Dominant Species
Issue #17
by Tom Zjaba
Chapter 19
The Great Escape
On the beach, the Chief has everyone working. The sun has risen and the men have shaken off the effects of the night before. Some of the men are still feeling the effects of too much alcohol, but knowing the severity of the situation, they are willing to shrug it off and get to work. The men are broken into three groups, all working on different projects. The first group are working on a new boat. They are building it right on the beach, in plain sight. The second group are also working on a boat, only this one is done with the jungle covering it. It is smaller than the first boat. The first boat is a decoy to get the Amazon ships into the harbor, so they can sink them. They are hoping that once it nears completion, the Amazons will sail in to sink it. For this, the Chief has a third group working on cutting down trees and sharpening one end. So far, they have two trees cut down and are in the process of turning them into giant spears. Despite the short time they have invested in the projects, they are coming along very well. With some luck, they will be able to complete them before being attacked. The chief watches everyone working hard and smiles. He tries to look positive on the outside, but he knows the whole plan relies on Scott and Derrick coming back. This is the part that worries him. He has no way of knowing if or when they are coming back. He has to hope that their sense of duty is greater than their primal urges. Remembering what he was like as a teenager, is what scares him the most. He doubts that he would have done the right thing, given their circumstance.
The next day, Scott and Derrick are once again taken from their rooms and brought to the baths. But this time, there are no other women there, just the guards who brought them. They are forced into the bath by spear point as the guards insult them. "Little men, you must wash your filthy bodies." The guards throw shredded pieces of clothing and used bars of soap to wash with. "Remove your clothes and get into the water." the female guards say with their spears pointed right at them. They reluctantly strip their clothes and climb into the hot water. Unlike the previous day, the guards do not leave. Instead they stay and watch the men bathe. While the guards do not know what went on in the bath the previous day, they do know that there is different vibe in the city. There is a feeling in the air that they cannot explain, but they know it is not good. So the guards want to try and nip it in the bud. If they keep their eyes on the prisoners as much as possible, they hope to keep any problems from arising. That is why they cleared the bath first and then brought in the prisoners and made sure to keep an eye on them. It is mandatory for the men to bathe thoroughly after each sexual encounter, to limit the spread of any diseases. Scott and Derrick keep looking up at the guards as they wash themselves off. It is very uncomfortable to have women with spears watching you. The thought of escaping intrigues them, but right now the thought of another night of pleasure is enough to deal with the humiliation.
As the night comes, the men on the beach finally give up work and settle down for a well deserved meal. They ate fruit and dried fish during the day and worked even when their muscles ached. It was their desire to get out of this situation that kept them working to the point of exhaustion. Only the fading sunlight halted their progress and allowed them to get the much needed rest their bodies craved. The chief is impressed with the amount of work they completed in the first day. The decoy ship is showing signs of being a ship. It looks more like a skeleton of a ship, but the shape is distinctly of a ship. The real ship has progressed even further and they may be able to start adding planks to the frame. The third group has cut down four trees and fashioned them into large spears. They all gather around the fire on the beach and watch as the giant pig they caught is being roasted. Bearslayer looks around the fire and thinks that if it wasn't for the Amazons, this would be a nice place to live. The weather is nice and there is an abundance of food. The trees are full of fruit and nuts. The water is teeming with fish, crabs and other edible creatures. And the jungle has an abundance of wildlife, including wild pig, deer, monkeys and a large variety of birds and reptiles. Excluding the Amazons, there has been no signs of any real dangerous creatures. That alone is a rarity in this world.
