"Put them in back," demanded the Castro looking man to Carlos.
"Where's my brother?" Emily yelled. "Where's my Mother? Where are they?"
The only response was from a man pointing a rifle near the tailgate of the truck. "Entrar y cállate."
Emily kicked and squirmed, as Carlos lifted her through the tarp enclosure of the musty truck. "Put me down!"
"I-I'm s-sorry, E-Emily."
The inside of the truck provided evidence of others before them. "Look's like we're not the first ones to be back here," Sam commented.
"You don't think they killed Jake, do you?" she persisted.
"No, he's worth too much to them. They won't risk losing money. Try not to worry about it, he'll be along soon," he answered, trying to convince himself.
Despondent, Sam stared at the forgotten itineraries, receipts, and maps scattered on the floor, then gathered some up to inspect them.
Emily picked up a Boston Red Sox baseball cap and thought of Jake. A sudden emotion of guilt came over here. The kind one feels when a loved one passes. She reached for an earring lying on the floor, and a key ring with a picture of the beach. It read, Belize.
Sam examined the itineraries and the circled locations on the various maps. "Can you tell where we are?" she asked.
"Not specifically."
A moment of silence passed while Sam focused on an idea. "How many people did you see out there?"
She thought for a moment, "Only four, counting Carlos and Andrea."
He rose and peeked out the tarp enclosure. "What do you see?" she asked.
"Looks like a truck path going through trees and brush."
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking, we're going to have to make a run for it."
Emily was stunned. "How are we supposed to do that? We don't even know where we are."
"It's better than being in the back of this truck."
"Okay, but we gotta wait for Mom and Jake." She tried convincing herself her little brother was still alive.
Before either could say another word, Sam lifted his hand. "Quiet, I hear someone coming."
Their attention was turned to the tip of a rifle barrel spreading the tarp. Maddie stood at the foot of the tailgate with Jake by her side. "Mom, Jake," Emily screamed.
One foot on the tailgate, Jake leaped in the bed of the truck and clutched Emily. "I was afraid you were dead," she said.
"I almost was. The bullet shaved the ends of my hair."
"I'm so glad you guys are alive." A rush of relief came over Emily.
Sam stretched his arms around his family, but their reconciliation was cut short when a man spread the tarp. "Sentarse cállate," he yelled in a demanding tone before the tarp feel back into its closed position.
"We gotta make a run for it," Sam whispered. "We can't let them take us."
"You're right, but how?" Maddie asked.
"We're going to have to jump from the truck before it has a chance to speed up."
They heard the metal slamming of the truck doors followed by the rumble of the engine. Sam peeked through the tarp. "Get ready," then in the same breath, "Someone's coming, sit down."
A moment later, a man climbed through the tarp and slumped on the bench across from them. "What do we do now?" Jake whispered.
"Where are you taking us?" Emily asked.
The man remained silent. "I don't think he speaks English," Maddie said.
The truck jerked forward then grated into reverse, jockeying into position toward the path. The man sitting across from them held his rifle across his lap and reached in his pocket and pulled out a cigar. Sam thought fast. 'He's gonna need both hands to light that thing.'
Maddie read Sam's expression. He looked like a wild dog ready to attack. The truck shifted into gear and started over the bumpy dirt road. "You guys ready for the trip?" he asked, not wanting to give an indication of his plan in case the guard understood English.
Emily and Jake glanced up, confused.
The man released his grip on the rifle to light his cigar. Just as the truck shifted into another gear, Sam reached across and grabbed the rifle from the man's lap. The man dropped his cigar, but before he could stand, Sam smashed the butt of the rifle into his face, jarring him into the tarp enclosure behind him. Sam reared back again with another powerful smash into his face. The man drifted to the bench, unconscious.
Sam's steely look told them he was focused on getting them out of there. "Get ready to jump," he instructed. "As soon as you hit the ground, run to the bushes and hide."
Maddie, Emily, and Jake stood as Sam parted the tarp. "Come on. We have to do this while they're still going slow."
