The Bigshot's Superstar Wife

Chapter 140: A Tribe

The journey to the foreign tribe was grueling. The rain had turned the jungle into a treacherous maze, the mud sucking at their feet with every step.

Their ragged guides moved effortlessly through the undergrowth, their eyes sharp and knowing.

The survivors, however, stumbled behind, weighed down by exhaustion, fever, and the sheer unknown of what awaited them.

Athena stayed at the rear, her senses tingling with unease. Something was wrong.

The way the guides glanced at them, assessing, calculating, sent an icy chill through her spine. But she said nothing. Not yet. After what felt like hours, they arrived.

The tribe’s settlement was hidden deep within the jungle, encircled by towering wooden stakes sharpened into deadly points.

Inside, crude huts made of woven leaves and bones stood in tight clusters, the air thick with the scent of smoke and something... rotten.

Athena’s heart clenched as she took in the surroundings. Bones. They were scattered everywhere.

Some partially buried, others strung up like decorations. But what sent her blood running cold was the unmistakable shape of human skulls, their hollow eyes staring vacantly.

She froze. This wasn’t a safe haven. This was a slaughterhouse.

She didn’t remember how she knew, how she could recognize human bones so easily, the difference between animal remains and the unmistakable curve of a human femur, but the knowledge hit her like a blow.

They had walked straight into a trap.

Her team, however, remained oblivious. Lisa sighed in relief, Darren loosened his grip on Marco, and the others glanced around with cautious hope.

The leader of the ragged men grinned. "Welcome. You’ll be safe here."

Safe? Athena’s fingers curled tightly around her spear.

She forced herself to remain calm as they were led deeper into the village. The tribe members emerged from their huts, dark eyes fixed on them.

They whispered in their guttural tongue, some licking their lips, others nudging each other with eager excitement.

Athena’s stomach churned. Then, suddenly, wooden doors slammed behind them. The realization was swift. They weren’t guests. They were prisoners.

Lisa gasped as the men behind them shoved them forward, corralling them like cattle into a large, open-air enclosure made of thick wooden logs.

But they had to move fast. A loud, guttural voice boomed across the village. The chief had arrived.

A massive man, draped in animal skins and beads, stood before the fires, addressing his people. His voice was deep, commanding, as he gestured toward their enclosure.

The tribe cheered. Athena didn’t need to understand their language to know what was being said. The feast would begin soon.

She exhaled slowly, her grip tightening around the small blade hidden in her sleeve. They had only one shot. If they failed, there would be no second chances.

Darren leaned in, voice low. "What’s the plan?"

Athena’s eyes never left the guards. "We wait for the right moment. When they get drunk enough, we take them out quietly."

Lisa swallowed hard. "And then?"

"Then," Athena said, her voice steady despite the pounding of her heart, "we run like hell."

The hours crept by. The tribe feasted on their grotesque meals, their laughter echoing through the village.

The guards stationed near the enclosure became less attentive, their cups filled over and over with whatever foul liquor they brewed. Then, finally, it happened.

One of the guards slumped forward, his spear slipping from his hands. Another swayed, rubbing his face in confusion before collapsing against the wooden fence.

Athena didn’t waste a second. Silent as a shadow, she slipped forward, her blade flashing in the firelight. The first guard never saw it coming.

A quick, precise cut to the throat. He gurgled once before Athena eased him down, careful not to make a sound. Darren and Lisa followed her lead. Another guard fell. Then another.

Within minutes, they had a way out. Athena turned to the others. "Now."

One by one, they slipped through the opening, their hearts pounding. The village was still alive with festivities, but it wouldn’t last.

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The moment someone noticed the missing guards, the hunt would begin. They had to move. Fast.

Athena grabbed Marco, supporting his feverish body as they disappeared into the jungle. The moment they stepped beyond the fire’s glow, the night swallowed them whole.

And behind them, the feast continued, unaware that their next meal had just escaped into the darkness.