Chapter 20: Run for It

February 1999

I helped Lou to his feet, grabbed my backpack and proceeded down the pathway to our car, thinking we would never make it in time. However, the ambush had slowed our assailants down plenty. Nevertheless, we never looked back. Lou had his pistol ready and I had my AKM assault rifle. We arrived at our car and drove out of the area as fast as we could. Lou was bleeding all over the front seat of the car. I hoped I could make it to the clinic at the mission in time. If I could have called Paul, and tell him what had happened, they could have gotten the clinic prepared for treatment. I made the trip in about half the time. Normally, I think Lou would have bled to death, but Lou knew first aid and began to treat himself. He had taken off his belt and placed it around a leg to make use of a tourniquet. This had slowed the bleeding some, buying us time. I could see the mission down the road, and so I began to honk the horn. I saw the closed door and knew that it was Paul’s signal that it was safe to approach the mission. I drove up, got out of my car, and rang the bell, screaming for help.

The large wooden door opened with Paul waiting on the other side, asking what the matter was. I proceeded to tell him as I drove the car into the compound. Lou’s face was grimaced in pain. Paul called for help. Clinic staffers immediately rushed out into the courtyard parking to help Lou into the clinic. I followed them in and asked what I could do to help.

Paul pulled me aside stating, “There is nothing you can do to help. He is in enough good hands already.” I could hear Lou shouting in pain as the nurses began to treat his wounds behind closed doors.

“What happened, Malcolm? Where’s Rosalva?” Paul asked.

I sat down on the porch to the infirmary. As I began to tell the tale of the morning’s events, Paul face was aghast with anguish and sorrow. Tears began to well up in his pale blue eyes. “And the last thing we heard as we left the forest temple was the sound of Rosalva screaming, in fear for her life. Oh God! It was so awful! I wanted to go back but they were shooting at us, trying to kill us. We ran because I thought it was the only thing to do. Then on the other side of the bridge, we stopped running and made a stand. I know I shot at least ten of them. There is no telling how many Lou shot as we were running. We got to the car and made it back to here.” I was sweating, and my eyes were tearful. My hands were shaking and so were my legs. I had never shot anyone before nor had anyone shot at me before. It was very scary. Rosalva was no doubt dead, as we heard her screaming. We never really saw her die. I wondered if there was any hope that she might still be alive.

One of the nurses came out of the treatment room. She said that Lou was going to have to stay for a few days and might need moving to another place for more treatment. I wanted to see Lou. The other nurse was still dressing Lou’s wounds. Lou saw me and motioned me over. Lou asked, “Did you ever get the pictures of the altar and the high priest?”

“Sure! The camera never left me, probably because it was on a strap around my neck. Why?”

Lou, gasping in pain, said, “Amigo, you’ve got to get out of here. They will come looking for you. The pictures are our proof that this is a cult, not a pet knapping ring, and these people are killers. They killed Rosalva, yes?”

“I know,” I said solemnly, not wanting to think about Rosalva’s pretty, young body laid out on the dirt floor of the forest temple.

“Then you must leave now! Right now! Get in the car, get back to Bogotá, and get back on a plane to Miami. Don’t worry about me! Just go!” Each word was emphatic that I leave immediately.

I turned to Paul and told him what Lou wanted me to do. “I’m confused, as I don’t want to leave another friend behind. I’ve already lost one, and it is tearing me up inside.”

Paul stated, “Then you must do as your friend says. We will take care of him and we will notify the consulate in Bogotá of his whereabouts. If you have valuable information, it is important that you get it back to the proper authorities, even if they aren’t Colombian. So, let’s get your car gassed up and get you on your way.”

Paul motioned for one of the staff members to come to him, and leaned over, whispering instructions in Spanish to him. The young man nodded his head in understanding of his employer’s instructions and immediately set off to carry them out.

Within thirty minutes, I was driving myself at a high rate of speed back to Bogotá, back to my hotel room, and hopefully to the airport first thing tomorrow. I not only had to survive the day, but probably the night as well. It was an understatement to say that I was having a bad day, as it wasn’t even ten in the morning! My guilt for leaving Rosalva behind overshadowed my concern for her. Who would tell her family what happened to her? Perhaps Lou or Paul would address that concern for me.

Lou’s biggest concern right now was that I remain alive and get out of the country. Who was that man in the mask? It could only be who else but our pal, “El Dragon,” behind all this? How did they know we were coming? How did he seem to know Rosalva? He had called her by name, and they seemed to have been expecting Lou and me. There were far too many questions and no answers! At least I had pictures!

I drove on, repeating our course of the day before in reverse. I thought about the day’s events all the rest of the day. The look on Rosalva’s face as she was lying on the ground haunted me. Seeing Lou’s blood and hearing the gunfire while running, firing on the cult members as they attempted to pursue us across the bridge had made for a terrible day. My adrenaline level was high, just thinking about all of it. I passed all the landmarks I had seen the day before, assuring myself I was on the right course back to Bogotá. I stopped in the same towns, at the same fuel pumps and saw the same people. My clothes had Lou’s blood on them, but I suppose in this area, no one asks questions about such matters from strangers.

Later that night, I arrived back at my hotel, exhausted, scared, and sorrowful. When I went to the desk, my stress level was high enough, so I was in no mood for any probing questions from the desk clerk. Fortunately, I did not get any. I suppose it was common for the people of Bogotá to see bloody people often and no questions asked meant there would not be any trouble given. I had received no messages from home, so I made my way back to my room. As I got on the elevator, two men dressed in black like Secret Service Agents wearing dark glasses, got inside with me, making me nervous. My apprehension must have been obvious.

Their destination was the floor where my room was located so I let them leave the elevator first. I decided to go up one more floor, and then come back down the stairs to my floor. Remembering that I was no secret agent, I reminded myself to get a grip. Paranoia must be setting in as exhaustion had already done, but I knew I had to stay alert. There was no doubt that those cult members were trailing me and were not going to give up that easy.

I hoped I had gotten enough of a head start on them.

The first thing I wanted was a shower. I still had my AKM in my gym bag, with two magazines of ammunition. I locked my door, checked my room for any unwanted visitors, and looked out my windows to see if I had been followed by anyone dressed in black, sunglasses or not. Deciding to make this my quickest shower of my life, I got wet. Afterwards, I packed. I decided to pack Lou’s luggage too and took it down to the lobby to have the clerk store it until Lou’s return. On my return, I noticed a beautiful woman sitting on a couch in the lobby, reading a newspaper. As if her beauty were not enough to attract attention from even the coldest of men, she was dressed very provocatively. As I passed by, I could not help but look at her. She was a stunning redhead, with beautiful features. Her skin was like alabaster and her eyes were green as jade, with cute, pouting lips that were as deep red as blood. Her hair was full, down her back and curly. She was enchanting to say the least. Nevertheless, I had to remind myself; I had neither the license nor the time for such pleasures. I had something much greater at home, waiting.