by Melissa Jane
“Why does he target the outskirt villages?”
“In the 90’s, the Americans came in and started war with the people. Many of those who were pushed to the outskirts were of specific indigenous descent. They were making it within society. They were educated, worked and paid taxes. Then suddenly they were left without any work, income, shelter, or basic necessities for life. In short, they were forcibly removed from functioning society and for twenty years they have tried to create their own communities. El Leon is using their misfortune to help build his own business, whatever that may be.”
I knew everything he said to be truth. These people were targeted due to a genetic line back to a tribe that had existed for centuries. Twenty years ago, they were average civilians, working and functioning within the common world. Only the difference of the shape of their nose or tone of their skin setting them apart from others. Now they were outcasts. Everything they had tried so hard to build was demolished in a matter of weeks. It was hard to stomach that the government would allow it to happen. But they did. Big men in their offices with selfish agendas. That’s all it came down to. “How many more villages are here like this?”
Alec considered my question for a moment. “These were a cluster, so it was only natural they were all targeted. The others are further out. A good day’s drive between.”
“Do you think they will be hit?” Aiden asked, his mind racing.
Alec looked between us with some hope. “Not if you can do something about it.”
“What does this say?” I held a bullet shell out to Alec who carefully took it from my hand. We hadn’t noticed them in the last site only because the ground was so turned over from the rain. This time however, we found many in the outer perimeter. “Do you recognise the engraving?”
“Yes, it’s Spanish.” Alec squinted at the tiny writing through his glasses. “It says, ‘To Live In Victory’. They look expensive.”
“That’s because they are. They are custom made, courtesy of El Leon. He forces these people to work making his weapons and ammo just so that the same guns and bullets they make can be used to kill their neighbors.”
Anna
“Anna, what’s wrong?”
I had been cleaning the wounds of a woman Alec had found huddled in an outdoor toilet when Luiza joined me.
“Nothing,” I said quietly concentrating on the deep gash I knew would get severely infected without surgery. I could see bone and torn muscle.
“What happened in that house with Danny? You have been acting strange ever since he walked you out.”
“Pass me the antiseptic.” I ignored her questioning, knowing if I explained my paranoia to her she would make a big deal out of something that was possibly nothing.
“Don’t ignore me, Anna.” Luiza’s voice was growing panicked. I needed to be mindful that she was hyper-sensitive and that a full blown panic attack was lurking around the corner.
Placing the bloodied wash cloth in a bowl of now dirty cloudy water, I stared into her beautiful worried eyes and lied, “Luiza, I would tell you if I were worried. My mind is elsewhere because of everything that is happening. Now pass me the thread and needle so I can finish this wound.”
She did as I asked in amicable silence. Seemingly content with my brief explanation, she ran a hand tenderly across my cheek before walking to the water pump. Sighing heavily as I sewed the wound together, guilt niggled at my thoughts. Could I tell her that this was the second time I had seen this particular flower? I hadn’t let it bother me the first time. But now things had changed. That very same flower had been left at the end on my bed only a week ago and now it had suddenly appeared underneath a body axed to a wall. A shiver ran through me. Was it just a coincidence or was I being sent a warning?
Danny
That night we headed back to camp where the aid workers had set up base. It was the tiniest of places set back toward the coastline. Three small shacks dotted the perimeter while a makeshift shower and toilet sat further away near the trees. A communal kitchen was set up in the middle, which consisted of a large table and a portable grill top; only a roof, no walls.
“Well…” Aiden began, checking out our surroundings. “This is… underwhelming!”
“How long have they all been staying here?”
“Going on their third month, apparently.” There was amazement in his voice that people could handle living like this for so long. It really wasn’t much different to the gypsy communities… just without the slaughter.
We both stood in silence, only the random cluck of chickens rummaging through the grass breaking our thoughts.
“They surely are committed to the cause.”
Anna made her way over, her long dark hair now hanging loose, swaying as she walked. In the soft glow of the setting sun, she looked every bit the exotic beauty.
“So, the guys have offered their cabin,” she began nervously. “They will bunk up together. You’re in the end one and dinner will be in about an hour.”
“That’s very generous, thank you.” I saw a blush creep to her cheeks before she turned to leave. “Good god, there is a fucking god! Did you see, hey? Did you see that sparkle in her eyes?”
I couldn’t help but laugh as a disbelieving Aiden shook his head.
“She’s into you, that much is obvious.”
***
That night we sat around the table, a row of candles in the centre. We each had a small amount of red meat and some fresh vegetables on our plates. Since being in camp, the locals in the area, exempt from El Leon’s control, donated produce to the group in order to keep them going. Their presence in an otherwise traumatized country was well appreciated.
The conversation was staggered, the troupe tired from their day’s work. Eduardo and Samuel had still not returned and the stress of their whereabouts was clearly on everyone’s mind.
“So, where are you looking at?” Alec broke the silence through a mouthful of food.
