Luxuria (4 page)

Josh stepped forward with a boyish grin on his face. “The name’s Josh…and yours would be?”

The woman pulled a hunting knife from her belt and used the tip to flick the bottle cap off. “Well Josh, what the hell do you want?” She took a long swig of the beer. “You don’t look like bill collectors.”

“No, we are not bill collectors. We are looking for Mel Ector.” Josh stepped closer. “I was told he was the guide to come and see about taking us into the jungle for some extreme sightseeing.”

She looked them over with condescendingly. “You don’t look like the extreme sightseeing kind. Where is it you wanting to go?”

“One of the other guides I talked to called it, ‘Onde a Escuridade Oculta.’” He pulled out the map and opened it. “That place right there.”

She stepped down from the deck and glanced at the leather map before chuckling, as if he was joking. “You four want to go deep into the jungle and go sightseeing there?”

“Is that a problem?” Jessica stepped forward, putting her hands on her hips defiantly.

The woman looked Jessica up and down and chuckled. “I think you four would be better off going back into the city and finding one of the group trips to one of the tourist attractions - it would be safer for you lot.”

“Look it sweetheart, how about you just go and get your boss Mel, and let the men do the talking, okay.” Josh replied, growing annoyed.

She turned a sharp eye on him. “Americans are always so ignorant. Mel is short for Melanie, idiot.” She turned away and started up the stairs. “Get off my property. I don’t take liabilities like you into the jungle. I have enough problems of my own, without adding you to my list.” She turned away, and began climbing the steps.

“Debt collectors you said? Maybe I can help make some of those problems disappear.” Josh called to her.

Melanie turned back. “You couldn’t afford me. I am sure your allowances are about spent just getting here.”

“I beg to differ on that one,” Josh replied. “How does a thousand American dollars sound?” Josh asked pulling out his wallet. “Cash, of course.”

“Shit Josh!” Mark said with a gasp. “That’s a lot of money… forget her! We will find someone else cheaper.”

Mel’s eyes locked on the handful of money. “You won’t find anyone cheaper that will take you into that region.” She eyed the group once more. “Do you even know what Onde a Escuridade Oculta means? It’s Portuguese for ‘Where the Darkness Hides’.”

“Well, that’s not eerie at all.” Dustin muttered.

“Whatever, people give scary names to places all the time.” Josh drawled. “It was no different hundreds of years ago. Do you want the money or not?”

Melanie eyed them again. “You really want to do this don’t you?”

“Of course we do.” Josh replied.

“Fine, I’ll take half now and half when we get back. We leave in an hour.” She went back into the shack and closed the door.

They left the city an hour later, in a jeep that nearly matched the appearance of its owner’s rundown house. Each gear shift made an awful noise of protest and every bump in the dirt road threatened to rattle something loose.

They drove for hours, turning off main roads onto lesser used ones until finally they followed down a road so overgrown that thick branches scrapped at the sides and roof of the jeep threatening to tear through the rusted metal to get at those inside.

Finally able to go no further Melanie brought the jeep to a shuddering halt. “This is where we start walking folks.”

“Oh, thank God!” Jessica groaned, stepping out onto solid ground with jittery legs. Dustin was right behind her, stretching his cramping muscles.

Mark grabbed Josh’s arm and looked around. “Why wouldn’t another, cheaper guide take us here?”

Josh grimaced. “Don’t say anything to the others okay? I don’t want Dustin getting all freaked out or anything.” Mark nodded hesitantly. “All the other guides I talked to say this area is haunted or cursed by some evil spirits or something.”

“Sounds just like some old superstition.”

“It is,” Josh smiled, “I knew you’d see it my way.”

“Then why not tell the others?”

 Josh cursed. “You know Dustin… he overreacts to everything.”

Mark eyed his friend. “There’s more to this than you’re saying…. Come on, spill ?”

Jessica poked her head back in. “You two going to hide in here all day or what? We’ve got an adventure to have…come on!”

“We were just getting out.” Josh said climbing out of the jeep to join the others, not looking back to Mark.

“Have any of you shot a gun before?” Melanie asked, retrieving a long bag from the back of the jeep and pulling out a rifle.

“I have on my uncle’s ranch a few times,” Mark replied cautiously.

“What’s with the guns?” Dustin asked, growing nervous.

Melanie grinned at him. “Calm yourself there, boy. I promise I won’t hurt you. We are going into the deep jungle; there are things in there that might make us snacks. I’d rather that not happen.” She tossed Mark the rifle. “It’s loaded so be careful. I don’t want to have to pull a bullet out of anyone’s arse.” She strapped on a belt with two revolvers.

“What kind of things?” Jessica grabbed her pack from the back of the jeep.

Melanie just shook her head in disgust. “You Americans really have no idea about where you are, do you? Everything is fluffy clouds and pink rainbows with you. Let’s get going before it starts to get dark and I change my damn mind about this.”

“Wait what about the rest of us?” Josh asked. “Don’t we get something to protect ourselves with too?”

Melanie reached into the jeep and pulled out a bright orange handgun. “Here
sweetheart
, this should make you feel a bit safer. Try not to hurt yourself.” She mocked.

“A flare gun?” He stammered, shaking his head before tucking it into his pants pocket.

“Good, you know what it is and I don’t need to explain what it is for. Don’t use it unless I tell you too. Don’t need you burning the damn jungle to the ground.”