The chief is talking with the leader of the men they found on the beach. The man's name is Darr and he is more the voice for the group than its leader. With their tribe in turmoil, he has stepped up and tried to lead the men the best he could. But with all the problems the faced in the past year, he hopes that it will soon be over. "We made good progress today. I feel better about our chances." the chief says as he drinks some water. "Things look better, but we still have long way to go." Darr replies as he also takes a drink. "We had a saying in the old world that every journey begins with a single step." the chief adds. Darr thinks about the saying. Being younger than the chief and never knowing the old world, he is unfamiliar with the saying. Like most humans in this world, the old world is a story that is handed down from generation to generation. The story is usually about a place with few worries and where man ruled. It is a place where you could sleep in peace at night. There are tales of technology that no longer exists on this world. Boxes that projected images and devices that could pull voices out of the air. These stories always amuse the younger generation. They do not doubt them as they have seen their share of wondrous things. Things that would amaze and astonish people of the old world. The two men just smile and enjoy their drink of cool water.
Scott sits in his room, staring at the walls. He wonders if they will take him to another girl tonight. He thinks about the girl he was with the previous night and smiles. The smell of her hair, the color of her eyes, the feel of her skin, he thinks about all the things he liked about her. She was his first and it was special. He wonders if he will ever see her again. He hopes so as he really did like her. While a meaningful relationship is out of the question, given the situation, he cannot help but want to spend more time with her. But right now, he can only hope that the next time they take him to mate, it is the same girl.
The sound of locks being undone is heard outside his door. Scott stands up, knowing the guards will be in the room. Once the final lock is done, the door swings open and once again, the guards rush into the room, with their spears ready. "Come on little man, time to do your duty." they say as they stick the spears in his face as one of the guards walks behind and ties his hands with a strong rope. They then lead him out to their chariot, pushing him forward with force. As they reach the chariot, Scott is pushed into the chariot and knocked to the floor. The guard then takes her foot and pushes him down, forcing his face into the floor of the chariot. The driver then whips the terror birds, making them pull the chariot away in a hurry.
Derrick is also treated in a similar manner as he is herded to his appointment. As he nears the house where he was the night before, a smile cracks over his face. How can he not like the idea of having a girl tied up that he can do with as he pleases. The guard looks down and sees him smiling and kicks him in the face. "Wipe that smile off your face, you disgusting man." Knowing he cannot be hurt, Derrick replies "Don't worry, I will make sure to take care of you after I am done." She takes the blunt end of the spear and knock it upside his head. "I will cut off your manhood and feed it to you, if you ever talk to me like that again." Not wanting to ruin things, he decides it is best if he keeps quiet and not escalate the situation.
Scott is pushed back into the house where he was the night before. He hears the sound of the doors locking, behind him. He looks over at the bed in the corner, wondering who will be there tonight. To his amazement, he sees Ashley tied up again. He rushes over and says "Ashley, I am so glad to see you." A smile comes over her face. "Scott, I hoped it was you, but I feared it would be your friend." He quickly unties her and hugs her. "I am so glad to see you. I could not quit thinking about you." She hugs him back as she replies "You also filled my thoughts." They then look into each other's eyes as they smile at each other. She then turns her head to kiss him and he instinctively turns his. They kiss for a few minutes, enjoying the closeness. As they break their embrace, she looks at him and says "I want to do something for you." Scott is puzzled, but asks "You don't have to do anything. Just being with you is all I need." She smiles and kisses him quickly on the lips. "But I want to. An older woman told me that men like this and it is a way to show I love you." He smiles as he says "I love you too." She then gets down on her knees and proceeds to take off his pants. "What are you doing?" he asks as he is unsure what is going on. "She said it is the gift that every man wants." She then proceeds to orally pleasure him. Scott, never having experienced anything like it, is completely caught up in the moment. He looks down at her as she does her best to pleasure him. She only had crude training and is doing the best she can to make Scott happy. He has no complaints as it is the single best moment of his life. He has heard about oral sex, but until now, he could only imagine what it felt like. Little did he know how great it felt and how much more he loved her.
