Ella’s POV
We didn’t see it until it was too late. In my haste to get the girl home, I didn’t notice that the soil before me was different from the one we had been walking on in the jungle.
I yelped as my feet sank into the ground. In a bid to help me, the men rushed forward to grab me and we all sank into the sand. Suddenly, the ground caved in and we all fell tumbling down into the large hole beneath it.
I tried to protect the girl from getting hurt as we fell and was shocked when she sprinted out of my arms and flew out of the hole. My mouth opened in surprise as I wondered how the little pathetic girl suddenly turned into a strong flying human creature.
I had been played. I winced as I saw the girl smiling down at us and saw two huge creatures, a male and a female, walking towards us.
“You did well, Creka.” The male said, his voice booming.
Creka? I sighed, feeling stupid. Everything about the little girl was a lie. I realized that the voice of the male sounded exactly like the roar we had heard and suspected that he had been the one to make the roar.
The little girl had tricked us into a trap and I had pushed my family into it with my gullibility. I wanted to knock myself on the head as shame washed over me. I wanted to tell them that I was sorry but knew it was a bad idea at the moment. With the way Andre was looking at me, he was going to fly off the handle if I mentioned an apology because I was annoyed that I wasn’t right.
“When do we get to eat them, father?” Creka said.
Good. They were human flesh eaters who lived in the jungle and we had foolishly walked into their path, scratch that, I had. I was the one who was to blame for this.
Creka hadn’t been looking for her parents but they were the ones who had sent her on errands.
Creka’s father looked at her, rubbing her hair with his hand. “I know you are hungry for proper meat as it had been long that anyone walks in here but you have to be patient, girl. They taste better when their skins are soaked with sweats and fear.”
The female laughed. “We won’t have to feed on those poisonous fruits and small animals for some time. You really did well, Creka.”
“Thanks, mum. But can’t we kill one of them now and eat? The meat will still be delicious even if it doesn’t have fear in it. There are five of them and I’m sure killing one won’t make a difference in our rations.”
I scowled as we listened to them talking about us as if they were pricing meat at the market.
I hissed at the little demon who had tricked us here into a trap with feigned innocence and was coercing her parents to kill us prematurely.
I almost laughed at my usage of word, wondering what difference it made if we died now or later if we might have to end up in the bellies of those mongrels. I vowed to myself that I was going to break her little neck when I get out of here.
Creka’s mother laughed, her laughter sounding like a soft tinkle of bells but still sounded nauseating to the ears.
“It seems like you are eager to have meat. Well, since you worked for it and brought more than we expected, we can make an exception for you. Who do you want to eat? We should celebrate tonight with meat.”
Creka looked at us all with a hideous smile on her lips. “I want her.” She said, pointing to me.
Ungrateful bitch. I simmered with anger as I glared at her. Kevin growled beside me.
Her father frowned. “Why did you pick her? You know the meat of a male tastes better.”
Creka nodded and pointed at Kevin. I was ready to flash my claws at her until she spoke. “I picked her because of that.” She smiled, pointing at the way Kevin was growling low in his throat.
“She is the key to getting the men soaked with fear as soon as possible. They didn’t want to come with me but they all ran after her when she picked me up and insisted on taking me home.”
“Oh! I see.” Her father smiled at her. “You are smart, Creka.”
“I learnt well from you, father.” She smiled back at her father.
I rolled my eyes in disgust and annoyance, not interested in watching cannibals flip compliments at each other.
Her mother squatted on her knees and smiled, her eyes zeroing on me. “Thank you for caring about my daughter. I promise you a painless death before we roast you.” She said and stood up, walking away with her family.
I hissed, wondering how that was meant to show me her gratitude for caring about her child. I scoffed, wondering what I was expecting from cannibals who lived in a forbidden jungle.
Andre glared at me again without a word and I looked away from him, turning towards the opposite side. He didn’t have to glare at me like that. I was angry enough for all of us without having to add guilt at his anger to the emotions I was already feeling and trying to suppress.
The cannibals had another thing coming if they thought that I was going to go down, squeaking with fear.