The River Episode 1.03 Los Ciegos

Back on the Magus, Emilio and Jahel get the engine working allowing our crew to go further down river and deeper into the unknown. Meanwhile, scrubbing through hours of Emmet's left-behind tapes, Clark gets a beat on a possible lead. He notices that one particular cave reappears over and over again: a cave Emmet keeps returning to. Clark prints off some screen shots that help Lena identify a particular type of volcanic rock the cave is formed from. Off this clue, she is able to direct the rest of the crew to the hill that this important cave must be near. It's about a day's hike back into the dangerous jungle, but they all knew they were getting themselves into danger when they signed up for the trip. As for the particular types of dangers they have encountered thus far, that's an entirely different story and everyone has their own reasons as to why they're staying.

After an arduous days journey where tensions flare with AJ the crew arrives at the cave to find the markings of an eye carved into the wall of the entrance. Jahel identifies this cave as belonging to the guardians of the jungle, the feared Morcego warrior tribe. As legend has it, the Morcego watch over the Jungle. Locals tell selfish children the story of this legendary tribe to "make sure they behave."

Already uneasy due to Jahel's ardent warnings about the mythical guardian's of the Amazon a deep rooted phobia of AJ's rises to the surface. He'll face anything, any beast, without question, but because he was one of only four to survive a mine disaster in his past employment he doesn't do anything underground anymore. The clear air and open space was part of the reason he became a nature photographer. Tight, dark, and overall claustrophobic spaces don't sit will with him. So, while the rest of the crew recognizes Jahel's warnings they continue into the darkness of the cave while AJ sets up his camera's around camp for the night.

Inside the cave, the rest of our crew makes sure to step lightly and move slowly in the pitch-black cave, Lincoln, Tess and the crew jump at the sight of a disfigured and decaying body. The body has had it's eyes ripped from their sockets and its heart cut out!

Lena immediately covers her mouth and hopes it's not her father. Kurt finds a passport in the bodies pocket and identifies him as a missionary. Grateful this was not neither one of their fathers Lincoln and Lena carry on deeper into darkness.

Thinking they have found something beautiful rookie cameraman, Emilio, makes a grave mistake. He flicks on the camera's light, which sends hundreds of bats into a frenzy, attacking our team. One by one, they are chased out of the Morcego cave and back into the daylight where AJ is waiting for them -- only to laugh at their plight.

Kurt doesn't take kindly to to being laughed at so that night he forces AJ to sleep outside of their camp.

In the still night, all that can be heard are what we assume to be the rustling of trees and the slight movements of insects and snakes. But if our crew were to open their eyes for just one second they would notice the terrifying Morcego moving in on them. Closer and closer and closer... knives at the ready.

Hours later the sunrise brings AJ back to the camp where he wakes the crew to show them something they absolutely must see. Surrounding their camp and and outside of their tents

are Morcego markings, symbols and bones left in the dirt. To make matters most one of the crew is missing. Father and expert mechanic Emilio. After a search the team finds him lost, and ou of sorts. He's been potentially poisoned and has lost his ability to see. One's been blinded and our crew as a whole has been marked.

Over the course of the day, one by one, our crew starts to lose their ability to see. They finally make it back to the Magus, but once there they quickly find out that their fears and Jahel's warnings have proven true – they are being hunted.

With their defenses at an all time high, Kurt mistakes Clark for one of the tribesmen and in what appears to be self-defense, spins around and stabs him in the stomach!

AJ, having slept on his own through the night away from our crew, and having not entered the sacred cave AJ was not victim to the hauntings of the Morcego like the rest of our crew. Now, he is the only one left with the full ability to see. It appears his fear of caves and his overall bad attitude has helped guide him to safety.

Her vision fading, but able enough for the time being, Lena rifles through Emmet's journals and notes where she uncovers the antidote: the bulb of a rare flower that grows under the extraordinary Sentido tree. With their sight still unimpaired, Lena, Kurt and AJ head into the Boiuna in search of the bulb. Out in the jungle, AJ and Kurt are nowhere near over their rift and after a close call with the tribe, AJ, now the only one able to see, decides to save himself and take off – leaving Lena, Kurt and the rest of the crew to certain death.

Meanwhile, back on the boat, Clark takes a turn for the worst. If he is to have any shot at living, Lincoln, must cauterize his wound. A moment earlier it would have not been a problem but now Lincoln too has joined the ranks of the blind.

Back in the jungle and fully intent on saving himself AJ comes across the needed Sentido tree. In a moment of selfish heroism, AJ faces his deepest fear and burrows under the tree to retrieve the bulb that rest of the crew needs to survive. He crawls under and after a few perilous moments his worst fears come to fruition and the tunnel collapses on him leaving him buried.

With the crew left for dead and AJ out of commission, all hope is seemingly lost. But just like when they were watching earlier, the Morcego watch as Clark runs out of the locked hull, bleeding and still blind, ready to sacrifice himself in order to save the others. With that noble act and AJ's similarly selfless decision, the tribesman leave the Magus and pull AJ to safety, allowing him to secure the bulb thereby giving our crew their sight back.

Slowly but surely, our crew of old friends and complete strangers are becoming a unit. The Boiuna will either bring them together or tear them apart. For now the journey to find Emmet Cole goes on.