Chapter 2
After moving as quietly as possible for five hours, Prince held up his hand for everyone to stop. He motioned everyone over to him and passed around a canteen. “Don’t worry,” he told the three as they eyed the canteen, “this water has been treated.”
Casey grabbed the canteen and took a long drink. She thought she had never tasted something so good in her life. Djang put her hand on Casey’s shoulder.
“Don’t drink a lot, or you will make yourself sick, and we have a long way to go,” Djang said.
Casey nodded her head and passed on the canteen. She looked at Djang, asking, “Where did you guys get the guns from?”
“One thing you learn in this country ‘always carry a gun.’ We just put them in our pack, but Prince has a pistol in a holster in the small of his back all the time. This is not America; there are no police in the jungle and few in the cities,” she replied with frustration.
“I’m sorry. I did not mean to be rude,” said Casey.
“You were not being rude. You were just implying that you are used to someone else protecting you,” Djang replied. “You must be ready to protect yourself in this world and count on very few others to do it for you.”
“What are we going to do?” Manny asked, looking around at the jungle in the moonlight.
“Djang and I are going to get you three to the airport. Then on a plane in Brazzaville,” Prince stated as a matter of fact.
After everyone drank some water, they started off once again through the jungle. Prince’s hands were holding the AK like an extension of his body, always looking ahead into the jungle. Manny just watched him in awe. How could someone so big move with such grace?
In dawn’s first light, they were topping a ridge overlooking a valley. A couple miles to the south, they could see a village. Something was wrong with the sight. No smoke was rising from it. Prince just stood staring at it. Concern etched on his face.
“What is wrong?” Ellen asked.
“Something has happened to that village,” he replied.
“But we have to go through that village to get out of here, don’t we? I mean, we came through it on the way here, right?” she asked.
“No, we will go around it through the jungle,” he replied.
“There are no trails through the jungle. We could get lost,” cried Manny.
“That is a chance we will have to take: if we go through the village, we could die,” Prince said. “I would rather take a chance of getting lost than dying.”
“Stay close to each other because it will be easy to get separated in the jungle,” Djang stated to everyone.
Prince turned and walked toward the jungle, pulling out his machete, with the others close to his heels. Birds in the trees were making all kinds of racket. It seemed impossible to move here. Bushes and vines grabbed at them, pulling at their legs, arms, and clothes. Each step took determination just to move forward.
At 10 a.m. they had reached the other side of the valley. All were covered in scratches and gasping for breath as they stepped back onto the trail. Ellen, Casey, and Manny collapsed on the trail. Prince and Djang both squatted in the middle of the trail, pulling off their packs and pulling out MREs.
“Come close. We must eat a little and be off again. We still have about four hours left before we get to the vehicles,” Prince informed the little trio.
They split four MRE’s between them and drank some water. Manny did not think he could move anymore, much less four more hours at this pace. Then he remembered the screams, and he knew he would walk until he died. He looked over at Ellen as she finished eating. Manny wanted to go over and put his arm around Ellen as she sat there with her knees pulled up to her chest, rocking back and forth. What had she seen when she turned around and looked back at the village? Then he decided he did not want to know and just stayed where he was.
Ellen saw Manny watching her again. Why didn’t he come over to her and try to comfort her? Was he that shallow, or was he just scared of her? Right now she did not really care. Ellen just wanted out of this damn jungle and off the stupid continent. All she wanted to do was to help others have a better life, and what did she get for it? People being killed around her, and the one guy with her took off running like a bolt of lightning when it got bad.
Prince stood up. “We must keep going. I don’t want to get caught out here in the dark again,” he said as he was putting his backpack on and checking his weapons. Djang was doing the same.
The trio stood and stretched out muscles while Prince and Djang prepped to move. When Prince started down the trail, they set off in single file after him.
Chapter 3
As they came out of the jungle to a clearing that they had been dropped off in four weeks earlier, they stopped in the tree line. They could see three Range Rovers in the clearing on the opposite side of the road in a line, but not the forest rangers who drove them. Casey started out into the clearing, but Prince put his arm on her chest, motioning her down.
“What’s wrong?” asked Casey. “The trucks are right there. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Something is not right here. There is no sound from the jungle, and I don’t see the rangers around. You just don’t leave trucks around here,” Prince told her.
Ellen cocked her head to the side to listen. There were no birds or insects making any noise. Ellen had never heard the jungle so quiet, and fear started building in her stomach. She looked at the trucks in the afternoon light. Something was definitely wrong here. She could feel it. The trucks were only fifty yards away. They were so close to freedom, but the trucks seemed on the other side of the world. Prince motioned for everyone to gather around him.
“We will move to the trucks together. Go for the closest one; you three stay in between me and Djang. If anything happens, just get in the back of the truck. Djang, you drive. If there are no keys, then hotwire it,” Prince said looking around. “Do not run or get in front of us now. Something is very wrong here, okay?”
Each person looked at Prince, nodding in agreement. As they moved to get in line, a soft breeze blew into the jungle, and they smelled it. Death, the same smell from the village. Everyone froze looking at Prince.
