Las Hermanas

by Raedene Jeannette Melin

  “Stay here,” Thiago said. He left her by the bar, walking towards the men.

  Sitting on a stool, she watched as they greeted Thiago, welcoming him to sit as soon as he approached.

  “Wanna drink?” a voice asked. She turned towards it.

  The bartender smiled at her, his yellow teeth filling his thin face as he stared down at her. His eyes were a soft brown, but there was a hardness in them that she didn’t like, sending a small shiver down her spine. He smelled like the cheap cigarettes they used to steal in the city.

  “No,” she said simply. She looked over at Thiago, wishing she was there instead.

  She was twisting a napkin in her hand when Thiago turned and waved her over. Thankful to get away from the stench of body odor, she walked towards the group.

  She was thinking about how happy she would be once they were back at the village when the faces of the men suddenly came into view. The impact of who she saw sent a numbing sensation through her body. It took every fibre in her being to keep moving forward and hide the shock on her face. She could see their mouths moving, but didn’t hear a word. By the time she reached the table, her back was drenched in sweat. Sitting in front of her, with broad smiling faces, were the men who murdered her sister.

  •

  Never in her life did she think she would be in this position. Her heart was pounding, but she could hear them, their voices sounding like nails on a chalkboard as Thiago listened intently, nodding at all the right times. She was holding onto the chair in front of her, perhaps too tightly, and as she looked at them around the table, Toro’s intense gaze met hers. She turned away, finding herself focusing on Pedro Martinez’s fat mouth as he spoke, a smile on his lips. Oscar Fuentes said nothing, his small hand casually wrapped around his cup as he watched Thiago attentively.

  Unable to take it anymore, Adi suddenly said, “I’ll be outside,” cutting Martinez off mid-sentence.

  Her back burned from the intensity of their stares as she left the bar as fast as she dared, almost crying in relief when she burst outside, the fresh air clinging to her face. Hearing the door slamming shut behind her, she leaned over and gasped, her body numb. She stayed there for a few moments, trying to simply comprehend what, who, she had just seen, but as a couple tears dropped down into the dirt, she clamped a hand over her mouth, struggling to muffle the painful scream that was attempting to escape.

  She pushed herself back up, needing to move. Every cell in her body felt like it was about to burst from her skin. She started walking down the street, oblivious to the odd glances she was getting. A million thoughts ran through her head as she tried to comprehend what was happening and when her mind eventually moved past the shock, only one question remained: How the hell were they still alive?

  The last time she had seen the three of them, they were driving away from the village, hauling children and old men off to fight, leaving Adi and what was left of her family to cry over Leti’s dead body. She remembered seeing the trucks drive out, her eyes so full of tears that her vision blurred. It was the first time in her life that she had been completely consumed by rage, its effect almost calming as she swore she would kill them the moment they returned. But they never came back to the village and as she walked up and down the street, that familiar feeling rushed to life inside her once again, caressing her bones like an old friend. By the time she made her way back to the bar, she knew what she had to do.

  She was leaning against a post about twenty feet away when Thiago exited the building, his eyes narrowing the moment he spotted her. He didn’t say a word as he walked up, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into an alley.

  “What the hell was that?” he asked, fighting to keep his voice down.

  “Nothing,” Adi replied, her tone measured and even.

  Thiago looked like he wanted to kill her and he took a moment before he said, “That’s bullshit. You almost tanked the deal. They weren’t going to give it to me until I convinced them that something was wrong with your brain.”

  She bit down hard on her lower lip, the thought that she was mentally unstable making her laugh. With what she was dreaming about doing to them, he probably wasn’t far off.

  “Even after that, they seemed skeptical,” he continued. “They’re probably never going to sell to me again.”

  “So you got it?”

  He glared at her for a moment. “Yeah, I got it.”

  “Good,” she replied. “Let’s go.”

  Their walk back through the town and down the road was silent, the sun gently warming her face. She didn’t know how it was going to happen, but for the first time in a long time, she felt as though she had purpose, like her life had been leading up to this moment. If she had met them at any other time, she doubted she would’ve been ready but, here, now, she was more than capable of doing this. Carefully looking around before stepping off the road and into the trees, Adi smiled. She was finally going to get some justice.

  It took the others about an hour to arrive, their bags full. Without a word, Miguel led them deeper into the woods, stopping only once it was dark. By her calculations, they were less than ten kilometres away from the town and as she took off the baggy shirt and slid her knife onto her back where it belonged, she knew she had to leave soon if she was going to finish before morning. Resting on the ground, she carefully watched the others as they fell asleep, Marcelo’s soft snores filling the air. Even when she was certain that no one was awake, she waited a few more minutes, unwilling to chance it. Not making a sound, she picked up her bag and snuck over to where Catalina was sitting.

  “Shit,” Catalina said when Adi sat down next to her. “You scared me.” It took Catalina a minute to see the bag in her hands, but when she did, a cross look passed over her face. “What are you doing?” she asked warily.

  Adi hesitated before she answered. She hadn’t planned on telling anyone, but when Miguel put Catalina on watch, she knew she couldn’t just leave. She couldn’t do that to her.

