Evil Star

known that he, too, had remembered the conversation of the night before. He might not be happy to be here but he wasn't going to leave.
    "Remember, keep yourself hunched," Sebastian whis-pered. “Your height will give you away. And here, take this. . . ." He had brought with him a large bundle, tied in white sacking. Matt didn't know what was inside. He wasn't even sure if it was luggage or merely a prop to make them look more like real travelers. He understood Sebastian's strategy. Matt looked like a servant, carrying the luggage for his master. He was doubled over, with the bundle bal-anced on his shoulders and the back of his neck making it impossible to see how tall he was. His face was also hidden, his eyes fixed on the floor.
    They made their way forward. The policemen moved slowly through the crowd, which parted to let them pass. People were careful to avoid their eyes.
    "This way," Sebastian said quietly.
    He was steering Matt toward a half-filled bus. The two policemen hadn't noticed them. Matt reached the door and his heart missed a beat. A third policeman had appeared, stepping out of the bus. Matt had almost knocked right into him. Bent underneath the bundle, he couldn't see the man's face —just his leather boots and the barrel of his gun. But then the policeman said something and with a hollow feeling in his stomach, Matt knew that he had just been asked a Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star question. He said nothing. The policeman repeated what he had just said.
    And then a hand grabbed hold of the bundle and tore it off his back.
    For a terrible moment, he thought it was the policeman. But it was Sebastian. He was shouting at Matt in Spanish, then slapping him hard on the side of the face. Before he could react, Sebastian hit him a second time, then threw him into the bus. Matt was sent flying onto the floor. Behind him, he heard Sebastian talking to the policeman and laughing. There were about twenty people in the bus, all staring at him. With the skin on his face burning — with pain and embarrassment — he stumbled forward and found himself a free seat.
    Pedro got onto the bus and Sebastian followed. The man sat next to Matt but didn't say anything. More people got on, some with tethered goats, others with baskets packed with live chickens. Soon every seat was taken and the aisle was filled with people squatting on the floor. Finally the driver arrived. He swung himself into his seat and turned on the engine. The entire bus began to rattle and shake.
    The driver slammed the gear stick forward and the bus lurched and began to cross the yard. Looking out of the window, Matt saw the policeman walking away.

    "That was close," Sebastian growled. He went on in a low voice, "I had to hurt you because the policeman was becoming suspicious. I told him you were my nephew and that you were an idiot. I said you had brain damage, which is why you hadn't shown him more respect."

    Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star
    "Was he looking for me?"
    "Yes. He told me just now. They're offering a huge reward — many hundreds of dollars — for your discovery. They're still saying that you're involved with terrorists."
    "But why? They're the police! Why are they doing this?"
    "Because someone has paid them. Why do you think? Maybe Ayacucho won't be so welcoming for you. You'll never be safe so long as you're in Peru. Without a passport, there's no way you're going to get out."
    The bus rattled along a track and joined the main road. As it turned the corner, the passengers swayed in their seats and the various animals cried out. Then the driver hit the accelerator, and the engine roared. They had begun the long journey south.

    Chapter 11 Salamanda
    Ica was a small, busy town, full of dust and traffic. Matt's first impression as he climbed down from the bus was that every building had been painted a uniform white and yel-low, giving the place an artificial look. It reminded him of a film set, perhaps for an old western. But real life was all around him. It was there in the rubbish piles, the clothes flapping on lines high above the rooftops, the graffiti that seemed to have spread across every wall.
    Advertisements for Nike and Coca-Cola. Names of politicians and their par-ties. NO A LAS DROGAS . . . public warnings applied with a spray can. The old men and women, blinking on benches out Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star in the sun, the chollo —"people" — taxis buzzing in