Sepulchre Read online

  SEPULTURE

  By

  Jay Harez

  Copyright © 2016 by Jay Harez. All rights reserved.

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Accomplices

  Arrival

  Guest

  Seige

  Perimeter

  Exodus

  Dawn

  Epilogue

  ACCOMPLICES

  The two men sat at a table on the sidewalk sipping lukewarm beer. The Captain made eye contact with the man across from him.

  “This is very risky,” said the Captain.

  Although both men wore dark sunglasses, after years of such meetings the Captain felt certain he was looking into the other man’s eyes.

  “This is not easily done,” the Captain added.

  “Amigo, it is done all the time,” said the other man. He seemed annoyed now. “Besides now that we have discussed this venture, what are your options?”

  Sometimes the two met for business, sometimes just for the other’s company. Each trusted the other within reason, meaning the consequences for total trust and total mistrust were equally severe in their line of work, so each man stayed within the margins.

  “Let’s not kid ourselves, Captain,” the other man continued as he set his beer aside. “We are not here to discuss if you want to participate. We are here to discuss the terms of your participation.”

  The threat was more than implied and in no manner veiled. Worst case scenario, the Captain was a liability; at best, now that he knew of the endeavor, he was a loose end. One way or another in the next few moments, the Captain would be neither.

  “I will participate in your scheme, but I know in my heart that this is a doomed undertaking,” said the Captain in response.

  ARRIVAL

  “Listen to me Fetus.” Leaf paused to take a drag from one of his Newport Red 100s. “Boss Soberano is not someone whom with to fuck,” Leaf said looking exasperated.

  “I wouldn’t. I know that. I not sayin’, I’m just sayin’. Jesus!” Fetus tried to respond indignantly, but it came out feebly.

  The two had been in the cab of the truck for just over two hours and it was almost three o’clock in the afternoon. Fetus looked at Leaf with confusion. Earlier he had asked Leaf if he thought Boss Soberano would send him to school, college to be specific. He couldn’t understand why there was a problem talking about it.

  Fetus hated being called ‘Fetus’. People called him that because despite being almost twenty-three he looked fifteen. Leaf was the only person that ever took any time to talk to him so he didn’t mind it so much from him. It was the other people who worked at the farm. The men, the women, even the children called him Fetus. He was tired of it, but they were the only family he knew.

  “I remember when they brought you to the farm,” Leaf said.

  ‘Oh God here we go again,’ thought Fetus.

  “After the massacre at that private school your father could not be found. Boss Soberano knew what would happen in an orphanage to someone as small as you so he brought you to the farm and raised you among his other bastard sons,” Leaf said.

  “I’m surprised I wasn’t found in a wicker basket floating down the river,” Fetus said.

  The backhand came so fast that Fetus felt it before he saw it.

  “Goddamit don’t you dare blaspheme, you little shit!” Leaf took another draw from his cigarette and looked more tired than Fetus had ever seen him.

  The blow left Fetus temporarily seeing little tracers. His nose wasn’t bleeding yet, but he could smell the coppery aroma of a burst vessel. Because of his size Fetus had had to fight most of the other kids his age and younger at the farm. He had been hit before but it hurt worse coming from Leaf.

  “Sorry, I….” Fetus stopped talking as he felt the tears coming. He knew that crying would just make it worse. He didn’t live in a world where crying was acceptable for males.

  Fetus lived on a two-hundred acre marijuana farm in Tamaulipas, Mexico. He had been there since the cartels had attacked his school, just like Leaf had said. Fetus knew he would probably work there all his life and that he would probably marry one of the girls who worked and lived on the farm. He might even marry one of the whores that visited on weekends like Leaf had.

  The farm was no luxury resort. Actually by U.S. standards the farm would have qualified as a pre-Civil War plantation. The hours they worked were long and the pay was low but it was home despite the occasional violence.

  Fetus didn’t remember much from his previous life. He had been ten-years-old when the cartel wars had spread to his school. He remembered his father was a wealthy man but he had not come for Fetus after the attack and Fetus had mostly forgotten about him.

  “I understand that you’re at the age where you want to explore, take risks and try new things. I suggest you try a whore.” Leaf said. “In the mean-time you best remember – that that world is for rich gringos with their shopping malls, plastic surgery, and autism. We are not them and they are not us,” he concluded.

  Leaf had – on numerous occasions - tried to convince Fetus that autism was caused by television. Fetus thought Leaf was wrong about a lot of things. Fetus spent his free hours reading the cast-off books Boss Soberano threw out when he bought new ones.

  Leaf could barely read, however Fetus had managed to teach himself more than most of the others on the farm. He thought he knew even more than Leaf when it came to some things.

  “We’ll be at the depot in fifteen minutes. When we get there I don’t want to hear anything about college or crossing the border or any other such bullshit. We get there, we unload, and we go home.” Leaf said.

  Fetus had seen Boss Soberano drive his Ferrari and smoke his big cigars. He saw Boss Soberano’s children using their laptops and listening to music on their smart phones. Fetus knew there was another way to live.

  “Ok,” was all Fetus said.

