which is out on May 19, 2023.<\/span><\/p>\nCemetery Dance Publications will be releasing his novella <\/span>The Serpent\u2019s Shadow<\/span><\/i> in Fall 2023. Braum is also the author of the books <\/span>Underworld Dreams<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>The Wish Mechanics<\/span><\/i>: <\/span>Tales of the Strange and Fantastic,<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Yeti. Tiger. Dragon<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cAcross the Darien Gap\u201d<\/strong><\/span>
\nby<\/strong><\/span>
\nDaniel Braum<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\u201cWhere Central and South America comes together lies a 54 mile stretch of rainforest, the only missing link in the Pan-American Highway\u2014the 16,000 miles of continuous road stretching from Alaska to South America.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\u2014from Butler\u2019s Guide to the Darien<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\nDistorted reggae chords blare into the jungle from a tiny Marshall amp in the corner of Johnnie\u2019s Video Bar. I watch a blond-bearded, dreadlocked American chuck chords on a beat up, blue, Fender knock-off guitar. His buddy, crammed in the corner behind him with his drum set, hammers out a sparse but steady beat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAlexa shuffles on the dance floor with the seven others we\u2019re traveling with. Her long black hair is coated in sweat and Costa Rican grime. She smiles and for a moment I can believe she is carefree, despite all our running and fear.<\/span><\/p>\nShe keeps her distance from a short Indian man who is spinning in circles with his arms extended and eyes closed. A big, almost toothless grin spreads on his wrinkled old face. He\u2019s definitely had a few shots of guaro too many.<\/span><\/p>\nI picked up the seven others between here and San Antonio to bring us to nine. Makes us easier to mask. Harder to scrye. Now we look like just a bunch of nobodies heading to the gap, leisurely. Not in a beeline. Nothing that will call attention to our pursuers.<\/span><\/p>\nAlexa laughs and drinks beers and guaro with the rest, the bunch of them oblivious to the burnt-out look on the faces of the musicians, a look born of too many years of living lean. I know it too well. They don\u2019t notice how the bass player, a Costa Rican, stands away from the transplanted gringos, probably once hippie students from Boston, avoiding direct eye contact as they play. They don\u2019t yet have the wisdom to realize that every face, in every place we have passed, was not placed there for our amusement or education. Except for Alexa.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMy old pal Johnnie himself stands behind the bar smiling as he serves a beer. A video screen behind him plays an American rock video with the sound off. He smiled big and greedily when we stepped into his gringo heaven in-the-middle-of-nowhere bar. He wouldn\u2019t be smiling so wide if he knew that unlike the hippie holdovers in the corner who are probably running from themselves and their perceived sins of the world, the horrors I\u2019m hiding Alexa from are dangerously real.<\/span><\/p>\nTomas hired me to take her from St Louis across the Darien into Columbia. Told me she\u2019s the daughter of some big time mystic, but not who. Told me her Pop\u2019s enemies want her dead, but not why. I\u2019m guessing a lot of people don\u2019t want her to grow up big and strong like her Daddy. Now she\u2019s got some bad stuff on her trail.<\/span><\/p>\nYou can\u2019t run from these things, <\/span><\/i>Tomas said.<\/span> They\u2019ll keep coming forever. Her Dad is gone and we are all she has. Her only hope is to stay ahead of them long enough to get her across the Darien Gap, onto my ground. My hemisphere. I\u2019ll stand a real chance of hiding her there.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nI don\u2019t know why he chose me. Probably \u2019cause I\u2019m small-time enough to slip under the radar and not be noticed. I know just enough arcane tricks to make a living, keep me alive out here, and to piss a lot of people off.<\/span><\/p>\nThe band stops so Boston-Dreadlock man can tune up. The din of peeping frogs, chirping lizards, and pulsing hum of insect night sounds fills the lull. The Indian keeps spinning, his hands almost slapping Alexa. The group laughs at him. Alejandro and Rita indulge in yet another public kiss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cGet a room,\u201d David taunts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAlexa rolls her eyes, then notices me. A glowing smile grows on her beautiful face. She walks over to the window.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cNate, get in here and dance with me,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\nI screwed up right from the start and used my real name. Some instinct in me mistakenly reacted as if \u201cshe and I\u201d were real, and not just another job and fear born fling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nShe tosses her freshly-showered, long, curly hair. She smells like soap and flowers.<\/span><\/p>\nI flick my cigarette and lean in. \u201cIn a minute,\u201d I say, trying to manage an earnest smile, hoping it hides the sick feeling I get thinking about all this running. I walk across the dirt road to check the wards I placed in the edge of the jungle.<\/span><\/p>\nThe leaves on the cibolas and ferny underbrush still lean south as I directed. Nothing has disturbed my \u201cbarrier.\u201d Tomas said these simple wards would fool Alexa\u2019s pursuers. Magical masks, he called them. Nothing outside will detect anything magical inside. Anything stronger will announce your presence for miles, like a flare. Keep it simple, and safe.<\/span><\/p>\nI walk along the barrier to check the next ward point.<\/span><\/p>\nA faint blue glow shimmers in the darkness. Something has walked into the barrier. Blue mist peels off a man-sized form, its pointed ears tight along its bald head. It turns, revealing stunted reptilian features on an almost human face. Its eyes are the solid milky-blue of a snake about to molt. It moves its arms and legs slowly, deliberately though its wiry frame looks built to run.<\/span><\/p>\nI freeze. What the hell did Tomas get me into?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt keeps moving, apparently unaware of me. The bent plants all flip direction as it passes.