Blonde Needles in a Giant Haystack 16

John, Jeb and Sato had left the four women to themselves for a while, since they couldn’t go anywhere fast anyway. So, whilst they were busy in relieving themselves and trying to find something to cover their bareness, the men analysed their situation.

»The Jeep had a Moroccan flag on it, but of course, it could have been stolen by the rebels! Anyway, I wounded one of them, and they might return sooner or later!«

John checked the assault rifle he had found in the truck. Together with it, they had their three guns, plus another gallon of water and some bread. In other words, they would be able to prevail in the desert for the next day, but not longer.

Worse, however, was that they couldn’t dare to use the bikes any longer, for these could not carry the now seven persons of their group. Also, their pursuers would be able to track the bikes more easily than if they walked.

»Behind the hills, there are a few oases – the problem is that we don’t know to whom they belong, and how friendly they are towards strangers!«

Sato shrugged.

»If we stay here, we will meet those who fire first and talk then! So, it can hardly be worse with whoever is waiting at the next well!«

They kicked out their cigarettes and returned to the truck where the girls had tried to make the best out of their limited resources. There had still been the two blankets, and Melissa had cut them in half and made a slit in the middle of each, producing four makeshift ponchos. Held by a piece of rope around the waist, they covered the essentials and worked like some kind of tunic. Except for these, the girls still had their panties, plus Johanna her shredded bra. Melissa and Gabriela had put their socks back on, but Ana and Johanna were barefoot.

»Time for a little walk under the stars, Ladies! There is an oasis not too far from here, and if we walk in the night, we won’t suffer from the heat!«

John played down the difficulties: »not too far« meant some 12 to 15 miles, and as he had stated, they had no idea about the hospitality of the people there. Melissa, however, put her finger on a more urgent problem:

»I guess none of you has brought four pairs of walking shoes?«

The only solution was to cut pieces of the tarpaulin and wrap these around their feet. It was far from ideal, but it offered some protection from pebbles and thistles. Before they left, however, John said:

»There’s still one small detail – her status!«

He pointed at Ana who since their rescue had not mentioned the fact that the others technically still were her kidnappers. She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

»What do you think I will do? Run away all the way to Agadir and call my Moroccan colleagues to get you all behind bars?«

»You might decide to try your luck if we run into the Moroccan Army!«

Ana hadn’t yet thought about that option, but now as John put it, it didn’t sound completely unrealistic. He must have read it from her face, for with an almost sad smile, he added:

»We can’t take any risks!«

Ana scoffed.

»So, what do you suggest? Kill me, and bury my dead body in the sand?«

Though she had tried to sound sarcastic, her voice slightly trembled. John had once proven that he could act cold-blooded when he had knocked her out, and she knew that his loyalty was not for her. The blonde man rose his hand, and his smile turned more friendly.

»I think we can do better to a beautiful girl like you!«

»Oh, lucky me!«

Ana felt angry about herself that John’s corny compliment slightly flattered her. He grabbed a piece of rope and tied her wrists behind her back, not pulling the cord too tight, but in a way that she could not slip out of. The ends were tied around her waist and knotted off at the front, out of reach for her fingers. When he tied a second rope around her neck, she looked nervously, but John tied a noose that couldn’t tighten, leaving a long end dangle.

»A leash, really? Come on, that’s not necessary!«

John grinned and playfully poked the tip of her nose.

»You just reminded me of something else that’s necessary, Sweet Ana!«

Her eyes widened when she saw John had picked both Johanna’s panties that had gagged her, and the blonde’s pantyhose that had been used to stuff Melissa’s mouth. Ana stepped one step back, only to be stopped by the truck.

»No! Not these!«

After a second, she added:

»Please!«

John put both garments into his left and stepped closer. His right brushed over Ana’s cheek. The girl stiffened, and she shifted her legs, ready to ram her knee between his legs if he went further.

»You promised to let me go!«, she hissed. John’s expression became serious, and he nodded slowly.

»You have to admit that the parameters have slightly changed since then! Anyway, would you believe me if I promise to try my best you won’t get hurt?«

If he was feigning honesty, Ana had to admit it looked convincing.

»Do I have a choice?«

Now, John showed a grin.

»You really look beautiful if you bow to my masculine superiority!«

Ana stared daggers at him, and he added:

»And you look even more stunning if you are pouting!«

Ana uttered some Spanish words she hadn’t learned on her mother’s lap, but she couldn’t help chuckling a bit. John put the panties into his pocket and raised the pantyhose.

»How about a compromise? As long as you behave well, I only use these!«

Ana rolled her eyes in resignation.

