La Segunda Vida

The Colombian's wrecked plane on fire after it is raked with gunfire.


We are escorted to the back of two trucks and searched by a couple of these "visitors". There are four of them here, and according to Tapia another two up at the fire. Their leader jumps into Abby and you can see the beam of a flashlight dance around inside. He comes out with Lou's rifle and the M-16.
"HEY, you better be careful with that." Lou shouts in english.
"Tell him that the men in the plane need medical attention." I nudge Lou, who has to think for a second.
"Los hombres dentro de necesita la atención médica?" He yells.
"It wasn't a question."
"It is when I'm not sure what I said."
Their leader turns and looks back inside Abby's cargo bay. He bounces the light off of the two hammocks, then down on the floor. He doesn't say a word, just uses some kind of crude sign language and a couple of grunts directed to the men that are guarding us.
Two of the men step off toward Abby, the other makes sure we know he is guarding us and that according to the way he is holding his rifle, he will shoot us if we wipe our noses. From the plane we hear a loud thump and the two men that had climbed inside struggle to drag Ollie from Abby's hold. They make it to the door, each of them holding a massive arm. They are about to roll him out of the door when he comes to and tosses one of them out and onto his head.
Not a word is spoken, just the business end of the leader's rifle up under Ollie's chin lets him know that things are much different than they had been the last time he was conscious. Ollie steps out of the plane under his own power and is escorted over to us. He and Lou exchange a few words and then Ollie sits on the ground.
Both men step back into the plane and return with Jerry. He has puke all over his clothes and beard. When the men get him to the truck, they lay him in the back and then wipe their hands on the ground and their pants.
"What has happened to Jerry?" Tapia asks, jumping in beside him.
"He got shot in the wrist when we were leaving. Then Lou here over-medicated him." I still don't know who our captors are, so I am vague with my answers until we get a real chance to talk. "What happened here, Tapia? Is everyone okay?"
One guard jumped in the back with us, another into our truck to drive. The leader and the other guard got in the second truck and they followed us back up the road toward the ranch house. It was only when the truck started to roll that Tapia talked to us in hushed tones.
"About an hour ago we hear a plane, not Abby, but another sound." He looks up at the guard, who could care less about the conversation. He lights a hand rolled cigarette and puffs away. "It sounded like it was in trouble, like it wasn't running right. But it doesn't land, it crashes in the field behind the ranch house."
"So that was the fire we saw. I thought it was a bonfire."
"I didn't catch right away. By the time we made it out into the fields, the fire was starting and these men were unloading cargo from the plane as fast as they could. We didn't know what they were until we were right on top fo them." Tapia looks up at the man with the gun, "Colombians... La Segunda Vida."
"Oh shit... that's not good," I add. Colombians... these guys are like the Borg.
"What is La Segunda?" Lou asks him.
"La Seguna Vida, The second life. I have heard of this from my cousin. They are men from the Cartels in Colombia who have been given a second chance from their employers."
"Hey, everyone makes a mistake now and then." Lou adds.
"No, Senior, these men were to be executed for betraying the Cartel. But their positions within the organization were too important. So they are muted and are sworn to serve the Cartel or face having their entire family removed."
"Removed where?"
"From the planet, Senior. They will execute their families, no matter how large, young or old, right in front of them. Afterward they would be executed as well."
I look up at our guard and then back to Tapia, "What do you mean muted?"
Tapia looks at the guard as well, then leans in to us, "They have no tongues. Cut out by the cartel's and fed to the guard dogs. It is symbolic, so they cannot betray the Cartel by their own tongues."

