The men instantly pointed their firearms around, locating the threat. Felipe dropped to the ground with a high-pitched, petrified scream of his own as Nova flapped her hands over her face, tapping her sandals against the ground, shaking off the terror and disgust crawling over her body. She hunched so as not to be able to touch the damned things above them.
"What is it?" Bruce was already in front of her protectively, his gun out. Ready for action. They all looked around as Nova hid behind Bruce.
Pointing up, she whispered. "Bats. Lots and lots of … Bats!"
Slowly, all the men looked up, and their postures instantly relaxed. "That's it?" One of the men demanded, clearly frustrated with her.
On shaky legs, Felipe rose to his feet and sighed, clutching his chest and muttering a prayer in Portuguese. She could tell he was praying only by the way he traced the sign of the cross over his body, lifted his gaze and pressed a reverent kiss to the cross pendant hanging from his neck.
Clearing his throat, he pointed to the furry little flying rats with wings. "They are vampire bats. Nothing to worry about. They will stay up there until nightfall."
Nova stiffened. "I'm sorry, what…? You said vampire… as in Dracula … bats?"
The guide gave an easy shrug. It was the most nonchalant she'd seen him all day. "It's just a name. They don't suck human blood—well, not usually." He smirked, clearly amused by Nova's expressions. "They feed on livestock, mostly. On an island such as this, it would be monkeys and wild boars. They make tiny cuts and lap up the blood, and the animal barely notices. They're clever little things, even have an anticoagulant in their saliva to keep the blood flowing."
Nova clutched at the back of Bruce's shirt like he might be able to swat them away if they tried anything right now. She knew this was pathetic, and she felt pathetic. She was a strong, independent woman, but those furry fuckers are what now? Vampires?
She didn't care if they were clever; they just had to stay away from her. Somehow, this was a priority over the killers in the forest right now. They would spear her, sure. These little flying rodents freaked her out.
"And they won't move?" Nova asked.
Felipe shook his head, chuckling to himself. Bruce put his hand on the back of her shoulder, guiding her along behind Felipe through the darkness and sudden coldness of the cave from the outside world. "Don't worry, that's what we are here for," Bruce chuckled, patting her on the shoulder.
"We're not pest control," one of the other men complained quietly behind them, but another nudged him with his elbow and gave him a look.
"That's Mr Vale's missus," he scolded the other one quietly but she heard them.
"Sorry for the dramatics," Nova murmured over her shoulder while still searching the darkness of the cave. Her words made the men tense; fear washed over them at the idea of losing their jobs, and a hush fell, silencing them further.
Sunlight beamed in some tiny spots through eroded rocks, but besides that, it was cold and dark, with barely any light to see anything ahead. They didn't use their phone lights or Felipe's torch because it would only spook the bats, and Nova was perfectly happy with Bruce guiding her until they were on the other side.
She hoped whatever was waiting on the other side was worth it. This whole tour was one big distraction anyway—not from the locals who clearly didn't want them here, but from her boyfriend's behaviour. She'd seen glimpses into it before, moments that had slipped past her when she was buried in work.
But now, they had two weeks together and nothing else to occupy her. The cold absence of empathy in him hit her hard. Nova never expected him to be so devoid of emotion about the deaths of those workers. All he cared about was the loss of money. It was unsettling and impossible to ignore.
The sickening doubt weighed heavily on her chest even as the darkness faded away as the golden rays of the sun blinded her momentarily outside the cave. Shading her eyes with one hand, Nova squinted at the lake that stretched out before them. It wasn't just breathtaking—it was ethereal. Time seemed to stand still; all wildlife was silent, and even the wind was calm like it didn't want to disrupt it.
The surface of the water almost looked like a mirror, silver in some places. Yet it didn't reflect the clear blue skies, the greenery of some of the trees looming over parts of it, or the radiant sunlight. No, it was like the surface had captured stars and swirled them around in a galaxy.
She was so transfixed by its beauty that Nova didn't realise she'd started stepping towards it. An unknown power, a force, thrummed along the ground like a magnet pulling her forward. Drums of a ritualistic nature beat louder and louder the closer she got to the edge of the water. The beat danced through her body-
"Winslow!"
"Miss Winslow!"
