Whispers Beneath the Pines

by Whispers Beneath the Pines

  “What,” he shouted.

  “Race.” She grabbed his hand and ran through the trees until they reached the clearing. She pulled Kevin to the other side nearest to the dirt path and gasped for breath. “I think they have a gun,” she blurted out.

  “Are you sure?”

  Her heart raced as she struggled for breath. She watched as Celile and Sadik went back to their post by the tree that Mehmet and Selina were slumped under. “I saw something metal in her bag. Only for a second, but I saw metal.”

  “Don’t panic, it could’ve been a cigarette lighter or something.”

  “Maybe. I hope so. We have no chance against a gun,” she said as her eyes welled up again. Kevin held her tight, she hoped that this would all be over soon and they would be back at the villa. She could call Harry, tell him Mummy Eve was sorry and she wanted to call him earlier but couldn’t because of the silly phone. She knew he would be upset with her. She needed a chance to speak to Harry again, just once to tell him she loved him. Her life was beginning to fall into place. She thought of her job assisting in the classroom and hoped she would see the children again, she thought of Kevin and the life he was promising her. What she had now was all she’d ever wanted. She squeezed his arm and knew she would fight until the end to keep all the things that she had worked so hard for.

  Chapter 27

  Mehmet fidgeted, “I need to find my father and put an end to this.” he prised Selina’s sleeping head off his shoulder and leaned her up against the tree.

  “You think you can stop this?” Celile asked.

  Without answering, he stood, turned and walked off towards the dirt path.

  “Spoiled brat,” she whispered. Celile watched as he left in his search.

  “He’ll calm down. It’s a lot for him to take in,” Sadik said. Near the water’s edge, Eve and Kevin watched and whispered as Mehmet walked past them.

  There was no time like the present to start clearing away; it wouldn’t be long with only two of them to take down. Celile wedged all the rubbish bags into one large waste bag. As she bent down to pick up a can, she saw Sadik kneel down to Selina’s level. She watched as he placed his hand on her hair and touched her cheek. This is what she was risking everything for. A man who, as soon as she turns her back flirts with another woman. Selina moved and smiled before her head and body slipped down the tree and onto the floor where she lay curled up open mouthed. Sadik folded up his over shirt and placed it under her head. Shaking and gasping, Celile couldn’t believe what she was seeing. He stroked her shoulders, then her arms before cowering over her and running his hands down her waist and legs over her clothes. What had that little bitch done to deserve such affection?

  For months she had worked hard on pushing Guz away and proving to Sadik that he was the one she wanted. All the lies, the sneaking around. All the times Guz had still taken her as his property because Sadik wouldn’t stand up to him. Feeling filthy, she rubbed her arm until it burned as she thought of the times that Guz’s sweaty body had lay over hers. All that, to keep up a pretence that Sadik was meant to be fixing. She now knew he was too gutless, it was all empty promises to fulfil a desire to be better than his brother. Promises, promises, take her away, start a new life. Couple of kids. All empty, void of sincerity. Her white knuckles shook with anguish. Gasping for breath, she grabbed the cutlery pot, selected the paring knife and stomped over to where Sadik now lay, alongside Selina.

  “I was just making sure she was okay and checking her out. She's good stock, The Boss will be happy with this one,” he said as he held his finger to his mouth and sprung up to a sitting position. “She’s still sleeping. It's easier if we can keep her that way.”

  Celile stood above him, tears now sliding down her cheek. “Really?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “That’s not what I saw from back there. I saw you touch her.”

  “I didn’t touch her, not like that anyway.”

  “I thought you were different. I thought I was all you wanted,” She said with tears streaming down her face. She turned around; Kevin and Eve were still staring down the dirt path.

  “You are all I’ve ever wanted,” Sadik said.

  “Do you know what I’ve been through to be with you? What I’ve had to endure. No you don't." She paused. "Prove I'm all you've ever wanted. It’s time you endured some of the pain,” she spat as she waved the knife towards his face.

  “I love you. We’ll talk about this later when this is over.” Sadik flinched and shuffled back almost positioning himself behind the tree.