<\/span><\/p>\nI didn\u2019t bargain for this. Just figured I\u2019d cast some wards, baby-sit some kid, and return home six months ahead on the rent.<\/span><\/p>\nThe ward works. Simple and safe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt circles an ancient strangler fig a few times, then steps out of the barrier\u2014mist wisping off it as it disappears. Tendrils linger and settle on the ferns before dissipating.<\/span><\/p>\nI stand motionless, hoping it is gone.<\/span><\/p>\nA twig snaps. A dark shape close to the ground moves toward me. I release the breath I can hold no longer. It freezes. A black feline head regards me with intelligent yellow eyes. A jaguar. What is it doing this close to shore? A few heartbeats pass then it lifts a paw, slowly then gently puts it down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNostrils flaring, it crawls closer, its belly pressed to the ground, and I smell its musky stink. It paws the air in front of me, opens its mouth, baring its thick sharp teeth, releasing a low guttural growl. I hold still, thinking of what to do, but it crawls away in the direction the blue demon headed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI stand still until my body is convinced all threat is gone. The adrenaline stops flowing. My heart slows. Beads of sweat roll down my face.<\/span><\/p>\nI backtrack to the bar. Juan is standing outside watching the five who have gravitated to the beach. When we met in Guatemala I hired him to be a lookout and some muscle, but more importantly to be our ninth member. I wouldn\u2019t trust him with my girl, but I trust him not to run if things get out of control. David asked him about his scarred up arm. Shark bite, he said and they all believed him.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cEverything good?\u201d he asks.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cYeah, everything\u2019s still in place. But I\u2019m getting tired. Double duty tonight. We\u2019ll sleep well tomorrow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cCheck,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\nInside Johnnie\u2019s, the band is packing up. Alexa, David, (who keeps hitting on her), and the Indian guy are the only ones left on the dance floor, moving to the sound from the video screens.<\/span><\/p>\nI want to get between them, but don\u2019t. Keeping our secret serves me better. He\u2019d get pissed and maybe leave. We are nine and I want it to stay that way.<\/span><\/p>\nThe Indian guy abruptly stops his spin and turns to me. He brings his hand into a claw and rakes the air. \u201cMeow. Grrrowl. Meow,\u201d he says through a mouthful of laughter.<\/span><\/p>\nHow did he know?<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cDon\u2019t bother the paying customers,\u201d Johnnie says, pushing him to the exit. \u201cTime to get out of here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWhat\u2019s with him?\u201d David asks.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cHe\u2019s nuts,\u201d Johnnie says.<\/span><\/p>\nDavid yawns. \u201cIt\u2019s dead in here, anyway. Let\u2019s hit the beach.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ll bring you drinks,\u201d Johnnie says.<\/span><\/p>\nAlexa\u2019s eyes protest. I can read her well. They say you\u2019re not going to dance with me after all.<\/span><\/p>\nI stare back. I\u2019ll see her in her cabin, later. Like always.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWe join the rest of the group, standing in a circle at the edge of the water smoking cigarettes under the stars. Balls of heat lightning flash on the horizon, slowly rolling closer.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cCome on,\u201d Alexa says to me. \u201cTake your boots off. Let\u2019s go in the water.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nI take off my shoes, roll up my pants, and wade out into the shallow water with her. It\u2019s only knee deep for a half mile out to the barrier reef. Hordes of tiny phosphorescent plankton float on the surface. We leave glowing trails in our wake. I light a cigarette and try to relax. We\u2019re warded in all directions. Except from the water. Can I even place a ward on water?<\/span><\/p>\nAfter a minute David follows. I glance at Alexa\u2019s calves, half submerged in the water. I don\u2019t blame him for his persistence. Alejandro and the others leisurely wade out to join us.<\/span><\/p>\nA big orange and purple cluster flashes in the sky.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWhat was that?\u201d David asks.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cBall lightning,\u201d I say.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cBut there\u2019s no rain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cDoesn\u2019t have to be. Friction of front on front.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI don\u2019t care what it is. Just look at it,\u201d Alexa says.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cBeautiful,\u201d David says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAs always, he adds one word too many.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI mean, it\u2019s the power of nature,\u201d he continues. \u201cMakes you think all the nature worshippers and animal lovers have it right sometimes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cNot really,\u201d Alexa says with disdain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI think of the things searching for us in the jungle and the malice needed to sic them on us.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIf you could be any animal in the world what would you be, Nate?\u201d Alexa asks, mockingly.<\/span><\/p>\nSomething that hides, I think. Something that scavenges, crawls around on its belly. A crab. I don\u2019t say it aloud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAs much as I can\u2019t stand him, I need David to stay with us and keep our number nine so I encourage him with an inquisitive nod.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI guess a fox,\u201d he says. \u201cMaybe a wolf or something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nHalf of Alexa\u2019s face is lit by the stars. I can see the green plankton glow reflected in her brown eyes. I follow the taut line of muscle and cords from her neck to where it disappears under her t-shirt. Her smooth skin is perfectly tan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDavid is still talking, but I\u2019m not listening. Alexa yawns and stretches. Her shirt rides up revealing her flat stomach. She wades back to shore. In a few minutes I will follow.