  “There’s something I need to do,” she said, her voice steady. While she wanted to tell her everything, she knew it would be better if she didn’t.

  Catalina didn’t reply as she searched Adi’s face, trying to find answers, but when their eyes locked, her face softened and she looked away for a moment. “What do you need me to do?”

  Adi smiled and looked down. With everything they’d been through, she never felt more grateful for Catalina than she did in this moment. “Keep watch ‘til morning. Go back to the village without me. I’ll return when I’m done.”

  Catalina was quiet for a minute before she nodded.

  Having no words to express how she felt, Adi turned to leave when at the last second, Catalina grabbed her arm.

  “Promise me you’ll come back,” she said, staring directly into her eyes. When Adi hesitated, she shook her arm. “Promise me.”

  Adi exhaled slowly, unsure if she could say such words. But as she looked at Catalina, she reluctantly said, “I promise,” and disappeared into the darkness.

  She went back the same way they came, but instead of walking along the road, she continued under the cover of the trees, sneaking behind the warehouses that lined the street. As she watched the bar from an alley, she twisted her ponytail into a bun and strapped her pack tightly against her. She had no idea if the men were still there, but knowing that it was her only lead, she casually walked across the street, past the bar to the back. Sliding up against the building, she spotted the backdoor and waited, knowing someone was bound to come out of it sooner or later.

  She didn’t have to wait long as a little while later, she watched as the skinny bartender walked out, leaning against the building with a cigarette dangled between his lips. She moved as close as she dared, hidden by the darkness, and waited as he finished, his fingers squishing the butt and flicking it onto the ground. As soon as he opened the door, she ran forward.

  She could hear the noise from the bar as she approached, grabbing the door right before i
t closed, its squeaky hinges masked by some laughter as she slipped inside. She walked through the short hallway, stopped at a second door, and peered through the window.

  While the bar wasn’t packed, it was busy and Adi carefully scanned the crowd, looking for her target. She spotted them in the same spot as before, sitting at the table in the back watching the crowd as people milled about, drinks in their hands. There was no way she could get to them with this many people around. While she might manage to kill one, she’d be stopped before she finished the others and that couldn’t happen. She needed to get them alone. She needed to get them out.

  She walked back down the hallway, searching for anything that might help, when she found the storage room and entered, locking the door behind her. As she looked at all the alcohol sitting on the shelves against the wall, a plan slowly formed. Shrugging off her pack, she took out the shirt Miguel had given her and threw it on the floor, looking around for more flammable items.

  She grabbed cardboard boxes, cleaning rags and even found a couple large stacks of napkins, piling it all together in the centre of the room. Next, she ran over to the shelves and scanned the bottles, finding one without a label. Opening the jar, she was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of alcohol, the sharp odor stinging her eyes. Taking the jars of chirrite, she emptied them onto the floor and soaked the pile. She knew as soon as she lit it, the fire would be quick and hot so she poured a generous line of booze towards the door, stopping about a foot in front. Grabbing her bag, she removed a small metal container and took out a match. She wasn’t sure if it would be enough to force the men outside, but as she struck the match against the floor, there was no turning back.

  It took less than ten seconds for the fire to travel down the line and reach the pile, the force of it making a whoosh sound as it hit the napkins, the heat stunning Adi as she quickly unlocked the door and ran out, leaving the building. She was running back down the alley towards the street when she stopped, a terrible feeling passing over her. She had planned on watching the front entrance, but what if they came out the back?

  Spinning on her heel, she ran back, grabbing a large stick off the ground as she went. She jammed one end of the wood underneath the door handle, kicking the other end tightly into place in the dirt. She was slowly backing away, unsure if it would hold when a loud explosion ripped through the air.

  The speed and force of the fire that tore through the building surprised her. She had figured it would take much longer and as she ran back towards the front of the building, she hoped she hadn’t made a mistake. If they died in the fire she wouldn’t get what was hers, what she was owed. But as soon as she rounded the corner, she saw them, running out of the building with the others, the bartender looking terrified as he screamed at everyone to get back.

  A second explosion erupted into the night sky, lighting it up as flames snaked through the roof. The bar patrons stood in stunned silence, watching it burn for a moment before someone sprang into action, sending them all into a flurry of activity.

  Adi watched from her hidden position as they tried to salvage as much as they could and prevent the fire from spreading. Distracted by the commotion, she almost missed her three friends walking towards her.

  She crouched, hoping the shadows were enough to cover her as Martinez, Fuentes, and Toro walked past, talking as they went. Her heart was pounding so hard that she didn’t hear what they were saying, the fright of almost getting caught morphing into anger. Her carelessness had just about cost her. It wouldn’t happen again.

  She waited a few more moments before she followed, keeping a significant distance between them. They walked for about ten minutes before they turned right, the road sloping up and away from the town. With no other buildings around, Adi lost her cover and she snuck in behind a pile of bricks, watching as they approached a warehouse at the end of the road.

