Las Hermanas

by Raedene Jeannette Melin

  There was nothing to celebrate as Adi dragged the dead man out and into the river. Valentina had already left to round up the others and as Rodrigo helped Renan limp back, Adi watched as everyone filtered in. She was leaning against a tree, wiping the blood off her knife when she heard a voice yell, “Hey!”

  Looking up, she watched a boy about Rodrigo’s age beeline towards her, the anger on his face hard to miss.

  “Who the hell do you think you are?”

  Adi didn’t respond as she looked him over. While she didn’t know who he was, she had seen him before. He was the only one who cut his hair that short.

  “You think you can just walk in here and do whatever you want?” he yelled.

  She felt the silence of the camp, but didn’t move, refusing to squirm underneath the stares.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  “Marcelo,” Rodrigo warned.

  “No,” he replied, shaking his head. “She isn’t allowed to get away with this. Look at what happened.” He pointed to Caio. “He’s dead.”

  Her eyes followed Marcelo’s arm but stopped when she saw Catalina, a hardened look of hatred covering her face as she glared at Marcelo from the ground.

  “I don’t care what you did in the city, but out here, you’re in my territory,” he said, oblivious to Catalina’s angry eyes boring into his back. “You don’t get to make decisions for us.”

  Adi simply held his gaze. She was tired of people always giving her shit. She was doing the best she could. Didn’t they see that? Unable to fight back the rising anger, she said, “I did you a favour.”

  He practically laughed in her face. “Please,” he replied, his voice condescending. “The only person you’ve ever done a favour for is yourself. Just ask your brother.”

  The moment the words left his lips, Adi lost control, the rage too strong to contain. She stood there smiling for a second before she launched herself forward in one quick motion, her fist slamming squarely into his jaw.

  Marcelo staggered backwards onto the ground as everyone flooded in between them, trying to stop the fight. Adi went to walk forward, but was held back by someone behind her and she turned around, shoving Pablo off before making her way towards Marcelo. She had to push her way through the bodies and when she felt a hand latch onto her arm, she spun just as Catalina ripped the hand off, saying, “Don’t fucking touch her.”

  Fights erupted all around as she got closer to her target, but she didn’t notice. She could see his angry face coming towards her through the pile and as soon as Giovana threw the last person out of her path, the punches began to fly.

  Adi swung wide and as she missed, she felt Marcelo’s fist catch her in the side, knocking all her air out. She staggered backwards and he didn’t hesitate, rushing at her as he swung again. Ducking in time, she launched her body into his, slamming him hard into the dirt. Using her legs, she pinned him down and pummeled his face with her fists, not caring how much it hurt. So focused on what she was doing, she didn’t notice him moving his leg.

  He rammed his knee into her back and her grip loosened. He rolled her, sitting on top as he swung, punching again and again. Adi blocked most of his assault with her arms and just as he threw another one, she moved her head to the side, his clenched hand slamming into the hard earth. Shocked by the pain, he stalled and Adi jabbed upwards, her hand connecting with his throat. Gasping as he clutched his neck, she threw him off and stood, watching him cough and groan on the ground below. She kicked him viciously in the side a couple times, forcing him to roll onto his back. Dropping down on top of him once more, she watched his eyes widen as she pressed her knife against his throat.

  “Listen to me you piece of shit,” she said as she held him there, her voice dripping with venom. “If you ever talk about my brother again, even mention his name, I’ll beat you so hard you won’t be able to eat for weeks. Got it?”

  The sound of a gunshot interrupted them before Marcelo could answer and Adi watched as the fighting stopped, the crowd parting as Rodrigo walked towards them with Salvador right behind. She said nothing as she sat on Marcelo, looking up as they stared down at her. Seeing the outraged look on Rodrigo’s face, she reluctantly put away the knife and stood.

  Marcelo angrily pushed himself to his feet, spitting a large wad of bloody saliva in her direction before storming off. Salvador said nothing as he held her gaze for a moment, the disappointment obvious, and he shook his head, following Marcelo out of the crowd.

