Authors: Kim McMahill
They walked until midnight. Jack didn’t think they needed to run anymore, but he did believe it would be wise to place as much distance as possible between them and the five men who had utilized a great deal of firepower trying to kill him.
There was no good cover. The trees were dense, but most were spindly. There was no terrain to give them a higher vantage point or anything else to conceal them, which left them with no other option than to rest in the open.
As soon as Jessica and Megan unloaded their supplies, Megan sat on the ground with her back against a tree and instantly fell asleep. Jessica gently laid the blanket over Megan and tucked it around her the best she could to help protect her from the blood-thirsty insects which had been dogging them since dusk.
She walked over to where Jack was inspecting the pistol and watched him for a moment. She didn’t know a lot about guns, but it was obvious he was quite familiar and comfortable with the weapon. He also seemed to know more than your average American citizen about rogue Mexican commandos, drug cartels and hand grenades, which made her wonder about his past and feel a bit uneasy.
When he looked up and caught her staring at him, she felt the need to say something.
“I imagine we’ll need to rest in shifts, so why don’t you sleep for a while and I’ll keep watch,” Jessica offered.
Jack finished checking the gun and placed it in the back waistband of his shorts then set the rifle down at his side. He continued to stare at Jessica for several moments then patted the ground next to him.
Jessica happily took the cue. His intense gaze had made her uncomfortable and the action gave her a way to break the connection. She assumed he wanted to talk about something, but he just sat, his eyes looking straight ahead. She didn’t know what to say, so she joined him in silence and waited until he finally spoke.
“They’ll hunt for us and they won’t stop. They know everything we know, and this is their country, their jungle.”
Jessica was confused. She didn’t understand what Jack meant. She suspected their captors knew much more than they did. All she knew for sure was that some very dangerous men were trying to capture them and use them to barter for a colleague’s freedom and if caught they would eventually be killed. They had escaped, but were far from safe. But Jack’s tone was so distant and resigned that she didn’t ask him for clarification.
“Maybe we should split up. You could take Megan and get her out of here. If they find me, they’ll stop looking for you two.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re not going to sacrifice you to save ourselves. Besides, if I let anything happen to either of you, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. I couldn’t go through that again.”
“You’re not responsible for me and you don’t owe me anything. We barely even know each other. Take Megan and go.”
Jack turned to Jessica and grabbed her by the shoulders and held her firmly, waiting for her to look him in the eye.
“You’re not listening to me. I have to save you. I can’t let anything happen to you. Do you understand?”
She didn’t understand. The look in his eyes scared her, yet something in the desperation in his tone made her heart go out to him. She could see the tension in his taut muscles and realized he didn’t comprehend how tightly he was clutching her shoulders.
“You’re hurting me. I hear you. I may not understand, but I’ll do whatever you want and if that means sticking together, I’ll do it,” she said as calmly as she could.
Jack released his grip and let his hands slide down her bare arms. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. Get some rest. I won’t be able to sleep now anyway, so no sense both of us staying up.”
Jessica doubted she could sleep either and wondered what was going through his mind, but decided it best not to ask. He didn’t seem to want to talk and when he did say something, she didn’t understand him anyway.
She wasn’t sure what compelled her, but she leaned toward him and rested her head on his shoulder. His body was rigid, but she didn’t move. She shut her eyes, and after several moments she could feel his tension start to ebb. He slipped his arm around her and pulled her closer. Gradually his breathing leveled off and she could feel his muscles relax, and the warmth of his body coaxed her into sleep.
* * * *
Jack watched her sleep. He didn’t mean to scare her, but he couldn’t help but think of Elaine. He had watched her die that day on the mountain and a thousand times since in his dreams. He doubted Gilbert’s death would haunt him and he hoped Ashley’s wouldn’t, but now that it was just the three of them, he felt responsible for their survival. If anything happened to Megan or Jessica it would be too much to bear.
After a few hours, Megan stirred. She walked toward them and quietly crouched in front of them, gently laying the blanket over their legs and sitting down on the other side of Jack.
“I feel rested. Get some sleep. I’ll watch and wake you if a bird so much as flaps its wings.”
He smiled at Megan and squeezed her hand. He’d been worried about how she would hold up at first, but she had been a real trooper. His confidence in her grew with every hour he spent in her company, so he was able to trust she would be a good lookout. He closed his eyes and rested.
Jack seldom allowed sleep to completely claim him. He teetered on the edge between consciousness and sleep, listening to the sounds of the nighttime jungle. The swoosh of a raptor’s wings diving for prey, the chorus of insects searching for a mate and the sounds of the leaves rustling in the breeze were familiar, but they weren’t comforting. From his experience, the chaos of the living jungle only served to mask the sounds of certain death.
Jessica woke to bright sun and the eerie sensation of being totally alone. She saw no sign of Megan or Jack, but the rifle leaned against the tree within an arm’s reach. Her mind reeled. Hadn’t they decided to stick together? She couldn’t believe Jack had taken Megan and gone after he was so adamant against the idea. Jessica couldn’t imagine he would have left without saying goodbye and telling her which direction to travel. She had offered to go solo and had meant it, but now that she found herself alone, she was terrified.
She stood up and looked at the sun to get her bearings. “The sun sets in the east and rises in the west. No, it’s the other way around. It rises in the east and sets in the west, I think. So if that’s east, then that way should be north. Jack said go north and east, but if that’s the way they went, then I should go a different direction to lead the kidnappers away from them. Oh, heck, I don’t know.” She bit her lip to hold back tears while turning in circles, trying to determine what to do and which way to go.
