The Bride Of The Water God

Chapter 1: Rescuer

I felt the wet mud squelch under my feet as I ran in the rain through the forest. Thick droplets of water hit my face, blurring my eyesight and making my cheeks hurt. I had lost my shoes long ago in the chase, and yet I could not shake my attackers off. Stray branches struck me and my whole body ached from the strain of running. I felt my lungs paining and my heart thudding, demanding that I collapse and rest for a while but somehow my mind forced my legs to run. Subconsciously, I knew that if I sat down now, I would not be able to get up and that would be the end of me. I choked on the tears that ran down my face and my voice came out in soft whispers. I heard their voices behind me and the heavy thuds of their feet as they ran behind me. My beautiful gown was already in tatters and only one thing ran through my mind: 'Somebody please save me from this hell...'

It was then that I saw a great wall of entangled trees and bushes before me. I was trapped. I could not go back. I felt tears of frustration clogging my throat even as I desperately looked around for an escape route. There had to be one. I could not die like this. I was only twenty-one and I was at the top of my batch in college. I was awarded for my wonderful performance in academics, just this evening and today was supposed to be the most wonderful day of my life. I danced with my friends and had so much fun. So how did it end up with me being kidnapped by thugs and on the verge of being raped and killed, running alone in a desperate bid to keep myself alive?

But even as I stood there in the rain, desperately forcing my mind to think and trying to catch a breath, looking at the mysterious wall of trees before me, I heard the peal of thunder overhead. It seemed to shake the very ground over which I was standing. I looked up to the sky as it rained fat droplets of water on me: So this is how I was to be killed. I was an only child, the apple of my parents' eyes. I was not born with any proverbial golden spoon in my mouth but I worked hard. My parents worked hard and they loved each other a lot. They did not earn millions, but they earned a decent wage and they lived happily. They embedded in me the values of courage and persistence and the conquering power of true love. It was also one of the reasons why I had been single all this time. Somehow, I always believed that I too had someone waiting for me out there, waiting to reveal their love for me. And when that time came, we too would live a fulfilling life like that of my parents. I therefore worked hard and gave my best to everything, hoping to make my parents proud and find myself better jobs. And yet, here I stood, waiting for the end to come. I watched as huge shadows appeared at a distance and grew as the four men walked towards me.

"So the wench has at last given up. She is a tasty one, don't you think?" A husky voice spoke up. I felt my back hit the wall of branches and leaves, and a sob rose in my throat. I forced my choked throat to work.
"Please, let me go...if you need money, I know my dad will pay you...please...please let me go..."

"I like her voice. She has a sweet voice. Wonder if we can make her sing, eh boys?" A raucous round of laughter followed.

I felt rivulets of rainwater flow down the exposed areas of my skin. The next moment, I felt a hand roughly catch hold of my hair and twist it, making me scream out in agony. Hot tears leaked out of my eyes, and intermingled with the cold rainwater. Frustration and pain made me tremble and suddenly a hand roughly grabbed hold of my face, forcing me to look up at the sky. Darkness prevented me from seeing the faces of my assaulters. The rain seemed to drum down harder on my face.

"So, shall we start, boys? I know that this one is a firecracker from the way she squirmed when we caught her..."
Suddenly there was the great sound of thunder, which even made the wall of trees behind me shake violently and shudder.

"Whoa, this is some ugly storm..."
But somehow, I felt the trees behind me continue to shake and shudder. I tried to turn my head to see what was happening, but the fingers of the man in my hair tightened and my scalp throbbed with pain. I choked on my own breath. I could not even muster the strength to scream for help. Nobody would hear me anyway. Somehow I felt the cold beginning to grow and my eyesight seemed to be growing dimmer. Was this the end already? Did god finally listen to my plea to kill me rather than face the ordeal of being raped and killed?
"Wait, did you hear that sound right now? Something seems to be moving?"