“We want to check over the hills first and rule that area out completely if we can.” I said, watching as all eyes fell on me. “Ultimately, we want to find and destroy the factory. You know, hit him where it hurts, kind of deal.”
There were a few nods from around the table, people more happy to listen than talk. Anna watched, a look of high hope radiating from her dark eyes.
“So who sent you and why are there only two of you?” Alec seemed to be the spokesperson of the group.
“We are marines, but have been privately contracted to do this.”
“As for why there are only two of us,” Aiden interjected, “our government has already received its warning. We are not permitted to be here, therefore we need to remain undetected. Large numbers would make that exceedingly difficult.”
“Sounds like a death mission to me,” a small voice at the end of the table spoke for the first time since dinner. He was only a young man, early twenties, weedy looking with a concerned face.
“Yeah well, I guess in a way it is. As long as none of us get hurt.”
***
After dinner I remained behind to help Anna clean. As she scraped the scraps off the plates, I submerged them in the bucket of soapy water.
“It means a lot to everyone that you and Aiden are here. Makes them feel safer, like we can sleep at night.”
I glanced her way and saw her eyes twinkling in the candlelight.
“There will be times when we may not make it back to camp. It shouldn’t be cause for concern. Just that we have been caught up somewhere too far to make it back.”
“I understand. Doesn’t mean we won’t worry about you.” Her voice was sweet and full of sincerely. I smiled in gratitude, the blush from earlier returning to her cheeks. “Sometimes we don’t get home until close to midnight ourselves.”
I wanted so much to explain how I truly felt about the situation. That it was ridiculous she was here in the first place.
“It’s hard on your friend!” I started the topic on a light note.
; Anna paused for a moment, one hand holding a plate the other a tea towel, her gaze directed towards the cabin she shared with Luiza.
“It’s hard on everyone here,” she began, resuming her drying, “she’s just got a gentle heart; one softer than the rest of us.” Stacking the last plate, her mood changed in an instant as she turned to me. “Come on, I want to show you something.”
I watched as she hurried off ahead, before drying my hands and following her lead. Darkness engulfed us, but the glow of the moonlight lit a tiny path through the camp. In front, Anna’s beautiful mane flowed in the breeze, her face meeting mine every minute to check if I was still on her tail.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” her singsong voice making me smile.
We arrived at the shore, some ten minutes from camp. The waves were crashing a distance out, the soothing sound and salty air unwinding some pent up tension.
“We have to go down there,” Anna said, pointing down past the rocks to the sand.
“Anything you say, ma’am.”
A huge megawatt smile pulled her lips, shiny white teeth reflecting the moon. Fuck she was beautiful!
While navigating the huge boulders, Anna took my hand to help her slide down the tricky ones. Once at the bottom, she looked to me with ill-disguised excitement. “Now we wait.”
Still holding my hand we took our seat on the closest boulder. With the full moon above and reflecting off the ocean, it truly was the most picturesque scene.
Anna sat with her head tilted back, eyes closed, her hair falling over her shoulders. I guess this was the place she frequented to forget about the horrors of war.
Moments later, she focused her attention back on the sand, her hand gripping my arm with joy. “Look, there they are!” She said pointing.
And there they were.
Hundreds of tiny little hermit crabs scurried across the sand in a tight pack. Even in the darkness, their shells shining in the moonlight, it looked like the ground was moving.
“There are so many!” I said, amazed at the beauty of it. Between the sounds of the waves crashing, you could hear the clicking of their legs as they moved in sync.
“I know. Isn’t it crazy!” She exclaimed. “They moved like this all night, going back and forth, just like the ocean really. They even dodge the water, curving around the reach of the waves.”
We sat mesmerized as these little creatures who had their own nightly battles to fight, made their way from one end of the shore to the other, sometimes stopping, sometimes losing a few.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” Anna met my gaze, her eyes softening.
“It’s my pleasure. I can see you are a good man, Danny. You are exactly what we all need.”
Danny
“So if we go by history, El Leon is set for another attack in less than four days.” The next day, after following the aid workers back to site four, Aiden and I set about making a game plan, our large map open on the hood of the truck.
“How do we know he won’t do it sooner, if at all?” Aiden’s question was valid.
“We don’t. I am only taking a stab based on behavior patterns that this is what he has planned. And if I were a gambling man, I would…” I placed a quarter over a spot on the map. “guess that this is where he would be attacking next.”
“Depending on the terrain, we could get there within twenty-four hours.”
“Correct.”
“So if all these villages are so close together, where does he go after each attack? Is he a local? Could he be watching and waiting?”
I wasn’t going to pretend that the thought hadn’t crossed my mind. Other than, ‘ghost eyes’, we really had nothing to go on. The notion that he could be watching our every move wasn’t sitting comfortably with me.
“We need to find out what that flower means.” Even after all I had seen, the mystery behind that flower was still eating away at me.
“You think it has something to do with the murders?”
“Don’t you?”
Aiden shrugged his shoulders. “Possibly. I mean it does seem rather strange that it was there in the first place.”
