This Green Hell

FORTY-ONE

Up in the main room, Alex looked back at the pit, now glowing red-hot from the burning remains, and over to the massive block that was partially covering the doorway. ‘Just one more thing,’ he said.

As he put his hands on the stone, a small face appeared in the gap.

‘Encontró a Chaco, señora?’ Saqueo asked, looking from Aimee to Alex and then back again.

Ah shit, thought Alex. They had protected Saqueo from seeing the small body out in the clearing; he was probably hoping his little brother had been trapped somewhere inside the old church. He exhaled, suddenly feeling his fatigue. And the pain never ends …

He turned to Aimee. ‘Take him outside … and talk to him.’

He could hear Aimee speaking softly to the boy in halting Spanish as she led him from the church, but he shut it from his mind. He placed both hands on the corner of the stone and his foot against the wall, sucked in a deep breath and gritted his teeth. At first, nothing, but then a minuscule tilt. Alex screamed with the exertion; he felt his muscles protesting, and one of the healing wounds on his chest ripped open.

The giant stone balanced on its corner for a second, then, in slow motion, began to topple. Alex leapt back and lifted one arm up to protect his eyes.

With a thunderous noise, the stone fell across the hole. Alex nodded. ‘Just in case.’

He walked around the slab, noticing only the tiniest of gaps where it rested against the stone floor.

‘You okay?’ Aimee nodded towards the cuts, punctures and bruises on Alex’s face and body as he kneeled down next to her beside Sam.

He grimaced and raised his arm to feel his ribs. ‘You did shoot me by accident back there, didn’t you?’

Aimee gave him a half-smile. ‘Of course. If I’d wanted to shoot you, I’d have aimed better.’

Alex tore open a small foil packet and broke the capsule inside under Sam’s nose. Sam spluttered then groaned. Alex pulled him to a sitting position, but Aimee put her hand out.

‘Wait! Should we be moving him?’

‘Move him or leave him,’ Alex said. ‘Seconds count now.’

After a moment, she gave an almost imperceptible nod and held out a canteen. Alex took it and splashed some water over the HAWC’s head.

‘Come on, big fella, we’ve got miles to go and not much time.’

Sam drank deeply, and then blinked several times. ‘What happened? Are we still in the desert, or are we …? Oh yeah, I remember. Where’s González?’

‘Ashes by now, we hope,’ Alex said.

Sam smiled, but then his face dropped. Alex knew he’d remembered his last few seconds of consciousness and was performing an inventory of his injuries. Sam exhaled and his frame seemed to shrink slightly. ‘Sorry, boss, don’t think I’m going anywhere today.’ He reached down and squeezed his legs, then closed his eyes. ‘Might just stay here awhile … enjoy the night air.’

Alex clasped his friend hard by the shoulder. ‘Is that right?’

Sam shook his head. ‘Legs don’t work.’

‘Mine do,’ Alex said. ‘No time to argue, soldier; you’re coming.’

He tore open another silver capsule and held it out to Aimee. ‘Hyper-stimulant aerosol; it’ll give you about another hour’s energy.’ She hesitated and he pushed it at her. ‘Go on, you’ll need it.’

Aimee inhaled, and her head shot back as if she’d been kicked in the face. ‘Ow, that stings.’ She scowled at Alex before sneezing twice.

Alex pulled his satellite-positioning device from a side pouch and checked where they were. He called Saqueo over and turned to Sam. ‘Tell him we need to move very fast and he must keep up.’

Sam spoke quickly. Saqueo asked a question while pointing at himself.

Sam nodded. ‘Si, si, rápidamente.’

Saqueo looked back at the dark interior of the church and his mouth turned down at the corners. ‘Chaco era de lo más rapido corriendo.’

Sam nodded. ‘Yeah, I bet he was a fast runner. Let’s just get you out of here.’ He looked up at Alex. ‘You drive, I’ll navigate.’

‘Deal. And you can do the talking — my comm unit’s busted. Tell the Hammer we’re on our way; and get on to Franks too. Tell her she’s not to leave the party without us.’

Alex lifted his second-in-command onto his back and Sam wrapped his bear-like arms around Alex’s shoulders and chest. His legs hung down uselessly, so Alex bound them together with cord in front of his waist to stop Sam’s large frame slipping off as he ran.

Sam pointed east and Alex set off. Aimee and Saqueo had to sprint to keep up with the HAWC leader as he raced through the jungle, their way made slightly easier because of the green tunnel he forged for them.

‘For Chrissakes, Reid, they don’t have the fuel to hang around in the air. Tell Captain Hunter to damn well be there, or be prepared to walk home.’

Hammerson paced to the other side of his office, swearing while the voice on the line spoke again. What he heard made him curse even louder before he was calm enough to reply.

‘Look, I’ll see what I can do — just goddamn get there.’

He finished with a final incendiary blast at First Lieutenant Samuel Reid, then signed off and flung himself down in front of his computer screen. The three dots were converging. Franks was already in position; the big V22 chopper was over land and closing fast — it would get to Franks in approximately twenty minutes. It was dot three, Alex and his team, that made him groan out loud. They were still miles away.

Then a small grin appeared on his lined face as he picked up the phone and punched in some numbers. Arcadian’s alive.

‘Ha! Now you know why I let you make the call,’ Alex shouted over his shoulder.

Sam laughed. His leader never ceased to amaze him. Here he was, carrying a big ox like himself on his back without showing the slightest fatigue, and at the same time overhearing the Hammer’s blasting being delivered to the inside of Sam’s ear.

Sam pulled his head to one side as yet another branch threatened to whip him across the face, then held the GPS up to see the small screen. He indicated a slight shift in their direction, and Alex veered towards where he pointed, punching a new hole through the damp, green curtain of vegetation.

Inside the church, a mewling sound came from underneath the granite slab that now covered the dark hole. The red glow of the fire had died down and black greasy smoke leaked out through the gap between the rock and the floor.

A thin tendril unfurled from the smoke, and a round grey blob appeared at its tip. The blob split down the middle to reveal an opaque eye, which hung motionless for a moment, before the tendril bulged and thickened and burst open in a knot of grey worms that pulsed and flopped free of the gap. The grey rubbery mass lay still, the eye on the stalk waving back and forth, as if examining its surroundings. Satisfied that it was safe, the creature lifted itself up on tiny sucker-tipped legs and, grub-like, made its way towards the door.