by I N Foggarty
Looking upwards through a hole in the lid, he could make out the side of the building and jutting out over his head, a thick rod… The drainpipe he recalled. An image flashed through his mind of the pipe coming loose when he had climbed down. He must have lost his grip and landed inside the dumpster he reasoned. From that height, he was lucky not to have killed himself. Taking a deep breath, he decided to try and stand again. Using the sides of the container for leverage he managed to slide his back up the metal wall until he could clutch the rim for support. He pushed slightly and what remained of the lid came up with little effort.
Swaying in almost every possible direction Dylan elected to hold off on trying to climb out until he was sure his legs could withstand the exertion. His stomach gave a harsh growl. Great, stuck inside a rusty old trash can in the middle of nowhere, with a head wound and an empty stomach. At this rate, he might have been better off back in the cell…
“Anna,” he said aloud before he could stop himself.
She and the other girl, Chloe, were still in danger. He had been tasked with getting help and here he was feeling sorry for himself and unable to climb out of a stupid box. Ignoring his earlier decision to hang fire Dylan clumsily scrambled over the edge and unceremoniously crashed down onto the dusty earth below.
“Oww,” he moaned loudly, his brain boggling around inside his skull.
Dylan froze. Would the noise he had just made be enough to alert his captors? A moment passed where the only the light blowing of the wind could be heard. Slowly he let out a breath that he had not been aware of holding. If discovered now he would be back to square one without even managing to escape the vicinity of the building. When it became apparent that no one was coming, Dylan forced himself to stand. This time his legs held, though it took him a few meters to steady himself. Cautiously he made his way round to the front of the building.
The shutter was closed but he did not have the courage to see if it had been locked. Perhaps if he had possessed Matt’s bravery or Mark’s strength he would have contemplated taking the two men on and saving the girls by himself. Unfortunately, he had neither of those things. So he did the only other thing he could, walked away. From atop the roof, he could recall having seen a dirt track amidst the tall grass that led away from the front of the building. Even in the dark, it did not take long to find.
Hungry and dehydrated his pace was laboured and on three occasions, he had accidentally continued walking in a straight line when the track had twisted away from him. He could not lose the path he reminded himself each time it happened, though easier said than done. In his present state, his concentration levels were in the tank and the lack of a flashlight made it difficult to see.
How long he had walked for he did not know. Need to keep going he told himself for the umpteenth time. His feet had long since joined the collective protests from his stomach, mouth and head for him to stop. Just for five minutes part of his brain said, go on. Five minutes rest then we can keep going. No, the other part screamed harshly. For once in his life this was more than just about him, there were people who were actually relying on him. Anna and Chloe needed him to find help.
He soldiered on. Each step heavier than the last, like a weight was being added to his legs each time they moved. Have… to keep… going, he said internally, almost missing the track twisting away to his right. Up above the moon had reached its zenith and Dylan began to falter. Must… keep… Dragging his foot forward, across the ground, it caught a rock and he tumbled head over heels into the grass. For the briefest of moments, Dylan managed to raise his head up, before it dropped down into the dirt…
##
…How much time passed while he lay in a heap on the ground, Dylan did not know. Eventually, when his eyes opened, he was able to see rays of sunlight seeping through the blades of grass.
“No,” he moaned, struggling to get up. The last time he had seen the sky it had still be dark.
How long had he been out for? Did it even matter? He had screwed up and given in, end of story. Hell, it could be mid-afternoon for all he knew, and if that was the case, he had wasted so many of his precious hours. No, not his hours, Anna and Chloe’s hours. Slowly he picked himself up off the ground. There would be plenty of time to beat himself up over it later. For now, he was still free and could still find help.
Glancing around, he could just make out the sun on the horizon. What’s more, the building from which he had started his journey had vanished from view. Ignoring the fresh protests from his empty stomach and dried out mouth he set off.
It did not take long for hope to be renewed; he had found what looked like the main road. He had never been so thankful to see a hunk of black asphalt. With no road signs apparent in either direction, he went with this gut and headed right. It could only have been about half an hour when the best noise Dylan had ever heard filled his ears. The sound of a vehicle cruising down the highway behind him. Turning sharply Dylan moved out into the road and started waving his arms about in a furious manner. Only at the point he could make out that it was a black pick-up truck, did any thought about how easily it could have been his captors cross his mind. As the truck approached him, it slowed down to a halt. Frantically he abandoned all fear and ran to the driver’s door.
“Whoa, Kid, what the heck you doing way out here?” the driver, a man in his early thirties with short black hair and dark sunglasses said.
“You have to help me,” Dylan blurted out without thinking. “There are these guys and they have my friends and…”
The driver gave him a funny look. “You get wasted last night and only just manage’ to crawl out the gutter? Why doncha slow down and start again.”
Sucking in a breath of air Dylan tried to regain control of himself, “I need to contact the police.” He paused for a moment, attempting to rationalise the best approach. “Do you have a phone I could borrow?”