»Do I have a choice?«

She parted her lips, allowing him to push the crotch part of the pantyhose into her mouth. The Nylon was still slightly damp with Melissa’s saliva, and it still tasted of the fact Johanna had worn it for an entire day. John slung the legs around her head twice before knotting them off at her nape, turning them into a tight cleave gag. In a gentle gesture, he then rearranged her hair and took the leash. He held it loosely, though, and when he put his other hand onto her back, Ana didn’t try to shake him off.

Next was Jeb, carrying their only backpack and the assault rifle, followed by Melissa and Gabriela who held hands, as did Sato and Johanna who built the rearguard. Johanna whispered towards the Japanese:

»If I would turn this into a book, my readers would accuse me of having lost all sense of realism!«

Sato stopped and pulled her closer.

»In a realistic world, I couldn’t do that!«

For the first time, the initiative for a kiss came from him.

***

The tent was lit only by a small oil lamp, and so, Babette and Dalanda could only see outlines of things. In a corner, on a large, divan-like bed, a person, most likely the Sheikh, was snoring, and so, though they had removed the blindfolds and the cloths tied over their noses, they hadn’t dared to ungag themselves.

Inch by inch, they crawled towards the tent’s wall, holding their breath whenever the chains of their cuffs clinked. With their ankles tied to each other, they couldn’t move individually, and they could also not get their hands to the front. So, they remained on the floor and crawled towards the gap. Even more careful, Dalanda pushed her head through it, looking at the area outside.

»Mph!«

Having withdrawn, she nodded towards Babette, trying to signal that no one was standing close. The blonde kept an eye on the sleeping Sheikh whilst Dalanda slipped through the gap. When the snoring stopped, Babette was sure that they were trapped, but the man just turned in his sleep.

A slight pull on her ankle told her that Dalanda had made it, and she followed her outside. Here, the moon lit the area, a sandy place with more tents standing close. There were the sounds of the camels, and in the distance, at a campfire, some men were talking and laughing.

The girls instinctively chose the direction leading away from the fire and the laughter, and more than once, they almost staggered because of tent ropes or stones. Then, they felt just sand under their soles, and the chilly air of the night. Babette shuddered, and she realized that their escape would be in the nude.

Suddenly, there were voices, and the two girls threw themselves into the sand. Babette could not see Dalanda who was behind a sandy mound, and she stared at two shadows approaching a tree in front of her. She didn’t dare to even breathe when they stopped, just ten yards away from her.

She ducked even deeper, trying literally to dig herself into the sand, when the moon appeared from behind a cloud. For a moment, it illuminated the two men, and though it caused the two to leave, she had, for one second, seen that one of them had been Chalid, Sheikh Mansur’s son. He and the other fellow – had they been holding hands?

There was no time, however, to contemplate the image, for as soon as the men had disappeared, Dalanda came to her feet and made Babette follow her into the dark.

***

With four of them not wearing shoes, the small group’s progress was slow, and Sato was sure they hadn’t made more than perhaps one mile before they reached a higher ridge. It couldn’t be called a real mountain, with a height of perhaps 300 feet, but it looked steep and rocky. John looked at the hill’s top.

»I think we should get up there and call it a day once we find a decent resting place! Any objections?«

Since none of them had a clear idea where they were heading, no one protested. However, after just a few steps, Melissa let out an oppressed gasp.

»A scorpion?«, Gabriela asked anxiously, but Melissa shook her head, smiling a bit shamefully.

»Just stepped onto a thistle!«

They had all removed the rags from their feet, as they offered little to no protection, and in the moonlight, they could see that there were many more thorny plants waiting for their bare soles. Sato put his arm around Johanna’s shoulders, crouched slightly and, before she could protest, cradled her in his arms. She slung her arms around his neck and protested:

»You can’t stand it! I am not what they call petite!«

Sato straightened and began to climb up the hill before Jeb could offer his help. Johanna could hear how his breath accelerated, but she decided not to ruin the moment by commenting it.

»Allow me!«

Ana mewed when John took her in his arms, and she flailed with her calves. He chuckled, and Ana stared dagger at him.

»You are right, Sweet Ana – I am enjoying this!«

»Mhhmmph!«

Melissa and Gabiela looked at the hill, at Jeb, and finally at each other. Then, Melissa grabbed the Portuguese’s hand and whispered:

»It’s better than hurting our soles – just close your eyes and think of Mother Mary!«

She quickly kissed Gabriela and they approached Jeb where she said in a drawling voice:

»So, would you help two pretty girls up that hill, though it means walking twice?«

Jeb, who knew what the improvised ponchos were hiding, grinned.