As she pleasures him, two women watch from small peep holes that were made in the far wall. The guards will use these holes to insure the girls are not too abused. Some of the men who have been captured are prone to be violent and will beat the girls. In these cases, they will rush in and save the girls and subdue the men. But when they watched yesterday and saw how Scott did not rape her, but was kind and gentle with her, they went to the queen to tell her of their findings. She insisted that they be put together a second night and for her to watch. She wanted to nip this in the bud before it got out to the rest of the Amazons. As she watches the two of them, she bites her lip in anger. It is enough if a man forces a woman to orally pleasure him, but for her to do it willingly is unacceptable. She knows that she must punish both of them for this and find out how it started and why. The last thing she wants is for all her hard work to come undone. It is vitally important that men remain the enemy. This is the rallying cry that unites the women.
As Scott is being taken away, he smiles at Ashley, who in turn smiles back at him. But that soon ends as he is once again bound and tossed into the chariot. They also push him to the floor and the guard's foot holds his face down. What he does not see is that as soon as he is out of sight, the guards grab Ashley and tie her up and take her away as well. "What is going on?" she asks as they force her hands behind her back and bind her wrists. "The queen wants to speak with you, traitor." the guard says as she forcefully pushes her into the chariot. Ashley is confused. Why are they treating her this way? Tears begin to roll down her face as she worries about meeting with the queen. While she has seen the queen many times, she has never actually spoken with her. There are many stories about how cruel she can be and Ashley is afraid they may be true.
After Derrick is rounded up, the guards take both men to the palace to see the queen. As the chariots pull in front of the palace, more guards come out to subdue the men. Once again, they are tied to poles and carried in like dead animals from a hunt. Scott looks out and sees a chariot pulling up with Ashley in it. He sees that she is bound like a prisoner and his heart sinks. "Scott, I'm so sorry." she yells out as she sees him tied to the pole. The guard slaps her across the face, yelling out "Shut your mouth. There is no talking to the prisoners." Anger fills Scott as he watches the harsh treatment from the guards. Still wearing the giant strength belt, he stops holding back and snaps the ropes like they were made of paper. With his hands free, he grabs the pole and then pulls his legs apart, snapping the rope and freeing his legs. He the drops to the ground as the guards drop the pole and reach for their spears. He glares at the chariot with Ashley in it and runs towards it. Two guards rush over and block his path. "Out of my way." he growls at them with a pissed off look on his face. "Take one more step and we will run you through like the pig you are." one of the guards yells back as she points her spear right at him. "Go ahead and try." he yells back at them, daring them to try. "Scott, please stop." Ashley yells out, knowing the guard will strike her again. And as expected, the guard once again strikes her. "Hold your tongue or lose it." she says as she backhands her again. Ashley cries out in pain as blood trickles out the side of her mouth. Scott rushes forward with the guards stabbing their spears into his chest. They are quickly shocked when they realize the spears will not penetrate his skin. Before they can try again, he rushes forward and knocks them over, pushing them to the ground with the palms of his hand. He then rushes towards the chariot as the guard climbs out to meet him. As he runs at her, she throws her spear at him. It is a direct hit to his chest, but once again, it harmlessly bounces off. "Now it is my turn." he says as he runs right at her. She pulls her dagger out and charges at him. As the two clash, she tries to stab him in the neck as he grabs her and lifts her off the ground. He then tosses her across the road and right into the side of the palace, where she hits with a sickening thud as she falls to the ground. Scott then quickly unties Ashley as the guards rush at them. Seeing more guards rushing out of the palace, he puts her in the chariot and cracks the reins and sends the Terror Birds rushing up the stairs towards the palace. "Duck down Ashley, you can be hurt." She looks up at him with bewilderment in her eyes. "What manner of man are you that cannot be hurt and has the strength of many men?" He smiles at her and says "It is a long story."
With Derrick still tied up, Scott charges towards him. The guards drop him and head to stop him. With their backs turned, Derrick easily uses his thieving abilities to untie himself. Within seconds, he is free and on his feet. This does not stop Scott, who runs the chariot right at the guards, who dive out of the way of the charging birds. With them out of the way, Derrick runs over and jumps into the chariot. Scott looks at him and says "Say hello to my girlfriend, Ashley." Derrick smiles at her and says "Hello, glad to meet you." She smiles at him but it is a forced smile as she is still scared and confused. With the pleasantries out of the way, Scott turns the chariot and heads out of the city.
