Chapter 2
The pain was excruciating, and I was bleeding. But I was powerless and too scared to resist, letting her do as she pleased. The male tribesmen were excitedly shouting around us. After a long while, the female tribeswoman finally stood up, panting heavily. The male tribesmen tied my limbs with vine and hung me from a thick branch, carrying me into the dense forest. My two male colleagues' bodies were tied similarly, hanging on either side of me. I was taken to a village under a waterfall deep in the forest. A bonfire burned fiercely, with a large pot above it. A nauseating stench wafted from that direction. I was taken to a cave while my colleagues' bodies were thrown into the pot. I realized I was among a tribe of cannibals.
Soon, I was thrown onto a pile of straw in the cave. I don't know if they thought I was too weak to resist or for some other reason, but no one stayed to guard me. I immediately wriggled my body towards the cave wall. I sat up against the wall and found a sharp edge to rub the vine on my wrists against. Suddenly, shadows flickered at the entrance. A few tribesmen with spears appeared. I held my breath in fear and stopped moving. But they weren't coming for me. After some grunts, they walked past the cave entrance. Soon, I heard heart-wrenching screams and the shouts of tribesmen from next door. It was Nora! She was right next door. The matriarchal tribe saw her as a "resource," so they spared her life.
I increased the pace of rubbing the vine. After some time, the vine finally broke. I quickly untied my legs and went to the entrance, sticking to the wall to peek outside. "Thump, thump, thump..." A series of knocks sounded, as if signaling the tribesmen, who began to move towards the sound. I quickly hid in a corner. Shadows passed by the entrance, but luckily, no one looked inside. Confirming the tribesmen were gone, I boldly went to the neighboring cave. Nora's limbs were still tied. She lay limp on the straw pile, covered in bruises, with a pool of blood beneath her. The only relief was that the tribesmen had treated her leg and shoulder wounds to keep her alive. Hearing a noise, she thought the tribesmen were back and was about to scream. I quickly covered her mouth. "Don't scream, it's me!" Nora nodded, and I let go. I looked around and found a bone spear nearby. Having grown up on a farm and often fishing in the river, I could manage this weapon. I picked it up and cut the vines binding Nora. "Can you run?" Nora nodded. We cautiously left the cave.
Outside, the tribesmen were dancing around the pot, seemingly performing a ritual. The female tribeswoman was leading it. This was the perfect chance to escape! "Don't make a sound. Stay close to me!" I held the spear, leading the way, with Nora close behind. Just as we were about to leave the village, we ran into a patrolling tribesman. "Oh oh oh—!" I thrust the bone spear into his chest. But it was too late; his shout interrupted the ritual. Although we were about a hundred meters away, I felt as if the female tribeswoman instantly locked eyes with me. She smiled at me, and despite our earlier encounter, that smile seemed wickedly charming.
Suddenly, the woman from the tribe emitted a piercing scream. As if on command, the tribespeople armed themselves and rushed toward me.
"Run!"
I grabbed Nora, who was still in shock, and sprinted into the depths of the forest. The tribespeople's howls echoed just behind us, and bone spears and blow darts zipped past. Fortunately, the thick foliage blocked their view and their missiles, so none struck us.