Laughing Eyes: Bittersweet Familia (3) (8 page)

Anna

We all met beside the truck Danny and I had traveled in. All a little shaken, all desperate for some form of escape. We knew our time here was coming to a close. Tensions were brewing and we had no idea who the man was we were fighting.

Danny stayed close, Luiza on my right, her arms wrapped around my waist. She was covered in dirt from the jungle and the smoke that had engulfed the whole area from the gas explosion. We took a moment and absorbed the devastation around us. Ten dead bodies lay scattered, oozing blood from various points on the body, mangled limbs from the blast still smouldering.

“Are we all accounted for?” Aiden asked, stress marring his features.

“We are,” Danny replied. “Now we need to make a decision whether we advance forward and see the villagers or not.”

“It’s not that far from here,” I offered knowing that most of us were fighting the urge to run. I was too. But I also wanted to check on the group and make sure they were doing ok.

“All in favour of continuing?” Alec asked the group.

Everyone except Luiza raised her hand.

“That settles it. It may be a tight squeeze fitting us in all, but one truck had to be the sacrifice.” Danny squeezed my hand and led me back to our vehicle. “Are you ok?” His eyes were loaded with concern.

“I’m a little in shock, but I’m not hurt. Promise!” He didn’t look too convinced, but I really was fine. “If it weren’t for you and Aiden, we would all be dead now. We owe you our lives.”

***

They were here. Had to leave.

The message was scribbled on the back wall of the last building. It was how we decided to communicate knowing that it was a difficult access point that wouldn’t be used by the soldiers. It’s messy lettering formed the words I dreaded to hear. Perhaps it was the same group who confronted us. If it weren’t, then there were more. The disconcerting part was that it seemed to be a trend of theirs to revisit sites they had already destroyed. That meant the villagers would no longer be safe enough to rebuild their lives. They would have to find somewhere else entirely and relocate.

“Do you think it was the same group of men?” I asked Danny and Aiden who stood next to me, their eyes still glued to the wall.

“It’s hard to say,” Aiden began. “We were still quite a while away so it could mean there are others.”

Nothing of this whole scenario was reassuring.

“It’s best we head back and seriously start planning our exit,” Danny responded, his eyes softening when they met mine. He knew we had unfinished business to take care of here and he was also sensitive to the fact that my heart would break leaving these people in the condition they were in.

“I agree,” Aiden also looked to me, releasing the branch that covered the message. “This place will destroy us all if we are not careful.”

***

For the next two weeks Aiden and Danny stuck close to us all, minus a few occasions when they went searching for El Leon’s arms factory, each time returning without any leads. Their frustration was evident and well-deserved. When out on the job they would be gone for quite some time, failing to come home at night as they were too far in the jungle to make it back safely. But when home, they would take their dinner with us and tell stories about their trip.

Then when everyone went to bed, Danny and I would make our journey back to the ocean where we would sit and chat about all things life. Some nights it was too dark, the moonless sky not offering us any light, so we would remain around the communal table under the glow of candles. It didn’t seem to matter where we were, we always had something to say, always something to laugh about. I had never smiled so much before; never felt so happy in my heart.

When Danny held me in his arms while we listened to the waves crash, I felt safe. He was my protector, the one who was quickly capturing my heart. Shivers would run down my spine and Danny would pull me in tighter.

Yet I could still feel it.

It was becoming more than just paranoia.

It was consuming me.

Eyes watching, following our every move.

Waiting for that one vulnerable moment.

Danny

Enough time had passed before we found ourselves on the road again, heading toward the last village we all but abandoned. We had left a small message on the wall stating our return in two weeks. Word from the locals back at base told us that El Leon and his soldiers seemed MIA.

There had been no more killings.

No more genocides.

While it was good news for everyone, it didn’t lower our suspicions.

“Boss!” Samuel, the youngest of the aid workers came running up, a troubled look on his face. “The weather front has changed. We need to leave.”

Aiden, myself and Alec had been working our way back through camp reassessing the clues that had been left for us while the others attended to the small amount of villagers who had returned. There had been many interruptions since our arrival, but this time Alec gave his colleague his full attention. “What does the forecast say?”

Our messenger looked flustered, “It’s coming in from the south strong and fast.”

“Will we make it back to camp if we leave now?”

