MissTaken: Ch7

    If you haven't read the previous chapters, I recommend you go to this page which has links to all the chapters as I post them. 

Chapter 7

Jessica was awake before the first faint hint of dawn began to lighten the sky. She peered out of the window; the coal-black cat was still there. A panther? She couldn’t remember if they were just in Africa, or if they were a South American creature too. Maybe it was a black jaguar, or maybe panther was another name for a black jaguar.

Oh, well, it wasn’t all that important just now. Quietly, to avoid disturbing the cat, Jessica grabbed the pack and slipped between the seats into the back of the VW Bus.

“Mer,” She whispered, shaking her, “Sarah, time to wake up.”

Both girls groaned.

“Hey,” Jessica said as she gently shook the other two girls, “time to wake up, we need to go.”

It took several minutes and a considerable amount of shaking and urging to get the four girls to a semi-awake state. Merideth looked out of the van windows with glassy eyes. The second her gaze fell on the large cat, she sat up, her spine ramrod straight and her mouth agape. Her eyes now wide and clear, she gasped and pointed. “We can’t leave the van! There’s a lion out there!”

“Perhaps not fully sober,” Jessica said to herself, reconsidering her evaluation of her friend’s state.

“Don’t be silly Mer,” Jessica said, without looking up from her examination of the pack “This is Mexico, not Africa.”

The dark-skinned girl gasped, fully awake as well. “Pantera,” she hissed. All four girls were awake and panicking.

“Aah, so a panther then?” Jessica asked in a barely interested tone.

“The four girls ignored her, all talking at once, to everyone and no one.”

“It’s. Just. A cat!” Jessica said, raising her voice and cutting off their gibbering. They all stopped and stared at her, as if unsure they had heard her correctly. “It’s just a cat,” she repeated, softer this time. “They chase mice, play with string, lay around a lot…”

“Uhh, Jess,” Meridith said, “pretty sure that is a deer. It’s definitely not a mouse.”

“Yeah, it’s a deer.’ Jessica glanced out the window. “A bit bigger than a mouse, but not that much different. A rodent really. They sneak around at night, get into your garden, damage your trees. They’re a bigger, more destructive …tastier rodent.”

All four girls stared at her, brows furrowed, trying to decide if she was teasing them, or if she had lost her mind.

“Look,” Jessica continued, “It was out hunting last night, it has a nice, big, tasty snack, so it’s probably ready for a nap. It has no reason to chase after us. We are going to get out of the van on the opposite side, and we are going to walk slowly toward the river over there while staying close together. We aren’t going to go near the big cat, we aren’t going to stare at the cat, and we aren’t going to run. It may be big, but it is still a cat, if we aren’t threatening it or it’s meal, and we don’t look like we might be fun to chase, it won’t have any reason to take any interest in us, okay?”

Jessica opened the side door and stepped out. She paused for a moment, then turned, addressing the two strangers. “Oh, by the way, hi. My Name’s Jessica, Jessica Hansen. My friends call me Jess. She extended a hand to the blonde, who was the closer of the two.

The blonde girl stared at her hand for a moment, then up to her face. Her eyes hardened and she lifted her chin proudly as she stepped from the van. “My name is Alyona Kostenko”, she said. She stared challengingly at Jessica as though inviting a confrontation.

“Alyona,” Jess repeated, grabbing Alyona’s hand and shaking it vigorously, “pleasure to make your acquaintance! Love your accent! Where are you from?”

“Ukraine,” Alyona responded tersely, maintaining her posture of challenge. She was a full head taller than Jessica, and by her grip and her stance, this fashion model of a girl could hold her own, if it came to a fight.

“Ukraine? You’re a long way from home! How’d you end up here?”

“Long story,” she quipped, “After introductions, perhaps.” Alyona then stepped confidently past Jessica, walking in the direction of the river.

Jessica turned her attention to the dark-skinned girl as she exited the bus. “Hi,” she said with a smile, extending her hand again.

“Leticia Mora,” The girl said, shaking hands with Jessica.

“Habla Ingles?” Jess queried.

“I hear some,” The girl nodded, then smiled timidly, “I speak… no so good.”

“Jessica nodded. You understand we are going?” Jess pointed toward Alyona.

“Si,” Leticia nodded. Then she looked back at Sarah and Meredith, still huddled together in the van. Timidly, they climbed out to join the others.

Jessica smiled reassuringly. “Let’s go.” She said, gesturing with her head. She started forward, and the other three followed.

Jessica could feel a palpable rise in collective anxiety as they moved to where the van was no longer between them and the panther.  She slowed her pace slightly and moved to the side to place herself between the cat and the three girls.

