The Devil's Whisper

by T. H. Moore

  ~~~

  After about an hour, Elaina began to squirm with exhaustion, hunger, and the need to relieve herself.

  “I have to pee,” she said.

  “Not much we can do about that now, except—”

  “Don’t say anything.” She sighed. “I know the answer. Just don’t—”

  Charles heard the men and clapped his hand over her mouth. They had returned after inspecting each exit, and now they huddled in a circle in the middle of the cavern.

  “Did you find any fresh tracks?” Mandawuy asked.

  “We found nothing,” one of the younger men said, his voice frustrated.

  “Then we stay and continue to search,” Mandawuy vowed. “We saw them enter the cavern. We stay and search until we find my daughter’s killers. We return home only after I have killed them with my own hands.”

  “What are they saying now?” Elaina whispered.

  Charles shook his head.

  “Mandawuy, we all want to find and slay them,” the younger man said. “But there is no shame in losing two people who had a day’s head start. We were fortunate to track them this far. We don’t have enough food or water to search for them, so we will eventually have to go back. They will surely die out here, anyway.”

  “You, Baju, are young and unwise about the ways of our people, our ancestors before you,” the eldest of the bunch, a bald, short man, yelled. “Your generation only values immediate results. You’ve never been a patient person. If you wish to leave, go! I will not go back to our village carrying this shame. Do you think these strangers know our country better than we? You can leave if that’s your desire but we will not return until their heads are mounted on the tips of our spears.” He thrust his spear in the air.

  “They’re not leaving until they find us,” Charles whispered. He sensed her body slumping behind him. Then, a moment later, he felt the warm fluid on his leg from Elaina relieving herself in their cave. When she was finished, Elaina moved toward the mouth of the cave to look down.

  The elder was still speaking but had calmed. Having gotten his point across, the men embraced, then broke apart. The younger man disappeared into one of the caves, and returned with dead wood to build a fire.

  “So now what do we do?” Elaina whispered.

  “We’ll wait until they’re asleep,” Charles said, putting together his plan. “Then we’ll sneak past them. When they wake, we’ll be miles away, and they’ll still be searching this cavern. We’ll get at least another day head start on them. By then, hopefully our tracks will have disappeared, and we’ll be lost to them forever.”

  They watched the men build a fire, sip water, and chew dried meat they pulled from small satchels they wore on their shoulders. Elaina’s stomach growled louder, and she salivated at the sight of their modest dinner. She buried her face into her dirty palms, trying to block out the longing for the nourishment her body needed.

  ~~~

  Elaina was jarred awake by the sound of loud snoring. She reached over to cover Charles’s mouth, but her hand met empty space. She scooted to the edge of their cave, and saw that the aboriginal men were asleep around the fire with the elder making all the noise. As she scanned the rest of the room, Elaina wondered whether abandoning her was part of the scheme Charles had been planning all along.

  Just then, a gruesome moan came from below, followed by a scream. Elaina’s heart leaped into her throat. She grabbed the knife she had stolen from Oodgeroo and scooted back as far as she could against the wall while sounds of grunting, moaning, and screaming came from the cave floor below.

  Then the horrible clamor gave way to the simple sound of a single person panting in heaves. That animal-like noise was more worrisome than the fighting. She clutched her knife and battled an overwhelming sense of nausea. Elaina readied herself to slay whatever approached her.

  “You can come down now,” Charles said. “They’re all dead.”

  Chapter 21

  THE SUN WAS DIPPING TO the horizon, signaling the end of the eighth day since Charles’s ax decided the fate of the men hunting them. The two fugitives had been lucky enough to find shelter in caves along the way to wait out the intense heat.

  Each day was the same. After daybreak, they had set up camp, rested during the worst heat of the day, then woken to eat. They were adept at making meals of lizards, snakes, and rodents, and developed an unspoken understanding of how to conserve the pitiful amounts of food and water they were able to collect.

