Rough, scratchy, itchy. That described the state of my body perfectly.
But why?
It was an uneasy feeling, and I couldn't fathom what was causing this sensation.
My eyelids slowly opened as my mind took in the darkened environment surrounding me. The sky was darker than I remembered it being before, and the woods still rustled and moved as if its trees were living.
As my vision began to clear after blinking a few times, I soon started to notice hair and what looked like animal tissue tied together as a net.
Suddenly, it all came rushing back to me, and my heartbeat quickened.
Derrek was the one who did this to me!
I was still trapped inside the net he put me in! My head whirled from the influx of memories, and I could feel the panic starting to set in once more.
I noticed that the net was being pulled by someone, seemingly dragging me along in the process. However, the figure pulling the rope remained obscured in shadows, and I couldn't tell who it was.
Suddenly, my mind recalled the members of the tribe from before, and panic filled me with a sense of dread as I realized I really was in serious trouble.
The men were all clothed in loincloths and bore long hair, many of them marked with scars and holding sharp spears. Just the sight of them was enough to make me freeze up in fear.
I j-just have to calm down...yeah...just think.
I suddenly heard the men speaking in their native tongue, and my senses were on red alert. One of them locked eyes with me and glared at me with nothing but pure contempt, as if daring me to make a movement or scream.
I could feel his intense glare, even though I had no idea what he was thinking or saying to the others.
Whatever it is, it's not good, not for me at least.
Mom...Dad...Jade...This was it for me.
Drums suddenly started beating in the distance, growing louder and louder with each passing moment. They knew I was awake already, and I scrambled to turn my body around to look ahead of us.
The drumming sound only got louder and louder, and I could hear loud hollers mixing in with the rhythm.
My eyes widened as I realized where we were being taken. The man pulling me was guiding me towards the entrance of the tribe, where there was a massive stone barricade that spanned long and wide, curved inward to make a circle. In front of it were long rows of sharp, spiked sticks that looked like they were meant for defense.
If I was still in my geographer mindset I would've wished I had my journal to write this down, but I wasn't. Instead, I was in my holy shit, I'm going to die mindset.
"Wait!" My voice escaped from me before I could prevent it, and I cursed myself for allowing the emotion and fear to take control of me.
As the massive, wooden, and stick door opened wide, I felt like I could feel a draft of hell and despair.
The drums grew louder, and I could feel the beat of my heart do the same.
I struggled around, now laying on my back, as I frantically felt around for any sign of a loose or broken tether in the net that I was still trapped in. I clasped my hands over it, trying to break it free, but it was a wet from animal blood and rough from the material, complete with little sharp thorns embedded at the surface that began to prick and cut into the flesh of my hands.
"Come on...Come on!" I harshly whisper.
As I continued to struggle in my attempts to escape, I began to hear the members of the tribe commenting on my efforts. They were either oblivious or didn't care that I was trying to escape from my trap, knowing that I was completely at their mercy.
A primal scream of frustration escaped my lips, and I realized there was no way I could escape the net. Even if I did, they would definitely catch me as I tried to run or ensnare me in another trap. I knew that only Asai knew the jungle well enough to navigate it.
As I was dragged inside the tribal structure, I got a good look around, and I could see what I had gotten myself into.
The sights and sounds of the tribe only made me feel more hopeless and out of my depth.
Inside the sprawling structure were tall triangle-shaped huts on the bottom, surrounded by rows and rows of similar huts stretching far out of sight.
Huge tall torches were lined up from both sides in a horizontal format.
A shadow moved across my shirt, and I looked up to find a wooden bridge that connected multiple treehouses to each other.
The tribal members cast looks of terror and disgust as they watched from their houses or from somewhere standing off. I could feel their eyes on me, and their judgment felt overwhelming, making me feel isolated.
They really hate outsiders...
The man continued to drag me for a few moments before abruptly lifting me and the net into the air, sending a jolt of fear through my body as I was unexpectedly suspended midair.
I didn't even have time to take another breath before he effortlessly tossed me, sending me spiraling as I was propelled through the air.
My stomach churned and rolled at the unexpected movement.