»Walk twice? Do I look like a weakling like Bonsai-San?«

Melissa wondered how he wanted to manage carrying the two of them. Her question was answered as the tall man quite unceremoniously threw both her and Gabriela over his shoulders, clawing his hands into their buttocks. Gabriela flailed and squealed, but at the same time, she giggled and grabbed Melissa’s hand as their upper bodies bounced against Jeb’s muscular back.

»Madre de Deus – if I close my eyes, I will get sea-sick!«

The ride was indeed not the most convenient, and Jeb’s hands on their butts did more than just preventing them from falling off, but the two girls felt like on a roller coaster, and each kissed Jeb’s cheek when he set them down at a small platform on the other side of the hilltop where Sato and John had already stopped. A large overhanging rock offered some shelter, and they decided to rest here.

»Too bad we can’t risk lighting a fire!«

Melissa and Gabriela just cuddled against each other in a corner, and Sato lay down on his back, making an inviting gesture towards Johanna. When she sank into his arms, her soft breasts pressing against his chest and her curls falling over his face, he showed an untypically broad grin towards Jeb who grunted before he also lay down on the sandy ground.

Deliberately slowly, John undid Ana’s leash.

»If you promise not to snore or talk in your sleep, I will also ungag you!«

The girl glanced at him and grunted through the pantyhose in her mouth. John shrugged and lay down, leaving her standing and seemingly not caring about her. For a while, Ana considered running away; once she had found some sharp piece of rock, she would be able to free herself, and then, she could perhaps even reach – whom? In this country, there were too many rivalling parties, and some of them would make her situation worse than it was now.

In addition, Ana was tired. For nearly two days, she had now been almost constantly bound and gagged, and it had not only felt humiliating, but also physically straining. She looked at the ground in front of her where John had left enough room for her between his body and the rock. However, she would be so close he would easily be able to touch her.

A gush of wind hit her, and Ana shivered, still surprised about how cold a desert could become at night. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Fuck it, this man had already taken advantages, and she would not risk a cold!

She went to her knees and pushed herself into the gap. It was a little narrower than she had expected, and so, her body brushed over John’s who turned towards her and grinned like a schoolboy. Ana wanted to tell him that this for sure wasn’t the beginning of anything, but the gag would have reduced her speech to some mumbling that would only have amused him.

»You know what my Mother used to say?«

He bent forward and whispered into her ear:

»If you keep up a frown for too long, the wrinkles will stay forever!«

Ostentatiously, Ana frowned even more. John chuckled, and after a while, Ana couldn’t help chortling, too. John brushed over her cheek.

»She actually said the same about laugh lines, but yours suit you!«

Ana tried to hit his nose with her forehead, but not with much power, and when he kept caressing her ear and neck, she didn’t shy back.

»I am sure you want to keep up playing the Ice Princess – but if you don’t want your toes to become icicles, you may push your feet between my calves!«

As if it was John’s wingman, the wind breezed over her feet, and Ana decided to accept his offer, though she knew it would feel like a defeat.

***

With their ankles cuffed to each other, Dalanda and Babette hadn’t been able to walk very far, and they had repeatedly slipped. Fortunately, the ground consisted of sand and so, they didn’t get hurt. Once they could no longer see the campfires, they allowed themselves a rest, and they distorted their arms to work on each other’s gags. The ankle cuff prevented them from getting their arms to their front, but after some fumbling, the knots loosened, and Babette coughed and panted when she could finally spit out Dalanda’s panties.

»Phew! How long have you been wearing these?«

Dalanda, who had taken a little longer to ungag herself, replied:

»At least – you only had – one pair!«

Babette scoffed.

»I know, I know – how could I ever assume winning an Oppression Olympics contest with a black girl?«

They stared at each other, and after a few seconds, they both had to giggle. Lying on their backs, they looked up at the stars whilst they tried to collect enough strength to continue their escape. They gave each other a short summary of their respective back stories, and Babette admitted:

»At least, you are much more an escape artist than I am!«

Dalanda smiled humourlessly.

»I am an expert in getting recaptured! And each time, things seem to get worse!«

This caused Babette to look at her with disbelief.

»Really? I would have considered being a veritable plantation slave much harder than the last few days!«

Dalanda fell silent for a few moments before she could speak:

»It’s the way these men treated us – how they stripped us, how they-«

She shifted her hips, and Babette knew she was referring to having her pubic hair shaved off. Babette, who did so deliberately since she was 15, tried an assuring smile.