  The best part of the routine was watching the beautiful orange glaze stretch along the horizon at dusk. It also meant that the evening breeze was upon them. But the unforgiving outback had taken its toll. The flies and ants were etching their persistent way into their resolve to survive. Charles and Elaina both had open sores from their constant scratching.

  At the same time, the journey was softening their hardened souls. They had come to find solace in each other’s bodies, the only physical comfort they had among their survival regiment. Their bodies craved the companionship that had eluded them in their former lives. It had gotten to the point where it had become a biological imperative.

  “It’s time to go,” Charles said, gently touching her shoulder.

  Elaina rolled over and squinted at Charles before the sensation of her irritated skin came to life. She scratched at the raw flesh on her arms, where insects had torn into her during her slumber.

  “What day is it now?” she asked. “Day nine? We’re halfway there, right?”

  “Eight,” Charles corrected.

  “I swear, you could ruin a wet dream, Charles,” Elaina complained as she shot him a piercing glare and rolled back over. “You couldn’t lie to me? You couldn’t let me believe in the fantasy of one extra day?”

  “Stop being a child,” he said as he performed the ritualistic measure of the descending sun to plot their continued course. When he turned around, she was standing a breath away from him. Caught off guard, he backed up a few steps.

  “Funny!” she exclaimed with a wry smile. “Funny how you would choose those particular words. You think I didn’t notice that Mandawuy was leading that search party? And maybe why we had to leave the village so abruptly?” Elaina marched past him, but when she looked back, she saw a man with a more reserved stride than normal.

  “There’s nothing to tell, apart from what I’ve already said,” Charles insisted. “They knew we were fugitives and had worn out our welcome, so it was time for us to leave. Now, pay attention to where you’re going. If you’re going to take the point, you need to make sure we’re still headed in the right direction.”

  Charles picked up his pace during their silent march. The only sound was the wind whipping and their boots crunching over the gravel until he finally walked past her.

  “I’ve never been able to understand why men feel they have to think for us,” Elaina said, fuming. “Or why they have this unrelenting urge to always lead, as though women are inept and need direction and saving. Maybe it’s necessary for you to sustain the delusion that you’re kings of your jungle,” she said.

  “Like the lion.” Charles interrupted but Elaina retorted a snicker.

  “Of course, the lion. You have the name of the animal right. However, but the large mane and gender? That part you men have all wrong. Anyone with access to the nature channel would see the flaw in your assertion.”

  When Charles offered no response, she gave a wide smile.

  “Don’t you just love those shows? All those male lions lazing around, sleeping all day? His size is all he has. Just a body to throw around to prove he’s dominant. All that makes him is a bully. The female lion, however, is the clever one. She possesses the natural instincts and skill. The female lions are the ones who spot, stalk, and pounce on the prey that nourishes the entire pride. No matter how fast the prey, they run it down. No matter how strong the victim, they drag it to t
he ground, burying their razor-sharp claws into its body, wrapping their powerful jaws around its throat, and crushing its windpipe until it is dead. Much like how I did away with the correctional officer when we escaped.

  “Wouldn’t you agree, Charles?” she prodded, her voice sinister in its sweetness. “There’s not much difference between lions and humans. Females are still the bearers and the nurturers of the pride, and the males are more like sloths than kings. Your sole contribution is your size. Your ability to copulate with us.”

  She looked at him, and for some reason he didn’t understand, he stopped walking and looked back at her. In Charles’s past dealings with women, he would have done any number of vicious things to end such a nagging rant.

  But now he couldn’t offer a single word in his defense.

  Chapter 22

  THE SUN’S GLOW WAS GONE, leaving the starry night sky to guide them. Elaina had adapted to the pattern of three-hour marches, moderate conversation, and brief rest periods. Hours had passed, and while Elaina was in the lead, she was feeling excited that they would be taking their scheduled break soon.

  “I’m tired, Charles,” she complained.