  They arrived at the depot fifteen minutes later just as Leaf had predicted.

  The depot was a rectangular metal warehouse two hundred yards long and fifty yards wide with proportionately large hangar doors at both ends. It was perfectly set up for driving a truck of any size into one end, loading and unloading cargo discreetly, and then exiting the other.

  Being discreet really didn’t matter because the depot was deep in Boss Soberano’s territory. The location and the fact that the few Federales in the area were on Boss Soberano’s payroll insured privacy.

  Fetus had been to the depot once before to drop off some food to the men inside and there were only been one or two trucks parked inside at the time. This time when the doors slid open Fetus was amazed to see at least fifteen trucks parked along the walls.

  These weren’t the big semis that went north; these were the local twenty-footers like the one he and Leaf were in. Leaf brought the truck inside just enough for the big hangar doors to close behind them. This many local trucks meant that a big truck was coming because the smaller trucks were not going back south until they were empty.

  Fetus envied the guys who had the balls to drive those big eighteen wheelers across the border. He thought about the money he could make and what he would do with it once in the U.S. if he was a driver.

  “Sit tight. I’m gonna talk to Alonzo.” Leaf said as he opened his door and stepped down from the cab.

  Leaf was a squat muscular man. He was just over five feet tall, powerfully built and had a beard that ran from his chin down to his breastbone. Fetus had once seen Leaf break a man’s arm like a pool cue in a fight over a card game. Fetus watched with eager anticipation as Leaf spoke to Alonzo, the depot foreman.

  Alonzo was hated by everyon
e at the farm. He lived better than they did and had complete autonomy when it came to where he went and when, as long as things ran smoothly at the depot. There was even a rumor that he was Boss Soberano’s cousin.

  Fetus hoped he would get to see the big rig roll through and watch as the men scrambled to get the smaller trucks unloaded, and the semi loaded in the least amount of time. Although they were safe from the Federales, a warehouse with this many trucks was a prime target for other bosses if the word got out.

  Fetus poked his head out of the passenger side window and looked up. Walking on the catwalk, smoking and talking to each other were the guards. They never came down because they were forbidden from getting friendly with the drivers or the loaders who worked on the floor of the Depot. Boss Soberano had standing orders to shoot anyone who entered the Depot with a firearm, got in a fight, or was suspected of stealing. The guards were among the best sharp-shooters in the state. Each was armed with a .308 rifle with laser sights and infrared scopes.

  Most of the loaders kept their voices low and wore only underwear and work boots to avoid any confusion about theft.

  “Well Boss Soberano has had a change of plans for us.” said Leaf as he climbed back into the cab.

  Fetus knew not to appear overly eager. Once he calmed himself he asked.

  “What kind of change?” Fetus asked

  “All but two of the loaders are leaving. It’s going to be us, two guards and Alonzo who are staying overnight. We may or may not have a visitor later on,” Leaf looked at Fetus and smiled.

  Fetus was bursting with excitement. It was Dios de los Muertos. Fetus hadn’t thought about it because they celebrated at the farm and were under strict orders to never be in town during the ‘craziness’.

  Not two months ago the mass abductions had begun. Anywhere from seven to twenty teenagers, some even US citizens, were being abducted at a time. No one was talking about it except the BBC and they weren’t focusing on the issue too much. Boss Soberano had put the whole farm on lock-down and now the workers, like Fetus and Leaf, were the only ones to ever see the city and that was only when they had a delivery to make.

  “So that means…?” Fetus asked hesitantly.

  “That means we can walk around the city for a little while, maybe get some sugar candy and a cerveza, but we have to be back in the warehouse by dark. Once the doors lock they are not opening for anyone but our expected guest,” Leaf said.

  Fetus knew not to ask about the identity of their guest or what his business was. He would wait and see. Also it was quite possible that Leaf didn’t know and he didn’t want to embarrass him.

  Fetus and Leaf parallel parked the truck along the wall like the others and after some discussion with Alonzo headed out into the throng of people in the streets. The trucks contents would be unloaded before they returned.

  Outside of the warehouse the sounds of children playing, the mariachi bands and outlandish costumes set the tone. The warehouse was by no means sound proof and Fetus had heard some of the festivities while inside, but the warehouse also had several televisions and radios, as well as the constant banter between the loaders. The phone kept an annoying rhythm while all of this went on. Any outside sounds were reduced to a roar interspersed with a honking horn or the occasional firework.

  Being in the heart of the revelry was better than any birthday he could remember. Fetus went to the nearest iced treat cart and bought a shaved ice. He asked for a Rainbow Special and stared in awe at the fluorescent stripes made by the sugary syrup. Leaf just chuckled and sipped his Coronita as he walked along with Fetus.

  It had never been discussed, but it was understood by both men that they were not to separate while in town. Ever. The misfortunes that could befall someone under the best of circumstances were high enough. A national celebration, lax law enforcement, alcohol, drugs and an assortment of other factors made this a very dangerous time to be in the city. Things were going to be a hundred times riskier after dark, but Fetus knew they would be safe in the warehouse long before then and under the watchful eye of the guards and Alonzo.

