The Portal (A Delphi Group Thriller Book 2) Read online

  “Okay, make sure you have all of your gear, because we’re not making two trips,” Zane said.

  “You sure this is still a good idea?” Brett asked, nodding in the direction of the last boom.

  “It seemed close, but it’s still over a mile away,” Zane said. “If we move quickly, we’ll be across in plenty of time.” He nodded at Jorge, who was standing next to him. “My friend also reminded me that this storm could trigger some serious flooding. The stream is already well above its normal level, so another hard rain could make it rise another few feet overnight. And if that happens, there’s no telling how long we’d have to wait to get across. A day, perhaps two. Who knows? Unfortunately, we don’t have enough supplies to take that risk.”

  Amanda watched as Max leaned toward Katiya and mumbled, “Does the idiot realize that if the lightning strikes the water—”

  “Did I hear a question?” Zane asked, looking in their direction.

  “Sorry, Zane,” Katiya said. “Please continue.”

  Zane’s eyes lingered on Max for a moment. Amanda could tell that he’d about reached his tipping point with the linguist. Finally, he continued. “Jorge and I are going to cross first. Once we’re about halfway across, enter the water one at a time. Leave about ten feet between you and the person in front of you.”

  “Why is that, Zane?” Katiya asked. “Don’t we want to be close together?”

  “No. If one person slips, we don’t want to have a domino effect. I’ve seen it happen before. If any of you fall, make sure you get out of your pack and get up on two feet. If you need help, I’ll come get you.”

  Katiya nodded. “That makes sense. Thank you.”

  “Anyone else?” Zane scanned the faces gathered around. “If not, then let’s go.”

  Zane and Jorge shouldered their packs and entered the water. The Brazilian wasn’t using a stick. He’d probably crossed hundreds of streams like this in his life.

  As the two made their way across, the rest formed a line. Katiya, Max, and Bennett were ahead of Amanda, while Brett, Artur, Wilson, Tocchet, and Nash brought up the rear. She felt good knowing that she would be right behind Bennett. If forced to make your way through dark jungle water, it was good to have a Green Beret a few feet away.

  A few minutes later, Zane reached the halfway point and gave the signal that all was clear. As far as she could tell, he and Jorge seemed fine. No bloodstains on their clothing and no missing limbs. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she’d thought.

  A few minutes later, Bennett sloshed out into the stream.

  Here goes.

  Amanda drew in a deep breath and stepped onto the thin strip of sand at the water’s edge. She looked at the water, and her pulse quickened. It was even darker than she’d thought. She could just about kill Brett right now for planting all those images in her mind. She suddenly pictured a twenty-foot anaconda slithering along the stream bottom, drawn by the motion in the water.

  Pull yourself together.

  Before entering, she looked ahead one last time. Bennett was about ten feet out, looking back and forth as he strode confidently through the water. If there was something to be worried about, the soldier sure didn’t show it.

  Taking a deep breath, she waded out into the water. The bottom was exactly as Zane had described it: a thin layer of mud covering solid ground.

  A minute later, Brett spoke from behind her. “How’s the water?”

  Without turning, she said, “It’s not Waikiki, but I think I’m going to be okay.”

  The bottom sloped downward, and suddenly she was in water up to her waist.

  She stopped to gather herself. Just keep going. Don’t stop and allow your fear to set in.

  After pulling her pack further up her back, she continued on her way. One foot after another, she thought. Despite all her efforts to resist, she couldn’t help but occasionally glance down into the murky depths. The swirls of mud rolled into odd shapes. One moment they seemed like the slithering coils of a giant serpent, the next they formed the snout of a caiman.

  When she was about halfway across, Amanda stepped out, but her right foot failed to touch the bottom. Instead it plunged downward into a hole. The surface of the water came toward her as she fell. Adjusting quickly, she extended her left foot and set it onto solid ground. Amazingly, she was able to maintain her balance.

  “You okay?” Brett asked.

