Chapter 3
The Long Lost Tribe
Derek, Colin, and Terry were tied together and marched through the jungle. Terry was sniffling as an armored band of islanders were now taking them to an unknown location. They did not speak English not that Terry really expected them too. The only thing the islanders could do was point and shriek in a strange foreign language. There were about eight of them all coated with the same white chalk, and they all had flowers with strange looking bones hanging from braids in their curly hair. They marched through the jungle the humidity seemed as thick as clouds.
The tribe’s women were shouting in a strange language. Colin tried to plead with them, tried to explain a plane crash. However it looked as though they had never heard of a plane crash, or even the idea of an airplane. When Colin tried to show them what a plane was like they must have thought he was talking about birds. They pointed at birds along the way pointing and saying, “plane.” Colin continued to protest until Terry had finally heard enough, “Will you shut up Colin?” Derek on the other hand had seemed to have taken a vow of silence. He seemed to have a face of a man that was so confused at the situation. Not the fact that they were prisoners, but the fact that he had been captured by women without a fight. His pride seemed to be hurt more than the gravity of the situation.
They started going up a steep hill “Where are you taking us?” One of the women jabbed their spears at him making a motion for him to keep walking, she screamed, “Ida ud con septa. Ida ud con septa! They continued to walk now ascending up a steep hill, when Colin started to freak out. He started to scream and thrash with pain. He fell to the ground yelling “Get it off!” The women seemed to be taken aback by this. They did not know if he was joking or if it was a trick. He continued to scream, “It’s biting me!” The women still stared blankly at him. Terry pointed her tied fingers at him, “Help him!” They looked at each other confused, Derek stood there not saying anything. One of the women, the prettiest out of the lot rolled Colin over and took out a small stone knife. She sliced open the back of Colin’s suit jacket, and out popped a cockroach.
The women jumped back, they began to jab their spears at the bug. The cockroach sped through the forest floor under leaves and twigs. The prettiest tribe’s women gave a loud war like whoop and sent her spear right onto the cockroach. It gave a sickening crack, and red liquid shot out of it. She pulled up the roach which hung on her spear tip. It was not black or brown like Terry had seen on television. This one had a blood red shell with black covering its legs, head, and antennas similar to the ones that they had left behind.
They continued to walk through the jungle, which seemed if possible to grow even hotter. The women continued to shove their spears at them making them walk deeper and deeper into the jungle. How big was this island? Terry began to slouch over as the beads of sweat began to pour down her forehead. She wanted to take a shower more than anything in the world. The salt seemed to make her skin a little rougher, and the humidity seemed to make it worse. Her captures did not speak the whole time. Why were there dead babies littering the forest floor? The thought of the babies almost made her wretch. What was going to happen to them? Who were these people? Were they going to eat them? This kind of thought would have never crossed her mind but the situation at hand made it a reality. The uphill climb was difficult, and with the thick humidity Terry felt like she was suffocating. Derek was the first to reach the top of the hill and immediately stopped walking. Colin walked right next to him and also stopped. Terry followed and saw the look of surprise on their faces. Their mouths were open as their eyes scanned the jungle. Terry turned her head and felt her mouth drop open too. She stared down into a valley containing numerous different types of huts. The huts were small, probably containing only one circular room. The walls were made from wood, and the roofs were made with giant green leaves. The other thing that surprised Terry was that there were no men around the camp. Women littered the town and most of them looked pregnant. Terry continued to scan the town as the women were dressed in outfits that looked like they were made from nature itself.
Terry felt one of the tribesmen’s spears jab her in the back. She was the first to walk down the hill mostly out of curiosity not bravery. Even when she walked down the hill she could feel eyes on her. She turned her head slightly trying not to seem suspicious. Sure enough Terry could see Derek’s eyes wondering down yonder. Terry did not think that she could have felt dirtier than she did at that point. She was an utter wreck and looked very unappealing. What was worse was that even in the situation that she was in Derek was checking her out. She could still feel his eyes on her as they hit the bottom of the hill.
The village was something out of a National Geographic magazine. Terry walked into town towards a large hut which was shaped like a large rectangle. The women eyed them as they walked through the camp. The women were all pregnant and all in different stages of pregnancy. Terry saw a women hugging on another women as they walked by. Terry tried to eye around the camp, but there were no men at all. Terry was marched into the giant hut and on wooden bed laid another woman. She was much older than the rest of the women. She had graying hair but looked to be in her early fifties. However she still looked very good for her age. Her brown eyes caught a glimpse of them and became narrow like a cat about to pounce.
She got to her feet and was dressed in a long green outfit which looked to be made from the same leaves as the roofs. Her lips pierced with interest as she eyed all three of them. She wore a gallant headdress filled with different flowers but in the middle of headdress was a giant cockroach. It had the disgusting blood red body that stood out in the bouquet of white and yellow flowers. The guard on Terry’s right began to speak, “Cao Cao un Vede par skie unto lessa. The women began to point her dirty finger at Terry, who had no clue what she was saying. However the older women seemed to understand every word. “English,” whispered Colin who sounded as if talking was something he did not want to do.
