Love At Sea: De La en Glässer

Macmillan's goodies

She rested her hand on a dead branch and it gave a little crack. Her fingers graced upon silky smooth material long in length. She shut her eyes and prayed. She rose off the ground while taking her time. She was not ready for death or even a snake bite. She was yet to feel Macmillan's goodies, and that she could not do six feet under or even dead in its tummy. Even with the very little moonlight, here was no mistaking the dark green colour of the resting creature. Another moved by her feet, and she wanted to bloody scream. She slapped her hands to her mouth and hoped that the sound did not wake any up.

Glued to the ground, she watched its length move then barrow itself underneath a rock. A wave of shock run through her body and her bones were stiff with concrete. She was probably in the heart of the forest surrounded by a pit of live sleeping snakes. She tried overcoming the continuous numbness, but she felt tied, drowning into a dark hole with her fears. Another slithered over her browned boots. The short seconds felt like long hours. The only thing she could do was stare unable to move a muscle or an inch. She felt a hiss next to her right ear and died on spot when one dropped on her.

Barely moving a muscle, she threaded her way out of the thickened bush and into the open wild. The long brown snake had comfortably made itself cosy on the length of her arm, wrapping itself completely and absorbing the amount of heat she had to offer. And that hurt as a matter of fact because the venomous creature was heavy and there was a huge possibility of her getting bitten. She looked for a tree with brunches low enough for her to reach. Then encouraged the snake to move on. It was resultant at first but then moved after a few pushes and lots of swear words.

Hell, if she thought she was going to wait for a go ahead, her feet were heavy against the ground and her breaths came out short. Trees and branches slapped her in the face and different roots and stones made her trip. There was nothing she wanted more other than escaping the forest of doom and its crazy inhabitants. No thank you to a next trip. She had enough horrors to scare her a lifetime and beyond. The silhouettes of the tall trees mocked her racked mind causing her to see things she was not meant to see. A shot rang out and she stilled long enough to make out a barking roar. Apparently, she had underestimated her kidnapper's ability to chase after her. She could hear more shots ring out and that was when she realised, she had been screaming the whole time. Small shadows of light caught her eye, the figures of white men were not far from her.

"Stupid." She blurted out.

How could she have been so dumb? "Great, just great." She was absolutely sure the day was not meant for her. "Nope, not even in the slightest." The dump grounds were wet, and the fallen leaves made it hard to differentiate between soil and hole. She was in for a shit of a mess.

"Hey, over there! I see her." The man shouted. He waved over his fellow men, and they broke out into a chase. Bernadette prayed- literally prayed and begged for a way out of the mess she had not created. She had been through enough, she concluded. The trees were not as crowed as before and she an easy target to one of the stray bullets. The force made her trip over her own feet and roll down a steep of slippery tuft. "Down there, there is a trail of blood." Shouted another. Bernadette looked up dazed. The blood had already started pouring out of her leg at an alarming rate and her eyes felt clogged with tiredness. She supported herself against the bark of a tree. Despite her weakness, she was able to stop the bleeding with a shirt.

She hoped on her good foot and almost plucked out her eye when the strap of her worn out bag caught on a branch. "She could not have gotten far." The voice shouted. It was one she recognised instantly, the man from the tent, the lord Jonathan. He was standing directing opposite her with his back to her. She made herself small and hid behind the tree not bothering to unhook the bag while waiting patiently for him to move. The strap came off with ease but that caused pain to her injured thigh. She thought of heading towards the direction Jonathan and his men went but concluded otherwise. "Running away from them was the goal and not towards them dummy." She whispered. She supported herself on anything solid as she made her way towards the dense population of tall trees. The air was fresh, and the fast-falling water was visible from her hidden angle. If she could make the short distance then she would be able to get help, that was if the village was not located on the lower side of the river.