Whispers Beneath the Pines

by Whispers Beneath the Pines

  “Please don’t gag me again, please? I won’t say another word, I promise. I'm sorry, please,” Eve thought of the mustiness, the dryness and the choking feeling she had got when the scarf was wrapped around her face, and stuffed in her mouth, touching her tongue. Without a word, he placed it across her mouth and around her head twice; then pulled it tight before knotting it. As he wrenched the scarf he caught her ear, she flinched then he slapped her again. She remained still and stared into his eyes. If he wouldn’t talk to her, she would look at him. ‘Look at me, I’m a person, you are hurting me. You will look at me,’ she thought as she stared. He looked away, stood and walked over towards the bench. He then moved the torch until it shone directly into Eve’s eyes, blinding her.

  “Try staring now Bitch,” he muttered. She looked away. In front of her eyes she followed the green and black blotches that the light beam had scored onto her pupils. She heard Sadik shuffle back towards her and slump down to the ground. His sticky warmth radiated onto her skin, his sweaty smell travelled up her nostrils. ‘Breathe in and breathe out,’ she repeated in her head, ‘breathe in and out.’ Through the nose only, no musty smell and no heaving. In through the nose, out through the nose. Her heart pounded as she felt his finger touch her scar. He prodded it, what was he doing? His hand moved up until it reached the bottom of her breast. He grabbed her swimsuit and ripped it a little more. She felt his cold, hard stare on her breasts. 'Please Mehmet, please call the police,' she thought. Even Kevin couldn’t find her now. No one would find her. She didn't even know where she was, how long it had taken for them to get here or in which direction they had travelled. She felt his touch again and flinched.

  “You have to get used to this, this is all you are now,” he whispered. He was so close, she felt his warm breath in her ear and her heart cried, her mind cried as she prepared herself for whatever might happen next.

  Chapter 45

  The Prick grabbed Kevin’s arm and tried to drag him out of the car and on to the ground. Kevin turned and spotted the gun on the passenger seat, he looked at The Prick; The Prick stared back. Both men had the gun in sight. The Prick pulled Kevin back trying to distance him from the gun. Kevin tugged back and reached out towards the gun. The tips of his fingers felt the barrel. So close, he needed another inch; he tried to pull but he was competing with the full weight of The Prick. With his right hand Kevin lashed out and caught The Prick in the eye, a brief moment gave him a life saving opportunity. He reached back over and grabbed the gun. With one swift movement he swung the gun over his head and struck The Prick on the side of his face. The man’s grip loosened as he stumbled back.

  The only sound Kevin could hear was The Prick murmuring and hissing to himself. The man, their captor was now sitting on the floor, legs bent up in front of his body, holding his bleeding head in his hands. Kevin turned the key in the ignition and all the noises of the car bounced back to life. The air conditioning blasted in his face, the radio was on full volume and the sat-nav was once again talking to him. He placed the gun on his lap as he leaned across to close the door. He had to get away, follow the sat-nav. With his other hand he reached for the radio button, the music stopped. Kevin licked his dry cracked lips as he pulled the door towards him.

  The door was flung open, a sharp pain seared across his knuckles before he was met with a stare from The Prick. He had the rock and brought it down slamming it onto Kevin's knuckles again. The sweaty man let out a huge roar before latching on to Kevin’s arm and tugging with all his weight behind him. Kevin’s upper body slid out of the car leaving his shot leg still in the footwell of the drivers side. He extended his leg and the accelerator revved hard as a result. He drew his foot back, petrol; he had to conserve the fuel. As he was pulled again, his glasses fell off his head and landed beside him. His tired eyes struggled in the dark, he squinted to focus. The gun, where was the gun? He saw the shiny metal piece glinting before him; it had dropped beside him as he’d fallen. The Prick spotted the gun and grinned, they both propelled their hands towards the weapon. Kevin felt the metal directly below his grasp. The Prick’s hand was soon entwined in his as they fought for the gun. Kevin’s finger bent back and made a crack noise but he refused to give up his position. The gun was his; The Prick would not get the gun. Kevin shuffled again as he tried to free his leg from the car. It loosened and he was propelled into The Prick. With his new found freedom from the car trap, Kevin dragged his weary body across the dusty ground and smashed his fist into The Prick’s already bloodied face. He grabbed the gun and swung it out in front of him, hitting The Prick once more in the side of the head.

