Killing Mercury by Anderson Harp

Author:Anderson Harp
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Published: 2020-09-11T00:32:11+00:00

After several miles the truck pulled onto a highway and continued to the north. They traveled in silence. The Mexican had turned on the radio and seemed unfazed by his passengers. He played his ranchera music full blast.

The lights of a city soon could be seen in the distance. They began to pass rows of small shacks along the side of the highway. The driver pulled out his cell and spoke in Spanish. Soon, a black truck with oversized tires, black tinted windows, and a large brush guard on its front fell in behind them.

“So, you go over the border?”

“Yea.” Jamal hugged the backpack on his lap.

“Okay.” The driver slowed the truck and as he did, he pointed up the highway to the lights beyond. “Mexicali,” he said as he turned the truck onto a side road and pulled behind a small house on the outskirts of the city.

“Arriba, arriba. Hurry.” The driver said as he swung his door open and pointed to the small shack. He led the way as the two followed through the back door and found an old woman sitting at a wooden table.

“You change!” The orders from the driver included pointing to a hose near the back door and some used jeans, shirts, and two pairs of cowboy boots.

The water was cold, but this was the first time that both Jamal and Reet had had the opportunity to wash off the remaining layers of mud that went back as far as the jungle. The house was on the very far end of the city. Jamal remembered the sign of a gas station that said Ejido el Choropo. The old woman had laid out two plastic dishes with a taco and frijoles. There were no towels, but they dressed as best as they could and finished the food. The boots were the wrong size, but fortunately they were too large, not too small. The driver gave them each a wide brim straw hat. One had traces of blood inside.

The drive from Ejido el Choropo had taken them through the crowded streets of Mexicali. Both Jamal and Reet had kept their heads down. Jamal had briefly looked out at the people when they came to one stop and noticed something different. The people on the street had looked away, as if they knew the trucks and wanted no part of what was in them.

Near the border, the trucks had quickly pulled inside the warehouse. A guard had opened the door just before they turned the street as if in concert with the effort. The Mexicans were, if anything, efficient in their trade. And there was honor among thieves. Jamal had the thought that a bullet in the back of their heads would have been easier than taking them across. There was, however, one thing on Jamal’s side: the final payment would only be made when they were in the United States. He had made it clear that the money was not on him.

The doors shut with a bang that ricocheted through the building.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.