little sticky from last night’s rain and made a crunching whoosh noise when split apart to allow them through. They walked slowly, each step sending a wave of adrenaline through their bodies.
Eric felt something hit his chest and he jumped. He brought his rifle up and saw the birds they’d startled taking off into the blue sky. He breathed relief. Before he had a chance to relax, what sounded like an explosion rang through the air.
“The jeep,” William said.
They ran out of the grass and down the dirt trail to the jeep. Thomas joined them a second later. The jeep was tilted to one side, both tires on the left completely flat. Thomas knelt down and examined them; there were large holes on the outside of the rubber, piercing all the way through the tube.
“He knew,” William said.
Thomas looked at him, surprise flashing across his face before disappearing. “He doesn’t know anything,” he said.
CHAPTER
41
“What’re we gonna do?” William said. “We wouldn’t get ten feet on just a rim,” Thomas said. “We’ll have to walk.” “Back? It’ll take us days. I’d rather call them to pick us up.”
“We’re at least a day away from them by jeep. A Marathi village is only three or four hours walk from here. Gather only what you need.”
Driving over the Andhra Pradeshn ground and walking over it were two completely different experiences. Eric found his feet sinking into the soft dirt and he’d have to really make an effort to keep an even stride. They walked for hours, stopping every thirty or forty minutes for some rest in the shade of a large tree or boulder. Water was low; only eight bottles left. Food wasn’t as much a problem as the intense heat could ward off an appetite. “Do you think he’s following us now?” Eric asked. “I don’t know,” Thomas said, not turning around. “Have you killed hyenas before?” “Plenty. When I was your age, there wasn’t an animal safe from me.” “Why?” William said. “Why is it you take such pleasure in killing another creature?”
Thomas stopped and turned around. “I’ve seen hyenas eat a person from very close Elder, closer than you are to me now. You wouldn’t be saying that if you’d seen them. The way their bloody faces laughed as they tore…” Thomas hesitated, his face flushed with anger. “Nevermind,” he said, regaining his calm. “You’d have to see it.”
The sun began going down, coloring the sky blue-black as stars began to shimmer. The moon was full and any storm clouds that had been there before had moved on.
The Marathi village was a speck in the distance but as darkness fell it seemed as if it were as far as the moon itself. The sounds of animals in the night were like an actual, physical, presence. As if the air itself had been turned to roars and growls. It circled them, enveloped them, and seemed to close off the rest of the world as they slowly began their ascent up a hill that led to the village.
A roar shattered the steady noise of the plains. It was deep and echoed through the valley. The group stopped to listen, Eric gripping his gun tightly in his hands. It was silent for a minute afterward but slowly the other animals began their cacophony of bellowing again, and the valley returned to normal.
“I’ve never heard an animal make such a sound,” William said. He looked to Thomas but he was gazing in the dark, not paying attention.
The hill was bare except for short green grass and had few places for large predators to hide. Still, Eric kept his gun ready, the thought of the tracker’s death fresh in his mind.
“Keep moving,” Thomas said. “He has to attack from the base and charge. We’ll have an excellent shot at him from higher ground.”
They kept walking, each step growing more difficult as the hill grew steeper. But the moon was bright and provided enough illumination to light their surroundings. Thomas had gotten far ahead of the other two and was surveying the land in front of them. He wasn’t entirely certain this hyena wasn’t part of a clan and they were extremely clever hunters when together.
“How you holding up, Eric?” William asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You know, I noticed the way you drank last night. Like you’d never had the stuff before. Are you a recovering alcoholic?” he asked matter of factly. Eric grew embarrassed at his perceptiveness. “I’m a recovering everything.” “Then why did you drink?” “I don’t know. It was like I couldn’t control it.”
“Eric, come on. That’s an excuse. We control our behavior, not the other way around. Still I didn’t know, otherwise I wouldn’t have brought that whiskey with us.”
“It’s all right. It won’t happen again.”
“We’re here,” Thomas bellowed.
A hundred yards out lay a small clearing in front of a forest and Eric could see that they were on top of a flat plateau. The ground was entirely grass and flowers dotted the surroundings. Brown conical huts were built in a line along the edge of the forest and a few fires were lit here and there. Eric could hear, and smell, masses of cattle herded next to the village.
As they approached, he could see the people huddled around the fires. They wore simple cloth wrapped around their bodies and jewelry made of bone and wood. Their faces appeared hard at first and the males grabbed various weapons and began to walk out to meet the interlopers, but one of them recognized Thomas and smiled, giving a command to the others who dispersed.
“Namaste,” Thomas yelled out.
“Namaste!” the man said. He wrapped his hand tightly around Thomas’s forearm in greeting as Thomas did the same.
They spoke for a few moments, the man glancing occasionally at Eric and William. He eventually nodded and waved for them to follow. “We can stay the night,” Thomas said. “I should call Sandra and have her send someone to pick us up.” “No,” Thomas said sternly. “Not until it’s dead.” “You can’t be serious?” “We’ll have another jeep sent out soon enough, but we can handle this ourselves. Don’t call them yet.”
“I’ll call whoever I damn well please. You know I think you’re losing your mind Thomas, dragging two people with no experience in hunting to chase this thing. Why didn’t you ask Jalani to go with you?” “You’re not calling them,” Thomas said softly. William took out his cell phone. Before he’d pressed even one number Thomas grabbed it from him and threw it far down the hill. “Are you fucking insane!” William yelled. He grabbed Thomas by the collar and pushed him backward.
Thomas slipped to the side, easily loosening William’s grasp, and tripped him, William falling hard on the dirt as a cloud of dust was kicked up around him. “Don’t do that again,” Thomas said. He glanced at Eric. “Come on boy, you’ll like these people.” Eric helped William up as Thomas walked away. “I’m going to get my phone,” William said. “Not now,” Eric said. “We’ll get it in the morning.” William looked back to Thomas. “He’s crazy Eric, I’m afraid he’s going to get us killed.” “He’s not so bad, he’s just stressed right now I think.” “Why do you care for him so much?” “He saved my life.” “Well let’s hope he doesn’t think that makes it his.”
CHAPTER
42
They sat around a fire as an elder told stories. He told them in a way Eric had never seen before, using his whole body to weave the tale as children sat at his feet, enthralled. Eric couldn’t understand what the story was about but he knew a storm was involved from the blowing sounds and the wave-like motions of the man’s hands. Thomas sat next to the man that had greeted him, talking and drinking. William was caught up in the man’s
