by Brooks, Tori
They made it to the first night’s camp site not much later than expected, but they stayed up so late talking that they were late to leave it the next morning. The second night everyone was tired and to Dev it seemed obvious their guides were relieved to get them in their tents before midnight.
Dev woke with a start the next morning. It felt early but he heard people moving around outside and thought with embarrassment that he must have overslept. He didn’t see how Jess would let him. Slipping out of his sleeping bag, he saw Bryan and Brenda were still sound asleep in the sleeping bags beside him.
Jess and Kenny were in another tent. Supposedly it just the two of them in a tent designed to sleep four. Dev was fairly certain Imogen and Paige were with them, leaving Macy with her tent to herself. That or she had either Jess or Kenny sleeping over with one of her roommates and was trying to ignore them all night. At least Bryan and Bren had been together long enough not to subject Dev to the embarrassment of listening to them getting it on.
Shuffling footsteps outside his tent as he quietly dressed drew his attention. The footsteps seemed to end at the door frame to the permanent canvas tent, but didn’t knock on the wooden door. Confused, Dev hurried to finish dressing and slipped his boots on. He quietly opened the door and stepped out.
The cold barrel of a rifle immediately touched his cheek.
“Stand up slowly, keep your hands where I can see them.” The deep voice sounded almost German to Dev as he complied. A Dutch accent he decided after a moment, not uncommon in parts of Africa. He silently examined the man in front of him. Dark skin blended with his worn attire, a combination of pieces from a couple of different military uniforms. He had a rank on his collar that Dev didn’t recognize, but it didn’t matter; the gun in his hands was more important.
Dev started to open his mouth to ask what he wanted, but the man shook his head in warning.
“No talking. Walk.” He motioned Dev past the tents to where the trail led up the mountain. Kenny already knelt on the ground, with his hands folded behind his head, looking miserable. The soldier prodded Dev to kneel beside Kenny.
Standing where he was told, Dev looked around briefly before kneeling quietly with his hands behind his head like Kenny. There were six soldiers he could see. Four hovering in front of the tents, another behind Dev and Kenny, and one more walking around with an arrogant gait. He guessed the latter was in charge.
They didn’t kill them outright, so surely they just wanted money. They’d go through their bags; take the cash, traveler’s checks, credit cards, anything of value; then leave them. Each had a rifle and a sidearm. A couple had shotguns as well. There was more than enough firepower to wipe out the camp first and search for valuables later, but they didn’t. The thought calmed Dev, and he exhaled deeply.
Dev waited with more patience than his captors. After several minutes passed, a pair of the soldiers entered the tent that Jess was in, still asleep with Imogen and Paige. A couple of shrieks of surprise and some barked orders preceded the appearance of Jess and the girls. Bryan, Brenda, and Macy followed almost immediately.
Jess knelt on Dev’s other side, then Bryan beside him. The girls knelt across the trail from them, and Dev had the uncomfortable experience of facing Brenda’s terrified face. Macy knelt to her left, opposite Jess. She looked pale and wide-eyed as well.
Dev tried to follow the movement of the soldiers. One was still behind him, maybe two. The leader stood between his two lines of captives near Bryan, and the others were rifling through the tents.
Be patient and stay calm, Dev told himself repeatedly. The air had an early-morning chill to it, and his lungs ached with every breath. He closed his eyes and tried some relaxation exercises Flynn taught him once. It might have worked, but remembering the source flared a familiar hatred in him. He opened his eyes again.
One of the guards walked back toward them, their passports in his hand and a smile on his face. Beside him, Kenny groaned and hung his head. Dev tore his attention from the passports and what it meant to Kenny, but couldn’t get his attention.
The leader took the passports and leafed through them, speaking quietly with the soldier who found them. Walking between Dev and the girls, he looked at the passport photos then each of them in turn, putting names with their faces.
