by Rai Aren
Rick took the stun gun and pocketed it. He took a deep breath. He knew this was a risky plan. A lot could go wrong. But they were here now and had to act fast.
“Now, we just need that rendezvous point,” Rick said, looking at Javier.
Javier nodded. He pointed in the direction they’d be going. “Do you remember where Luis tripped? There was a rocky outcropping, limestone, about five feet high, covered in vines.”
“I remember,” Sofia said.
“Me, too,” Luis added.
Rick nodded his head.
Javier continued, “It looks like a dead end, but it isn’t. There’s a hidden, descending passageway there. We’ll need to duck underneath the outcropping. There’s an opening below it, hidden by vines and other vegetation. It’s only about four feet in diameter. We’ll have to squeeze through, one at a time.” He was keeping the rest to himself for now. He didn’t want to scare them.
“Got it,” Sofia said.
Luis nodded his agreement.
“Hang on,” Rick whispered, “don’t go through until we all get there or we won’t know if everyone has made it back safely.”
“Right,” Javier said. “Whoever gets there first waits for the others.” He pointed to Sofia and Luis. “That’s likely to be you two.”
“Ok,” Luis answered.
“Understood,” Sofia answered.
“Hey,” Rick said, “I just thought of something else. Keep a watch out for anything that could be set up as a perimeter warning system—wires, anything that looks out of the ordinary, ok?”
They all nodded.
“Alright,” Rick said, “we’d better get a move on. Time is not on our side. Any last minute questions?”
Luis shook his head.
“Soy buena,” Sofia answered. “I just want to get this over with.”
“So do I,” Javier said, his face serious.
“Then, let’s head out,” Rick said. “Balaclavas on.”
They all donned them.
Sofia turned to Luis, giving his hand a quick squeeze. “Vamonos.”
Luis nodded and the two of them headed off to the far side of the encampment.
Rick watched them go. He admired their bravery. They didn’t hesitate to take on a risky proposal. He understood how vital this was for them. He could well appreciate their desperation to free their father, and to have what was left of their family reunited. He just hoped that was how it was going to work out.
CHAPTER 12
“Our turn,” Rick said, turning to Javier.
Javier nodded, stun gun in hand. He made a silent prayer.
“Follow me,” Javier said.
Rick nodded and got his stun gun ready.
The two of them crouched down and headed in the direction of the prisoners.
Edging forward with as much stealth as they could manage, they made their way.
They reached the perimeter of the encampment.
Javier held up his fist to indicate he was stopping. He pointed to the trees where the prisoners were tied up.
Rick sidled up next to him. He could see the three men tied to the trees. The two guards were a few feet in front of them, about eight feet apart.
They waited for Sofia and Luis to work their magic on the other side of the encampment.
Rick felt his heart pounding. He again pushed back the terrifying memories of being the one tied up in a makeshift jungle prison camp.
Seconds later, the firecrackers went off in a series of loud explosions.
At once, the jungle erupted with shrieks and screams and growls of startled creatures, darting every which way, rustling leaves and shaking tree branches.
Rick jumped at the sudden rapid popping noises, and rising cacophony overhead, even though he’d been expecting it.
Get a goddamn grip, Braeden, he thought. He hoped Javier hadn’t seen his reaction.
As they’d planned, it drew the guards' attention away.
The men started speaking rapidly and pointing in the direction of the sudden explosions.
To Rick and Javier’s relief, only one guard remained behind, while the other joined his comrades to investigate the ruckus.
“That’s our chance,” Rick said, his heart pounding furiously in his chest. “You go to the left and make some noise or something, just get him to look towards your direction for a moment and I’ll stun him. Just don’t get shot.”
“Ok, same goes for you,” Javier said and dashed forward.
That’s the plan, Rick thought. He followed behind and veered to the other side, stun gun at the ready.
Javier picked up a heavy rock, put it in his slingshot and aimed it. He hit the man hard, square in the back. Javier immediately ducked down and scrambled away.
