Captives - Volume 2

In the course of time to her dismay, the single garment available to cover her nakedness had rotted and come apart in shreds as if it had been attacked by mildew. Yet it was an artificial fibre that she had supposed must be immune to natural forces. Its loss left her as naked now as any primitive Australopithecine. But whether it was by Mutu’s efforts or not, they seemed to successfully avoid any part of the river used by powered vessels or even frequented by fishermen, and as the days went by with never a sight of another human being, Belinda gave up both the hope and the nervousness.
The pair camped at night, sometimes on an island, sometimes on the main shore. The dark green depths of the forest were full of horrors, leeches snakes, starving predators, stabbing thorns, and at night the vast multitude of mosquitoes. If Belinda was helpless prey for her black captor, both were helpless fugitives from the insect life, which now seemed to be thriving again, and multiplied tenfold as soon as darkness fell. She realised that here was another deterrent to escape. Naked and tender skinned, Belinda didn’t dare even to leave the shelter of the tent before dawn cleared the air. Their steady humming reminded her that she was trapped and drove her to distraction. The pair crammed into the little green tent together, master and slave, both under the one mosquito net, black and white limbs entwined, slippery with sweat, bodies adhering stickily together as Belinda dutifully performed whatever sexual service was required of her. The man seemed not to feel the little beasts as she did. He slept lightly despite his vigorous nightly exercise and didn’t take kindly to being woken by attempts to eliminate stray intruders. It forced Belinda to cower closely his side under the net in a mockery of connubial affection. In her desperation she sought to soften his treatment of her, but the first time she tried a timid advance of her own, he took her out of the tent, undid his belt and gave her a thrashing as if to make it clear who was to dominate.