Word quickly spreads to the queen about the escape. She is infuriated at the thought that mere boys have bested her best guards. The captain of the guards faces the queen with her head bowed in shame. "Tell me how two boys, not men but boys could best my elite guards and take off with one of my subjects?" The guard tries not to make eye contact as she is scared for her life. The queen is for the most part, a benevolent ruler. But she does have a terrible temper and when someone sets it off, beware as heads are about to roll. "I am sorry my queen, but they were not normal boys. They could not be harmed by weapons and one of them had the strength of many men." The queen thinks for a moment as she absorbs this news. "If they were as strong as you say, then why did they allow us to capture them? And why did they not escape sooner?" The captain of the guards replies "Perhaps they are spies. Maybe this was all a trick for them to collect data." The queen thinks about it. The boys were out in the open and their capture was quite easy. But why did they blow their cover? "Tell me captain, what set them off? Why did they all of sudden decide to break free? The guard looks back down as she does not want to tell the queen, but she knows that she must. "One of my guards hit the girl and it upset the boy." An upset look came over the queen's face. "Did I not give explicit directions to bring all of them to the palace, unharmed?" The guard looks down as she answers "Yes, my queen. But one of my guards lost her cool and slapped her." The queen takes her hand and grabs the guard's face and lifts it up to her own. "Bring me the guard who slapped the girl, immediately." She then lets go of the guard's face. As she leaves the queen turns to one of her guards and says "Send me the guard who is second in command."
Scott is making the Terror Birds run as fast as possible as he rushes towards the main gates. He knows they will meet resistance there, but right now he is ready to battle a dragon if it means saving his girl. As he rides towards the gate, he sees there are eight guards blocking the path. They all have bows and arrows and they are aimed at them. He does not care and urges the birds forward. The leader of the guards at the gate yells out "Aim for the birds. Ready. Aim. Fire!" With that, a volley of arrows flies through the air and strike the birds. Within seconds, the birds are stuck with seven arrows, some hitting in vital spots like the throat and chest. The birds scream out in pain and try to break free from their reins. Before they can escape, a second volley of arrows finishes the job, killing the birds, who fall to the ground and struggle to stay alive. "Give up now or the next volley will strike you down." the leader yells out. Scott jumps out of the chariot and goes over and breaks the leather reins that hold the birds to the chariot. He then grabs one of the large birds and lifts it over his head. The archers send another volley of arrows at him, many striking him. They have no effect as they bounce off him as if they were toy arrows. He tosses the bird at them, sending them fleeing. The bird smashes down, pinning two of the women under its massive weight. Scott then grabs the other bird and throws it at the main guard tower, hitting it and knocking it over. The archer in the tower screams as she heads towards the ground. Scott then grabs the front of the chariot and starts to pull it towards the main gate. As he nears the gate, he sees some of the archers aiming at him. He looks at the chariot and starts to chant a spell. He waves his hands and out comes what looks like a large bubble. It goes over and encompasses the chariot and creates a barrier around it. He then heads over to the main gate and grabs it with his two hands. He struggles for a moment and then rips it off its hinges. He struggles with the massive gate, but is able to tear it off and tosses it aside. With the gate out of the way, he grabs the remains of the reins and pulls the chariot out the main gate and down towards the beach.
The second in command comes in to see the queen. "You called for me, my queen?" she says as she bows to her. "I am appointing you the new captain of the guards. Your first job is to assemble the troops and prepare for war." She looks up at the queen and asks "Thank you, my queen. But who are we going to war with?" The queen looks at her with an angry look on her face and says "I want every man by the lagoon to be killed and their heads brought to me. Understood?" She nods yes as she says "I will not fail you, my queen."
Dominant Species ©
2006 - 2008 Tom Zjaba