Chapter Twenty DoDie
Maya
Yes, I was a blonde now. Rain had whistled at me when I came down the steps of the Mancini mansion to get into the car.
Henry, however, told me the blue eyes and blonde locks, wasn’t me.
Even though I was still beautiful, he liked the way I really looked.
As I put heavy sunglasses on, I knew this might be the biggest compliment of my life.
I did have a few outfits from that delivery place but they were of my choice.
Jeans and T-shirts. Sports bra and underwear.
Athletic shoes and thick socks. Yes, thick to keep the mosquitos away from my ankles. I knew the Catemaco area very well.
We then headed to the private air strip and left New Orleans.
Amazingly, we landed an hour and a half later in a remote area.
The speed of it all amazed me. We had a snack and a drink on the flight then we were there!
Jets were amazing but terribly expensive.
From elsewhere, it took a day trip in a car across Mexico to Mexico City to get on a plane there and then hours to fly to New Orleans.
Rain informed us that it was simple math as a straight shot geographically. Henry just replied that it was simple loads of money that made everything possible. They both laughed.
I saw how they enjoyed the competitive jokes and it was entirely how their friendship thrived.
Since we avoided customs and the hotel, they spoke about their utter relief at not having to wear pink and smack their lips at each other.
They hailed the praises of Alberto Mancini for saving them from the rainbow act as they called it.
I listened to them talk instead of hearing my own thoughts.
I would go pazzo with the list of worries.
Like…Me, a serial killer? After a bit, even their entertaining ways failed to keep the obvious worry of this new fact away.
I might have to hide indefinitely because of this circumstance now.
Could I ever return to Italy? I would have to live under the radar as they called it.
Then I suddenly realized those old witches had the last laugh after all.
They were evil, mean and literally cold-blooded killers, so I believed they were in hell where they belonged.
But they left revenge behind. I shivered as I could still hear those horrible, ugly cackles in my mind from time to time.
I could not care about this though. I would go through it all over again if it meant I could save my family. I felt so nervous yet excited that I would see them again…At least I hoped so. I kept sending prayers up, that I would be reunited with them finally.
The jet pilot told Henry that he would be a call away. He knew the area well and had a place to hide the plane. Then he would fly back around to this strip when Henry called.
Our guide surprised us by showing up in a Jeep and motioning for us to get in.
This guide was a woman, which was a further shock.
She told us her name was Vega. As in she said, “I am Vega.” Then that was the extent of her speaking skills and greeting.
Long jet-black hair in a ponytail under an Army cap.
A dark green T-shirt and khaki shorts. Hiking boots and long tan legs.
I knew her name translated in English to swooping eagle.
I thought it to be a clever name then I found out how well it fit her.
She barely waited for us to toss our bags in and get seated, then she took off like a bat out of hell, as Rain had muttered to us.
Dust flew and we all hung on to whatever we could.
The scenery flew by. I’d never been to this side of Catemaco.
Not that I saw much of it now either. In the past, there had never been a reason or an opportunity to do so as this was called the badlands for a reason.
It was reported to be a wild place where thieves and criminals hid out.
Locals always said to avoid it or else lose everything you carried on your person and you might lose yourself too.
I noted that the woman guide had a gun at her right hip and a big machete knife sheathed on her left.
This made me feel a bit better. Unless she used either weapon on us.
But she must have noted the guns Henry and Rain now openly carried.
Somehow though, I knew Alberto would not have someone hired who was untrustworthy enough to attack the clients.
Gradually, the landscape changed and the flat dusty badlands disappeared as trees and water now surrounded us. Our guide then stopped the Jeep with a crushing unexpected halt.
Rain looked over at her and asked, “Who taught you to drive?”
She shrugged and told him in a thick Spanish accent, “No one, I taught myself.”
He laughed. “Da, that makes sense.”
Henry chuckled.
Vega literally stood from her seat and jumped down from the Jeep. Like she had springs in her legs.
Rain stared at this pure athletic agility and he actually smirked.
Henry hopped out then helped me down as he grasped my waist and set me onto the ground.
I felt a bit inferior as compared to the eagle girl but I never claimed to be a female jaguar or anything.
I did understand the name she had more though.
We all had backpacks so we strapped them over our shoulders and this fact paid off as we were about to hike from here it seemed.
With no words at all, Vega stepped through the trees that were now thick all around us.
Henry, Rain and I hurried after her as we all headed along through into the trees. What we found though, totally stunned us.
It looked like the amazon literally. Swamp-like. Low hanging trees, a river that had murky water and floating plants but no Vega.
We looked for her and didn’t see her anywhere.
“Well, fuckall,” Henry griped. “Did we just get left?”
“I hope not,” Rain replied. “If so, I will be hunting this bitch down.”
“You mean if we survive,” Henry noted.
We stood there for several more nerve-wracking minutes.
I felt nervous. If we did not make this trip, my family would die.
Then a sound could be heard. It echoed like a spluttering highspeed fan or like a small plane. Suddenly, an odd water contraption came up the winding murky river at high speed to slide in sideways and up onto the beach where we stood.
Vega was the pilot and beamed at us as water splashed everywhere.
“Nu chert voz'mi!” Well, hell! Rain exclaimed as he tried to avoid the inevitable. However, he was soaking wet now.
Henry laughed as he and I stood further away and only felt a few pelting droplets.
I had only seen this kind of craft online. They were used in America mostly. Propelled by a large, aircraft-style propeller mounted on the back, inside a protective metal cage. I wondered how protected we would be and how we would hang on with the way this woman drove vehicles.
“Where did you get an air boat?” Rain asked Vega.
“I built it myself,” she replied with a grin.
