Submitted to: Contest #316

Blindsided.

Written in response to: "Write a story where a character's true identity or self is revealed."

Adventure Contemporary Romance

This story contains themes or mentions of physical violence, gore, or abuse.

She leant back against the tree stump, breathing in the dusty scent of the surrounding bush and filling her soul with what it had ached for during the past four years. Behind her eyelids she watched the sunspots dance as she made a determined mental effort to block out the reason she had flown home. An hour prior she had entered her parents’ big five game sanctuary through a seldom used gate. Her father had insisted she drive to the lodge and stay a few days now that her mother was off the critical list. Feeling the late afternoon sun soak into her being, she realized how much she had missed Africa, home, her family.

Stiffening, her senses on high alert, Michelle’s mind told her what her body had become aware of moments before . She was being watched. Slowly raising her head, peering from under thick lashes, goose bumps racing across her flesh. He stood metres away. A predatory stance and his body still. Her breathing became shallow and her hands icy. He was gorgeous, a perfect specimen with a thick mane and his hypnotic eyes fixed on hers. Simultaneously acknowledging her instinctual fascination and recognising extreme danger, adrenalin pumped. Gingerly she rose up, stepping backwards over the log behind her and raising a hand to ward off the threat he posed. She had no rifle with her, nor in the vehicle and no one on the property knew she had returned. “Dad will kill me” flashed irrationally through her mind.

“Don’t move.” His voice was low and measured. In two strides he reached her, grabbing her arm as she turned to flee. Whipping her around he effortlessly manacled both her hands with one of his. Furiously she spun, aiming a vicious kick at his knees which he sidestepped easily. His flashing golden gaze met hers and she took an involuntary step back, jerking up short as he held on to her wrists.

Her brain acknowledged what she had not computed earlier. “Bastard! Murderous, thieving poacher!” she hissed. Recalling her father had lost a rhino cow and calf just a month earlier, Michelle was livid. He would not get away with it, she would fight with everything she had. With a howl of rage, she head-butted him in the jaw. Unceremoniously upended she found herself lying on her side, winded and covered in fine red dust. Watching him rub his jaw, she took vindictive pleasure in scoring a direct hit. Sinking to his haunches besides her, he looked her straight in the eye. Surprisingly, she felt no personal threat only fury at herself for being in this position. Michelle spat at him,” I won’t let you get away with this.”

“You’ll only hurt yourself.” His answer was matter of fact and calm as he grabbed her flailing hands and pulled them together by her wrists. Michelle was disgusted with her initial attraction to him, a criminal, a murderer of helpless animals and the lowest form of life. She swore viciously at him whilst trying to scoot backwards, yanking her arms in a desperate bid for freedom. He wrestled a pair of handcuffs onto her wrists and locked them tightly. “For your own protection, I’m going to gag you.” He spoke quietly as he wrapped a bandana around her jerking head and knotted it. Gripping her by the shoulders he lifted her to her feet, steadying her as she swayed. Stiffly she retreated from his touch, her throat burning with suppressed rage and her teeth clenched behind the gag. Acutely focused on getting the better of this monster she had not realise they were joined by at least five more, standing silently, well camouflaged, and heavily armed on the edge of the clearing. Her heart plummeted; now completely outnumbered she knew there would be no escape. The man who stepped forward gave her no time to defend herself, the butt of his gun struck the side of her head, and as she fell she thought she heard her first captor roar “NO!”

Head pounding and tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, she awoke disorientated. Her body aching and bloody her predicament sank in as she realized where she was and what had happened. Eyes closed, forcing her body to relax she listened with senses heightened. From the coolness of the air, and the stillness of the surrounding bush she knew it was the early hours of the morning. Twisting beneath the poncho she remembered he had thrown over her after attempting to clean the wound on her head; she surveyed the shapes in the silver light of a “poachers’ full moon.” Two men huddled in whispered conversation across the clearing but no one else was visible. Now or never she reasoned. Calming her thoughts and bringing her breathing under control, she stealthily and with difficulty edged across the sand like an inchworm on her knees, using her shackled wrists and chin to pull herself along. A dense thicket of donkey-berries was her first goal. One more shuffle. As she twisted her body a pair of heavy leather boots blocked her vision.

