Africa (Complete)

Chapter Forty-Two

As much as Kam didn't want to admit it, he had become Tau.

He had taken lives and justified despicable actions under the guise of self-preservation, he held a man captive, and now he had literally used the same excuse to get him out of being killed. He had convinced a tribe to spare his life and escort him to a mysterious city that may or may not exist. But as long as the women believed him, it would buy him some time before he could escape, which is exactly what Tau had done.

The rain began to subside, but it left the air thick and muggy, making it difficult to breathe. The group headed further north with Kam as their prisoner. He knew they would eventually discover he was lying about the city. Once that happened, they would surely kill him, most likely in a horrible manner. He was mere days away from meeting that demise. He figured if he had any chance of survival, he needed to establish a bond with them. Trudging along with his hands and feet bound, Kam tried to make conversation.

"So where do you all come from?" Kam asked.

"Russia."

"What has the last year been like for you?"

"We survive."

"Same. It's crazy what happened, huh? We're really all in this together. If we want to have some semblance of a normal society, then we need to find a way to all get along, you know? Be less hostile toward each other and learn to trust—"

"No more talking," the leader said, cutting Kam off.

As they set up camp on their first night, Kam was commanded to help out. He went around and gathered small sticks that could be used to start a fire. Observing the women, he noticed they functioned like a well-oiled machine. There was no jockeying for leadership, no aggression, and no plans to conquer. They each knew their role and were much more communal than what he was used to. Before each meal, they would sit in a circle around a camp fire and hold hands, bowing their heads in silence.

Kam was off to the side being a passive observer into this all-women tribe.

Later that night, just as Kam was nodding off, he felt a hand cup his mouth. Startled, he shot up and was seconds away from waking the others. In the dull glow of the fading flame, he saw a face. He couldn't quite make out who it was, but could at least tell that it was a female. His initial thought was Ukari or Asia had come to rescue him.

Kam was grateful and couldn't wait to get as far away from these women as possible. The woman carefully untied the ropes on his hands and feet, ensuring not to make a sound. Once the ropes were loose, Kam was free. He rubbed his wrists together and then stood up. That's when he caught a full view of the person who was rescuing him. It wasn't Ukari or Asia at all. To his surprise, it was one of the tribeswomen.

He looked around and saw everyone was sound asleep. The crackling fire and random jungle sounds provided enough cover for the two to slip away undetected. Although the women did not harm him, he was still their prisoner, so he was happy to have escaped.

Guided by the flame from a small torch, they disappeared into the forest, away from the others. When they got far enough away, Kam thanked the girl for setting him free.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Tessa."

"Thank you, Tessa. I really appreciate you helping me escape. Honestly, I'm not sure I could—"

Before he could finish, Tessa cut him off. "I'm not helping you escape."

"You're not?" Kam said with a look of confusion. "Then what are we—"

Kam stood dumbfounded as Tessa removed her shirt and exposed her breasts.

"What are you doing?"