“I do, but it’s out of juice. Really need to get me one of them in car adaptors.” As though taking pity on the dismayed look that must have spread across his face the driver then said. “However there’s a motel a couple of miles down the road. I’m sure they’ll have a phone and maybe some coffee. You’ll be able to get all the help you need there. Why don’t you hop in? I’m going down that way anyway.”
Dylan almost reached through the open window to kiss the man. Without any hesitation, he made his way around to the other side of the truck and climbed in. They had been taught in elementary school about getting into cars with strangers. However, after everything that had happened over the past few days, he could not possibly think of anything worse that could happen. The man smiled at him and shifted the vehicle into drive. He would have help within the next half hour he thought and breathed a sigh of relief.
Pistols at dawn
The stench of the stale air with its hints of alcohol, tobacco and oddly, something menthol, was the first thing that Anna became aware of when she roused from her long fever induced slumber. It may have been putrid but it felt real and that meant she was still alive. Opening her eyes, the dull light from the singular bulb was a welcoming sight. Glancing around the sight of furniture in various states of disrepair made her feel slightly disorientated. The bed beneath her only served to heighten it.
She lay back on the sour-smelling thin pillow and rough blankets and cast her mind back. She could recall a brief glimpse of the outside world and the sweet feeling of the cold fresh air against her warm skin. After that, everything devolved into the swirling void of her own nightmare realm. Across the room, she could see the thick form of the man called Roca. So she was still in captivity, no surprises there. This must be her captor’s quarters she thought as her right hand began to itch.
Disentangling her arms from beneath the ragged blanket so she could scratch it took a lot more effort than it should have. When she dragged the fingers of her left hand over the back of the right, she discovered that there was something covering it. Gauze? Where had that come from and why? Pulling i
t off she could feel a small raised bump that stung slightly when she touched it. Casting her mind back, she could recall having such a mark after the last time she had been in a hospital. Someone had put an IV into her, but who? Neither of her captors came across as the sort who knew what an IV was; let alone how to use one. Had they brought in a doctor to do it? If so, she must have been seriously ill. Though it still did not answer the question of why bother.
Putting it all to one side, for the time being, she struggled to sit up. The mattress beneath her might actually be worse than her own and in more than one spot; she could feel the metal of a spring where it had worn through. She would be lucky to escape the thing without contracting tetanus. Unfortunately, her movements had been loud enough to attract the attention of the big man on the sofa.
“Better enjoy that empty bed while you can, Bitch.”
There went any hope of a sneak attack. Anna laughed internally at the thought. In her current state even taking down a brick like him would be beyond her. She chose to ignore his comment. Instead, her mind turned to Dylan and whether he had managed to escape. Would he have had the sense not to just run in a straight line? Thinking about Dylan brought about another bout of internalised laughter. The irony of the situation not lost on her. She would never have trusted the boy with a menial task such as sharpening her pencil. Now she had to rely on him to bring help for herself and Chloe.
As if on cue, the door at the other end of the room opened and the ginger-haired girl was forced through it, followed by the other man. Anna tried her best to give her a reassuring smile but it had little effect. Rae, on the other hand, gave her a scowl.
“Thank fuck. I thought she would never wake,” he grunted to his comrade.
“For the amount’a dough you gave that scary bastard of a Doc she should be bending over and showing us her cunt,” Roca replied.
So they had brought someone in Anna deduced, ignoring the rest of the man’s vulgar response. It still did not explain why. Well, there was only one way to find that out.
“You brought a doctor in to treat me, why?” The croak that escaped her mouth seemed to surprise the entire room, including herself. Everyone turned to look at her. How long had it been since she had last drank anything?
“Can it, Bitch,” Rae spat at her. The vein in his temple began to throb.
“Someone’s tetchy today,” she replied disappointed that her voice lacked the smart-assed tone she wanted.
Thrusting Chloe forwards towards where she lay Rae busied himself with something atop a work surface at the foot of the bed. The ginger-haired girl looked terrified and her blotchy faced told Anna that at some point she had been crying again. In the background, the sound of a microwave oven hummed.
“How are you holding up?” she asked, summoning the strength to squeeze the girl’s hand.
Chloe gave her an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, Anna.”
“It’s ok, don’t worry about it. Did they find Dylan?” It hurt to talk but the gentle shake of the girls head made it worthwhile.
Anna smiled. She did not know how long it had been since orchestrating Dylan’s escape, though it had to have been long enough for the idiots to go and fetch a doctor to treat her. With any luck, he would find help soon. They just had to hang on a bit longer. A moment later, the dishevelled figure of Rae blocked her view.
“Make sure she eats and drinks,” he spat at Chloe as Anna watched him shove a plastic container of soup at the girl. A bottle of water followed before the man turned and stalked off.
Chloe looked at her blankly, unsure what to do. Reaching out Anna took the bottle of water and downed half of it in one elongated gulp. Struggling to stop her hand from shaking she traded the bottle for the filthy container. Her stomach retched at the thought of food. Though it looked inedible she would have to attempt to keep some of it down, she may yet be in need of her strength. Picking up the spoon, she looked at the gloopy mass of congealed vegetables before swallowing a mouthful. Yuck! How could anyone screw up tinned soup? Placing the container down on her lap, she pinched her nose with her free hand and quickly shovelled down as much as she could stomach. From beside her, she could see Chloe smile despite the seriousness of the situation.
