Eight

by WW Mortensen

  Thinking better of it, she moved to leave, but Jessy reached out and clasped her hand. She could have pulled away, but something held her back, something other than Jessy’s hand, and suddenly, tears stung her eyes. Again, her mouth opened, and then she heard a voice that surely wasn’t hers. “You’re right, something is wrong.”

  “Are you worried about what you’ll find in there?”

  “Yes, but it’s more complicated than that. I’m not sure I can do this.”

  Jessy frowned, not quite comprehending. “But you’re the most qualified of all of us. If anyone can do it…”

  “You don’t understand,” Rebecca said, and again, she readied to leave, but didn’t. “I don’t know how, or why, but when those spiders attacked the day before yesterday, and then again last night, I froze, both times.”

  “All of us were scared. It’s understandable…”

  “No—I had a panic attack.” The words came now in a rush, spilling, unstoppable, and as they did, a wave of intense relief washed over her. She realised that subconsciously at least, she’d craved this all along, had yearned for the subject to be openly confronted. But even as she felt a glorious weight lifting from her shoulders, in counterbalance remained a troubling uncertainty.

  It’s out of the bag. You need to face it.

  She looked at Jessy. “When I was a kid, I suffered a crippling fear of spiders.”

  Jessy’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “With treatment, I overcame it. But last night… something triggered. My heart raced. I couldn’t breathe. All the classic signs, just like when I was a child. It was as if the disorder hadn’t disappeared but had simply lain dormant, just below the surface…”

  Stunned, Jessy squeezed Rebecca’s hand.

  “I don’t know if I can physically do this,” Rebecca said. “I’m afraid that once inside, I’ll freeze again. I’m afraid that if I come face to face with one of them, it might be worse than it was two days ago, and last night. What if it fully takes hold of me? I’ll be no good to anyone. In fact, I’ll be a liability—to myself, to Ed. That’s what I’m worried about.”

  For a moment, Jessy seemed lost for words. “Bec, I’m astounded,” she said eventually. “I can’t imagine what you went through as a child, or what you’re going through now.”

  “I’m sorry to have dumped this on you.”

  Jessy squeezed Rebecca’s hand firmly. “Bec, you’re confused and angry, because this fear is casting a shadow over all you’ve become, and you’re blaming yourself for somehow letting it in. It’s understandable.” She shook her head gently. “But this isn’t your fault. This isn’t something you can control. You haven’t done anything wrong. Once you get inside the pyramid, you’ll do what you need to do. You’ll overcome this. You’ll get the job done.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Bec… you’ll do it for Ed.” She paused and then said softly, “He still loves you.”

  Rebecca had been looking down at her lap, but at Jessy’s last words her gaze snapped up. “What are you talking about?”

  “I can tell. You mean a lot to him.”

  Rebecca shook her head. “There’s been a lot of water under the bridge, Jess. He might love me as a friend, but what we had is finished now. We’re mates. That’s it.” Rebecca picked at a stray thread on her sleeve, unwilling to look Jessy in the eye. She wasn’t being entirely truthful, but couldn’t be certain of her own feelings, let alone Ed’s. She suddenly felt ashamed she’d allowed Jessy to comfort her when, given the circumstances, it should have been the other way around. Hurriedly, she said, “I get the feeling you mean more to Ed than either of you realises. Once this is over, you’ll both know it. Just wait and see.”

  Jessy’s eyes warmed at the comment, as though she’d been craving acknowledgement for some time. Rebecca felt a rush of guilt. She hoped she hadn’t spoken out of line.

  “Don’t tease me,” Jessy warned playfully, but she was beaming, and beneath the smile was the most genuine look of promise Rebecca had seen in as long as she could remember. It was so affecting it sparked something in her. She came to a realisation: it was clear, crystallised, focused.

  None of this matters—Ed’s feelings, yours, Jessy’s—none of it. You have one objective and one only.

  Rebecca straightened. “I’ll get him back, Jess.”

  Jessy just kept smiling.

