Las Hermanas

by Raedene Jeannette Melin

  Adi silently watched the tears run down his face.

  “When you and Benito showed up at the camp a few weeks later, I thought I was getting a second chance. But then you left and it became this sick joke. No matter what I did, I just kept losing you over and over.” He stopped and looked down at his broken hands. “So when Gio got back and told us what happened, I lost it.”

  He went quiet, the pain obvious, but when he looked back up at her, she suddenly understood. She wasn’t just family to him; she was to Rodrigo what Benito was to her: purpose. Without it, there was no point to any of this.

  She knelt in front of him, gently wiping the tears off his face.

  “I can’t lose you,” he said as his voice broke, his eyes welling up again. “I can’t.”

  She had always thought Rodrigo was invincible, but as she looked at him, she realized that he was fighting to stay afloat, just like her. Refusing to leave her friend, they stayed there until he sighed deeply.

  “Come on,” she said as she stood. “Let’s fix up your hands.”

  They sat outside next to the fire, Adi cleaning his knuckles as best she could. Her left hand was useless, the bandage wound around it tightly. She didn’t doubt it was ugly and afraid of how damaged it was, she was scared to unwrap it.

  “Renan died at the village,” Rodrigo said quietly as she worked. “They shot him in the head.”

  She could feel the sadness creeping in, but as she nodded, she recognized that it was a better death than most. “And the village?”

  When he didn’t speak, she looked up and watched as he shook his head. She inhaled slowly, trying to stop the exhaustion from overwhelming her. After all they had done, no one had survived. Finished with his hands, she let go and leaned against the log, a pocket of wind dancing through the air. She sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the quiet of the night before she sighed and lifted her bandaged hand.

  She slowly unwrapped it, knowing that she might as well look at it now. It’s not like she could feel any worse. She expected Rodrigo to try and stop her, but he said nothing. The closer she got to her hand, the bloodier the bandage became, and when the last few layers wouldn’t budge, Rodrigo handed her a knife.

  Cutting the cloth away, Adi sharply inhaled, her mangled hand impossible to miss even in the dull light of the fire. There was a diagonal laceration about two inches long that went straight through the middle of it, the centre ballooning out through her palm. As she stared at the splotchy mark, her mind drifted back to the feeling of the knife being twisted into her.

  “Nayara says you’re lucky,” Rodrigo said as she examined it. “She thinks you can still use it.”

  Adi bit her tongue, knowing there was no point in saying that she was the last thing from lucky. She tried to wiggle her fingers, but only the first three moved, her fourth and pinky fingers staying completely still. She swore she could still feel every inch of them, but they refused to budge. Lowering her hand, she swallowed back the angry disappointment and looked up at the sky.

  “Did you kill him at least?” Rodrigo asked, shattering the silence.

  She was quiet, willing the tears away. It was a simple question, and as much as she wished she knew the answer, she didn’t. “Maybe,” she replied, her voice small.

  “What do you mean?”

  She sighed, not wanting to think about him, but eventually gave in. “I cut his throat.”

  Rodrigo didn’t say anything for a minute. “How is that a maybe?”

  “I didn’t see him die.”

  He smiled. “Not many people survive having their throats slit.”

  “He can.”

  Rodrigo hesitated. “You knew him?”

  “Yes.”

  His confusion melted into concern. “Who was it?”

  It was her turn to pause and she looked back up at the sky. If she said it out loud, it would make the nightmare real again, but as a spike of pain shot through her hand, she knew it was real whether she said it or not. “It was him.”

  “Him who?”

  She stayed quiet as she looked at him, holding his gaze as she watched it sink in.

  His mouth fell open in shock. “Did he recognize you?”

  She nodded.

  “How do you know?”

  As Adi opened her mouth to reply, her mind flashed back to three years before. “He knew my name. He called me by my name.”

  •

  Rodrigo hadn’t stopped pacing as he continued peppering her with questions, trying to understand. Adi told him everything; how she had seen him at the north village, how he had followed as she crawled on the ground, what he said about her father.

