Dreams Ltd

by Veronica Melan

  Feeling the movement behind his back, he quickly turned around and his face darkened as he saw me.

  Good reaction! Exactly what I need.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” He snarled, “get out of here!”

  Frightened, I almost bottled it, but somehow remained standing, even though everything inside of me was now trembling. Well, no... I didn’t come here to shamefully flee as soon as going get a bit rough. First, I need to get a reason to get into the infirmary, so I put a carefree look on my face, stuck my hands in the pockets and looked at him insolently.

  “If you can stand here, why can’t I?”

  He seemed taken aback with my response.

  “You are completely dumb, aren’t you?” That was the only words he could squeeze out of his mouth once he recovered from the initial shock, “I said, make yourself scare now and get back to your duties!”

  “I am on my lunch break.” Even though my heart had almost stopped beating from horror, I said it cheerfully and kept an innocent expression on my face.

  Greg’s skin became dark red.

  “Oh and where did you get that ugly scar?” I blurted out, staring at his cheek.

  Senior warden’s eyes nearly popped out from my arrogance, his thin lips were opening and closing silently. I knew I was crossing the dangerous line, and my bridges were burning behind like pine needles in a forest fire, and although Greg was now looking like a bull that’s been wounded in its balls, yet he continued to stand still, which wasn’t quite was I wanted.

  “It does not look aesthetically pleasing.” I shook my head, expecting him to lash out at me at any second and praying for a bruise instead of the broken bones.

  Greg’s fingers were clenching and unclenching his club, as if he really wanted to grab it but it was too hot. He would touch it and then draw his hand away quickly. Touch it again and draw back quickly...

  Come on! What the heck is holding you back?

  “Bi-i-i-tch” he whispered, staring at me wildly; his body leaned forward as if it was ready to crush and bury me under the ground but his feet seemed to be rooted to the soil, “I’ll fucking bury you...”

  Well, move it then! Why are you standing? – I howled silently, knowing that I was playing with fire, and that by now it was late too change anything.

  He will kill me! What I was thinking?!”

  But it was too late to give up either. How did he manage to hold on for so long? I was trying to stand still and not run away at the same time forcing myself to think about the bleeding palms and all those people I can help if I get the medications. If I survive that is.

  It was a stupid idea ...- As always, a clever thought comes too late.

  “So what’s the story with your scar? Was it a woman? Or a stray bullet? Or did you cut yourself shaving?”

  Suddenly Greg grabbed the whip that was attached to his belt and pulled it trying to release it but once again he froze half way his movement and only growled angrily as his knuckles whitened around the hilt.

  “I’ll get you...”

  Exhausted from the fear and sweating like hell, I was completely puzzled by Greg’s behaviour. Why wasn’t he lashing out at me? Something was definitely wrong... If it was the same Greg I saw in the corridor by the kitchen, I would have been lying on the ground by now, begging for mercy, wishing for a fast and painless death but instead, the red-faced warden stood in front of me motionless!

  It was too late when I noticed that Greg who was now foaming at the mouth from the rage, was constantly throwing odd looks over my shoulder - I turned around rapidly and froze on the spot.

  Behind me, with tightly pressed lips, stood Hulk.

  Holy crap!

  “Get out of here!” he spat shortly and a second later I disappeared from the plantation.

  “What the hell was this hussy about?” Greg roared, spitting saliva with each syllable. His face was covered with red spots; his fists were clenching angrily, “she was purposely teasing me! Did you see that? No, did you see it?”

  “Yes, I did.” Hulk thoughtfully chewed on his lip, remembering the face of the reckless foolish girl, when she turned around and saw him. And yes, he agreed that this whole show was done on purpose but what was the purpose? She obviously didn’t expect him to intervene, hoping that Greg would throw himself at her (which he would have definitely done if Hulk wasn’t there).

  “Keep calm if she tries to provoke you again. Do you understand?”

  Greg slurred and mumbled something and then spat on the ground.

  “I asked if you understood.”

  “I got it, got it.” he forced himself to say reluctantly and turned away.

  “I will talk to her tonight after I get back from the city. I need to pick something up from the post office. And before I get back there shouldn’t be any incidents.”

  After he got sure that silent Greg understood his order, Hulk turned and walked towards the house.

  I was angry about everything. I was angry at Greg (because he just happened to be born), angry at Hulk for interfering and ruining my plans (or perhaps, saving my life?) and I was angry at myself. Even if my idea to get beaten up was totally stupid, I still failed. I teased Greg badly and now he’ll certainly find a way to get back at me for that. Secretly or openly - it will only dependent on his temper and imagination.

  I hid myself on the edge of a cornfield and now was sitting there, watching the twinkling stars in the sky. Corn stalks stood silently waiting for the slightest gust of wind to start a midnight conversation but it wasn’t there, and there was only a blissful and stuffy silence surrounding me.