“No, we will be driving straight into it.”

Alec heaved a sigh while lost in thought about our travelling plans. “Well we can’t exactly stay here in this blood bath of a place.”

“There is a town not far from here, about three hours east.” I mentioned, two sets of hopeful eyes meeting mine.

“Then we head there.” Alec announced before running off to gather his equipment and to alert his workers.

I turned to Aiden who wore a similar confused look. Clearly we were missing something.

“Why are they all freaking out about a storm?”

***

“What the fuck is happening?” I had to yell for my voice to be heard over the roar of the rain.

“It’s seasonal,” Anna yelled back. “This just happens to be ‘the’ season.”

The dodgy windscreen wipers were doing a lousy job, not that they stood a chance. The wind powered through the jungle sending sheet-like rain pounding against us. We were travelling blind and we stood no chance.

We were already saturated, our clothes soaked through.  No sooner after alerting the staff to pack up immediately, the winds came howling through; bringing the ominous clouds with them. While we stacked the trucks with equipment, the rain began pelting us, big heavy droplets at first, splattering randomly, then it was every man for himself as the sky fell around us.

Alec and the others traveled behind at a safe distance to avoid collision but close enough to not lose sight. The windscreen fogged up due to the humidity and as if reading my mind, Anna used her sleeve to clear a circle.

“Thank you.”

She gave me a small smile that made me want to plant my lips on hers. On cue, the right hand front wheel dipped down into a pot hole then up and over a mound, the motion causing everyone in the cab to be violently thrown about. Anna’s small hand came to rest on my arm, her knuckles turning white as her grip tightened.

After what felt like six hours, we finally came to a stop outside a two story weatherboard hotel.

“This must be us.” I announced, not entirely happy with our new position and in all honesty, I was more than surprised the place was still standing under the power of the storm.

“On the count of three. One, two, run!” I threw the truck door open and waited for Anna to climb out before slamming it shut. Aiden took care of Luiza as they made tracks to the shelter.

The others joined us soon after only to receive curious and somewhat hostile expressions from the woman on reception. She stood moodily behind the counter studying us with contemptuous eyes. Her mouth formed a thin line as she caught sight of the muddy puddles at our feet, messing up her aged and worn floor boards.

“We need a few rooms for the night, please.” I requested in an attempt to move the show forward. Her beady eyes now assessed us all a bit closer.

“I only have two rooms and there are eight of you.”

“Ok, four to a room.”

“Only two beds in each.”

“We can double up. We will take both, thanks.”

The woman gave a curt nod before ushering us up the rickety stairs. We all followed diligently behind in single file careful not to touch the loose balustrade. She unlocked two rooms with a key tied on a lanyard around her neck before pushing past us in the tiny corridor.

“You pay in the morning,” she grunted. I couldn’t help but find the humor in her inhospitable behaviour. I caught Anna’s eyes, her face too sharing the same sentiments.

“You expect more?” the woman quipped, her annoyance more than obvious.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” my chuckle encouraged a sweet laugh from Anna who then turned to face her boss.

“Luiza and I will obviously stay together. The four of you should take one room and we will share with Aiden and Danny.”

This clearly didn’t sit well with Alec, who now looked at me with suspicion. In fact they all did.

“Are you sure?” He asked as if I wasn’t there.

“Of course, we are all close, it’s fine.”

Grunting similarly to the receptionist, he took his cue and disappeared into his room, the others following close behind.

“Well aren’t you just the brazen Miss? Taking on the big boss like that,” another gorgeous smile crept across her face.

“Would you rather share with him?” She raised her eyebrows at me with mock curiosity.

“I think we all know the answer to that!”

Anna

Luiza and I both sat on the end of the bed we would be sharing not really knowing what to do next. We silently watched as the two men unpacked various electronic equipment, placing each item carefully on the mattress. The room was dimly lit, courtesy of only one lamp in between the two beds. It’s occasional flicker in perfect timing with the lightning outside. The incessant rain battered the foggy window pane, the mustiness of the room clinging to our damp bodies.

“Well,” I said, drawing the attention of both men, “If you don’t mind, Luiza and I will try to tidy ourselves up first?”

“Go for it. May as well go downstairs to the bar afterwards,” Danny’s eyes twinkled.

“Sure, sounds good,” I barely managed as Luiza pulled me into the tiny bathroom.