  “Like I said, I cut his throat, but I didn’t see him die. And if he didn’t, that means...” her voice trailed off, unwilling to say it.

  “That means he could still be out there.”

  She nodded. “What happened at the village you and Yumi went to, the one in the southwest?”

  “Nothing,” Rodrigo replied. He walked the loop around the fire pit. “It was fine.”

  “And the west village?”

  “Same. Catalina told them what was happening, but they weren’t concerned.”

  She was quiet for a second. “How long have I been lying on that table?”

  “Six days.”

  “Has anyone gone back?”

  “To which village?”

  “Any.”

  Rodrigo nodded. “Marcelo and Ivanna went two days ago. Everything was fine.”

  “Okay,” she said, thinking it through. “So the villages north, east, and south of us are gone but the ones in the west are still there.”

  “For now,” Rodrigo said.

  She nodded. “So, either he doesn’t care about them or he just hasn’t gotten there yet.” She sat up suddenly. “I need a stick.”

  Rodrigo found one and handed it to her as she knelt in the dirt. Her leg throbbed in pain, but she ignored it, a sense of urgency coming over her.

  “He’s been working his way west from the city,” she said as she drew a rough map of the area. “The first village was east of where we are,” she said, marking that village with the number one. “The second was south, the third north, and the fourth northwest.”

  “Why would he go west?” Rodrigo asked. “That’s where he’s from.”

  “Because,” Adi replied, the realization hitting her, “if he pushes east and people escape, they could warn the others. But if anyone gets away now, they would run right into the area he already controls.”

  “No loose ends,” Rodrigo said.

  She looked at her map on the ground as he began to pace again. Suddenly, he stopped walking.

  “He’s gonna find us, isn’t he?”

  Glancing up, she could see that he already knew the answer, but as he patiently waited for her to say it, she nodded. “Yes.”

  Before she could say anything else, he disappeared into the dark.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Even the sun wasn’t up as twelve of them left the camp heading south. Two days had passed since Adi and Rodrigo’s revelation by the fire, and although they tried to convince everyone that the man would come for them, few wanted to leave.

  “You’re overreacting,” Valentina had said as heads nodded in agreement. Even Salvador said it was unlikely the man would find them, but when Marcelo walked up to her the night before they left, bag in hand, Adi knew she wasn’t crazy.

  It was the morning of the fifth day and they moved off the mountain into a wide valley, travelling southwest in a tired line. They had been hiking up hill after hill since they left the last familiar section of jungle days ago, and as she stepped onto the flat ground, she was thankful for the break. The air was beginning to warm as the sun rose, sending sporadic sparkles of sunlight through the thick leaf ceiling and illuminating the dirt ahead of them. Adi couldn’t help but feel relaxed as they made their way through the trees, the sound of birds and monkeys calling to one another overhead. She always enjoyed this part of
the day and the animals seemed to agree, chirping and squawking as they passed by.

  She was walking behind Talita when she felt the air around them go still. Not thinking much of it, she casually turned her head, just in time to see a harpy eagle swoop underneath the canopy, flying straight towards them.

  “Get down!” she yelled, pulling Talita onto the ground.

  She scrambled over her, shielding the baby with her torso. As the others crouched low, Adi watched as the large bird, undeterred by their sudden movements, simply adjusted its target and locked onto something ahead. Whipping her head around, she saw Evita standing all alone.

  Lurching to her feet, she ran as fast as she could for the girl, knowing that the bird would be right above her. As its shadow moved past, she threw herself forward, sending Evita sprawling into the dirt.

  Almost instantly, Adi felt the harpy’s sharp claws dig into her shoulder, muscle and skin ripping as it tried to pick her up. Shocked by the piercing pain, she froze and simply lay there as the bird jerked her body back and forth, trying to fly away. She barely heard the angry screams as the others attacked it, trying to force it to release her. But when the sound of the gunshot cut through the noise, silencing everyone around her, Adi crumpled to the ground, the weight of the dead bird’s body pulling her over.

