Author's Note: This story has been so much fun to write! Thank you so much for all the reviews; there are so many it is difficult to thank each one of you individually so I'll thank you collectively. Only about four more chapters now; but don't worry, I still have some surprises up my sleeve. Hope you all enjoy, and thanks again!
Disclaimer: I do not own Covert Affairs.
Auggie clutched Annie protectively; there was no telling what these people would do now that one of their own had been killed for helping them. Slowly, the sobs lessened, and the people began to shuffle out of the room. Auggie breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed as though they were to be forgotten. Then, suddenly the weight on the blanket lessened and air flooded into the hiding space. The blanket was yanked off next, and Auggie felt the muggy air wash over him.
"What do we do with them?" a harsh voice asked.
"Perhaps we break their legs, like the master said!"
"Or we avenge Tomas' death on them!"
"Silencio!" Marisol's voice cut through the voices of the few people left in the room. "Should Tomas have died in vain?" she asked. "Should his memory be left in vengeance by his friends and family? NO! If we kill these ones, more of their people will come. And do you think they will spare the servants? Do you think they will spare the ones that assisted our master in killing their people?"
Silence followed while the people thought. Marisol waited a moment, then continued on. "No, they won't spare us. The only way for our families to be safe is for us to help these two get home. If they do not send word about us, then our families will die. But if we let them get home, then the others who will come will know what price we had to pay!"
The people were silent, then finally, a gruff voice asked, "How do we get them out of here?"
"The river dock is only five kilometers away," Marisol said after a moment. "Valmor is supposing that they will escape by driving out of here. But if we can sneak them to the Amazon River, then they can take a boat back to Rio Branco. It will be slower, but Valmor will not be suspecting it."
"And how do we get them to the river dock?" asked another person.
"We take them to the graves."
Auggie's heart was racing while Marisol outlined her plan. It was crazy; but it just might work! He found out that the rough voice belonged to Bernardo, who just happened to be a carpenter. Bernardo had made a stash of coffins a long while back when people were dying from a disease that swept through the hills. Now, he used these coffins up one by one on people who died from old age and from accidents. He did not have to use that many, and so he still had quite a stash. Marisol's plan was to take one of the larger coffins and make a false bottom for it. They could stick Annie and Auggie into the bottom, and lay Tomas on top of them. Then, Bernardo and all of Tomas' friends could go out to "bury" him, and let Annie and Auggie out when they got there. Bernardo would take them to the docks in the truck while the funeral was going on, then would come back and pick up the mourners. They would arrive back normally, and no one would know the difference.
Auggie had to admit it was a brilliant plan. It reminded him of some of Annie's plans; creative and inventive. It would take a while to implement, though, and so everyone feverishly got to work. The kitchen girls ran out, a couple at a time, to Bernardo's shop to get him the tools he needed. A few men also left and came back with a fairly splintery coffin. Bernardo set to work creating his masterpiece in the kitchen; since the kitchen light was always on there would be no questions asked. (Valmor would investigate if the light to the woodshop was on at night.) Auggie and Annie were relocated to the cellar and were hidden behind several sacks of dried beans.
"Try to get some sleep," Marisol suggested. "I will wake you when it is time to leave."
Auggie got into a comfortable position and made sure Annie was as comfortable as she could be beside him. Her pulse had steadied since the medicine, and her breathing sounded much better. It felt like days since Auggie had arrived, but when he reflected on it, it had been less than twenty four hours! Still, Auggie was beat, and during the night's wait that followed, Auggie allowed himself to relax and to slip into slumber.
The dream that followed was very... strange. Auggie dreamed that he and Annie were out in the rainforest, walking along a well-tended path. The verdant green around him was refreshing to see, and the smells of rotting plants and moisture were strangely soothing. Even the constant cacophony of birds seemed serene. Annie walked along beside him, her smooth, warm hand resting in his. The sun glinted like shards of gold in her hair, and her eyes were full of joy. But it was difficult to see her; she appeared fuzzy, and as Auggie looked around he noticed that the world was mostly colors, not well defined.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, glad to see that she was looking somewhat coherent.
