Lost: Casa Perdida [Completed]

The Decision To Go In

The Next Day

Felipe Altamirano Alvarez Espadachín

Despite the insistence of the chief that we don't venture into the forest, Luismar and I decided to send a team to the forest and to accompany them. We had returned to the village from a short trip to Las Taperas with few people to accompany us on this expedition into the heart of the 'forbidden' forest to learn about what happened to the two police officers, while also getting information about who killed the old man, Rina Aymara, and Kantuta Willka. The tribesmen pleaded with us that we don't go into the forest, but we had no desire to listen to what we thought of as their 'primitive' advice. We knew that if we simply stayed out of the forest, without penetrating its forbidden expanse, we would never gain the answers to the questions that we were seeking. My team was composed of Luismar, Remon Bernal, Margalida Velez, and Mendo Vanegas. It was a small team, but that's all we needed. We don't believe in myths, so we thought that there was nothing dangerous to confront in the forest that required a larger team, or so we thought. With us were Type 56 variants of the AK47, nothing too powerful as the M16s or the Israeli made Galil. We carried bags full of ropes and supplies that could sustain us for a month in that rainforest. While I and my team decided to go in, another team was charged with digging up different parts of the tribal village to see if they could find any human remains to verify if the two police officers were victims of the tribe's human sacrifice practice. The tribals weren't happy, but when it comes to executing the law, I could care less whether they're happy or not.

It was afternoon. The rainfall was heavy. The warriors of the village stared at our weapons and bags as we donned on our raincoats; the raincoats were muddied when we put them on a rock after we took them out of our bag, before putting them on. The kids in the village stared at Luismar loading the guns, curiously, as if they've never seen guns during their whole life. They were intrigued by the click sound that followed the loading of the cartridges.

Remon Bernal fired some bullets at a tree to test the weaponry, sending birds fleeing from their nests, and frightening some villagers who were afraid to protest. The bangs of the gunfire reverberated throughout the forest and the valley between the neighboring hills.

The chief came to me and pleaded for the last time, "Sir, I don't mind you digging the village, even destroying our homes! But, please do not go to the forest. You and your team will come out dead."

"We are not changing our decision, chief; what is decided is decided." I slung my rifle over my shoulder and lifted my bag as Luismar and I led my team down the slope. The chief just looked on at us with worry. The villagers came up to the edge of the slope and saw us descend into the forest.

We walked down and took a final look at the villagers before disappearing into the thicket, amid the heavy downpour.

Alice Boe

One day had passed since we began that trail depicted on the map. We were walking on a hill trail with many switchbacks. The path given on the map seemed long and cumbersome, taking us to paths that were abandoned, hidden under the thick undergrowth. While the abandoned trails mentioned in the map made our journey more comfortable and less tiring, they came at the expense of time. What I mean is that if we simply climbed the hills instead of going on the trails that went around the hill like ridges of a screw. But it was good that we used the trails, otherwise, we would have been losing a lot of energy. With every passing moment, we had the joy that we were nearing a police base, that house, which will help us get out of this forest once and for all. I already began thinking about having proper food once I reach there. "Are you fine?" I asked Shifaly who was behind me.