Jorge pointed toward the trees. “You may want to find yourselves walking sticks. Anything to help you balance.”
Zane looked at his watch. “I’ll give you a couple of minutes to do that.”
There was another clap of thunder as everyone headed toward the trees. Zane looked at the surface of the stream. The rain hadn’t reached them yet, but it wouldn’t be much longer. He guessed they had a half hour to get across and set up camp, maybe less.
Suddenly, Zane heard a noise and caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head just in time to see a big swirl on the surface of the stream about a hundred yards away.
Probably a carp, he thought.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Amanda had just spotted a second tree limb when Zane blew a whistle, calling everyone back. She ran over to the base of a large tree, bent over, and picked it up. One end was gnarled and shaped like a handle. Perfect.
She wasn’t thrilled about crossing the murky stream, but at least she’d have a couple of sticks to keep her steady.
Slipping them under her arm, she maneuvered through the maze of trunks and reentered the clearing. The others were exiting the forest at the same time.
“Nice,” said a voice.
She turned to see Brett walking up behind her.
She held up the one with the knobby end. “You like my cane?”
“I do. That’s almost as nice as my granny’s.”
“I have to confess I’m not big on this whole crossing the river thing,” Amanda whispered with a smile.
Brett frowned. “Why not?”
“Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not a fan of walking through water so dark I can’t see what’s around me. I’ve been that way ever since seeing Jaws as a kid.” She held up one of the sticks. “So, in addition to helping me with my balance, I won’t hesitate to put these babies to use.” She made like she was beating something with one of the sticks.
Brett grabbed her bicep with two fingers. “I feel for any caiman that might be foolish enough to challenge these.”
“Brett!” Amanda said, shaking her head.
“I’m joking, I’m joking. There aren’t going to be any caiman out there. They were all eaten by the anacondas.”
“You jerk!” She slapped his arm playfully. “I’m going to give you the end of this stick if you keep this up.”
Zane was about to speak when suddenly a clap of thunder boomed in the distance and a strong gust of wind rattled through the nearby trees. Everyone turned and looked skyward at the sound. Even the soldiers lifted their heads nervously. She liked the idea of crossing less with every passing second.
“Okay, make sure you have all of your gear, because we’re not making two trips,” Zane said.
“You sure this is still a good idea?” Brett asked, nodding in the direction of the last boom.
“It seemed close, but it’s still over a mile away,” Zane said. “If we move quickly, we’ll be across in plenty of time.” He nodded at Jorge, who was standing next to him. “My friend also reminded me that this storm could trigger some serious flooding. The stream is already well above its normal level, so another hard rain could make it rise another few feet overnight. And if that happens, there’s no telling how long we’d have to wait to get across. A day, perhaps two. Who knows? Unfortunately, we don’t have enough supplies to take that risk.”
Amanda watched as Max leaned toward Katiya and mumbled, “Does the idiot realize that if the lightning strikes the water—”
“Did I hear a question?” Zane asked, looking in their direction.
“Sorry, Zane,” Katiya said. “Please continue.”
Zane’s eyes lingered on Max for a moment. Amanda could tell that he’d about reached his tipping point with the linguist. Finally, he continued. “Jorge and I are going to cross first. Once we’re about halfway across, enter the water one at a time. Leave about ten feet between you and the person in front of you.”
“Why is that, Zane?” Katiya asked. “Don’t we want to be close together?”
“No. If one person slips, we don’t want to have a domino effect. I’ve seen it happen before. If any of you fall, make sure you get out of your pack and get up on two feet. If you need help, I’ll come get you.”
Katiya nodded. “That makes sense. Thank you.”
“Anyone else?” Zane scanned the faces gathered around. “If not, then let’s go.”
Zane and Jorge shouldered their packs and entered the water. The Brazilian wasn’t using a stick. He’d probably crossed hundreds of streams like this in his life.
As the two made their way across, the rest formed a line. Katiya, Max, and Bennett were ahead of Amanda, while Brett, Artur, Wilson, Tocchet, and Nash brought up the rear. She felt good knowing that she would be right behind Bennett. If forced to make your way through dark jungle water, it was good to have a Green Beret a few feet away.
A few minutes later, Zane reached the halfway point and gave the signal that all was clear. As far as she could tell, he and Jorge seemed fine. No bloodstains on their clothing and no missing limbs. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she’d thought.
A few minutes later, Bennett sloshed out into the stream.
Here goes.
Amanda drew in a deep breath and stepped onto the thin strip of sand at the water’s edge. She looked at the water, and her pulse quickened. It was even darker than she’d thought. She could just about kill Brett right now for planting all those images in her mind. She suddenly pictured a twenty-foot anaconda slithering along the stream bottom, drawn by the motion in the water.
Pull yourself together.
Before entering, she looked ahead one last time. Bennett was about ten feet out, looking back and forth as he strode confidently through the water. If there was something to be worried about, the soldier sure didn’t show it.
Taking a deep breath, she waded out into the water. The bottom was exactly as Zane had described it: a thin layer of mud covering solid ground.
A minute later, Brett spoke from behind her. “How’s the water?”
Without turning, she said, “It’s not Waikiki, but I think I’m going to be okay.”
The bottom sloped downward, and suddenly she was in water up to her waist.
She stopped to gather herself. Just keep going. Don’t stop and allow your fear to set in.
After pulling her pack further up her back, she continued on her way. One foot after another, she thought. Despite all her efforts to resist, she couldn’t help but occasionally glance down into the murky depths. The swirls of mud rolled into odd shapes. One moment they seemed like the slithering coils of a giant serpent, the next they formed the snout of a caiman.
When she was about halfway across, Amanda stepped out, but her right foot failed to touch the bottom. Instead it plunged downward into a hole. The surface of the water came toward her as she fell. Adjusting quickly, she extended her left foot and set it onto solid ground. Amazingly, she was able to maintain her balance.
“You okay?” Brett asked.
“I think so. Be careful, there’s a hole right here.”
She looked up. Bennett was about twenty or thirty feet away now, still looking back and forth as he moved strongly through the water. Her heart beat faster in her chest. She’d wanted to stay as close to him as possible.
Determined to make up ground, she pushed ahead. A few seconds later, Amanda noticed that Bennett had come to an abrupt halt. She frowned. His body language had changed completely. The rugged soldier was alert and staring at something down the stream to the right.
No, please no. Just keep going!