  “Stay where you are,” Kevin said.

  “You won’t shoot me, you could've killed me before but you never did. You are gutless." The Prick laughed as he spat a mouthful of blood to his side. “Boo.” He said as he began to laugh louder.

  Kevin trembled as The Prick lay there mocking him and laughing. Could he shoot him? He had never shot anyone before. The only time he’d made violent physical contact with another human being was when he was seven. It was when Ryan had stolen his bike and wouldn’t give it back. Ryan with all his bravado had walked up to him and said, “Make me.” The only time he had hurt anyone was that day. 'Make me, make me,' those words had echoed in his mind. He shook from his knees to his hands and his face began to burn up. Ryan had laughed at him as he reached forward and started to let down a tyre on his bike. Kevin then stepped forward, grabbed Ryan’s arm and yanked him away from his bike. Ryan pushed back and they were soon rolling on the floor. Ryan was much stronger and had pounded him in the side at least twice but he had saved his bike. Where his next move came from, he didn’t know. He drew back and threw one blow at Ryan’s nose. Blood flowed down his face and dripped onto Kevin as he lay trapped underneath him. Blood, he had caused Ryan to bleed. All the aggression between the two boys was immediately extinguished. Kevin remembered how he'd trembled even more as the blood dripped from Ryan onto his own neck and he remembered how his little bully friend had began to sob. His tears mixed with his blood and mucous, Ryan then crawled off Kevin and ran towards his home. The one and only time he had struck another human being, a moment that he'd regretted for life. Ryan had been a bully, he had deserved something, but a broken nose was extreme. Something good came from that moment though; Ryan had never bullied him again so maybe regretful was the wrong feeling. Regardless, he still felt regret. What followed was a new formed respect, a deep friendship that had lasted forever, a friendship not without its moments that had brought them here together.

  He looked at The Prick as he mockingly laughed without even attempting to move or look scared. Kevin felt around before grabbing his glasses and placing them back on. He hoisted himself up by the car door, got into a standing position and stood above The Prick.

  “Shoot me then. Are you a coward? If you had my woman and had tried to kill me, I would put a bullet in your brain.”

  Kevin removed the safety catch and cocked the gun, could he do it? He had only seen guns fired in movies; he hadn’t even used an air soft gun or been paint balling. His hand trembled.

  “Look at you. If you shoot, who even knows where you would shoot me. If I held that gun to my head and said press, you would still miss,” The Prick said as he howled with laughter. He was right; he was reading Kevin’s body language well. Kevin shuffled and wiped his brow.

  “Just shut the fuck up,” Kevin yelled. The Prick was not Ryan; The Prick was an evil killer. He was someone who would wipe away his own mother for a few quid, someone who showed no empathy at all for any of his victims, and someone who would continue to do this if he wasn’t eliminated or brought to justice. His shaking became more extreme. With the humidity and fear came the sweat, a sticky wetness covered his whole face, his arm pits itched and he needed to rub his eyes.

  “Tick, tock, how long has she got,” The Prick whispered. “You may as well kill me you know. I have failed in my mission. If you don’t kill me, they will,” he laughed.
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  Beep, beep. Kevin looked down then across for the beeping noise. As he looked down he lowered the gun, The Prick reached for the ankle of his shot leg and dragged Kevin to the floor. Kevin held the gun tightly as he tumbled.

  “That is The Boss texting; he is coming for his girls soon and she is good. They will take real good care of your soft haired little girl. He is coming for her,” he yelled as he dragged himself on top of Kevin.