  Adi stayed put, her gaze focused on the building as they entered, trying to see if there was another way in. Other than the door, she spotted a couple small windows on the second floor, but they were out of reach and there was no way she could climb up. But when her eyes landed on the large tananeo tree growing close to the side of the building, she smiled.

  Convinced no one was watching, she slipped back under the trees, concealing herself as she ran towards the warehouse. As soon as she got close, she sprinted forward and launched herself up the trunk, climbing as fast as she could. High enough, she inched out onto a large branch, feeling it sag under her weight. Although she was hanging above the roof, she was not quite over it and so she swung her body back and forth. After the third swing, she let go, landing on top of the roof with a thud, and quickly dropped down in front of the windows. She searched for a way in, feeling along the edges, but there was none. She was about to give up and return to the ground when another explosion rippled through the air and she didn’t hesitate, smashing the glass with the butt of her gun.

  Squeezing through the window, Adi landed softly on her feet as she surveyed the room around her. It took her a minute to realize what she saw, but when she finally did, she didn’t know what to think. She was in a room full of bullets. Shelves upon shelves of bullets. This was what Thiago was getting.

  Her fingers softly touched the shells as she passed. While it didn’t surprise her, it made her sick knowing that Helena would buy from people like them. But just as soon as the thought entered her head, she shook it out. Right now, it didn’t matter; she was here for something else.

  Creeping up to the door, she opened it and looked out, hearing voices coming from below. She pulled out her gun as she stepped into the hallway, carefully making her way down the stairs and towards the noise. Although she was calm, her pulse quickened and she could feel her heart pounding steadily as she passed several tables, walking silently down the wide corridor. Just as she saw the light seeping out from beneath the door, she felt the cold barrel of a gun touch the back of her head and the familiar voice of Toro say, “Don’t move.”

  Adi gritted her teeth, willing herself to remain calm as the metal pressed against her skull, threatening to unleash the panic bubbling at the surface.

  “Show me your hands,” Toro instructed. “Show me your hands!”

  Adi did as she was told but the moment she felt Toro rip the gun from her grasp, in one fluid motion she dropped to her knees, grabbed the knife off her back and spun.

  The sound of Toro’s shot piercing the air above her head broke away any fear holding her back and she sliced upwards, the blade cutting into his thick leg muscle. She stayed put, watching the shock and fear on his face as he bled out, but as soon as she heard the sound of a door opening, she dove behind his convulsing body.

  She barely felt the bullet bite into her calf, the adrenaline pumping heavily as the shots continued, their rapid concession hitting Toro with deadly force. Hearing the comforting click of an empty clip, she sprang up and ran down the hallway, diving into a room as the barrage of bullets began again, her body slamming down hard onto the floor.

  Adi gasped as she tried to push herself up, the pain from her shoulder resonating through her upper body. She wasn’t sure if it hurt because she landed on it or because there was a bullet lodged tightly in her flesh, but knowing they would be closing in, she scaled a nearby shelf in the corner, and one-handedly lifted herself into the open ceiling.

  She could hear someone enter the room, methodically searching around as she hid along a beam. When she looked down, she saw Fuentes right below her. Not wanting to waste her chance, she dropped on top of him, the blade of her knife pointed downwards as she let the weight of her body and gravity do the work. The metal easily and fatally plunged into his neck, his body crumpling to the ground in a heap, taking Adi with him. As she scrambled to her feet, she heard a voice call out.

  “Fuentes!” Martinez shouted, his voice betraying just a hint of fear. “Fuentes, you there?”

  “No, he’s not,” Adi answered for him, picking up his gun. But as soon as she reloaded it
with the clip from his pocket, she heard Martinez running down the hallway.

  She took off after him, refusing to let him escape. He was fast but the warehouse floor was wide open, and she watched as he ran towards the back, ducking into a room at the end just as she closed in. Not hesitating for a second, she emptied the gun into the room, sweeping it back and forth as it kicked repeatedly, jerking her arms forcefully.

  “Wait!” he called out the moment she paused, his voice filled with pain. “Stop, for the love of God, please stop.”

  Unsure if it was a trick, Adi kept the gun trained towards his voice. “Come out,” she said, watching cautiously as his figure emerged from the shadows.

  Blood was oozing from several places as he came into view, clutching his arm to his side.

  “Please don’t kill me.”

  The moment the words were out of his mouth, she fired a single shot, the bullet ripping through his leg. As he dropped screaming onto the ground, Adi found a chair, dragged it into the middle of the room, and grabbed a fist full of his hair, pulling him up onto it.

  “Just take it!” he screamed at her, spit flying angrily from his mouth. “You bitch! Just take it and leave!”

  She said nothing as he cried, leaning back against the wall in front of him. It surprised her not only how much she was enjoying this, but also how pathetic he looked, bubbling and crying like a fool, as if anything he said could save him. He had been a monster, tormenting her memories, but as she stared at him, she realized that he was just a pathetic, dead man.

  “I don’t want your guns,” she replied quietly, watching the confusion register on his face.

  “What then?” he asked, a wave of fear passing over him. “What do you want? Why are you doing this to me?”

  Adi stood up straight and took a step towards him. “I’ll give you three guesses,” she said, not looking away.