“Let me take your vitals before—”

Abby shook her head. “No time. You can do it there.”

Kate shrugged, slung her backpack between her shoulders, and picked up her med kit. “You lead.”

The two women walked silently along the bank. Though in good shape, Kate struggled to keep up. The late-morning heat was already suffocating. No breeze came off the river. Overhead she heard a strange symphony of bird calls and animal noises. Kate jerked her head upward at every shrill shriek. Abby seemed to ignore them all.

Within five minutes the sand along the river’s edge narrowed and then disappeared altogether, with trees and underbrush now coming all the way to the water’s edge. Abby stopped and waited a moment for Kate to catch up. “Watch for adders here.”

She pushed through some undergrowth and disappeared into the jungle. Kate glanced warily at the foliage in front of her, then followed, catching her shirt in three places on the branches.

Once past the curtain of flora, she found herself on a jungle path suitable for single-file passage. Abby walked swiftly ahead. Kate jogged to catch up, tripping repeatedly on roots that Abby navigated effortlessly. Often Abby would disappear into what appeared to be dense undergrowth. When Kate followed, however, she always discovered they were on a new path.

The path veered to the left and right without discernible intent. It intersected another trail, and Abby strode to the left. Kate checked the time. Half an hour gone.

The closer they got to the village, the faster Abby walked. Kate finally broke into a continuous jog just to keep pace. Sweat poured off her face in rivulets. She looked down and saw red stains on her socks. Leeches were getting their fill. She stopped to pick them off, then ran to catch up, fearful of Abby’s disappearing through a hedge onto another hidden path.

The trail broadened slightly, straightened, and broke into a clearing that revealed two dozen thatched-roof huts surrounding a larger thatched structure. Abby had stopped at the tree where the path ended. Kate arrived, panting, beside her.

The two women looked at each other. They already knew the answer they had come to discover. The stench told them.

Abby started quickly toward the huts.

“Stop!” Kate grabbed her by the arm. “We need masks. And gloves.”

Abby hesitated, then complied. Kate opened her med kit and pulled out surgical masks and gloves. She placed them on Abby and herself. She had considered bringing biohazard suits but had decided against it. She didn’t want to make this woman feel too much like an alien in her own village. Now she was kicking herself for that decision.

“Abby, even with these on, we need to be careful not to let anything come in contact with our bodies. We don’t want to risk contracting the disease. We need to proceed slowly.”