"Much, much better," Annie said.
Auggie's heart leaped for joy at the strength in her voice; she was getting better! "What happened to you?" Auggie asked after a moment, "if you know?"
Annie sighed. "I was poisoned with a heavy metal called Thallium. It's odorless and tasteless. It's also called the 'Poisoner's Poison' and 'Inheritance Powder'."
"Seems like you know a lot about it," Auggie commented.
Annie laughed a little. "You can thank the 'Smithsonian' for that," she said. "I only know about it because of a paint pigment they used in the seventeen hundreds called 'Prussian Blue.' It turns out to be the antidote for Thallium. I'll need several more doses of medicine, but I shouldn't have any lasting effects. After all, I wasn't poisoned over too long a time. But I am DONE with simple missions!"
Auggie couldn't help himself; he laughed out loud. "Simple! Simple shouldn't even be in your vocabulary!" He sighed, and moved a little closer to her, content just to be with her. "I won't be seeing you like this anymore," Auggie stated after a moment. "You're already fading. My dreams will be dark again, and all I'll have left of you is the touch of your hand, the sound of your voice, and the smell of your grapefruit perfume."
Annie sighed sadly. "I don't even know what I'll be able to remember," she said. "Auggie, you will tell me everything when we wake up, right?"
Auggie chuckled. "If I told you everything I did on this trip, I'd be through. Finished! Joan'd fire me!"
Annie's smile returned. "I am not Joan," she replied. "And I think you have to be one of the most amazing people I have ever known. Auggie, thank you for everything that you have done for me." With that, Annie turned to face him. They leaned into one another.
Auggie couldn't care that his vision had begun to fade; he was right about to kiss the woman of his dreams! Then, a bone chilling scream came from the forest. Something charged at Auggie, drawing blood. He heard Annie screaming in the background and felt himself hit the ground, the whatever-it-was ending up on top of him.
Auggie woke in a panic, feeling as if he were cursed. Annie groaned beside him; he had probably smacked her when he dreamed he was strangling with the monster. He did a quick vitals check on her and was happy to notice that she had improved greatly over the night; she was bordering on the edge of consciousness. He was just about ready to start estimating how much time they had left to wait when Marisol entered the cellar.
"It is ready," she said without preamble.
Auggie slid out from under Annie and stood, his stiff muscles screaming. Another pair of footsteps and the smell of sawdust told him that Bernardo was there. Wordlessly, Bernardo walked over to them and lifted Annie up. Marisol followed suit by grabbing Auggie's arm, and together the foursome headed back upstairs to the kitchen. Once inside, Auggie was led to a coffin. He climbed in and stretched out in it, feeling particularly tall. Annie was lowered beside him. The false bottom was then put on. Auggie felt extremely squished. He tried to keep Annie's head from resting on the hard wood by letting her sprawl across his shoulder, but the false bottom did not have much room at all and was certainly not designed for comfort. Finally, Tomas was laid on top.
The people had a short but sweet funeral. Prayers and hymns were said and sung, and several Catholic burial customs were hastily observed. It was well into morning by the time Tomas' friends had lifted the heavy coffin into another truck, and from the sounds of the distant yelling and running all around, Marco and Valmor were still hunting their victims. Bernardo got in the front of the truck and started it up, the pallbearers alongside the coffin in the back, riding along so that they could help dig up the grave.
Valmor stopped them only once along the way to the graves, and in a commanding, threatening voice he asked to see inside the coffin. Thanks to Bernardo's handiwork, Valmor only saw Tomas in the coffin, and soon the burial party was on it's way.
"Now is where is gets hard," Bernardo stated after they left Valmor's immediate vicinity. "Now is the getting home part."
Auggie couldn't agree with him more.