  “I think so. Be careful, there’s a hole right here.”

  She looked up. Bennett was about twenty or thirty feet away now, still looking back and forth as he moved strongly through the water. Her heart beat faster in her chest. She’d wanted to stay as close to him as possible.

  Determined to make up ground, she pushed ahead. A few seconds later, Amanda noticed that Bennett had come to an abrupt halt. She frowned. His body language had changed completely. The rugged soldier was alert and staring at something down the stream to the right.

  No, please no. Just keep going!

  The soldier held up a pair of binoculars. Something had really drawn his attention.

  There is nothing there. Please just keep going.

  Unable to resist, Amanda turned to see what he was looking at. He seemed to be focused on a small cove on the far bank. As she watched, she thought she saw a slight ripple on the surface of the water.

  Fish, Amanda. They’re just fish.

  She looked toward the far bank. Zane was standing there, watching Bennett. The operative sensed something was wrong and looked ready to return to the water if necessary.

  A shout suddenly broke the silence. “Everybody get moving! Now!” It was Bennett.

  Amanda instinctively turned her head back toward the cove, and when she did, her blood ran cold.

  Something massive swirled beneath the surface, sending ripples out into the stream.

  It stayed in place for a moment then left the cove and began moving toward them with speed.

  ***

  Amanda watched in horror as Bennett raised his rifle and squeezed off two shots in quick succession. After firing, he waded toward the swell then fired again.

  He’s putting himself between us and the predator, she thought.

  The animal seemed to sense the movement in the water and surged toward him.

  “Amanda, go!” Brett yelled from behind.

  Snapping out of her thoughts, she pushed ahead, using the sticks to maintain her balance.

  One step at a time.

  Bennett continued to fire as she surged past him. Now moving with speed, she felt the urge to look.

  Don’t do it. Keep moving.

  But the urge was too strong. Turning, she stole a quick glance out over the water. And when she did, her heart began to thump wildly in her chest. There were now several swells, and one had broken off and was moving toward her.

  Bennett must have realized what was happening, because he turned and began firing at it.

  “Go!” Brett shouted.

  Amanda suddenly realized she had slowed. This time she ran through the water, bouncing lightly off the bottom with each step. She knew there was a greater chance of toppling over, but it was a risk she had to take. The only way she was going to survive was to make it to shore before the predator made it to her.

  Seconds later, she heard the swirling of water to her right. The predator had closed to within twenty feet.

  “No!” she said through gritted teeth.

  She ran as hard as she could, her feet barely touching the bottom. Her legs burned, but she ignored the pain and pushed her muscles to their limit. She would either win the race or lose her life. It was as simple as that.

  About fifteen yards from the shore, the unthinkable happened—her foot caught a root that snaked along the bottom, and she tumbled forward. With no way to adjust this time, she fell face-first into the dark waters of the stream.

  She hit the muddy bottom with outstretched hands. The impact sent a cloud of sediment and bubbles into the water, making it impossible to see in any
direction. She pushed up slightly. The water was a bit clearer near the surface, so she looked to her right. When she did, chill bumps spread across her body. She hadn’t expected the sight that greeted her.

  Hundreds of silver fish swarmed toward her, their scaly bodies thrashing in frenzied anticipation. She froze. The sight was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. They were now so close that she could see the rows of razor-sharp teeth that lined their protruding lower jaws.

  A shout gurgled through the water. Someone was yelling at her to get up.

  Using her last ounce of energy, Amanda pushed off the bottom. After breaking the surface, she braced for the impact.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  AFTER HELPING KATIYA and Max out of the water, Zane turned around just in time to see Amanda’s blond hair plunge beneath the surface. She’d somehow run off course. Instead of moving directly toward the shore, she’d been moving toward the right. She’d undoubtedly gotten confused in all the excitement.

  Zane dove into the stream. After taking a couple of powerful strokes underwater, he surfaced in the area where she’d gone under. He looked in every direction, but the clouds of sediment made it impossible to see anything near the bottom.

