Jungle Stakes (SHORTLIST Open Novella Contest II)

Chapter 11

The hours crawled by, but the end of a watch always seemed to drag the longest. Helena yawned and stretched as she searched the canopy in the early morning light. Her stomach growled with hunger. It was nearly breakfast, but the morning cacophony of birds and monkeys, among so many more, was still missing. Anxiety crawled over her skin like ants at the continued silence. When they got the radio working again, they'd have to call a zoologist or someone to discuss it. Maybe there was some strange outbreak to add to their misery and shut down this expedition for sure.

Helena scrubbed at her face and turned at the sound of someone approaching on the path. Instead of Fitzy to relieve her, it was Javier's mother with a wide smile and a tray of containers. But Helena's delayed answering smile faded as Javier's mother bustled into the clearing and over in front of the doorway. The old woman set up a small tray, then lay out the containers, opening each one slowly to release fragrances that made Helena's mouth water. Then she sat back, smiling like the Cheshire cat into the dark doorway. She only glanced at Helena once or twice, her attention focused on fawning glances for the tomb.

Helena stood off to the side, watching. Was this food for the mountain spirit the locals had mentioned lived in this cave? They hadn't discussed it again since the first day, but it certainly looked like some kind of offering.

Javier's mother finally looked directly at her and said quite sharply in Spanish, "Eat!" Then turned back to the tomb, her hands held serenely in her lap. As Helena continued to stand, frustration then anger marked the old woman's face, belying the seraphic smiles she was directing at the stairwell. She turned to Helena and said with clenched teeth, "Please, sit and eat your breakfast." She held out a hand to indicate where Helena should sit behind the tray, facing the tomb.

A chill raced over Helena's skin making her shiver slightly as she flicked her gaze back and forth between the tomb and the old woman. She didn't like this, but couldn't put her finger on exactly why. She wasn't religious in the slightest, so eating the food wouldn't make one whit of difference to her. It would, however, appease Javier's mother and perhaps earn her blessing on her possible relationship with Javier.

Helena twitched her lips up in a small smile and sat at the tray. Javier's mother almost preened in her happiness. No matter how the woman treated her, Helena saluted her cooking skills. She met the old woman's eyes and smiled around her full mouth. If things went well, perhaps one day she would teach her to cook.

When Helena had finished all the food, Javier's mother pointed at Helena's walkie talkie and said, "Javier."

Helena nodded and held the walkie up to her mouth. "Javier, this is Helena. Are you there? Over."

Immediately Javier responded, "Hola, Helena. How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine. How are you feeling? Your shoulder?"

His smile came through his voice. "I'm feeling alright. Fitzy is here now giving me more happy pills, because he's torturing me by changing my bandages."

She smiled at how happy, how normal, Javier sounded. "Fitzy, how are you feeling this morning? Any illness?"

Fitzy's voice came over the radio, "No, I'm doing well. I'll go check on Jake when I'm done here. Javier's mother will take over your watch now so you can come back to camp, then I'll go relieve her later on."

Helena looked at the old woman out of the corner of her eye. She'd hidden her ability to speak Spanish, how much English could she understand? "Fitz, we still don't know what we are dealing with. Shouldn't someone well versed in defense be on watch?"

Javier was chuckling when he responded, "My mother is more capable than she looks. She will make sure no one goes into the site."

Javier's mother still sat smiling serenely at the tomb. She didn't look dangerous to anything except an onion, but Javier was confident, and he knew the possibility of a killer or poachers in the area. "Okay. I'll be in to check on Jake with you, then I want to walk the perimeter again."

Helena turned to Javier's mother and said in Spanish, "Fitzy will be here soon to take over. I'll take the containers back with me."

Javier's mother jumped and spread her hands over the tray. Her glance flicked nervously between Helena and the doorway. "No, no, I'll take care of it. You don't have to do anything. It's my duty. I'm happy to do it. "

"Okay," Helena drew out the word as she leaned back, then stood. She smiled, "Thank you for the food. I'll see you soon."

When she reached her tent, Fitzy was already sitting beside Jake, taking his temperature. "He's definitely worse, but I don't know what's wrong with him. No fever, but he's sweating, has chills, is weak. His heartbeat is rapid. He's been drinking, but barely keeping water down."

Helena crossed her arms and hugged herself. Jake's skin was so pale, and dark circles were under his eyes. "You have no idea what it could be?"

Fitzy shrugged. "It must be some bug he caught. Maybe he drank untreated water without knowing. I'm not a doctor, but the only thing I've seen that makes symptoms like this is blood loss from injuries. But Jake hasn't moved from bed in two days. Whatever it is, we've got to take him out. Heck, I'm considering pulling up stakes for all of us."

Goosebumps rose all over Helena's body at the suggestion of blood loss. Her mind flashed to the plumper skin of the man in the tomb. The more hydrated skin. She shook her head to shake the crazy thoughts off. She wasn't even going to entertain the possibility he was a vampire.

But when they found him he had a stake in his chest - a stake that hadn't reduced him to ash or whatever happened to a vampire. So that was a negative for the vampire theory. Movies and vampire lore always said a stake to the heart would kill the vamp in question. But the stake hadn't been through his heart, had it? She knew exactly where it went in, and it would have missed his heart. It had slowed him somehow, though. She pressed her eyelids closed tightly. She was thinking about the man in the tomb as being a real, live (dead?) vampire. She shook her head again and got up.

"We'll talk about the arrangments for Jake later. I'm going to check the perimeter. Can you come?"

He shook his head. "I'm going to put an IV line with a saline drip into Jake. See if it helps him. If we have to hike him out, we need him as healthy as possible. I should have done it yesterday, but better late than never."

She nodded. "And Javier?" Javier. Jake. There was no way she could hike out with Jake, because that's what a girlfriend would do. She bit her lip. She'd have to tell Fitzy about her change of heart so that he would be the one to go with Jake.

"Javier just needs rest. He's sleeping right now. The pain meds are making him groggy."

"Okay, I'll head to the site when I'm done checking the perimeter to update you."

She was at the door when he called, "Hel?" She turned. "Be careful. Something's not right here."

She nodded and slipped out into the eerie green light that was all the canopy allowed to filter down of the bright morning sun overhead. She looked toward the medical tent, but didn't want to disturb Javier if he was asleep. He'd recover faster with rest.

Whoever took Jake out would have to report the bodies she'd found yesterday and make arrangements for transportation - and get some new radio cables. The professor probably wouldn't be in such a rush for them if he realized those cables meant he could be ordered to leave the site - make that plural, there were two sites including the original one they hadn't even gone near yet. As it was, the only messages that could reach them would have to be hiked or parachuted in. She pressed her lips together. For all intents and purposes they were cut off.

The day was hot, but she broke out in a cold sweat when she realized there was another stop she had to make before checking the perimeter. With all of the events of yesterday, she'd never gone back to take pictures of the bodies. It would be pure luck animals or insects hadn't been at the bodies further. A full body shiver wracked through her because that meant she'd have to go down into the tomb. Alone.