Ava had always wanted to visit Africa. She had been drawn to the country since she first saw pictures of it as a child. Growing up in rainy England, a vast continent filled with sun was irresistible. The people were so different from her too. Her petite 5'2" frame, pale skin, strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes was in stark contrast to their long and lanky frames with coal dark skin. The way of life there was so different from her own privileged life in England that she chose to study cultural anthropology when she entered university.
Just following her second year of university, her professor approached her with an opportunity that she couldn't refuse...to join a research expedition deep into the African continent. She would be an unpaid intern and required to work long days, but the experience would be invaluable. She joined up without a second thought.
Three days after her 20th birthday, she set foot on the African continent, the place that had lured her for years, for the first time. The city couldn't be more different than the formal, stately streets in London. Sellers lined the roads in makeshift stalls, yelling out their wares. Elderly women huddled around small burners cooking street food and tossing their refuse into the gutters. Exotic smells filled the air and Ava was hooked. She loved how it filled her senses. The colors, the smells were overpowering.
Her professor hurried them along to meet their guide, Bonte. Bonte was hired to arrange their transport into the jungle, and to help them if they needed any local permissions while doing field work. Their goal was to meet with a few of the more isolated jungle tribes, if possible, and to map out the areas they called home. It wouldn't be an easy journey, but Bonte was the best person for the job.
It took six hours of cramped riding in the back of the jeep along with their equipment to reach the first village. The roads were little better than rutted dirt track once you got off the main road and Ava knew it was only going to get worse from here. Her back already ached from bumping up and down while trying to keep all their bags from crushing her too. They were going to spend the night here before leaving early in the morning for an even remoter location.
The village locals fed the crew a hearty meal. Bonte described what was in each dish, but after hearing descriptions of goats innards, Ava stopped listening and decided it was best not to know what was in each delicious bowl. After eating their fill, drinking the local alcohol, and watching the village dancers dance around the dying fire, the crew decided to turn in for the night.
Ava retreated to her clay walled, tin-roofed room. The window was uncovered and let in the bugs, but at least she had a mosquito net to protect her through the night. She tucked it tightly around her bed and drifted off to sleep.
Morning came quickly and just after dawn, the crew of academics set off from the village. There were no roads where they were going. The jeep was left in the village, they would reunite with it after they were done their time in the jungle. Everything was loaded into a few large boats and Ava shakily climbed on board the craft that would take them further up the river.
The first two days of travel flew by in sweltering heat broken only when the lazy bends in the river brought them under the thick canopy of the trees. The slow moving river barely rocked their boats as they slowly made their way upstream. The modern world Ava had come from slipped further and further away as the little motorboats zoomed along the murky water. For days, Ava scanned the banks of the river, hoping to see some of the tribes they had come to find, but had no luck.
By the third day, Ava had stopped scanning the river banks and instead allowed the gently rocking boat to lull her to sleep. Nights of sleeping in tents on the hard riverbank had taken their toll and she was exhausted. A change in the boat's motor sound woke her and she quickly realized they were heading for the bank. The sun directly above them told her it was time for lunch, one of the only things that broke the monotonous days of boat riding.
The two boats pulled onto the riverbank together, anchored by ropes to some trees. Lunch was quickly eaten and the professor was eager to get on the way, if they got far enough tonight, by tomorrow they should come into contact with the first tribe. The professor and most of the team jumped into the first boat and went on a head, leaving Bonte and Ava to clean up with lunch site before following.
As Bonte motioned for her to get back onto the boat, they heard a rustling in the jungle and both froze. Bonte scanned the bush trying to see any animals that could be readying to attack them, his hand slowly reaching for the machete he kept strapped to the side of the boat.
"GET DOWN!" He yelled and in a flash lunged for his weapon. She saw him turn with the machete in his hand just as something hit his neck. His hand went up to touch the projectile and he quickly fell to the ground, his machete falling uselessly beside him.
Panic rose in Ava as she scanned the jungle. She couldn't see anyone, but someone was out there, watching her, preparing to attack her. She slowly backed towards the boat, hoping she could get there and maybe use its thick sides as protection from the hidden attackers.
Four steps away from the muddy river, she felt something prick the front of her thigh. She looked down and saw a black colored dart about four inches long. It hadn't gone very deep into her flesh and she easily pulled it out with a shaking hand. But the damage had already been done, the dart's had been tipped with a sedative. Her vision was blurry and she fell to her knees. Before consciousness left her she saw three men emerge from the thick leaves. They were tall, dark and wore only a cloth around their waists fashioned into a pair of knotted shorts. The last thing she saw was their gleaming white teeth and eyes as they stood over her before the darkness closed in.
She felt warm. Her whole front side felt hot. Ava's eyelids were still too heavy to open, so she concentrated on what she could feel. She was swaying slightly, evenly, side to side. It felt like someone was carrying her on their back. The warmth that burned through her thin shirt was their body heat. She opened her eyes and found herself looking at the shoulder of her carrier, a very black and bare shoulder.
Fighting the effects of the dart, she groggily struggled against the arms that wrapped around her knees and supported her. Her captor laughed, took a few more steps, and dropped her unceremoniously to the ground.
Ava landed on the ground and lost her breath. She lay looking up at the cloudless blue sky for a moment, then pushed herself up with her hands. She was in the middle of a camp, circled by round, grass huts. A few dozen nearly naked men and women closed in around her.
She looked around in panic, looking for an escape. In front of her was the largest hut, and at its entrance, an older man. He seemed to be about 60 years old judging from the gray hair and wrinkles on his face. He was dressed like the others, naked to the waist and cloth covering his hips. His face, chest and arms were covered with an intricate pattern of raised bumps. Colorful beaded necklaces hung around his neck and bracelets circled his wrists, ankles and upper arms. She felt the power from him.