“I know,” he whispered, “they are here, but we need to get out of here. Let’s go.”
Prince led the group out of the jungle to the Range Rover at the rear of the line. He felt like eyes were everywhere looking at him. As they crossed the road, they could see blood on the ground around each vehicle. The passenger window of the first truck was broken out. The smell was getting stronger, and it was actually getting harder to breathe with the smell.
As Prince reached the truck, he opened the back passenger door and motioned for the three to get in. Ellen passed him by, crawling in, followed by Casey and Manny. Djang went to the passenger door and looked in. No keys were in the ignition. She crawled under the dash to get to work. Prince remained crouched outside the truck with his gun sweeping the area.
A scream erupted from the backseat. Prince stood up, turning toward the sound. A blue person was grabbing for Casey from the back cargo area. Damn it, he thought, why didn’t they look in there before they jumped in? Well, they did just what he told them to. Only he was to blame here.
It looked like at one time the person that Casey was fighting had been a ranger, but he was covered in dried blood, and he was bluish gray. The ranger was trying to bite Casey as she was fighting him off. Ellen was trying to help her by hitting the man in the face as fast as she could. Manny was trying to pull Casey back.
Prince raised his AK to his shoulder and fired a shot into the man’s chest. All it did was knock him back into the cargo area. The trio were shocked by the gunshot and just looked at Prince. The back passenger window on the driver’s side exploded in on Ellen as a man in coveralls grabbed at her, trying to pull her out the window. Ellen started to swing with everything she had, hitting him in the face as he was trying to grab her. He was biting in the air ev
ery time her hand came close to his head.
Djang climbed out of the floorboard, opened the driver’s door, and kicked the man in the coveralls away. She reached back inside for her AK when she felt a hand grab her shoulder from behind her. She kicked back with her foot and felt something give. As she turned, she looked at Aristide. His face was bluish gray, and he was missing an arm, but here he was standing in front of her.
“Aristide,” she said. Aristide opened his mouth and lunged for her. She brought the stock of the AK up and hit him in the head, knocking him to the ground. Then she heard a scream to her left that made her heart stop. The man in the coveralls had gotten back up and pulled Ellen’s body half-way out of the window by her right arm and took a bite out of her forearm. Blood sprayed the man’s face as he stood up with his mouth full of flesh. Djang raised her rifle, lining up on the man’s head, and pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed into the man’s forehead, blowing out the back of his skull. He dropped like a switch had been turned off.
As Djang leaned over to check on Ellen, she felt fire in her left calf. She turned, looking down, and screamed. Aristide was biting her leg. She kicked with her other leg, trying to get him off while trying to get her rifle down. As her right boot hit Aristide’s shoulder, she knocked him off, tearing a large piece of her calf off in his mouth.
Prince ran around the front of the truck leveling his rifle. He shot Aristide twice in the back, knocking him down flat as he was getting up on his hand and knees. Prince ripped off his shirt and placed it on Djang’s leg. Just as he tied it off, he felt something grab his leg. He looked down, not believing what he’d seen. Aristide had grabbed his foot and was trying to bite it. He reached to the small of his back for his pistol as he kicked Aristide away from his foot and lined up the sights with the back of Aristide’s head, pulling the trigger. Aristide’s head exploded, and the body lay motionless in the dirt. Prince heard screaming and yelling from inside the truck. He looked and saw the ranger he’d just shot through the heart clawing at Casey and Manny.
Prince raised the pistol and shot the ranger through the right eye, blowing out the back of his head and the rear window. He looked around and did not see anyone. Prince helped Djang into the driver seat and closed the door. Walking around to the rear, he opened the rear door with his pistol raised. The ranger rolled out and hit the dirt and did not move. Prince saw keys clipped to his belt, and he bent down, pulling them off. Yep, one was a Range Rover key. He walked back to the driver’s side door, giving the keys to Djang.
“See if these are the right keys,” he told her. Then he walked to Ellen, who was holding her arm where the man had bit her.
“Manny, give me your shirt, fast,” he said. Manny took off his shirt, giving it to him. Prince tied the shirt around Ellen’s forearm, and the bleeding stopped. He then looked at Manny and Casey; they were both covered in claw marks from the ranger, with several still bleeding.
“Prince, get your ass in here now,” Djang yelled. She was looking back across the road. Prince followed her gaze, and his blood froze. Where they had come out of the jungle, thirty to forty blue-colored people were staggering toward them. Then several broke into a run that was much faster than a person should be capable of. Prince ran around the front of the truck as Djang started it up. Just as he slammed his door, she popped the clutch and sped off down the road.
Chapter 4
They sped off down the road leaving a trail of dust. Manny, sitting against the door looking at the world pass them by, was thinking about what had happened so far. This only confirmed for him that this was the biggest mistake he had made in his life. If he ever made it back to America, he would never leave again. The scratches along his neck and face were burning like fire. Ellen was whimpering off to the side, and Casey was holding her, trying to comfort her without success. They were still a couple of hours outside of Brazzaville. They had stopped a short while ago and filled the gas tank with the gas cans that were stored on top of the truck. Prince took over driving, helping Djang into the passenger seat. Prince looked up into the rearview mirror at the trio.