  There.

  Blond hair was rushing toward the surface. A second later, Amanda burst out of the water with a gasp.

  Zane grabbed her around the waist, lifting her into the air. As he was about to leave the water, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Dozens of silver bodies thrashed just feet away.

  Piranha.

  Fortunately, the fish seemed confused by the clouds of sediment. They swam in circles and snapped their jaws in frustration, angry that their prey had somehow escaped.

  Suddenly, one of the fish broke from the group and latched onto Zane’s pants, gnawing through the fabric with its razor-sharp teeth. He shook it off momentarily then ran toward the shore with Amanda in his arms. The movement in the water drew the other fish, and seconds later dozens of mouths found his legs.

  As he neared shore, one or two piranha broke through the fabric and sunk their needle-sharp teeth into his flesh. Zane gasped in pain and pressed forward.

  “Here, give her to me,” someone said.

  Zane looked up. At great risk to herself, Katiya had waded into the water. She was standing directly in front of him with her hands extended. It was a great thought, but there wasn’t time for a hand-off.

  “Get back,” he said.

  After brushing her aside, Zane surged out of the water and fell onto the bank.

  He made sure Amanda was okay then looked down at his legs. His pants were shredded and soaked in blood. A couple of piranha had let go and were flopping around on the ground. Two others were still attached to his calf muscle, unwilling to release their hold.

  Zane reached down and yanked them off, taking out a hunk of flesh in the process.

  “Be careful,” Amanda said.

  Zane was about to tell her he was fine when he heard sloshing behind him. He turned and saw Brett stagger out of the water. Artur, Wilson, and Tocchet were right behind him. All four immediately collapsed in the sand, their chests heaving with exhaustion.

  Amanda suddenly sat up. Zane had almost forgotten about her. She pointed at the stream and tried to speak, but nothing came out.

  Bennett and Nash. In all the confusion, Zane had forgotten about the final two soldiers. He stood and joined Jorge at the water’s edge.

  Bennett was now moving toward shore, but Nash remained where he was, firing rounds at the swell that moved toward him.

  “Just go!” Bennett shouted.

  Nash said something in return, but Zane couldn’t hear him.

  Bennett continued toward the shore. Zane entered the water and held out his hands. The piranha immediately swarmed around his legs. Zane kicked at them, but it was like trying to swat away a swarm of bees.

  With a shout, Bennett dove toward Zane. The operative grabbed him and heaved him onto land.

  As they lay there, Zane heard Katiya scream, “No!”

  Nash.

  Zane rose up on one elbow. The soldier was still a good twenty yards out. The fish swarmed around him. At this point, there were probably a hundred or more ravaging his legs. Nash had abandoned his gun and was trying to push the fish away with his hands. It was futile. No human being could keep a swarm of piranha off their body.

  The soldier let out a scream as some of the teeth finally found his flesh.

  Zane stood. Despite the only small chance of saving him, he couldn’t just let Nash suffer like that. He had to act, even if it meant he’d die with him.

  He ran toward the water, but Jorge grabbed him around the waist. Zane tried to fight him off, but the Brazilian shook his head and nodded at the stream.

  When Zane looked, his heart sank. Nash was no longer visible. The water churned where he’d been standing only moments before. Even if he could be pulled out now, there was very little chance he would survive.

  Zane tried to shake free, but two more hands grabbed him from behind.

  “Zane, no,” Bennett whispered. “It’s over.”

  Zane finally shook him off but remained in place. He watched in silence as the thrashing swarm of fish moved downstream.

  Bennett stepped up next to him. “We did what we could.”

  Zane remained silent, unable to turn away from the macabre scene.

  Bennett spoke without turning his head. “Right in the middle of the fight, Corporal Nash told me something. He said he was sorry for what happened earlier when we got off the boat. He also said he was determined to make things right.”

  Zane’s brow furrowed. If true, it was an incredible act of valor. He looked at Bennett. “You think he planned all that?”

