Lost At Sea

Scarlett closed her eyes when Chris began adjusting the straps further, tightening here and there, carefully and very deliberately tugging and connecting, cinching and knotting the harness that felt already so tight and cruel to her. She opened her eyes again very quickly when she realized how much clearer the small signals of discomfort, that her body sent to her brain, felt while her eyes were closed. Having them open was better because it meant she could stare at the sand, the beach and the rolling waves in the distance. That way she could let the view distract her at least a little.

But the scenery could never distract her enough from what was going on: While her heart beat like crazy and she still tasted the kiss on her lips that she had stolen from Chris, her arms were now pulled closer and closer together, until her elbows nearly touched behind her back. Carefully, the shy man added a pair of straps that ran from her shoulders down, crossed between her breasts and then connected to the thicker belt that held the harness around Scarlett's belly. Other broad belts now dug deep into the skin of her forearms and shoulders, pinning her arms directly against her bare back, while the rest of the corset compressed her ribcage further and made breathing a little harder still, increasing her discomfort even more. Her arms were useless now, her hands dangling in the strict bonds and her fingers unable to reach the buckles at all. The collar that Chris had placed around her throat gave her claustrophobic feelings.

"I'm kind of... scared that I might strangle myself", she mumbled while testing the degree of what he had done to her. "I can't relax my arms in this, or those fucking belts... aaaouch especially the one you put around my elbows... would pull themselves even tighter."

Chris nodded, his face a little pale now, his lips very thin. After her remarks he checked on Scarlett's bondage, pulled and fingered some of the knots, but did not loosen her bonds in any way.

"It's part of the setup", he said. "I said I had never seen one of the Natives' slaves with free arms or hands, and that is true. But I also have never seen one who had lost her arms or had suffered visible damage to her extremities. And this sort of bondage is the reason."

"Well, that's jolly good to know!", Scarlett spat out sarcastically.

"No, you don't get it." Chris smiled, although he looked still tortured, and tried to explain: "Your arms are tied like this because you are not supposed to rest them as long as you are standing. There's pull on your shoulders and elbows, right? Use the muscles in your upper arms to get some relief as long as you can. When that's not possible anymore change the position a little, buckle your elbows a bit, rest your hands firmly against your ass. Then, when that gets too uncomfortable, put more tension into your forearms, let them do the work for a while. And finally, if you have done all that and can't take it anymore, just let your arms hang for some time. The straps will tighten and bite into your skin, but the collar can't completely choke you, it will just put some increased pressure on your throat."

"Just... some increased pressure? You make it sound nearly harmless", Scarlett complained. It wasn't that she really wanted Chris to take the bondage off - she was still certain that they had no other chance of survival then reach the lake, as soon as possible. They had to get access to healthy food and fresh water or they would soon die! But all this was too uncomfortable, too awkward and too confusing. The thought that some women were forced to exist like this - without hope of getting out of the situation ever again - was gruesome and unbelievably cruel.

"Well, I know it's a torture. But I'm trying to say that it's designed this way to prevent that your arms just get limp and die. It's a kind of a workout."

"If we ever get back to civilization: I wouldn't propose this to 'Woman's Health' if I was you."

"There goes my best shot at becoming rich and famous."

The joke helped a little, but only until Chris shuddered while laughing under his breath, blinked insecure and nearly lost his balance. He steadied himself in the last second again, but Scarlett could see that he just stared at nothing for a moment, like a man seeing nothing but sparks in front of his eyes.

"'m fine", he mumbled weakly with lips that did not completely obey his orders. "'M jus' tired."

She had tried to support him, but her arms were so useless that it felt like having none at all. Angry she tugged at the restraints and shook her head against the collar. "You are not fine. How little did you drink this morning?"

"I wanted to save some of the water for later", Chris said guilty. "I thought you might need it, if something doesn't go according to your plan."

"You are an idiot and will get yourself killed! I told you that you and I get the same amount, I don't want more than that. Drink the rest now or I'll be standing on a foreign beach, tied up like a fucking piece of cattle and with a dead guy lying next to me!"

