Part 26 (2/2)

But still it held. In one final fit of frustrated rage, she swung her body back. The thong sliced into her wrists and her grip on the pole slipped. Something tore across her palm and fingers and she bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain. Hot blood oozed and trickled toward her wrists.

She fumbled in the darkness, confused, until she discovered what had cut her. The wooden pole had splintered in her efforts and a long shard of jagged wood stuck out of the side. Feeling carefully, she brought the leather thong to the tip of jagged wood and lined it up. She took a deep breath, making sure the shard was set firm on the pole so it wouldn't break away. In one motion, she yanked back.

A sharp crack sounded through the building and her hands swung free. She fell hard on her back. The conversation outside halted instantly.

Sam rolled up against the post and wrapped her newly emanc.i.p.ated arms around it, clasping her wrists tightly. As the silhouettes stepped into the doorway, armed with spears, she closed her eyes and lay still.

Footsteps sounded on the planks as they came to investigate. One spoke quietly as he leaned over her p.r.o.ne form. Sam prayed they didn't see the broken thong or look too closely at her wrists.

The darkness worked to her advantage. They stood over her, talking. She stayed perfectly still, not daring to breathe and struggling to not let her wrists slip.

Finally, they turned and walked back toward the doorway. Soon, the only sound Sam heard was the pounding of her heart in her ears.

I did it! I'm free!

With a quick glance toward the front door to make sure the Mbuti were back outside and conversing, she climbed to her feet and headed toward the back of the building. The sky had begun to brighten so she found the windows with ease. Placing her palms on the windowsill, she climbed up until she was perched halfway in and out.

She tried to judge the drop on the other side, but even with the sky getting lighter, the ground was cloaked in darkness. Sam leapt anyway and winced when her bare feet hit the muddy ground. A stone drove itself into the ball of her foot, forcing a cry from her throat.

A shout from around the building told her that the guards had been alerted. She heard them clambering inside. She had to move fast. She rose to her feet and moved away from the building. A forest wall rose up in front of her, thick with vegetation. As her elation from breaking her bonds faded, she began to realize the true depth of her predicament. She didn't know the forest. She'd be stumbling around blindly without supplies and without hope.

Her thumb caressed the naked skin of her ring finger, the metallic embrace missing. She wanted her ring back more than anything. A voice cried out from the window. She looked up to see an Mbuti perched there. He jumped to the ground. Sam took off running, the guard hot on her heels.

She heard him grunt behind her, and she kicked her legs faster. Her bare feet beat the ground blindly. Her toe struck a root in the darkness and pain shot up her leg, paralyzing her muscles. She stumbled, but staggered to her feet, limping even as the powerful Mbuti bore down on her.

Then something happened that drove her heart into her throat. As her next foot came down, it didn't find ground as she suspected. She dropped a full foot and wood blasted against her knee. She cried out in surprise as she sank down to her thigh, her leg caught in some type of wooden framework.

Only then did she remember the pits from before, the wooden lattice woven cage-like over the top. Her other thigh lay twisted underneath her, her muscle stretched to its limit. Meanwhile, her foot dangled in the darkness. Her nose caught the wretched scent of festering dung.

A deep throaty growl from below warned her of the danger. In sudden panic, Sam climbed frantically, trying to pull her leg free. Her knee caught for a moment, holding her fast. She heard movement below and the sound of splas.h.i.+ng water.

She tore her leg out, banging her s.h.i.+n painfully on the wood. A rush of air followed her up as she rolled away from the pit. A paw chased her through the opening and clawed at the mud in her wake. A muscled shoulder pushed against the frame, causing the whole structure to wobble and shake. The beast below let out an angry hiss as its meal escaped.

Sam scrambled away, putting distance between her and the grasping claws. And she stumbled into the Mbuti's waiting grasp. The pygmy grabbed her firmly and yanked her to her feet. His companion grabbed her from behind, one hand yanking her hair back.

They jostled and dragged her away from the pit and around the nearby building. Sam found herself in the center of the clearing, not far from Guy's porch. The sun lingered just below the canopy on the horizon and it was now light enough to see the village around her.

Bokenga stopped, not far away, as the two Mbuti threw Sam to the ground. One struck her roughly in the face and she felt her cheek go numb, followed by the warm sensation of blood. Bokenga said something to them and she saw one shake his head. Then the instep of a foot struck her hard in the gut. As Sam curled from the pain, Bokenga turned and walked away.

