Chapter 3: The First Danger – The Primitive Tribe
1502 Words
"Run! Don’t stop!" Jack’s voice cut through the thick jungle air like a whip.
Victoria stumbled over a root, her breath ragged. “I can’t—”
“Keep moving!” Jack barked. He was already gripping her arm, pulling her upright as the sound of war cries echoed behind them.
Sofia clutched a sharpened stick in her trembling hands, her face pale. “They’re getting closer!” she yelled, glancing over her shoulder.
“Then run faster!" Mei Ling snapped, her tone sharp, yet her breathing steady as she darted through the dense foliage.
Elena trailed behind, panting heavily. “What the hell do they want? Food? Us?!”
“Does it matter?” Jack growled, his gaze flicking between the jungle path ahead and the shadows closing in behind them. “Just keep moving—don’t stop until I say so!”
The group burst into a small clearing, the sunlight blinding after the oppressive darkness of the jungle. Jack held up a hand, signaling a halt.
“Wait!" he hissed, his voice low but firm.
The war cries had stopped. The jungle fell unnervingly silent, save for the harsh breathing of the group. Jack scanned the tree line, his jaw clenched.
“They’re playing with us,” Mei Ling said quietly, her dark eyes glinting with something unreadable.
Jack shot her a look. “You think I don’t know that?”
“Then what’s the plan, Captain?” she countered, the last word dripping with sarcasm.
Before Jack could answer, a sudden rustling in the bushes snapped everyone’s attention. Jack raised his hand again, this time signaling silence. He crouched low, motioning for the others to do the same.
From the underbrush emerged a figure—a man, bare-chested, his skin painted with streaks of red and black. He held a spear in one hand, his eyes fierce and unblinking as they scanned the group.
Behind him, more figures appeared, one by one, until a dozen warriors surrounded the clearing. Each one was armed, their bodies marked with tribal tattoos and scars that told stories none of the outsiders could understand.
Sofia let out a small gasp, and Jack immediately shot her a look to stay quiet.
“They’re not attacking,” Victoria whispered, her voice barely audible.
“Not yet,” Jack replied, his tone grim.
The lead warrior stepped forward, his spear pointed at Jack. He said something in a language none of them understood, his voice low and guttural.
“What’s he saying?” Elena whispered, her voice shaking.
Jack ignored her, keeping his eyes locked on the warrior. Slowly, he raised his hands, palms open in a gesture of peace.
“We’re not here to hurt you,” Jack said, his voice calm but firm. “We just want to—”
The warrior barked something, cutting Jack off. He took another step forward, his spear now inches from Jack’s chest.
“Jack…” Victoria’s voice wavered.
“Stay still,” Jack ordered, barely moving his lips.
The warrior tilted his head, studying Jack with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. Then, without warning, he jabbed the spear forward. Jack moved quickly, grabbing the shaft of the spear just before it could pierce his skin.
A collective gasp escaped the group, but Jack held firm, his grip steady. He looked the warrior in the eye.
“I don’t want to fight you,” Jack said, his voice low and steady. “But I will if I have to.”
The warrior’s eyes narrowed. For a moment, it seemed like he might back down. But then, another warrior shouted something from the edge of the clearing, and the tension broke like a snapped wire.
The lead warrior yanked the spear back and lunged.
“Scatter!” Jack shouted, shoving Victoria toward the trees.
The clearing erupted into chaos. Warriors charged, their spears and clubs swinging, while the group scrambled to defend themselves.
Jack ducked under a spear thrust and countered with a punch that sent the attacker staggering back. He grabbed the fallen spear, spinning it in his hands like he’d done it a thousand times before.
“Get to the trees! Now!” he shouted, parrying another attack.
Sofia hesitated, frozen in place as a warrior advanced on her.
“Move, Sofia!” Mei Ling’s voice cut through the chaos as she darted in, her knife flashing. The warrior fell back, clutching his arm where Mei Ling’s blade had struck.
