Whispers Beneath the Pines

by Whispers Beneath the Pines

  She sat rigid and wiped her eyes and nose with her hand. In the distance she heard a rustling sound, she could see all around the area from the height she had climbed up to. Sadik walked down the dirt track; Mehmet stood guard by Selina’s body. She looked up and saw the stars; all the clouds had dispersed and Mehmet was visible to her. She watched as his shaking hands rubbed his eyes.

  A rustling sound to her right caught her attention, just behind the tree where Selina was laid. Kevin. Her heart hammered hard against her chest as a jolt of adrenalin circulated her body. She watched as the man she loved hobbled beyond the clearing out of Mehmet’s line of sight. Crack, a branch. She watched as Kevin panicked and tried to stoop behind a tree. “Hide Kevin,” she whispered.

  “Sadik?” Mehmet called. No answer. Eve watched as the young man stepped behind the tree and gazed around at his eye level. As he walked closer to Kevin, she held her breath as she watched.

  Heart beating twice as fast, her mouth was once again dry. Eve stared, unsure what to do. If she shouted he would know where she was and Sadik hadn’t ventured that far as yet. She closed her eyes held her breath in the hope that Mehmet would not spot Kevin but all she could see behind her closed lids was the metal piece that she knew Sadik still carried.

  Bang. The gun went off, turning her head she saw Sadik heading back laughing as he shouted in Turkish. Mehmet started to run towards the gunshot. Relieved, Eve exhaled and allowed her body to relax a little. She smiled, knowing Kevin’s location had reassured her. He was safe for the moment.

  The two men were shouting. Mehmet cowered down to Sadik as he wielded the gun in all directions whilst laughing hysterically. Out of his pocket he pulled some more bullets and reloaded the gun. Eve leaned over and checked Kevin’s position. He was gone. She looked behind her, he wasn’t there. To her right, he wasn’t there, to her left; the two men were now nearing Selina’s body once more. In the distance by the cars, she couldn’t see him there either. Confused as to where he could’ve disappeared too she sat still and continued to look. A branch rustled. Her hands shook as she watched Kevin hobble towards Selina whilst the two men looked away. He stood behind the tree and held out his hand in an attempt to grab the bag that Celile had left there earlier. He was trying for the car keys, she knew in her heart that's what he was doing. She held her breath, hoping that the two men wouldn’t hear him and turn around. He successfully grabbed the bag handle and lifted it up. Sweat beads formed at the edge of Eve’s hairline as she watched him. He pulled then a crack noise broke the silence. The bag had been caught on a lower branch.

  In unison, the two men turned their heads. Sadik held up the gun and paced towards where the noise had come from. Mehmet shouted, Sadik turned towards him and hit him hard across the face with his other hand and pointed towards the tree. She watched as Mehmet reluctantly walked towards the bag. Panicking, Eve grappled for something in her bag, the bug spray. She flung it as hard as she could towards the dirt track before hearing it crash to the floor. Both men turned and ran to where the noise had come from. She watched as Kevin hobbled off into the distance towards the cars without the bag. Their plan had failed but at least she knew Kevin was still alive. She watched as the men came back, Sadik held half of the broken plastic bottle in his hand as he stared in the direction in which he’d picked it up.

  She climbed down the tree. They were onto her; they knew that she and Kevin were close. She had to pull back, think of a plan. Try and get to the cars. Instead of rushing, she crept across the ground until she was far enough away from them. Moments later she reached a small clearing just a little way down from where she had peed earlier that night. On the ground, poking out the bottom of a bush was something dark. She crept towards the mass and lifted up the bush, a bare leg, a man’s leg. She pulled the bush back further and saw a body almost curled in the foetal position. Ryan. Her head throbbed hard. She leaned over his bloody body and felt for his pulse, no pulse. She placed his arm by his side and allowed the bush to cover his body back up as she felt warm tears trickle down her cheek. She wanted to hold him and cry for him but they would hear; they would come and do the same to her.

  In the distance she heard shouting. No time to panic, no time to break down, she sobbed silently as she backed away from their shouting, determined that they would not locate her.

