Threnody (Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

aimlessly in the jungle, covered in blood from head to toe.  It seemed likely he was from the previously uncontacted Wapachu tribe based on his language and the markings on his body.  The circumstances leading to his wandering alone in the jungle several miles from his native tribal land were unclear.
    A group of local foragers happened upon him and, fearing he might be seriously injured, rushed to his aid.  As the group approached, the young boy went berserk and attacked them.  They reported his attacks were feral and ‘defensive – like that of a frightened animal.’  They were ultimately able to subdue and calm the boy, after which they brought him to the regional military outpost less than a mile from where he was discovered.  Despite the substantial difficulties posed by the language barrier, the medical team at the outpost listened intently as the boy tried to explain what had happened using the unusual dialect of his little known language that had been fostered in isolation by his tribe.  He talked of brutal attacks filled with extreme violence, horrific abuses, and inconceivable atrocities.  Speaking in frantic, distant, and disorganized sentences, the boy sounded as though he might be suffering from PTSD or some other mental ailment.  The story relayed by the boy was incongruous with the information known about the Wapachu, as there had been no reported violence involving the tribe in many years.  Though there were previous isolated disputes and feuds between the various indigenous tribes in this region of Brazil, they were overall peaceful and reclusive people.
    Dr. Vincent Cardosa, the outpost physician tasked with evaluating and questioning the boy, had studied the Arawakan language, but felt certain he was simply unable to accurately interpret what the boy was telling him.  What did seem abundantly clear was something horrible had happened to the boy’s tribe.  He spoke of 'monsters,' though he occasionally referred to the perpetrators of the violence as ‘my people’ or ‘those things.’  In addition, he displayed an irrational fear of essentially all humans – far greater than Dr. Cardosa had previously seen in any other uncontacted tribes he had encountered.  To Dr. Cardosa, he seemed to behave much like an abused dog, equating all humans with his next beating or torment.  Had his village suffered an attack by another tribe in the region, or perhaps by an outside group such as one of the paramilitary guerrilla units or drug cartels thought to be active in the area?   One thing was certain; something scared the boy beyond all reason.
    Dr. Cardosa had been stationed at O.P. Maturaca for eleven months and was eagerly awaiting his rotation back home in two weeks when the boy arrived at the secluded Brazilian outpost.  His job in the last few months had been fairly uneventful, with only minor injuries to address and no significant military action occurring.  This, however, changed with the boy’s arrival, when he was asked to head a medical support expedition in search of the ill-fated village.  The medical team was to be accompanied by a military security force, with the entire mission slated to last forty-eight hours.  As he planned to transition to civilian life after this deployment, he realized with excitement that this would likely be his last mission.  Even so, the thought of what they might find at the village left him feeling unsettled.  His inquietude was further intensified when a unit from the Brazilian Special Operations Brigade arrived at the outpost and informed him they would serve as the security detail for the mission.
    Every mission he could recall, including several he deemed far more dangerous than this one, had utilized a military squad from the outpost for security.  While grateful for the assistance of the highly skilled, elite soldiers, he was not certain what made this mission any different.  When Dr. Cardosa inquired about this, he was told the team simply