We are at the ranch house within minutes and the guards have us bring Jerry and Ollie inside. There is no one here.
"Where is Mari and the others?" I ask Tapia as we lower Jerry onto one of the beds in the spare room.
"We all went up to the crash to see if we could help. When we got there they held us at gunpoint until we got their cargo out of the plane." He looks at Jerry, "Let's get him into some clean clothes."
Tapia's wife Mari is a hell of a nurse. She could run a hospital with what she has had to do out here in the middle of nowhere. We need her here. Tapia finds a clean shirt and some khaki shorts and we do a quick change on Jerry. Before we can get some water to clean him up, the guard comes in with his rifle and herds us out the door. I can see Ollie on the way out, he is sitting up now. At least he is here to look after Jerry.
Lou is already captive on the truck and we are forced up there with him. We are driven out to the fire and there is Mari and four ranch hands loading some old wooden crates, and some newer gray cases onto the other truck. When we stop, it is understood that this is what we are supposed to do.
Next to the burning fuselage is a body. I step over to look at it, but am pushed back toward the cargo with the barrel of a rifle. Tapia waves me over.
"That is the pilot, I am sure of it. When we ran up to the wreck these men were pulling him from the cockpit window. I am sure he is dead."
Now we are all loading the crates and containers onto the truck, all of us except the leader, who has his rifle at the ready. He is all business. Most of his face is hidden behind a red bandana.
"Tapia, we need Mari to tend to the boys at the ranch house."
He warily approaches the leader and he speaks to him in rapid spanish. The silent Colombian listens, then raps his palm on the butt of his rifle in a kind of Morse Code. One of the guards moves quickly to his side. A couple of hand gestures later he motions to Tapia and he goes and gets Mari.
The truck with the guard and Mari heads back to the ranch house and Tapia is back loading trucks. "I told him that those two men might die, and that Jerry was the pilot. That seemed to matter. I think they will let Mari do what she needs to do."

When all the cargo is on the trucks they move them back away from the plane. Two of the guards grab the dead man on the ground and toss him into the flames like so much cord-wood.
The flames seem to be dying instead of building, so the leader raises his weapon and rakes the near wing with gunfire. There is a huge explosion as the fuel in the tank ignites, followed by a second explosion as the rest of the fuel goes up.
"Well that's the end of that." I snap a quick picture and then feel like I am being watched. I turn to see the leader looking at me and Lou. He motions to his men and we are all loaded into the trucks and driven from the crash site.

When I see our destination I realize their plan. We pull up to Abby's cargo bay and immediately the task of loading the crates and cases into her hold commences. I immediately begin to protest.
"NO... no stop. This plane is only running on one engine. Our pilot is one of the guys you carried out of here. STOP."
Lou quickly translates for me and the leader turns and gestures to me and then the cockpit.
"Oh no, I am not a pilot, I am a mechanic." It try to follow up with some kind of hand gestures. Lou translates.
The leader stops Lou. He looks right at me, and then the plane, pointing first to me, and then the cockpit with finality. I look at him and shake my head. "Then we are all dead and your cargo is lost."
"Entonces somos todos muertos y su carga se pierde ." Lou translates.

Once the onload is complete the leader stations a guard on the cargo and we all head back to the ranch house. The house is now well lit and the smell of Mari's cooking greets us as the trucks park. I am anxious to talk to Tapia to see if he knows these guy's intentions. He can vouch for the fact that I am no pilot. But as soon as we step into the house, the leader takes Tapia to the kitchen table and I can hear him trying to speak. He can say words that don't involve using your tongue, namely "map". Tapia brings him an atlas and he flips through the pages until he is on a map of Central America and the northern part of South America. He gestures for pen and paper and then he and Tapia start a lengthy discussion... of sorts.
Mari manages to cook up a nice meal. She serves the three of us first, me, Lou, and Ollie. Then the ranch hands and our captors. Along with my plate, she gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"I look in on Jerry. What medicine did he get?" She asks with a whisper.
I shoot Lou a quick look, "He gave him two tabs of Ketamin."
"Ayee, Ketamin we give to the cattle." She gives Lou a scolding look, "Did he throw up?"
"He doesn't smell like that normally, does he?" Lou tries to be funny, but Mari gives him a quick slap on the shoulder.
"That not funny... you could have kill him. If he threw up then that is better for him."
"Twice." I tell her.
"I cleaned him up and he open his eyes, but just for a second. I think he is fine later."

Watching the La Segunda Vida eat was enough to make you put down your plate. With no tongue to help them swallow there was a lot of choking sounds and hand assists that just made you want to puke. Lou and I stood up and went to walk outside when they stopped and held us at gunpoint.
"Go ahead and shoot you disgusting fucker, I ain't gonna sit in here listening to this shit." Lou heads outside and I follow. They watch us from the window as we take a seat on the porch.
"What do you think?" I take a tortilla and fold some pork into it.
"I think these guys are gonna take Abby and make us fly her to where ever they were headed before they crashed and killed their pilot."