»It has its advantages that way!«

»Now grass on a busy road, eh?«

»Actually, I was referring to hygiene!«, Babette snapped. Then, she cocked her head and looked at her companion with a feigned scorn.

»Are you implying that I am a slut?«

»I would never dare to do so!«

Also cocking her head, Dalanda added:

»Are you?«

»Depends on whom you ask«, Babette answered with a coquettish smile, and Dalanda looked at the stars. After a while, she breathed:

»Perhaps, it would make things easier if I were a little – sluttier!«

Babette, who did not really think of herself as a slut, wanted to protest, but she realized Dalanda wasn’t trying to insult her. Instead, it had sounded like a real concern. So, she just waited for Dalanda to continue.

»The way I was brought up, I wasn’t allowed to have much contact to men, and when I was in France, I didn’t dare to do the things I could have done now! Well, most of the things, at least!«

Had their hands been free, Babette would perhaps have hugged her, or at least put her hand on the other’s shoulder. She guessed that Dalanda was about her age, and she had talked to some girls who, at 22, were still virgins – not all of them on their own decision, and not only those who were unattractive.

»The way they touched me, especially Marco – and when we were transported, this rope between my legs, and this fucking vibrator, I- I-«

»You climaxed!«, Babette concluded matter-of-factly. Dalanda nodded, almost unrecognizable, and Babette was sure that, had a drop of water landed on her cheeks right now, it would have vaporized immediately. She chortled, and Dalanda looked at her, with an expression of anger and embarrassment.

»What?«

»Fucking vibrator!«, Babette blurted. Dalanda produced a few coughs that turned into a hysterical giggle, and the two girls allowed themselves to laugh off some of their tension. Then, they decided to bring some more distance between themselves and their former captors.

The ankle cuff spared them the awkward decision whether or not to put on the still saliva-dripping panties. At least, the scarves that had been used to gag them were large enough to tie them around their hips, covering their pubic mounds and butts. Babette looked at the two smaller cloths that had been their cleave gags.

»If we knot them together, we can maybe make a top for one of us!«

Selflessly, she held the makeshift bra to Dalanda who surprised her by refusing it.

»You need more protection from the sun than I do!«

In the end, it took some effort until Dalanda had been able to knot the cloths’ ends at the small of Babette’s back. The Black then squatted and picked up her own black panties. Babette frowned.

»What are you taking these for? A souvenir?«

Dalanda took a deep breath and decided she could trust the blonde:

»They have a microSD card sewn into them! All the evidence of what I witnessed on the plantation! If I lose it, the last months would have been for nothing!«

Babette looked into the night.

»Well, we better see that we soon reach a place where they provide us with some hot coffee, food and fresh clothes, and where they are at least slightly familiar with the fact that women are human beings, too!«

***

Carmen stared at the ceiling where a beetle was walking around. Beside her, Ben was sleeping, his hand loosely resting on her breast, and, according to her deep regular breaths, Inga also slept soundly.

Careful not to wake up any of the two, Carmen raised her head, so she could glimpse at her crotch. The wet spot on the front panel of her panties was still there, though it had begun to dry. She hoped that it would have vanished before Inga woke up, for it would tell her what Ben had done to her – and that she had responded to it.

He had just used his fingers on her, obviously not wanting to wake up the Swede, and Carmen had joined the game and oppressed her sighs and moans, even during her climax. She didn’t regret that she had allowed the man to have his way, even more since he hadn’t demanded her to go down on him in exchange. She also wasn’t more than slightly embarrassed that she hadn’t had to fake her orgasm. After all, she knew that becoming Ben’s Mistress was her ticket out of this predicament, and if joining the bed with this man brought some fun, the better.

However, Ben’s plans also included Inga, and her part in his schemes would be to persuade the other girl without her realizing it. If she was successful, Ben had promised, she no longer would have to perform in front of the troops, and the only one seeing her naked would be him. Also, she would soon be able to live in luxury again.

»And what if Inga refuses to become a part in your games?«, she had asked when he had revealed his plan to her. Ben’s eyes had looked very cold when he had replied:

»Then, I would have to fall back on plan B, which will make not much of a difference for me, except for the loss of a few millions, but I am afraid it would make you and Inga remember today’s show for the soldiers as the good old days!«

***

Once they had found their rhythm in their three-legged walk, Babette and Dalanda were able to walk at the normal pace of a pedestrian in the desert. Under other circumstances, Babette would have been fascinated by the surreal scenery of the sandy hills lit by the pale moonlight, and by the surprisingly rich wildlife around them. At first, she had gasped at every rustle or strange sound, but Dalanda, who had more experience with such a fauna had explained her that the only dangerous animal around was man.