“Just keep your eyes on the river and keep walking,” she said. “Let me worry about the kitty cat.” The three girls quickened their pace, closing the gap between them and Alyona. Jess glanced over her shoulder. The cat lay with its front paws wrapped around the small deer carcass. It eyed her with a look of half-interest, its tongue lolling out, almost like a panting dog.

Alyona stopped at the edge of the river and turned to watch the progress of the others. “Where to from here?”

“About twenty feet farther down,” Jessica pointed, “where that slide of rock runs right into the river. We’ll cross the river there.

Alyona looked at her dubiously, then at the river. “The other side is rock, maybe taller than me.”

“Yup,”

“Ten feet farther down is sand. We can just walk out.”

“We could,” Jessica agreed, “but we’d leave a trail.”

“You think they will try to find us?”

“Yup. Probably find the van later today.” Jess stepped gently on the loose rock, so as not to disturb it, and made her way down to the water’s edge. She took off her shoes and socks. The water was relatively clear, and the bottom seemed smooth and free of sharp objects. “Doesn’t look like we’ll get more than knee deep. I’d recommend you keep your shoes and socks dry. Less likely to get blisters that way.”

Alyona arched an eyebrow. Then, shrugging, she pulled off her heels and stepped gingerly into the water.

Jess took note of her other companions’ footwear. Their shoes were all of the semi-provocative variety. Unlike Sara and Meredith, the shoes Alyona and Letecia were wearing must have been supplied by their captors, judging from the poor condition and fit. Still, even the best fitting heels were no good for back-country hiking.

Although the slow-moving section of water was no more than 20 feet wide and got only slightly deeper than mid-calf it took a long time to cross. The other girls moved slowly, halting often to probe the smooth rocks and occasional squishy spot of mud. Up ahead, Meredith froze, every muscle in her body tensed as she stared at Jessica over her shoulder with petrified eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Jessica asked.

“Something touched my leg.” She clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides.

“Oh my gosh, what if it’s a leech, or a piranha, or… or a crocodile?” Sarah whimpered, searching the river.

“It’s none of those things.” Jessica pinched the bridge of her nose. “It was more than likely a leaf.”

Meredith didn’t look convinced. “But—”

“Meredith, keep moving. You’re fine, I promise.”

Meredith grimaced, but she lifted her foot and continued across the river.

Jessica sighed. One crisis averted, how many more would she have to face? Hopefully they’d all be as minor and easy to solve.

 They stopped under the small cliff face on the other side as Jessica assessed it. It wasn’t really that daunting—maybe one foot higher than she could reach with her feet flat.  She turned and appraised Alyona. Then, she turned to Leticia, “You know how to tie a good knot in a rope?”

Leticia nodded affirmatively.

“Okay,” Jessica pulled a length of rope from the pack, “I have a rope here. If Alyona and I boost you up, do you think you could tie it off to a sturdy tree and throw the end down to us?”

Another nod.

“Give your shoes to Meredith. She’ll toss them to you once you are up.”

Jessica looked at Alyona as she positioned herself at the base of the rock. Alyona moved forward beside her and bent her leg slightly creating a stepping point. With help from Alyona and Jessica, Leticia climbed from knees to hips to shoulders. The two then used their hands under Leticia’s feet to push her up onto the top of the rock. She disappeared from view for a minute, then they heard a grunt, and a rustling of leaves. A bundle of rope appeared, uncoiling as it dropped, the end coming to a stop about three feet above the water.

Meredith tossed Letecia’s shoes up to her, then one by one, they each tossed their own shoes up to Leticia.

“Sarah, how about you go up next?” She glanced at her friend and performed a double take, frowning. Beads of sweat dripped down Sarah’s forehead, and her face was pale with dark circles beneath her eyes.

“Sarah, are you okay?”

“I think so,” Sarah responded feebly.

“Withdrawal.” Meredith eyed her with compassion. “They’ve been drugging us for the past several days. Heroin, probably. We are all likely to be a mess in the next day or so. Hope you have a good hiding place in mind, not too much farther from here.”

“I’m okay,” Sarah insisted unconvincingly, her voice weak and her legs unsteady. She took the rope, preparing to climb.

Alyona stepped next to her and braced her knee again.  “I’m easier to climb than rock wall, save your strength.”

Jessica braced herself on Sarah’s other side, smiling encouragingly. “Nice and easy.”

Sarah struggled, but, with the help of Jessica and Alyona from below, and Leticia from above, she managed to get onto the Rock. Meredith followed her.

Jessica bent, extending her arms down and interlacing her fingers to form a step, “Your turn, Alyona.”