  I didn’t want to go back to my room. It wouldn’t be possible to fall asleep anyway, not when I felt so angry and overwhelmed after today’s meeting with Greg and Hulk. In order to get some fresh air, I sneaked outside inconspicuously and using the trees shadows and bushes crawled to the field which was now quiet and empty.

  The windows of the small wooden house, where some of the guards lived, shone in the distance; chewing on a piece straw, I was looking at the yellowish light pouring out from them, and like a cat I was subconsciously listening to the sounds around me.

  No voices, no footsteps, nothing.

  Why didn’t Hulk ask me to come to his office after what he’d seen today? Didn’t he understand that it was all a show? Of course, he did. No doubt. But, then why didn’t he call me? I was puzzled. I remembered his frowning face and tightly pressed lips, which firmly etched in my memory that was still in a state of a shock, as soon as I understand who exactly stood behind my back.

  Because of the tanned skin, his eyes seemed brighter, almost silvery colour. For some reason, another memory popped up in my mind – that time in the club, when I was staring in his eyes for a very long time and then there was a short bleep which meant that my bracelet just had five points taken off it.

  Sod it.

  I sneered, still feeling hurt after what he’d done to me and spat the grass stem out of my mouth. Yes, he was handsome, yet he was still a bastard. A ranch owner, a slave owner... Sod him.

  Feeling irritated again, I got up and walked along the edge of the field, keeping in the shade, in case I had to dart into the safety quickly. Although, if the guards do notice me, I won’t be able to hide from their torches and no high corn stems will save me. If I get caught, I’ll get bruises, broken bones as well as whip prints on my back. The latter sent shivers down my spine. The hissing sound cutting through the air and painful groans that followed - it all became real again in my imagination.

  The night remained warm, but suddenly I felt chilly, as though it was my back which was just hurt by the stinging whip... Keeping my eyes fixed on the house in front, I suddenly found myself creeping towards it. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to ask myself “what am I doing?” but to my utter shame, I knew perfectly well what I was doing.

  Not feeling surprised by my own decision, I was listening to the sound of my shoes, almost noiselessly stepping on the ground, and the
voices became apparent as soon as I got closer to the building. Judging by the tone everything was OK and the guards were not worried or expecting any trouble to happen.

  I rubbed my sweaty palms in glee. Perfect! Sit right where you are...

  Perhaps at this moment I looked like a naughty cat that was up to some mischief - eyes narrowed, ears aimed at the enemy target, and feet turned into soft fluffy paws. I mustn’t make a peep.

  As I got close to the wall my nerves kicked in but even that didn’t ruin my determination. No, it’s enough of the tormenting people... (When did I become such an idiot?) Perhaps, the life on the ranch made me realise that I had no hope. If so, why not take the risk?

  The spot where the whips here hanging I noticed a few days earlier. Returning back to mansion after another completed task I happened to witness how the guards were hanging them on some metal hooks, nailed to the wooden poles on the lateral wall of the courtyard. And now, I could see their silhouettes in the moonlight again, as if they were dozing black adders.

  Trying not to breathe, walking as quietly as possible, I carefully moved around a heap of sloppily dumped logs by the wall, and crept up to the hooks. Now the voices were heard more clearly - I understood that the men inside were discussing results of some game that’s just finished on TV. One voice asked for another beer, other two were arguing about which team had played better this time. But as soon as I stretched my hand out to the ropes, the door creaked loudly.

  Trying to melt myself into the wall, I froze in the shade waiting for someone to come out, but instead of the footsteps I heard the rustling of the clothes and heard the unzipping “fly”. Right after that a sound of urine stream followed, hitting the dusty ground. Sweating my head off, I was waiting for the guard to get back to the house, hoping that he won’t decide to take a stroll before his bedtime and peacefully retreat back into his room.

  “Hey, Tom, do you fancy another beer?” one of the guards shouted to him.

  “Yeah!” answered the guy who was still standing on the porch, then he fiddled a bit and zipped up his trousers. I was ready to feel the relief but the door didn’t seem to be in a hurry to open up again to let him back in. Wasn’t he going to get back in? Did he notice something suspicious? For a while there was not a sound around, but I knew that the guard was still out here on the porch.

  What the hell? Was he enjoying the fresh air?

  And all of a sudden Tom did what he’d been waiting for all this time - he farted loudly! And then again! This time even louder, resembling a thunder.

  I winced and rolled my eyes. That’s what we’ve been waiting for so long in silence! We were not waiting for his keen eyes to seek out the enemies lurking in the dark, or his subtle ear to listen out for the unusual sounds but we were waiting for my sense of smell to be irreversibly damaged by the farting guard who had a dodgy stomach after one too many beers.

  Finally the front door creaked, slammed and Tom disappeared inside. I exhaled slowly. Men were now talking about the match again. What a bunch of idiots!

  I peeled off my sweaty back away from the wall and, as far as the darkness allowed me looked around - there wasn’t anything suspicious and I quickly began grabbing the whips from the poles. When the last one slipped off the hook, I held them tightly close my chest and raced off.

