Screams In The Night

Well, keep asking! I've checked all the ropes. Unless they swallow them, I don't know what to do... Oh, maybe I should go back and cut some of those women's ropes. They might have swallowed the gems...

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Sitting in a small boat on the river, I clung tightly to the edge, my eyes wide open looking at the dimly lit night sky with the moon shining. We sat crowded in the boat's cabin. Two big men rowed the boat lightly tapping the bow as a signal that we had arrived at a temporary safe place, where we could move a bit. The boatman used a leaf to cover his nose while looking inside.

"Now we have to walk a bit, I'll take two women first. Split up so we won't be spotted. Others just sit and wait for their turn, remember not to talk loudly."He led two women to sit close to the bow and all of us waited patiently. 

My heart was still pounding, as if anyone sitting nearby could hear it. Phong held my hand, his hand was sweaty and cold. I had to sit hunched over with both knees drawn up, tucked into Phong's lap. The boat was too narrow for ten people to sit, so we were squeezed together, and outside there were a few bunches of bananas with a strong plastic smell.. I had to endure it. The young woman sitting next to her was probably her sister, dressed in black, looking like a country girl, with her face resembling hers.

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The night air was slightly chilly, but inside the cabin, it was hot and stuffy. The intense heat seemed to increase exponentially due to the intense anxiety filling the cramped space. I secretly looked at my watch hidden in my shirt. It was about 2:15 am. I whispered to Phong, "It's past two in the morning." Phong nodded his head slightly. The boatman sat still like a statue. Occasionally, his eyes sparkled under the moonlight when he blinked. His long nose carried a sneaky look, making his face full of wickedness, but his smile with sparse teeth reduced the bad impression on the opposite person. He wore a black three-piece suit and his sleeves were too short.

The man leading the group wears a brown and black shirt with worn-out slacks and small shorts that expose his ankles. Despite his somewhat ragged appearance, he seems more trustworthy than the driver. His skin is pale, and his lips are dark from smoking, but he has a beautiful smile with a gap on the left side. His large, thick-lashed eyes aren't entirely straightforward, yet his deep, slow voice makes him easily likable to strangers.

Upon arrival, all four of us were taken to a house by the river and waited until nightfall to board a small boat that would take us downstream to the sea, where a larger boat was waiting. There were about ten other people inside the house, already divided into groups for the boat ride. I told Phong to try to stick with the intermediary, but with his family of eight, plus two others, there wasn't enough space. So we had to wait for the last trip, ten people in total, which left after 10 pm, taking over ten hours to arrive at our destination.At first, sitting cramped in the hold, I felt suffocated by the smell of human breath, muddy odor mixed with stinky stagnant water at the bottom of the boat.

The guide returned and asked the wife and sister-in-law to join him. I suddenly smelled a strong musky scent from his shirt when he leaned in towards his wife. His voice became muffled, and I couldn't see his face clearly in the darkness. The scent was strange, and his breath was heavier. I whispered to Phong after he left.

"Do you smell that?"

"What? What do you smell?"

"A musky smell."

Phong shrugged it off.

"It's just the mud."

I swam blindly, feeling like I was in one place. My mind was confused, but I could still see the faint moon above, the trees standing silent on the shore, the sparkling water around me, my labored breathing, and the dark figures on the bank with the series of loud gunshots. We managed to swim towards the middle of the river. Looking back at the shore, all I could see was the boat and two dark, sinister shadows blending in the darkness, but the flickering flames and the sound of gunfire were still present. I kicked my feet harder with Phong's help, and my eyes gazed up at the star-filled sky, feeling as though heaven and earth had been silenced by this savage act. 

In my heart, I prayed to the highest powers that I could think of amidst the chaotic rhythm of my pulse.Phong gestured to me to dive down into the water. Hearing what the person on the boat said, I prepared myself to inhale without choking for too long.

"Forget them, they've gone back. Have you packed yet?"

The deep voice responded as if not affected by the chaos of bloodshed just now.

"Well, I've checked all the bodies. Unless they swallowed something, I'm done... Oh, maybe I'll go back and cut some of the women's throats. They might have swallowed a pearl..."

 Now, I understand that with all the victims devoured by the riverbank's mournful silence, who will tell the tragic stories? How many similar scenes have been witnessed by this deserted riverbank? I wiped the tears on my damp shirt and lay down on the ground

However, the sound of an animal cry and the pain from the tree branch were both real sensations that I experienced.