BooksBarbecue
Back Whirlwind
Chapters (95)
  1. Title Page
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. 85
  87. 86
  88. 87
  89. 88
  90. 89
  91. 90
  92. 91
  93. 92
  94. Also by DAVID KLASS
  95. Copyright Page

P.J. may be there, too, if the helicopter gunship got her. Did she think of me with her final breath? Did she curse me for getting her into this mess, and then leaving after I promised that I would never desert her again? If there is an afterlife, and I die in battle, I’ve got questions to ask, and lots of explaining to do.

Suddenly I become conscious of a flame over my head. Kidah is walking next to me, and our procession has reshaped itself behind him so that we’re now leading the parade. Eko, Gisco, and Mudinho drop back to give us space.

“You were far away,” he observes quietly. “What were you thinking about?”

“I was wondering if there is an afterlife.”

He nods. “A natural thing for a young man to ponder before a battle.”

I look at that wrinkled old face in the flickering torchlight. “Well, is there?”

“How should I know?”

“You’re the great wizard of the future.”

He grins and then shrugs. “Do you know what the Buddha answered when his disciples asked him what would happen after they died? He said, ‘Why do you ask me about death when you don’t yet begin to understand life?’”

“I don’t understand life either,” I mutter miserably. “It’s pointless. Everyone you love dies. Everything you believe turns out to be a lie. Every vow you make, destiny forces you to break. I stabbed a kid to death back there, and he could have been my brother.” I shiver. “And then you die and the worms eat you. What a swell deal.”

Kidah looks back at me and bursts into low laughter. “Wow,” he says. “And I thought I had problems.” He slowly lowers his arm and suddenly the flaming torch is right in front of me. “Would you hold this for a second, Jack? My arm is starting to cramp up.”

I don’t believe that his arm is cramping, but I reach out and take the torch.

It’s just a tree branch, but when I touch it I feel its power. For a moment I’m not only leading an army through the rain forest, but I’m also plugged into something bright and vibrant and very beautiful.

I can feel the men around me, the jaguars prowling through the trees, the snakes slithering between fern stalks, the raptors circling high above us, and untold billions of insects creeping and crawling through grass and over leaves. We’re not just leading an army—we’re at the convergence of a great web of life, and tears run down my cheeks as I take it all in at once.

I understand that by letting me carry the torch, Kidah is answering my question. He’s showing me that we’re risking our lives for a cause greater than ourselves.