  Bennett shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just know he was determined to protect everyone.” After a long pause, he continued. “What happened back at the river… shooting at those monkeys… that wasn’t the Corporal Nash I knew. He’s as solid as they come. Something seemed to have changed when we got to Manaus. He became a different person.”

  “What do you think it was?”

  “I don’t know.” Bennett exhaled. “But whatever it was, I hope it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

  Zane gave him a nod of understanding. Nothing was worse than losing a soldier under your command. In this case, it was likely made worse by the corporal’s strange behavior prior to his death.

  “Let’s get back to the others,” Zane said.

  As they rejoined the group, Zane saw Amanda sitting in the sand, weeping softly. Katiya stood next to her, staring at the place where Nash had made his last stand. A tear ran down her cheek.

  “Hey, I think he’s going to need some help over here,” Artur said.

  Zane turned. The Brazilian had just finished cutting off one of Brett’s pant legs. Zane cringed at the sight underneath. It looked like his leg had taken a close-range shotgun blast. The cuts weren’t particularly deep, but they had to be painful.

  Katiya moved quickly to Artur’s side. She looked at Max, who had come over as well. “Can you bring us some water? Oh, and please get a bottle of disinfectant from one of the first aid kits.”

  The linguist nodded and walked away.

  Zane crouched next to Katiya. “How does it look?”

  “Fortunately, the wounds appear to be superficial,” she said without looking up. “The main thing we have to worry about is infection. I’m sure there’s a lot of bacteria here in the Amazon basin that our bodies aren’t used to fighting.”

  “Wonderful,” Brett groaned.

  Zane laid a hand on his shoulder.

  Max arrived with the items Katiya had requested. She poured the water across Brett’s legs, washing away the excess blood. Then she wiped them with a clean towel.

  “Okay, this is going to sting a little,” she said, squeezing some of the antibacterial ointment into her hand.

  “Go for it,” he said.

  Brett grimaced and l
et out a loud groan as she spread it over his skin. “A little?”

  “Amazing the damage they can do in such little time,” Zane said as he examined the wounds.

  She looked up at him. “Sometimes the piranha are in such a frenzy that they end up biting each other. That’s why you’ll often find one with a hunk taken out of its tail or an eye missing.”

  “Lovely creatures,” Zane said.

  “Believe it or not, some species are quite docile,” Katiya said. “Unfortunately, we happened to cross a stream filled with Pygocentrus nattereri.”

  Zane gave her an odd look. “Pygo what?”

  “Red-bellied piranha. Unlike some of its brethren, these boys have a nasty temper.” She squeezed out some more antibacterial gel then continued. “You know, even though these particular piranha are known to be aggressive killers, I’m still a bit surprised we were attacked.”

  Zane’s brow furrowed. “Why would that surprise you?”

  “Attacks on humans aren’t unheard of, but they’re usually during the dry season when their usual prey are scarce.”

  “I guess they couldn’t resist my legs,” Zane quipped.

  Brett shook his head. “Unfortunately, I think they liked mine better than yours.”

  Zane rose to his feet.

  “Speaking of legs,” Katiya said, “I need to look at yours next.”

  Zane glanced at his pants. They were soaked in blood, but he could tell the cuts were superficial. “I need to go help the others set up the tents. I’ll be fine.”

  “Well, as soon as you’re done, get back over here,” she said.

  As Zane walked away, he heard the growl of thunder directly overhead. Steel-gray clouds had moved in, and the first raindrops were hitting the surface of the stream.

  A hand touched his arm, causing him to turn. Jorge stood at his side, a cigar dangling from his mouth. The Brazilian nodded toward the woods, indicating Zane should follow him.

  “What’s up?” Zane whispered as they climbed the bank.

  Jorge paused. He gestured back toward the stream with his cigar. “The jungle just delivered a death sentence. From here on out, we need to make sure everyone here gives it the respect it deserves. If they don’t, then I fear we may suffer loss again.”