<\/span><\/p>\n#<\/span><\/p>\nA humid wind blows through the thatched roof of the tiny cabin. The murmur of lapping waves serenades us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAlexa is staring out the open window. Johnnie chose a great vantage point of the beach for his cabins\u2014a little rise nestled at the edge of the jungle. I gently press my hand in the small of her back to move her away.<\/span><\/p>\nShe arches reflexively. I take a deep breath, stifling my desire. I haven\u2019t double-checked all the wards yet.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cYou gonna stay?\u201d she whispers.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI gotta check on everyone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cYou\u2019re always checking on everyone. Stay with me, just this once.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ll be back. I promise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cHurry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nI check the wards I set around the four cabins. Muffled cries and groans from Alejandro and Rita\u2019s cabin join the night sounds. In the dark of the night, when we are alone in each other\u2019s arms, Alexa talks about the life we are going to have in Columbia. A villa. A ranch. Lazy days in the sun. It helps me believe that I\u2019m special, that <\/span>this<\/span><\/i> is special and going to last, though I know it won\u2019t. It can\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI imagine her cool, slender hands moving over my arms, to my shoulders. I check the last ward and hurry back to her cabin. I quietly slip through the door.<\/span><\/p>\nThe room glows orange from the smoldering end of a mosquito coil. Alexa\u2019s in a long tank top, staring out the window again. Geckos skitter on the walls, feasting on tiny spiders and nocturnal ants.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cHi,\u201d I whisper.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cHi,\u201d she whispers back. The back of her tank is wet from her hair. \u201cShower was nice, but cold,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cSorry I missed it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nShe\u2019s quiet. Been waiting up for me.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWhat are you thinking of?\u201d I ask. I expect her to turn, say something soft and breathy with passion in her eyes, kiss me as if breath depended on it, and slip out of her clothes.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThe Indian at the bar,\u201d she says. \u201cHe made me sad. He was so out of it. The others were calling him El-Capi-tan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nShe never ceases to surprise me. \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d I ask.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. But they laughed it up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cMaybe they\u2019re the fools, you ever think?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cOf course they are,\u201d she says quickly, \u201cbut he was probably just running away\u2014drinking down his sorrows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nLike me. I\u2019d love to run away with her. Live the life I never had.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cMaybe he was laughing at us,\u201d I say. \u201cMaybe he just came out of the jungle to have some guaro, spin to the beat, and look at pretty gringas like you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nShe thinks about it for a second. \u201cNo, he was just lost and they were just being mean.\u201d She looks away. \u201cEveryone wants to make a side trip out to the island,\u201d she says, her sadness apparently purged by voicing it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cYou know we have to keep heading south.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cYou always stick to the plan?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cAlways,\u201d I say. \u201cBut for you, anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cAre there really no mosquitoes on the island?\u201d she asks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cReally,\u201d I say. \u201cOnly a lot of crabs and monkeys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t lie to me,\u201d she says playfully.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cNever,\u201d I say. But I would. I have a hundred times already. To keep her safe. To keep my distance.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d she says, her voice dipping low with an excited tremble that drives me crazy. \u201cJust us. It\u2019ll be so good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cNot now,\u201d I say. Too dangerous. Gotta stay with the wards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nShe frowns. Did I snap at her?<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cTomorrow, silly,\u201d she says with a slight laugh, but she meant now. I can tell. I laugh with her, relieved I haven\u2019t shaken her good mood. But when this is all over and the sun and good food and gentle wind are gone, she\u2019ll tire of me, realize my nervousness doesn\u2019t come from watching this stupid group. I\u2019ll bark at her one time too many and she\u2019ll be gone, too.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cListen,\u201d I say. \u201cI\u2019m going to hit the bathroom then I\u2019ll ask Johnnie if I can use his boat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nShe smiles.<\/span><\/p>\nI go to the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. All at once, the six geckos that had been leisurely hunting insects scuttle frantically through the cracks in the walls. Above, the roof rustles with movement.<\/span><\/p>\nAlexa screams.<\/span><\/p>\nUp. I didn\u2019t ward from above. I burst through the door.<\/span><\/p>\n
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Daniel Braum writes stories, set in locations around the globe, that explore the tension between the psychological and supernatural.<\/span><\/p>\n