“Thanks,” Sofia managed, her voice shaking.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Mei Ling muttered, shoving her toward the tree line.
Elena, meanwhile, was struggling to fend off a warrior who had grabbed her by the arm. She screamed, clawing at his face, but his grip was like iron.
“Get off her!” Victoria yelled, swinging a broken branch like a club. She struck the warrior across the back, and he released Elena with a grunt of pain.
“Go!” Victoria shouted, pulling Elena toward the trees.
Jack was the last to retreat, his movements precise and calculated as he fought off the advancing warriors.
“They’re herding us!” Mei Ling shouted as the group regrouped deeper in the jungle.
Jack cursed under his breath. She was right. The warriors weren’t trying to kill them—not yet, at least. They were driving them somewhere.
“Where are they taking us?” Sofia asked, her voice trembling.
Jack didn’t answer. He was too busy calculating their next move.
“Jack!” Victoria snapped, her tone sharp. “What do we do?”
Jack turned to face the group, his expression hard. “We can’t fight them all. We need to lose them in the jungle.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Mei Ling asked, her voice dripping with skepticism.
Jack didn’t respond. Instead, he scanned the area, his eyes landing on a narrow ravine up ahead.
“There,” he said, pointing. “We’ll split up. They can’t follow all of us.”
“Split up? Are you insane?” Victoria hissed.
“It’s the only way,” Jack said firmly. “We’ll meet back at the beach.”
Before anyone could argue, the warriors burst through the underbrush, their war cries echoing through the jungle.
“Go!” Jack shouted, shoving Victoria toward the ravine.
The group scattered, each one darting in a different direction.
---
Jack’s heart pounded as he sprinted through the jungle, the sound of his pursuers close behind. He gripped the stolen spear tightly, his mind racing.
He knew the others could handle themselves—Mei Ling, especially. But Sofia? Elena? He wasn’t so sure.
A branch whipped across his face, leaving a stinging welt, but he didn’t slow down. He couldn’t.
Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath him. Jack tumbled down a steep incline, landing hard in a shallow stream. He groaned, pushing himself up just as a shadow loomed over him.
He rolled to the side just in time to avoid a spear thrust, the blade sinking into the dirt where he’d been seconds before. Jack swung his own spear, catching the warrior across the legs.
The man stumbled, and Jack didn’t hesitate. He surged forward, knocking the warrior to the ground and pressing the spear to his throat.
“Where’s your village?” Jack demanded, his voice a low growl.
The warrior glared up at him, defiant.
“Tell me!” Jack pressed harder, but the warrior only snarled, spitting a string of unintelligible words.
Before Jack could press further, a sharp whistle echoed through the jungle. The warrior froze, his eyes darting toward the sound.
Jack frowned. “What was that?”
The warrior didn’t answer. Instead, he shoved Jack off with surprising strength and disappeared into the jungle before Jack could stop him.
Jack cursed, pulling himself to his feet. He glanced around, suddenly aware of how quiet it had become.
Too quiet.
---
Meanwhile, Victoria and Elena were crouched behind a fallen log, their breaths coming in short, panicked gasps.
“Do you think they’re still following us?” Elena whispered.
Victoria shook her head, her eyes scanning the dense foliage. “I don’t know. Just stay quiet.”
Elena nodded, clutching a jagged rock in her trembling hands.
“What the hell are we even doing here?” she muttered. “This was supposed to be a stupid game. Now we’re running for our lives from—”
“Shh!” Victoria hissed, clamping a hand over Elena’s mouth.
A shadow passed overhead, and both women froze.
Sofia was alone, her heart hammering in her chest as she stumbled through the jungle. She’d lost her stick in the chaos, and now she felt completely defenseless.
“Jack?” she called out, her voice barely above a whisper. “Mei Ling?”
There was no answer.
A twig snapped behind her, and she spun around, her eyes wide with fear.
“Who’s there?”
- Writer