  Now I had to beat it. Not thinking what I’m going to do with this pile I just frowned in repulsion, feeling the ropes scratching my skin. They were really harsh and I couldn’t imagine how brutal one would have to be to have the ability to smack someone with these. Heartless bastards!

  Waddling like a duck I was half-running, half-jumping until I got to the back yard. It was close to the corn field from here. My own arrogance was making my head spin and puff from the heavy load I was ready to dive into the corn stems, when I saw a heavy axe left on the deck for chopping the firewood. Someone drove it into a tree stump with such a force but a few shaky attempts with my trembling hands were enough to get the axe out. Trying not to drop anything, I finally jumped into the corn stems and thirty meters away I found myself on a foot path hidden away by the bushy plants. Perfect! This is where I could destroy your torture tools!

  If I could drown the whips, I would have drowned them but there wasn’t any lake in the middle of this desert and I couldn’t burn them either since I didn’t have any matches or fuel. So when I saw the axe I did not even consider about any other options - I just hoped I was strong enough to hack them.

  And, like anyone else, I knew that the new whips will appear in guard’s hands very quickly, maybe even quicker than a few days. However, the only hope that I continued to cherish inside was that the workers’ wounded backs will have a bit of time to recover until then.

  Several hours later the loss of whips was discovered. It probably happened when another guard went to pee on the wall and noticed their absence. Right after that I was immediately told to get out of the bed, whereby that time I'd already seen if not the tenth but at least the second or third dream. Barely managing to get my thoughts together from the tiredness, I threw on a crinkled blue shirt and a pair of jeans, and followed the guard into the yard, wondering how they managed to find me so fast.

  But in the yard my sleepiness was gone in a second. There was a whole crowd out there!... People were standing in lines flooded with the bright light coming from two huge projectors attached to the walls and all the guards I saw on the ranch were there as well. Erratically shifting from foot to foot and whispering, there were all kinds of workers - from the fields, laundry, carpentry and berry plantation. In some of them I recognised junior chefs from the kitchen! Wow... This meant that the thief was yet to be found. Well, well, well... Not that my last thought brought me much of a relief, still it allowed me to breathe a little easier.

  Greg was walking along the sleepy and grimly frowning people. His small eyes were peering suspiciously at different faces, listening to the guards whispering something in his ear, scowling and chewing his thin lips.

  I was pushed out in the front line, and squeezed myself between a man dressed only in some old linen pants and a woman with a long ugly face who seemed completely motionless in an anticipation of the troubles ahead.

  “What’s happened? Why? Why we were dragged out in the middle of the night?” almost imperceptible phrases were coming from one person or another.

  And I was the one who knew why.

  Only just managing to keep my trembling knees together, I turned around facing the floodlight and like the others stood still in apprehension. By this moment I wasn’t just guessing about the cause of the midnight gathering - I knew it for certain. The missing whips. What else could make the security blow their fuse? I had some idea that my actions will have consequences but I wasn’t expecting it to become so over dramatic and well-publicised. More so, I didn’t suspect that it would end up with the meeting in the middle of the night. Oh, dear God...

  Murmuring within the crowd faded down when Greg stopped in front of everyone and ordered them to shut up. Complete silence fell upon the crowd so you could hear the rustling of the corn from the field, and the monotonous grinding of the crickets coming from the house cellar. A little further away I noticed Hulk standing and watching over the scene. His hands were crossed on his chest and his eyebrows frowning. Even though his face and his posture were expressing an utmost calmness, something was telling me that Hulk was furious inside. And if Greg did not make much of an impression on me even being on the verge of an angry frenzy, the intangible wave of rage emanating from Hulk, instantly made me feel that no one will go unpunished tonight. I swallowed nervously and forced myself to look away.

  A second later I heard the first word coming from the hated senior ward’s mouth.

  “Well, ladies and gentlemen... Let me explain to you why we have gathered you here at this odd hour.”

  All as one listened to him in suspense, being impatient, sleepy and angry.

  “One of you, yes, of YOU...” Greg's eyes narrowed ominously and
he paused, glancing with contempt at the crowd as if they were smeared in shit kittens, “… has stolen and damaged twenty whips.”

  A gasp swept through the crowd but Greg cautiously raised his hand.

  “Quiet! I'm not gonna hang around here all night long. So.... Instead of interrogating every single one of you and spending hours on this nonsense we’ve decided to keep it simple.”

  He turned and looked at Hulk who nodded back at him almost imperceptibly; Greg continued.

  “If by the morning nobody comes forward with a confession, twenty points will be taken off of every bracelet.”

  My hands got very cold rapidly and the blood drained from my face. At this time, an explosion of angry voices almost swallowed the guard’s voice. People were grumbling and rebelling openly, resenting and even swearing and cursing. I swallowed the lump in my throat and stopped breathing for a moment.