  “Stab her.” Celile held out the knife to Sadik, point first. “Do something, then we will both have a memory to endure for the rest of our lives.” Once again, she flicked the knife in his direction, he held his hand up to protect his face and she caught his palm.

  “Are you fucking crazy,” he said as he stepped back.

  “Not crazy, just hurt, scared.” She said, still shaking while gripping the knife. "Go on then, prove you’ll endure something for me. Stab her.”

  “What do I tell Guz?”

  “You tell him, she knew what we were up to and was going to tell the others. She lunged at you so you stabbed her. See, an accident,” she smiled as she wiped her wet eyes.

  Sadik took the knife from her shaking hand and stared at it for a moment. “Gutless,” Celile spat as she snatched the knife back and directed the sharp point at Selina.

  “Look, you’re being stupid. We need to keep the girls. You’re been irrational, give me back the knife,” he said as he held out his hand. She flicked the blade again to warn him away. He stood, hands raised in front of his body. As he stepped back he raised his hands above his head. “What are you playing at?”

  “I saw the way you looked at her and the way you touched her. Oh, I’m only helping her out by making her comfortable,” she mimicked. “If you won’t do it I will.” With a trembling hand, Celile flung herself to the floor and plunged the knife into Selina’s chest. As she plunged the weapon, she twisted it and turned it almost breaking her fingers with the force she used.

  “What the hell have you done?” Sadik stuttered as he held his head with both hands. He fell to the floor beside her and snatched the knife. He watched helplessly as blood pumped out of Selina’s wound. Her smiley expression, changed to a frown before all her facial muscles went limp. She coughed and a few flecks of blood splattered over Celile’s chest. Selina inhaled, and then exhaled. That was her last movement.

  Celile stared at the lifeless girl, her shakes turned to deep uncontrollable breaths until she wheezed, unable to catch her breath. She’d never killed before, not directly. Falling to the floor, she sat and cried hysterically. Sadik placed his shaking hand on her shoulder, reached across and turned the music back up.

  *****

  Eve stared into the darkness. “I can see movement, he must be coming back or maybe it’s the others.”

  “I hope so.” Kevin replied as he stood beside her, gripping her hand. “And I wish they’d turn this music off, it’s the fourth time I’ve heard this one. It’s beginning to drive me insane."

  A lean figure emerged into the low flickering light. Mehmet appeared and brushed past them as he marched towards Sadik. Eve watched as he approached the recess of trees where they had sat, she couldn’t see Selina but there seemed to be a crowd over the one spot. Mehmet held his hands up and fell to the floor yelling and crying. Then he screamed in Turkish before dragging his limp body off the floor. From a walk to a staggering run, Eve saw how he grabbed Celile by the hair and spun her round. Sadik grabbed his neck, the young man threw him off then a stout moustached man came from behind the tree and planted a solid punch onto Mehmet’s face “Kevin, look. It’s him, the man.”

  “Oh God, we need to get Selina.” they watched as their hosts fought and argued. As they approached, Eve spotted the flecks of blood on Celile’s neck. She looked down as the crowd dispersed and through the gaps and flickering light she spotted Se
lina’s blood soaked chest.

  “No, what have they done to her? They’ve killed her,” she yelled as tears spurted down her face. She thought of her friend and the trust she had given Mehmet. Poor Selina, so trusting and now this had happened to her.

  Kevin grabbed her. “We have to go. Go now. Run,” she looked in his eyes and saw the panic. She followed his lead; he turned her around and pulled her to the dirt path. As they passed where they had been sitting she grabbed her rucksack and placed it on her back. Her head pounded with adrenalin. Inside she was hysterical but to survive she had to remain calm and in control. She looked back and met the gaze of the man she had seen earlier that night in the bushes. He pulled out a gun from Celile’s bag and pointed at them. “Go,” Kevin yelled as he pushed Eve onto the path. “I’m right behind you,” he shouted as he followed.

  Their pursuer began to charge towards them. Over branches, through spiny bushes; they dragged their bodies through everything they had to. Close behind, she heard shouting. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw Kevin frantically keeping up with her. Darkness made it impossible to follow any direction, all she knew was that the water was on her right and it was close by. The moon was almost covered by cloud and they were in denser woodland. The man’s shouting got farther away, maybe they were loosing him.

