Las Hermanas

by Raedene Jeannette Melin

  The moment her head passed the thick leaves, she heard it. “Trucks,” she said, the word barely escaping her throat. “Trucks!”

  “Run!” Marcelo yelled, trying to sound somewhat calm. “Hide in the trees! Go!”

  At first no one moved, looking at Marcelo oddly, but when they saw Adi’s face as she dropped back onto the ground, they started running.

  Adi darted into the houses and pulled people out, urging them to leave. Picking up two small children, she ran with them across the clearing to the tree line as Marcelo helped an elderly man over. They ran back and forth, bringing people under the safety of the trees and when they finally crouched down under cover, Adi could feel the tension building.

  “What’s going on?” someone asked.

  “Quiet!” Marcelo answered firmly, his eyes focused on the village in front of them.

  Time passed slowly as they waited in silence for the trucks to appear, but nothing happened. Adi could feel the villagers’ impatience growing and even Marcelo was beginning to doubt her.

  “Adi,” he said, turning his head, “are you...”

  A collective gasp went up from the group, and when he looked back out, he saw them: six black trucks.

  No one moved as they watched the armed men step warily from their vehicles, their guns aimed at the houses. They searched the village but finding no one, they gathered in the centre, cautiously looking at the forest around them.

  “We should move farther back,” Adi whispered to Marcelo, “in case they come looking.”

  “Okay,” he replied softly. “Keep watch.”

  She surveyed the men as Marcelo moved the villagers deeper into the trees. By the time almost everyone was down the hill, the men had lit the houses on fire, the flames licking up into the sky as smoke billowed around them. As she studied the men, one in particular caught her attention. He was looking around when he abruptly stopped and started walking in her direction.

  Reaching behind her, Adi gripped her gun. She didn’t want to use it, but she would if she had to. Her heart beat faster the closer he came, and just as she inhaled, she suddenly froze, the air almost choking her as his face came into view. There he was, right in front of her. The man with the scar.

  She had to slam her hand over her mouth to keep the cry from escaping, her chest moving up and down uncontrollably. Gulping it down, her hand shook as she pulled out her gun, the metal feeling slippery in her grasp. Aiming it at his head, she took a deep breath, but it only caused her to shake more and as he continued to walk towards her, tears streamed down her cheeks as fear ran rampant over her body. Just when it felt like she was going to collapse, he suddenly turned and walked away.

  Adi didn’t take her eyes off him as he went back to the burning village. Unable to move, she stayed in place, gun drawn, and watched as he climbed into the truck and drove out of sight. When Marcelo placed a hand on her shoulder, she jerked so hard her tense muscles screamed in anger.

  “Let’s go.”

  She didn’t move and he walked in front of her, the tear-stained cheeks impossible to miss as she continued to look past him.

  “Come on,” he said. “We need to go.”

  Still not getting a response, he reached out and placed his hand on top of the gun, gently pushing it down. The movement seemed to snap her out of it and she quickly wiped away the tears, took one last look at the village, and walked down the hill.

  “Who were they?” someone asked as they approached.

  “We don’t know,” Marcelo said.

  Adi passed around what little water they had.

  “Why would they burn down our homes?” someone else asked.

  Marcelo shrugged. “We don’t know that either. But they’ve done this twice before.”

  A murmur went up in the group and her mind began to churn. If they had gotten here just in time, the men might already be on their way to the next village.

  “We need to go,” she said. “Now.”

  He shot her an irritated look so she continued, lowering her voice.

  “What if they’re going to the next one? The one that Gio and Renan are at.” As soon as she saw the realization in his face, she knew it made sense.

  “What do we do with them?” he whispered to her. “We can’t just leave them here.”

  “Go,” an elderly woman said, overhearing their conversation. “Save as many as you can.”