  Adi was standing there, watching everyone slowly dissipate when Rodrigo grabbed her arm and pulled her into the trees just outside the camp.

  “You are fucking impossible.” He rubbed his face in frustration. “You just got here and you’re already fighting with everyone. You really don’t like making things easy, do you?”

  “He deserved it,” Adi replied.

  “It’s Marcelo! Of course he deserved it! But that doesn’t mean you get to punch in his face every time he makes you angry.”

  Adi said nothing as she looked out into the trees, her jaw locked in irritation.

  Rodrigo sighed. “Whether you like it or not, you need to realize that everything you do either hurts or helps the people around you. None of your friends are gonna last out here if you walk around like a ticking time bomb. Forget yourself for once. It’s time you started thinking about them.”

  Chapter Ten

  Adi tip-toed through the trees, muscles taut and ready, trying not to make a sound. As she crept over a fallen tree, a green iguana stared back at her, its throat puffing as she slunk by. The bow in her hand was tightly strung, the arrow loaded and waiting as she silently followed her prey, getting closer with each minute. Suddenly, it stopped and she froze, not daring to move a muscle as the animal cautiously looked around. After a moment, it lowered its head and began searching the ground for food. Adi raised her bow and aimed, the arrow locked in on her target. But just as she exhaled and loosened her grip, a group of toucans burst from the trees, their loud croaks filling the air. Startled, Adi’s fingers let go of the arrow and it zinged past the peccary, missing by a mile.

  She barely had time to swear under her breath as she watched another arrow rip through the air, hitting the animal straight in the front shoulder. The peccary wavered for a moment before it eventually stopped and dropped dead onto the ground.

  Looking out in annoyance, Adi watched as Giovana stepped from cover and gave her a cocky smile, bow still in hand.

  “That was terrible,” Rodrigo said from behind her, unable to hide his amusement. “You weren’t even close.”

  Adi tried her hardest to be mad, but as Giovana hoisted her prey onto her shoulders, she couldn’t help but smile. They had been here for about a year and already Giovana was a better hunter than she would ever be. In fact, she was better than Adi at most things, including pissing Marcelo off. After their big fight, Adi had avoided him at all costs, so when he accused her a week later of putting a nest of scorpions in his bed, she knew someone else was messing with him. Later that day, as she shovelled dirt as her punishment, Giovana had silently joined her, giving her nothing but a small smirk.

  “Come on,” Rodrigo said, interrupting her thoughts. “The others will be waiting.”

  They had a long journey back to the village. They were southeast of it, having crossed the river and then travelled down, looking for a new place to hunt. Valentina and Benito had come too, but as soon as they were out of the boat, the two of them disappeared into the trees without a sound, their bodies melting into the jungle. Benito had said little to Adi since the day she arrived, in fact she noticed that he barely spoke at all. Rodrigo had told her that Benito preferred to be alone, spending most of his time in the forest by himself, but as she walked back to their meeting place by the river, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was like that because of her, because of what she’d done.

  They sat beside the water, Giovana napping in the sun as they waited for Benito and Valentina to return. Leaning against
a tree, Adi looked upriver and watched as a couple otters played, zipping in and out of the water after one another. Just as she smiled, something moving caught her eye and she watched in amazement as a small deer cautiously left the trees and went to the edge, slowly taking a drink.

  Adi couldn’t believe her luck. She hadn’t seen a deer in forever and as it disappeared back under cover, she turned to Rodrigo. “I’ll be right back.”

  Not waiting for a reply, she ran north, trying to catch up to it. If she could snag a deer, they would never make fun of her hunting skills again.

