Marcelo
The dull thud of something heavy dropping to the ground pulled Marcelo from his dream with a shudder, as if he’d fallen. He rubbed his arms to ward off the cold, and sat.
Efren no longer lay next to him. Marcelo blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dark. He shook his head, trying to clear a persistent sluggishness from his mind, and a threadlike hint of a something malodorous from his sinuses. People continued to scurry about outside the tent. A shiver not caused by the chilly air ran up his spine.
He didn’t know the precise time, but it was too dark for the caravan to be readying for the new day’s travel. Traveling in such conditions would be dangerous, and a difference in customs wouldn’t explain discounting such a pointless risk.
A scraping, dragging noise from the entrance t
