned whether Thomas had been looking toward the sky. Granted, he was looking up, but perhaps he was looking at the canopy. Maybe he was even praying to the canopy. At first this possibility seemed ridiculous, but it was no more strange than the ritual he had just witnessed. Alex focused his attention to the spiraling of the water, and the pieces of the leaf it swallowed up. He wondered if the two might be connected somehow. Then he thought about the bullet passing through the pan and into the tree. That was the connection. Alex sat up, no longer wanting sleep. He wanted to solve this riddle much more. The bullet had passed through the pan and into a tree with a spiraling trunk, he recalled leaning against a similar one. The leaf must have been off one of those trees. Thomas was making some type of connection with that specific type of tree. Alex thought about how he would explain this to someone else, someone like Gabrielle. He figured everyone else would probably have him committed to a mental institution. He knew he couldn't explain what the connection was, but he knew it was there. The whole thing was simply too entangled, much more than coincidence, there had to be something else to it. The bullet had passed through a pan and into a tree with a spiraling trunk. Perhaps Thomas was searching for just such a tree. Then the same pan was filled with water and a leaf from the same tree. The water was then allowed to spiral out the bullet hole. The leaf also spiraled down the same hole, the hole created when a bullet passed through it and into the same tree from which the leaf grew. The way that the four were connected was far more than a fluke. There was something between Thomas, the tree, the bullet, and the pan. Alex didn't know what it was, but he was sure it existed. The fact that Thomas had made a ritual out of the pan being emptied, by clasping his hands in prayer, only gave Alex stronger suspicions. Alex still knew that he would not be able to tell this story to anyone, not until he completely figured it out. Even then, he would have to debate who he could tell, and who he could not tell.

  Almost immediately Alex's thoughts turned to Gabrielle. He knew that he could tell her about it. Even if he didn't find out anything else, and she wouldn't think he was crazy. For some reason Alex felt like he could tell her anything. He had felt completely safe telling Gabrielle about how he believed in her ability as a photographer. He would have no problem telling her about this, a voodoo medicine man performing rituals in the heart of the Congo. Then he thought of what he could not tell her. It was what he could not tell himself, how he truly felt about her. Earlier he had convinced himself that he had to know how Gabrielle felt about him before he could decide how he felt in return. Now he realized that was not right. He did not need to know how she felt in order to decide how he felt. His emotions should not just be a reaction to her actions, and her emotions. His feelings for her had to be determined before he saw her again. For his feelings to be genuine, he would have to gain a clear understanding of them now. His feelings for Gabrielle would have to exist not only her presence, but in her absence as well. He didn't want to end up being someone who is only interested in a person while with them. Alex knew that relationships based on one person's emotions and actions, and the other person's responses never work. The emotions must exist with both of them. Alex knew he had to find out how he felt about Gabrielle right now. Deep inside, Alex was already well aware of how he felt. He was in love with her. Only, he had been afraid to admit it to himself. Now that he had, he thought of what to do next. If he ever got out of the jungle, he would have to tell her how he felt. Before he did, he wanted to be sure that she had similar feelings for him as well. Alex was fairly certain that she did. After all, she had been the first to initiate the kiss, and the first to mouth the words. The only question remaining, was if she had truly meant it. Alex hoped she had.

  Chapter 20

  April 13

  6:10 a.m.

  The Congo

  The Alarm on Thomas' watch was barely audible, even to him. It had gone off for more than three minutes before he heard it. Though, once he realized what it was, he got up immediately. There was no time to waste. After gathering his few belongings, Thomas went over to the small creek. He splashed a little of the refreshingly cold water onto his face. It helped to wake him up, as he expected it would. Then, with a quick hop over the creek, he was back on his way. Thomas stuck his hands in his pockets, in all his pockets. It was one last paranoid check to ensure that he had left nothing behind. He found that he still possessed the pan, the lighter, the gun, the knife, and most importantly the page. To his surprise, Thomas also found that he had a Butterfinger in one of the pockets. Immediately, he removed it and began eating it. The smart thing to do would have been to ration it. Thomas didn't feel like rationing it, or being rational. He hadn't remembered purchasing it, or placing it in his pocket. The candy bar was just good fortune, and was to be enjoyed all at once. When Thomas finished the candy bar, he stuffed the wrapper into his pocket. He was by no means concerned about the environment. Thomas was simply paranoid about leaving any kind of trail.

  Thomas gave a quick look toward the sky, but he could not see the sun. The sun's position could also not be determined by examining shadows on the ground, because the floor of the jungle appeared to be one huge shadow. Thomas walked on, hoping that he was still headed in the right direction. Then he saw a small patch of sunlight breaking through the canopy above. The sun was still off to his left. He was still heading south, and he was relieved that he had not made an error. Last night, while walking in the darkness, he could have easily drifted the wrong way. When Thomas got up this morning, he continued walking in the same direction that he had been the previous night. Then, once he had gotten his bearings, he could figure out how far off his intended course he might have strayed. To his surprise he had not strayed from his path at all. If he continued to have such good fortune, he would be out of the jungle in no time.