  Adi didn’t need to hear another word, immediately running east with Marcelo right behind. Even though they had a direct route to the village while the jungle roads were slow and difficult to navigate, the trucks had left a while ago and she wasn’t sure if they would make it in time. Forcing the thought from her head, she dug deep and pushed herself harder, flying through the trees at a pace that even Marcelo couldn’t keep up with.

  “Go,” he yelled behind her, breathing hard.

  “I need you,” she replied, refusing to slow down. “I don’t know where to go.”

  “You’re almost there,” he said, his voice growing fainter. “Go straight ‘til you reach the river then follow it south. You’ll run right into it.”

  She sped through the jungle, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as the man with the scar filled her head. It took longer than she wanted to reach the river, but when she finally did, she turned south, jumping over large rocks and logs that crowded the bank. She didn’t know how close the village was, but not smelling any smoke or hearing any gunshots, she took that as a good sign and kept going. Suddenly, the village appeared in front of her and she ran straight into it, not bothering to look for danger.

  “Get out,” she said as she leaned over, gasping for air. “Get out!”

  She got nothing but odd stares.

  “Adi!” Giovana said as she ran up. “What happened? Where’s Marcelo?”

  Adi was relieved to see her. “Get everyone out. They’re coming.”

  Without another word, Giovana returned to the house while she stood there, trying to catch her breath.

  “You okay?” Renan asked as he approached, Giovana right behind him.

  “I’m fine,” she snapped. She didn’t understand why people weren’t moving. “We need to get them out.”

  Renan gave her a disappointed look. “Gio told them what you said. They don’t want to leave.”

  Adi shook her head in frustration. They didn’t understand what was coming. He was coming. “They’ll die,” she said. “Don’t they get that?”

  “Yes,” an elderly man replied as he walked up. “We do.”

  She turned to face him. “So why won’t you leave?”

  He smiled at her. “Our community has lived here for generations. We have survived every tumultuous regime change, dictatorship, and military takeover. This is our home. Whatever happens, we will live on, right here, where we belong.”

  Adi shook her head in frustration. He didn’t understand.

  As if sensing her internal struggle, he continued. “You cannot predict death, just as we cannot leave this land. It is a part of us. We are lost without it.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when the force of a bullet hitting her right thigh crumpled her like a falling skyscraper. Grenade explosions, gunshots, and screams filled the air and Adi’s ears rang, deafening her to all other sounds. From her stunned position on the ground, she watched as the man she was just talking to fell dead in front of her, a bullet hole centred in his head. Flipping over, she crawled towards the trees, pushing herself forward with her one good leg. She desperately needed cover but as she looked back, she saw a man casually following her, AK-47 pointing towards the sky. She didn’t need to see his face to know who it was.

  She tried to crawl faster, but it was no use. It was like he was waiting for her to give up, totally unconcerned with the chaos around them. Exhausted, she turned over onto her back, propping herself up onto her elbows as she watched the face and the scar that had haunted her materialize before her eyes.

  “Adelita Alvarez.” He smiled and crouc
hed, so close he was almost on top of her. “Now this is a surprise.”

  She said nothing as she stared back, her fear vanishing with the knowledge that she’d soon be dead.

  “When they told me I had to kill every single person in that village, I didn’t realize how serious they were.” Withdrawing a knife from his side, he flicked the edge of the blade with his thumb. “But now I understand what a pain in the ass one rat can be. It was you at the other village, wasn’t it?”

  She remained silent.

  He chuckled. “Of course it was! Not to worry though. We’ll find and kill them just like the others.” He shifted his gaze from the knife back to her. “I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed with your ability to run through the jungle. You are fast!” He laughed again before the smile dropped from his face. “Your father was fast too, but not fast enough. Let’s see if you share his tolerance for pain.” Lifting the knife, he plunged it into her hand.

  Adi screamed in agony as he twisted it, the blade digging into her flesh. She grabbed at the handle, but he held her down, his body hovering over hers.

