They waited for his reply.
“It is too risky to try to make it back to the truck with all of us,” Javier admitted, shaking his head. “It’s too far now. Too much can go wrong.”
“What do you suggest?” Rick asked.
“A different escape route and a place to hide if needed.”
“Oh?” Sofia asked.
Javier let out a heavy sigh. “I know where we can go,” he whispered. “It’s a place they won’t know. It’s nearly impossible to find. It’s a bit of a hike, but I think it’s our best bet. I spotted it on our way here.”
“I trust your judgement,” Rick said quickly.
“Me, too,” Sofia added.
“How are we going to get past all of those guards?” Luis interjected, in the barest of whispers. “They’re armed.”
“We knew we wouldn’t be able to outgun them, and that wouldn’t be our strong suit anyways,” Rick answered, “so we’ve got to outsmart them.”
They all nodded, trying to think of strategies.
Rick thought for a moment and came up with an idea. It was their best play as far as he could tell. “We’re going to have to create a distraction. Something to draw their attention away from the prisoners. Let’s use the firecrackers. We can set them off a few meters away, on the opposite side of the camp from where the prisoners are.” He shared the directions of where that was. He was glad they’d packed all manner of supplies for this trip.
“Good idea,” Luis said in a low voice. “I can do that.” He wanted to do anything he could to help his father and was eager to get this nightmare over with.
“You’re not going alone,” Sofia whispered. “I’ll go with you. We’ll set them off together.” There was no way she was going to let her little brother out of her sight.
Luis smiled at her protectiveness. She’d been that way ever since their mother died. “I’ll grab the firecrackers,” he said. He fished them out of one of their packs and handed some to Sofia.
“Sounds good,” Rick said. “Javier and I will free the prisoners. Hopefully we’ll still only have one guard each to take out. We’ll use the stun guns he procured for us.”
Javier nodded and grabbed two stun guns out of his rucksack. He handed one to Rick. He also fished out his slingshot and stuck it in his back pocket.
Rick took the stun gun and pocketed it. He took a deep breath. He knew this was a risky plan. A lot could go wrong. But they were here now and had to act fast.
“Now, we just need that rendezvous point,” Rick said, looking at Javier.
Javier nodded. He pointed in the direction they’d be going. “Do you remember where Luis tripped? There was a rocky outcropping, limestone, about five feet high, covered in vines.”
“I remember,” Sofia said.
“Me, too,” Luis added.
Rick nodded his head.
Javier continued, “It looks like a dead end, but it isn’t. There’s a hidden, descending passageway there. We’ll need to duck underneath the outcropping. There’s an opening below it, hidden by vines and other vegetation. It’s only about four feet in diameter. We’ll have to squeeze through, one at a time.” He was keeping the rest to himself for now. He didn’t want to scare them.
“Got it,” Sofia said.
Luis nodded his agreement.
“Hang on,” Rick whispered, “don’t go through until we all get there or we won’t know if everyone has made it back safely.”
“Right,” Javier said. “Whoever gets there first waits for the others.” He pointed to Sofia and Luis. “That’s likely to be you two.”
“Ok,” Luis answered.
“Understood,” Sofia answered.
“Hey,” Rick said, “I just thought of something else. Keep a watch out for anything that could be set up as a perimeter warning system—wires, anything that looks out of the ordinary, ok?”
They all nodded.
“Alright,” Rick said, “we’d better get a move on. Time is not on our side. Any last minute questions?”
Luis shook his head.
“Soy buena,” Sofia answered. “I just want to get this over with.”
“So do I,” Javier said, his face serious.
“Then, let’s head out,” Rick said. “Balaclavas on.”
They all donned them.
Sofia turned to Luis, giving his hand a quick squeeze. “Vamonos.”
Luis nodded and the two of them headed off to the far side of the encampment.
Rick watched them go. He admired their bravery. They didn’t hesitate to take on a risky proposal. He understood how vital this was for them. He could well appreciate their desperation to free their father, and to have what was left of their family reunited. He just hoped that was how it was going to work out.
CHAPTER 12
“Our turn,” Rick said, turning to Javier.
Javier nodded, stun gun in hand. He made a silent prayer.
“Follow me,” Javier said.
Rick nodded and got his stun gun ready.
The two of them crouched down and headed in the direction of the prisoners.
Edging forward with as much stealth as they could manage, they made their way.
They reached the perimeter of the encampment.
Javier held up his fist to indicate he was stopping. He pointed to the trees where the prisoners were tied up.
Rick sidled up next to him. He could see the three men tied to the trees. The two guards were a few feet in front of them, about eight feet apart.
They waited for Sofia and Luis to work their magic on the other side of the encampment.
Rick felt his heart pounding. He again pushed back the terrifying memories of being the one tied up in a makeshift jungle prison camp.
Seconds later, the firecrackers went off in a series of loud explosions.
At once, the jungle erupted with shrieks and screams and growls of startled creatures, darting every which way, rustling