Alyona Placed one foot on Jess’s hands. She reached as high as she could and grabbed the rope. Then, kicking off Jessica’s hand and pulling at the same time, she launched herself up. She released with one hand and placed it on the top of the rock. Her knees connected with the flat of the rock and she smoothly shifted forward and up to her feet, all in one smooth graceful motion, like an Olympic gymnast.

Jessica removed the rucksack from her back and tide it to the rope. She instructed the girls to raise it. They quickly did so, then the end of the rope returned.

Jessica took a deep breath, exhaled, wiped her hand on her hips, then reached up and grabbed the rope. Jumping would be less effective, as she would have to launch directly out of the water. Instead, she placed one foot against the rock, leaned back, then placed the other foot.

“No, no!” Alyona shouted down, “too much effort! Just hold the rope, and we’ll pull.”

“Okay.” Jess wrapped her arm in the rope and let it relax. She heard Alyona bark an order, then was pulled upward, she walked up the rock wall, then shifted forward at the top placing her palms on the top, Alyona grabbed her shoulder and helped pull her the final distance.

“Thanks.” Jessica said.

Alyona waved her hand. “Which way?”

“Upstream. We’ll stay close to the water, so we can use the trees and bushes for cover.” Jessica gestured with her eyes toward the strip of green. As the forest area they were in thinned, giving way to the rock and scrub of the desert, the greenery marked the river’s path through the otherwise barren hills ahead. She estimated they were a better than a half day’s hike from her base camp at a fast pace. She knew that was out of the question, yet she hoped they could make it before nightfall.

Feet were dried as best they could against clothes and shoes were collected.

“I think we have problem,” Alyona said, holding her shoes in front of her.

“She’s right,” Meredith said, “These shoes can be tricky to walk in on flat ground. They are likely to be lethal out here. Somebody will wind up with a broken ankle.”

“Pass me your shoes,” Jess said, holding her hand out to Sarah.

Sarah passed them to Jessica, who snapped the heel off before handing them back.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s better than walking barefoot.”

The other girls did likewise and slipped the now flat shoes back on their feet.

It was slow going.  The route was rough, with heavy vegetation as they followed the winding, upward path of the river. Sarah needed frequent stops to catch her breath; she was sweating, shaking and feverish. The other girls started to struggle as well as the day progressed.

“How long does withdrawal last?” Jessica asked Meredith later in the day, as they walked side by side through the scrub.

“Several days to a few months,” Meredith said. “Worst of it will be over in a couple days.”

 Jessica looked back at Sarah, who had stopped again and was leaning against a tree.

“I’m worried about her,” Meridith looked back as well. “I don’t know if she will be able to go much farther.”

“Let’s stop here for a few minutes,” Jessica said, “and rest our feet.”

Leticia smiled gratefully as she sat down, her back against a tree, peeled off her shoes and began massaging her feet.

“You were right,” Alyona whispered to Jess, pointing through the small cluster of trees they were presently using for shade. From their current position they could see down to where they had crossed the river from the Volkswagen. Five men stood right about where they had entered the water.

“Everyone get down and stay still and quiet,” Jessica hissed, and the girls obediently crouched beside her. It was noon, and they had come quite a way from their starting point, but it was better not to take chances. An accidental reflection, or a flash of bright color might catch an eye; a careless conversation might carry farther than expected. The men might have binoculars, or a gun with a scope.

She watched the men through the foliage. The men stood close to one spot for a minute, looking around. One of them pointed across the river. The men conversed for a while, and another man pointed downstream. Then, two of the men began to make their way across the river while the other three fanned out into the trees. One of the two in the water waved his arm and then pointed into the water. The second man joined him as the others walked back to the water’s edge.

Jessica’s heart sank. Had he found a patch of disturbed mud? She thought of her climb up the rock face. Her feet had been clean of mud before she started the climb, and surely by now the wet footprints would have dried, leaving no trace. Still, she found herself holding her breath as the men continued across the river, eyes intently searching the water in front of them. They were below the rock face now, searching the bank, and then the water farther downstream.

They turned back to the three on the far bank, and one raised his arms in a gesture of frustration before exiting the river and moving downstream.

So far so good, Jess thought. Although she felt only slight less worried. The smallest thing—a broken branch, a shoe print—could give them away. She had been careful to lead them where the ground was hard, or where there was enough random clutter on the ground that any disturbances they made while crossing would blend in with the rest of the noise.

“I’m thinkin’ maybe we shouldn’t stay here,” Jess whispered, “in case they start searching back this way. Better to get moving now, while we have some distance. If we stay right near the water, and stay low, until we get around that bend, we should be okay. We’ll have the hills for cover after that. We’ll go one at a time, and I’ll go last and try to cover our tracks.”