by Kendra Riley
“What are you doing?” she asked him.
“Having fun,” he said, before dipping below her.
She gasped as he began to lick her clit, and she felt herself shudder, an involuntary shudder with moans she couldn’t control. Her back arched as he sucked and teased her, and she held onto his hair, gripping it for some semblance of control. He didn’t stop, and it seemed like he wouldn’t stop. Her heat was throbbing, and she could hear him lick every inch of her.
“I wish you could scream,” he rasped, moving back up and sliding himself into her. He slowly thrust himself into her, and all she could do was moan as quietly as she could.
Chapter11
Zac had awoken up early that day, earlier than most. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but there he was, looking around the small tent, listening to the faint snores of one park ranger, while Sara slept quietly near him. Their trek had been a long one on their second day in Kakadu, something that she probably had never tried before, but she said nothing, obviously determined to please her ego and not make it seem like she was too much of a city girl.
He normally slept like a baby, but today felt different, and he didn’t quite like the feeling. He got out of the tent, and saw Danny already awake, making coffee.
“Fancy a cuppa?” Danny asked him.
“That’d be great,” Zac said.
“Here,” Danny told him, tossing him a packet of instant coffee.
Zac laughed. “Thanks, mate.”
“You’re up early,” Danny remarked.
“Just one of those mornings.”
“Something bad in your bones?”
Zac shook his head. “I don’t want to admit it, but yeah, I am feeling funny about today.”
“Funny is not a funny word.”
More than fifteen years ago, Zac woke up early as well, way ahead of the family, only to discover his mother was dying. He didn’t cope well with that kind of emotional turmoil, he knew. Danny knew about it, just a little, even if he wasn’t there with him as a child.
“Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll manage.”
“Just one of those days. Call me if you run into some trouble, yeah?”
Zac laughed. “Satellite phones are in order.”
Moments later, the rest of the team got up, Sara being among the last to get out from the tent. Their breakfast was simple fare, and Tim Tam biscuits were in order for immediate nutrition, courtesy of Danny.
“Isn’t this unhealthy?” Sara asked Zac later as he handed her one.
“You mean it’s delicious and full of sugar and energy?” he told her. “Keep it, god knows you’ll need it.”
“So let me get this straight, we’re hiking up to where?”
“We’re taking a boat to minimize the hike,” he told her. “The bigger the boat, the less chance of a croc attacking it.”
She nodded, concern flashing in her eyes.
“Relax, it’s nothing. They’ve done this loads of times. I’ve done it more than five times in my life.”
“Sounds like a lot of room for expertise. You got a PhD in that?”
“Master’s, more likely. Oh, and have you seen aboriginal art?”
“The ones in the museums, yes.”
“I meant carved or drawn on the walls, which are at least a few thousand years old.”
“Never,” she admitted.
“It’s your lucky day. Part of the trek. Solomon is taking us,” he said, referring to their aboriginal ranger/guide.
She smiled at him. “Alright, let’s get that luck rolling then.”
*
They were heading south, she was told, and she couldn’t quite differentiate where north and south was in the park. The park was humongous, seven thousand plus square miles of nature and wildlife. Seven thousand miles with minimal modern comforts. She took it with stride at first, but the effects of heat and humidity began to take its toll on her.
Still, she said nothing, but Zac apparently sensed this, which was why he lugged around a large cooler filled with water. He gave her a bottle and then another just a mere thirty minutes apart. And she realized he was doing this so she wouldn’t get dehydrated. She had thought she wouldn’t need one, but she did, and she thanked him.
They drifted past a tall rock, with its white paintings standing out against the red ochre rock formation. She stared at it in amazement, and then she realized she was supposed to take pictures. She started snapping away, and Zac chuckled, amused by her reaction.
“What? You did tell me these are thousands of years old,” she said defensively.
“I’m just glad you’re enjoying this, and you’re treating this as something fun.”
“It’s just part of work.”
“You’re not going to die if you choose to have a lot of fun. Right, Solomon?”
“Right,” Solomon grinned. “So, Miss Wright, your first time here?”
“Yes,” she said. “How long have you been here?”
“My tribe says five hundred years. I say forty,” he replied with a laugh.
“Oh, those are pretty waterfalls,” Sara suddenly said, pointing across them. She hadn’t heard the roar of the water from afar, but she did hear the rumble of thunder across the horizon. “Is it going to rain anytime soon?” she asked, worried that it was going to dampen their chances of seeing more of the park, apart from its animals.
“Looks like it,” the other ranger said. He radioed for basecamp, signaling a storm approaching. “Today’s the start of monsoon season, apparently,” he added. “Is it your lucky day or what?”
“We’ll be fine,” Zac quickly said to her.
She nodded, not wanting to believe him. They were too far out to go back; it was either they dock or they wait it out in the water.
“Any salties around here, Solomon?” Zac asked.
“A few. Not too far out here. But it is mating season, so best not risk it.”