  • • •

  Rebecca took a gulp of water from her canteen before unzipping the First-Aid kit. She felt buoyed by a fresh infusion of purpose. “How’s the leg?”

  “Sore and itchy.” Jessy shook her head. “I just need to get out of this goddamned tent. The sooner I do that, the better.”

  Rebecca smiled faintly and passed her some aspirin. The dressing on Jessy’s leg needed no immediate attention, so she checked Priscilla’s wound and changed her bandages. Thankfully, the bleeding had stopped. The lacerations mightn’t have been as deep as she’d thought.

  Once she’d finished, she dabbed antiseptic cream on her own sores, then lifted Priscilla and clutched her to her chest. “You’ve been so good, haven’t you, young lady?” She turned to Jessy. “Look after this girl, won’t you? She shouldn’t be a problem—she’ll nap most of the time. You may need to change the dressing. Oh, and she likes a slice of apple every now and then. It’s her favourite.”

  Jessy smiled. “Don’t you worry about us—we might be a couple of invalids, but we’ll look out for each other.” She tossed her head at Priscilla. “You’ve taken quite a shine to her, Bec, for someone who’s never owned so much as a goldfish.”

  Rebecca smiled too and patted Priscilla gently on the head. The tiny monkey hobbled up to her shoulder and settled in with her arms around Rebecca’s neck.

  Soon enough, Jessy’s mood turned grave again. “It’s been almost two days now since the boys left. Something bad has happened.”

  “We don’t know that,” Rebecca said. “Robert knows what he’s doing. Ed said the rain would have held them up. And the chopper… who knows how long it’d take to get one out here? It could take days to mount a proper rescue.”

  Jessy’s voice sank almost to a whisper. “Chopper or no chopper, you realise we need to be out of here by nightfall.”

  Rebecca nodded.

  “You have to be quick, Bec. You need to get in and out—fast. We both know they’re coming again, and we both know it’ll be worse this time. There won’t be any second chances, no last-minute rescues. If you’re not back before dark—”

  “I’ll be back before dark, don’t you worry. And then the three of us will find some way out of here. You, me, and Ed—together.”

  “Do you really think he’s alive?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  Jessy offered Rebecca some last-minute advice, explaining in general terms the potential layout of the pyramid and what could be expected.

  They hugged warmly. After all they’d endured, Rebecca sensed a bond forming between them. She was glad for it. “You hang in there, okay? I’ll be back.”

  Jessy held up a hand in goodbye. “I’m counting on it.”

  55

  Rebecca stepped from the cave’s entrance deep in thought, Jessy’s warning about being back by dark resounding ominously in her head.

  Jessy was right, of course—Rebecca had reached the same conclusion. The spiders were aware of them, no doubt, and the intensity of the encounters had escalated over the previous two evenings. Should she and Jessy be caught out here again, the consequences would be dire. They couldn’t take that chance.

  No matter what, they had to be gone by nightfall.

  She was so deep in thought she failed to notice that the two guards normally posted in front of the cave had disappeared. She also missed the large figure approaching from the other side of the cave’s entrance.

  “Well, well, well,” De Sousa said, catching her as they collided. “I knew you’d come running into my arms.”

  Rebecca struggled in his grip. “Let go of me!”r />
  De Sousa covered her mouth with one huge hand, muffling her cries. His other hand cuffed both of her wrists, his fingers like clamps.

  “Easy,” he said, his voice low. He glanced about as though ensuring they were alone, and Rebecca wondered if De Sousa himself had dismissed the guards. Yanking her sideways, he pulled her around the side of the huge dead tree that was the cave. Out of sight.

  A wave of panic overcame her, and she thrashed. But De Sousa was far too strong. She tried to scream, but he clamped his hand even harder across her mouth.

  “Shh!” De Sousa pulled her near. “What is wrong? I do not mean you any harm.”

  Rebecca flailed, but she was like a child in the hands of a giant. De Sousa didn’t seem to notice her exertions.

  Again, he glanced about. “Come now, moca,” he said, “I am not that bad. We simply got off—how do you say—on the wrong foot. I did not intend injury to your pet. Let us make up and start over.”

