by JD Nixon
“We better get back before everyone misses us,” she said, hauling her bulk off the table and picking up her shift. “I have Tilly working with me in the office next week. When the Strykers find out that we’ve actually sold their order to someone else and not just threatened to, they’ll be around here instantly. I’m running out of time with her. I want to get my tongue on her before the Strykers get their hands on her. She looks hot and juicy, and I don’t want to miss my chance for a piece of that.”
Yuck!
“I want to have a go of her too. Yeah. Don’t forget. I’m the one who brought her here.”
“I won’t forget, but you have to wait till I’m done with her. You can hold her down for me while I take my time. We can both do her and then we’ll let her deal with the Strykers.”
They were both still laughing as they exited the office. As if I would let either of them anywhere near me. Over my dead body, which was probably how I’d end up if I didn’t escape from this place before the Strykers showed their faces.
Chapter 15
I crawled out from under the table and stretched. I had to return to the hall before anyone noticed me missing. I sprinted around behind the buildings and approached the hall from the opposite direction to where the office was situated. The Head Farmer and Jye were standing outside the hall talking and looked up as I approached. I rested my hand on my stomach and pulled a face.
“I’m feeling a bit off tonight,” I said pathetically. “Must be something I ate. I’ve spent half the night in the bathroom.”
“Oh, you poor thing,” sympathised the Head Farmer, taking the opportunity to rub my back. It took every particle of self-control in me not to shake off her hand. “But didn’t you know there’s a bathroom in the hall?”
“No, I didn’t. I’m sorry.”
She ushered me into the hall, her caressing hand turning forceful. She clearly didn’t want me wandering around the compound by myself. Inside, I poured myself a glass of wine and slid down next to Simon, who sat by himself, leaning against the wall.
“Everything all right? I started to worry. You were gone for so long,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t get them to stay. They didn’t want to talk to me at all.”
“It was an extremely disturbing experience. In more ways than one. I’ll tell you when we’re more private,” I said, shuddering at the memory.
We chatted for a bit, shoulder to shoulder, watching the Farmers enjoy themselves. No matter where I looked, all I saw was contentment, affection and good humour. No one argued and even minor squabbles amongst the children were solved with patience and tenderness. It would be idyllic except for the malevolent presence of the Head Farmer, looming over the happy scene, bespoiling it like an ink stain on a crisp white shirt.
At bedtime it was noisy in the dorm. The baby screamed continuously and the wine made people snore loudly. I tossed and turned for ages before giving up. I tiptoed over to Simon and woke him. We crept out to the shed with the hay bales. I shared my evening’s adventures with him and expressed my increasing concern for his safety.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m more worried about you,” he said. “I can’t believe they’ve planned to make you face these Strykers people alone. They must think that if these bikies, or whoever they are, extract a blood penalty on you then that will satisfy their need for revenge. That’s so twisted. I never liked either of them, but I didn’t realise just how warped they are.”
“That’s why they picked a small security business in the city, I guess. I’m nobody to them. They don’t care what happens to me. And if I die, they can just tell Heller I was killed in the course of duty.” Not that I was sure he cared any more. I’d tortured myself struggling with the fact that he hadn’t made any effort to contact me, even after I’d sent that email to him. Perhaps he’d been so disgusted with me over the Will-incident that he’d decided to cut me free? Misery rolled over me, so lost in self-pity that I didn’t even hear what Simon was saying.
“Tilly? Tilly?” he asked patiently. I shook my head, trying to free myself of the pall of dejection that had settled on me, and paid attention.
“Sorry. My mind was a million miles away.” Or as far as the city anyway.
“We don’t know when these Strykers are going to find out that their deal has fallen through. It could be tonight or next week. It makes it hard to plan.”
“Sure does. I don’t have any weapons. Does The Farm keep any guns?” Not that I knew how to use one.
“No. We’re pacifists. No weapons allowed.”
“We might have to raid the kitchen for some knives.”
“That won’t help if the Strykers have guns.”
“I know, I know. It all seems so hopeless.”
“We’ll think of something.”
“I sure hope so,” I yawned. “Let’s sleep out here tonight. That baby is really annoying me. I haven’t slept well since I came here.”
We fashioned a makeshift bed from the bales before huddling together and sleeping.
The next few days passed by in tense anticipation. I was doubly nervous, waiting for the Strykers to wreak havoc, but also trying to keep the Head Farmer at bay. She took every opportunity to corner me or to back me up against the desk or filing cabinet. She brushed up next to me frequently or touched me, her fingers lingering on my neck or arm as I worked for her. It was creeping me out. I complained about her to Simon as we lay out in the shed again. We’d taken to sleeping out there every night so we could talk. Everyone else assumed that we were shagging each other’s brains out.
“Come back and work with me in the fields again. You don’t have to stay with her.”
“No. I might find an opportunity to send another email or to use the phone. She keeps the laptop locked away in the filing cabinet and she has the key on a chain around her neck. I thought she might have jotted down the access code for the phone somewhere, but I can’t find anything yet. She keeps an eagle eye on me all day. I don’t get much opportunity to search her office. She or Jye are always there. I don’t think they trust me.”