  Thomas didn't worry too much about what he had done in Cameroon, or Nigeria. He only regretted that he could not see the explosion first hand, the way he used to. He was also not able to watch the destruction on television. The worldwide camera crews must have been on sight by now, and he wished he were near a television set. Though, that was not as important as seeing the explosion. Thomas had even debated setting up a video camera to tape the event. One that could transmit its signal, so he could have received it while he had been waiting in Waza National Park. He abandoned the idea, since it posed an unnecessary risk. With trying to bury more equipment in the flood, came the increased chance that something would be found. If he tried to plant too many unnecessary toys on the dam, something would surely survive the blast and the flood. Thomas decided to use only the essentials. Besides, Thomas knew that a video camera could not capture the true splendor of the event. All that a video camera would to was taunt him. The images would tease him. They would show him what he was missing, yet without giving him the feeling that he was there. Even a camera that could be adjusted and
turned via a remote source would not be sufficient. The visions Thomas had experienced, while standing in the presence of a building when it blew up, could not be achieved any other way. Thomas' attention shifted to the explosion that he had seen, the explosion of the car containing Alex and Gabrielle. The satisfaction of having them off his tail pleased him. The explosion did not. There was nothing particularly wrong with the explosion. It had plenty of smoke and flames. The shockwave of it could be felt even through the trees. That had actually surprised Thomas, since he couldn't see the vehicles he did not expect to feel the wave from the explosion. What displeased him most about the explosion was that he did not plan it. He caused it, by ramming the truck up under their bumper, but that was not the same thing. What Thomas truly enjoyed was the painstaking planning. Seeing a project through, from beginning to end. From the first time he saw a structure, until he saw it laying decimated after an earth shattering blast.

  A series of shrieks came from high above him in the trees. The monkeys overhead had apparently woken up for the day. Immediately Thomas thought not of these monkeys, but of the musical group by the same name. That horrible noise was all Hector Bishop ever listened to, or at least it seemed that way. Thomas recalled having to listen to it back in Italy, and all the way to Africa as well. He pictured Hector sitting in the boat, just relaxing and listening to that damn music. While he was forced to traipse through the thickest jungle in the world with no food or water, hoping to make it out alive. Thomas wondered if Hector was running into any problems. Hector was not the type who could solve anything without someone explaining how, and walking him through it. Then Thomas remembered the instructions he had given to Hector. He gave him the equivalent of two thousand American dollars, and told him only to buy what was essential. That would consist mainly of the gas to get them back to Europe. Though, it might also be used for food and other supplies as well. Hector had asked about the possibility of having trouble with the local law, and he wanted to know how to bribe an official. Thomas simply told him "YOU don't," indicating that he was incapable of such a task. That picture remained clear in Thomas' head. He could see Hector giving some local police all the money, before buying even the gas. He would probably still end up in jail, and Thomas would have no way of getting him out. Even if he did manage to get him out, they would still be unable to return to Europe. Thomas cursed himself for ever getting involved with an incompetent imbecile like Hector Bishop. If Hector did anything to prevent them from returning to Europe, Thomas would strap him to the side of a building and watch it go down on top of him. Thomas thought about that possibility for a moment, and smiled. He didn't smile much, and it was the first time he could remember doing so since he had entered this continent.

  Instantly his smile vanished, when he thought of another possibility. What if the page turned out to be useless? If that turned out to be the case, Thomas didn't know what he would do. He had done the majority of the planning alone, in order to exclude Hector from any job of real importance. The initial concept though, had been the culmination of Hector's brilliant deducing. So, there was a good chance that it was wrong. Thomas tried to think of what had been written on the page, but he could not remember. Though, he was not too worried about discovering its meaning. He didn't have to wait for the help of Hector Bishop. The only things Hector could provide were distractions and incorrect conclusions, and he usually had an adequate supply of both. What Thomas did need was the wealth of information contained in all of his files. Those files remained in Europe, and would be waiting for Thomas and Hector to return. Thomas had thought it would be unwise and cumbersome to drag all that information to Africa. Most of which had been provided by Hector, though Thomas hated to admit it. With the mass of information Thomas knew he would eventually be able to understand the page, but he still debated looking at the page now. He thought of taking an early crack at finding out what it meant, but then he thought of how very fragile the page was. He didn't want to risk damaging it, or destroying it, so he decided against removing it from where it was protected.

