Samuel, on the other hand, was all-in.
Out of courtesy, Daniel sat with his hand folded and his head bowed. He didn’t dare close his eyes for fear he’d seen the faces from his past again.
When the service was over, Daniel was ready to get the hell out of there.
Samuel leaned in and said, “I want to take you to see someone.”
Daniel shook his head. “I have much work to do, my friend. I’d better get back.”
“The work will be there when we return, no?” Samuel looked anxious. Like he had something very important to do.
Daniel conceded.
“Follow me. If you can keep up.” Samuel took off at a fast clip.
Daniel almost had to run to keep pace, memorizing landmarks along the way.
By the time they stopped, Daniel was hot and winded. He’d tried to keep track of where they went, just in case he needed to get back on his on his own. Military habits die hard. But he’d lost track of the turns back there. Now, he’d have to put his faith in a man he didn’t know from Adam. That fact made Daniel very uncomfortable.
“Voodooists believe in God, but they don’t think He causes earthquakes,” Samuel said. “God has never pretended to be able to manage the Earth,” he continued. “Only Christians believe that—that God manages the Earth.”
“Is that where we’re going? To see a voodoo priest?” Daniel hesitated. He had no idea where he was or with whom. Samuel had shown up a few days ago, like so many others had. He’d grabbed a facemask and started hauling debris.
Daniel couldn’t help but note that a person could disappear in Haiti and not be missed. The mission organizers could easily send a report back home saying Daniel had been killed in an accident. No one would be surprised in a place like this.
Daniel’s heart fisted at the thought of never seeing Ruthie again.
He knew full-well that his past would catch up to him at some point. He’d been told and had convinced himself that he’d been eradicating the earth of low-life scum who deserved death during the mission. But that village, images of those innocent people haunted him. There’d be a price to pay.
“I have to get back,” he protested. The image of the man from yesterday haunted Daniel. There was something familiar about him that Daniel couldn’t put his finger on. Now he was wondering about ghosts?
“God created the laws of nature and set the world in motion and accidents like this earthquake are out of His control. Houngan says the dead will be reincarnated, and nature should not be blamed for killing them. Everything in nature is excellent. We feel that God is in nature, like nature is in God,” Samuel continued.
“Okay. But what does that have to do with me?” Daniel asked outright.
“I want to show you the beauty of my culture. You are a good man. You come to help when you could be in your American home living the good life watching sports on the seventy-two inch flat screen. Right?”
A wry smile crossed Daniel’s otherwise serious expression. The good life to him was his wife and daughter, and he hoped like hell that he wasn’t screwing that up permanently.
“You are sick.” Samuel pressed a hand to Daniel’s chest. “You don’t look well, Daniel, my friend. I bring you to my healer.”
Daniel followed the man into a makeshift home made from clay. An old sheet covered the doorway. His stomach was uneasy, his fists clenched just in case hell broke loose. He deeply regretted following Samuel into this hellhole.
This part of the world had already been forgotten and Daniel had just made the biggest mistake of all ... he’d followed a local away from camp. That had been the first warning he’d been issued during his half-day survival boot camp and he’d only been here three days and was already breaking the biggest rule of all.
“Wait here,” was all Samuel said before he disappeared out the back of the hut.
Daniel’s judgment had been clouded since seeing that...that friggen ghost yesterday. Daniel waited with his fists still clenched, his jaw muscle ticking, prepared for pretty much anything to walk through that door.
A willowy old man came through who was light on his feet, skinny, and wearing a multi-colored wrap. He looked about as threatening as an ice cream sundae. So, why did Daniel’s fists tense?
The old man circled Daniel.
“You have a curse. A strong curse,” the old man said.
“He’s not sure if he can erase it.” Samuel reappeared from the doorway behind Daniel. The hair on the back of Daniel’s neck pricked for the third time. But did he believe in voodoo bullshit?
Bad luck. Bad moods. Hell, bad hair days. Those he believed in.
“With all due respect, I’m fine.” He was tired, he was seeing crap that wasn’t there–crazy crap, and he wanted to go home. Daniel believed in what was real, what he could see. He sure as hell didn’t believe in mythical ramblings like curses.
The holy man took a step back and smiled. He seemed to realize that he would be wasting his time if he continued.
“We need to get back. There’s more work than men and daylight. We still have a chance to find people alive under the rubble. I’m going where I’m needed. You coming?” Daniel didn’t admit to Samuel that he couldn’t find his own way.
Samuel nodded. Daniel thanked the elder man before exiting.
Daniel fell in step beside the Haitian. Neither spoke on the walk back. As soon as Daniel recognized where he was he thanked Samuel and said, “I’m good from here. I’ll catch up to you later.”
“Sure. I’ll see you on the pile.” Samuel waved.
As Daniel returned to the tent he caught sight of Gunner, his former boss, speaking to a local. An ominous cloud formed over his heart when he saw Gunner’s expression.
Daniel stalked over to the head of his former company.
“I don’t work for ManTech anymore,” he