She forced a smile, her eyes lingering on the clouds above them. It didn’t take too long before rain drops began to fall on the tarpaulin roof of the boat, and the longer the rain went on, the louder the waterfall became. What used to be a calm river quickly swelled into a torrent, and the raindrops became the size of pebbles, hitting what thin roof they had over their heads.
“Best we get a move on,” Solomon muttered.
The boatman nodded, his eyes set to berth on the shoreline that was becoming hazy from the rain. Sara took another deep breath, disliking the fact that they were hundreds of yards away from the nearest land mass. She couldn’t look at Zac, and she kept the growing anxiety to herself.
Wham! Something hit the boat, and it rocked them back and forth, sending the two rangers, and the boatman overboard, and into the churning waters. Sara screamed, and Zac quickly hurled himself towards her, to keep her from falling over. They landed on the floor, quickly scooting up.
They were now in ankle deep water—the boat was taking in water! Sara gasped, and looked at Zac’s eyes. Zac quickly ran for the bridge, throwing four life vests into the water, and then holding onto the steering wheel and throttle, pulling it back with all his might.
“Zac!” she screamed, not knowing what to do. She wildly looked around for the rangers and the boatman, but with the tide and the rain, there was nearly zero visibility. “Solomon! Pete!” she cried out.
“Hold on!” he shouted through the din of the water rushing around them. “Hold onto something!”
Sara gripped onto the railings tightly, not knowing where they were headed. She saw Zac tense up, and his eyes strained through the downpour. There was another loud crash, and they lurched forward, Sara hitting her head on a seat, and Zac sliding down close to her. Without another word, he quickly grabbed a backpack and a long black bag, holding onto Sara’s arm.
“Get out of the boat,” he shouted to her. “Get out of the boat!”
This was really happening! Sara’s breathing came in gasps as she forced herself out of the boat, surprised she had stepped on firm ground. She looked arou
nd and saw sparse trees—well they seemed like trees—and nothing else. Where were they? The light from the boat began to fade.
“Zac, what happened?” she cried, afraid to take a step, afraid to fall into water.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said grimly. His eyes trailed the water once more, its once placid surface now riddled with ripples and the hail of water from the skies.
“Solomon! Pete!” she cried out again.
“Save your energy for later,” Zac told her. “We have to wait until the rain stops.” Zac stood watch as Sara found herself collapsing on the ground, unable to believe that they were marooned in the middle of nowhere. The rain didn’t stop until an hour later.
*
It was past seven in the evening, Zac thought, looking at his watch. It still worked somehow, despite the crack on its digital screen. They had gone through the emergency bag kept by the rangers, and they found a flare, a box of matches, a large weather-proof flashlight, a tiny first aid kit, some rope, a lock-back knife, and a single thermal blanket.
There was no food. Not even water.
“How are you holding up?” he asked her, dimming the flashlight significantly to save on power. “Hungry?”
She shook her head. She had been quiet for a while now, and he couldn’t blame her for it.
“Can we use the flare now?” she asked him suddenly.
He shook his head. “Seems like it might rain again. We’ll use this in the morning.”
She nodded.
“You cold?”
She nodded again.
He tossed her the thermal blanket. “Here, use this.”
“What about you?” she finally spoke up, something else that didn’t sound like panic.
“We’ll share later on, if the temperature really drops,” he assured her. He hoped that Solomon and Peter and the boat guy had made it to shore, or to anywhere that was safe. He had acted on instinct, and he knew he had to save Sara and himself and dock the boat somewhere that wasn’t in water. He didn’t know where they were, exactly, regretting that he hadn’t been able to save his phone, or a map of the park at least.
He had never been in this kind of situation before, and what training he had was a far cry from the actual scenario. Well, there goes boarding school, he thought.
“What hit us?” she asked him.
He shook his head. “I don’t know.” He didn’t want to say it, but it felt like a crocodile—a saltie, specifically. They had gone too near its territory, and it was mating season… was it really a crocodile? All those years in Kakadu, and this had to happen now?
He remembered feeling funny earlier, that warning. He should have heeded it and canceled the activities for the day. For what? He had no basis, apart from his gut feeling. Regrets come last, huh? He sat next to Sara as she huddled inside the thermal blanket. They were on top of some rock formation.
Surveying the islet earlier, he found out that the tide reached just right below where they were, which explained the sparse trees at the lower half of the islet. Just don’t rain, he prayed to no one in particular.
“Will they find us?” she asked him.
“We didn’t get to send a distress signal…” his voice trailed off. “Normally, if there aren’t any updates, searching begins eight hours later.”
“How many hours has it been?”
He didn’t want to lie to her. They had been here for three hours already, and he didn’t want her counting the minutes until they were saved, or until the tide rose too high on them. She was shivering still, and he couldn’t tell if it was out of the sudden drop in temperature or the anxiety kicking in.