“What’s happening between you and Danny?”

“What on earth do you mean?” I feigned innocence knowing that Luiza had been oblivious to the amount of time Danny and I spent together. After a hard day at work she would crash straight after dinner and not move until I woke her in the morning.

“I see the way you two look at each other,” she teased. The confidence and sass Luiza typically possessed was starting to show itself again. If only it would stay.

“What about you and Aiden, hey? He’s a bit of a hunk as well.” Pulling off my now filthy dirty and soaking shirt, I came face to face with Luiza’s bemused frown.

“Hunk? Anna, I don’t think people use that word anymore.”

“Yes they do and stop changing the subject. Perhaps you should spend some time enjoying Aiden’s company. It might help take your mind off things.”

“Maybe you’re right. But same goes for you. I see the way your eyes ravage Danny’s body. You’re subtlety needs a bit of work.”

An abrupt knock at the door caused us both to jump, both our faces guilt riddled.

“Yes?” I asked, cautiously.

“Ah, I’m sorry to interrupt your um…scheming,” said a clearly amused Danny. Luiza’s face drained of color, a hand covering her mouth, “but reception just arrived with towels.”

I couldn’t hold back a chuckle. Clearly the walls were paper thin and the sound of the rain didn’t drown our whispering. Opening the door slightly, I took in the Cheshire cat grin Danny wore. He held both towels out to me, a satisfied look beaming from his eyes. He was a gorgeous man, there was no denying it. Luiza had been right. I did lose all control of subtlety with him around.

“Thank you,” I offered in a lame attempt to hide my own smile.

“Pleasure’s all mine.”

***

The bar downstairs was dingy, carrying the same mouldy smell as our room. None of that bothered me. I was just happy to be safe and dry and away from all the grief and sorrow that had plagued us all for so long.

Luiza and I always carried a bag of clothes with us as we tended to be covered in filth and blood by the end of day. While we both wore jeans and singlets, nothing flash, it was a lot different to the sacks we were made to wear when out in the field.

Luiza sat next to me deep in conversation with Aiden. They seemed to be hitting it off well as friends, the spark between them non-existent for anything more. Me on the other hand, I was sitting opposite a man who had somehow had a complete personality swap in the last hour. Danny tapped his fingers on the wooden table, his eyes traveling over every crevice of the bar. When I asked a question he made brief eye contact and delivered a short reply before once again looking away.

“Danny?”

“Mm?” He answered but his mind was elsewhere.

“Is everything alright? You have barely looked at me.”

Again he flashed me a distant glance before looking away. This time however, his fingers began an irritated drum on the table.

“Everything is fine, promise.”

I wasn’t reassured.

“Ok,” I said resigned to the fact that I was oblivious to whatever had transpired. “I’m going up to get another round. Are we all in?” Both Luiza and Aiden broke from their conversation to answer.

“Wait,” Danny caught my arm as I stood up from the booth. Both the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes were alarming, but for what reason?

“I will get it,” I insisted. Freeing my arm from his hold, I took a step toward the bar. His body was half out of the booth before he looked away, his attention locked on to something behind me. After a brief pause he finally sat down. He was on edge, paranoid.

After placing my order at the bar, I took the opportunity to study the small group from afar. Luiza and Aiden were still engaged in friendly banter. They were just happy enjoying each other’s company. It was good for Luiza to just chill out and enjoy being somewhat normal. Aiden was obviously midway through a story that involved a distracted Danny. He was being teased and laughter erupted at the table. While Danny laughed good naturedly at the ribbing, his eyes were still glued to something at the far end of the room. I followed his line of sight to a solitary figure sitting in an end booth on the other side of the bar.

The man was shrouded in shadow, his features difficult to see. Just from his physique alone I could tell that he was tall and strong. I could also tell that he was looking straight at me. I could feel his intense, lingering gaze, a cold shiver travelling down my spine.

I watched almost mesmerised as the mystery man picked up his glass and finished the remainder of his liquor. Placing it down, the glass slid along the wooden table top in a stream of condensation. Moments later, he stood, his eyes never leaving mine, the light above briefly revealing his tanned skin and fine chiselled features. Swinging the bar door open, the wind blew in thick sheets of rain, a chill now taking hold before the stranger disappeared into the night.