“Things will come to a head soon, for better or worse. You won’t have to put up with her much longer. Stay strong, Tilly.”
The following day, I was processing some orders for an upcoming farmers’ market when the phone rang. The Head Farmer answered and murmured into it, and although my ears were straining, I couldn’t hear what she was saying. She hung up and came over to me, placing her pudgy hand on the back of my neck, caressing it. I tried not to flinch.
“You’re looking a little peaky, Tilly. You’ve lost weight. Why don’t you go up and work with Simon for the rest of the day? It would do you good to get out into the fresh air again.”
I was surprised. “What about these orders? Didn’t you say they needed to be finished today?”
“Don’t worry about them. I’ll finish them. Off you go.”
I was suspicious of her motives, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to spend the rest of the day with Simon and to escape her unwanted attentions. I jogged slowly up to where he was working, near the top fields. He was delighted to see me and happy to have some more time together. We decided to spend the rest of the day reinvestigating the suspected meth lab to confirm our suspicions.
We approached the building cautiously. I knew from watching the news that backyard labs could be very volatile, and I wasn’t keen to be blown into a thousand pieces. A foul smell emanated from the building. When we peered through the back window, we could see that the lab was in full swing, making another batch of human misery. One of the Farmers, the man who helped Jye throw me in the hot box, watched over operations with marked disinterest, paying more attention to the porn magazine he was reading. We crept away and paused for a moment to look down on the compound from our high vantage point.
“Hey, there’s a vehicle down there,” noticed Simon.
“I knew she was trying to get rid of me by sending me to you! She has a visitor,” I exclaimed. My mouth f
ell open when I also spotted the black Mercedes 4WD. “Oh, my God. It’s Heller!”
“Are you sure?” asked Simon.
“Yes. There he is! The big blond man. And Farrell too!”
My excitement and joy quickly dried up though when we watched the tiny figures get back into the Mercedes and drive away.
“No!” I screamed in rage and sprinted down the hill towards the compound, Simon hot on my heels. “Heller! Stop! Come back and take me home!”
But it was no good. By the time we reached the compound, chests heaving with exertion, doubled over with stitches, the Mercedes was nothing more than a small cloud of dust in the far distance. I jogged tiredly down the bumpy driveway after them, waving my arms in desperation, but it was too late. They were gone.
I collapsed into the dirt, crying with disappointment. Simon picked me up and drew me to his chest.
“I want to go home,” I sobbed onto his shoulder.
“I know you do,” he soothed, patting my back. “And I want my home back the way it used to be.”
“Why did Heller leave without me?”
“She lied to him about you.”
My head snapped back and I stared at him. He was right. They’d lied to Heller and he’d believed them. I stalked back to the compound. The Head Farmer and Jye regarded me with hateful smugness from the doorway of the office.
“What did you tell him?” I screamed at them.
“That you stormed out of here a week ago after refusing to obey my orders, and we hadn’t heard anything from you or about you since. I gave him a right serve for his irresponsible and unreliable staff and demanded a refund. He believed me.” She smiled. “He’s been looking for you since you left. He didn’t know where you were. Silly Jye. Apparently he gave your boss the wrong address and phone number.”
Jye smirked.
“You did that on purpose, you bitch,” I accused. “I know what you’re up to here.”
Her mouth hardened into an unattractive slit. “Watch your mouth, Tilly. Remember what happens to disrespectful recruits,” she warned me.
I was so angry that I couldn’t control myself and rushed her, pushing her over. She landed awkwardly on her butt, her shift flying up and giving everyone an eyeful that would be difficult to erase from our memories.
I ran to the Kombi and threw open the door. But of course I couldn’t start it because Jye had the keys.
He dangled them from his fingers. “Looking for these?”
I thumped the steering wheel in frustration and abandoned the Kombi. Seething with rage, I ran down the dirt driveway. I was leaving. I didn’t care if it took me twenty hours to make it to the nearest town; I didn’t care if it took me two weeks. I’d had enough of these people.
But I didn’t even make it half-a-kilometre down the drive before someone hooked me around the throat with his arm and hauled me backwards. I fought and bit and kicked him, but he dragged me back to the Head Farmer. Simon struggled as well in the powerful lock of another burly helper as I was towed to the hot box and unceremoniously dumped inside again.
I banged on the wall with my fists in fury. I knew it was fruitless, but I needed an outlet for my extreme rage. It quickly became too hot to continue though and I slumped on to the floor, contorted, and despondently waited out my punishment.
Heller wouldn’t really believe that I’d storm off a job and not contact him, would he? Then I remembered all the times I’d complained about my assignments, and adding that to our recent disagreement, maybe he would. If I hadn’t wanted to be extra cautious with my water reserves, I would have wept with self-pity. I leaned my head back on the iron wall and suffered through the hallucinations and disquieting dreams, drenched to the bone in my own sweat, a dehydration headache pounding my brain.
When they finally opened the door, I stumbled out into Simon’s arms. Once my eyes had adjusted to the bright light, I noticed that he’d been roughed up, probably attempting to rescue me. Downcast, he tended to me gently, helped me rehydrate and sat with me for the rest of the day until I’d recovered.