The man grunted in pain, stumbling forward, and hitting the ground with his knees.
Rick took his cue and raced towards him. Adrenaline fired through him as he snuck up from behind and pressed the stun gun to the back of the guard’s neck. He pulled the trigger and delivered a 50,000-volt shock throughout the man’s body for several seconds.
The man immediately went stiff, then shook violently as the powerful charge fired through his nervous system. He dropped flat to the ground, still shaking, completely incapacitated.
The three prisoners watched wide-eyed.
Rick and Javier lifted their balaclavas up to ease the prisoners’ tensions.
The two younger men’s eyes lit up as they recognized their friend Javier, relief registering on their faces.
Diego also recognized him as the young man he’d seen a few days ago. He was grateful he’d come back to help rescue him. Diego had hoped he would at least try to send help, but he had no idea who he was or what he’d been doing out there in the jungle that night.
“We’re going to get you out of here,” Javier said to them as he and Rick quickly cut their ties, freeing their hands and feet.
The prisoners each nodded and removed their gags.
Speaking rapidly in Spanish, Javier explained to his two friends what their plan was.
Diego listened to get a sense of where they were heading next.
Javier’s friends nodded. They knew exactly where he meant. He also asked if they knew what had happened to Mari, the fourth person from their group, but they told him they hadn’t seen her and that they’d hoped she'd made it back out of the jungle. They said their captors had given no indication they were even aware of her.
“Can everyone run?” Rick asked.
“He is injured,” one of the younger men said, pointing to the older man.
“I’m ok,” the man said, waving his hand, “it’s just a twisted ankle.”
Rick nodded. “I got you.” He put the man’s arm around his shoulder for support.
The older man gratefully complied.
“Diego, is it?” he asked.
The older man looked at him, surprised. “Si.”
“I’m a friend of Sofia and Luis. They’re looking forward to seeing you.”
Diego’s eyes welled up.
“We have to move fast,” Javier said. “Just stay quiet and follow me. Understand?”
They all nodded.
Rick and Javier handed each of them a balaclava.
“Put these on,” Rick said, as he and Javier pulled theirs back down over their faces.
They all readily complied.
Skulking back into the jungle, the group made their way in the direction of the rendezvous point, with Javier in the lead. Once well clear of the prison camp, they ran as fast as they could, fear and desperation driving them forward.
Rick helped Diego, who limped along as quickly as he could, wincing slightly. Rick could tell the older man was doing his best to mask the pain from his injured ankle. He admired him. He could see where Sofia and Luis got their sense of courage from.
Much to their collective relief, they finally reached the rocky outcropping.
Sofia and Luis were there waiting for them.
“Pap
a!” Sofia whispered, recognizing the form of her father. She lifted her balaclava.
Luis lifted his, too, as did Diego.
Tears streamed down Sofia and Luis’ faces as they hugged their father, who was sweating and breathing hard from the exertion. The three of them whispered words of love and gratitude between them in Spanish.
“Let’s keep going,” Rick said. “We’ll have time for family reunions later.”
Javier and his two friends looked around and listened for any signs they’d been followed. They saw and heard none. For now.
“Ok, keep your face coverings off from here on in,” Javier said. “We need to be able to clearly see where we’re going. I will go first. Watch how I get through. It’s a kind of natural tunnel and it’s a tight squeeze. But I warn you, it’s over one hundred and fifty feet long and very slippery. It slopes downwards at a rather steep angle, so we need to go feet first on our backs. It’s the only way we can fit through.”
“What?” Luis asked, alarmed.
Sofia couldn’t hide her concern either. She glanced at her father, then put an arm around him.
“That sounds pretty dangerous,” Rick said. He bent down to look at it, pulling aside some of the tangled vines. It was dark and covered in thick vegetation, smelling earthen and damp, but it sure didn’t look like any kind of passageway.
