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CLARISSA AWOKE WITH a start, her hands numb. She tried to shift positions and then quickly realized she’d fallen asleep slumped over on the ground. Memories of the previous afternoon quickly came rushing back. Collecting water samples. Starting the hike back. The armed men. The camp full of terrorists.
Bile rose in the back of her throat and she shifted uncomfortably on the ground.
The grass she was sitting on was slightly damp, the camp was silent, and it was pitch black inside the tent. The metal pole was cold, and she gave a quick tug, hoping the ropes had somehow miraculously loosened.
Blinking in the darkness, she looked around.
How long had she been asleep for?
No one had come back as far as she knew. Moving her stiff legs, she squeaked as she kicked something. Her heart raced, and she fumbled on the ground, her hands moving across the Earth, and realized it was a plate. Leaning over, she sniffed and smelled food.
Her stomach rumbled.
It would be awkward to eat with her wrists bound together, but there was about two feet of rope between her and the pole, giving her a little bit of leeway to move. She could reach down and lift the food from the plate to her mouth.
What if they’d poisoned it? Or put drugs inside to knock her out? Which would be worse—being weak from hunger or tempting fate to try whatever they’d given her?
She shivered as she realized the food meant someone had come into the tent while she’d been sleeping. She looked around again, unable to tell where the opening was in the darkness. Was anyone inside here now, she wondered with horror?
She stilled but didn’t sense anyone else. She didn’t hear anyone breathing.
She was so tired, she’d been dead to the world. But they could’ve done anything to her while she slept here tied up and helpless. Tears smarted her eyes. She needed to escape. Night time was her best bet since most people would be sleeping. But how would she untie these ropes?
Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and she hastily swiped them away. She’d gain nothing by sitting here in the dark crying. She needed to be smart. To think. To come up with a plan to escape.
Reaching over, she felt the food on the plate again and lifted something to her mouth. It was a local fruit and sickeningly sweet—overripe. Her body needed fuel though. It didn’t taste rotten, just a day or two past its prime.
She took another bite, knowing she needed the nourishment. She was still dehydrated from their trek through the rainforest. She felt around on the ground again, but it didn’t seem like they’d left her any type of drink or water.
The only other thing on the plate was rice, and she slowly ate that as well, not wanting to upset her stomach if she ate too quickly.
Someone must have noticed that she and her guide never returned to their small camp. Would they notify the authorities? She assumed eventually they might, but being gone for a day probably wouldn’t cause too much alarm. For all they knew, she could’ve camped somewhere for a night. She’d been with her guide after all, not alone in the jungle.
She paused, food halfway to her mouth, wondering what had happened to him.
She assumed he was dead. Had they gotten rid of the body or left it there for someone to stumble upon? The reality was, whoever found it might not even care. Other unsavory types were all over the place. Part of the reason she’d needed a guide was for her protection.
She finished eating as exhaustion began to overtake her again. Her stomach was full for the moment. She pulled on the pole again, wondering if she could somehow dig it up. It hadn’t budged at all, and she wondered how deeply they’d dug it.
Yawning, she decided to close her eyes for a little while.
Within moments, she’d once again surrendered to sleep.
***
FOOTSTEPS CAUSED HER to jolt awake the next morning, and an armed man suddenly burst into the tent. He stood in the opening, the bright sunlight streaming in behind him. He looked at her appraisingly for a moment but then took a step closer.
Clarissa scrambled to sit up, wincing when the ropes bit into her wrists. She moved as far away from him as possible, which didn’t mean much in the confines of the small tent.
This was a different man than the ones she was with yesterday. He was slightly older but still had the dark hair and beard of the others. His nose looked like it had been broken in the past and was slightly crooked, as if it hadn’t properly healed.
What concerned her most was the spark of interest and amusement in his dark eyes.
“You are the American,” he said with a low chuckle in a heavily accented voice.
She stared at him, not answering
“An American woman. You are worth a lot of money to us,” he said. “Money that I deserve and am owed. It was quite fortunate that we found you yesterday.”
“What do you want from me?” she asked, hating the tremor in her voice.
“You are my prisoner,” he said, his eyes gleaming. “I can do whatever I want with you. Use you however I want.”
His gaze raked over her body, and she felt her stomach tighten. If this guy came at her, she had no way to fight him off. She was literally tied to a metal pole in the ground. He could rip her clothes off and rape her right here. Hurt her. No one would care if she screamed. No one would help her.
“You want money,” she said.
“Money for my trouble, yes,” he agreed. “My men found you in the jungle, brought you back to my camp. I have given you food and shelter.”
“I won’t cause any trouble,” she said.
He chuckled darkly. “No, you will not. You will be of great use to me, actually. I will be demanding a ransom for your release. A pretty American woman like you? Surely you have a boyfriend back home. A husband. Someone will pay greatly for your safe return.”
“I don’t—I’m not married.”
“Your family then. Your government may not be willing to negotiate for your release, but I know your family will.”
He reached into his pocket, and she cringed, feeling relief when he only took out his cell phone. “I’m going to take a video of you tied up in captivity. Tell them your name. Tell them that you are a prisoner here. I want the entire world to know what I’m capable of.”
“The entire world?” she asked, flabbergasted.
This guy was crazy. He was probably right though. If he posted a video of her online, tied up to a metal pole, news channels would pick it up. It would spread over the Internet. Even if she had no immediate family, her colleagues at the university would see. Would they be able to help her? To raise money to see to her release? She didn’t even know how much money he wanted.
He took a few pictures of her, causing her to jump in surprise at the sudden flash. Pressing a button on the screen, he held the phone up again. “Start talking!” he ordered. “I want a video of you telling the world your name.”
Clarissa swallowed nervously. “Hello. I’m Clarissa Rothschild. I’m a biologist collecting data and samples in the Colombian rainforest. Yesterday, I was taken from my guide. I’m being held hostage here in a camp nearby. I don’t know exactly where I am. Please help me.”
He cut off the video, looking at the footage on his phone. Before she could say anything, he turned and was walking back out of the tent.
“Wait! What’s going to happen to me?”
The tent flaps rustled behind him, but no one came back.
Blowing out a sigh, she sank to the ground again. Once again, she was completely and utterly alone.