  A loud bang filled the air and she heard a thud behind her. “Kevin,” she yelled as she stopped dead and turned. He lay there holding his leg.

  “You have to go Eve. Go now or we both die. You’ve got Harry to think of,” he said between clenched teeth.

  “But I can’t leave you,” she kneeled down beside him.

  “I’m coming for you,” a voice shouted as it howled with laughter; their pursuer was close by.

  She dragged Kevin off the track, into some thorny foliage and held him tight. “We can stay here until he passes, he won’t find us,” she whispered. As she looked down she spotted a small blood trail that led to the bush they were hiding in. She grabbed a handful of dirt, scattered it over the trail and kept silent.

  “You can’t hide forever and when you come out, I be here, waiting,” the voice yelled as its owner cocked the gun. The footsteps got closer. Eve’s heart beat loud and fast. Kevin gripped her hand and looked into her eyes before closing them and holding his breath. The footsteps passed and then they came back. Their pursuer was now standing firm in front of them. Eve inhaled and was taken back to when she first saw the man and breathed in his smell. Silent tears fell as she gripped Kevin’s hand harder with her own trembling hand.

  ‘Please go,' she thought as she swallowed. It was as if he had heard her plea. He stepped a few meters away, undid his flies and urinated up a tree. Eve heard Kevin exhale, she watched him under the moonlight as he clenched his teeth and held his leg, cracking a twig as he moved. The man turned sharply and faced them, was he looking at her? The moon’s light began to shine brighter as the cloud passed. He was looking above them, and then he turned and walked back in the direction he came from. Eve grabbed Kevin and hugged him hard, stroking his hair and kissing his head. He gasped in pain as he reached for his glasses in his top pocket and put them back on.

  “You need to go and get help, I can’t come with you. I can’t walk any further. Just keep running downstream, follow the river. Keep going. Did you say you had water?” He said.

  “Yes,” she cried. “I can’t do this, I can’t leave you and I can’t do this on my own.”

  “You can do this,” he said as he looked her in the eye. “You are all we have; we are all counting on you.”

  Eve nodded; she pulled her hand towel from her rucksack and wrapped it once around Kevin’s calf before tying it tightly.

  “I love you Eve and we are going to get out of this one and things are going to be great. They are going to be really good, I promise,” he whispered as he kissed her.

  “I love you too, I love you so much Kevin. I’m going to sort this, I’ll bring help back. I promise,” she whispered as she stroked his head. “You stay hidden and be quiet.” She took out the bottle of water and offered it to Kevin; he took a swig and passed it back to her.

  “You’ve got to go now. You know he’ll be back to look for us.” Eve eased herself out of the tangled branches and stood up on the path.

  Bang. Gunshot in the distance, he was trying to scare them into the open. She smiled one last time at Kevin, turned and ran.

  Chapter 28

  “You,” Guz pointed to Sadik. “Find them. And you stay and help him.”

  “I can’t do this Dad, please I want to go,” Mehmet cried. Guz pulled his hand back and slapped his son hard on the cheek.

  “You can and you will do this. Do you know what trouble we’re in? You’re in? If this fails we all go down.” Mehmet rubbed his cheek and wiped his eyes. He took Celile’s wrap that stuck out of the top of her bag and placed it carefully over Selina.

  Celile grabbed it back. “You’ll get blood on it.”

  “I don’t care,” he said as he snatched it back off her. “She deserves some dignity and how will she get that if we leave her bleeding body splayed out like that on show?” Celile went to grab the wrap again; Sadik placed his hand firmly over hers preventing her from reaching over. Mehmet kneeled down before placing the wrap over Selina’s body. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

  “That’ll do, don’t get too attached to the corpse,” Guz shouted as he pulled Mehmet back up. The lad refused to oblige and fell back down to the floor.

  “Now. Who’s going to tell me how this happened? Do you know how much money we’ve lost by loosing her? After all, she was the pretty one or shall I put it bluntly, the pay out.”

  Sadik looked at Celile, Celile looked back. Guz watched how they interacted in their unspoken language.

  “I-,” Celile began.