"Miss Winslow!! Don't get any closer!" Felipe grabbed her by the shoulders and tugged her back roughly. His touch snapped her out of the daze she'd fallen into. Gone were the sounds of the beating drums. Blinking, she looked around at her surroundings until her gaze fell back on Felipe.
"Nova?" Bruce stepped closer as well, glaring at the guide for touching her.
"There are many tales surrounding this lake and its mystic powers," Felipe rushed out to explain, holding his hands up in surrender, eyes wide as he looked between Nova, Bruce's gun and the lake.
Bruce lowered his gun, but not his suspicions, as his eyes narrowed on the guide. He wasn't doing his job if his guard lowered that easily. Nova patted his shoulder, her gaze fixated on the lake as she registered Felipe's words.
"Mystic powers?" Nova's brows furrowed. She could see why there might be some folklore about it. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. That thrumming sensation, the warmth down her spine, had vanished the moment the guide had touched her.
"There are tales of fate taking those who dare touch the lake. They never return."
"I thought you weren't from this island?" Nova asked. Felipe had given her a brief introduction when they first met and was figuring out what tours would be best for when the resort was finished.
How did he know about these folklore or fairytales so quickly? It just sounded like the locals probably slipped into the water and didn't know how to swim and drowned, forgetting moments ago she'd almost stepped into the lake by some unknown power.
"I am not. But what I want to show you next are the stories of the ancestors on this island and stories of their gods, the animals they believe to be sacred. They use totemic animals to display them; in the Amazonian tribes, they are called Yuxin…"
Felipe continued to explain as he led them around the lake. Nova's gaze was still on the shimmering waters. She couldn't stop herself from interrupting him with a question, "Those things in the water… They're like stars, are they some sort of bug?" She made a face at the idea of the glowing bugs and wouldn't attempt to get in the lake anytime soon, not to mention if there were any other wild animals in there.
The guide stopped and turned back to her, glancing at the water. "Stars? It is daytime." He looked at her with confusion clouding those dark eyes.
Nova frowned. "Yes, the stars…" She pointed at the lake. "It's like there's an entire galaxy…" She trailed off as her gaze landed on the lake again. It was still magnificent, but it reflected the bright blue skies and the rainforest, and the sun bounced off it, casting shadows along their bodies.
She could feel everyone's attention focused on her, looking like she might have gone mad. Everyone did, except for Felipe, whose expression she couldn't fathom. There was almost a knowing glint in those dark eyes, perhaps a little awe.
But anything she might have read on his face vanished as he spoke. "You must be dehydrated, Miss Winslow. It is very humid today. We will rest in the sacred grounds."
Nova nodded, brushing some of her hair behind her ear, looking away from the lake as shadows grew tall over her. Her gaze wandered up to the engraved statues from rocks and wood forming animal faces on men's bodies.
An eagle.
A monkey.
Crocodile.
A jaguar.
Then there were other statues—totems of monstrous beasts she couldn't quite name or describe. The strange figures carved from dark wood or… was that bone? She couldn't tell if they were meant to protect or to warn.
Felipe rambled on about myths and legends and how tribes favoured a few animals for their strengths, but the jaguar was highly revered for its power and stealth. Fearful yet had also been described as a protector of these forests. How could it protect the forest when it was a predator to everything in it?
Nova stared up at the jaguar; it was remarkable, with markings running down one side of its face and torso. Unlike the other human-beast-type creatures, this was a regular jaguar, but it was clear it was of great importance. It was more significant than the others, in the middle of this circle of structures and well maintained.
She squinted a few times as the symbols were almost hazy in some places like she couldn't read them, but then they were as clear as day and almost appeared 3D, sticking out at her. It hurt her eyes. Unknowingly, Nova reached for the totem before she could stop herself.
Like before, there was some magnetic force, an otherworldly power that transfixed her focus on the jaguar and nothing else; a wind ferociously swirled around them, sweeping her hair from her face as the sounds of drums beat louder again. A fever broke out in her body, sweat forming at her temples as hot and cold rippled along her body.
Eyes of liquid fire, golden-red, glowed back at her fiercely when a jaguar's call made her jump on the spot, her soul almost leaving her body before darkness ripped her sight from her, and she passed out.