The sun seemed to blot out as he made his way forward. The trees were thick and heavily intertwined with each other. Birds and bugs could be heard noisily milling about. Kate followed close behind him, her hands pulled in against her chest and eyes panning from side to side.
“Do you think there’s anything we should be worried about here?” she asked him. “I mean, snakes, or spiders, or…bigger animals.”
It was clear enough what she was getting at, and Tim was also somewhat concerned. The beach seemed like it was relatively safe, but with the tide coming in, they would be pushed up to the edge of the jungle, anyway. And it would be hell for them if they were caught out in the open during a storm.
“We have to risk it,” he said to her. “Just stay close to me, I’ll protect you.”
Tim continued cutting his way through the vegetation. As they made their way further in, he could hear the constant sound of fast flowing water. The denseness of the jungle made it seem almost like night had fallen early, but he could see a sunlit area ahead. He cut through more branches, and then pushed his way out, pulling his sister behind him.
CHAPTER 22
They spilled out into an open clearing. A large series of vertical hills cut through the jungle on the other side, craggy with cliffs and huge outcroppings. A huge stream of water flowed off it, splashing down into a medium size pond. It was clear, reflective, and deep. The beauty of the nature scene was lost on them, however, for the sight in the middle of the water stole all of their attention.
Swimming within it was a woman. She was totally naked, and the clothes discarded on the side of the pool were similar to the ones worn by the staff of the cruise ship. Her large breasts glistened with crystalline drops of fresh water in the sun, and she flicked her long hair back behind her as she pulled herself up onto the side.
“Leah!” Tim recognized her immediately. He started to run over and then stopped, and tried to avert his gaze away from her beautiful and bare body. “You’re alive!”
“Tim…is that really you?” Leah smiled, and started towards him. Then, as if going through the very same thought process, her cheeks blushed crimson red and she hurried to cover herself with her hands.
“Oh, uh, sorry,” Tim said sheepishly. He turned away from Leah and continued speaking over his shoulder. “I can’t believe it…is anyone else with you?”
“No it’s just me,” she said, voice laden with sadness. “I found the body of one of my, my friends, from the ship…”
“It’s okay Leah, we’ll give her a proper burial once we’ve gotten things sorted out,” Tim said. He turned to look back towards her and quickly looked away after seeing that she was still getting dressed. His cock throbbed, embarrassingly and uncomfortably. Even though their situation was dire, the only thing on his mind that seemed compelling was the naked body of this beautiful girl.
“So how exactly did you survive the wreckage, Leah?” asked Kate. She was standing behind Tim with her arms crossed, and seemed a little tense.
“I was still on deck when it happened,” she said. “I tried to head back under to find you and Tim, but the water hit so fast. I couldn’t breathe, and I passed out, and then the next thing I knew, I was on the shore…”
“It’s okay, you’re okay now,” said Tim. Leah had finally finished getting dressed and he walked over to her and gave her an encouraging hug. Sexual electricity seemed to tingle on the air as their bodies made contact. Tim could feel Kate’s angry eye burrowing into him, but he didn’t care. He was overjoyed that Leah had survived, and all he wanted to do was hold her.
“What are we going to do, Tim?” Leah asked him. She seemed to be on the verge of an emotional breakdown, and he could see the beginnings of tears on the edges of her eyes.
“We’re going to find some place to spend the night,” he said. “That’s priority number one. We can figure out what comes next after that.”
He led the group further on into the jungle. The river that poured down into the pool continued up further than they could see, and Tim figured that there must be some type of spring higher up on the cliffs. The three of them continues around the edge of the clearing, figuring that it was better to look for somewhere not directly within the jungle to make camp. After a couple of minutes, they found a medium sized opening in the rock on the bottom of the hills, just big enough for a single person to pass through at a time if they squeezed in sideways. Tim poked his head in to take a look, and then turned back towards Kate and Leah, smiling triumphantly.
“This is exactly what we’ve been looking for,” he said. “It’s dark, but if I look around I’m sure I can find something to start a fire.”
“A fire in there would kill us all, Tim,” Kate said to him. “Smoke inhalation, dummy.”
He looked back in through the opening for a second.
“No, see, it looks like there’s a crack in the top,” he said. “It will let water in if it rains, but we might be able to make some type of canopy out of leaves, if that happens.”
The group was silent. Kate and Leah were waiting on him to tell them what to do, he realized. Tim felt as though he was responsible for all of their fates, and could feel a certain amount of pressure on him to make a decision about what they were going to do.
“We’ll set up here for tonight,” he said, unshouldering his back pack and dropping it next to the opening. “This cave will definitely work as a makeshift shelter, but we don’t know if it’s completely unoccupied yet.”
“What do you mean, do you think there’s somebody else here?” asked Leah.
“Nothing big, but possibly some bats, maybe a snake.”
The two girls shared a look of disgust. Tim smiled at them.
“Here, for now, why don’t the two of you go looking for any dry wood that you can find. Stick to the edge of the jungle, we can’t be sure that it’s safe to head deeper in yet. And stick together.”