“You’d do everything you could to avoid tasting this.” She handed the container back. “Eat at your own risk.”
Anna let out a yawn as the girl heeded her advice and sat the soup down on the floor. Slowly she felt her body slouch back down onto the uncomfortable mattress, her limbs felt heavy. She just needed some more rest she told herself. Their captors had made another crucial mistake in not keeping her locked up. Once she had recovered, some more she would be able to take them down. She just needed to…
##
…”Get up, Bitch.”
Anna’s eyes snapped open as a firm hand gave her a rousing shove. The guy, Rae, stood over her a scowl on his dark face and a half-smoked dogend between his teeth.
“NOW!” he yelled, the cigarette falling from his mouth. He did not even lower his eyes let alone bend to pick it up.
Clever boy Anna thought as she smiled sweetly at him. Stiffly she pulled the blanket off her body and swung her legs over the edge of the rotting bed frame. The lazy sods had not even bothered to take off her shoes she noticed. Placing her feet on the ground, she noticed a marked difference in herself and shook her head. She could actually feel the change in her body temperature. How high had her fever been and how long had she had it for?
“Don’t even think about trying anything, Bitch,” Rae growled. Any normal person would have flinched at his harsh tone. “We’ve got a visitor coming today and so you two are going to look nice for him.”
She gave him a confused look. Peering around his bulky frame, she could see Chloe, dressed in what appeared to be a set of black underwear, complete with suspender belt and stockings. The girl stood in the centre of the room with her hands tied behind her back.
“LET HER GO!” Anna demanded and she shot her gaze back to lock onto that of the man’s.
“Not going to happen,” Rae retorted coldly as he thrust a bundle of tangled material at her.
Anna instinctively looked down at it. A set of black lingerie for her to wear too she realised and a cheap one at that. Her head quickly did the math and she could not help but laugh. So this was the game. They had lost Dylan and out of desperation and fear that he would descend upon them with the police in toe, they had decided to make a fast buck by selling herself and Chloe. It also explained why they had brought a doctor in.
Though Rae’s face looked like thunder, it was his comrade who spoke. “Wot the fucks funny, Bitch.”
“You two,” she replied, regaining her composure. “You’re quite possibly the thickest pair of low-level thugs I have ever encountered.”
“Anna please….” Chloe began.
“Shut it, Bitch!” Roca roared, rounding on the lingerie-clad girl, who cowered away in fright.
“Mob bosses don’t like it when you sell their merchandise without permission. Especially if you do a runner with the money,” she continued, like she was lecturing a naughty child. “They’re going to kill you… Unless of course, I get to you first.”
“SHUT THE HELL UP!” It was Rae this time who lost his cool. The look of vehemence along with a temple vein that looked ready to burst told Anna she had hit a nerve and a sensitive one at that.
That explained why the man seemed so on edge. Dylan dropping in on them with the cops must pale in comparison to how his boss would react to betrayal. She smiled to herself. If she was right, her next comment might be enough to push him over the edge. “I do hope the two of you weren’t close. Betrayal always hurts more when it’s a close friend.”
“I TOLD YOU TO SHUT THE FUCK UP!” the man screamed at her, but instead of lunging for her, like she had hoped, he turned and seized Chloe. The girl screamed as he withdrew his gun and shoved the barrel hard up against the side of her head. He growled through gritted teeth. “Now change or
this bitch loses her fucking brains.”
“You tell her, Rae.”
“No,” Anna replied defiantly, though she knew her luck had failed. She had indeed caused him to snap but failed to get the reaction she had wanted. “If you want me to undress that badly let Chloe go and come over here and make me.”
“Anna...” Chloe begged hysterically, tears rolling down her cheeks. The gun pressed firmer into her temple, enough to leave a mark. “…please.”
A twisted smile formed on Rae’s scared face. “I’d do as she says, Bitch. She’s expendable. You’re the real catch.”
He was not bluffing Anna realised in dismay; hence the smiling. Though why she would be considered the ‘real catch’ she could not fathom. Who would want to purchase her for that purpose? She did not have the time to figure it out. All that mattered was that Rae would kill Chloe if she did not give in to his demand. Without reply, she took a hold of the bottom of her top and slowly pulled it over her head. Roca hooted loudly at her but she ignored him. Bending down to unlace her converse, she could see that Rae did not intend to move his gun until she had finished. After slipping her shoes off, she unbuttoned her jeans, and let them slide all the way down her legs to the floor. Carefully she stepped out of them to the sound of another catcall.
She never took her eyes of the man while she undid the hooks on her bra and slid it off her shoulders. It fell to the floor and she picked up the one that had been thrown at her. It was black and made of lace material with a leaf pattern sewn into it. Cheap and tacky looking it hung on her small breast, even though it was not much larger than her own. It felt unclean against her skin, an achievement given the one she had just removed had been worn for days on end. Slipping her underwear off, she replaced them with a garment consisting of two strings and about as much lace as currently covered one of her nipples.