Hitting the ground felt unlike anything I had ever felt before.
All the air was knocked out of my lungs, and I felt my arm slam into the ground so hard that I could feel my bones ache from the impact.
The net came to a sudden halt with a jolt, and I gasped for air, the sliver of air reaching my lungs causing me to sob uncontrollably.
I lay on the ground unable to move, quietly whimpered as I heard footsteps approach me.
A feminine voice spoke up from my direction, and the sound brought me out of my weeping.
Out of nowhere, two more tribal men approached me as I lay in my net.
"Please...don't." I choked.
As I raised my hands in a feeble bid to stop them, I realized the man had a knife in his hands, carved from the same material as the one Dr. Lan had shown me.
My eyes widened with horror at the sight of it, and I continued to beg and plead for him to put it down.
"WAIT!" I scream.
I held my breath as I watched the blade come down, and then rise slightly above my head. The knife only sliced at the middle of the net. The sound of the strings being ripped apart and falling seemed to echo through my entire body.
I realized the window of opportunity, and I quickly slithered my hands into the opening and pushed them apart.
Raising my body, I managed to get out of the net.
"Ah!" I let out a sharp cry of pain as I flipped over my hand only to find the knick of the knife's blade.
Damn...I didn't even notice that he cut me.
It wasn't deep, but it had stretched all the way to the end of my palm, leaving a visible gash in my skin as blood began to flow.
The red ooze added to my wish to throw up so I released my hand, letting it drop to my side.
Seeing my hand bloodied and scraped up only made me think back more and more about what else I had gone through.
I was beginning to really wish John was still alive.
Not only was there the dried blood that came from my nose and stained my lips, but there was also the dirt and scraps that littered my entire body, and my cheek still pulsated with the pain from the punch that Derrek had delivered.
To add to its woes, I also had some net burns on my legs and arms that felt like they were heating up and were becoming more painful.
Clenching my teeth, I looked up, taking in the two individuals who now stood before me. I saw that my guess had been correct and that the feminine voice did belong to a woman, but she wasn't what I had pictured.
She was jacked. Maybe even more than Asai.
The woman was donning a long drape that had red palm prints decorating it, and she had a cloth wrapped around her bossom and a long, brown cloth on her torso. Her hair was in a messy bun, and her face had a dark tan as well.
It was clear that she was a force to be reckoned with.
She did not seem to possess many signs of aging, only having a few wrinkles and creases to show for her years. However, her eyes were the real deal, giving off a menacing glare that froze me in my tracks and caused my body to tingle with fear.
She was taking me in with more scrutiny than the others did...
To the side of the older woman stood a much younger woman, who was indeed quite curvy and petite. She as well also wore a bun, but she possessed two bright red streaks that stretched from her eyelids to her cheeks.
The stare of the younger woman was much less intimidating than that of the older one, instead giving off a hint of amusement and curiosity.
The drums stop.
"Who are you?" The older woman said.
Now that I was able to clear my head and take in my surroundings without the distraction of the tribal drumming, I heard the older woman's voice.
It was deep and thunderous and yet so clear. She understood my language much better than Asai.
"M-My name is M-Madison-"
"Why have you come here?" she asked, looking me up and down and crossing her arms.
I took one step forward, hoping that my words would reach the woman's ears and she would understand. That this was all a mistake, that we had come here for nothing but to explore and to search for something.
But my chance was quickly cut off as the men surrounding me raised their spears, sending a chill of fear through my body. My hands shook, and I yanked on my shirt, desperately hoping for my words to find their way to her ears.
"P-please we came here for nothing, we-we know nothing!" My voice shook even more.
"W-we didn't know you all lived here, we didn't know this land was sacred! Otherwise, we would have never came."
The wind softly blew against us.
"Why did you come then?"
"W-we were explorers, w-we were forced to come here, to understand this Island."
I chose not to tell her the specifics of our jobs, she probably would have been more confused.
"Explorers." She repeated under her breath.
I bend my head to her. "Please let me go...you've killed everyone I cared about."
My rage spilled out through my mouth, "Everyone innocent!"
