Pilgrims
Sacrifice

After being sure all those people were gone, we rushed back to where Rio, Gabriel and Leon were waiting.

I'm a little restless. One of the short guy's men-who was past us—walked right to Rio's place and the others.

“Guys, we have bad news,” Fox tells them when we arrived at the place earlier. Thankfully, they were not found.

Unlike usual, Fox's speech was not noticed by the others. They keep turning their backs on us. I realized there was something going on that I didn't understand. Fox who was just as confused as me approached them. I walked behind him, preparing my heart to hear the bad news.

“There is wrong?” ask Fox.

Leon turned his head and shifted his half-squatted position supporting Rio's body leaning against him. Rio's face was deathly pale, frowning in pain.

“Dia why?” I asked Leon.

“Some time after you guys left, there was a suspicious man carrying a handy talky radio communication device past where we were waiting. We hid ourselves so we wouldn't be seen by him. When I thought he was gone, we came out of hiding. Suddenly Rio grimaced in pain, then fell just like that,” Leon explained.

Fox bowed checking on Rio's state. “Which part hurts?” tanyanya's worried.

Rio groaning, “Kaku.”

We all looked at Rio's feet. Just above his left heel, there was a small and delicate bite mark. I don't really understand it, but something dangerous must have bitten it.

“Do you know what bit you?” ask Fox to worry.

“Spiders,” replied Rio was beheaded like out of breath.

“Brazilian Wandering,” whispered Leon suddenly. “Seeing from the symptoms it may be that bit him Brazilian Wandering Spider.”

“It's bad, we have to hurry,” Fox said.

“Please explain what happened,” you don't understand.

Gabriel took a heavy breath and explained. “Brazilian Wandering Spider secretes a kind of very strong nerve toxin that causes extreme pain, paralysis, and shortness of breath that if left unchecked will cause death.”

“We must get out of this forest immediately and give him antivenom before it's too late,” Fox said. Then he briefly explained the conversation we had just heard.

“In short on our way out of this forest, we might be dealing with those bad guys. Leon, you're gonna hold Rio. Try to make the legs are bitten not too much move so that the poison does not spread quickly. Gabriel's got Leon and Rio's stuff. In order to distract so that no one gets in your way, Maya and I will hold them back. Understand?” Fox gave instructions.

I'm interrupting. “Fox, I think it's too risky. They're armed, if any of them find Rio, Leon, and Gabriel. Finish up.”

“Only that's the choice we have, or do you have a better idea?” ask Fox.

“I don't think they know we're five,” I'm starting. “They're just after me and Leon. One of us can lure them back into the woods. They carry communication tools, so this makes things easier. They would all chase into the forest. And the forest exit path is wide open.”

“Let me do it,” Leon said. “I'll lure them into the woods. I can avoid them quickly. The trees here will be very helpful.”

“I think it's better that I do it. I can also avoid as well as Leon. Besides the short guy really wants me, he must be desperately chasing me,” my dream. "And if anything gets in your way, Fox can fix it.”

“I refuse, ” Fox said firmly. “I won't let any of you feed yourself.”

“No,” Fox said.

Maybe it's time to tell them.

I took a breath and said dramatically. “What if I told you that I could teleport?”

Teleportation is not the right word. But for a while only that word came to mind.

The effect of those words to the four of them was different; Leon looked at me sharply, Gabriel gaped in disbelief, Rio who seemed to feel this puzzle solved trying to smile among the pain, but Fox did not seem to believe it. He frowned, hesitating.

“Is this just your wits so I can let you feed yourself?” ask Fox.

“You've heard of my conversation with Rio right? I was here unnaturally. I moved and passed the time without planning. But, thanks to someone I didn't know, I knew that I would move again. Today. At exactly 12:15. Two hours from now I'm going to disappear. I'll be safe from those people. So, I also want to make sure you all get out of this forest safely. Please Fox, let me do it!” I begged Fox.

This morning I had opened the second money sheet that Rio had hidden from me the other day. And it's the date of today. At least that's what I learned from that writing. A new place and maybe a new time. There was actually no guarantee that I would actually be there, but somehow I believed that the clues from Sin were true.

“You sure you can survive their pursuit for two hours?” tanya Fox confirmed. I'm snuggling.

“Alright, we do it your way,” Fox finally agrees.

We talked about some of these distraction strategies. After agreeing I say goodbye to the four of them.

“Get yourself,” says Leon.

“Do not act carelessly,” exclaimed Gabriel with teary eyes.

“You are more extraordinary than my speculations,” Rio said trying to speak despite being decapitated.

“You will be safe,” I told him.

“I know that,” he replied slowly.

“Alright, I go Fox,” I said steady.

Fox nodded slowly. And I ran and jumped into the forest without looking back.

Between my steps I felt so hard parting with them. My eyes are watering with sadness. I went through this change in the company of all of them. I am no longer the same person as the one who arrived in Bahia months ago.

And now I have a desire to do, an ability to act, and a friend to save.

The plan was to find one of those people, and lure them to catch a glimpse of me. Then I will run into the forest until my time is up.

I found one of them twenty minutes later. I saw my watch. It's time. I took some distance away from the man so that he would have trouble aiming at me with a shotgun. I take a deep breath. As planned, I screamed loudly.

***