“When we get to the airport, do not tell them we were attacked by people, tell them the scratches came from the jungle and Ellen and Djang were bitten by monkeys. Ellen was bitten first, and Djang was bitten when she kicked it off,” he said. Manny could not believe what he had just heard.
“You want us to lie and not tell them those stupid-ass people attacked us!” Manny cried.
“Yes, think about it. Those people were infected with something, and the authorities could hold us here until they feel like letting us go. We have went through several villages and have not seen anyone,” Prince stated.
“Okay,” replied Manny, “but this country is screwed up.” It did not feel right not telling them, but if those people were infected with something, he wanted to be in a hospital stateside. Not in this Mickey Mouse land. Djang was blowing through the pain, sitting in the front seat. Prince looked over at her.
“You will have to put on a brave face when we get to Brazzaville, Djang,” he told her.
She looked at him and smiled. “Don’t worry, I will. What was that back there? You and I have fought all over Africa and have never seen anything like that. Why are they painted blue?”
“All I know is that ranger and Aristide should have been dead before I shot them, but they still kept attacking us. Each had wounds on them that they should have died from, but they still kept trying to attack us. And they were not painted blue; that was the color of their skin.”
“What the hell do you mean, trying to attack us? They were attacking us, Prince,” Casey yelled.
“Yes, Casey, I know, but it just does not make any sense why they would keep coming after I shot one of them,” Prince said.
Manny looked at Prince in the rearview mirror and said, “You act like you are coming with us, Prince.”
Prince replied, “We met up with you three in Paris, and that’s where I’m taking you to. Your college paid us to keep you safe while you are in Africa, and I will see you out of Africa.”
They rode in silence until they reached the outskirts of Brazzaville. In the slums on the outskirts of the city, they saw the first people. Just sitting in doorways and walking around. Up ahead, they saw army trucks blocking the road.
Prince said to all of them, “Let me do the talking.”
As he pulled up, a soldier walked to his window and shined a flashlight in on the occupants.
“How are you doing tonight, sir?” Prince asked in French.
“Where are you coming from?” the soldier asked.
“Outside of the village of Kinkala, setting up a water well for a village there. We heard some gunshots and the rangers there said to get in the trucks and get the Americans out before they got hurt. He said the last thing we needed was for America to be mad at us if something happened to some college kids that come to help us,” Prince told him.
“Yes, he is right,” the soldier replied. “The last thing we need is for some Americans to get hurt here.”
“Well, one got bit by a monkey when we stopped to fill up the tank,” Prince said.
“Damn, is she all right?” said the soldier. “We can get a medic here.”
“That’s all right. She is okay for now. We are on the way to the airport. The rangers called ahead to have a plane ready to get them out of the country.”
A look of relief filled the soldier’s face as he replied, “Well, hurry and get them on the plane before something happens to them.”
“I am,” replied Prince. “What the hell is happening out there?”
“Some rebels are attacking people in the countryside. The army is mobilizing to move out in the morning to fight them,” the soldier replied as he motioned for someone to move one of the trucks blocking the road. “Hurry and get them on the plane now before something happens. Do you want us to escort you?”
“No,” replied Prince. “I don’t want you to get in trouble for leaving your pos
t. I will get them there.”
Prince pulled forward and drove off down the road. Driving through town, they noticed lots of military vehicles everywhere. As Prince pulled up to the airport entrance, a guard stopped them and approached the truck.
“Are you the one bringing the Americans?” the guard asked.
“How did you know that?” Prince asked.
“One of the checkpoints called in with a report. Well, are you?” the guard asked.
“Yes, these are the American college students,” Prince told him.
“Drive straight to runway number two. The plane is there waiting for you. The passengers have already boarded. Do not drive anywhere else, okay. Make sure you have your passports ready,” the guard told them as he waved them through.
Manny gasped, “Our passports! You made us leave our packs.”
Prince looked at him, replying, “If you remember, I made each of you give me your passports when we left the airport when we got here, and I have your passports. I have had too many clients lose their passports before, so I keep up with them.” Manny let out a long puff of air.
“Thank you, Prince, for everything,” Manny said.
“Don’t think anything of it. You were here to help my country. It was my pleasure, but now everyone put on a strong face. We are at the plane,” he said as he pulled up to the plane.
Manny got out, walked around the truck, and helped Ellen get out. He put his arm around her, pulling her close to him. The customs agent approached them. “Passports, please, so we can get you out of here,” he said.
“I have them,” Prince said. “Let them go ahead and board.” Prince turned and reached in his pack, pulling out a plastic bag as he slid his pistol under the seat. He took the passports out, handing them over. Djang got out of the truck and walked up beside him with a smile on her face. The customs agent opened each passport as the trio got on the plane. He handed them back to Prince.
Blue Plague The Fall Page 2