“You’re beginning to be more trouble than you’re worth.” He hauled her to her feet and marched her back to the clearing. Her mind went numb and her knees buckled at his words. These devils had no reason to keep her alive. Suddenly another poacher appeared. “It’s going down now.” The men stood swiftly their weapons at the ready. He tied Michelle’s feet and pushed her into the cover of the donkey-berry scrub she had been dragged from. Seconds later, alone, the poachers having melted into the bush, she wriggled into a sitting position. With absolute focus she worked on inching one foot out of its’ ankle boot. Thankful for the well-worn, loose leather of her footwear, she eventually freed one foot. Scrambling ungainly to her feet, she kicked off the other boot making it easier to move.

A rapid burst of automatic gunfire had her flinging herself to the ground. “Help me” her mind screamed silently as she staggered to her feet again, feeling fresh blood run across her scalp and down her face. Head down and shoulders hunched she aimed for where the gunfire had come from. Shots rang out wildly, chopping leaves and twigs from the trees above her. With her mouth gagged, unable to call out for help, she frantically tried to spit the gag from her mouth. A human missile slammed into her as a bullet whined past her head. Turning she saw him sprawled across her legs, eyes blazing and blood running down his forehead. Rolling off her into a crouch he wiped the blood out of his eyes. “They are the damn enemy, and you lift your head again you will be dead. DON’T MOVE! ” He took off, firing at the position from where the last volley of shots had erupted. Burrowing into the sand she curled into a foetal position. Gunfire raged, feet pounded and a visceral scream sent shudders through her.

Then, after what seemed like a lifetime of gunfire, deafening quiet… Michelle held her breath, ears straining for sounds. Footfalls moved towards her. Lying still, holding her breath, she waited for the blow. Kneeling, pulling the keys from his pocket he unlocked her wrists, massaging the welts carefully. “It’s over. I’m sorry we had no other option but to hold you captive, you here, almost gave our team away and compromised the operation.” Helping her up, he spoke to the other re-grouped anti-poachers. “Clean up and call for the chopper, get the bodies and prisoners into town.” Speechless, her mind could not take in the turn of events nor fully comprehend that these men were not the enemy, they were heroes.

Bootless and dazed as the sun broke the horizon, she followed them. “Don’t come, this isn’t something you want to see.” Ignoring him she kept up, watching the men collect chain saws, weapons and belongings scattered in the skirmish. They covered poachers’ bodies, one being her attacker. Michelle stared at the two captured, trussed like she had been earlier but far more securely.

“Michelle, you can get a lift out on the police helicopter and I’ll take your vehicle into town.” She started, turning towards him. “You know my name?” “I operate with your father.” He smiled at her as she screamed a warning. A ton of enraged rhino errupted out of the bush, a murderous mother returning to defend her endangered calf. Grabbing Michelle and flinging her sideways he took the full impact of the charge. Tossed aside like a leaf his body slammed into the ground, still, crumpled. Above their heads a volley of shots rang out as the raised tail of the rhino disappeared out of view. Crawling, she reached him first. Gored through the thigh, dark crimson blood spurted. Ripping her belt from her jeans she tightened it around his leg, stemming the flow to a trickle. A team-member administered a plasma drip to him while another on the satellite phone called for a Medi-vac as they stood guard ensuring they would not be caught unawares again. Time moved in slow motion as she watched his chest rise and fall and sweat trickle across his forehead. Grabbing a poncho, she shaded him from the early morning sun. No one spoke, each trapped by the images that re-played in their heads. She had endangered their lives, accused them of heinous things and he had stood between her and death, not once, but three times in the space of a few hours.

Jerking up at the sound of the helicopters approaching she covered him completely with the poncho to avoid the dust. Paramedics surrounded them as a police anti-poaching unit took charge and were debriefed by a team member. He was expertly lifted onto a stretcher and moved immediately to the helicopter as a paramedic tried to tend to her head wound. Struggling to climb into the helicopter and follow him, she was held back. “Mam, unless you are family you can’t fly with him, we will take you out in the next chopper.”

“He’s my fiancé.” Michelle looked at him, his eyelids fluttered and his lips moved. “What?” She gripped his hand and bent closer. “Marcus... Marcus de Waal, your fiancé’s name.” Mouth curved in a pained grin he squeezed her fingers as she sat on the metal bench beside him and his stretcher was strapped into the helicopter.

Posted Aug 20, 2025
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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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