  Leaning forward, he whispered into her ear, his breath hot against her face. “Your father screamed just like that when I tortured him over and over again.”

  As quick as she could, she withdrew the knife tucked up her sleeve and slashed, the blade slicing across his throat. It took a moment to register, but when it finally did, a stunned expression fell over his face. Sitting back on his heels, he touched his neck with his hand. Seeing blood, he looked at her with a surprised smile.

  She didn’t waste a second, wrenching the knife out of her hand as she launched her good leg forward, kicking him squarely in the chest. He fell onto his back, grasping at his throat as he tried to stop the gushing blood.

  Using a tree, she pulled herself off the ground and hobbled as fast as she could into the forest, the sound of gunshots continuing in the village behind her. Finally finding a trail, she limped along it for a while before losing consciousness and hitting the ground with a thud.

  •

  She drifted in and out, feeling like she was floating beneath the trees as the sunlight sporadically hit her face. She wondered if she had died and this was what heaven was like. She heard a muffled sound but didn’t go towards it. She was so tired, and being here was so wonderful, she never wanted to leave. She smiled as she closed her eyes and gave in to the exhaustion.

  Pain unlike any other jolted her awake as it coursed through her body.

  “Hold her still!” she heard a voice say.

  Not knowing where she was, Adi struggled as the agony increased. Something was forced into her mouth but she violently spit it out as she fought to get free. She wiggled one hand loose and swung at the blurry figure closest to her. But when her punch connected, the intensity of the pain shocked her so much that her arm went numb, dropping uselessly beside her. She screamed as another spike of pain thrusted through her body, knocking her unconscious once again.

  Chapter Twelve

  A light breeze made its way across her body, tickling her skin as it travelled through her hair against her scalp. Shivering at the sensation, she slowly woke and opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but it eventually cleared, blinking sluggishly as the ceiling came into view. While it looked familiar, she couldn’t place where she was and as she pushed herself up, she stopped, a wave of dizziness slamming into her, making her gasp.

  Looking down at her side, she saw that her pants were ripped and covered in blood. She moved her hand down, grimacing as she touched the wound below her right hip, the hole about the width of a sugarcane stalk. Examining the rest of her body, she felt numerous bruises all over but stopped when she touched the front of her head, her hair matted with blood. Distracted by the soft spot in her skull, she almost didn’t notice that her left hand was tightly bandaged. She was about to unwrap it when someone touched her arm.

  “Benito,” she managed to say, her voice weak and raspy.

  He said nothing as he looked at her, his eyes beginning to well up. Unexpectedly, he stepped forward and laid his head on her stomach.

  Adi fought to hold back the tears, her throat thick with emotion as she held him tightly. She couldn’t remember the last time he had touched her and as she felt his small chest move up and down, she closed her eyes and tried to absorb every second of it. When he raised his head, she wanted nothing more than to stay there forever, but knowing she couldn’t, she reluctantly let go.

  “Here,” Nayara said softly beside her.

  Adi reached out and took the cup, draining it. The liquid felt good against her dry throat.

  “Sleep,” she said, gently placing a hand against her forehead.

  Adi nodded, but noticed that Benito was still there. She studied him for a moment, the exhaustion on his face making him seem much older than he was, before she patted the spot on the table beside her. She didn’t know if he would do it, his hesitation making her doubt, but just as she was about to say he didn’t have to, he climbed up beside her and fell asleep.

  The next time she woke, it was light and Benito was no longer there. Able to withstand the pain this time, she pushed herself up and dropped her legs down off the table. Heavy throbbing reverberated through her head, squeezing her eyes shut. But once she slowly started to relax, the tension eased and when she opened her eyes again, the pain had weakened to a bearable ache.

  She looked around the shelter, seeing Catalina quietly getting up from where she sat, Lupita sleeping soundly in a chair beside her.

  “Nayara says you need water,” she said, handing her a cup. “And eat if you can.”