  “It was an accident,” Sadik blurted out interrupting her. “We thought she was asleep, she saw us arguing and tried to run off. She became hysterical then attacked Celile. It was me; I didn’t know what to do. I grabbed the knife and ....... I tried to get her arm, just to slow her down so that we could get her under control. But I missed and it was too late.”

  “You have cost us dearly. The Boss will make us pay for this. I promised him three girls. I have one heavily sedated in the woodland and the one that you’re going to catch,” Guz said as he looked into Sadik’s eye. “She ran in that direction,” he pointed towards the dirt track. “She won’t get far. You can do what you like with the boyfriend. I’m sure I shot him so we can leave him out here to rot. Here’s a gun,” he said as he passed the weighty metal weapon to his Brother. “Use it if you need to and for heaven’s sake, don’t kill the last girl. I’ll come back for the other one later; she won’t come around for at least four hours. I've given her enough stuff to knock out a horse.”

  “How could you have done this to her?” Mehmet cried as he rocked back and forth by Selina's side and stroked her hair.

  “She’s nothing. Get her out of your head. There’s plenty more where she came from. In fact there will be another plane load tomorrow.” Guz spat.

  Mehmet placed his hand on the tree and stood. Tears washed over his face. “She’d never done anything to you. How dare you?” He yelled as he lunged at his father. He attacked him with his powerless fists. Within seconds Guz had thrown him to the floor and straddled the young man's body.

  “How dare I? How dare I you ask. How about I dare for you, for her even, for him,” he said as he pointed to all of them in turn. He grabbed Mehmet’s sweat soaked tee-shirt with clenched fists and shook him hard. “We all want a better life. These people they are nothing. They come from their privileged backgrounds, flashing their cash then knocking us down on prices. They’ve forced us into this. I don’t feel even a bit sorry for them and you shouldn’t either. Now get up and find the others. Have some guts like a son of mine should.”

  “I don’t want to be your son,” Mehmet replied as he took a deep breath and stared back at his fat
her. Guz clenched his fists harder almost ripping the tee-shirt, then he let go and stood. Turning away, he shook his head.

  “After tonight, you won’t have to be. I’ll give you your share and you can leave. I never want to see you again.”

  “I don’t want a share of this blood money and I’ll still go and I never want to see you again either.”

  Guz’s phone beeped, he looked down. A message from The Boss. “He needs us to get a move on; he's collecting the girls as soon as the sun rises. Right Celile, we’ll go to the villa now, get that done, get back here for the clean up after that pair have caught the runaways.”

  “I can stay here and help, it’s too much for them. I’m quicker than them and Mehmet’s not fit for much given he's upset,” Celile said. Guz watched as Celile looked at Sadik. That look, a fleeting moment. Was she angry with him? He noticed the slight tremor in her hands. She was usually so calm and collected.

  “No, you come with me. Mehmet will do this, it’s better than spending the rest of his long life in prison. If he doesn’t I’ll make sure it’s all pinned on him.” He stared down at his boy, disappointed that he had no courage to see this through. “We need to go to the villa, get the passports and whatever else we can find. Mehmet? It’s the run down one opposite the shop, is that right?” Mehmet held his hand up and turned away. “Whatever. Let’s go,” he said as he grabbed Celile’s arm and led her away towards his car.

  Chapter 29

  After several minutes of sprinting along the lumpy ground and crashing through spiny shrubs, Eve stopped and leaned against a tree trunk. Gasping for breath she doubled over then put her open hands on her thighs before falling to the floor and sobbing. Her eyes filled up as she pictured Kevin’s vulnerable face beneath the bush where she’d left him. Breathing in and out, she began to hyperventilate. In a panic she clenched her fists and hit the solid ground hoping that the pain would divert her attention away from the panic. A red heat crept up her neck and spread across her face. Breathe in; breathe out; she regained control. In, out, in, out. The hotness across her face subsided and she felt a weakness wash over her. Her legs shook; she placed her hands palm down on the floor and tried to push her body up to a standing position. Her legs then buckled and she fell to the floor and sobbed hard, letting all the pain and shock spill abundantly down her face. Her nose filled up and began to drip.