"I'll go first," Jake said. After a few deep breaths, he climbed over the tailgate and jumped to the ground, then ran into the bushes.
"Okay, who's next?" he asked, as the sound of the engine accelerated.
Maddie, Emily, then Sam followed, each darting into the brush beside the road. The truck shifted gears as it picked up speed along the dirt road. Sam watched the truck's tail lights from behind bushes as it disappeared around a bend.
"Everyone all right?" he asked.
"Yeah, what now?" Jake asked.
"It's beginning to get dark, let's head back to the boat and get the hell out of here. Follow me," Sam said, then began running back toward the water thinking an escape by sea would be the safest route.
Upon reaching the clearing where the truck had been parked, Emily pointed. "It's sinking," she said in astonishment. "Why would they sink it?"
"Evidence," Sam said.
Maddie glanced around the mysterious confines of the surrounding jungle.
"What are we gonna do now?"
"I think we should go through the jungle and follow the water to the ocean," Jake answered.
Toads croaking, crickets chirping, and the high pitched caws of birds reflecting from unknown depths of the jungle, persuaded Maddie and Emily against Jake's suggestion. "You're not gonna find me traipsing around in there, who knows what kind of creatures are waiting for us?" Emily said.
Ground leaves ruffled with movement near them. "What's that?" she asked, clinging to Maddie.
"Probably just a small animal," Sam answered. "Let's stay together and follow the road, it's gotta lead to a highway. If you notice headlights, duck into the trees and don't move."
Sam and Jake led the way through the darkness along the path lined with brush and trees. A fork in the road presented a short debate of which path to follow, but after some discussion, they agreed to stay along the path where water could be heard. Jake educated them on the feeding habits of crocodiles, and how they were prone to marshy areas, much like what lay near the water through the adjacent foliage.
Strange sounds and movements coming from within the jungle never ceased, frightening Emily, but Jake assured her they were in no harm. "They won't hurt you unless they feel threatened," he told her, but added in jest, "And of course, unless they're hungry."
Emily screamed and clung to her mother when she heard high pitched screams coming from leaves being brushed together in the trees above them. "What is that?" she asked.
"Just sounds like monkeys jumping branches," Jake said.
Appearing from out of the bush were beautiful phosphorescent green flames dancing in the air. "Look, fireflies," Maddie said.
"They're actually flying beetles," Jake said. "Careful, they'll bite you."
Everyone ran ahead along the path, leaving behind the dancing flames as it began to rain. Jake asked, "How much further? It's starting to rain."
Maddie thought about the overnight hunting trips with her father. They would walk through the forest for hours, as if he knew the exact location they were heading. She'd hound him with the same question, "How much further?"
Her father would respond, "We gotta keep going, we'll be there soon."
Jake trotted ahead. "Where you going?" Sam asked. "Get back here."
"We're gonna get soaked if we don't fin
d a place soon."
"You think by running in front of us, you're gonna find something?" Emily asked.
"Yep, and I think I just found it. Hurry, come on everyone." Jake said, pointing down a narrow brush covered path through the trees.
###
The military truck forged at a steady speed on the highway through light drizzle. Carlos groaned from the burns on his scorched head, while Andrea comforted him. "Pull over, I need to get this soaked for him," she told the driver.
The truck slowed to the side of the road. "Check on the cargo while you're out there," he said. "And hurry up, we're already late."
Andrea climbed down from the cab and headed for a puddle. While soaking the towel, she thought about getting Carlos away from there, and how she would tell Chavez this was their last job. She thought about his reaction, then decided it might be better to duck out unnoticed one night. She regretted not taking off while they were in Key West, but Captain Kent was always nearby keeping watch over them. She returned to the cab of the truck and helped Carlos wrap it around his head. "Keep this on," she told him. "I'll be right back."
Carlos held the towel on his head and moaned. "D-Don't b-be long," he told her. "M-My head still hurts."
