"Look out to the future/ But it tells you nothing/ So you take another breath." ~BASTILLE (Icarus)
I don't know what to think about the mining village. It's certainly more civilized than the jungle, but the it looks rough. Even from a mile away, I can make out a saloon, missing bricks, roofless buildings, and something that looks like a pile of bodies, but it could very easily be wood.
"I think we should go over there," says Guad. Despite him being older than me, I still think it's odd when he takes charge.
"You heard the man," Bob says with a face of seriousness. He points towards the village. "Guad Squad out!"
Bob starts walking, and the rest of us hesitantly follow. No one utters a word, everyone in mutual agreement that talking will make things worse; it's probably the closest thing to a cheer we'll get for awhile.
We reach the village in about 15 minutes, despite our lack of sleep. Getting closer, I can make out that most of the building are made of weather-worn bricks and wood. The ground is as littered in broken glass as the beach is with sand, and I hear it crunch under my feet with every step.
"If this place isn't abandoned, everyone will be in the saloon," Bob says, walking over to me. I don't question his statement, but find his confidence towards it strange. He must know from personal experience, I think. "How much money do you have?"
I pull out my wallet, and count my money. "About $100," I say, unsure of where this is going.
"Leave a $5 bill in your wallet, and give the rest to Diana or Alice. If anyone asks, all we have is the $5."
I hand the small wad of cash to Diana, and watch as she struggles to shove it into her front pocket.
"Let Guad and me do the talking. We're gonna see if there's a place to stay," Bob says, taking Janis' hand. "Oh, and stay in pairs. I can tell by the looks of this place that's it's not a super friendly place."
Guad looks confused to why he's not Bob's partner, but decides to just go with it. I expect my sister to want to be my partner, but she "casually" runs over to Guad.
Alice grabs my hand, and drags me towards the rest of the group, who I haven't realized is already walking towards the saloon. The entire place has an eerie feeling to it that gets under my skin, but my lack of mining village experience tells me that I'm just not used to life outside of America.
Maybe the fact that every building looks like it was abandoned some 20 years ago bothers me, or perhaps it's that I feel cornered not knowing the language. Being unable to communicate is like being blind, but worse. The words people speak are what really count.
We stop walking when we reach the saloon steps. It's sadly the nicest building here, made of red brick with significantly fewer broken windows. The floorboards cry out in pain as I walk up the steps.
The inside of the building is much worse than the outside. There's about 50 people stuffed into the room, and they are either playing cards, arguing, or asleep. The room reeks of mildew, and I'm not surprised to see that men scattered throughout the place are consuming alcohol. The ceiling is low, like the energy level of everyone inside.
No one seems to notice us as we walk towards the counter. Bob and Guad take the lead, dragging Janis and Diana along with them. I decide to hang back until Bob summons me.
"So," Bob says to the bartender, resting his arm on the counter casually. "My lady-friend and I need a place to stay." He puts his other hand around Janis, who discreetly moves towards Alice instead. "Oh, and these other people are with us, too. "
The man stares blankly at Bob, not having understood a word he said. Guad proceeds to deliver what I'm assuming is the same message, this time in Spanish.
When Guad is done talking, Bob waves towards Alice and I, and we approach the rest of the group. He holds his hand low enough to where the bartender can't see it, and rubs his fingers together, as if to say money. I don't bother mentioning that since the bartender doesn't speak English, he could just ask.
I pull out the five dollar bill and place it on the counter. "It's all we have," I lie.
The bartender, who I now see is named Joe, looks at us suspiciously, clearly not believing us. It's no secret that over half of us are from America, which most people probably associate with wealth.
Joe decides to buy our story, or maybe he is satisfied with $5, but either way, he takes the money. He whistles, and someone approaches the counter. They talk rapidly in Spanish, and for once I wish I knew the language.
The man whose name I'm unsure of motions for us to follow him, so we leave the "comfort" of the saloon.
Just around the corner, there's a barn of some sort. Not really a farmer's barn, but more of an abandoned wooden building that kids would play in after being told not to.
We walk into the building, which smells like dead grass and mildew, to match the saloon. There's a set of stairs in the back, and we are led up them to the loft. I assume at one time this was actually a barn, and this is where the hay would have been stored, but I don't know much about this area. Honestly, I'm glad Guad is leading us, even though I know he isn't particularly fond of me. I suppose the feeling is mutual.
The wooden floor creaks as I walk towards the beaten up couch, which is actually the only useful thing up here. Well, there are some wooden crates, but they're closed, so I don't consider them important.
