The Perils of Pantyhose in the Jungle (7 of 7) (Patreon)

You keep walking a little further when suddenly you see movement, not another crocodile or a snake but an actual person. You almost rush toward it but then quickly remember what your guide said about a hostile tribe and duck down, grabbing your mom's arm to make her do the same. You creep a little closer to take a look, it looks pretty similar to the tribe you visited before, wooden huts and people cooking over fires. But you notice you don’t see any children playing here and as one large guy walks past you he’s holding a wooden weapon over his shoulder. You feel a slight tremor in your legs at seeing this tribe, wondering where the rumors of their danger came from. But then you see something else, an elderly lady carrying a massive bucket of water into one of the nearby huts. You lick your lips thirstily as you see the water, your eyes going wide as you think of how easy it would be to sneak in there. You lean over and whisper to your mom for her to follow you and sneak into the hut but before you can go she gently grasps your arm and says “Are you sure about this sweetie? These people look pretty dangerous.” you look back and smile confidently as you reply “I’ve done this a bunch of times, trust me I know what I’m doing, lets go.” Your mom doesn’t seem convinced, her eyes clearly showing trepidation that she fails to vocalize, instead just sighing as she says “Alright...”

You lead your mom round the outskirts of the village, staying crouched as you circle round to the old ladies hut. There doesn’t seem to be too many people here so it’s quite easy to go unnoticed, sneaking quickly up behind the hut. Luckily there's a square cut into the wood as a makeshift window, allowing you to peer in from behind. You see the lady leaving as you arrive, another perfect stroke of luck that allows you to get right up to the window. Your surprised smile spreads across your face as you see everything you want right in front of you. The bucket wasn’t just for drinking, she filled a large wooden tub with warm water and right next to that was a platter of fresh fruit. You can just imagine peeling off your pantyhose and dipping your toes into that warm water, you can feel how the fruit would burst with juice if you crunched it in your mouth, salivating at just the thought. You would never normally intrude in someone's home but you’re just so tired and thirsty, surely it wouldn’t be that bad if you just snuck in for a few minutes?

“Emmy what are you doing?” your mom whispers as she watches you slide your leg over the window, she seems a little shocked that you’re basically breaking into this woman's home, remaining crouched outside as you sneak inside. You creep over to the fruit, getting a little distracted by the hot bath along the way. There’s no way you have time to bathe but even still your sore limbs can't help but cry out for the steamy water. With a sad sigh you turn to the fruit instead, taking a few mango slices and immediately stuffing them into your mouth. You let out a small moan of pleasure as you feel their juices run down your throat, a little trickle escaping and running across your bottom lip before you catch it with your finger “Mom you’ve gotta try...” you turn back to the window but don’t see her there anymore, looking at the window with a confused expression “Mom?” you whisper as you creep closer to the window and poke your head out.

As soon as your head is through the window a large hand shoots down and grabs your hair, dragging you out of the window and pulling you round the hut. You wriggle on the floor as you’re pulled along by your hair, your flats slipping off as your legs kick wildly “Oh! Ow! Stop!” you moan pitifully but the man ignores you, his strength easily outmatching your girlish struggles. You see your mom as you’re pulled alongside her, thirty or so men all dressed in tribal wear now flank you, all of them holding weapons. You see two are carrying a large wild boar and you realize the majority of the men must’ve been out hunting, that’s why the village was so quiet, every second you’ve been here they’ve been coming back, essentially you set a trap for yourself, if only your detective skills had been able to figure that out.

Your mom has the same pained look on her face as the two of you whimper and plead, your hair being used like a handle as you’re dragged along, none of the men reacting to any of your pleading cries. Finally you’re led to what seems the central point of the village, a large wooden throne sits in the center, an older man with a necklace made of bones and a stern look in his eyes assesses you as you’re thrown before him. You scrabble in the dirt but only get to your knees, looking at the mass of tribes people all around you, knowing that escape will be impossible. The chief leans forward in his chair, narrowing his eyes at these strange creatures before him, clearly unused to seeing something so femininely fragile in the harsh jungle. His eyes linger on your legs then he says something in his native language to his men and a few of them leave, for what reason you don’t know. “What’s going to happen to us Emmy?” your mom whimpers beside you.

Looking over to her your mouth opens but nothing comes out, the truth is you have no idea, but you can't bring yourself to admit it. You see this sinking look in her eyes, this trembling fear as the truth reveals itself, that you’ve led her here without any sort of plan. “Oh sweetie...” she says in with a mixture of comfort and disappointment, her arms wrapping around you as the two of you clutch each other and tremble before the chief. Still showing no emotion he simply reaches into a pouch on his rope belt, his hand coming out clenched with something in his fist. He then uncurls his fingers and blows a cloud of red dust into your face, the particles instantly going into your lungs. You cough and wrinkle up your nose as you feel this strange substance affect your body and mind. A cold dizziness washes over you, your vision beginning to blue as your arms feel numb and limp. You let out a soft groan as your eyelids flutter, you and your mom passing out at nearly the same time, slumping forward at the feet of the tribal leader.

-Markus Jones | an excerpt from: Emily and Lynda Lockwood: The Perils of Pantyhose in the Jungle

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Jungle perils are some of my all time favorite from the classic pulp era. Additionally I blame Sierra games Leisure Suit Larry 3, specifically Passionate Patti, for inspiration in this sequence. Last year, I commissioned a story from Markus Jones exploring jungle themes I enjoyed, featuring Emily Lockwood and her mother, Lynda. The story was an extension or "what if" path from the CYOA Deadly Horizons (in the Tanzania location), which was the (unexpected) surprise return of Emily Lockwood after a three year hiatus. The following renders were created by me inspired by the extended story they wrote for me. I hope you enjoy the excerpt text and the images!