"Urk!"
She dug her nails into my scalp and pulled my head up so I could look at her.
Her brown eyes burned into mine.
"You. Are. Not. Innocent..." she began, as the intensity of her brown eyes stared deep down into my soul. Her grip grew even tighter, holding my head firmly in place as she continued her words.
"Your people have never...once been innocent...they always take...they always steal...they always betray."
"That blue-eyed companion of yours is proof of that."
"H-hes not my—" She tugged again.
"Your people even changed one of my inhabitants. The one we now call the outcast."
My eyes widen, "Y-you mean Asai?"
Her eyes flickered once as her mouth pulled back into a sneer. "A long time ago, one of your people tricked him and my son. Leaving one of them dead and the other a filthy traitor."
I glared back at her, trying to remain as calm as possible despite the pain she was causing me. I didn't want to think of myself as being like Derrek either, but given what he'd done, I could understand her skepticism.
"I'm not like those people," I insisted, but she remained unmoved, still glaring at me intensely.
"I am not like Derrek-" I continued, but she kept her eyes locked on mine, before I continued with a slight tremor to my voice, as the pain from her grip worsened. "I would've never meant to harm your peo—."
She withdrew her hands from my scalp just as quickly as she had grabbed onto it, and then she called for someone else.
"Bring the male outsider."
I remained still as can be, trying to contain the pain that was now spreading through my skull.
"Let's see if your companion agrees."
My eyes followed the crowd as they turned around, and I saw Derrek emerge, being led by two other tribe men and pushed forward into the circle.
I watched Derrick's face closely as he was led by the tribe men, watching for any signs of guilt or complicity in our situation.
But the expression on his face betrayed none of it, his look was instead of nervousness and innocence.
My eyes narrowed.
My hands clenched at my sides, but instead of running forward to scratch his eyes out, I grinned.
"Glaring glaring Derrek...wimpy fucking asshole Derrek!" I exclaimed, my voice laden with anger and venom.
Derreks nose scrunched up as he came in front of me, and he looked me up and down.
And then he opened his mouth, and his words brought me to a sudden halt."God, you look awful and you smell like shit."
"As do you, and your shitty personality matches." I snapped back.
He rolled his overrated eyes. "As always...so immature."
Derreks blue eyes no longer drew me in, and instead, I found myself focused on the scratch that I had given him.
His skin was just as scratched up as mine, and even if his brown curls didn't look as neat as they did before, the poofy and loose look actually added to his sickening face.
"Enough!" The woman said.
Derrek's demeanor changed instantly, as he kneeled next to me "Yes Chief Tale."
Chief Tale...that name had sounded so familiar before, and a sudden flash of recognition flooded my mind as I remembered Haluk mentioning her earlier...
So this really was the chief...
"Tell me male...is what your companion said true? Is she innocent?"
"No Chief Tale she isn't."
He continued with his answer, but I quickly intervened and spoke up, almost grabbing his collar yet one of the spears pointed at me.
"What?!"
"She is wild, and a rule breaker, she only likes to think about herself."
"No!"
"She is deceitful."
The voices of the others around me filled the air, whispering to each other as they discussed things and passed judgments. I felt myself growing more and more helpless as Derrek's words were taken as truth, and even if I wished otherwise, there was not much I could say that would prove otherwise...
The other tribesman began whispering amongst themselves once again, their expressions growing increasingly tense as they watched me buckle to my knees.
What could I say?! Even if I begged and pleaded, I had no evidence...they believed him.
"I see, because of your truthfulness and effort, I reward you."
A tribes lady with small cloth around her body and sinking eyes, carried a small piece of the vine plant.
The chief picked it up.
I felt a sense of unease as I looked at the vine in the chief's hands. It was clear that this was not the same vine that had been shown to me before.
Something was wrong, and I couldn't shake the feeling.
The vine had changed drastically, no longer resembling its previous vibrant self.
The one Dr. Lan and Asai had shown me was a stunning sight – lush green with a mesmerizing blue glow. But the one the chief held now was a stark contrast. It appeared shriveled and lifeless, as if a mere touch could turn it to dust. Its once colorful appearance was now masked by a dark, foreboding aura of black and red.
