Treasure of the Dead

Chapter 36

Maddock, Bones and Willis dashed through the jungle, chased by the shrieks and howls of the troop of primates in hot pursuit. Willis looked over at Maddock and patted the pistol he wore in a shoulder holster. “Why don’t we just pop a cap in a couple of these things? The rest of them will get the message and leave.”

Maddock jumped over a tree root and kept going. “We don’t want to let Avila’s men know we’re here.” He slowed to duck beneath a low-hanging branch. “And armed.”

Looking back, Maddock could see the monkeys were easily gaining on them. A confrontation was inevitable. The SEAL-turned-treasure hunter drew his dive knife. “We’ll have to do this old-school. Stand your ground.”

Maddock stopped with his back to the trunk of a large tree and faced the oncoming assemblage of primates. Willis and Bones also unsheathed their blades and prepared to fight. The prospect of facing down about a dozen animals roughly the same size as they were, but with body mass consisting mostly of pure muscle, was a daunting one.

Maddock hoped the humans’ intelligence and use of tools — the knives — would be sufficient advantage. He knew they could go to their pistols as a last resort, but giving their position away would compromise the extraction mission. He reminded himself as he always had on these types of missions that a person waited somewhere close by, probably in dire circumstances, counting on him to get them out.

Then the monkeys reached them, and a full-scale melee erupted in the jungle. Sharp nails scored Maddock’s flesh. Strong hands sought to gouge his eyes. Dark fur and white teeth flashed before him as he fought. Mad, bestial shrieks drowned out all other sound, save for a few choice curses from Bones. This is crazy, Maddock thought as he slashed with his blade and another attacker fell.

It was grisly work, but the blades made all the difference. The crazed monkeys kept coming, drone-like in their single-mindedness, until the last lay on the ground.

Maddock and the others had suffered a few cuts and large bruises, but thankfully no bites. He didn't know if whatever had turned the primates into automatons could be transferred, and he didn't want to find out. Willis removed his boot from beneath the carcass of a dead monkey and shook his head slowly. “I hate that we were forced to do this.”

Maddock nodded in agreement. “Avila did this. I’m sure of it.”

“Me too.” Bones holstered his knife. “In that email Fabi sent, she mentioned something about Avila’s weird experiments in that clinic.”

Willis looked up from the pile of monkeys. “All that only makes me want to get at this Dr. Avila guy even more.”

“So let’s do it.” Bones walked toward the edge of the small clearing in which they had battled the monkeys. With a last glance at the fallen primates, Maddock and Willis followed him deeper into the island forest.

The foliage grew thicker as they penetrated further into the island’s interior, and it grew increasingly difficult to move steadily and silently. All the while they were looking over their shoulders for new threats. Finally, light appeared up ahead and they saw a clearing. Maddock and Willis crouched behind a stand of banana palms and they discovered they now faced a different threat; an even deadlier one.

A head-high rock wall surrounded Dr. Avila’s compound, which Maddock knew from Letson’s satellite photos to consist of a main mansion and several out-buildings. What occupied his attention now, though, was the open gate set into the rock wall, with a guard standing in front of it.

He was armed with an automatic rifle and smoked a cigarette. Maddock was glad to recognize his demeanor for the detachment and boredom it represented; this guy was probably near the end of his shift, a long day on his feet where nothing happened for hours at a time. Such was the situation for guards the world over — the difficulty was in maintaining a state of readiness for what could require split-second reactions in the face of ongoing tedium.

Willis shot Maddock a look that said, now? Maddock mouthed the word, wait, and Willis nodded, returning his gaze to the smoking guard.

As they watched, a long-haired figure materialized out of the trees and pistol-whipped the guard on the back of the head, dropping him instantly. Bones dragged his body out of sight behind an SUV parked nearby and then joined his comrades at their hiding spot.

“Told you I could do it.”

Maddock and Willis looked at one another and shook their heads.

Bones threw his hands up. “What?”

Maddock waved a hand dismissively. “Don't worry about it. Let's just hope you haven't rattled that guy’s brain too badly. We need him to tell us how to get inside.”