Plague

CHAPTER 44

The hut was small and hot and the floors were just swept dirt but Samantha didn’t see any spiders or vermin. It was surprisingly clean considering that it had been made out of jungle plants and mud. There was one cot in the corner and another by the entrance. A small tray with a pitcher of water and a bowl was on one side of the hut and the only light came from the entrance which was nothing more than a flap of cloth covering only a portion of a large hole in the hut.

Dinner had consisted of a chicken that the natives had killed, plucked, and gutted right in front of their guests, throwing their entrails to a few of the village dogs that were roaming around. The chicken was then cut up, thrown in a boiling pot with herbs, potatoes, roots, and a little pink flower that Sam had been told was used for sweetening. The stew was served in bowls made of large leaves and a type of beer was served with it. Sam chose to drink water from a well the village used and Duncan joined her as the rest of them got drunk and ate several bowls of the stew.

As night fell, she rose to go back to her hut and Duncan followed her, proclaiming that he wanted to make sure she was all right. They saw Agent Donner sitting on a carved-out log, sipping beer. He smiled to them and his teeth appeared little and abnormally white in the moonlight.

“How was the feast?” he said.

“You didn’t eat?” Sam said.

“I wasn’t hungry. I’ll have some rice later.” He took a long drink of beer. “You know, the village we’re going to, I did some reading up. They have a weekly, well I don’t even know what you’d call it, an orgy I guess. They get absolutely thoroughly drunk and begin having sex with each other; married or not. Then the men choose fighting partners and usually somebody gets badly hurt if not killed. I’ve never actually seen one. Should be wild.”

“How have you been out here before?” Duncan asked. “This is the middle of BFE. How’d you get out here?”

Donner smiled as he took another drink. “I’ve been around.”

Sam stared at him and they exchanged glances.

“Well you’ll have to excuse me, Agent Donner,” she said. “I’m pretty tired.”

“Of course. Don’t let me stop you. Good night.”

“Good night.”

She walked around him as she went to her hut, Duncan following right behind her. As she was about to go inside and say good night to him as well, he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her warmly on the mouth.

“Sorry,” he said when they had separated, “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.”

She smiled playfully. “Good night, Duncan.”

“Good night, Dr. Bower.”

She went inside and took off her boots. Duncan was still standing outside but had turned around, looking like a sentry at a post. He was genuinely concerned about her, probably because she was the only white woman in the entire village and they didn’t know whether that was prized or not. She smiled again to herself as she lay down, falling asleep to the drunken chatter that was taking place outside.