This Green Hell

arm up, directing another deadly accurate stream at the thing’s leg. The thousands of high-speed spikes cut through the thigh, partially severing it.

Gonzalez stuck to the wall again, but this time there was no grin. With a sickening, sticky sound, the limb fell away from his body. There was no spurt of blood; instead, strings of dark mucilaginous tendrils stretched from the severed leg back up to its ragged stump. Alex watched in horror and disgust as the threads tightened and began to reel in the limb.

Aimee directed another short burst at the man’s torso, the dark holes that appeared in his chest testifying to the hits. The priest grew still and silent. His bulging eyes swivelled to Aimee, one moving more slowly than the other. His mouth opened and he slurred, ‘I am sick, child. Please forgive me.’

‘He’s trying to buy himself time,’ Alex warned. ‘He’s—’

He didn’t need to finish. Aimee’s slim arm lifted again, wavering slightly from the strain.

‘Fuck forgiveness. This is for Francisco, you demon from hell.’

The spikes shot into the thing’s face, slicing flesh from its skull. Alex fired again too, cutting through the tendrils that were recovering the injured leg, then severing the other leg. Gonzalez fell to the ground.

Alex walked over and placed his foot on the priest’s chest. There was no blood, despite the massive trauma. The skull, where it was exposed, was grey instead of white, like that of a skeleton you might see in a museum.

Gonzalez reached up with his remaining arm and grabbed Alex’s ankle, but could get no leverage to throw the HAWC off. Alex felt the crushing strength that still remained in the man’s arm and lifted the gauntlet slowly, pointing it at Gonzalez’s face.

The priest began to laugh, the words coming thickly from behind his gore-soaked beard. ‘Creature of the dirt, we will meet again.’

Alex smiled back. ‘I doubt that … your holiness.’

He fired at the other shoulder, severing the final limb. Still the hand continued to grip his ankle. He finished by cutting through the neck and kicking the misshapen head away to the far wall. The odour of the thing’s open flesh was vile.

‘Yuck.’ Aimee covered her mouth and nose.

Alex shook off the talon around his ankle and kicked the limbs away from the body. He pulled a small canister of liquid fuel from a pouch at his side and doused the torso, then stepped back and nodded to Aimee. She threw the flaming torch onto the carcass and stepped back too.

Alex waited mere seconds to make sure the corpse was fully alight before grabbing her arm and leading her up and out of the pit.

* * *

Behind them, in the shadows, the priest’s severed head lay in the dirt. One of its eyes swivelled to watch them go.

FORTY-ONE

Up in the main room, Alex looked back at the pit, now glowing red-hot from the burning remains, and over to the massive block that was partially covering the doorway. ‘Just one more thing,’ he said.

As he put his hands on the stone, a small face appeared in the gap.

‘Encontro a Chaco, senora?’ Saqueo asked, looking from Aimee to Alex and then back again.

Ah shit, thought Alex. They had protected Saqueo from seeing the small body out in the clearing; he was probably hoping his little brother had been trapped somewhere inside the old church. He exhaled, suddenly feeling his fatigue. And the pain never ends …

He turned to Aimee. ‘Take him outside … and talk to him.’

He could hear Aimee speaking softly to the boy in halting Spanish as she led him from the church, but he shut it from his mind. He placed both hands on the corner of the stone and his foot against the wall, sucked in a deep breath and gritted his teeth. At first, nothing, but then a minuscule tilt. Alex screamed with the exertion; he felt his muscles protesting, and one of the healing wounds on his chest ripped open.

The giant stone balanced on its corner for a second, then, in slow motion, began to topple. Alex leapt back and lifted one arm up to protect his eyes.

With a thunderous noise, the stone fell across the hole. Alex nodded. ‘Just in case.’

He walked around the slab, noticing only the tiniest of gaps where it rested against the stone floor.

* * *

‘You okay?’ Aimee nodded towards the cuts, punctures and bruises on Alex’s face and body as he kneeled down next to her beside Sam.

He grimaced and raised his arm to feel his ribs. ‘You did shoot me by accident back there, didn’t you?’

Aimee gave him a half-smile. ‘Of course. If I’d wanted to shoot you, I’d have aimed better.’

Alex tore open a small foil packet and broke the capsule inside under Sam’s nose. Sam spluttered then groaned. Alex pulled him to a sitting position, but Aimee put her hand out.

‘Wait! Should we be moving him?’

‘Move him or leave him,’ Alex said. ‘Seconds count now.’

After a moment, she gave an almost imperceptible nod and held out a canteen. Alex took it and splashed some water over the HAWC’s head.

‘Come on, big fella, we’ve got miles to go and not much time.’

Sam drank deeply, and then blinked several times. ‘What happened? Are we still in the desert, or are we …? Oh yeah, I remember. Where’s Gonzalez?’

‘Ashes by now, we hope,’ Alex said.

Sam smiled, but then his face dropped. Alex knew he’d remembered his last few seconds of consciousness and was performing an inventory of his injuries. Sam exhaled and his frame seemed to shrink slightly. ‘Sorry, boss, don’t think I’m going anywhere today.’ He reached down and squeezed his legs, then closed his eyes. ‘Might just stay here awhile … enjoy the night air.’

Alex clasped his friend hard by the shoulder. ‘Is that right?’

Sam shook his head. ‘Legs don’t work.’

‘Mine do,’ Alex said. ‘No time to argue, soldier; you’re coming.’

He tore open another silver capsule and held it out to Aimee. ‘Hyper-stimulant aerosol; it’ll give you about another hour’s energy.’ She hesitated and he pushed it at her. ‘Go on, you’ll need it.’

Aimee inhaled, and her head shot back as if she’d been kicked in the face. ‘Ow, that stings.’ She scowled at Alex before sneezing twice.

Alex pulled his satellite-positioning device from a side pouch and checked where they were. He called Saqueo over and turned to Sam. ‘Tell him we need to move very fast and he must keep up.’

Sam spoke quickly. Saqueo asked a question while pointing at himself.

Sam nodded. ‘Si, si, rapidamente.’

Saqueo looked back at the dark interior of the church and his mouth turned down at the corners. ‘Chaco era de lo mas rapido corriendo.’

Sam nodded. ‘Yeah, I bet he was a fast runner. Let’s just get you out of here.’ He looked up at Alex. ‘You drive, I’ll navigate.’

‘Deal. And you can do the talking — my comm unit’s busted. Tell the Hammer we’re on our way; and get on to Franks too. Tell her she’s not to leave the party without us.’

Alex lifted his second-in-command onto his back and Sam wrapped his bear-like arms around Alex’s shoulders and chest. His legs hung down uselessly, so Alex bound them together with cord in front of his waist to stop Sam’s large frame slipping off as he ran.

Sam pointed east and Alex set off. Aimee and Saqueo had to sprint to keep up with the HAWC leader as he raced through the jungle, their way made slightly easier because of the green tunnel he forged for them.