  Rebecca kicked out hard, catching him in the groin with her right foot. Reflexively, De Sousa released her.

  Immediately realising his error, De Sousa lunged, but before he could grab her again, she was out of reach, beating a hasty retreat through the bushes.

  He didn’t come after her but called out as she ran. “Moca, if I cannot have you, then maybe I can find someone more accommodating?”

  Rebecca ran across the clearing, her skin crawling. De Sousa didn’t follow, and she paused to compose herself. Looking up, she saw Oliveira and Asensi enter the campsite from the path that led to the north-western vantage point. She ran to them.

  “I need to speak with you,” she said to Oliveira, shaking so badly her teeth clattered. “Alone.”

  Asensi grinned at Oliveira, who returned the smile before dismissing him. When Asensi had gone, Rebecca stepped in close. No-one else was within earshot. “De Sousa. Is he going in with us?”

  “What?”

  “De Sousa—is he entering the pyramid, or staying behind? He’s staying, isn’t he? I can tell. Well, just now the psycho attacked me, and threatened to harm Jessy. He knows he can do it, too, while we’re in there, in the nest, without you around—”

  “Listen to me—”

  “No! You listen to me! I’ll do whatever you need in there, assist however I can, but I need to know that asshole is under control! If he’s not, and we get out of there alive and I find out he’s hurt her in any way, I’ll make sure you regret it. I want your word on this, or you can forget about me going inside. Do we have an agreement?”

  Oliveira paused. “Senhorita, she will be safe. You have my word.”

  “Good,” Rebecca said, still shaking. She turned to leave, but Oliveira seized her arm. Leaning close, he lifted his sunglasses for the first time to reveal a pair of ice-blue eyes, startling and unusual for his complexion. They bored into her, their intensity as arresting and irresistible as his grip on her arm. He spoke in a low, controlled manner, so low it was almost a whisper. She had to strain to hear him.

  “You have my word, as promised,” he said. “But trust me, if you believe yourself in a position again that you would strike deals or make demands of me, I will take you myself and feed you to those things in that web down there. This is not a game, and I am not one to be toyed with. Remember who is in charge, and do not forget it, or it is you who will regret it. Now, senhorita, do we have an agreement?”

  It wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. Until that moment, she’d thought Oliveira reasonable, approachable, even decent. But now it hit her with crystal-clear intensity, and she couldn’t believe she’d been so foolish. She’d lost sight of her standing in all of this. What had she been thinking? These people weren’t to be taken lightly, much less dictated to. Oliveira and his men were criminals. Who knew what they were capable of, what they might do, especially if pushed? They followed no rules outside of their own, and that she’d bargain on anything to the contrary was absurd. She and Jessy were prisoners. She had to remember that. In fact, at the end of all this, if Oliveira didn’t finish them off outright, he’d at best leave them here, on their own, no doubt to die alone in the jungle.

  If there was any chance of getting out of this alive, she had to play it smarter.

  Rebecca nodded, and Oliveira released her. “We leave in ten. Be ready.”

  She couldn’t help herself and took off at a run, overcome with emotion. As she fled, she noticed De Sousa, who had obviously been watching the conversation, grinning at her.

  “Be seeing you soon,” he laughed as she disappeared, tears in her eyes.

  56

  Exactly ten minutes later, Rebecca stood at the trapdoor as Ed had less than two and a half hours previously, ready to enter the burrow. It was just after noon.

  She’d pulled herself together, sternly reminding herself of what she had to do. She’d had a cry—a quick one—but that was it. She had to remove all emotion and steel herself for the task at hand. If Oliveira was going to use her to get into the nest, she’d use him in kind, to help her get to Ed. That was all she wanted, all she was focused on. The incidents with both men, even the conversation with Jessy, had brought her clarity.

  In total, four men would accompany her inside: Oliveira, Luis, Asensi, and another younger man by the name of Costa. As she had feared, De Sousa would stay behind with the two men guarding Jessy. Since their arrival last night, Cartana had seemingly gone to ground. He’d stay, too.