Andrea ran to the rear of the truck and separated the tarp expecting to find everyone sleeping, but instead found the guard slumped on the bench with the rifle laying on the floor. "Dammit," she grumbled. She thought about how she would tell Carlos, and feared how he might react. It was better not to return there without his shipment.
She shook the man. "Get up," she said, then kicked him. "Wake up, you fool."
The man awoke. "Si?"
"Qué pasó? Idiota. A dónde se fueron?" Andrea snapped, she knew he had no idea where they were now.
"Que?"
"The people who were back here with you, you pendejo."
"No lo sé. I don't know. They hit me " he said. "Then... ,"
"Never mind. When did it happen? They can't be far."
"The lagoon."
"Get your shit together. The boss is gonna have your balls for this."
She leaped in the cab and slammed the door. "Turn around. They escaped."
"How'd they do that?" the driver asked, while making a u-turn.
"Just go back, they couldn't have gotten far," she said. "Let me use your phone."
"You gonna call Chavez and tell him?"
"Are you out of your mind?" she answered, then dialed a number.
As the phone rang a few times, she thought about getting rid of the driver and the idiot in back, then taking Carlos as far away from there as possible. But she had no idea where'd they'd go in this weather. Their plan would have to wait.
###
Captain Kent stumbled off the gangplank onto the gangway, slurring fare winds and seas to the sorority girls celebrating their Spring Break vacation. The night had been filled with drink, song and flirtations. Boyfriends were expected to arrive at any time, so he had to call off their untimely departure. It didn't matter to him, their were others he had plans for.
As he approached the gate to the slips, when his phone rang. He fumbled in his pockets for it. "Hello?"
"It's me, Andrea."
"Hello my tasty brownie, how'd everything go? Where are you?" he slurred.
"You've been drinking."
"Just exploring options."
"Those goddamn people got away when we docked. We're heading back to find them."
"You better hurry, I've had calls wondering what's taking you so long. He doesn't sound very happy."
"If he calls back, tell him we're on our way," she instructed. "Tell him the weather held us up."
"Will do," he said. "You better not show up empty handed. You know how he can get."
"Don't worry about us. Just tell him what I said if you hear from him again."
Captain Kent flipped the phone closed as several football type guys passed him through the gates. 'Good thing I left when I did,' he thought.
###
Tucked in the midst of dark and eerie foliage at the end of a path, was the facade of a wooden shack. Years of growing brush had all but swallowed the cabin, making it look more like a fallen treehouse. Everyone ran ahead and joined Jake who pointed toward his discovery.
"How could you spot that?" Emily said. "You do have good eyes. No wonder you're a good aim."
Beyond the thicket of brush, in front of the shack was a small clearing with circular tracks, just large enough for a small vehicle. Camouflaged from the main path, it leaned toward the adjacent river, more than likely soaked with dry rot. Along the shore were mounds of sticks and branches with torn nets strewn between trees and on the ground, alluding to evidence of large game. "Those look like croc traps," Jake said.
"Crocodiles?" Emily asked, searching the ground for signs of predators and clinging to her mother.
They approached the cabin, while keeping a careful lookout around it. The front overhang was tearing away from its pillars from the weight of overhead branches. The cabin was warped, peeling apart at its seams from neglect. "Who could live there?" Emily asked.
"No one has ever lived here, Em. It's a hunters cabin, probably for crocodiles." Jake said.
"I'll go in first." Sam said. Then he waited for Jake to say something.
"I'll go with you, I found it," Jake said, as if needing to stake his claim for his discovery.
Rain fell heavier while Maddie and Emily waited in the clearing, scanning the area for strange creatures to jump out of the forest. "Be careful," Maddie yelled out.
Emily let out a rapid fire of coughs. "You okay?" Maddie asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Sam and Jake approached the cabin, listening for movements inside. Only sounds of rippling water from the river could be heard. As they stepped up to the rickety wooden porch, they noticed the front door ajar. "Anyone here? Hello?" Sam asked, then pressed against the door with his hand. "It's stuck," he told Jake, then gave it a shove with his shoulder.