  She grabbed a tree stump and felt her way round it as she walked backwards. Once again out of sight she breathed hard and slid to the ground before taking a few deep breaths. She trembled as she thought of all the annoyance she’d expressed towards Ryan and now he was gone. Both Selina and Ryan gone; just like that. Was it a matter of time before Selina and Ryan became herself and Kevin? That couldn’t happen. Determined, she forced herself to stand and continue to step backwards until she stood on something knobbly. A lump of tape rolled up. Next to the tape was a cigarette butt. She scanned the lumpy ground below and saw a pair of feet. 'Please no, please not another one,' she thought. Eve’s hands shook as she paced towards the bound feet and forced herself to continue looking. Rachel lay face down with her hands tied behind her body. She ran to her friend and fell to the ground. There was a faint pulse under Rachel’s cool clammy skin. Eve’s hands trembled as she fought to undo her binds. She pulled the rope off her feet and rolled her over. Her black hair stuck to her face and was caught under the tape over her mouth. Eve ripped the tape off her mouth and slapped her across the cheek.

  “Rachel? It’s me Eve. You have to wake up. We have to go now.” Her friend didn't move. She continued to breathe but didn’t respond to Eve’s voice.

  The shouting in the distance got closer. They were coming; they would come back for Rachel if she left her exposed. With all her strength she grabbed Rachel’s flaccid arms and dragged her dead weight out of the clearing and into a thorny growth before placing her in the recovery position. She grabbed an armful of branches and twigs and built them in a light mound over her friend. She couldn’t lose another one. When Rachel came around, Eve knew she stood a chance if nothing else.

  The voices were now almost upon her. She spotted Sadik in the distance between two parted trees. He smirked as he shouted and held up two sets of keys in front of his grin. With them close to her and Kevin back there alone, she had felt hopeful. But now, seeing the keys; all hope was gone. She darted into the darkness away from their path and slid to the floor, hiding out quietly; playing the game the only way she could.

  Chapter 32

  What seemed like ages had passed without her having any opportunity to come out of the shrubs. In the distance Eve heard the revving of an engine getting closer. She remained sitting still, wedged between a thorny shrub and a tree trunk. She trembled as Sadik passed her, his body was that close at one point she heard him breathe. She flinched as she heard a rustling, then footsteps followed, crunching the undergrowth with each step. Sadik ran back towards the cars. The others must have arrived back. She and Kevin had failed to get any further out of this hellish situation and now there were four of them again. She stretched her neck, rested the back of her head on the tree trunk and sobbed. Dragging her aching body to a standing position, she crept towards their attackers, close to where she had last seen Kevin. She had to know that Kevin was safe.

  The car door slammed and yelling filled the air. A loud, shrill ranting came from Celile before the men joined in. The yelling got louder, she heard Mehmet start and then a loud whacking noise followed. Mehmet hushed. Eve crept even closer, trying hard not to disturb the dry twigs that were plentiful beneath her. As she got closer, she peered around the bush and could only just see the back end of Celile. Mehmet pushed his way through the centre of the commotion and left, heading off in Selina’s direction muttering something as he went. The man who she’d encountered in the bushes clipped Mehmet on the back of his head as he passed him. Aggression and so much anger shone in the man’s eyes. The three of them continued to bicker before finally becoming silent. Then a grin, the man beamed a dirty smile before grabbing Celile by the bot
tom, pulling her closer to him and kissing her hard. She attempted to push him away but he continued to hold her in place. Sadik placed his hand on the man’s shoulder in an attempt to pull him off her before yelling as a loud punch hit him on the cheek. Eve watched as Celile backed away, the woman looked frail and wiped her hand across her mouth. The man walked off towards Mehmet, Celile and Sadik remained there alone, leaning against the car.