  The first long shadows crept down the street as the sun began to set. Fetus had a clear plastic bag filled with pink and blue cotton candy, two skulls made out of sugar candy, and a medio litre of Coca-Cola. Although he was exhausted, he was wide awake. This had been the best day of his life as far as he could remember. Leaf ambled along with Fetus, stopping to say hello to a whore here and there while sipping his cerveza.

  They arrived at the warehouse just as the last of the loaders were leaving. Each was either zipping up his pants or buttoning a shirt as they stepped into the expanding evening. The noise of the celebration was growing louder as more people finished their work day. The streets were now so crowded that a person could barely make a full stride and the dozen or so exiting loaders vanished into the throng in as many directions.

  GUEST

  A special section of the warehouse was designed for overnight stays near the exit. It was a massive room from Fetus’ perspective. It was adjacent to the office and mechanics closet where most of the tools were kept. The room was perhaps eight hundred square feet. There were several beds, a television, a sink and off to the side a toilet and the area was kept remarkably clean. This was much nicer than Fetus’s own living quarters where he shared a room a fraction of this size with five other men. This room had no immediate ceiling however; the walls were simply sheetrock and two-by-four boards that extended no more than ten feet high. From the tops of the walls it was another forty feet to the roof of the warehouse. Between the tops of the walls and the roof of the warehouse were the catwalks and the guards with their rifles. Across the room two loaders was already asleep. They had removed their shoes but not their pants or undershirts.

  Leaf gestured toward a bed where Fetus eagerly plopped down and began to get undressed.

  “Just remove your shoes. Keep your shirt and pants on at all times.” Leaf said.

  Fetus looked at Leaf for further explanation.

  “We are safe, but not as safe as we would be on the farm. It is best to be prepared.” Leaf explained, then lay down on his own bed and began to snore gently. It was just after six-thirty in the evening. The last thing Fetus heard above Leaf’s snoring from the bed next to him was a mariachi band making its way past the warehouse and down the street.

  The sound of the semi’s engine brought Fetus fully awake. The adrenaline ran through him and he leapt from his bed and started making his way toward the door just as Leafs hand rested on his shoulder.

  “Our visitor has arrived,” said Leaf “but he is not here to see either of us so stay out of sight.”

  Fetus nodded. The lights in the warehouse were never turned off or even dimmed and Fetus had a clear line of sight to the big rig.

  The driver stepped down from the cab and spoke to Alonzo, who was waiting and looking furious.

  Another man got down from the passenger’s side. He had glasses and was thin. He wore a panama hat and a short-sleeved floral patterned shirt. Everything about the man screamed tourist and his every gesture and mannerism made it obvious he was nervous.

  The driver started making his way toward the sleeping area and Leaf and Fetus backed away from the door.

  “Looking for an empty bed” said the driver as he entered. He looked like he had recently been in a fight. He had a swollen lip, a blackened eye and was walking with a slight limp. He carried a medium size duffle bag.

  Leaf gestured toward the row of empty beds.

  “We have these,” Leaf said while keeping a sharp eye on the newcomer.

  “Thanks.” said the driver. He then shuffled over to the nearest bed and grabbed a second pillow from the next bed over.

  He sat down and Fetus couldn’t help but grin as the driver removed only his shoes. The driver then arranged his pillows so that he could sit up with his back against the wall. Once in position he just looked at Fetus and Leaf.

  Leaf started to make his way back to the bed and t
ugged at Fetus’s shirt sleeve to follow.

  The driver grabbed his duffle and began casually searching through it. Fetus watched as two red dots of laser light appeared on the driver’s chest. The driver lifted one hand in the air and very slowly withdrew a bottle of Kentucky Deluxe whiskey with his other. The lights disappeared.

  “These meskins don’t fuck around, do they?” the driver asked.

  Leaf turned and looked at the driver.

  “No offense amigo,” said the driver offering the bottle to Leaf. “I forget my manners at times.”

  “None taken gringo,” Leaf said with a grin as he took the bottle.

  Both men started to laugh. Fetus didn’t fully understand what had just happened but he was suddenly feeling much more relaxed.

  After a prolonged silence the driver started talking.

  “So I got this college boy riding with me for five hours. Egg-head boy won’t shut up about tombs and elixirs and shit,” the driver said.

  “Passengers, that’s new.” said Leaf.

  “Where did you come from…?” Fetus interjected before he realized what he was asking.

  Both men stopped and looked at Fetus. He flushed with embarrassment. Fetus knew questions could get you killed faster than answers but his excitement had gotten the best of him.

  “Sorry…I meant…” Fetus began to stammer and then just stopped talking as he watched the floor.

  When the semi had arrived Alonzo had called for the two remaining loaders. Neither was around which was lucky. Fetus knew Leaf wouldn’t tell anyone about his inquisitive nature so it was a matter of whether the driver would mention it.

  Thankfully, he ignored Fetus’s indiscretion.

  “It seems like the boss is searching out his roots. You should see what’s in the trailer,” the Driver said.