“What about you?” Kate asked, concerned.
“I’m going to cut a decent path back to the beach and look for some flint,” he said. “And possibly find some coconuts, neither of you have eaten anything all day.”
He split off from the two of them and headed towards the jungle. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, scattering brilliant color across the nearby clouds as it did. Tim cut his way through the heavy foliage and vines, doing the best he could to clear a path to the beach that would stretch out directly in front of the entrance to their new shelter.
As he went, he began to notice that the darkness of the jungle was much more oppressive in the evening. The birds were not chirping anymore, and strange sounds could be heard. It felt as though all of the daytime animals had gone into hiding, and the nighttime predators had come out in their place. He did his best to banish the thought from his mind and continued hacking his way forward.
After a couple of minutes, he spilled out onto the beach. The sand was cooler than it had been before, and the tide had pulled in significantly. He found a couple of small shards of flint, along with a large stone rock that seemed like it would make a good cooking stone. He put the smaller pieces in his pocket and lifted the larger stone underneath his arm. It was much heavier than he had expected, and Tim found himself wishing that he had brought his backpack.
CHAPTER 23
He started back towards the clearing. The path through the jungle was much quicker and straightforward now that it had been cleared, and he made it there in only a couple of minutes. Leah was already back at the cave when he arrived, with a pile of dry sticks and leaves next to her.
“Perfect! At the very least, we’ll be able to see tonight,” he said to her, setting the rock down, and dropping the flint next to the tinder.
“Did you find any food?” she asked him. “You were right before, I am starving,”
“No, but there are definitely some coconuts down-“
A scream suddenly cut through the evening air. Tim turned towards it and realized that it had come from the other side of t
he hills.
“That was Kate, fuck!” he cried, breaking into a run. He gripped his sword tightly and sprinted over the grass, knowing that the longer he took, the more danger she would be in.
The scene he found when he rounded the corner made his heart race. His sister was backed into a corner by an animal. Tim couldn’t immediately tell what it was. It was large, with coarse black fur and at least the mass of a small bear. It had huge fangs, giant paws, and was hobbled over in a way that didn’t fit the profile of any animal Tim had ever seen before. It stood only about five feet from Kate, and was approaching her slowly and menacingly.
“Kate!” Tim yelled. He swung low to grab a rock off the ground with his left hand, and hurled it at the creature with all the force he could muster. It struck its back with a resounding thud. The thing didn’t flinch, but slowly turned its focus over towards him.
“Come on!” Tim called as he rushed towards it. “Right here, let’s go!”
The beast reacted quickly. It reared up on its hind legs as he came within attack distance. It was only then that Tim could see just how big it really was.
“Jesus…” he said. The creature leaped forward at him, much quicker than he expected it could move. Tim dodged to the side, feeling the wind from one of its paws passing narrowly over his back. He immediately turned back towards it, and swung his sword hard, slashing it across the shoulder.
The thing let out a pained howl. Dark and brackish looking blood spurted out of the wound. Tim readied his blade and charged toward it again. This time, the creature was ready, and it swung its paw, striking him square in the chest and knocking him completely off his feet. His own blood was flowing now, and he could feel a deep bruise imprinted into his chest.
He stood up slowly. The beast was already bearing down on him and he had to swing his sword wildly to get it to jump back. There was a quick pause as the two of them faced each other. Tim looked directly into the eyes of the monster beast and saw a strangely evil intelligence staring back at him. He gripped his sword more tightly, and both of them broke into a death charge towards each other. Both of them were intent on leaving the confrontation alive and slaying the other.
“Tim!” shouted Leah, who was sprinting towards him. Light spilled out from a torch in one of her hands. The beast drew back as she approached. Tim grabbed the torch from her and chased after it, but it quickly disappeared into the jungle.
“I’m okay,” he said. The wound on his chest was not that deep, though it stung quite painfully. He ran over to Kate and kneeled next to her.
“Kate, Kate!” he cried. His sister was unconscious, and blood was flowing out of a wound on her shoulder. Tim ripped what was left of his own shirt off and tied it around her arm. He picked her up, and started carrying her towards the cave.
“Is she okay?” asked Leah, following along closely.
“She’ll be okay, she has to be,” said Tim. For the first time since washing up on the island, he felt like his world was in jeopardy. “Go ahead of us, set up a fire in the cave, and make as much of a bed as you can out of the clothes in my bag.”
“Okay!” Leah rushed off into the darkness. Tim carried his sister after her, gently supporting her over his shoulder while holding the torch in his free hand.
Tim had to carefully slide through the opening of the cave to make it inside with his sister in tow. Leah had built a fire at the center, and Tim could now see that there was a good amount of room on the inside, enough space for the three of them to sleep easily with room left over. He laid Kate down on the makeshift bed Leah had dutifully set up out of his change of clothes, and then held his head close to her chest.
“She’s breathing okay…” he said to Leah, who was hovering over the two of them.
