A morsel for the gods

Word Count: 989

         I led our small enclave on into the jungle's unforgiving heart. The professor and his attractive grad student Fiona followed on in my wake,  James, my colleague, brought up the rear. In all my years of hunting and guiding I'd never been as far in as this, no white man had, that's what brought the professor here, brought us all here. The path began to widen and something distinctly inorganic loomed ahead. I paused to look up at the structure before me, a pyramid shaped construction looking somewhat like our modern day scaffolding only made with wood lashed together by roughly made rope. It stood at least 15 metres high, a ladder led up to a railed platform at its peak. Our first encounter with a man made structure in over a week was enough to take our breaths away, but the decorations were what really stopped us in our tracks. Skulls and bones adorned the wood, jaguar and ape skulls, skulls from  some giant species of rodent and a full python skeleton wound up one of the main support poles, across the top the most easily recognised bones of all could be seen, a row of distinctly human skulls. A shiver ran through my spine. 'Lucky we're being paid so well' I thought.


         “Fascinating” exclaimed the professor, moving in for a better view,” What do we have here? Perhaps a display of their might and dominance? An offering to the gods?”
         “A warning.” I muttered to myself.
         “Whachoo reckon boss” asked James.
         “I reckon we've found 'em Jim and I reckon we'd better keep rifles handy.” The professor walked over excitedly.
         “We've done it gentlemen. We've made it to the boundaries of one of the last tribes of people not yet in contact with the outside world. Do you realise what this means? ” He clasped his hands together enthusiastically, “Oh the possibilities gentlemen, the possibilities. Why, it's an anthropological gold mine.”
         “I think we should set up camp here then until we know what we're dealing with.” I put in. The professor was already walking back to the menacing structure as he nodded in agreement. James and I set about clearing an area with our machetes.

         We'd all settled in around the fire, James and I ate quietly on the one side while the professor babbled at Fiona incessantly.
           “You know if that black substance we found across the top of the platform really is blood we may be looking at an altar of sorts.” exclaimed the professor
         “Why would they put it so far from their settlement?” questioned Fiona.
         “Well perhaps this place is close to their dieties.” replied the professor. “It would be natural for a race surrounded by jungle to put special significance in nature and it would follow they'd make their offerings to these gods or spirits within their own house so to speak.”
         “What about de peepal,” cut in James agitatedly, “I see skulls of de peepal up thur.”
         “Well,” started the professor hesitantly, “Maybe hard times call for more valuable sacrifices.” He stared across the fire at James, his look of stimulated excitement dropping into a more sombre glare.
         “Me thinks they et em. Them bones too clean.” Fiona looked up to the professor silently. The professor's gaze didn't leave James' direction.
         “That's a certain possibility James, it may be part of their ritual.”
         “Hmmpf” snorted James, right before he fell forward into the fire, a small dart protruding from his neck. I turned just quickly enough to see a rustling in the vegetation behind me before a hard knock on the back of my head stole my senses.

         The sound of beating drums and a droning chant hauled me back to consciousness. My hands and feet were bound firmly to the wood beneath me. The immediate vicinity was lit by the flames of torches on each corner of what must be the platform of the god forsaken structure. Looking around me I saw the professor and Fiona, both also bound to the floor. I couldn't see any natives though their chanting seemed to surround me. Looking up into the darkness of the canopy I fancied I could make out shadowy forms bustling amongst the branches.

         I strained to look at the others beside me, both of their eyes were closed.
         “Professor? Fiona?” No answer. The shadows above me started moving closer. I could hear the rustling of leaves and crack of breaking branches. What the fuck was up there. “ Fiona! Professor!” I yelled, still no response. A shadow burst through from the darkness landing on Fiona's chest with a  sickening thud. In the torchlight the shadow morphed into a grotesque apelike creature. Its brown hair was rough and patchy, large sections of scar tissue lay exposed. It would have stood as tall as a man if stretched to its full limit yet its forearms were as thick as any silverback's. It leaned into Fiona's face and bellowed a long blood curdling roar before leaning in with its sharp tiger like incisors and chewing on her face.
         The platform shook hard as several more of the creatures launched onto it and proceeded to rip at Fiona's limbs, easily dismembering her and gorging on her flesh. A few more of the newcomers closed in around the professor and took to devouring him in the same energetic way they had Fiona.
         “Help!” I screamed. The chanting below reached a whole new level of intensity. The creatures surrounding me reached their heads back and roared along, ferocious, bestial roars. One of them leaned right into my face so I could stare past its elongated forehead to its sunken black eyes, it roared, and I trembled violently.

So this is how I die, a morsel for the gods.