“You just got burned Josh,” Jessica laughed, “serves you right.”

“Too many guns in untrained hands raises the risk of unsavory accidents.” Melanie told them. “And I don’t think your friend here does too well with blood.” She motioned to Dustin.

“I can believe that.” Mark replied adjusting his own pack. “I feel a lot safer knowing Josh has our back with that
flare gun
.” Everyone shared a chuckle while Josh cursed under his breath.

“Mark, you take the rear, I’ll man the front. Stay close and if you see or hear anything, for God’s sakes, let me know before it’s too late. More often than not animals want nothing to do with a group this big, but that doesn’t mean we should drop our guard.” With that, she pulled a machete from her belt and went forward into the growth, swinging the blade with insouciant ease.

The many shadows and noises of the jungle took a lot of getting used to and more than once, they stopped to listen to what might be beyond the dense growth. Melanie had been born and raised locally and assured them they were safe. It was when the noises of the jungle stopped that the true danger was around.

“So, how long is it going to take us to get to these ancient ruins?” Jessica called up.

“The rest of today, and likely all of tomorrow.” Melanie called back, her machete clearing an easier path for them. “That is, if your map is correct – it might not be there.”

“Why wouldn’t something be there?” Dustin asked.

“Because I have only ever heard rumors of ruins out that way and rumors seldom prove true.” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “I know the landmark is on the map - if it is there we will find it.”

“If there isn’t anything there then what do we do?” Jessica swatted at a bug on her neck.

“There are other ruins to the north, about a day and half’s walk - I could take you to instead if you really want to see something.” Melanie told them. “But it will cost you another three hundred dollars.”

“There will be something there,” Josh said. “I know there will be.” He fingered the gold ingot in his pocket.

“Damn it, I am out of water.” Jessica shook her canteen and wiped sweat from her brow.

Melanie tossed her hers. “Have some of mine, we can refill them at the next creek we pass.”

Jessica drank deeply, the water in Melanie’s canteen seemed colder than hers had been and so she drank greedily before handing it back, already feeling more refreshed.

Under the jungle’s canopy, it grew dark quickly. Melanie called a halt for the night by a creek, not wanting to risk injury in the fading light.

Dustin watched their guide unroll a sleeping bag onto the ground near the small fire pit. “So, where are we going to sleep?”

“On the ground,” she replied, “there are sleeping bags in each of your packs.”

“On the bloody ground,” he roared out, “you’re kidding right?”

Melanie looked up at him with a hard look. “Does it look like I am kidding, city boy? Where’d you think you were going to sleep?”

“What about all the snakes and spiders and anything else that crawls on the ground?”

“Stay close to the fire and most of them will stay away.” She replied with a mean grin. “Just be sure to check your shoes in the morning before you put them on. Sometimes some nasty things will hide out in them and there ain’t any anti-venom out here.”

“Just lovely,” Dustin muttered.

“You really didn’t think there was going to be a hotel or something out here did ya?” Josh slapped Dustin on the back. “I told ya, we were going on an adventure and the best ways to know you are on one is when you are sleeping on the ground, worried about something biting you.”

Mark laughed out loud, “Like you have ever slept on the ground before Josh - you live in the biggest house in town.”

“I have too,” he boasted, “but only when I have been drunk and passed out on it.”

“God, this humid heat just makes me feel gross.” Jessica said, pulling on her sweat-soaked shirt. “Guess you guys don’t know how to make a girl a nice, warm shower out here?”

“I was in boy scouts, but I am pretty sure I left before we covered how to do that one.” Mark joked.

“No one out here you need to impress, Princess.” Josh teased and got a middle finger for his efforts.

“We passed some shallow pools about a hundred yards back.” Melanie interjected, pointing the way they had come. “The water might be a little chilly, but it will get you clean.”

Jessica looked back the way they had come; already it had grown eerily dark. “Not sure I need to clean off that badly.”

“Here.” Melanie lit a gas lantern and handed it to her, along with one of her revolvers. “If you get into trouble, hold on tight… point and shoot. This bastard will take down anything that might think to come after you.”

“I could go with you.” Dustin offered, clearing his throat nervously.

Jessica took the lantern and gun. “Thanks, but I’ll be alright now it’s not that far.”

“Just call if you do need help.” Mark offered, adding wood to the growing flames. “We will come running.”

Jessica walked down the path they had cut, towards the clear pools of fresh spring water. A slight tingle of fear and excitement gripped her insides as she moved away from the camp. But the feel of the revolver in her hand gave her the courage she needed to keep going… that and the thought of washing her skin clean.

The water pools were closer than she expected and she could still see the light of the camp in the distance and heard the soft murmurs of her friend’s voices, which put her at ease. If anything happened, they would hear her if she screamed for help or had to fire Melanie’s gun.

She placed the lantern down near the water’s edge and rested the revolver beside it, in easy view and reach of the pool. She glanced around, almost as if she expected someone to be watching her out here. After a moment, she chided herself for her foolishness and pulled off her grimy road-travelling clothes and put them beside her pack, where fresh ones awaited.

Jessica placed a foot into the water and released a sigh of bliss - the cool water felt spectacular upon her clammy skin. She stepped further into the rocky pool, surprised to find that it went up all the way to her waist. She cupped the fresh, running water in her hands and began splashing herself. She washed the feeling of filmy dirt and sweat from her skin, losing herself in the sensation of being clean and cool once more.