Page 2 of Forever Bound

None of us would survive. We were all doomed.

And then.

Nothing.

I remember nothing after that moment until I woke up tied to this tree, freezing my ass off in the middle of a forest.

It was light when I first woke, though the sun had just begun to set. I was gagged and hanging limply from my restraints. Rope dug into the exposed flesh of my arms, wrists, and legs. My lips were pulled into a grotesque joker smile by the cloth shoved into my mouth and tied around my head, and something viscous dripped into my eyes, stinging them.

Given the pounding headache that had me nearly in tears, my guess was blood.

And when I tried to wiggle out of the restraints, I felt every cut, bruise and strain that falling seven miles in an airplane would inevitably cause. I pushed through the pain, struggling more fiercely, but not only did I make no progress in loosening the ropes, I rather unfortunately caught the attention of whom I suspected was the dude in charge.

Which is when it fully registered that I wasn’t alone.

The man standing before me was dressed in a similar fashion to the other men gathered, if not a little fancier. He wore dark baggy pants, a white shirt with intricate red embroidery that Yana had told me is an important tradition and art in Ukrainian culture, an embroidered vest, and a thick sash with fringed edges around his waist. His steel grey eyes were hard and his face impassive as he stared at me. He looked to be in his mid-60s and clearly commanded respect amongst the other villagers, who waited to see what he would do now that I was awake.

As details around me came into focus, the music that had drifted into my subconscious while I was passed out started back up again.

A small group of villagers began to play on string, percussion, and wind instruments that held hints of familiarity but weren't immediately recognizable. One guy looked like he was playing a guitar, but it had too many strings and the shape wasn't quite the same.

As the folksy music picked up, men and women gathered around a large bonfire and began to dance.

The women wore red tunics with matching aprons and open skirts underneath with white embroidered skirts below that. Their red leather boots matched their tunics, and they each sported headbands made of flowers and flowing ribbons. They made quite the sight as they spun, and I would have appreciated the beauty of this cultural moment if I wasn't… you know, tied to a tree and possibly bleeding to death.

I mean, I'm all about the authentic local experience when traveling, but this was a littletooauthentic.

So head honcho dude noticed I was trying to weasel my way out of this seriously shitty situation and proceeded to slap the left side of my face with a thin wooden rod.

What the actual f—

Another whap!

I could feel the gashes in my face oozing fresh blood, the pain exploding in waves. I was going to kick that man’s ass when I got out of this, I vowed.

But of course, I’m not Rambo, and I don’t have any supernatural abilities that I know of, so all my outrage in the world didn't save me.

Obviously, since here I am.

The man who assaulted my face spoke rapidly in Ukrainian, but I’m more fluent in Russian, and even that’s stretching things. Yana taught me the basics. I can say hello, goodbye, where's the bathroom, and make very basic conversation. I had a feeling I would need a hell of a lot more language skills than that to talk my way out of this, assuming I was ever allowed to speak again.

Oh gods, I could die without ever uttering another word.

What a strange thought.

What would my last words be if given the chance? I thought hard about this as the angry man screamed lustily at me, spittle flying from his lips, which sat in the middle of his face like a toad’s mouth surrounded by hair.

But I did catch a few words.

And they left me paralyzed with fear.

Sacrifice.

God.

Death.

Don't ask me how I know these words in Ukrainian and not basic shit like how to order coffee. It involved a night of heavy drinking and watchingGame of Throneswith Ukrainian subtitles.

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