The Only Road

Atop the train, Jaime, Ángela, and Xavi meet two boys named Lalo and Victor. They are friendly, but Ángela is suspicious of them, and rightly so: Jaime falls asleep while sketching when he is supposed to be standing guard, and Lalo and Victor steal their backpacks. Ángela is furious at Jaime, and while Xavi sticks up for him, she cannot be consoled. They pass an uneasy time, Ángela huddled with Xavi while Jaime sits alone, afraid his cousin will leave him.

They have changed trains and are still moving north when a shout goes up: Members of the fearsome local gang have boarded the train. Los Fuegos have a terrible reputation for running drugs and robbing and killing migrants. The three children have no choice but to jump from the train. It is nighttime, but there are jeeps waiting for them, catching them in the headlights and chasing them. Jaime manages to escape by turning faster than the vehicle can and finding an animal’s hole in which to bury himself.

As the night goes on Jaime hears terrible screams and the sound of voices and cars until finally nothing. Emerging from his hiding place, Jaime calls for his cousin, to no avail.