Still, they had no real idea where they were heading at; Dalanda had decided that getting North was not the worst idea, and with the help of the North Star, they could more or less keep that direction. She was about to ask how many hours had passed since their escape, according to Dalanda’s estimate, when the other girl suddenly stopped. Moments later, Babette could also hear a new faint sound: a barely audible drum, accompanied by a metallic clink.

»A horse with a rider!«

Since they couldn’t run, the two girls ducked behind a bush and tried to see where the rider was. Babette hoped that it perhaps wasn’t one of their captors, but a random traveller who would ignore, or, even better, help them.

Dalanda tapped onto her shoulder and pointed at a shadow moving in the dark, barely visible. He was so close she could hear the horse snort, and Babette feared that her heartbeat would draw the rider’s attention.

The person passed the bush at a distance of some 50 yards, and it seemed that he was riding along. Babette let out a fluttering breath of relief when suddenly, she heard a voice she knew all too well – the voice of Omar, aka the Phantom:

»You might blame me of lack of sportsmanship, but with the help of infrared binoculars, such a night hunt is piece of cake!«

He spurned his horse and approached. Both Babette and Dalanda shrieked and jumped up, staggered and landed on the ground. The Phantom stopped his horse’s gallop, and something flew through the air with a swishing sound, landing upon the girls. A second later, they felt entangled in the meshes of a net, and despite their struggles, they were trapped.

The Phantom dismounted without haste and stepped beside the squirming bundle. From the index finger of his left dangled the two pairs of panties that had been used to gag Babette.

»You must have wished that I found you – otherwise, you wouldn’t have turned this into some kind of scavenger hunt!«

***

The group under the rock had woken up by the beginning of sunrise, and they had agreed upon having half of their water and provision as breakfast. Despite Jeb’s snoring, they had all managed to find some sleep. Especially Ana was surprised – and a bit ashamed of herself – how well she had slept in John’s arms.

He had removed her bonds and gag for the breakfast, and after that, he had allowed her to hide behind the rock to relieve herself, insisting only on seeing her head. When John took out his cigarettes and offered her one, she took it.

Jeb also smoked, and Gabriela looked so longingly that Melissa playfully slapped her butt and sighed:

»Go and ruin your lungs, Gaby! We won’t kiss very much during the trip anyway!«

Both Johanna and Sato refused the offered cigarettes, and Jeb raised his eyebrows at the Japanese.

»Does your Mistress not allow you grown man’s habits, Bonsai?«

Before Sato could say something, Johanna placed her hand on his shoulder and showed Jeb a nonchalant smile.

»Only one after we had sex! A pack a week has to be enough for him, so he keeps his stamina!«

Jeb looked like a giant sheep, and John lost his cigarette from laughing. Johanna slung her arms around Sato and buried her burning cheek at his chest.

»Oh my God, it must be something psychological that makes me say such things! I used to be a modest woman – my ex even called me a little prudish!«

Sato, more than overwhelmed by the way Johanna had defended him, gently reached for her chin and made her look at him. Her cheeks were blushing, and she blinked, not so much from nervosity but because her glasses had gotten broken when the truck had hit the mine.

»With each new facete I learn to know of you, my fascination reaches new heights, Johanna-Chan!«

He kissed her lips, and with a cheeky grin, he added:

»One pack a week, hm? I hope that I will not disappoint your expectations!«

Johanna blushed even deeper, but when Sato pulled her closer, she also felt a blissful tingle in her breasts and loins.

A metallic sound interrupted their moment; John was checking the assault rifle and pointed at a small plume of smoke at the horizon.

»A campfire! Maybe some five miles from here!«

Of course, the smoke didn’t tell them who the men around the fire were, potential allies or yet another group attacking them. However, with their lack of provision, they had no other choice than trying to find out.

»Maybe, they are friendly – or so few we can persuade them to help us otherwise!«

John grabbed Ana’s wrist, gently, but firmly.

»Time for taking precautions, Sweet Ana!«

»Still, you don’t trust me!«, she pouted. When John opened his mouth, she placed her left index finger on his lips.

»Please, spare me any sayings of your mother about trusting women! Just truss me up and stuff my mouth, so you no longer have to fear me!«

»Your wish is my order, Miss!«

He placed a kiss on her forehead. Then, he tied her wrists and secured the rope around her waist before once again gagging her with the pantyhose. When he tied the noose around her neck, his fingers touched her neck longer than necessary, and Ana didn’t shy back.

»Now, let’s see about these people’s hospitality!«

***