The rain flooded down upon her head, sliding down her cheeks and mixing with the tears Helga hadn't even realized were spilling out. She wavered for a moment, blinded by the pain that throbbed behind her eyes, choking back the sob of grief that bubbled up from within her, nearly causing her to stumble and lose her footing.
Momentary determination filled her, refusing to let herself fall into the dangerous temptation of curling into a ball of wretchedness and weeping until she had no more tears left to shed.
They were close, so close behind her and she had zero time to think about anything except that she had to get the hell out of there.
Lightning lit up the shadowy darkness of the jungle, thunder booming only seconds later causing her to start at the echo that sounded so much like a gunshot.
She continued running, blinded by the foliage, the rain, and the tears. She had to get out of this. She had to find shelter. They were right behind her.
She could feel it.
Lighting struck again a short distance away, her heartbeat quickening at the crack of thunder, so much closer than it had been before, her feet nearly getting caught up in an exposed root that threatened to send her flying headfirst into the mud-slick ground.
Keep going. She had to keep going. Hide, hide hide.
Then, like a brilliant beacon shining in the darkness, she noticed a pale green light illuminated in the distance. She stopped, hesitating only for a moment, wondering if what she was seeing was nothing more than a figment of her overwrought imagination. But no. It seemed too real. She ran faster towards it, hoping that whoever the light belonged to was friendly. She couldn't think much more beyond that as the rain intensified, drenching her ratty clothes and soaking her to the bone.
She burst through the thick bushes and fought back the terror that filled her as she lost sight of the light.
Where did it go? It should be here!
A quick turn to her right and she saw it. There! Coming from the temple they had passed a couple of days ago. She pushed her faltering leg muscles even faster because even though she could no longer hear the pirates screaming after her, the urgency to put as much distance between her and them was overwhelming.
Reaching the temple, she scrambled up the stone steps, slick with water that had puddled in the ancient grooves, almost slipping twice. Hell, she may have slipped a few times if the sharp ache in her knee was any indication. But she only felt it when she finally reached the top, stumbled into the interior, and collapsed, panting heavily on the stone floor. She could feel her heart beating frantically inside her chest as she desperately tried to regain her lost breath.
It hurt to breathe and she didn't think she could move but she had to. She couldn't rest yet, she couldn't allow herself to break and fall apart when there was still so much on the line.
She didn't know how long she laid there, tears continuing to slip down her hot, wet face, but her breathing finally leveled out and she forced herself to stand and seek refuge further inside.
Her skin still crawled with adrenalin and her heart still beat with unbridled terror, but she tried to calm herself enough and push away her dark, swirling, agonizing emotions because she needed to think straight in order to survive.
Dragging her hand across hand chiselled stone, trembling on unsteady legs, Helga began to prioritize her movements and actions. It had been some time since seeking shelter in the temple and even with the sound of the storm raging against the ancient building impairing her hearing, she knew she hadn't been followed. If she had, she'd already be dead.
Thankful for the solid roof over her head, she shucked her top layer, knowing that she had to get out of the wet clothes. It may be warm now, but who knew how long the storm would last. And even though the pirates were still out there, hunting her; there was no way anyone would survive for long out in that weather without catching something. Or falling and breaking their necks.
Lightning lit up the interior of the chamber she had taken cover in and the rumble of thunder so close it caused the floor she was standing on to tremble, causing her to flinch in fright, her hands shaking while she squeezed out as much water from her hair as possible. She hated thunder and exhaustion was pulling at her as the adrenalin that had been pumping through her veins for the last two hours started to wane.
Peering further into the darkened chamber, she could see water puddling on the floor and focused on removing the water from her top while attempting to walk at the same time, heavily relying on the wall for support.
When they had passed by this place before with her wrists tied together not long before, it hadn't appeared to be very big. Inside, however, with the little light that was left from the descending sun, it looked a lot bigger than she had initially thought, her exploration revealing a darkened hall leading deeper into the temple.
But now was not the time to investigate, she was unable to see further down the passage and who knew what creatures were calling it home. Not that she could force herself to edge more into the darkened unknown for better concealment anyway, she was barely holding herself upright, resisting the strong urge to slide to the floor and allow her agonized emotions to consume her.