  Spotting the animal through the trees, she slowed down, carefully following along as the deer moved farther east. Adi tracked it for quite some time, trying to get close enough for a clear shot, but knowing the others would be waiting, she was just about to turn around when the trees finally thinned. Adi lined up her target, the deer in her sights. But as she lifted her bow, the animal suddenly paused, ears twitching with uncertainty as it looked ahead. Distracted by its alarmed behaviour, Adi hesitated just long enough to lose her chance, the deer bolting south faster than she could make a move. Frustrated, she lowered the bow, dropping her arms to her sides. It took her a moment to notice, but as she looked at where the deer had been, she saw a lightly-worn path ahead of her. Adi stepped out onto it, curiously peering through the trees. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary until she crouched down, suddenly spotting a village less than twenty feet away.

  Surprised, she didn’t move, unaware that there were others living so close to them. But as she crept forward, stopping at the edge of the trees, she could see why they didn’t know. The village was eerily quiet, nothing moving in or out. She was about to walk into the clearing when something came up behind her.

  Knife in hand, she spun, coming face-to-face with Rodrigo. By his expression, she knew he was pissed, but when he looked past her, his anger faded.

  “What the hell are you doing?” he whispered, not taking his eyes off the village.

  “I saw a deer.”

  “We should go,” Giovana said behind them. Her face scrunched in concern.

  “Something’s wrong,” Adi replied, and as she looked at Rodrigo, she could tell he thought so too.

  He was quiet for a moment. “Wait here,” he said.

  She was about to protest, but he was already out of the trees.

  They watched as he sprinted up to a house, walking carefully alongside it towards the centre of the village. As soon as he reached the end of the building, he turned and disappeared from view, leaving Adi and Giovana waiting with baited breath. The next thing they heard was the sound of a single gunshot cutting through the air.

  Adi’s heart pounded as she ran into the clearing, Giovana right beside her. Giovana turned left so she went right, sliding herself along the house before peering out. Nothing moved so she walked forward and entered the first house, as quietly as she could.

  It took her eyes a minute to adjust to the darkness, but her nose didn’t need any time. The stench of rotting flesh hit her like a brick wall and she took a step back, gagging. Her vision clear, she stood there in shock, looking at the dead bodies piled on top of each other, flies buzzing eagerly around them. Seeing it seemed to make the smell worse and as Adi lifted her shirt up over her nose, she felt a shaky hand touch her shoulder.

  Turning, she shuddered in relief when she saw Giovana, her stomach already twisted into a hard knot. “Find him?” she asked.

  Giovana shook her head, her eyes lingering on the bodies.

  “Okay,” Adi said. “Let’s go.”

  They moved to the next house, eager to get out of there, but when they opened the door, they found the same thing: dead bodies rotting in piles. House after house they searched until they checked every one, finding nothing but death. Adi sprinted across the clearing to the houses on the other side, panic building in her chest. Flinging each door open, she desperately searched for Rodrigo and when she finally found him, crouched down on the floor, a small relieved sob escaped her throat.

  “Rodrigo,” she whispered, seeing the recently dead dog beside him.

  Hearing her voice, he turned his head, eyes full of tears.

  “We need to go.”

  “I can’t,” he said, choking on the words. “I can’t leave her.”

  Adi looked at the small girl in his arms. She had been shot in the head, the bullet tearing off part of her skull and she was missing a couple fingers, her skin punctured with teeth marks. “She’s dead. You can’t save her.”

  “Adi,” Giovana said as she entered the house. “You need to come.”

  She didn’t want to leave, but knowing it was important, she followed her into the next house. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. There, on the floor, was a baby.

  “It’s alive,” Giovana said as they stared at it.

  “Go get Rodrigo,” Adi said as she knelt. “We need to get outta here.”

  Hearing Giovana leave, Adi slowly removed the baby from its dead mother’s grasp, the child not making a sound as she lifted it. Green-brown eyes stared back at her as she held it in her hands, not knowing what to do. The baby wasn’t very old and she didn’t even know if it would survive. All she knew was that she couldn’t leave it there.

  A low rumble interrupted her thoughts. At first, she didn’t recognize it, but as it grew louder, the sound was unmistakable. Pressing the baby tightly to her chest, she burst out of the house.

  “Gio!” she screamed as she ran.