“You will confirm your identity for the camera when I call your name,” the leader said in a crisp voice laced with a French accent. It startled Dev, he expected Swahili or Zulu undertones, or Dutch like the other soldier. Until that moment, he didn’t appreciate how quietly and smoothly the taking of their camp had gone. These men were efficient, and moved with a purpose. Dev had a sinking feeling they weren’t going to take their cash and leave.
“Kenneth Wright?” He stood in front of Kenny, a soldier with a camcorder beside him focused on Kenny’s face.
Kenny nodded.
“Answer me!”
“Yes, I’m Kenny Wright,” he answered clearly, his voice breaking.
The leader nodded and stepped in front of Dev. He looked up to meet the man’s gaze, ignoring the camera.
“Devin Giles?”
“Yes,” Dev answered softly.
“Louder.”
He glared at the man behind the rifle. Another soldier was by the leader in an instant, hand raised to strike Dev, but their leader raised a hand and the blow never fell.
“No marks. We are not animals and they will be kept in good condition. I want their faces recognizable. Repeat your name louder.”
“I’m Dev Giles,” Dev said louder.
Dev understood then, they were to be ransomed. He nodded to himself in recognition of the fact, and let his eyes fall to the ground in front of him as the leader moved on.
“Jessan Baxter?”
“I’m Jess Baxter.”
Dev heard Jess’s voice beside him, dull and dead. Dev looked up at him quickly. Jess stared at the dusty black pants and boots in front of him, not blinking when the man in charge moved to stand in front of Bryan.
“Bryan Trino?”
“Yes, I’m Bryan Trino.”
Jess let his eyes fall closed at the sound of Bryan’s soft voice. He looked pale and defeated. It worried Dev.
“Gentlemen,” the leader turned to face the four of them, “I am General Marza. You are in my custody until donations to our liberation cause arrive. If you behave, no harm will come to you.”
“And the girls? The guides?” Jess asked, still looking at the ground in front of him. The soldier behind him put his foot between Jess’s shoulders and pushed him to the ground, holding him there.
“You do not speak unless spoken to,” the soldier ordered.
“He was speaking to us,” Jess protested.
“Quiet, Jess,” Dev told him. He didn’t want the general to think Jess was a smart ass. He wondered about the girls not being carefully identified as well. Dev looked up and met the man’s eyes, willing him to answer the question.
“They’re not your concern,” General Marza answered.
Dev’s eyes darted to Macy.
“Brenda’s my wife,” Bryan responded as calmly as he might have to Jess or Dev when mediating their squabbles. “I’m concerned.”
The General turned to survey the girls. “Which one?”
Brenda slowly raised her hand, not meeting his gaze. He studied her for a moment.
“Fine. Go kneel by your husband.”
Brenda hesitated, looking to Bryan, General Marza, and the armed guard standing over Jess.
“Go now.”
Brenda stood, walked unsteadily to Bryan and knelt beside him. She leaned against him and he let a hand fall to wrap around her, leaving the other on his head like the others.
General Marza nodded to the guards behind the girls. One pulled Paige roughly to her feet.
“Wait!” Dev looked up to General Marza, flinching as a guard started toward him.
“Where are you taking them? They’re with us.”
“They’re not your
concern.”
“I’ll pay their ransom,” Dev’s eyes darted to Macy then back to the general. “Donations,” Dev corrected himself.
Marza seemed to consider Dev’s offer. He surveyed the girls thoughtfully, then his men. “As welcome as the additional contributions would be, I have a more important use for them.”
The soldier holding Paige’s upper arm gave a light grunt of approval. Dev looked up at the guard that approached him. He was waiting to take a cue from the general and paid Dev only the barest attention. Kenny knelt between them. Three guards struggled with the girls, all now crying and trying to collapse to the ground. The one hovering over Jess was off balance, one foot resting loosely on Jess’s back, and facing the General. His sidearm was almost within Dev’s reach.
Dev’s body seemed to move of its own accord, he didn’t recall making a decision. Dev nudged Kenny toward the guard now almost to him, and lunged for the guard over Jess. Pulling a handgun from the holster as he pushed the guard into the general, Dev rose to his feet. He aimed at the head of the guard Kenny was now throwing himself against and fired. It wasn’t until later Dev realized he’d assumed the man had a Kevlar vest on. Spinning to face the general, Dev shot him twice in the head before he could react, then the soldier wrestling with Jess beside him as Bryan pulled Brenda out of the way.
