The Mountain's best kept Secret

8. Goodbye, Bella

(Travis's POV)

All this time he only desired her; his blue-eyed maiden with golden hair. Her perfect curves bouncing just right caught his attention years ago. And she’s still sexy as hell. At school, Isabella’s studies were her primary concern and books her only love. He tried to express his true intentions many times, but was she blind? More direct he could not be. She had to assume his heart only beat for her, but choose to discount it. She dismissed him one-to-many times until Melissa’s party. He might have taken advantage of her drunken state, but so what? He would never force himself on another, and she returned his kiss. Her thin body reacted to his touch, moving and rubbing up against him… As he thought of their passionate kiss, he got hard.

‘Mine at last.’ He hoped when she agreed to be his girlfriend. Throughout their relationship, Travis realised he didn’t own her heart. Yes, they were happy and had amazing times together, but she never loved him. He understood that now. After she broke up with him, Isabella pulled away from all of their friends, not only him. ‘I have to study’ left a bitter taste behind, as this was her excuse every time she turned them down. At first, he suspected she found another, but to his relief, books were her only company. His blood boiled at the idea of her in another man’s arms. Earlier, she told him it’s over and he has to move on, but damn, how could he? He has never loved someone so profoundly. But… She was probably right. If he could not bring her to love him by now, when can he?

As he collected her in his arms—her exposed skin touched his. The swimsuit covering her belly still exposed her delicate back. After she spoke with Grace, her face turned pale and came to sit next to him. “Anything wrong? What did she say to you?” “Nothing, I’m just tired and my foot is killing me.” She turned her back and fell asleep. Travis agreed to take first watch, but had to fight against his fatigued body. He tried his best to stay awake, but his eyes threatened to close at any moment. He noticed her shaking body next to him. Even next to the fire, she was as cold as ice. “Come here, let me keep you warm. Now is not the time to fight me.” The cold and uncertain night made her curl up in his embrace. He resented himself for savouring the moment, but this would probably be the last time she allowed herself so close to him.

He glanced over to discover the other girls sleeping next to each other, but they didn’t seem uncomfortable apart from the hard ground they slept on. The heat escaping her body warmed his heart and caused all proper thoughts to escape him. No other girl has ignited the fire in his lower half as she did. All he could imagine was putting his lips on hers, trailing down her neck and shoulder. Gently caressing her breasts until she moaned out for more. She has not yet allowed him to touch her in this way, so he only had his imagination to satisfy his needs. ‘My sweet Bella. In my arms one last time.’ His heart hurt at this thought, because it was true. Upon returning home tomorrow, she would disappear behind her books and make good on her promise to not entertain his denial any longer.

Something shifted in the bushes behind them. Instantly, he twisted his head to investigate. After a while, nothing moved again. Whatever it was, must have gone and should present no threat to them. So, he shifted his attention back to Bella laying against his chest. He was annoyed with himself; at his idiocy to fall for her trick to lure him into the cave. By doing so, he placed them all in danger and should have known better. Her earlier actions were alien to him, and he could not figure out why she demanded to go in. Did her curiosity got the better of her? Or has she learned something they didn’t? 

Bella’s deep slumber took over her conciousness, because her breathing became rhythmic. He tucked away a loose strand of hair behind her ear as he has done many times before.

            But this time it was different; he was saying goodbye.

‘Why can’t she accept me? I’m not a bad-looking guy.’ He thought to himself. Any girl would be lucky to have him, but why not her? Honestly, the pursuit to win her heart took over his mind. Can he keep this up? All he wanted was her love. But he can’t fight for something that will never be his. Not resisting the urge, he planted a kiss on her hair then let out a deep sigh.

Before long, Travis became more on edge as the minutes ticked by in silence. Something hid in the bushes surrounding them and its icy glare made his neck hairs stand up. Repeatedly, he searched for any sign of danger, but none was apparent. Shivers ran down his spine; maybe the cold seeping into his bones created this paranoia?. ‘Get a grip, Travis!’ He scolded himself, but the sudden sound escaping his lips caused Bella to shift her head. “There now, go back to sleep.” He coxed the little kitten on his lap.

