There were two of them. Slinking into the barn like well-oiled machines with all the time in the world. As Jess tried to decide which one to aim for first, she heard the third one behind her.
Pushing her bare heels into the dirt floor, her breath came out in ragged gasps as she scurried sideways, into the hay bales, while swinging the gun wildly between the approaching hunters. Sucking in the dusty air, Jess called out to the one person who had always protected her, but left her when she needed him the most.
“Daddy!”
She pulled the trigger.
Chapter 27
TYLER
Amazon Jungle near Bottopassi, Suriname
Northeast interior of South America
The hand-painted sign that sat crookedly on the side of the dirt road looked daunting in the glare of the Jeep’s headlights. Tyler was reminded of at least three different horror shows that involved lost teens stumbling across a remote town and making one poor choice after another.
“Bottopassi,” Devon read the sign out loud.
“It’s on the map,” Peta confirmed, waving the paper in the air from the front seat.
Jason looked over at her, and Tyler noticed how his knuckles were white from tightly gripping the steering wheel for the past few hours. It had taken some mad skills to navigate the narrow and overgrown road through the jungle without getting stuck. “It’s the only one worthy of a mention,” he huffed. “That’s got to mean something.”
“You think we could stop here?” Devon suggested. He was stuffed into the very back with Marty, after offering to give Tyler a break from the cramped quarters. He was most likely regretting his generosity as they’d plowed through countless ruts, and water-filled pot holes big enough to go swimming in.
“That would be unwise,” Eddy countered. Leaning forward, he took the map from Peta and spread it on the backseat between him and Tyler. Switching on a flashlight, he studied it for a moment before shaking his head. “But we may not have a choice.”
“Yeah,” Peta agreed. “No more red lines after this place. I guess this is where we’re supposed to rely on the signs. A little hard to do that in the pitch-black, on roads that barely qualify as anything more than trails.”
It had become apparent as soon as they’d driven through and beyond the final city of Pokigron, that the main mode of transportation to the villages was by boat. The Suriname River snaked in from the east and then flowed to the south, straight out from Pokigron, and its course was dotted by the tiny settlements. While they were interconnected by the impossible roads, it was easy to see why most people chose the river.
After an extremely short debate before it was dark, everyone agreed they couldn’t risk losing the Jeep by taking a boat. According to the map, they still had several miles inland to go from the river village of Bottopassi before they’d reach the preserve and resort.
Tyler thought their chances of finding the Libi Nati that night were getting pretty sketchy. None of them had wanted to stop earlier and wait until morning to continue. The idea of being holed up in the Jeep in the middle of that eerie jungle wasn’t something any of them were game for. Looking at the sign again, he tried to push his slasher-movie thoughts aside and focus on the positive. At least there were probably buildings there. Maybe they could find an empty one to sleep in. One with a door, preferably.
“It’s two in the morning here,” Jason said, looking at his wristwatch. “I’d like to at least get through here before the sun comes up. If we don’t spot the road or a sign for the preserve after a few more miles, we can stop until it’s light out.”
Peta glanced back at Devon, who shrugged, and then nodded. “Okay. I guess my backside can tolerate a few more miles. It’s probably the smartest move.”
“Agreed,” Eddy said. He then looked expectantly at Tyler, and he realized the guy was waiting for him to throw his opinion into the mix.
Somewhat surprised at Eddy’s attempt to include him, Tyler sat back with his arms crossed. “I think we should find someone to ask directions. If this place is like the other villages we’ve gone through, I’ll bet you there’s people here, too. They’d know what road to take. Otherwise, we could be wandering around out here for way longer than I want to be.”
Jason raised an eyebrow at him, and then turned to grin at Peta. “Kid’s got a point.”
“Every once in a while,” she said, jokingly.
“Um, do I need to remind ya’ all about how unfriendly the locals have been?” Devon said, leaning forward over the backseat and rubbing playfully at Tyler’s head.
Tyler dodged him and batted his hand away, which caused Marty to chuff at them. The dog was always looking for some sort of rough-housing to get in the middle of. “This is a bigger place,” Tyler said, struggling to come up with a valid counter to Devon’s concern. “And they’re way out here, so they might be more open to seeing new people.” He knew it sounded lame, but he could actually be right. The three other tiny villages they’d driven through that night all had people left in them, but they had scattered as soon as they saw the Jeep.
“We never tried to talk to anyone,” Peta agreed. “Since we’ve been so focused on not stopping. But if we don’t want to get lost, this might be the time that it’s worth trying.”
Jason put the Jeep in gear, and they slowly rolled past the sign. “Like everything else on this adventure, let’s play it by ear. If