Oblivious to his surroundings, Derrek was engrossed in the excitement of receiving a gift and the prospect of liberation, so much so that he cheerfully accepted the vine handed to him by the chief.
Unlike Asai, who had used it to tend to my injuries, Derrek instead placed the vine between his teeth and bit down, sending a sharp crunch resounding around us. The dry texture provoked a cough, but he rose to his feet, still smiling broadly.
"Thank you, Chief Ta—" Derrek's words were abruptly cut off as he expelled a copious amount of blood.
The gruesome blend of red and black stained the dirt beneath him.
I let out a scream and scrambled back hastily, desperate to avoid the tainted soil.
Gasping for air, Derrek's gaze swept over us, filled with terror. Eyes brimming with red, and his complexion was swiftly turning a ghastly shade of purple.
"W-why?" he managed to choke out, just as another mouthful of blood poured from him.
The chief and the girl beside her observed the harrowing scene impassively, offering no reaction to his distress.
While I remained terrified as I saw his body contort and sink to the ground.
Just like when he was shot in the arm, he rolled around in his own blood.
Derrek's body convulsed violently, contorting as he clawed desperately at the earth.
Blood, not tears, began to seep from his eyes.
My own face drained of color at the sight of his hand reaching out toward me, pleading for aid.
"H-help," he gasped, but the plea was drowned out as another torrent of blood gushed forth, this time carrying with it something visceral.
I couldn't tell whether it was an organ or another internal component that had been expelled from his throat, but the sight was grotesque.
Revulsion overtook me, and I turned aside to vomit, my own throat burning in horror.
I vomited so much up the first time that the rest of my hunching over was dry heaving.
This was too much! Just what the hell happened?
The chiefs moved to Derrek as his body was still on the ground. She stomped her foot on his head, pushing it further into the muddy mixture of his blood.
"This is what you deserve for being a Snake."
Regaining my composure, I shakily rose to my feet. My body felt limp and weak, nearly buckling beneath me, but I managed to stand firm, wiping away the remnants from my mouth.
"Why did you kill him... he told you what you wanted... he even betrayed me and brought me here to you," I insisted, my voice trembling.
I was happy that he wasn't a problem for me anymore but it still was confusing.
The chief removed her foot from Derrek's lifeless form and turned her gaze to meet mine, her lips parting to respond.
"I can distinguish a liar from a truth-teller," she declared. "Besides, he was a backstabber. Even if it wasn't us he betrayed, I don't want someone with such treachery in my village."
My gaze drifted involuntarily back to Derrek's face.
A monstrous red bubble emerged from his mouth, accompanied by sickening gurgling noises.
I averted my eyes swiftly, fighting the urge to be sick once more.
I don't know if he deserved such a fate, however grim his actions had been.
It seemed an excessive end.
Blinking back tears, I wrapped my arms around myself, seeking some semblance of comfort. "Will you kill me as well?" I asked, my voice wavering with vulnerability. "Even though I've told you nothing but the truth?"
"Even if what you say is true, little outsider, you all have all seen too much..."
The men grabbed a hold of me.
What! No No!
I started to squirm, hoping that I could convince her otherwise, and my hands touched her arms. "I wouldn't tell!"
She didn't care for my words though, they held no weight to her.
As the chief began to walk away, I closed my eyes, bracing for the end and silently hoping it would be swift.
But then, a soft voice broke through the tense silence, speaking in their native tongue.
My eyes fluttered open to witness the chief pause and pivot to face the young woman who had spoken.
The woman addressed the chief with what appeared to be a plea, her expression earnest.
The chief's gaze shifted back to me, and after a moment of contemplation, she exhaled heavily. "Today is your lucky day... outsider," she declared, her head tilting slightly. "My daughter has taken a liking to you. She wishes for you to be her Futa."
Confused and apprehensive, I repeated the unfamiliar term. "Futa?"
At that, the girl skipped over to me, lifting my face to meet hers.
"You'll be my pet, little outsider," she announced with an unsettling cheerfulness.