  “Get it out of her!” Nayara sounded frantic as Catalina rolled her onto her side.

  “Hold still,” Rodrigo said.

  Although she knew it would hurt, she wasn’t prepared for the amount of pain that seized her right shoulder as he pulled out the first set of talons, tears springing into her eyes.

  “One more time,” she heard him say as they moved her again.

  As if in protest, her body tensed, every muscle rigid as she prepared for the incoming pain.

  “Adi,” Catalina said as she knelt beside her, her face coming into view. “You have to relax.”

  “I can’t,” she replied, finding it difficult to even breathe.

  Catalina picked up her hand. “Squeeze.”

  Although she felt weaker than she had ever been, she gripped Catalina’s hand tightly and squished it as hard as she could, her teeth clenching angrily. As soon as she stopped, the tension left her muscles and Rodrigo pulled out the claws, a small sob bursting from her throat.

  “Sit her up,” Nayara said. She knelt beside her, ripping away what remained of her shirt.

  Even though she was sweating, she felt cold and her muscles clenched again. She was still as Nayara inspected her wounds, her mind occupied with the sole task of breathing. It hurt to inhale and every time she exhaled, her muscles shook, sending painful jolts up her shoulder.

  She could feel every inch of the six talon-sized puncture marks in her shoulder as she attempted to stand, her heart urgently pumping blood through her body. She was so lightheaded that she wobbled a bit and Giovana caught her by the arm, sending a new wave of pain into her. Doubling over, she gasped, cradling her arm tightly against her body.

  It took a few more minutes, but eventually she stood up straight, multiple hands guiding and holding her firmly in place. While the others wanted her to rest, Adi knew it was going to hurt regardless, so she wrapped her arm in a sling, stuffed several coca leaves into her mouth, and started walking.

  The next few days dragged for Adi. While the group had slowed down to make it easier for her, every step she took sent pain through her shoulder. Nayara gave her everything they had to lessen it—sarsaparilla root, guayacan leaves, and even suma root—but it still wasn’t enough and at the end of each day, she was always pale and drenched in sweat.

  “You need more sleep,” Nayara told her as she sat down, handing her a couple small pieces of fish. “Otherwise it won’t heal.”

  Adi didn’t reply as she ate, listening to the others around the fire talk about what they wanted to build in their new home. She knew Nayara was right, her body needed to be still, but she also knew that they weren’t far enough away yet to stop. She wasn’t sure how much longer it would take, but she trusted that when it was time, she would know.

  A burst of laughter distracted her and she looked up, watching as Lupita playfully threw a handful of dirt at Benito. He was smiling slightly and as she looked at him, a surge of determination ran through her. Nothing was going to happen to him, not if she could help it. She was adjusting the sling around her shoulder when a large hand slid silently over her mouth.

  •

  Adi woke to the feeling of being bounced up and down, the sound of water lapping against her head. Looking up, she could see nothing but an empty sky, the wind whipping against her skin as they moved at a fast pace. She tried to push herself up, but couldn’t, her hands tied to the side, so she gingerly crawled onto her knees and peered over the edge.

  She was in one of three boats travelling upriver, the pale morning light guiding their way as they slipped effortlessly along the water. Looking over into the boat beside her, she could see her friends lying on the bottom, several men dressed in black and green camouflage sitting around them. She was straining to see into the other one, searching for Benito, when the rope on her wrists reached its limit and she was jerked back down onto the floor.

  “The more you struggle, the more it hurts,” a calm voice said to her left.

  Adi rolled over and looked at the man in front of her. He was in the same black and green outfit as the others and a bandana on his face covered everything but his eyes. She said nothing for a moment as she studied him, his body relaxed as he casually sat near the front of the boat, slowly peeling a green guava.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  He said nothing.

  “Are you bringing us to him?”

  Finished eating the fruit, he rinsed his hands off in the water and said, “Rest. You have a long journey ahead.”