  Thomas had been walking for several hours when the rain started to fall. He was glad that he had not removed the page from his pocket. The rain seemed to come without warning, and it poured down in fat drops. Thomas had looked up when he heard the noise. Then, all at once, a thick blanket of rain landed on his face. He knew that if he had been examining the page at that time, there would have been no chance of protecting it. It would have probably been destroyed. The only thing worse than discovering that Hector had failed him was to admit to Hector that he had messed things up. The thought of having to explain it to Hector was unbearable. Hector would just sit there with the 'and you think I'm an idiot' look on his face. In a matter of seconds, Thomas was completely soaked. Thomas was not upset about the rain. He welcomed it. He tilted his head back and caught the drops in his mouth, and swallowed. It was the only water he dared to drink, and he had been getting very thirsty. The rain also provided Thomas with the only thing that he could not provide for himself, an eraser. All traces of him would be washed away, and no one would have any hope of finding him. He was not worried about anyone from Cameroon having followed him, such a possibility was far too remote. His greatest concern was cannibals. Thomas knew that there was not much hope of finding any cannibals this far south, but his trail had led him far too close earlier in the day. Last night he had debated whether to rest at all, for fear of stopping too close to the cannibal's turf. Then he eventually did stop for fear of wandering right into their domain. At the time, he was uncertain if he had wandered off course. Looking back, he realized that he had been safe all along. Since he had not wandered off course, the cannibals still lay far to the west of his camp. Now he was almost certainly out of their territory. Still, he liked the idea that his tracks were being washed away. He would be able to sleep a lot easier knowing that there was no possibility of being attacked by cannibals during the night. The rain continued to pour down, and Thomas continued walking due south as best he could. Everything was going his way. If this kept up, he would walk right out of the jungle in just a couple of days. He would exit just as easily as he had walked into it the day before.

  Chapter 21

  April 13

  10:53 a.m.

  The Congo

  The rain poured down, drenching everything in and below the canopy. The downpour penetrated a small patch of shrubbery. In doing so, it woke Alex from a very deep slumber. Alex sat up. He looked out from the thicket, but he could not see Thomas LaRue. Fighting to keep the rain from blurring his vision, Alex looked around for some cover from the rain. Before he could spot any refuge, the rain subsided. The rain ceased just as quickly as it had started. Alex stood himself up in the mud that had served as his bed only minutes ago. His first thoughts were of panic. He had definitely lost all hope of keeping up with Thomas. Thomas probably left hours ago, and Alex could not be sure of his direction. Alex guessed that Thomas would continue to head south, but he could not be certain. There had to have been some reason for Thomas making his camp here, perhaps it was to change his direction. Alex tried to stop thinking about Thomas. He tried to force a more important thought into his mind. He was now in the middle of the jungle with no supplies, no guide, and no idea how to get out. Getting out of this mess quickly became the dominant of his concerns. Though, he was still very much upset with himself for sleeping in. He had let a murderer get away, and he would have only a slim chance of catching up with him again. Alex finally decided that the only thing he could do now was to get himself out of this mess, and back to civilization, as quickly as possible. While wondering how to go about this, Alex decided to take inventory. He was aware that he had desperately few supplies, but he thought he should take an exact inventory anyway. What he was really hoping for, was to discover that he actually had some form of a weapon. He walked over to a flat rock and started to empty his pockets.

  The first item out of his pockets was a roll of spent film. Alex set it on the rock. He knew what
information it contained. The photograph of the page was waiting to be extracted from that roll of undeveloped film. Alex realized that the information in that roll might hold the key to finding Thomas again. He also knew that he would be lying to himself if he pretended like he was not interested in catching up with Thomas again. Whatever the information was, it could not help him now. Though it might be crucial in the future, it was useless for the time being. Alex continued to remove the other items from his pockets. The next item he removed was the lighter. He recalled stealing it from the dead man, just before stealing his car. For a brief moment, Alex wondered if he would soon be facing a similar fate. The lighter, unlike the film, would be useful in the jungle. In losing Thomas, he was now free to light a fire. He could cook his food, if he could find any. So far, it was the most useful item he possessed. He set it on the rock next to the film. Alex patted down his pockets. For a moment he thought he had nothing else on him other than his clothing. Then Alex removed his wallet from his back pocket. It was a little damp, but not soaked. He opened the folded leather wallet and looked inside. It contained several photographs. Alex didn't feel that this was the proper occasion to rehash old times, so he put the photos on the rock without examining them. The wallet also contained one credit card, for emergency purposes only. Well, this certainly qualified as an emergency. Though, when Alex had placed it there, he was thinking of an entirely different type of emergency. He had only considered incidents that took place within the boundaries of civilization. The credit card fell into the same category as the film, useless for now. He set it down on the rock. Looking back into his wallet, Alex removed his driver's license. He placed it on the rock next to his growing collection of useless items. The wallet contained nothing else, no money of any kind. Alex looked at the three items that he could not place on the rock, but that he still carried. He could think of no use for the handcuffs, unless he could find Thomas again. Even then, the cuffs would serve no purpose while still attached to the two arms. The second of these items was the dead guard's arm. Alex hoped that it would be completely worthless, but deep down he was afraid that it might make the difference between life and death. He might have to eat the arm to stay alive. Alex loathed the idea, even if he could cook it. He quickly threw the thought from his mind. The last item was the blanket. Though it was only a strip, it was the only item Alex had that could be used to tie anything together. Alex decided that meant it was important. The blanket could also be used to start a fire, if nothing else was available.