“We have no choice,” Javier reminded them.
“Right you are,” Rick replied.
Javier looked frustrated over their predicament. “Our people have prepared it well enough over the decades, but the tunnel walls are a bit rough. We will be safe. However, it’ll drop us into a kind of whirlpool. It’s fairly wide and deep enough, so don’t worry about hitting the bottom.”
Oh crap, Rick thought.
“How deep is that whirlpool?” Luis asked, his voice constricted.
“We’ve never found out,” Javier answered. “Deep.” He gave them a serious look. “I hope you can all swim.”
Terror sprung into Sofia, Luis’, and Diego’s eyes, but they all reluctantly nodded.
“Good,” Javier continued, speaking hurriedly. “There’s a strong current that will immediately carry you forward into a narrow subterranean river channel. Do not worry, the current may only pull you under briefly, the water’s not that deep at the point where it meets the river, but it moves swiftly. It’s very important that you keep your heads down, there’s not much clearance...”
“Javier?” Rick said, cutting him off. “This is a lot to spring on us all of a sudden.”
A flash of anger crossed Javier’s face. “I did not want to bring you here. I had no intention of ever revealing this passageway to anyone, but it’s our only way out now.”
Diego closed his eyes and whispered a silent prayer.
Rick clammed up. He swallowed hard. He knew Javier was right, they didn’t have a choice.
Sofia and Luis shared worried glances.
Javier continued; he knew they were running out of time. “About 400 feet down river, the river will bend to the left. When it does, pull yourselves out of the water on the right-hand side. There’s a flat, rocky surface there. I’ll explain more then. We don’t have time now.”
Rick rubbed his temples. He knew this was going to be a lot for the Torres family to take in, especially Diego, who was likely in a weakened condition. “Javier, you and your friends should go first. They can follow your lead. I’ll bring up the rear, that way we can make sure everyone gets out safely.”
Rick was really glad he had his survival training, but he figured Sofia, Luis, and Diego likely didn’t. He’d have to overcome his own anxieties about this to be strong for them. Confidence, Braeden, he thought to himself, exude confidence. Or fake it till you make it, as one of his friends used to tell him.
“Let’s put our gear into the waterproof pouches inside our rucksacks,” Sofia suggested.
“Yes,” Javier said, “and wear your rucksacks on your chests. Keep your jackets on to protect your backs from getting scraped.”
They all got their gear ready.
“I’m sorry to put you all in this position,” Javier said.
“We understand,” Sofia said, squeezing her father’s shoulders.
Luis said nothing. He was just trying to stay focused and keep his rising panic at bay.
“Bueno. Let’s go,” Javier said.
The three young men dropped down onto their backsides, and one by one squeezed through the narrow opening, feet first. They expertly shimmied through, their small forms nimble and fast.
“Sofia,” Rick said, “you and Luis go next. I’ll help your dad.”
“Gracias,” Sofia said, her eyes conveying how much that meant to her.
Sofia took a deep breath and dropped down as she’d seen the others do. She disappeared into the darkened passageway. Luis followed quickly behind.
Rick helped Diego down to the ground. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you.”
Rick could tell he was terrified, but Diego said nothing, steeling himself for what was ahead. He admired him for that. He could see where Sofia and Luis got their courage.
The older man grunted as he squeezed his body through the tight passageway.
Rick waited for Diego to disappear inside the tunnel, then pushed himself through a few seconds later.
Here goes nothing, he thought, as he dropped down into the dark, earthen passageway to an unknown destination.
CHAPTER 13
Plunged into total darkness, Rick held his breath as gravity pulled him down into the earth. The steepness of the hidden passageway caught him off-guard. Javier hadn’t been kidding when he said it was a sharp angle. It was like plummeting down a tall water slide completely in the dark, but one that was made of earth and mud and vines and was bumpy as hell.