  From what Eve could gather, the man and Sadik both had something going on with Celile. They also had a resemblance, maybe they were brothers. Knowing them and their weaknesses was her key out of this, she had to know more, learn more because who knows how all this was going to end up, she thought. She felt her pulse quicken as she watched on. Convinced they would hear her she inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm her breathing down. She watched as Sadik turned to see if the other man had gone. When he was satisfied, Celile fell into his arms and stared into space. He held her and stroked her hair. She shook her head from side to side before trying to push him away. He looked into her eyes; there was a pause, a moment before their lips gently brushed. Eve took another deep breath, she was now in control. Inhale; exhale; inhale; exhale. She had to find Kevin; they had to plan a way out, together.

  She flinched as she heard loud footsteps and the cocking of a gun. The man stepped out from between two of the vehicles and held a gun up towards Sadik’s chest. Celile screamed and stood there frozen to the spot, muttering to the man with the gun. Sadik ducked behind the back of the car. As his head popped back up, he swung his arm over and pointed another gun at the man. Aiming at each other, eyes fixed on each other, they remained focused and still. This time there was no shouting, both of them knew how the other was deceiving him. Alert and upright they all stood.

  Eve trembled; her chance was getting closer. They had guns, how good would their shots be from a distance? Would their anger keep them pressed on each other? Would she make it? Or more importantly, would they make it? Her, Kevin and Rachel.

  Silence was upon the three, their eyes darting amongst each other, none of them making a sound. All three came away from the car and into the clearing where the two men still pointed the two guns at each other. Sadik’s arm trembled; the determination in his steely expression was now watering down. It was becoming obvious to the other two that Sadik had no intention of pulling the trigger. Sadik lowered his gun and put his hand up in submission towards the other man. Celile shouted as the other man grabbed Sadik’s shoulder and flung him towards her. Eve dived to the ground and rolled into a small dip in the earth and remained still in the shadows. They were that close she could smell their sweat. Shaking, she closed her eyes so that what she was observing could not distract her from hiding quietly. In the shadows she remained until Sadik eventually got to his feet and was shoved even closer to her. All that stood between them was a stubby row of spiny shrubs. One more shove would see Sadik falling onto her. She remained still as the ants walked over her body, as the urge to flick and scratch became overwhelming and as the light of the moon was about to shine directly onto her. Tears welled up. It was her time, three of them, angry with at least two loaded guns. What chance did she have?

  Something thudded against the car bonnet. Distracted by this bang, all three turned around. The older man stopped shoving Sadik and held out his hand to help him up. Whatever their differences were, they always seemed willing to put them aside when something threatened their plan.

  “Mehmet,” the older man shouted.

  There was no answer. Eve lifted her chin up and peered over the ditch that she was wedged in. They were moving away from her, she sat up, placed her hands on the earth and began to push herself up. The moon shone brightly above her, if they were to turn their heads, she would be fully exposed by the light. She stood and turned, as she stepped forwards there was a loud cracking noise, her rucksack had got caught on a bush and snapped a twig. She stooped back down as all three of them began to walk towards her one step at a time. The older man held the gun out in front of him; the other two stepped behind him.

  “Mehmet," he called.

  Eve’s heart hammered hard against her ribs, so hard, she could feel it blocking her throat. She tried to breathe in but she hyperventilated instead. Feeling light-headed, she allowed her stooping body to fall to its knees. If she lifted her head any higher they would be looking at her with a clear view and a gun pointing at her head. Little black dots began to prickle her vision, please don’t pass out, please, she thought. Her breathing was now even further laboured and her vision was dotty and distorted, it was her time. Would they treat her worse because she’d given them the run around all evening? Or would they kill her quickly? If quickly, then it’s game over. If slowly; whilst you are alive and however bad, there’s always chance of escape. Her fate was in their hands. So close, so warm. Eve could now smell sweat once again; she could almost feel their body heat. Heat, more heat. Prickly warmth spread up her neck and chin, she felt her face burning. Without hesitation, she dug her fingernail into her leg; she needed a jolt of reality. Maybe a short sharp pain would bring her back and it worked. She swallowed. She was sure they had heard her gulp then another bang came from the cars, saving her. She listened as all three of them ran back in the direction that they’d come from. On her hands and knees she scurried out of the moonlight and back into the shadows before peering through a gap in the shrubs. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Kevin staggering behind the trees ahead. She smiled as her breathing returned to normal. Relief flooded through her body temporarily weakening her, she allowed the tears to flow. She had never experienced tears of such joy in tragic circumstances but the tears that were flowing were of pure joy. She looked up again and noticed Kevin staring at her. He smiled and placed his hand on his heart, she smiled back as she did the same.

