Jake and Vince have always loved mad adventure. They had met in college, where they joined the same club for extreme sports and travel. They had skydived, bungee jumped, surfed, and climbed mountains together.
They had visited dozens of countries and experienced different cultures and cuisines. They were always looking for the next thrill, the next challenge, the next adrenaline rush!117Please respect copyright.PENANAcXNNtI2WwA
One summer, they decided to go to Peru and explore some of the most dangerous roads in the world. They rented an SUV and drove along narrow, winding, and steep paths that crossed the Andes.117Please respect copyright.PENANAwucukxsMeV
They marveled at the breathtaking views of snow-capped peaks, deep valleys, and lush forests. They also saw some of the local farmers who actually cultivated coca leaves, the raw material for cocaine.117Please respect copyright.PENANA680mT5mbBa
Jake and Vince were curious about the coca leaves. They had heard that chewing them could help with altitude sickness and fatigue. They also wondered what they tasted like and if they had any other effects. 117Please respect copyright.PENANAX6Mbk9AVrw
They decided to stop their SUV near a field of coca plants and pick some leaves. They didn't think anyone would notice or care, besides it was nightfall.117Please respect copyright.PENANAeDvoC6RvrV
"They were wrong'"
🔹🔹🔹🔹🔸🔸🔸🔸
"Dead Wrong!"
As they were loading the Ford Expedition with coca leaves, a man on a motorcycle passed by them. He was a member of a cartel that controlled the area. He saw the two foreigners stealing his boss's product and he became furious.
He quickly called his comrades who were manning a road check ahead. He told them to stop and search the SUV with the license plate number he had memorized.117Please respect copyright.PENANAi7G2JyShPS
Jake: (laughing)117Please respect copyright.PENANAKhPbsdmCPE
Man! I can't feel my lips! They're numb...
Vince: (giggling)117Please respect copyright.PENANAVJI3LHXEqT
Yeah, "Dude, if I were kissing a girl, I would not feel her lips!"
Jake: Aww, you ain't never kissed a girl or a woman, you're a dumb virgin! They both begin laughing really hard. Jake stomach is hurting from laughing so hard. Man! This is some good ass shit, Vince!
And dude, it is free, and slaps his buddy Vince a high five...117Please respect copyright.PENANALNxvZr7Okm
Jake: (on alert) Wait a minute, did you noticed that man on the red motorcycle slowed when he passed us?
Vince: (wondering)117Please respect copyright.PENANAsi0p4OmZsP
Yeah, I thought that was kind of curious. Perhaps we should get moving dude.
Jake: Okay, I think we'd better leave.117Please respect copyright.PENANAO8PQgfclfj
"Lets go!"117Please respect copyright.PENANAlfWNRderKS
So, Jake and Vince drove away from the field, unaware of the trouble they had caused. They were enjoying their ride and chatting about their plans for the rest of the trip. 117Please respect copyright.PENANAP88RLHtL2S
They wanted to see Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, and the Amazon rainforest. They also wanted to try some local delicacies like ceviche, guinea pig, and alpaca meat.117Please respect copyright.PENANAkDCPPu4QQv
They didn't notice the road check until it was too late. They seen a group of armed men in camouflage uniforms blocking their way. They had Ak-47 rifles, nine mm pistols and machetes. They looked angry and quite menacing.117Please respect copyright.PENANATJtZTXdqII
"Stop! Stop right now!" one of them shouted.117Please respect copyright.PENANAFjT5KLp4vr
Jake slammed on the brakes and stopped the SUV. He rolled down his window and tried to smile.117Please respect copyright.PENANA2ffeESjIh3
"Hola" he said in Spanish. "What's going on?"117Please respect copyright.PENANAh4aUFSrXuf
"Don't play dumb with us," the cartel leader said. "We know what you have in your car."117Please respect copyright.PENANAUnAED8r1GZ
"What do you mean?"117Please respect copyright.PENANAVd1NIDiIWi
Vince asked, also in Spanish. He had learned the language in high school and was fluent.117Please respect copyright.PENANAvUydV7Dqsd
"Don't lie to us," the cartel leader said. "We know you have coca leaves in your car. You stole them from our coca leaf fields!"117Please respect copyright.PENANACsLPaGHjgH
Jake and Vince looked at each other in shock. They realized they had made a huge mistake.117Please respect copyright.PENANAPoj3y6GP3G
"Look, we're sorry,"117Please respect copyright.PENANAz1G22xJVyS
Jake said. "We didn't know they belonged to anyone. We just wanted to try them out."117Please respect copyright.PENANA559NgLRf5R
"Try them out?" 117Please respect copyright.PENANAnuyC0aDS4w
The leader said incredulously. "Do you have any idea how much those leaves are worth? How much work goes into just growing them? How much risk we take to protect them?"
"We're really sorry," Vince said. "We didn't mean any harm."117Please respect copyright.PENANAk10IBcpuJ6
"Sorry is not enough," the cartel leader said. "You have to pay for what you did."117Please respect copyright.PENANA1RmwDxXr1J
He signaled to his comrades to open the vehicle and take out the coca leaves.
They gasped when they saw what was inside. It was a pile of rare and exotic animals.There were parrots, monkeys, snakes, turtles, and even a baby jaguar. They were all crammed into cages and bags, some of them injured or dead.
"Where did you get these?" the cartel leader asked, furious. "We found them in an abandoned house," Jake said, lying. "We thought they were just pets."
Pets?" the leader repeated. "These are not pets. These are endangered species. They are worth a fortune on the black market. Do you know how many people would kill for these?"117Please respect copyright.PENANAwnTxxjJxOH
He grabbed the baby jaguar by the scruff of its neck and held it up. It whimpered and clawed at the air. "This is a jaguarundi," he said. "It is one of the most rare and beautiful cats in the world. There are only a few hundred left in the wild. And you stole it from us!"