The door screeched open, blocked by warped floorboards, "Anyone here?" Sam called out again.
Sam and Jake squeezed through the door, but it was too dark to see anything. Maddie and Emily inched toward the porch. "What do you see?" Maddie called out.
"Not much of anything. It's pretty dark in here," Sam answered after feeling for a light switch.
"Look for a lantern, or candles." Maddie remembered there was never electricity in those dreary hunter cabins her and her father often stayed in during overnight hunting excursions. If she had her way, pitching a tent would have been more comfortable.
"Found one," Sam said, then lit it with the stick matches laying beside it.
Sam and Jake took a quick scan around. It was a one room cobweb infested cabin with a strong musty odor. The wall boards were split enough to allow small rodents or indigenous creatures to enter at will. An aluminum coffee pot lay on an iron stove top that must have taken five men to carry in. Two wooden tables the size of a game tables were butted together with newspapers, magazines, netting, rope, and two large blood spotted hooks, the size found in butchers freezers to hang animal carcasses. A couple chairs that had been tipped over lay near a torn armchair with cotton stuffing protruding from the cushion.
"Be careful where you step. There's loose floorboards," Sam mentioned to Maddie and Emily.
"Looks like the maid hasn't shown up for a while," Emily remarked, then added, "It's dripping in here."
"It'll have to do for the night." Sam said.
Emily let out another succession of coughs. "How do you feel?" Maddie asked.
"I'm okay."
Maddie felt her forehead "Do I have a fever?" Emily asked.
"No, but we got to get you warm."
Sam picked up a damp blanket that looked like it was used to wipe boots on. "Here, wrap this around her," he told Maddie.
"It smells like mildew," she said, then wrapped it around Emily's shoulders.
"We'll just have to make do with what's
around here," he said. "See if there's other blankets or jackets laying around."
Jake scouted the room kicking junk out of the way. "There's mud coming in over here," he said.
Mud had been pushed up against the rear wall from the outside. "It's dry rotted from the river," Sam said. "Who knows how long this place has been here?"
Later, after rummaging through the contents strewn throughout the cabin, Emily lay on Maddie in the armchair with the blanket draped over them. Sam and Jake butted cots together away from the dripping roof and shared another found blanket.
"Try and get some rest," Sam said. "We'll set out first thing in the morning."
They tossed and turned trying to ignore noises from the forest. Something rustling in the bushes outside the cabin got their attention. "What's that?" Emily asked.
"Someone's out there," Jake said. "They're back."
Scratches along the exterior of the cabin were followed by a loud crash to the rear. Startled, everyone jumped from their positions, hearts racing.
"Someone's shooting at us," Emily yelled.
"Stay down, I don't think it's a gun," Sam said.
"If it's not a gun, then what the hell is it?" Emily asked.
Another crash vibrated the rear wall. Sam lit the lantern and held it up near the wall.
"It's just the wind." Maddie said. "These old cabins are surrounded by trees and brush. Even the slightest breeze can be heard. It used to freak me out when I went on hunting trips with my father."
Jake stood near his father when another crash sounded. "It's a crocodile," Jake said.
Emily screamed, "What is it, a crocodile or wind?"
"Why would a crocodile want to get in here?" Maddie asked.
"We're in its nest," Jake informed. "They're really protective." Jake was glad he had read some material on them on their way down to Key West.
"Like a birds' nest?" Emily asked.
"No, a mound of mud," Jake replied. "Look for eggs."
"Eggs?" Sam wasn't sure if he had heard Jake well.
"Yeah, mothers protect them," Jake answered. "It's their nature."
Jake pushed around the mud with his shoe. "See anything?" Maddie asked.
"Not yet."
"I'm telling you it's the wind. Go outside and you'll see."
Sam tugged the door open and stepped onto the porch. The drizzle had turned into a steady rainfall, being blown vertically into him. Careful to protect the light from the lantern from extinguishing, he inched toward the corner of the cabin with his back to the wind. Branches and twigs were scrapping the walls. "You're right, it's just the wind," he yelled.