  An hour later, they landed on the riverbank and were directed out of the boats. Tied in a row along a single rope, they were led into the jungle, the terrain turning into a straight climb up the mountain. For hours they pushed, struggling up the hills as the men forced them along, giving them a shove forward whenever they slowed down. Adi’s leg and shoulder throbbed with pain from the pace and just when she thought she couldn’t take another step, they stopped at the top of a hill.

  She collapsed onto the ground, blood pounding in her ears.

  “Get up,” one of the men said as he took a few steps towards her.

  Struggling to regain her breath, she pushed up with her arms but her muscles were too weak and they gave out, sending her back down to the ground.

  “Get up,” the man repeated, but this time more angrily.

  “Give her a minute,” she heard Marcelo say from somewhere behind her.

  The man turned and the next thing she heard was a groan. Looking back, she saw Marcelo doubled over and watched the man walk back up to her.

  “Get up.”

  It took everything she had to stand back on her feet and as soon as she did, they were marched forward once more.

  They climbed again, but this time they moved slower, unable to ignore the fatigue of the group. Finally reaching the top of a steep hill, they stopped and Adi’s body pounded with exhaustion. Then she saw the men pulling black hoods out of their bags.

  “No,” was all she managed to say before she was shrouded in darkness.

  She forced herself to breathe, trying not to panic as she stood there blinded, unsure of what the men were going to do. But when she felt the rope pull her forward, she swallowed the lump in her throat and carefully took a step ahead.

  Their journey in the dark was by no means easy or quick. Someone at the back must have fallen because she heard a couple of surprised grunts before she was pulled down from behind, the rope taking everyone out. Helping each of them back onto their feet took a while and Adi could hear the men cursing in frustration as she stood there, waiting to be moved along again.

  They continued once more, climbing higher as they wound their way up the mountain. She was
beginning to think that the hills were never going to end when suddenly, it flattened out into what felt like a well-worn path. They hadn’t been walking for long when she heard it, a familiar yet foreign sound drifting through the trees towards her. At first it was quiet, but as they kept going, it grew louder and by the time she rounded a corner, she had no doubt. There was a village, somewhere in front of them.

  They stopped and someone said, “Separate them.”

  Unsure of what that meant but unable to do anything, Adi waited for her fate. She felt a hand on her shoulder directing her over when the same voice said, “No, not her. Bring her to the room.”

  As she was led away, she could hear Evita whimpering behind her. She struggled against her constraints, but the man took her by the shoulders and walked her ahead, the strength and pain from his grip too much to overcome.

  They walked about a hundred feet before they turned and Adi was shoved forward, hitting the floor with a thud as a door clicked shut. Groaning as she rolled onto her back, she reached up and removed the hood.

  She was in a small room with only a chair and a blanket set off to the side. She leaned against the wall and tried to think. While this could be the man with the scar, she didn’t believe it was. He wouldn’t have known what direction they had gone in and even if he had, he would’ve come from behind, not in front. Besides, he never would’ve gone through all this trouble to keep them alive.

  Remembering the knife up her sleeve, she cut away her restraints, looking for a way out. With no windows and only the one door, she crouched along the wall beside it and waited. Eventually, someone would come and she’d get her chance.

  It took longer than she expected, but someone did come. Hearing the door unlatch, she readied herself, knife in hand. As soon as the man entered, she lunged, stabbing him in the side. He groaned in pain, slouching as she ran past, avoiding his outstretched arm as she darted out of the room.

  Stepping past the door, she found herself in a hallway, the sunshine seeping in through the windows. Although it wasn’t fancy, the building and its size stunned her. It was a permanent structure, made of rocks and cement, and while it was well-maintained, she could tell it had been here for a while. Taken aback, it took her a second to refocus. Pushing her many questions to the back of her mind, she started running down the hallway, but as she rounded the corner, she skidded to a halt. Three men were walking towards her and it only took them one look to know that she wasn’t supposed to be there. She spun and sprinted the other way, but didn’t make it far before she felt several strong arms latch onto her and drag her back to the room.