A bullet grazed Dev’s shoulder as he brought the gun to bear on the guards across from him. Each held one of the girls in front of him, and had handguns raised and trained on Dev. A shot sounded on his right, and the middle guard dropped. Macy, to the left, struggled, keeping the man holding her from being able to aim. Another shot fired from Dev’s left, and Imogen screamed and fell to the ground as she was suddenly released. Another shot from Dev’s right dropped the man holding Macy.
Lowering his gun, Dev turned to look to Kenny, stunned that he’d helped. It wasn’t Kenny to his right though, it was an AK-47. His eyes followed the arms holding it to a soldier in camouflage fatigues and a red beret.
Dev hit the ground as someone tackled him from behind, and he noticed Kenny lying beside him staring back with wide blue-green eyes.
“I think the army’s here,” Kenny said as another shot rang out.
“That’s special. Which one?”
Dev flinched as one of the new soldiers fired a round into the body lying beside Kenny. An anchoring shot he thought it was called, to make sure the enemy wasn’t playing dead. The cliché ‘the enemy of your enemy is your friend’ flitted through his mind, but Dev never believed that. They could be a rival faction, there was no guarantee their situation had improved.
The body kneeling over Dev stood and he heard the hard constants of the native language. “Kupata na.”
In theory he was speaking Swahili, but Dev wasn’t completely sure. From what he understood, it was partially Arabic in origin, but it didn’t sound like it to him. Kenny told Dev once that he had an ear for language. Clearly not this one.
“Siwezi kusema Kiswahili,” Dev answered. I can’t speak Swahili. Dev didn’t even worry about his pronunciation of the words. If he got it wrong, it just emphasized the point.
“What?” Kenny looked at the soldier, rising to his knees and offering Dev a hand.
“Mumba, kuja kuzungumza na Wamarekani kwa,” the soldier behind Dev beckoned to another.
Dev stood and looked around. Macy was sitting on the ground crying. A soldier squatted beside her, trying to offer her a canteen.
“Dev?” He heard Kenny call as he got up and walked over to Macy. He waved Kenny off.
The soldier stood and Dev stepped into his place. He extended a hand to Macy, intent on helping her up, but she just looked up at him. She was shaking. Dev squatted in front of her.
“Macy?”
A tear ran down her cheek. He reached over and wiped the tear away, leaving a dirty smudge in its place. Her hair was mussed and tangled, her face had a light sheen of dust on it, and her clothes were filthy. She looked fragile. Dev reached out and took her hands. Standing, he pulled her to her feet and into his arms.
“Americans, I am Lieutenant Mumba of the Tanzania People’s Defense Force,” one of the new soldiers announced. Dev turned slightly so he could see the man, keeping Macy in his arms. “You are safe. We will escort you down the mountain to Moshi, then fly you to Dodoma.
“Kiraka juu ya mkono wake.” Mumba motioned a soldier with a medic kit toward Dev then faced him directly. “You and I will talk while Panja sees to your wound,” Mumba addressed Dev then turned to the others. “The rest of you will have some time to gather your belongings.”
“Our guide, the porters ...” Jess faltered in his statement.
“We’ll see to their bodies. Go.”
Dev’s shot was a minor wound and quickly cleaned and dressed. Macy clung to him the entire time and didn’t speak when the lieutenant questioned them. Mumba moved away, leaving Macy and Dev quietly embraced to get statements from the others. Bryan and Brenda packed Dev and Macy’s bags. With the exception of answering Mumba’s questions, everyone was grimly silent.
The TPDF was patient, and it was nearly two hours before they started the hike back down the mountain. They walked at a funereal pace and large military tents were already set up and dinner prepared when they arrived at the next camp site. Dinner was almost as quiet as the day’s hike, only the soldiers’ unintelligible banter competed with the crinkle of plastic pouches as they ate military rations.