  “Just a little while longer,” he urged.

  “I’m hungry, thirsty, and my legs and back are throbbing. I need to stop. When is our next break, Mr. Mathematical?”

  “Our break time was about an hour ago.”

  “What?” Elaina exclaimed. She dropped her burlap bag and began to rummage through it for the little food they still had.

  Charles grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to her feet.

  She snatched her arm away from him. “You must have lost your mind!” she snarled. “Don’t you ever put your fucking hands on me ever again!” Charles raised his hands in the air by his shoulders as he stepped back, trying to placate her.

  “Look, the sun will be up soon,” he urged “I know we were supposed to stop, but if we keep going, we can make it to those small mountains. Wouldn’t you rather sleep under real shade instead of under our clothes?”

  “I am the master of what I do and I’m willing to bet we still have plenty of time to make it to those mountains!” she screamed, her voice quaking from anger. “And if we don’t, fuck it. We’ll just make due but in the meantime don’t you for a second think you’re going to manage me.”

  “How many times do I have to explain this to you?” Charles rattled off without taking a breath. “Those mountains aren’t as close as they appear, and the sun will rise faster than you think. Every step we take, we travel one yard. That’s one thousand seven hundred sixty steps in a mile. The average person walks three miles an hour. We walk four hours, rest for a half-hour based on the sun’s movement, and repeat that cycle. Then we walk another two. That’s thirty-six miles every day, north by northwest toward Darwin.”

  Elaina continued to sit on the ground and stare at him with the same suspicious glare he had become all too familiar with. She slowly and sarcastically clapped her hands. “Congratulations, you can count like a computer. What about our food and water?” she asked, dumping out the contents of their bag. Some foraged shrubbery and insects along with the last few scraps of the dried meat from Oodgeroo lay on the dusty ground. “Can you count us up some more food? These rations will last us another day. Two days, tops!”

  “You’re right,” he said. “That’s why we have to keep pressing toward those mountains. We’re more likely to find water and plants or animals there.” He continued to try and keep his voice measured, but was growing irritated with her tantrum.

  “Look, I told you. I’m…not…moving. Either stay here and rest with me the next thirty minutes, or you continue on without me,” she announced, clutching the container to her side. “Whatever you decide though, the water stays with me.” She stared at him almost to the point of taunting.

  “Fine,” Charles tersely agreed. “But we must ration the water. One mouthful per person per rest period. Not a drop while we’re walking.”

  Elaina unscrewed the cap, looked him square in the eyes, and swallowed as much water as her open mouth could hold. Before draining the gigantic gulp, she raised the container to her mouth again. Wide-eyed, Charles jumped to his feet, but she had swallowed the second mouthful of water before he could intervene.

  “I’m pregnant and drinking for two, remember?” Elaina said. She placed the bottle beside her and stood in defiance of Charles aggression. “Go ahead, take another step closer, and I’ll send you to meet my ex-husband and his whore.”