  “Not if I get there first,” Kevin yelled as he brought the gun close to his body and fired. The Prick’s body went limp and the entirety of his weight crushed Kevin’s chest. He coughed and spluttered, pushed and pulled, The Prick was heavy. Loud ringing vibrated through Kevin’s ears and throughout his body, deafened by the shot all he could do was look around. He turned his head to the left to avoid breathing in the sulphur smoke. As he coughed and spluttered he began to turn his head back. He stared at the gaping shoulder wound; he had shot The Prick in the shoulder. Blood pumped from the wound then gushed all over Kevin’s shoulder and soaked into his clothing. He watched as The Prick’s eyes rolled back before his head finally dropped onto his chest. Kevin pushed hard, first at The Prick’s head, then at his middle. With every movement his leg burned up and his broken finger sent shooting pains through his wrist and up his arm. After achieving a rocking motion, he rolled The Prick off himself and heard him drop to the ground. His blood continued to trickle into a little well full of pine needles. Kevin watched as the little well began to fill and the pine needles floated on the top of the blood. Kevin’s eyes began to well up, he had to do it. He had no choice. He looked on as the man convulsed before lying still.

  He had taken a life; he had done something he never knew he could ever do. Not expected, planned, even imagined but he had done it. His shaking hands dropped the gun. He dragged himself up again, bent down and picked up the gun. However much he hated the gun, he might still need it. He looked into the chamber, one bullet left. The ringing in his ears reached a constant high pitched screech; he looked down at The Prick once again making sure that he hadn’t miraculously stood up.

  The Prick began to convulse again, foamy spittle formed at the side of his mouth, Kevin’s stomach rolled as he felt his stomach jerk hard. He stepped to the side and vomited onto the ground. He had taken a life; he had taken away someone’s life. It might be easy to people like The Prick but it wasn’t easy to him. Enemy or not, taking a life was not something he would ever forget. He couldn't ever forget The Prick’s eyes rolling, the blood pumping, the convulsing; the entire evening. Everything that had happened would stay with him for life and would be the source of all his nightmares and fears.

  He thought of Eve and where she might be. “He is coming for his girls,” Kevin whispered. 'Someone is coming to get Eve and take her away,' he thought. He might never see her again if he didn't get there on time. He had to get to Eve, he had to save her. He kneeled down to The Prick's level and rooted through the still man’s pockets until he reached the phone. He pressed the on button, the phone lit up, no signal and the battery light was flashing. He flung the phone onto the passenger seat, flung the gun next to it and got into the car. He lifted the phone; the police, he could call the police and then he thought of Eve. If they were coming for her, the police may not get there on time, he couldn’t risk it, he had to go now, right this second and not get caught up in police questioning. He had little time; The Prick had enjoyed telling him that.

  He reversed the car and concentrated as he drove along the dirt track. He could not afford another crash; one more minor accident could take the car off the road. He pushed his glasses farther up his nose and watched as the sat-nav fixed on its route. He had to get to the start point, keep driving; get off the dirt track and onto a main road.

  Ahead, all he could see was trees, trees and more trees. When there weren't trees, there were bushes and rocks. He checked his rear mirror and saw The Prick’s body get smaller and smaller as he gained distance. He checked the sat-nav, he had successfully pinned the point he was at. He would come back for Rachel once he had found Eve. At least she was safe for the time being with The Prick out of action.

  He stared vacantly out of the windscreen, in his mind all he could see was The Prick’s body, he could still feel the pressure sores he had gained from his weight bearing down on him. The ringing in his ears still buzzed away. He had killed someone, he had taken a life. Nothing anyone could say would ever take that away from him. His hands shook as he turned the steering wheel into a right bend which led to the main road to Mügla that they had travelled down earlier that day. He hadn’t realised they were so close to that road, had he known he would’ve told Eve to run up, not down. Down to nowhere. The sat-nav flashed, he was on the road and heading towards the mystery destination.

  Chapter 46

  Looking out into the darkness through the crack in the wall, Eve wept as she felt Sadik’s hands stroke the bottom of her breast.

  “I don’t want to hurt you. See, I’m just touching you. It is easier this way. When they come for you, it won’t be like this anymore,” he said as he cupped her left breast. Goosebumps prickled across her chest and arms, she flinched as he grabbed her harder. He grabbed her chin and drew her face towards his. Leaning in closer, he smelled her face and his stubble rubbed her chin. His other hand reached in between the rope and looped around her neck, she flinched as he grabbed her breast harder. She inhaled through the gag and breathed in a load of dust. She trembled with panic before telling herself to breathe in through her nose and out through her nose. In, out. She inhaled and caught a waft of his stale odour which was made more pungent by the fresh sweat that dripped down his forehead and over his brow. "See, I’m not hurting you," he said with a gentle snigger. He drew his face back, Eve closed her eyes.