  Adi slowly drank, the liquid hitting her empty stomach. While she was hungry, she was still nauseated and the thought of food made her gut clench. But when Catalina handed her a soft papaya, her sad face unmistakeable, Adi knew there was something she wasn’t telling her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, watching her carefully.

  Catalina tried to smile, but it dropped off her face. “Nothing,” she said. “Just tired.”

  Adi didn’t believe her, but decided not to press it. Catalina would tell her when she was ready. “What happened to your eye?” she asked instead.

  “You don’t remember?”

  Adi shook her head.

  “You decked me, hard,” she said. “I was helping Nayara and you started freaking out. You punched me right in the face.”

  “Oh,” Adi replied, unsuccessfully hiding her smirk. While she didn’t remember much, she couldn’t help but find it funny that she had been able to catch Catalina off guard. It was practically impossible.

  “You were really messed up,” Catalina continued. “When Gio got back and told us what happened, we thought you were dead. But then Marcelo showed up with you later that night. He carried you the whole way.”

  Adi cringed as the memory of what happened slowly came back to her. She remembered the attack, but more importantly, she remembered him, and her muscles instantly tensed, sending bolts of pain through her body. She was about to tell Catalina about it when she realized something.

  “Wait,” she said, her brow furrowing. “You said Gio got back. What about Renan?”

  When Catalina paused, Adi knew it was bad, but as she watched her softly shake her head, her face filled with pain, Adi understood. Renan was dead.

  This time when she woke, it was night and she was thankful for the darkness. But when she looked over to the side, she saw that it was Rodrigo’s turn in the chair and he wasn’t sleeping.

  He said nothing as he looked at her, Adi barely able to make out the silhouette of his face. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. There were only two things she wanted to know. “What happened at the village? What happened to Renan?”

  His silence annoyed her.

  “Tell me. I deserve to know.” Getting no response, she sat up and swung her legs down. “Rodrigo.” Her irritation turned to anger and she jumped off the table, ignoring the pain as she stormed
towards him. “Answer me!”

  So shocked by the paleness of his face, she stopped and stared at his red eyes, the lids noticeably swollen. Looking at the rest of him, she saw that his clothes were more wrinkled and dirty than normal and as her gaze drifted down, she saw his knuckles, cut up and bloodied.

  “You don’t remember me much from our village, do you?” he asked.

  She didn’t answer, unsure of where this would go. She wanted to talk about Renan, but when he continued, she realized she wasn’t going to get her way.

  “When your family first got there, I was eleven years old.” He stopped talking and looked up at her. “Leti was twelve, you were seven, and Benito was just a baby.” He smiled, a sadness filling his eyes that Adi had never seen before. “I remember the first time I laid eyes on Leti. I’m pretty sure I loved her the moment I saw her.”

  She took a step back, afraid of the words coming out of his mouth. Her breathing increased against her will as she stood there, fists clenching anxiously.

  “I had the biggest crush on her,” he continued, a soft laugh escaping his throat. “But by the time I worked up the guts to tell her, she was already dating Luis.” He exhaled. “I won’t lie, it hurt like hell, but I tried to be happy for her. He loved her, just as much as I did. You could tell by the way he looked at her.” He cleared his throat. “But then that day came when Commander Martinez said we had to fight.”

  The tension gripping her body was so strong it was everything she could do just to breathe.

  “The night my mama convinced me to leave, I didn’t want to go, but she begged me to. I went to your house to tell Leti and I found her outside crying. I tried to get her to come with me, but she wouldn’t.” He paused and looked up at her again. “She wouldn’t leave you behind.”

  Adi slowly exhaled, her lower lip trembling.

  “She asked me not to go,” he said, his voice quiet. “She wanted me to stay and watch over you and Benito, but I told her I couldn’t. So she made me promise that once I found someplace safe, I would come get you.” His voice cracked. “But I broke that promise. I left and never came back.”