Jessica fought to avoid full-blown panic. She felt lightheaded as she turned, eyeing the trees, so she placed her hand firmly on her stomach and took several deep breaths, holding the air in her lungs until she no longer felt faint. Forcing her mind to focus on the fact that maybe Jack and Megan would be safe if they weren’t with her, helped to slow her pulse to normal.
She tried to think of the best course of action and decided to stay put for a while to give them a head start. But the longer she sat, the more difficult it became to keep her anxiety at bay. Tears welled in her eyes, but before one could fall, Jack and Megan emerged from the trees.
Jack was carrying a small bunch of bananas and Megan was smiling as the two walked into view. Both looked rested and much cleaner than she remembered. Before she could stop herself, Jessica rushed toward them and threw herself at Jack. He was barely able to keep his balance as he grabbed her around the waist with one arm, while trying not to drop the bananas in his other hand.
“What? Did you think we left you?” he asked with a mischievous grin. “As I recall you told me we could.”
“I know, but when I thought you did, I was scared to death. I had no idea which way to go or what I should do next. I couldn’t imagine you two would just leave without saying goodbye or giving me instructions.”
“We heard roosters crowing this morning, but you were sleeping so hard we hated to wake you, so we let you rest while we checked our surroundings out,” Megan stated.
Jessica was so relieved they hadn’t left her she wasn’t sure she could let Jack’s neck go, but her empty stomach won out. She released him, took a step back and snatched the bananas out of his hand. She plucked a small bruised fruit off of the bundle and handed the rest to Megan.
“So what did you find, besides bananas?” She sunk her teeth into the banana, savoring the strong flavor of the fresh tree-ripened fruit. “Please tell me you found a phone, called for help and the entire U.S. Army is on their way to rescue us as we speak.”
“I’m afraid we didn’t get that lucky, but there’s this wonderful little house, a shed for the one cow the family owns, and a whole bunch of chickens not too far from here. A young boy about nine or ten greeted us when we approached and gave us these bananas. Manny, that’s the boy’s name, said we could stay in the shed with the cow after it gets dark tonight. He told us his father has been gone for about a week for work and he does all the chores, so his mother would never know,” Megan said. “His mother was inside making tortillas, so he sneaked us a bucket of water to wash with. He was the cutest little boy I’ve ever seen. I just wanted to hug him.”
Jack rolled his eyes as Megan described Manny to Jessica. She was apparently quite taken by his big round brown eyes, the unkempt bangs covering his forehead, and his marginal command of English. Megan was beautiful and this fact had not escaped the young boy’s attention. Jack doubted Manny would have been as helpful if he would have shown up alone. The boy probably would have gone screaming to his mother rather than offering to hide them.
“Well, not quite what I was hoping for, but at least it’s something. What do you think?” Jessica asked.
“Let’s get a look around first. We may be close to a village or at least a road. We’ll keep his offer in mind, but if something better presents itself, we’d better take it. We need to keep moving if possible. It won’t take long for these men to find us if we stay put. We could’ve easily avoided the original three, but
Las Culebras
are professionals.”
Jack hid the rifle in the bushes. It only had two shells, so wasn’t a lot of use, and he didn’t want to scare anyone they might come across who could help them. His baggy shirt concealed the pistol and they all hid grenades in pockets.
They walked close enough to the little farm for Jessica to get a look and then left the area on the most well-worn path they could find, hoping it would be the one that would lead to a town or a road. Jessica was hesitant to move on since this was the first human habitation they’d seen in days where no one wanted to kill them and a small boy had even offered to help them. His actions renewed her faith in humanity.
The path wound its way around the jungle. Rays of sunshine filtered through the canopy, scattering light randomly across the path. Dappled beams illuminated hordes of ants scurrying around with their loads, trying to get their work done before the heat forced them underground. Birds screeched in the trees and the noise helped to hide the sounds of their footsteps as they cautiously navigated the tropical forest maze.
After several hours the trail came to a dead end. A small area had been cleared, burned and planted. The crops were in varying stages of maturity and appeared healthy, though nothing looked ready to eat. The sight of the garden brought mixed emotions. They felt less cut off from the world, but also more exposed, knowing the owners could be nearby.
The day had become increasingly humid, making each step more difficult, but they decided it best to put some distance between themselves and the garden before resting, in case someone came to work the plot. They headed cross-country in the general direction of the farm, thinking to try another one of the several paths leading from Manny’s house.
They found a spot with dense jungle cover to stop for a break. By the time they had rested, drank some water and finished off the tortillas, clouds had begun to drift in, blocking out the sun and warning of rain. The dark shroud made the humidity climb even higher, but the heat did not diminish.
“Maybe we should take Manny up on his offer,” Megan said.
Jack looked around. Already they had wasted the day and had accomplished nothing and the whole idea frustrated him. Only a few hours of daylight remained and by then the rain would probably be on them. He didn’t like the idea of putting so little distance between them, the kidnappers and the hired guns. Trusting a child with their lives worried him, but staying dry held a lot of appeal.
They made their way back to the farm and waited until dark, hoping the rain would hold off until they were able to take shelter. Light from a lantern bobbed down the path from the house and came to rest inside the shed. Quickly, the group made their way to the building and was greeted by Manny. The young boy’s grin spread across his round face when he saw Megan enter the building.
“I brought you some rice. It is not much, but all I could get without Mama seeing. I hid a blanket and some water in the corner earlier today. I knew you would come back.”
“Manny, I’d like you to meet Jessica,” Megan smiled, restraining the urge to wrap her arms around the young boy and hug him. Jessica stepped forward and offered her hand. He stared at it a moment then shyly grasped her fingers and gave a gentle shake. Manny withdrew and smiled, but shot cautious glances at Jack.