He Had Shoelaces
Nicole did not want to stay in this hellhole a moment longer! Before she could sink deeper in despair, she
saw one of the burly men pointing with his finger in the direction of where Nicole was.
Then, he pointed at the fire and to his mouth, making an eating gesture. Even a fool would be able to
understand what that meant.
These indigenous people were going to roast her! What rotten luck! Nicole trembled in panic and raised
her eyes to look at the man who was watching her.
She revealed a smile that looked worse than a frown. “Sorry for the trouble. Bye now!” Nicole rolled to
her feet and ran, but before she could take two steps, she tripped and fell over the many sticks and
branches littered on the ground. She was already very dizzy and feverish, and only managed to feel
slightly better after some sleep.
After the fall, her mind went completely blank. Nicole laid on the ground and did not come back to her
senses for a long time… Another man saw the situation and went over to another man that was wearing
shoes, gibbering and gesticulating.
Wait. Although the shoes worn by that man in front of her were covered in so much mud that she could
not tell what they originally looked like, the shoes had laces! This was a primitive tribe.
How did he get shoes with laces? Nicole’s eyes lit up. With a surge of strength that came out of nowhere,
she suddenly climbed up to tug his shoes. The man was tall and sturdy, so how could Nicole possibly
shake him? She saw the vague trademark.
La Sportiva, a top Italian brand in the world. Their outdoor sports equipment was world-famous. Is
someone like me stranded here too?’ Nicole subconsciously looked up to see the man.
She could not see his facial features since it was painted with lots of markings, but his eyes twinkled
brightly as he winked and smiled at her.
Once their eyes met, she suddenly had a strong sense of familiarity… “You’re…” A fake native! Before
she could finish, someone suddenly approached her and roughly yanked her by the arm, dragging her
towards the fire.
Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to be roasted and eaten by a cannibal tribe! “Nonono…
Help…” She screamed as more and more people gathered.
She glanced around and could no longer tell which one was the fake native she saw earlier! Surrounded
by the thick jungle, the sky was dim, and in the surrounding darkness, the distant sea breeze howled like
a wild beast crouching in the dark, waiting for the opportunity to devour everything. The bonfire burned
brightly as the group of indigenous people stared at her like prey.
Although they were of varying heights, they were all mostly naked and grimy.
Their faces were painted with various colors, and the lower half of their bodies were covered with a
simple skirt made of branches and leaves. They looked extremely terrifying and fierce.
They looked like indigenous people who she had only seen on TV.
“Hello? Annyeonghaseyo? Bonj our? Konnichiwa? Hola?” 1 Nicole tried saying hello in sixteen
languages, but the people in front of her did not respond and merely babbled on in another language.
Their non-responsiveness was despairing! Where was that fake native who wore shoes earlier? Nicole
did not know if she had misheard, but among the exchange of gibberish, she suddenly heard a distinct
snicker.
That gloating laugh was clearly something that could only come from city folk like her. She snapped her
head up and looked into a pair of bright eyes.
Before she had time to rejoice, several men lifted her and headed in the direction of the bonfire.
She felt terribly cold. Only one thought ran through her mind. ‘Are they really going to roast me alive?!
“Cannibalism is illegal!” Nicole yelled in horror as the men suddenly let go and dropped her to the
ground.
She did not care about the pain she felt. Just as she was about to stand up, she saw the men
surrounding her while holding branches that were lit with fire that they had picked up from the bonfire.
The circle was small, but gradually, more people joined the circle, making it larger and larger. The
indigenous people held torches and formed a circle as they sang and danced around her.
It was an extremely strange sight. Nicole felt more and more panicked. Every time she tried to run out of
the circle, the group waved their torches at her, forcing her back into the middle.
They would not let her out. As the temperature rose, the flames licked at her body and the smoke caused
her to cough incessantly. Nicole was running in circles frantically. She simply did not know what to do.
‘Somebody… Save In…
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