Please don't go, she mentally pleaded. One of them twisted her arm behind her back, sending waves of pain throughout her arm and shoulder. The other struck her again in the face and she felt her legs and arms go weak.

Are they going to kill me?

Guy appeared on the porch suddenly, Bokenga at his side. He hollered to the two Mbuti and they immediately backed away. Guy hopped down, his robe fluttering behind him. His blonde hair was wet and his pistol hung at his side. He spoke to them, his voice demanding. After a brief exchange, he crouched beside her and brushed her hair from her face to inspect her injuries. As he did, the two guards continued their explanation and Sam caught a familiar word: ”Temba.”

Whatever they said seemed to anger Guy further. He stood up, his voice scolding. The Mbuti weren't afraid to stand up to him.

She began to think she'd imagined it. Maybe what she thought was ”Temba” was part of some other word.

Guy crouched beside Sam. This time when his hand touched her face it was tender, almost affectionate. ”You tried to run away, Sam. Look where that's gotten you now. Did you think you could just run off into the forest?”

She turned her head, pulling away from his touch. In the process, she planted her face in the cold mud.

”Tell me about this Temba,” Guy said. ”Who is he and why has he come looking for you?”

She shot him a surprised look.

”Is he a lover?” he asked, grinning wryly. ”He has risked a lot in coming here, as you'll see.” He stood back up, towering over her. ”Now get up.”

She remained still in defiance. Guy said something to the Mbuti standing nearby and they pulled her roughly to her feet.

”Don't forget I have a gun,” Guy warned. ”I'm not afraid to use it.”

”You won't shoot me,” she spat.

”If you truly think that, keep testing me.”

He gestured for them to follow. At first the Mbuti dragged her, but Sam quickly fell into rhythm with them. Guy whispered something to Bokenga. The old man nodded and headed off for the BaMbuti huts. Guy led them around the back of his dwelling.

Toward the pits, Sam realized.

”It sounds like someone has awakened poor Chui,” Guy said as he walked. ”He can be very disagreeable sometimes.”

Another throaty growl greeted them as they neared the edge of the pit. Sam noticed Guy didn't get too close.

”Chui is an adult male leopard, if you were wondering,” he explained. ”He's been with me for two weeks now. He's one of my test subjects.”

”Test subjects?”

He turned and pointed to the stone building nearby. Sam had not seen the building from this angle nor had she seen the device perched on the side. It looked like a radar dish, pointed in the direction of the pits, but the majority of the attached equipment had to be located inside.

”This facility was left here by my grandfather,” Guy explained. ”I have since restored it to more than its former glory.”

Sam's mind fumbled with the term ”facility” when Bokenga appeared, carrying a piece of white fabric in his arms. It was Temba's polo s.h.i.+rt. Guy gestured to one of the Mbuti guards, who handed him his spear. Guy held the spear as Bokenga placed the polo s.h.i.+rt on the tip.

”Make no mistake, Sam. A mind can be broken down into simple chemicals and electrical impulses. It, like a computer, will one day be defined and mapped. A creature is nothing more than its memory and its instincts. That goes for humans as well. You might be a little smarter than Chui but you can be controlled just as easily. Don't make the error of differentiating between emotions and instincts. Just because you can express them in words and he can't doesn't mean that they're any different. I know that you feel like you're more than that. Of course you do, it's only natural. The most essential instinct is survival, one that must place you above everything else. For that reason, your instincts overstress the importance of your being.”

Without touching it, Guy tossed the polo s.h.i.+rt into the wooden grate. The white cloth fluttered into shadow. ”Now I'll show you how Chui can be programmed. Leopards, like all hunting cats, have an excellent sense of smell. Like all animals, they can be trained to hate.”

Polomo and the others crept around the building. They heard the angry leopard cries from across the camp. Guy had disappeared inside the stone building again, as he often did. Somewhere in that structure, he housed the machine that, like magic, could awaken the forest. Now he used it on Chui.

Ndola and Choge stood near Guy's house with the blonde-haired woman between them. She had a look of confused horror as she watched the pit. A spotted leopard paw clawed at the mud just beyond the confines of his cage. Even though he stood a great distance away, the rage in the creature's cries made Polomo want to take shelter in his hut.

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