Author's note: Just a few more chapters after this one. Hang on to your hats; we're not there yet. Thanks for the great reviews!
Disclaimer: Covert Affairs does not belong to me.
For a fleeting moment, Auggie and Annie considered changing the tire on their own. They had seen to Bernardo, and had discovered that he was (to their relief) only knocked out. Auggie and Annie dragged him to some shade, and set out to fix the car. Annie was extremely weak, though, and without the added strength of adrenaline could barely lift herself up (let alone a forty pound tire). Auggie was having a hard time getting his limbs to work in a coordinated manner (the inevitable result of his head injury). They soon gave up their efforts in favor of walking; for the river was only about three fourths of a mile ahead.
For someone in good condition, three-fourths of a mile would take five to ten minutes to walk. But Annie and Auggie were not in good condition, and neither was the road. The road was filled with mud from the daily rain, and for every step they trudged it took twice as much effort to pull their feet out. Annie was barely conscious, and was more or less hanging onto Auggie in order to stay upright instead of "leading" him. Auggie was having trouble making his arms and legs work well, and with the added weight of Annie and the ever present mud, Auggie felt like he was slowly sinking. It took them the better part of an hour to reach the river, and by the time their feet hit the wooden boards of the dock, they were spent.
Annie half collapsed onto the deck, throwing herself onto the boards as if they were the world's softest bed. She passed out immediately, and Auggie had to wait for the boat by himself.
Those few hours were the hardest Auggie ever spent. He was fighting to stay awake, for the concussion that had claimed his coordination also threatened him with coma and death if he too fell asleep. So, Auggie walked up and down the boards of the dock. He heard several boats go by, but few of them were motor boats. Most were rowboats and canoes, and the people aboard were very friendly. Auggie didn't lack anyone to speak with for long; one old canoe paddler warned him of the piranhas that lived under the dock (it seemed Valmor fed the nasty creatures), another man explained what to do when the bus boats came by, and still another man rowed by just to say high (though he spoke very limited English). Auggie could feel the air starting to cool; sunset was coming. The boat would be around shortly. Feeling better and more coordinated after his hours of forced wakefulness, Auggie walked back down the short dock and gently shook Annie.
"Annie," he said as he felt her stir. "Annie, you need to wake up; the boat will be here soon, and you need to be able to get on it by your own power so we don't look suspicious. Besides, it's time to take your medicine."
Whether or not all that processed was hard to tell, but Annie did swallow her pill obediently. As they sat there waiting, Auggie filled Annie in on various details on what happened while she was out. For her sake, he left out the whole Ben Mercer saga until he was sure that she was fully recovered. He left out the dreams too, not knowing what to say there. But he did tell her of his "mission;" his traveling to Rio Branco by plane, acting like a college beggar out in the streets, and being nearly strangled by a boa. When he finally got around to the part where he had daringly stolen Annie's medicine, Annie mumbled, "I told you I needed Prussian Blue. Marco poisoned me with Thallium."
Auggie nodded. "You told me that; the part about the Thallium, I mean. But how exactly did you get in that position? You had regular check-ins with Langley."
Annie sighed tiredly. "Well, first off we got here, and we checked in. Nothing was suspicious there. Marco and Sanchez acted like old friends, but I figured that was the way the operation was supposed to run. Marco then told me that he was going to "take me hostage" in order to win Sanchez's trust. When we called Langley, he was always telling me to "keep it simple," "cut it off, etc." Sanchez played along like a pro. Marco led me to believe we were going to bag him, but I started to get suspicious. I called you "August," on the last communication, hoping that you would think I was in trouble. That night during dinner I got my first dose of poison. I got so sick, you wouldn't believe. After that, things go fuzzy. The first night Marco told me some of his real plan; I was to be a bargaining chip for someone who had knowledge of nuclear arms (but who I don't know). Marco also told me that I was poisoned with Thallium, and he explained to me what would happen to my body. I think he did that just to terrorize me. After that, one day was pretty much like the next. You know, I have no idea how long I have been out! And when did you get out here?"
Auggie smiled. "I got out here when you stopped eating," he replied.
"Wow, that soon? I thought you were with me longer," Annie said sleepily. "But Auggie, you know what?" Annie laid her head on Auggie's shoulder. Auggie felt his heart leap, but managed to keep his cool.
"What?" he asked.
"You are an amazing person, Auggie Anderson. Thank you for coming to rescue me."
Auggie smiled at her, but suddenly was feeling wary. This scene reminded him too much of his last dream; the dream where suddenly a creature would pop out of the forest and...
Auggie heard Annie scream, but it didn't register before a creature with sharp teeth and dull claws pounced on top of him. The snarling, snapping thing growled menacingly, and now Auggie could place the creature from his last dream- it was a dog!
"Bravo, bravo Cesar!" shouted the familiar and unwanted voice of Valmor. "All day long my household and I search for you, and all day long we find nothing. So, I said to myself 'Why are you being so stupid? Have you not the blind one's cane? Can you not use your hunting dog to find him?' So, I let the dog sniff your cane, and where does that lead me? Right to where you and your girlfriend are eagerly awaiting the evening boat. And I came just in time."
Valmor snapped his fingers, and the snarling dog backed off. It was still barking and growling, though. A few seconds later, a heavy stick landed near Auggie. Auggie felt around, and his hand closed on his walking stick that he had been using as a cane. Auggie heard the sound of a rifle being cocked; he cringed as Annie shouted out and made a feeble attack at Valmor. Because she was so terribly weak, she was batted off as easily as a fly, and in a moment Annie was silent again and Valmor had re-cocked his gun.
"The evening boat doesn't stop if there is no one standing on the dock waiting for it. Well, they will not even find a trace of you, my friend; for I noticed there are piranhas under this bridge. They are very convenient for me; I like to leave no trace of my victims. My piranhas serve me well; I feed them every day, and so they come by every day. Did you know that a group of piranhas can strip a cow of it's flesh in thirty seconds? Imagine what they will do to you, my friend."
Valmor brought the rifle up to his shoulder; Auggie heard the shoulder strap slide. "Get up," Valmor commanded. "Get up and start walking. To the edge of the dock. NOW!"
Auggie got to his feet, his arms wobbling from his grip on his walking stick. Suddenly, he had an idea! It was a crazy idea, but Auggie would be dead either way, and Annie would soon join him if he didn't do something. Quick as he could muster (which was actually pretty fast) Auggie swept up his stick and belted Valmor right across the mouth as hard as he could. Auggie didn't exactly know where on Valmor's body he was aiming; he just hoped to knock Valmor's gun out of the way. Instead, Providence shone on him, for instead of knocking just Valmor's gun to the side, he knocked Valmor over the side.
Valmor cried out in surprise and terror as he fell over the edge of the dock into the river. Auggie's eyes widened as he heard the terrifying sound of a hundred piranhas tear apart a human being. Though he was extremely blessed now for not having sight, the surprised screams of Valmor would stay in his memory forever.
The boat bus came a half hour later. By that time, there wasn't enough of Valmor left to bury let alone be noticed. The boat pulled up to the dock, and Auggie helped a once-again-conscious Annie into the boat. He still had to bring her home no matter what, and they weren't there yet.