The flames burned low and gushed smoke into the air. He needed to add more wood to the fading fire. The regretted moving Bella from his lap, but unfortunately the other girls were fast asleep and could offer no help. He could let the fire smoulder for a while, but the cold would be unbearable. Not to mention uninvited guests creeping up in the dark. Reluctantly, he took the back of her neck and circled her tiny waist—placing her with great care on the ground next to him. ‘I’m sorry you are in so much pain, my love’. He whispered.

Unexpectedly, something disturbed the bushes behind them, causing him to spin around worried. ‘What the hell was that? It wasn’t just my imagination this time around.’ He frantically panted. Not knowing what to do, he blankly stared into the darkness, searching for what posed danger. Should he remain with the girls or chase away whatever’s hiding? Fear gripped his heart, threatening to crush it at any moment. He grabbed a piece of burning wood and stepped closer.

He placed one foot before the other.

    Slowly, he tiptoed closer. There! There it was again!

        He froze mid-step and raised the courage not to run away.

            One step closer. Careful not to create a sound.

                Closer… Travis almost came to what posed them danger…

What could it be? Will they die here tonight? Or worse, get disfigured by a wild animal. Panic took a hold of his better judgement as he frantically waved the burning piece of wood in the air. Without warning, a jackal jumped from its hiding place. It gave a low growl and ran away at the sight of fire. Two little pups followed their mother into the dark forest. “Dammit! I almost had a heart attack! What the f*ck!” He loudly exclaimed into the chilly night. Relief relaxed his stiff muscles sore from being held tense. Shaking his head, he tuned his attention back to the task at hand; finding wood for the fire.

He glanced back to where Bella slept and grinned at her pouting lips. They only found a few pieces of wood next to the river, so he needed to search deeper in the forest. Not happy to create a greater distance between Bella and him, he had no choice as the fire was busy fading. Travis pushed into the thick greenery and found what he was looking for. Quickly, he made his way back to the girls, with wood in hand.

Although the dark made it challenging to see, he instantly noticed something amiss as he went closer to the fire. ‘WHERE’S BELLA? She can hardly stand, yet walk away.’ He froze stiff. Alarmed, he dropped the wood and ran to the spot Bella slept just moments ago. Scanning the area, Penny and Grace have also gone missing. “Girls! Bella! Where are you!” He called out. Where could they have gone? A shadow shiftily moved before him, then behind him, then next to him. And all of a sudden—unknown dark eyes glared into his and their owner hit his head with a blunt object.

His knees struck the ground… Travis lay defenceless with blood streaking down his face. “Bella…” He uttered before slipping away.

XXX

“Ah, my head!” The left side of Travis’s skull throbbed with pain. “Wha… What happened?” He mumbled but could not reach out to touch it. Dark eyes flashed before him “No!”. He forced open his eyes and had his hands bound. Strange men with bare torsos stood around arguing in an unfamiliar language. What looked like paint marks covered their chest, arms, and faces. Tribal men, but how? Many years ago, all native people joined civilisation, and they didn’t look like typical indigenous people for this part of the world. The dim light from the flames danced on their dark skin and cast long eerie shadows on the ground.

Reality of his situation weighed down on him when he spotted their spears and daggers; they found themselves in grave danger. He blinked his eyes to focus against the pain; he must find his friends and escape. If one of the men hurt them, he wouldn’t forgive himself. He shivered at the idea of them approaching the girls. ‘No, spare your mental energy to devise an escape plan.’ Travis thought. The shadows offered refuge, so he crawled unnoticed away from the fire into the dark. ‘They think I’m still knocked out, so let’s keep it that way’. But time wasn’t on his side, so he had to make haste and find the girls. Getting up straight proved to be a tough task, as they tightly bound his hands and feet. After a few unsuccessful attempts, he sat upright. He glanced around in search of something sharp to cut his restraints, yet remained hidden. ‘There!’ he yelled in his mind after spotting a sharp rock.