“What happened to you, Simon?” I asked when I’d revived a little.
“Violence,” was all he said, but the bleak expression on his face carried all his disillusionment and sorrow at what his piece of heaven had now become.
I clutched his hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“So am I,” he replied, his voice flat.
That night we sneaked out to the shed again, both of us miserable. I cried with frustration and anger while he sat stony-faced and silent, staring at a wall.
“Heller believed her,” I sobbed to myself, cut to the bone in anguish. “He’s given up on me for good.”
“I’ve seen the face of evil,” he mused to himself. “Here. In my own paradise. I never thought that could happen.”
“I’m walking into town tomorrow, Simon. I don’t care how long it takes,” I decided. “I’m not staying here another second to be murdered. And you have to come with me. They’re going to hurt you or kill you if you stay. They’ll probably send you out to deal with the bikies if you don’t leave.”
After discussing it, he reluctantly agreed and we made plans. We would raid the kitchen for some supplies and leave at first light. I was relieved that he’d agreed to come with me and although I thought I’d lie awake all night, I slept well.
An incredible explosion, combined with the spine-chilling sound of glass shattering, shocked us from our slumber. We sprang up, staring at each other in horror. Had it started?
We cautiously peered out of the door of the shed. Our view was filled with smoke, confusion and screaming people. The dining hall and kitchen were on fire, completely destroyed by a blast. The Head Farmer, Jye and some senior Farmers were herding the other Farmers into a small building that didn’t appear large enough to hold them all.
“There’s a bunker underneath,” Simon explained, horrified at the destruction. “We’ll be safe there. Let’s go in case there are more explosions.”
We ran over to the small building where the last of the frightened Farmers were climbing down the ladder into the bunker. Jye and his burly offsider pushed us back roughly.
“You’re not joining us,” the Head Farmer said to me bluntly. “I hired you to sort out the people threatening us, so go and do your job.”
“Take Simon at least. He’s one of you,” I begged.
“Not any more he’s not.” And with that she climbed down the ladder and slammed the hatch door to the bunker with a decisive click of the lock, leaving us standing exposed in the moonlight.
“I can’t believe she just said that!” I spat out, beyond anger.
Simon was struck dumb for a moment, not able to move, his world crashing down around him.
“Oh,” was all he managed, upset, his eyes shiny. “Oh. I never expected that.”
Although desperately sorry for him, we had no time for self-pity.
“Simon, we have to find shelter. Where’s the safest place for us?”
“What are we going to do?” asked Simon, not listening to me.
“I know what we’re not going to do, and that’s panic. Let’s stay calm. Maybe that explosion is the punishment and that will be it.”
But as soon as the words were out of my mouth, we heard the rumble of big motorbikes and the sweep of headlights through the night as they drove into the compound, and I knew I’d been too optimistic. There were five of them. Big ugly men. And they didn’t look like the negotiating types. They looked like enforcers.
“Hell,” I muttered to myself. We were trapped in the small bunker building, which was completely bare with nowhere to hide. “Let’s make a run for the shed. We’re sitting ducks in this building.”
We clasped hands, and judged a moment when the bikies were occupied with turning off their bikes and propping them up to sprint across the compound back to the shed. A burst of gunfire followed behind us. We didn’t waste any time but ran through the shed to the small back door and exited quietly.
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“Come out little piggies!” We heard them laughing as they kicked down the shed door and swept the inside with bullets. These guys weren’t messing around. They clearly wanted blood.
Still clutching hands, we quietly jogged around the back of the buildings to the office. I desperately tried the phone again, but it was still code-locked. Frantically, I randomly punched in numbers, hoping to crack the code by chance. Of course it didn’t work. It was crazy of me to even try.
Four of the bikies systematically searched each building, kicking in doors, looking for us. The other stood in the middle of the compound and shouted, “We want our produce! You took our money but we haven’t received our produce yet. Now we’re here to take both. So, come out, come out, wherever you are, little piggies!”
Simon and I exchanged glances. The Head Farmer and Jye hadn’t just broken a deal with the bikies, they’d doublecrossed them. There was no way they were going to listen to anything Simon or I said. There was no point in even trying to explain to them. They came closer to the office building. Simon and I stood near the back door, ready to exit as soon as they burst in the front. I thought we should head for the fields, but Simon felt we would be too exposed there. We had no idea where we were going next. There didn’t seem to be any safe places for us.
The front door splintered and we quickly slipped out the back door, straight into the arms of one of the bikies. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I berated myself for not thinking of this. He was big, shaved head, bearded, covered in tatts, most of them naked women at first glance. He grinned evilly and pointed his semi-automatic at us.
“Well, well, what have we got here? A couple of lying, cheating, doublecrossing whackos.” Then loudly to his mates, “Round the back! I’ve caught some little piggies!”
He poked us with his rifle and forced us back into the office building, into the Head Farmer’s office. They made us kneel on the floor, our hands clasped behind our heads. The classic execution pose, I thought nervously, remembering Felicia and Paulie. The other four gathered around us, grinning.