The close walls of the subterranean passageway seemed to swallow him whole. Rick, being bigger in form that the rest of his slighter traveling companions, found the squeeze to be uncomfortably tight. His shoulders rubbed against the hard earthen walls. He grimaced as his left shoulder scraped against a rough branch as he sped down the tunnel. He couldn’t have stopped himself if he tried. This was definitely a one-way trip.
Rick could feel the dampness all around him. The water draining continuously down the tunnel meant they were basically being carried down a large, cramped, pitch-black mudslide. The smell of wet earth permeated his nostrils.
He was startled by a sudden splat as he was smacked square in the face with a big glob of mud. He had the unfortunate timing of having his mouth open at that exact moment and inhaled some of it. Diego had managed to kick up some thick sludge straight into Rick’s face. He choked and gagged, then tried to spit it out as best he could.
Fun times, he thought wryly, trying to wipe it away from his eyes as he careened out of control down the dark, earthen tunnel.
He heard the others grunting and groaning ahead of him. Maybe they’re inhaling surprise mud globs, too, he mused.
Then he heard splashes and shouts as one by one they plunged into the whirlpool below.
Rick found it completely unsettling not to be able to see a thing, while plummeting down a deep, dark tunnel into a rapidly approaching watery destination that might be unimaginably deep.
But he didn’t have to think about it long, as the tunnel unceremoniously spit him out and he fell mid-air for a couple of seconds, splashing down hard into a shockingly cold pool of water. He plunged into the deep, dark pool, completely submerged. In a desperate panic, he furiously kicked his legs and pumped his arms to reach the surface, the rucksack on his chest weighing him down and working against him all the way.
As he surfaced, gasping for air, he heard the splashes and gurgles and coughing of the others ahead of him. He couldn’t see anything. He tried to call out for Diego, but then he felt the powerful current grab him. Its strength was momentarily stunning and he gulped down a mouthful of water as it swept him into the river channel. He spit the water out, coughing and sputteri
ng. He flailed, trying to steady himself, but then his hand bumped against a low, rocky ceiling. He’d tried to remember everything that Javier had told them, but his mind was overwhelmed with trying to survive this unfamiliar and frightening journey, powerless as he was to stop and regain his bearings.
The cold river mercilessly swept him along.
Ahead, panicked voices and grunts echoed in the narrow river channel as they were all swiftly carried forward.
He sensed they were heading downwards at a low angle, deeper into this subterranean world.
He tried to clear his mind. He remembered Javier saying the river would eventually bend to the left, so he used all his senses in this dark, fast-moving river to glean where the bend was. He’d lost all track of time and distance.
Then, he heard voices shouting ahead, then more splashes and grunts.
“Pull them out! Hurry!”
Seconds later, he felt the river bend. This is it, he thought, get ready!
“Rick!” he heard Sofia shout. “On your right!”
He turned his head as the river flowed into a wide bend to the left. His eyes had adjusted somewhat to the dark environment and he spotted shapes at the edge of the water on the right.
“Take my hand!” Javier shouted.
The water rushed him ahead and he reached out with his right hand, grabbing onto Javier. They locked hands, and Rick swung his left arm over and grabbed the ledge with his left hand. The combination of his wet clothes and the water-logged rucksack on his chest created drag, leaving him struggling to heave himself out of the cold, dark current and onto the cool, rocky ledge.
Luis and Javier both grabbed onto him and pulled him farther out of the water until his legs were free.
“Thanks,” he said in a raspy voice.
Breathless, he rolled over onto his back and lay on the flat surface for a moment, grateful to be on something resembling terra firma. His limbs felt like overcooked spaghetti and his lungs burned from the exertion. He gazed up. The rocky ceiling here was much higher, over twenty feet high and the area was about fifteen feet wide near the river’s edge. The space narrowed into what looked like another tunnel, about ten feet ahead. He could feel a slight breeze coming from somewhere. He coughed and then pushed himself up, feeling waterlogged.