Pain. Travis silently cried out as he attempted to cut his restraints. The blood flowing from his wrists left the rock slippery in his hands. Before long, he released himself and suckled the cut marks on his wrists. “Sh*t” he cussed at his weak and injured state. How was he to rescue the others? He couldn’t even keep his head up. “Bella…” A murmur escaped him as he watched her laying defenceless on the opposite side of camp. Like a superpower, her innocent expression sends new strength to every part of his body. ‘Focus on her, get to Bella’. His friends were his inclination to carry on, as they were his responsibility.

Shrouded by the shadows, he hurried to the other side of camp. To his relief, all three girls seem unharmed. Bella lied nearest to where he hid, so he must untie her first. Thereafter, he will rescue Grace and Penny. But they may call for a distraction to lure away the men sitting close by. After only a few strides, he lay down next to her. Exposed by the flames’ light, he must keep a low profile. “Hey, wake up. Bella, come on, wake up.” He felt her pulse after she remained unresponsive, and to his relief she was alive! A tear rolled down his cheek as he dropped his head on her chest. “Wake up… Please… We have to get out of here.” He pleaded.

“Travis, what happe..” “Shh, keep you voice down.” He cupped his hand over her mouth. “Bella, carefully listen to what I’m about to say. We’re in grave danger and need to get out of here. I know your ankle hurts, but you have to do your best now, ok?” His bewildered eyes made her nod in agreement. “We need to crawl, very slowly, to the edge of the camp. There we’ll hide in the shadows. Ready?” “Yes.” Tense, the two snaked their half-naked body’s over the rough terrain. Started by a man’s loud laughter, they instantly dropped low. “Ok, now or never.” He picked her up and ran to safety. Panting, he helped her sit up against a tree. “What about the others?” She wept. “Bella, calm down. Look into my eyes. I’ll go back and bring them here.” “But…” “I said listen to me. You need to get as far from here as possible. If they notice you’re missing, they will come look for us.” Before she could object, he turned around and went back for the others. Just as he got to the camp, he swung back. “Bella, go!”

She nodded and grabbed a nearby branch to support her weight. Once she pulled herself up, she gave him a sad smile and disappeared into the forest. Content with her obedience, he crawled back into the camp. “Plan… I need a plan.” The other girls laid closer to the fire than Bella did, so it will be more difficult to get to them unnoticed. Maybe he can wake them somehow and make them crawl to him. This might be the safest way. But they required a distraction. Fire! That’s it - to start a fire on the far side of camp as a distraction. He grabbed two rocks and made his way to the other side. Smacking the rocks against one other made sparks fly in all directions until the small heap of dry grass caught fire. “Yes!” he uttered and hurried back to his original spot.

Before long, he heard a man shout; “Umlilo!” and two men ran towards his ruse. This was his chance… Without hesitation, Travis ran to his friends and fell down next to them. “Girls, wake up, quickly, wake up!” One man stood and watched them. Dammit, he dropped his head and played dead. Have he seen him trying to free the others? Terrified, he laid motionless next to Penny. Did his escape plan fail? If Bella could make it to safety and find help, she will rescue them. No, that’s a tall order. If only Bella got away, he will gladly face his fate. The man spoke to the others relaxed and unfazed, so he might not know he’s awake?

Footsteps came closer… Footsteps of a predator stalking its prey. SH*T he knows, and Travis trembled with fear. This time around, they might not be so hospitable towards him. He was the only male captive, so maybe they will let loose their rage on him. ‘It’s over, I’m done’ he pinched his eyes tighter. The footsteps passed him and halted. Suddenly, the man sat down on a stump and let out a sigh. ‘He didn’t see me!’ Travis almost exclaimed out loud. With extreme care, he twisted his head around to face the girls. Shocked, he met Penny’s anxious eyes, now awake. He gave her a reassuring smile, but it didn’t seem to put her at ease. She kept looking up over him and a whimper came from her lips.

Instinctively, he followed her alarmed gaze… And found dark eyes staring into his with an evil smile…