“Tim, what was that thing?” Leah asked. She was scared, and her voice trembled as she spoke.
“I have no idea,” he said to her. “But don’t worry, we’re safe now.”
“How can you know that?” she asked him.
“Just look at the opening of the cave, there’s no way it could make it through.”
His answer seemed to calm Leah down, at least for the moment. In truth, Tim was sure that if the beast really wanted to get in, it could widen the opening by enough to do it. The rock was brittle and thin, and the strength of the creature was beyond anything he had ever encountered before.
“Anyway, just stay with her and keep pressure on her arm if it starts to bleed any heavier,” he said to Leah. “I’m going to try to get some water for her, and maybe some food if I can manage it.”
“Tim, you can’t go back out there!” Leah cried. “You can’t, we have no idea how many of those things could be out there!”
“I have to, and I’ll be fine,” he said. Tim could see Leah shaking visibly. As he started towards the opening, she grabbed his hand, and rested her head on it in desperation.
“Please, Tim,” she whispered, the fire lighting up her face and revealing tears in her eyes. “Don’t leave me…”
He stopped, and then turned back, wrapping her in his arms. They had all been through so much. Tim was doing what he could, and trying to keep their spirits up, but there were no guarantees on anything. What was going to happen to them in the end, he wondered. Leah cried silently against his shoulder as he held her.
“I’ll be right back,” he said to her. “I promise…”
CHAPTER 24
The look on Leah’s face reflected all of the stress and hardships she’d been through in the past 24 hours. Tim cupped her cheek in his hand, and then turned back towards the exit. He picked up his torch, relit it in the fire, shouldered his now empty backpack, and slipped out into the dark and dangerous night.
The jungle was still as Tim walked across the clearing. There was no sign of the beast from before. He made his way down the path he had taken before, and after a couple of minutes, reached the beach. The stars could be seen clearly above now, bright enough that the torch almost seemed unnecessary. Tim took a second to appreciate the sky, but was brought back to reality by the sound of the grass moving behind him.
He turned around and saw a small island mouse hopping out of the jungle, and breathed a sigh of relief. After sticking the bottom of his torch into the sand, Tim set to work climbing one of the nearby coconut trees. The bark was hard to gain purchase on, and though it made him feel incredibly vulnerable, he was forced to toss his sword into the sand in order to climb more easily. When he made it to the top, he pulled a couple of the green coconuts out of their perch and dropped them down below.
He slowly descended from the tree, and collected his things. In the end, he decided to crack one of the coconuts open right there on the spot. It was tricky, but he managed to get it open after playing around with the edge of his sword. Clear coconut water spilled out of it, and he drank it thirstily, feeling a little guilty for not being able to share it with Leah and his sister. It was essential, however.
The old man had originally given Tim an animal skin flask to bring with him. He had stupidly left it behind, assuming that it would just take up space in his bag. Remembering the action made him realize just how much his perspective had shifted in the past day. Things were totally different now, and the journey that had started off in such a light hearted manner was now a life or death struggle against the elements.
Tim opened up two of the coconuts in the end, drinking their fluid and storing them in his bag along with a number of untouched coconuts, both ripe and unripe. He started back towards the shelter, but as he approached the path, he saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks.
A pack of three beast like creatures, similar to the one he had fought off before, was pulling something out of the water. Tim immediately stuck the end of his torch into the wet sand, extinguishing it. He crouched low, pulling his backpack over his shoulder and holding the hilt of his sword tightly. The group of them was about 100 yards away, a distance the seemed miniscule, given how fast he had seen the other one move.
The creatures pulled a dead body out of the sand, one that Tim recognized. It was one of the female staff members from the ship, one of Leah’s friends. The creatures were ripping her body apart, devouring her flesh and spilling blood into the water. It was a horrific scene, and Tim was forced to watch it. He knew that any movement he made would attract their attention, and land him in a similar fate.
The beasts ate the corpse quickly. The fur around their faces was covered in blood and gore by the end of it. They then slowly meandered their way back to jungle. Tim had never seen any animals like this before, and felt fear coarse through his body as he thought back to Leah and Kate in the shelter. He started off back down the path, moving quickly and silently through the jungle.
With his torch put out, there was nothing to light the way. The depths of the jungle seemed even more threatening and suffocating in the darkness of night. He could only move at a much slower speed while focusing on not making noise, and as such, it took him much longer to find his way back than it had on the way out. When he broke through to the clearing, he saw that the fire inside the cave was still lit and breathed a sigh of relief.
Before he headed inside the shelter, he doubled back around to the pond under the waterfall. He took out the two empty coconuts he had drunk from earlier and filled them up with the crystal clear water. It worked quite well, and he tucked the two makeshift bottles under his arm and hurried back to the cave.
CHAPTER 25
Leah was still awake when he got back. Her face lit up when he slipped through the entrance.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said to him. “I heard something outside and thought it was, well…”
“I’m fine,” he said to her. “It was nothing…”
Curse Of Desire: Complete And Uncut (Taboo Erotica) Page 9