  Hearing her, Giovana stepped from the house. “He won’t move.”

  “Trucks,” she said desperately. “Trucks are coming.”

  It took a second to sink in, but when it did, Giovana’s face filled with fear.

  “Here,” Adi said as she reached her, shoving the baby into her arms. “Don’t stop ‘til you’re across the river. Go!”

  Giovana hesitated for a moment, obviously torn about leaving, but eventually she turned and ran for the trees.

  Sprinting into the house, Adi grabbed Rodrigo by the shoulders. “We have to go,” she almost yelled at him, her voice pleading. “They’re coming. You have to let her go.”

  He numbly shook his head.

  “Rodrigo!”

  He didn’t move. Knowing it would be a matter of seconds before they arrived, she hurriedly closed the door and crouched down low in a corner.

  It was quiet for only a moment before she heard the trucks drive in, Adi jumping as they slammed their doors shut.

  “Burn it,” she heard a voice say. “Leave nothing behind.”

  Footsteps moved in all directions and it didn’t take long for the smell of smoke to reach her nose, her desperation heightening.

  “Rodrigo,” she whispered quietly, trying to snap him out of it. “We need to go.” As she looked at him, she saw nothing but pain. “You can take her with us,” she said, willing to try anything. “We just need to go.”

  When he didn’t reply, she could feel the fear clawing up her throat and she shakily inhaled, trying to keep calm. Looking around her for anything that might help, she suddenly saw it: a way out. Climbing over the dead bodies, she tried to get to the door at the back of the house, but as she made her way towards it, her foot slipped and she fell, landing on top of the decomposing body of an elderly woman. Freaked out, Adi quickly scrambled off, but as she did, she disturbed the stack and she could do nothing but watch as a body rolled off, the weight of it slamming into the wall with a thud.

  She didn’t move a muscle, hoping no one had heard, but when a voice said, “Check it,” she knew she was in trouble.

  Clamoring to her feet, she grabbed a body and pulled it up against the door, trying to block it. She was dragging a second one over when she saw the doorknob turn. Lunging forward, she pushed all her weight against the door, trying to keep it shut.

  “It won’t open,” she heard the man say, but her relief quickly evaporated when she realized what would come next.

  She dove behind an overturned table at about
the same time the shooting started, the bullets ripping through the walls with force. The sound seemed to snap Rodrigo out of his daze and his head jerked up, suddenly aware of the danger. But as he stood, the rounds came fast and heavy, and Adi could do nothing but watch as he got hit from behind, the shot forcing him back onto his knees.

  The little girl tumbled from his arms and he dove on the floor, covering his head as the assault continued. Adi kept perfectly still, her muscles tense as she waited for her moment. She closed her eyes, listening intently to the rhythm of the gunfire and the second she heard the chamber click empty, she launched forward, pulled Rodrigo up onto his feet, and sprinted for the back door.

  Adi kicked it open and ran for the tree line, the bullets narrowly flying past as they left the clearing. Blood was gushing out of his abdomen but she ignored it, keeping him upright as they ran through the trees. They headed straight for the river and as soon as they reached it, Adi plunged them into the water, letting the current take them down and away as she watched the shore behind. The river snaked back and forth through the jungle, creating an endless amount of curves and bends, so it didn’t take long to float out of sight. Hidden from view, Adi turned and began the difficult task of swimming to the other side.

  Beating her to the water’s edge, Rodrigo helped pull her out before collapsing back down onto the dirt, his chest rising quickly as he gasped for air. They stayed there catching their breath before Adi forced herself back up.

  “Come on,” she said, holding out her hand.

  They arrived at the camp a few hours later, Valentina and Pablo rushing forward to help. As soon as they lifted Rodrigo off, Adi saw Marcelo storming towards her.

  “What happened?” he asked angrily, the permanent scowl on his face deepening.

  His tone was always accusatory whenever he talked to her and as Adi watched Rodrigo being carried to the shelter, she tried to think of how to explain.