Just as she was about to give in, choking back her grief, she gasped in realization.
The light. Where had it come from and where was it now?
Her battered heart clenched in terror as she froze, listening for any voices or anything to indicate that she was not alone.
But there was nothing, only the sound of the water dripping off of her and the storm raging outside.
Cautiously, she turned towards the entrance, straining her eyes to make out any sign that there was anything or anyone out there.
Still, nothing.
She rubbed her eyes and face as she forced her tense, aching muscles to relax, dropping her top and satchel. It had to be paranoia, making her see things that weren't there.
Obviously her primal need for survival had recognized the area and led her right to this temple. Frankly, she was too exhausted, both emotionally and physically to think about vanishing green lights.
Her eyes burned from the rain and tears, her heart felt like a weighted lead, her clothes were heavy with water and her feet were throbbing. She had to get out of her boots. Bending over, she untied them, kicking them off along with her socks.
Her tired, agonized brain fought against a total and complete shutdown as she shoved away the black tendrils of guilt and grief and focused her waning energy on a plan of action.
She would wait out the storm here and leave as soon as she could. She had to get back to town as soon as possible and she had no idea how to even get there. Hopefully she'd be able to find the trail...but now was not the time to worry about it.
She rightened herself, her battered body too restless and anxious to just sit. Darkness suddenly enveloped her as the sun vanished from the horizon and the storm intensified. Her arms wrapped around her damp shoulders, fighting off her violent shivers as she let her eyes adjust to the dim light. To help, she closed them.
And that's when she saw him, in her mind's eye, sitting in the middle of the makeshift tent, arms tied behind his back around a post. The look of panic on his dirt-smudged face would be forever etched in her memory, and coward that she was, she had just left him there after her escape, not able to even...
Her heart clenched as a sob wracked her body, but only once, before she swallowed the rest. She could not break down or give into her heart-wrenching misery. She would not. It would only waste energy that she didn't have and she couldn't dwell on the what-ifs. The only thing she could do was focus on the present. Unfortunately there were too many factors and unknowns, but she could control her actions right now and all she could do was rest and get her ass moving at first light.
Her heart throbbed, but she squared her shoulders as she moved away from the wall just enough to roll them back, making some sort of an attempt to relieve the tension. She needed to prepare herself for a hard night on the floor and the monumental task of falling asleep, even though every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Arnold's agonized face.
Her breath chilled in her lungs when out of nowhere something hard jabbed into the center of her back. A sound that was too much like the cocking gun echoed around the room.
"Alto." His voice was deep and gruff and there was no mistaking the thickly laced threat. Her heart leapt into her throat, not daring to move, just as she was ordered. Panic seized her, freezing her limbs in place.
Dammit! Why did she have to take off her boots? Just when she thought that she had been free of these-
"Por favor," her voice cracked and she licked her surprisingly dry lips. The barrel of the gun pressed harder into her back and she resisted a whimper. She had to get out of this, exhausted or not. She cleared her throat and swallowed thickly, trying to keep her voice from trembling. Hopefully he was alone and she could overtake him by using the darkness as her ally. "Miras la tempestad. Solo estoy escondi-" She stopped when a hand roughly grabbed her upper arm and spun her around.
Her eyes widened as her heart leapt in her chest, pumping frantically in terror. She was going to die. She knew it.
Gathering herself she shoved aside her fear and gripped the small flicker of anger that was buried so deep beneath her riotous emotions that she hadn't even realized it was there.
She wasn't going down without one hell of a fight. She was the only one left. She had to get back to town and let everyone know what had happened, and where they had been taken... If she died now, a bullet taking her life like the one that had taken Arnold's, then no one would be able to stop the pirates from achieving their despicable goal.
(AN): This was originally written for Shortaki Week 2016. That obviously didn't happen in terms of completion...so here we go, here we go, LOL. This was originally going to be a 7 chapter story that may end up around 10. I'm not sure yet...who knows...?
Thank you so much to Darkunderwold for you have done to help me with this story!