  Charles looked in her eyes. She appeared to have slipped into a trance. He stepped back. Her fighting stance spoke volumes as to her intentions …

  ~~~

  Elaina was twelve, pressed down on a ratty blue mat by a boy two years younger than her. He was between her legs, trying to bend and pull her into submission. She fought back as best she could, but her opponent was determined. She felt her strength was fading, she winced and grunted, fighting with every ounce of her will not to give him what he wanted.

  She turned her head to the side and saw the banner in the rafters of her father’s dojo. Nunca desista!34 it read. A dor é a fraqueza deixando o corpo!35

  From the sidelines, her father barked instructions to help his daughter fend off her brother. “Bridge your back and reverse his position, Elaina!” he screamed. “Hurry, before it’s too late.”

  Elaina hit the mat hard three times when she could no longer endure the pain of the arm-bar submission hold.

  “That’s enough,” her sensei and father ordered. “It’s over!”

  “Ha! I tapped you!” her younger brother gloated. Their father charged onto the mat and smacked his son’s face.

  “Quiet! Never taunt your opponent,” their father commanded. “Always show respect and never embarrass your sister.

  “Yes, Sensei,” he replied, looking at the floor. Enduring the pain of his father’s strike. He knew, from experience, that any attempt to nurse the pain would be followed by another strike. That’s how his father disciplined his students.

  “Now, since you have enough energy to humiliate your sister, put it to good use. Ten minutes of circuit training.”

  The preteen bowed, hopped up, and sprinted to the weight training area of the dojo. Elaina stood beside her father, also ignoring the pain in her arm and taking in deep breaths.

  “Elaina,” her father said.

  “Yes, Sensei,” she replied, looking at the floor.

  “Sit here,” he ordered, motioning at the seat next to him.

  She jumped to do exactly as she was told.

  “Do you know why you lost to your brother?”

  “Yes, Sensei. My rolling defense needs more work.”

  “Well, yes, your defense requires more work. But that is not why you lost. Despite your seniority, nature has designed men to be physically stronger than women. Even now, your little brother, who lacks your technique and experience, won by overpowering you. Therefore, when a man is your opponent, you cannot rely on your strength. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Sensei.”

  “Now, tell me, do you now know why you lost?”

  “I am a girl, and he’s stronger.”

  “No, Elaina!” he said flatly. “That is incorrect!”

  Elaina looked at him, wildly confused.

  “His size and strength gave him the advantage but even his execution was sloppy,” he said. “But that is not why you lost.” He repeated.

  She stared at him.

  “There’s a story my father told me when I was your age,” he said, his animated tone capturing her attention. “A brave Brazilian warrior once explained to his grandson that we all have two wolves living within us. One of the wolves is selfish, controlling, greedy, impatient, restless, cruel, and desires only immediate gratification. The other is kind, unselfish, compassionate, calm, understanding, and patient. The gra
ndson asked him, ‘Which one wins?’ The grandfather answered, ‘Whichever one you feed.’”

  Her father took her small hands in his. “Elaina, ever since you were a young child,” he explained with loving but serious eyes, “you have fed the second wolf, which has made you a generous and loving person. But that wolf won’t keep you from harm. So, when you find you must engage in combat, you must starve the wolf you’re so fond of. Abandon it and leave it to fend for itself. Embrace the first wolf. Embrace its cruelty, release its restlessness, and nourish its greed. That wolf will keep you alive when threatened.”

  She felt her heart lift. “Yes, Sensei!”

  “Good,” he said. “Now stand up.”

  She got to her feet.

  “Davi!” he shouted to his son. “To the mat!”

  Exhausted from the circuit training drills but still wearing a smirk, Davi jogged to the mat and took a battle stance. Elaina assumed her spot on the line opposite her brother. Her face was stony.

  Elaina’s father spoke to her. “What wolf is feeding now, Elaina?”

  His son glanced between them, confused.

  Elaina lowered her stance and re-clenched her fists. “The first, Sensei!”

  “Good. Now, fight!”

  ~~~

  Elaina raised the gallon of water to her lips to defy Charles’s authority.

  “I’m warning you!” Charles threatened.

  “Fuck you, Charles. Who are you to warn me, coward. You prey on children. Why were Mandawuy and the others tracking us?” Her lips quivered and her brow darkened. “Did you say or do something to his wife… or the children in the village?” Elaina took another long drink from the jug. Her cocked hip and widened stance gave her an air of assertiveness he had not noticed before.

  “And what if I did?”

  Elaina dropped the jug and charged him, tackling him and driving him to the ground.

  “Are you nuts?” Charles yelled, sandwiched between her and the ground.

  She elbowed him in the nose, sending his head smacking into the ground. He tried to get up, but she had straddled his chest and pinned his arms. Charles rolled to unbalance her, then thrust himself up from the ground. Elaina tumbled with his countermove and sprang to her feet.