However the older women grunted and a smile spread across her face. She gave a simple “ick tok bensa” and then the guards all turned leaving the room without a backwards glance. The woman’s eyes rose into the back of her head in deep thought, “You speak English?” Colin smiled as if now everything was going to be alright, “Yes speak English”. He looked relieved “please don’t kill us”! The woman now began to pace the floor thinking what to say next. She stopped as if she had found the answer she was looking for. “Two spared . . . one die”. Terry’s mind began to race, who were they going to kill? Would it be her? Maybe they were going to save the men because they had none here. Terry could feel an icy chill fill her entire body. Colin and Derek seemed to be thinking the same.
Colin was worried, his voice trembled, “How did you learn English?” The woman began to pace again, this time a little longer, “Men . . . boat . . . come here . . . many storms . . . taught English . . .” She paused every time. Terry was not sure if she really understood what she was saying. The lady raised her hand to silence Colin’s bombardment of questions. “What . . . call . . . you,” Colin looked to Derek who shrugged, “Your names,” blurted out Terry. “Your names,” she repeated looking at Terry as if this was her name. Terry shook her head, “No, I am Terry.” “Terry,” the woman repeated turning to Derek, who seemed to gulp a little at being addressed. “Derek,” she nodded and moved to Colin who now seemed a little better since the women was speaking English, “Colin.” The women did not smile she just eyed them. Terry had to ask the question that was killing her, but Colin cut her off. “Who are you, what is this place?” Terry flashed an angry look at Colin, who was so large that the sweat started to make him look like an oversized pig.
Terry felt her questions beginning to eat away at her like a small tick had infested her. Her mind wandered far, but her attention was brought back when the lady started talking again. “I . . . Xuhu, Queen of village and island,” Xuhu clapped her hands and the guards returned. Xuhu pointed to Terry and Derek “zababo be”. She pointed to her left as if she was pointing up at the sun. The guards smiled and some even began to look at Derek not in a threatening way, but in a flirtatious way. The women raised there spears and began to jab at them. “Wait . . . ,” Terry had raised her hands to stop them, “Where are you taking us? What are you going to do? We need help! We crashed from a plane and landed on this island by mistake.” Xuhu’s face went into amazement, “What plane?” Terry scoffed as if she could not believe they did not know what airplane was. “It’s like a,” she paused how do you describe a plane to somebody that has no idea what it is?
“A giant metal bird with wings,” she began to flap her arms stupidly. Xuhu was not laughing as her face contorted in more confusion, “Metal?” Terry gave a groan of frustration, “What are you going to do with us?” “Food,” Terry felt her heart sink, “You’re not going to eat us?” Derek let out a yell, “Hell no if you wanna eat me you are going to have to kill me first.” For the first time Terry agreed with Derek. If they were going to be eaten here they would have a hell of a time trying. However Xuhu was smiling, she shook her head and walked over to them. She began to pace again, and this time longer than before. It was clear that she did not know how to explain it to them. “What’s our purpose?” Xuhu smiled again and walked closer to Terry she laid her hand gently onto her stomach, and softly said “food.” Terry was now the one confused, “You’re going to eat my stomach?” Terry groaned again when Xuhu looked confused at her choice of words. As much as it pained Terry she touched her stomach, and then pretended to eat it pointing to Xuhu. Xuhu shook her head, and Terry felt a little better than before.
Xuhu walked to one of the guards, who appeared further along into her pregnancy than the others. Xuhu rubbed her bulging belly and repeated “food.” Terry’s mouth fell open. She now knew why there were baby skeletons out in the middle of the jungle. Terry felt like retching again. Colin seemed disgusted by it too. “You eat your own children,” Xuhu shook her head at Colin simply replying, “No for Xianchillian,” “Who,” they all said together. Xuhu pointed to the cockroach on her head dress. “You feed them . . . to the cockroaches,” Xuhu saw them all eyeing the cockroach, “Our . . . God . . . Xianchillian.” Terry looked to Derek and Colin who still looked confused. “Don’t you get it,” she was almost yelling at them, “They feed their babies to their god.” Xuhu seemed to not have caught all of what they had said. Terry figured that they had talked to fast for her to comprehend them. She looked angry, “what you say?’ Terry ignoring the question asked, “Is that why there are no men in your village.” “We have men,” Derek looked like he wanted to find out where the men were, but Terry figured that their purposes were intertwined. “What are there purposes,” Terry motioned towards Derek and Colin. Xuhu walked over to Derek and pointed to his crotch, “We need seed.” Derek couldn’t hide the smile that spread on his face and additionally Colin now started to smile, “What about me?” He seemed to be hoping that his fate would be the same as Derek’s. Xuhu walked closer to him and grabbed his stomach muttering “Food for god.”
Colin’s face went white and Xuhu began to shake it, “Mumbato do ca see”. The guards were jabbing at them again. “Help is coming for us,” Colin’s threatening voice broke like a child reaching puberty. Xuhu eyed him, “Only one man ever found island . . . they brought god.” They were escorted out of the tent, and marched up towards another hut. This hut was built thicker than the other huts with the addition of guards placed at the front. They all walked into the hut, which seemed to be shaped like all the others. One circular room with only one exit, the sun was beginning to set in the sky. The guards slid a giant wooden door in front of the exit sealing them in. Green and brown leaves littered the floor like it was a natural carpet. Terry knew that if they were to have any chance of surviving they would need to escape this hut and get off this island. However she would need to take it one step at a time.