  Rebecca had wondered about having four men watch a single woman with a broken leg. Most likely, Oliveira wanted enough firepower to repel another attack. And for reasons of stealth, he probably wanted to enter the nest with limited numbers. It made sense. Maybe he’d even done the right thing by Jessy, too. Rebecca had noted how De Sousa had defied at least one order from Oliveira—the initial command to back down following the altercation involving her and Ed this morning—so maybe there was tension between the two she wasn’t privy to. Maybe Oliveira had secretly ordered someone to keep watch on De Sousa, just as she had urged. She hoped that was the case. Still, the thought of leaving Jessy and Priscilla alone, especially with Jessy in such a helpless state, didn’t sit comfortably. She’d urged Jessy to be vigilant, but there was little more she could do. Now, she had to focus on her own concerns.

  Gathered around the trapdoor, Oliveira’s men checked their weapons for the umpteenth time, boasting about what they would do if they should encounter any of the arachnids. Despite their bravado, Rebecca sensed they were uneasy.

  She stepped next to Oliveira and nodded towards the device in Asensi’s hand. “Will that work underground?”

  Oliveira nodded. “It is military hardware, high-powered, designed for this kind of work. We can track the signal via satellite. Once we lose line of sight with the sky, we’ll lose that reading, but the spread spectrum digital radio signal will kick in. The device also has an internal proximity detector. Not as accurate, perhaps only to within thirty yards, but adequate for the job.”

  “Good,” Rebecca said. “I need to stress again the importance of keeping quiet. Five people will make noise. Too much, and they’ll come for us. If they do sense us, they’ll probably call for assistance, might tap the walls of the nest like ants to warn others of encroaching enemies. Or they might give off some sort of chemical signal, an alarm pheromone. Either way, if we’re discovered, they’ll swarm, they’ll come in numbers. We need to be prepared.”

  “We will be.” Oliveira motioned with his weapon, calling for Asensi to enter the burrow.

  Rebecca stepped to the entrance and cut him off. With a deep breath, she said to Oliveira, “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to go first.”

  Oliveira eyed her suspiciously.

  “I need to,” Rebecca said. “Please, trust me.”

  “As soon as we exit, I want Asensi on point.”

  Rebecca nodded, thanking him and moving to the trapdoor. “Could you leave the lid open? I want some light to filter down.”

  Kneeling slowly, Rebecca stared at
the dark hole stretching into nothingness. She didn’t like guns but wished to God she had one now. She felt clammy. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, stung her eyes. “Boy, it’s hot in there.”

  You’re stalling. Get going. You can do this.

  But she found it hard to move. Her heartrate increased. It was happening again, just as she had feared.

  No…

  She sensed movement behind her: Oliveira stepping impatiently to the hole.

  JUST DO IT!

  “Grab my ankles,” she said to Luis, who was beside her. She leant forward and took a deep breath. Her heart pounded.

  Ducking headfirst, she squeezed into the burrow.

  She was in.

  Oh God…

  It was a tight fit, wider in girth than her shoulders, but only just. It was incredibly dark and smelled earthy, dank. Non-sticky silk lined the burrow’s narrow circumference. Luis held her feet, supporting her weight so she could manoeuvre fully inside.

  “Okay,” she said. Her voice sounded muffled. “I’m in. You can let go.”

  Rebecca pushed, sliding down to where the tunnel bent parallel with the forest floor. There was barely enough room to move; her arms were pressed up beneath her chest, her upper body just off the ground. So restricted, she had grave doubts as to whether she’d be able to propel herself along. How had Ed managed it, and with all his gear on?

  An image of the sentry dragging Enrique backwards through the tight space hit her with full force.

  She pushed it from her mind.

  Ahead, it was pitch-black, her body blocking the light from above. Rebecca slid the NVGs over her eyes and activated the IR illuminator. The burrow came into focus, shaded in green. Without delay, she pulled forward, her forearms and elbows taking the strain. To her surprise, she moved. She repeated the process and inched deeper, wriggling forward on her belly. She felt like a caterpillar burrowing into the earth.