Shock and emotional exhaustion made even Jess acknowledge he was sleeping alone. Paige, Imogen, and Macy took one tent, with Kenny, Jess and Dev in another, leaving a third for Bryan and Brenda to have some privacy. There wasn’t debate or discussion over the matter, it was as quietly assumed as everything else. As if the morning’s drama left no words remaining to be said.
○ ○ ○
Crawling into her sleeping bag earlier than she’d been to bed in weeks, Macy lay awake staring at the ceiling of the tent. Tiny pinprick holes scattered across the canvas let in faint traces of moonlight, something she knew she’d find entrancing another time. Right now, Macy was too shaken over the day’s events to find pleasure in anything. Paige and Imogen both stirred restlessly, the thin foam padding of their mattresses muffling the sound.
Paige was near tears all day and Imogen was shell shocked. Or something like that. Macy didn’t know the right term, only that when she looked in her roommate’s eyes, she looked dead inside. No emotion, no life, just an automaton going through preprogrammed motions.
Thinking of programming automatons brought Dev to mind. He offered to pay their ransom. Macy wasn’t an idiot, she saw the way the soldiers were looking at her and her friends and had no delusions about why they weren’t being ransomed. She didn’t expect Dev to offer to pay for them; it was sweet of him. Nice. He was a genuinely nice guy. She suspected that before. His offer, without any hesitation, just proved it.
Her ex, Peter, was a nice guy. Her dad pointed it out regularly. And he was successful. A nice man who adored her, a man with a future. Dad liked Peter, and Peter liked Andy Dennison. The thing was, pleasing Macy’s father wasn’t enough for either of them to make it work. They were only going through the motions, just like Imogen was today.
Like Dev?
Macy wasn’t sure whether taking a gun from a soldier and shooting the general was something Dev planned to do or if he just reacted without thinking. She can’t imagine he planned it. It was suicidal. If he just reacted though, it meant – what? That he felt obligated to protect them? He and his friends were safe. Dev risked his life, and maybe even his friends’ lives as well, in a losing gamble to save Macy and her roommates. If the army hadn’t shown up, she was sure the last three soldiers would have killed Dev at least.
And afterward, he came to her. Before he even looked at the bloody wound on his own arm, Dev came and pulled her to her feet. He held her while she cried, not saying a word, no promises it would be okay that he couldn’t keep. He just held her.
Macy watched t
hrough watery eyes as the medic cut away Dev’s shirt and disinfected the wound. He flinched, but he didn’t let go of her. It had to hurt, yet Dev didn’t make a sound.
A sentry passed outside the tent, making Macy’s stomach clench in fear. She forced herself to relax, squeezing her eyes closed and concentrating. They were safe. Lieutenant Mumba said so. They were on their way home, with a military escort. The revolutionaries, or whatever the hell they were, were dead and gone and wouldn’t come after them again.
The problem was, Macy didn’t really feel safe. One army took another’s prize. Great, they were pawns in some power struggle. Would General Marza’s men come after them again to try to get their prisoners back? Or for revenge? Dev killed the general. Was he their leader, or following orders from higher up? Macy suspected he was their leader. Did it end with him or was there a second in command? And how did the new head honcho feel about Dev?
Without quite knowing what she was doing, Macy climbed out of her sleeping bag and slipped on her boots, not bothering to tie them.
“Where are you going?” Paige whispered, tears still in her voice. Macy should stay, be there for Paige even if Imogen was too far gone to notice. She couldn’t.
“I need to talk to Dev. Soldiers are walking around, don’t worry. Hopefully I won’t be long.”
“Yeah,” Paige didn’t hide her doubt. Normally Macy would call her on it, but she needed to see Dev. She didn’t even realize that was her goal until she said it, but it was true regardless.
Leaving the tent, Macy waved to a surprised guard and walked to the tent the boys shared. Opening the door, Macy discovered it was too dark to make out which of the three forms was Dev.
“Macy?”