“If we can find out its origins we might just find some answers.”
“What about them?” Aiden inclined his head to where Anna and Luiza were attending to a woman who could barely stand.
“I know they are here to help, but I think they have unwillingly entered into a dangerous game, I just haven’t quite figured out the connection yet.”
***
“We’re leaving.”
Anna nodded slightly, “Ok. Do you know how long you will be?”
I was leaning against the hood of the car, the heat of the morning sun already scorching. Anna was biting her lip, an act of nerves, anxiety, I wasn’t sure, but she didn’t look happy.
“It’s hard to say. We are crossing some difficult terrain which could set us back a bit.” In all honesty, I didn’t want to leave at all. I knew I had a job to do, but I also had a gut feeling that wasn’t sitting too well. I simply didn’t want to leave these people alone.
“Here,” Anna said reaching into her pocket and retrieving a small photo. “This is all of the aid workers, Eduardo is the tallest one on the right and Sam is the blonde. Take it with you just in case.”
Taking the image, I studied the faces before putting it into my shirt pocket. “Thank you. Here is our SAT number. If anything happens that you think I should know about, just call. You don’t second guess, you just do it, ok!”
She nodded again, clutching the small piece of paper in her hand.
“Anna?”
“Yes?” She was so quiet, unlike the girl I had met a few days ago.
Closing the space between us, my hands came to rest on her shoulders.
“You can’t take the weight of the world on these tiny shoulders of yours. Do what you do best and leave the worrying to Aiden and I.”
Anna looked to the muddy tire tracks before throwing me a sweet smile. “Someone needs to worry while you’re gone.”
“I tell you what, when I get back, you can take me back down to the beach and tell me all about how you were worried about me.”
She threw her head back in laughter, a glimmer of joy shining from her beautiful eyes.
Anna
That night, I didn’t sleep. I was concerned for a man I had only known for a few days and worried about the futures of everyone unfortunate enough to be in the path of destruction. I could hear Luiza breathing heavily next me and I was grateful that she was getting some rest, but no matter how hard I tried, sleep just would not greet me. A chill had crept its way into the air and was filtering through my slightly ajar window.
Sitting up in bed, I wrapped my woollen blanket around my shoulders. It had been a parting gift from my parents. When I had boarded that plane, they had no idea what I was flying into. None of us did.
Creeping past Luiza, I slid my boots on at the door before easing it open, avoiding the creaks as best I could. The moon was still full, its faint silver glow caressing my surroundings. Suddenly everything seemed so at peace. All the lights in the cabins were off, everyone tucked in for the night after an exhausting and particularly rough day.
Taking my usual track to the beach just didn’t feel right.
For the last few nights I had walked it with Danny, his infectious banter enlivening my slowly dying spirit.
But tonight was different.
Tonight, as I walked through the dense trees, a chill traveled down my spine. One that wasn’t due to the cold. Suddenly, the space seemed to close in around me, every twig snap, the cooing of the owls and flitter of insects heightening my sense of unease. With a pounding heart, I stopped in my tracks to study my surroundings. A gentle breeze blew through the passage way, my loose hair tingling my skin, my senses on high alert. I was greeted by thick trees, heavy shrubbery and darkness. Yet it felt like everything around me had eyes, watching, haunting.
Quickening my
step, I ran the rest of the way until I entered out onto the rocks and was hit with a feeling of immediate relief. Perched high up staring out at the ominous ocean, I sucked in a deep breath of salty air, inwardly chiding myself for allowing paranoia to get the better of me. I was starting to grow more frightened in this place. A part of me didn’t believe it possible. Yet here I was, completely unable to sleep, terrified over the symbology of one stupid flower.
A scent incongruous to my setting filled my nostrils, bringing me back to my ever-present danger. Spinning around, I squinted through the darkness for any evidence that I wasn’t alone. We were camped virtually in the middle of nowhere, yet someone had to be wearing that cologne.
“Hello? Alec?” I called into the night.
No response.
“Is someone here?”
I waited. Still nothing.
Wrapping my blanket tighter around my shoulders, my body involuntarily shuddered. There was no other way back to camp. I had to pass through the dense trees, yet my mind was screaming at me not to.
Watching for the slightest movement, honing my hearing to pick up any sound, I waited, willing my confidence to make a hasty return. I knew I couldn’t stay out here any longer. My visits to the beach would be limited to only when Danny could be with me. I no longer felt safe. I no longer felt like I was out of harm’s way. Perhaps my imagination was running wild, but I knew I would be playing the fool to be flippant.
Bracing myself, I took off at a sprint back through the trees, tears of fear springing to my eyes. For a moment I thought I could hear footsteps behind me, crunching on the fallen leaves and debris. I couldn’t turn around, my body refusing to stop until I made it out of the trees. My heart pounded painfully against my ribs and only when I saw the opening to the clearing did I feel a sense of hope. Making it back through safely, I continued running until I reached the cabin. I spun around hoping to catch sight of my pursuer, the moonlight illuminating the grounds around me.