Diana sits down on the couch, and pats the space beside her, signaling me to sit beside her. Oddly enough, Guad, of all people, sits down beside her, and she smiles as if that's what her original intentions were. I feel slightly jealous, not being used to seeing other guys hanging around my sister.
"We should probably get some rest," Bob says, sitting down on one of the wooden crates. "There's a long journey ahead of us."
No one utters a word, but we all nod in agreement. Diana takes the couch, and Guad lays parallel to her on the floor. Bob lays on top of the crates, so Janis sits against one crate, and somehow falls asleep in such an uncomfortable position. I offer Alice my letterman, and she folds it up to use as a pillow.
Soon, I look around, and see everyone is asleep. The floor is not comfortable, and it really hurts my back. Sleep probably won't come easy.
• • •
I hear whispers, but I can't tell where they are coming from. It doesn't sound like a rational direction, but more below me, as if there's people in the ground.
Then I remember; I open my eyes, and take in my surroundings. I'm in a loft, so logically, there could be people below me.
It has always bothered me to have people whisper in front of me, it's as if there's something I can't know. Being as organized as I am, I like to be as all-knowing as possible.
I decide to listen in; I soon remember that they speak Spanish and I don't. Somehow, I become lucky enough to hear someone say something in rough English.
"...don't believe a blasted word they says," the voice utters, and it's hard for me to refrain from correcting his improper grammar. "They's got more money, I's sure 'it."
"How we gonna get them's money without 'em noticing?" A second voice says, and then he receives a response in Spanish. Why do they need our money? Of course, working in these conditions can't pay well, so I can't blame them. But it's not like we even have their currency.
I come to the conclusion that I need to have a translator if I'm to know what they're saying. I decide to ask Bob for help, since he's seemed to be nicer to me than Guad has.
Shaking Bob awake, he rolls over and slaps my face. Lovely.
"What?" He says glumly. "I was sleeping."
"There's people below talking about us, but they started talking in Spanish, so I don't know what they're talking about anymore," I whisper, and he looks at me as if I'm insane.
"You don't know Spanish? And why does it matter what they say about us?"
"I learned French-"
Bob shushes me, and lays down on the floor, pressing his ear to the floor. At first, I think he's going back to sleep, but now I see he's trying to hear the conversation better.
"It sounds like they plan on mugging us or something," Bob declares. "They keep talking about wanting our money."
Suddenly, I hear footsteps creak up the stairs. Bob curses under his breath, and starts digging through his supplies. Unsure of what is happening, I hide behind one of the wooden crates.
Moments later, Bob yells, "PERRY, BEHIND YOU!" His remark probably had woken the rest of the group, but that's the least of my thoughts.
I spin around, and see a man twice my size approaching me. He bears no weapon, but that doesn't make him any less intimidating.
Out of nowhere, he throws a punch at me. I duck down in time, but I land on my butt instead of my feet. He swings at me again, but I've already started army-crawling between his legs so that I'm behind him. He kicks me in the stomach several times as I continue crawling, but I try to ignore the pain; it's not like I'm being kicked in the head.
I look around me for anything I can use as a weapon. All that's within arm's reach is a wooden plank and a rope that's a few feet long. I decide to use the wooden plank, and I slap him in the knee. He temporarily loses his balance, so I use this to my advantage, thrusting the plank up so it hits him in the groin. He screams out in pain, falling to the floor. Now, I grab his wrists, and tie them together with the rope.
Considering this guy taken care of, I glance around at my friends. Bob is acting like a ninja, swinging a stick around wildly like a bo staff. Janis is punching people like crazy, looking like she's just trying to keep them away from her. Diana stands on top of the couch, whacking people with a couch cusion. Guad tackles people, pinning them to the ground, and punching them until they become unconscious. Alice kicks out at people, causing them to fall to the ground, and then repeatedly stabs them with a rusty fork.
After a matter of minutes, all the men are unconscious, or have just given up. I had no idea we were capable of something like this, beating the crap out of a bunch of adults.
"Why did they come and attack us?" Janis asks, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.
Bob fills everyone else in, and at the end of the explanation, he adds, "And we wouldn't have known these guys were coming up here in the first place if it weren't for Perry."
Everyone smiles in my direction, and I feel blood rushing to my face.
"Let's just get out of here," my sister says. "This town gives me the creeps."
As I check my phone to see which direction we should go, I hear shouting behind me. I spin around to find another pack of men sprinting towards us.
"Guys, we need to go!" I shout, and point in the direction in which we need to run. The rest of the group sees the people chasing us, and we sprint away from the village and into the night.