"It's just a mouthful anyways", Chris said frustrated. Anger gleamed in his eyes, driving his weakness away. "I just can't stand it anymore... can't stand this beach anymore, the burning sun, the sand, the salt... I can't stand the wind anymore or the cries of the seagulls or this burning thirst. I can't stand being hungry and thirsty anymore, every fucking day of my life. I just..." He pressed his hands against his temples and looked like a man literally fighting against a breakdown.

She pushed against him, her face against his cheek, her body against his side. She didn't care that she was naked.

"Listen, I can't do this without you. In fact I can't do anything without you, Chris. You must get this done. You must be tough enough for both of us or we won't get through this. If you freak out now or if you shy back from making the tough decisions then we're in real trouble."

It seemed to take him a bit of effort, but he got himself under control again. He half hugged her with one arm, still a bit awkward but not as shy anymore as he had been before. Scarlett felt mostly weird about it because she knew that she smelled like a woman who had not had a proper shower in half a month and had been bathing in seawater and sleeping in sand day after day. She felt kind of filthy and realized that, despite how silly that was, she was dreaming of a real bathroom, shampoo and conditioner, a hairbrush, shower gel and a full, fresh bottle of antiperspirant.

"I'll be tough enough", Chris said a little breathless. He straightened himself and added: "You want me to make the tough decisions, I know. I'll not flinch when it comes to that. I promise."

As if to prove that he had meant what he just said he took the last set of straps that had not yet been put to use: The improvised head-harness that Scarlett had prepared from some shorter and thinner belts. A black rubber-wedge from a stranded lifeboat was laced into its center and would serve as a mouthpiece and gag for the wearer.

"Do you think it will work?"

"It will work fine. You are a clever girl with a lot of practical talents and you did this pretty well." He smiled, but there was still something haunted in his glance.

"So how do you... aaagh...."

Chris already pressed the mouthpiece against her lips, and Scarlett opened her mouth automatically to help him try to adjust it. But the rubber tasted salty and bitter at the same time, a revolting combination that caused her to begin drooling instantly. She tried to turn her head away, just that Chris held her by the front of her harness - his hand just above her breasts but not touching them - and slipped the laces of the head-harness over her face and cheeks.

"Ghuugh... 'at' ak's... 'oggigle..."

"I can imagine how horrible it must taste, but you need to wear it nonetheless." Chris sighed and looked at Scarlett while he smoothed the straps that ran across her face left and right of her nose and joined on her forehead. He knotted the head-harness to the collar and under Scarlett's chin, then led the last small strap behind her back to secure it there.

"'uckin' 'ing... ake's eeh... oouhl..." Scarlett coughed and had to fight the urge to freak and out try to shake the gag off. Her arms were twitching in the bonds, useless against the leather and nylon that held them, and her fingers instinctively reached for the buckles or her restraints without really getting anywhere.

"I can see it makes you drool. Don't worry, I don't care about that." Chris smiled and kissed Scarlett's forehead. "I'll pull the harness tight now. Are you ready?"

She wanted so much to say No that she nearly screamed it. Had this gone too far already? Was this plan too crazy to ever work, or too simple to ever work, or too surreal to ever work? She didn't know anymore, but she knew that her legs were shaking and her stomach growling, and how thirsty she was. She did not want to die, not here, not just because she had been too proud to grab a chance that was in front of her. She did not want to give up!

And so she nodded and said: "'Ogh 'on...", and a second later Chris pulled the gag tied, causing the wedge to push deeper into her mouth and between her teeth, the straps digging into the skin of her face, her collar being pulled up a little and turning more rigid. She coughed and felt more saliva drip down her chin and, for a short moment, fought the gag and bondage frantically - but then Chris hugged her and held her, and whispered into her ear: "Only an hour or two. After an hour or two we return here, and we'll have enough to eat for days. It's going to be fine." It was not, of course. But that came later.