We all stared at her as her thick accent had up and disappeared.
“Of course you did,” Rain stated dryly. “And I bet you taught yourself how to drive it too, da?”
“Si, that is what I do.” Nodding, she motioned to all of us. “You need to hurry. The black one is coming.”
We did as she instructed and rushed over to the river’s edge.
I wondered who this black one was, but we had no time for questions it seemed.
Henry picked me up and set me onto the flat-bottomed hull. It seemed firm even though it looked like it was made of aluminum. He then hopped up on it himself.
Rain did the same.
There were four seats for passengers and we took three. Then Vega sat above us, behind those seats by the covered cage. Pointing to our left, Vega nodded at us.
We turned to look. There was a huge, dark crocodile in the water by the other side of the river.
I assumed that this was the Black One. I shivered as it snapped its large jowls.
Vega immediately turned the boat and took off. Again, we all hung on as best we could. There were no seatbelts or any protection from the water or flying insects which seemed to be many and huge.
Powered by an automotive or aircraft engine that seemed very loud, Vega knew how to maneuver it. Fast, noisy and furious would be the best way to describe it.
I hung on to Henry’s strong arm with both of my arms locked. No way did I wish to take a swim in this brown water or become a snack for some hungry creature.
After about ten minutes of this racing up the swampy river, Vega finally slowed the odd contraption a bit then slid the boat up into a small alcove. Shutting the engine down, she made her way around our seats and hopped out like she did from the Jeep.
“I think I’m in love,” Rain rasped out almost breathless as his eyes never left Vega.
Henry laughed loudly as he scooped me up and took me ashore. “It would be your funeral, Rainmaker.”
“Yeah,” he replied as he stepped off the cage boat to the sand. “But what a ride it would be.”
We all laughed.
We now followed Rain’s dream girl up through the thick jungle on a narrow path that barely fit me, let alone two rather tall, large men like Rain and Henry. Both men kept grunting and grumbling some foul words as small branches hit them in the face or arms repeatedly.
I almost laughed at this sort of comedic smacking and complaining, except I was too afraid of the big bugs and possible snakes.
“Ay, Maldito!” Well, fuck! Vega exclaimed as she took her knife from its sheath and jabbed it into one of those feared snakes.
Blood spurted from it as she barely slowed her hiking pace down.
She then tore a huge leaf from a jungle plant and used it to swipe her large knife clean.
Replacing it to the sheath, she had not stopped during this entire snake killing and weapon cleaning.
Moving ahead, she laughed to herself as if that had been nothing but fun.
“Bylat! Sdelay Ili Umri!” Rain exclaimed in awe. Fuck, this is my do or die!
I laughed.
Henry laughed with me at his reaction, knowing Rain was attracted to her. “Careful Rainmaker, you gotta keep it in your pants.”
We then suddenly came out to a small clearing. And again, no Vega. We learned by now though, so we paused to catch our breath and waited for her to reappear.
A large buzzing swooshed by my ear and I jumped away from it.
“The fuck?” Henry swatted at it. “Mosquitos here are the size of bloody humming birds!”
I had to agree. You might have to go to the clinic and get some blood to replace what it took.
“Hurry up!” Vega called out.
We all looked around and did not see her.
Then a large jungle plant moved ahead of us as if waving at us. “In here,” she called again.
We made our way over then stepped through and again we were stunned by another surprise.
A small house stood enshrined within jungle trees, compact and hidden so well that if you walked by it, you might not see it. It too was green and I suddenly thought…a chameleon house.
We came to it and Vega appeared from a door we never saw before she opened it.
We all went in, then the door silently slid closed behind us.
Looking around, our astonishment never quit.
Luxurious really for a jungle shack. Large leather sofa and chairs.
A white fur rug in front of them and cherrywood side tables.
A desk and computer. The interior was extremely pleasant and cool.
After the heat and humidity of the jungle swamp, it felt like pure heaven to me.
“There are three rooms for sleeping, a stocked kitchen and 2 shower rooms.” Vega nodded at us.
“I stay here when there are clients that need a guide.” She cocked her head at us.
“I do not usually ask questions, but you are here at a very dangerous time. It is not a good place for tourists during the blood moon.”
We all paused but we did not explain as I said, “We are not tourists.”
“Si, I get it.” Vega stared at us. “My instructions are to get you as close as I can to the ritual. However, the closer you are the more likely you are to be killed. You comprender?”
We all gave her a nod.
“You are safe here. There is fruit, cheese and sliced meat in the fridge. Bottled water and even some Sangria. Cabinets are full of food. I will take a nap now then be on guard when you all sleep. We need to leave in the morning to get into place before…the bad blood people arrive.” She then turned and went down the small hallway.
Rain watched her leave then he made like he was going to follow her.
“Hey!” Henry called to him.
He halted then turned to give him a wink. “Just wishful thinking.”
We settled in and I had to admit I felt tired. It had been a long day. We did eat what was in the fridge and there were crackers as well as Mexican cookies too.
The guys made a few comments about the conflicting traits of Vega. Like was she a local? Why did her accent fade to nothing? How did Mancini find her? It was a total mystery. We then found that we got no cell service here. We weren’t sure if it was the jungle house or the whole area.
After three hours, Vega appeared again. She asked us if we had any questions.
Henry and I looked over at Rain.
He shook his head at us since we appointed him as our group speaker. Then he looked over at Vega. “We cannot get any cell service.”
“Si, they block it.”
“They?” Rain asked her.
Vega stepped closer and whispered to him, “The League. The ones that we need to hide from tomorrow. I hope you three are ready to look death in the eye.” She then went to the door. “Nighty-night,” she added in a sing-song voice as she exited.