The cold river mercilessly swept him along.
Ahead, panicked voices and grunts echoed in the narrow river channel as they were all swiftly carried forward.
He sensed they were heading downwards at a low angle, deeper into this subterranean world.
He tried to clear his mind. He remembered Javier saying the river would eventually bend to the left, so he used all his senses in this dark, fast-moving river to glean where the bend was. He’d lost all track of time and distance.
Then, he heard voices shouting ahead, then more splashes and grunts.
“Pull them out! Hurry!”
Seconds later, he felt the river bend. This is it, he thought, get ready!
“Rick!” he heard Sofia shout. “On your right!”
He turned his head as the river flowed into a wide bend to the left. His eyes had adjusted somewhat to the dark environment and he spotted shapes at the edge of the water on the right.
“Take my hand!” Javier shouted.
The water rushed him ahead and he reached out with his right hand, grabbing onto Javier. They locked hands, and Rick swung his left arm over and grabbed the ledge with his left hand. The combination of his wet clothes and the water-logged rucksack on his chest created drag, leaving him struggling to heave himself out of the cold, dark current and onto the cool, rocky ledge.
Luis and Javier both grabbed onto him and pulled him farther out of the water until his legs were free.
“Thanks,” he said in a raspy voice.
Breathless, he rolled over onto his back and lay on the flat surface for a moment, grateful to be on something resembling terra firma. His limbs felt like overcooked spaghetti and his lungs burned from the exertion. He gazed up. The rocky ceiling here was much higher, over twenty feet high and the area was about fifteen feet wide near the river’s edge. The space narrowed into what looked like another tunnel, about ten feet ahead. He could feel a slight breeze coming from somewhere. He coughed and then pushed himself up, feeling waterlogged.
At once, a strong, overpowering smell hit him. His eyes stung. It smelled of ammonia.
He glanced around. The rest of his group were a sorry looking bunch—shivering, soaking wet, looking exhausted and scared as hell, still trying to catch their breath, but everyone was accounted for. He was relieved. He stood up, feeling a little wobbly.
He looked at Javier, clearing his scratchy throat. “Thanks for saving our sorry butts.”
“De nada,” Javier replied, waving his hand.
He turned to Javier’s friends. “Well, I guess this is as good a time as any to introduce ourselves. Hi, I’m Rick.”
They introduced themselves as Juan and Carlos.
Sofia, Luis and Diego introduced themselves as well.
“Good to meet you all. Now what?” Rick asked, smoothing his wet hair away from his face.
“Now, we keep moving,” Javier answered. He fished out his flashlight and shined it down the dark passageway ahead of them and then up to the ceiling. “Bats.”
Rick’s skin crawled as he took in the sight. “Holy...”
The ceiling above them, and ahead, was covered in hundreds of small, brown, moving shapes.
Sofia and Luis gasped.
Diego cringed.
Rick recognized them as Salvin’s Big Eyed Bats. He could hear their wings scratching against the rock.
“It’s ok,” Javier said. “They shouldn’t bother us if we don’t disturb them, they’re herbivores. But the guano will make it hard to breathe and to see.” He pointed to the ground. “We must keep moving. Put your balaclavas on to help with the smell.”
They quickly donned them and then got their flashlights out.
Javier quietly spoke with his two friends. They all nodded.
“I’ll lead,” Javier said, “and Juan and Carlos will bring up the rear this time. We’re familiar with this passageway.”
Rick glanced down at the floor of the tunnel ahead of them as Javier shined his light on it. It was a thick, slimy mess. He groaned. He could see cave cockroaches around the edges, feeding on the nutrient-rich feast.
As Rick tried to keep his gag reflex under control, he asked a question, “Just how much farther are we going?”
Javier had hoped he wouldn’t ask. He knew how exhausted everyone was already.
“Javier?” Rick pressed him.
“It’s about another 400 feet or so,” he replied.
Rick silently cursed. This was a lot to deal with for an older and injured former prisoner.
Sofia whispered to Diego in Spanish, “Will you be ok, Papa?”
He nodded; his gaze fixed straight ahead.
She could tell he’d been traumatized by his experience, but they had no choice but to press on at this point.
“We’ve got you, Papa,” Luis said.
Diego managed a small smile, but swallowed hard.
“Watch your footing,” Javier said, “it’s very slippery.”
“We’ll keep a slow, but steady pace,” Juan added. “It’s not safe to try to move too fast through the guano. You will only fall.”
“Right-o,” Rick said.
The limestone and shale tunnel was damp and musty and the ammonia smell of the acidic guano was nearly overpowering. It was nearly six inches thick in the passageway, squishing over their hiking boots with every step.
Rick nearly gagged from the high concentration of sulphur in the thick, dark-brown compound. His eyes stung and tears streamed down his cheeks.
They all followed in single file after Javier, choking and coughing as they went.
Luis nearly slipped, but managed to catch himself by bracing his arms on either side of the passageway.
Overhead the bat colony was abuzz with movement, using echolocation to ping the intruders. A few bats swooped down, flying over their heads, the flapping of wings echoing loudly in the enclosed space.
They ducked on instinct, but the bats were still several feet above their heads.
“Not liking visitors, hey?” Rick muttered under his breath.