  She heard the chattering of the four perpetrators getting louder. Kevin mouthed a word over and over again, she stared hard. Run, he was telling her to run. With that he disappeared into the dense growth and she did the same. She would stay in their circle but on the outside watching in, watching and waiting for that opportunity to arise. Now she had Kevin watching her back, she knew they could do it, they could get out together and be together; be happy, go home and do normal things that couples in love do.

  Chapter 33

  “They’re playing us, keep vigilant,” Guz whispered as he brushed Sadik off. “We need to get them alive, the girl at least. We get the girl, then deal with the boy and get out of here.”

  Celile nodded as she half listened to what Guz had said. Her mind was still on the stand-off between Guz and Sadik and how close the two brothers had come to pulling the trigger. She had watched Guz grin with the gun in his hand and shuddered at how much pleasure he had taken in seeing Sadik back down. She looked at Sadik before staring into the bushes ahead.

  Guz's smell still lingered on her and she wondered if Sadik could tell. She had always told Sadik that until he did what he had to do and stood up to his brother that things would still happen between her and Guz but he had chosen to block out her words. The fact that he was aware wouldn’t make it any easier for him to stomach if he knew it had just happened. She could’ve prevented it; she could’ve tried at least. Her efforts trying would have been better understood if Sadik had found out. If Guz had forced himself on her it wouldn’t have been her fault. He could’ve blamed his brother, could’ve even pushed him to whisk her away to another life.

  “So, do you know what you’re all doing?” Guz asked. Celile looked at him blank. What had he just said? “Celile? Do you know what you have to do next?”

  “Yes, I mean no. I didn’t catch what you said.”

  “Sometimes I think you never listen to a word I say you stupid Bitch,” Guz said as he stepped forward and allowed his nose to touch hers. She swallowed hard and looked away. “Maybe we should put her in with the deal whilst we’re at it.” Guz turned to Sadik and howled with laughter.

  She allowed a tear to escape as sh
e swallowed. When would the time come for Sadik to prove to her that she was more than just his occasional fling? She needed some confirmation that his promises were genuine. She thought back to the bland life on the farm that she’d left behind. Everyday was the same, her family was normal, but she had craved adventure and Guz had swept her off into the unknown. At this very moment she craved nothing more than being back at home with her mother, father and three brothers. Her nieces were growing up fast. She wanted children, a husband, someone dependable. At first she thought that might be Guz and then she thought it might be Sadik but now she didn’t know. She needed Sadik to step up and defend her, she needed him to be a man and protect her from his bullying brother and the misery that she was always enduring at his hand. Her emotional needs had pushed her to another level, one she had not contemplated before. Her jealousy had taken Selina's life, she began to weep.

  “I think we could get a few thousand Euros for this one. A scrawny little girl, could ship Celile off to Russia or somewhere. Oh shut up with the blubbering,” he laughed.

  “There’s no need for that. We’re all doing what we’ve got to do," Sadik interrupted.”Are you alright Celile?" He said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

  Guz grabbed Sadik by the tee-shirt and pulled him away from Celile, close towards him. “It was a joke, she knows me don’t you Honey?” Guz said as his smile dropped without even looking at Celile.

  “Please don’t start now. I know you don’t mean it Guz. Just leave Sadik alone,” Celile said. Guz released Sadik and his grin returned.

  “She must like you a lot,” he said as he looked at both of them in turn. Both Celile and Sadik looked away. “You two, we need to get the woman. If she dies, you die too. We need her, understand? And shut that damn music off, if I have to listen to anymore of that shit, I'm going to throttle someone.”