He threw the jaguarundi back into the cage and slammed the SUV shut. "You are in big trouble, my friends," he said. "You have stolen from the Zetas. And the Zetas do not forgive or forget."
"Wait!"
Another cartel member said, "Look what I've found in the back." They found several bags full of green leaves that filled up most of the space. "Well, look at this, the leader said." "You have enough coca here to make a kilo of cocaine."
He turned to Jake and Vince with a mean, malicious grin. "You know what we do to thieves like you?" he asked. Jake and Vince felt a surge of fear.
"No," Jake said nervously.117Please respect copyright.PENANA4QZCgRVor6
"We kill them," he said. He raised his rifle and aimed it at Jake's head.
"Wait, said another cartel member, the dogs havn't had their morning meal yet." I bet they havn't had any gringos to eat for awhile!
Leader: "Oh, yeah, that might be an even better idea!"117Please respect copyright.PENANALng3zM6d3o
But, naw, this is what's going to happen...
"You have two options," "Either you give us everything you have in your car, including your money, phones, your clothes, your shoes, or we shoot you right here and take everything anyway."
Jake and Vince looked at each other in horror. They knew they had no choice. "OK, OK, we'll give you everything," Jake said.117Please respect copyright.PENANAsQILDTCaoX
"Good," the leader said. "Now get out of the car and strip."117Please respect copyright.PENANA9fnhI2hxzp
Jake and Vince obeyed. They got out of the car and took off their clothes. They felt the cold wind and the hot stares of the cartel members. They felt humiliated and terrified.117Please respect copyright.PENANAe3sIT2Dcti
The leader searched their car and took everything he found. He also took their keys and threw them into the bushes.117Please respect copyright.PENANA3uEBIRITcT
"Thank you for your generous donation," he said sarcastically. "Now you can walk back to wherever you came from. And don't ever come back here again. Or we will find you and kill you."117Please respect copyright.PENANACoelxN3KHa
He got into the driver's seat of the SUV and started the engine. He drove away with his men, leaving Jake and Vince naked and stranded on the road.117Please respect copyright.PENANAQh3fA6wXWG
Jake and Vince watched them disappear into the distance. They felt a surge of anger and despair.117Please respect copyright.PENANAui57oedm3W
"What are we going to do now?" Vince asked. I don't know," Jake said. "But we have to get out of here. Maybe we can find a village or a phone or something."
They started walking along the road, hoping to find some help. They hoped they would survive this nightmare. They hoped they would never see the Zetas again.117Please respect copyright.PENANAvN2jz4pjKZ
Jake and Vince walked for hours, shivering and hungry. They tried to avoid the cars that passed by, fearing they might be more cartel members or corrupt cops. 117Please respect copyright.PENANAT5iSJYNk2r
They hoped to find a friendly face or a helping hand, but they only encountered hostility and indifference.117Please respect copyright.PENANApX67MAlu44
They finally reached a small town, where they saw a sign that said "Bienvenidos a San Miguel". They thought they might find some refuge there, but they were wrong.117Please respect copyright.PENANAYN6J0z8Bkj
As soon as they entered the town, they were met with stares and whispers. Some called them "gringos", "thieves", or "spies". Some threatened to call the police or the Zetas.117Please respect copyright.PENANA5zgs28pf0P
Jake and Vince tried to ignore them and look for a place to hide. They saw a church and thought they might find some sanctuary there. So, they ran towards it, hoping to find a priest or a nun who would help them.117Please respect copyright.PENANAkc0agiBe73
They knocked on the door of the church, but no one answered. They tried to open it, but it was locked. Looking around there was a window that was slightly open. So, they decided to climb through it and enter the church.117Please respect copyright.PENANAyLdxurK1TY
Managing to get inside the church, they soon realized they had made another mistake. The church was not empty. It was full of people. And they were not there to pray. They were there to celebrate.117Please respect copyright.PENANAGFbz5gHnM7
It was a wedding. A young couple was standing at the church altar, surrounded by their family and friends. They were smiling and happy, unaware of the intruders.117Please respect copyright.PENANAM9axpL3B6P
Jake and Vince froze in shock. They had just crashed a wedding, and were butt, bare ass naked!117Please respect copyright.PENANAAsMhFZ39EZ
The people in the church turned around and saw them. They gasped and screamed. And recognized them as the thieves who had stolen the animals from the Zetas. 117Please respect copyright.PENANAD6yujB4BHt
They were furious and shouted cursing at them. Some called them animals, monsters and demons. And said they had ruined their precious wedding and would have to pay dearly.117Please respect copyright.PENANACP1ogH9QbQ
They chased them out of the church and into the street, and followed them with sticks and stones. Jake and Vince ran for their lives dodging and ducking the projectiles. They pushed and shoved people aside, running as fast as they could.117Please respect copyright.PENANAJGB1PvP4gz
They ran out of the town and into the countryside. Running until they reached a river and jumped into the water, swimming across it.117Please respect copyright.PENANA5tm1Rjff9Y
Climbing out of the river, they collapsed on the ground. Cold, wet and exhausted. They were bruised, bleeding, and battered. Alive, but barely.117Please respect copyright.PENANAslNaQXMAOG
They gazed at each other silently, not believing the ordeal of hell they had survived. But knew they were still in trouble and had no clothes, money, phone, not even a car.117Please respect copyright.PENANAXkNMDoGfFb
Jake wondered how they would ever get out of this mess. Or if they would ever get to the states again. 117Please respect copyright.PENANAkRZkdFTDtt
Closing their eyes, sleep quickly fell upon them.117Please respect copyright.PENANA6tYE1EPbG8
117Please respect copyright.PENANAvgK1zNkAGO