Zac wanted to look calm and act calm, but he was beginning to find it difficult. He shone the flashlight’s beam on the water once more, scanning for any sign of life, human life, specifically. He paused at the right side of the islet. In the dark water were two glistening eyes…
Sara apparently saw this, and she gasped. Her breathing grew heavy. She was trying hard not to cry. “Oh god… there’s a croc…”
“It’s not going to hurt us,” Zac told her firmly. “We just have to stay out of the water for now.”
“The water’s rising, Zac.”
“I know.”
“I thought this was too far out for crocs… and the river and…” she stopped, realizing this was going to get her nowhere. “How many are there? They’re hiding underneath the water... oh god. What are we going to do?”
He was silent for a moment. “Nothing, for now.”
“Why? Why us? We didn’t do anything, we were just…” Sara bit her lower lip, squeezed her eyes shut, and then buried her face in her hands.
He knew she didn’t say anything more. This was the wild they were against, these were animals they couldn’t control, and this was a tide they couldn’t swim against. He heard the water rushing below them, and he shifted his feet. “Let’s move up,” he said to her.
She didn’t say anything, but she complied.
“I didn’t think I would die like this,” she said in a quiet voice, as soon as they settled down.
“We aren’t dying,” he told her. “We’re not dying here, you hear me? It might just take a hell of a lot of patience to wait this out.”
“Tell me you’re not worried.”
“I’m not worried,” he quickly said. Thunder began to sound off in the distance once more, and he stood up, trying to make do with the lightning that flashed across the skies. He strained his eyes to look around. All he could see were snippets of trees surrounding them. They were stuck in the middle of a small island, surrounded by the harsh wilderness of Kakadu and a river that rose every hour.
He could hear the water lapping all around the small island, and for a moment, he shuddered at the thought of a crocodile climbing up onto their little safe haven. What were the odds? It was possible, wasn’t it? Make it impossible, he thought, please make it impossible.
“So, Sara, tell me, what are your hobbies?”
“What?” she sounded incredulous.
“What do you like to do? Apart from this,” he said, wanting to change the subject, wanting to calm her down, and calm himself down. He was starting to panic. They certainly couldn’t cross the water without knowing what was lurking down there.
Would he give it a chance? Sara didn’t seem to be such a strong swimmer.
“I… collect hardbound books. Well, the ones that I like…” she sounded unsure, as if his query was just some fluke.
“What else?”
“What else? Why do you want to know?”
“This seems like a good time to talk,” he said. “It’s a good time to get to know each other.”
She bit her lower lip. “Oh, god. We’re really stuck here, aren’t we? Are they dead? Please don’t let them be dead—”
“What else?” he insisted. “Tell me more about yourself.”
“I’m the eldest child of three,” she said, her breath shaky. “I’m twenty-three, I have a terrible singing voice…” she laughed nervously, “I can dance though. You?”
“My age? Well, I’m twenty-six years old, the youngest of five.”
“You look like you’re twenty-six.”
“Must be all the sun. I don’t think the sunblock’s doing me any good. Or I could need a higher SPF. What do your mom and dad do? Your younger siblings?”
She cleared her throat, clearly trying to keep up with the conversation, and clearly trying to keep her anxiety at bay. “My dad’s a professor.”
“You already told me that.”
“I wasn’t finished,” she told him, “he’s a professor at the University of California. American history.”
“And your mom?”
“She has a small bakery, just ten minutes away from home. She makes the best churros, flans, and cakes—”
“Weren’t you vegetarian?”
“Semi. I eat eggs and dairy products.”
“Right, right. Your siblings?”
“They’re in hi
gh school, well, my brother’s graduating soon.”
“Is he as smart as you are?”
“I think he’s smarter than I am. He’s the one that enjoys molecular science and stuff. My sister’s inclined to the arts, fashion design, most likely.”
“And you’re the only one taking up this field of work?” he gave a quick laugh. “There’s one in every family, huh?”
“Why? What about you?”
“What about me?”
“You said you had four siblings.”
“All female, mind you.”
“What?” she sounded surprised.
“You sound shocked,” he remarked.
“You struck me as a ladies’ man, but that seems too literal, doesn’t it?” she said, her voice sounded like she was grinning.
“Hey, I learned to respect women early on. My sisters practically raised me.”
“Why?”
“Well,” he said, with a sigh, “my mom died early on. Wasn’t easy for me, or them.”
“I’m sorry…”
“That was years and years ago,” he said, “I’ve moved on, but I haven’t forgotten.”
“Is that why you were offended? When I said you had this habit of just sleeping around with interns or just about anyone who caught your eye?”
“Partially. It’s just not in my system to sleep around and make women feel bad.”
“I had my doubts,” she admitted. “I thought you were the type. I mean, come on. You’re fun and easy-going, it’s hard not to like you.”
“It didn’t seem like that when you first met me,” he gave a soft chuckle.
“It didn’t. I was too wrapped up with proving myself.”
“Well, you deserved to win.”
“Does that mean I deserve to be here?” she asked him, her voice fading.