  He may be able to force her to face his direction but she wouldn’t let him read her thoughts. They were for her. The captors had her freedom, her life but they could never take away her thoughts; they were hers, all hers. All she wanted to think about was Harry. There was no doubt he would still have a happy life with his father. What would he grow up to be? That she may never know. She would spend her days thinking about getting away, going home and only hoped that one day if she ever got to go home Harry would still want his Mummy Eve. How long before her mother and father’s disappointment would filter through to Harry, if he for one minute thought that she had gone off to start a new life and had abandoned him, he may never forgive her. A gentle warm breeze burst through the hole in the wood and tickled Eve’s ear. Sadik broke away from her before shuffling around for a moment. Still with closed eyes, she heard his zipper come down before he moved in towards her again.

  Crunch, crunch, footsteps on gravel. With closed eyes, her hearing was sensitive. The door burst open; Eve opened her eyes and gasped. Her heart raced and blood pulsated through her head. Sadik grabbed his zipper and tried to pull it up; it got stuck on what looked like his pants. He tugged and tugged away trying to ease the zipper but it would not budge. Celile stood before them, shaking and hyperventilating as she turned to Sadik. She slapped him hard as he kneeled in front of her before the two began arguing.

  “What the fuck did you do that for?” Celile replied, then she began to rant at Sadik in Turkish. Disjointed ranting interrupted by pacing, her arms went up in the air as she raised her voice.

  “You little slut,” she said as she turned towards Eve. “You are nothing but trouble lady.” Celile grabbed the swimsuit material that Sadik had lifted up to expose her breasts and tugged it back down. She bowed her head forward and concentrated on the shadows that were cast by the torch. The shadows of Celile pacing, Sadik standing as he tried to hold down her flaying arms. She watched as a spider scurried towards her in an attempt to flee the commotion, a spindly legged creature only after sanctuary. Eve shuffled to divert it away from her legs; the small creature changed its course and scurried off to her right. Celile yelled and tears filled her eyes as she pulled out a knife. She thrust the dagge
r in Sadik’s direction. The man placed his arms down by his sides. She kept yelling and holding the knife up to his face. Eve trembled as she saw the blade come up and Sadik hold his hand out in defence. Celile grabbed his hand and forced the knife into his palm as she turned to Eve and nodded. With both hands free from the knife, Eve watched how the woman ran her fingers through her damp hair, her stare alternating between her and Sadik.

  The knife fell to the ground onto its tip. Sadik had let it go. A moment ago Eve was sure that he would’ve assaulted her; she didn’t know how far he would’ve gone or what indignity he would have burned into her mind forever but she knew in her heart he wouldn’t kill her. She was not looking at a killer. Celile on the other hand had a tension, a hunger, a repressed emotiveness about her; one that was ready to burst. She was the impulsive one, possibly even the regretful one when the time came for regrets. Eve had them weighed up, it wasn’t helping her cause to escape but she knew who she feared the most.

  Celile bent over and wrapped the knife handle with her trembling hand. Sadik shouted and made a feeble attempt to hold her back. Eve’s heart rate quickened as she tried to release a finger from her binds, just a finger. A finger would lead to some room to release another finger, then a hand. The woman’s stare fixed on her as she brushed Sadik aside.

  Eve closed her eyes and tried to feel the rope, feeling its direction, its twists and turns. The rope had chaffed her skin; she felt the blood drip down her arm. She heard the woman yell in a loud voice as she lunged at her, then she heard footsteps and another voice; Mehmet. It was her time now. She sobbed as she thought of her end. She had never contemplated death before since this trip but it would take a miracle to save her now. How long would it hurt for? Would the world go black or would there be a light tunnel like she had often read about? What was it like to not be able to take another breath, to fight for it, to want it but to have no choice in the matter? A heavy weight slammed into her chest and a yell filled the room. With a hard shove Eve’s arms wrenched above her and sent a muscular pain searing through her shoulders. She opened her eyes only to be met with Mehmet’s black hair, a warm trickle dripped down her leg. Celile burst into tears and stepped back.