Project Rescue - A Shifter Novel (NaNoWriMo19)
Chapter 8 - Misguided and guided

Recap

“Sua aldeia tem garotas desaparecidas?” I asked him.

I didn’t want to know but I did. I knew they must have done this another time, probably without the guy who disagreed with them. But, how many have they raped and killed?

The captain opened his mouth...

“Sim, seis,” he answered.

I was so startled I couldn’t talk for a moment. “Seis, so da gua aldeia?”

“Sim,” was all he affirmed.

I couldn’t believe it. They had gotten away with killing six girls How? I wondered if they had made it to look as if a big cat had killed them. They must have. But, how did they cover their scent? I thought for a moment. How did I cover my scent? I was an idiot. They could have used urine from a big cat. It would have definitely killed their scent from the women. I knew the captain would report it and hopefully, the guys would go to jail - in a foreign country. I wanted to laugh at the thought but I was still burned that the hunters wanted to do the same with me.

“Oscacadores. Vou testemunhar o que eles disseram. Eles precisam de matar, mas?,” I told the captain, who in turn nodded.

I wanted the captain to know I would testify about the men. I would let them know one guy would not participate with the criminals. I would tell them anything - without giving any information about myself. I couldn’t let them know one thing about me. The character I was portraying, yes, but not my true self.

“Do you know when we will get off the boat? Greg asked me.

“In a few minutes,” I answered.

“Good. Those guys are giving you creepy looks,” he said with a shudder.

“I know. I can feel their intentions and it’s not anything good,” I confessed.

Greg was scared for Daisy and me. I knew he was worried about the big game hunters killing us. He knew Daisy could punch hard but he didn’t know what I could do. He would have to keep wondering. I wasn’t going to show him any talents I had. It was safer for him. Plus, I was saving myself until I came across the monster or his men.

Greg had moved back with the others. He spoke low to Daisy but I heard him. He wanted to know if Daisy wanted to go home. He told her she would be safer. I knew they would be safe without me being in their group. I was conflicted, not knowing what to do. If I left the group would they be safer? Yes, from the monster but not from the big game hunters.

I zoned out for a little bit, worry making me feel sick. I didn’t want anyone hurt because of me. I didn’t want anyone killed because of me. If I stayed for any length of time someone may die or be hurt. What do I do?

After about three minutes the boat slowed down. Everyone was looking at the dock where a guide was standing and waiting on our group. The hunters were gathering up their things when our guide spoke. “Only the Earth Protectors need to get out. The hunters will be going to their destination and will be there in two days.”

The hunters were pissed, to say the least. They were sneering at us. The leader put his hand across his throat, making it look as if he was cutting a throat, staring straight at me.

Of course, I couldn’t let him get off easy, I flipped him the bird - with my back to him.

When we were tied to the dock, the captain walked over and grabbed my forgotten blade. I was surprised it was still where it landed. I figured the hunters would take it as a souvenir. He walked back to me, handing me my blade. I nodded at him as he and our guide were helping to unload the equipment.

“Hey, guys, a little help here,” Greg grumbled to us.

I was in my own little world until Greg grumbled. I got up and helped him with our equipment, snatching my backpack up and putting it on. Between Daisy, Greg, and I, we had the equipment unloaded in about twenty minutes, while the other guys of our team were loading up the racks on five four-wheelers.

Daisy, Greg, and I jumped up on the dock, going to check on the process of the guys. I was hoping they didn’t smash my small pop-up tent but I wasn’t too optimistic.

“Is that it,” our guide asked.

I nodded my head. He spoke English, except when he spoke to the boat captain.

“Eles ameaçaram estuprar e mata-la tambem,” said the captain, barely nodding his head at me.

“Os caçadores mataram as meninas,” our guide stated.

Our guide was at the top of his game. He had an idea the hunters were the ones who killed the girls of their village. He never looked at the hunters when speaking to the captain, so the hunters didn’t know he was speaking about them. I was glad our captain let our guide know to look out for the hunters and their plans for me. I didn’t want to say anything with our group hearing, they would be frightened the whole time. Hell, I was a little afraid.

After figuring out who could operate a four-wheeler, Daisy and Greg were on one and our guide and I were on the other one together. The other guys were on the others. I knew I was riding with the guide for a reason, considering I could operate a four-wheeler with ease. I knew the guide wanted to speak to me without the others hearing - which was fine by me, I actually preferred it.

“Why are those guys wanting to rape and kill you?” Our guide questioned.

“They didn’t like me throwing my blade at their leader or putting my blade to the neck of the other bozo. He was trying to rape me or least feel me up. The leader?” I shrugged my shoulders. “He was going to shoot a panther from the boat, which is illegal, and something I couldn’t let happen,” I explained.

He started laughing. “Oh, you definitely pissed them off. You need to watch your ass.”

I snorted. “Yeah, I kinda got the same idea. I think I set him off when I threw my blade between his legs when he was kneeling, getting ready to take the shot,” I explained, chuckling myself.

“Thanks for saving my life.”

“That was you? I couldn’t tell if the jaguar was a shifter or the real deal, glad he didn’t shoot you.” I was surprised he would show his jaguar at all. I knew we had to keep our existence a secret, it was the way of the shifter.

“We follow each of our boats. We make sure our captains are safe as well as the passengers. It’s just how we do things,” he explained.

“Good way to do things,” I commented.