Pray for Darkness: Terror in the Green Inferno Read Online Free Page B

in their new surroundings.
    “Hey, Ernesto,” Cooper said, pointing, “what kind of flowers are those?”
    “Mmm, these are the birds of paradise. Very nice flowers. They can be found all over the jungle.”
    “Cool.”
    “Hey,” Auggie said with a touch of pride. “Check it out.”
    He tilted his camera so that Ben could see the bright, waxy bulbs of the flower on the viewing screen. Ben nodded, genuinely impressed. “Nice shot.”
    Auggie’s grin brightened his entire face. “Thanks.”
    Ben tossed his arm around the thin boy’s shoulders. “Just look at this place, man! It’s amazing!”
    “Are you kidding me?” Cooper said. He gestured toward the middle of the lodge, where a handful of people were sipping drinks at a long wooden countertop skirted with a mat of woven reeds. “There’s a bar?”
    Ernesto nodded. “Uh-huh. Yes. You can come here for the drinkess.”
    On the other side of the bar was a dining area with large communal tables and enough room to accommodate fifty or so guests. Scattered throughout the lodge were several couches and hammocks, all presently vacant. Ernesto set his backpack down on one of the couches.
    “Hey, guys? Wait here, okay?”
    “Sure,” said Cooper. “Thanks, Ernesto.”
    When Ernesto was gone, Ben turned to his friends with a wry smile. “So much for roughing it, huh?”
    Auggie had his head tilted all the way back and was admiring the steep pitch and exposed beams of the cathedral ceiling. “I didn’t realize how big this place would be.”
    “This is amazing,” concluded Cooper. The three of them looked at one another and grinned.
    A moment later, a young woman appeared with a tray holding three tall glasses filled with a rust-colored liquid. “You like drink?” she asked. She set the tray down on a tall wicker table, and the boys gathered around to see the offering.
    “Thank you,” Ben said. The glass was cold and beaded with moisture. He downed half the contents in a single gulp. “That’s good. What kind of juice is this?”
    The woman looked pleased. “This is mango juice,” she said, smiling politely. “You like?”
    “Yes, it’s very good, thank you,” Auggie replied.
    Cooper held the glass against his forehead and smiled. “Oh, yeah, that feels good.”
    The woman was still smiling graciously as she carried the empty tray back to the bar.
    “The people here are really friendly, aren’t they?” asked Auggie.
    “The people here are awesome,” Ben agreed.
    Cooper paused with the glass hovering at his lips. “That Juice Girl was pretty cute.” He took a delicate sip, licking his lips as though savoring a fine wine. “How old do you think she is?”
    Before his friends could respond, Ernesto reappeared. “Coo-per, Ben-nah, Aw-gee,” he said, announcing each syllable with care. “You guys are in Room 10. It is over there.” He gestured toward the elevated walkway to their left. “In two hours, we go for small hike to the jungle platform, okay?”
    Cooper jumped up and gave the diminutive man a friendly clap on the shoulder. “I can’t wait! Thanks, Ernesto. We’ll see you in a little while, my friend.”
    Ernesto was visibly pleased by this open show of affection. His face, usually so passive, broke into a brilliant smile that revealed two rows of small white teeth. Ben and Auggie were not surprised by Ernesto’s sudden change; they had witnessed this, what they fondly referred to as The Cooper Effect, countless times before. There was something about Cooper, some charming and endearing quality that set people at ease almost immediately. Ernesto was still beaming as they said their good-byes, and the boys were aware that some new connection had been made that circumvented the invisible barrier separating the tourists from the locals.
    The three boys followed the wooden walkway to a long building made of bamboo and thatch. Here the walkway turned into a narrow catwalk that hemmed the back of the building and provided access to