Stealing Asia

by David Clarkson

  ‘Not yet,’ I told him. ‘I need to be sure you are doing this for me and not just the money. Only once we are off of this boat can you have me, not before; do you understand?’

  He nodded. I knew he would not let me down.

  ***

  I told Ben I would provide him with a diversion and I intended to deliver on that promise. My kidnappers-cum-business partners came to collect me at eleven o’clock and took me directly to the ships control room. It was filled with radio and navigation equipment, the workings of which I did not understand. A telephone handset was built into the main switchboard. I assumed it was connected to some sort of satellite network.

  ‘What are you waiting for?’ asked Barrett, ‘start dialling’.

  ‘May I have a glass of water first?’ I said. ‘My throat feels dry. I can barely even talk right now.’

  ‘I’ll get one for you,’ replied Clay, whilst his partner just stood scowling at me.

  He briefly disappeared into an adjoining room before coming back with the glass of water. I took it from him and slowly sipped from its contents. Barrett finally lost his patience with my delay tactics and came stomping over. He grabbed the handset and thrust it toward me.

  ‘Just make the damn call,’ he demanded.

  Like Clay, Barrett always made a point of encroaching on my personal space. Unlike his friend however, his intentions were driven more by intimidation than attraction. Normally, I would recoil from him, but this time he could get as close as he wanted. When his face was just inches from mine, I let him have it. I vomited all over him.

  ‘You dirty bitch!’ he screamed.

  Clay was quick to place himself between the pair of us. I clung to him whilst he shielded me from the angry tirade that was coming from his partner. The larger man eventually gave in and stormed out of the control room to go and clean himself up.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Clay asked, showing genuine concern.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ I told him. ‘I have no idea what came over me. I think that I need some fresh air.’

  He took me into a small kitchenette where he helped me to clean up. Luckily, my aim had been good and most of the vomit had landed on Barrett rather than me. Many of the girls at college had succumbed to the habit of throwing up when their macro-biotic diets failed. I would never prescribe myself to so gauche a fad, but that is not to say that I am unable to regurgitate the contents of my stomach on demand. With Barrett temporarily out of the way, I could start working on my diversion.

  The boat moved mostly at night. The drone of the engines was a constant companion throughout the hours of darkness. I guessed that this was because they feared greater likelihood of an attack during this time. Clay took me outside and to the rear of the vessel to get some fresh air. As I leaned over the guardrail, I watched the wake of the engines create a bridal train, which trailed off into the night.

  ‘I guess we’ve been pushing you a little hard,’ said Clay.

  I merely whimpered in response.

  ‘I know that this is not easy for you, but we cannot allow Barrett to suspect what we have planned,’ he added.

  By this time he had begun to completely lower his guard when around me. He was seated on a railing, which ran along the outside of the deck. Ironically, it was there to stop people falling overboard. I crouched low, pretending to compose myself. I then took a final glance over my shoulder to make sure that there was a guard nearby, albeit one who was not watching us directly.

  ‘Are you really willing to betray Barrett for me?’ I asked.

  ‘Of course,’ he replied. ‘I would make any sacrifice for you.’

  That was exactly what I wanted to hear. It was going to be a long night and the last thing I wanted was for my head to be clouded by a guilty conscience. Before he had time to react, I quickly made a grab for his feet and held onto them tightly as I raised myself back up onto my own. The poor bastard had no idea what had hit him as I shoved him away from me and out into the black waters below.

  ‘Man overboard! Man overboard!’ I yelled.

  The guard came quickly. I frantically pointed for him to shine his torch into the wake of the boat. It did not take long for him to spot Clay, who was now about twenty metres away and falling further adrift by the second. I was completely ignored and it was all hands on deck as the other guards left their posts to try and assist in rescuing their boss. The ensuing commotion allowed me to slip unnoticed below deck, which gave me the opportunity to search for the cell where my lover was being kept.

  I came across a door that was bolted from the outside and figured that this had to be a prison cell. The corridor was now deserted so I pulled back the bolts and opened up the door. The room contained rows of bunk beds, the occupants of which began to stir as soon as I entered. I spotted Izzie first and then Dee. The other prisoners, whom I did not recognize, were all girls. I called out Ben’s name and as I did so I felt strong arms grab hold of me from behind. At first I feared it was a guard, but as the clasp softened into an embrace, I knew that it could only be one person.

  ‘I love you,’ he said.

  It felt so good to feel his touch again. All of my fear vanished, taking the adrenaline rush with it. It may sound corny, but I actually did go weak at the knees.

  ‘I love you too.’

  For the briefest of moments, he smiled with a careless ease that I had not seen since we were on the beach. It only lasted for a split second and then he snapped back into reality.

  ‘We heard a lot of noise coming from the guards and then they all deserted their posts. What did you do?’

  I told him how I had pushed Clay overboard, but for his sake; I left out the scheming that preceded my actions. We still had a long way to go before we could count ourselves as free and I had to ensure that Ben kept himself in the correct frame of mind. After all he had been through, jealousy would have destroyed him.

  ‘Did you get a good look at the life rafts?’ he asked.

  My original plan had been to get off of the boat, but after seeing the commotion on deck, this no longer seemed possible. I had also not figured on all of the other hostages. In my feverish planning I had even forgotten about Izzie and Dee.

  ‘That won’t work,’ I replied. ‘The entire crew is swarming all over the deck. I do know where the control room is though. We can barricade ourselves in and call for help.’

  ‘I’ve just escaped one cell,’ he replied. ‘I am not creating another.’

  He strode past me. I could see strength in him that is all too rare in most men. I followed him along the corridor hoping to persuade him not to do anything too rash. His bravery would be of no use if it got him killed. The girls crept slowly behind us, but it was obvious that there was not even the slightest chance that we could all get off the boat. If only I could have just taken Ben out of the cell, it would have improved our odds dramatically. He paused when he came to a ladder, which led up to the top deck. I was about to try and reason with him, but he placed his finger to my lips.

  ‘The engines have stopped,’ he whispered. ‘They must still be looking for Clay.’

  I shrugged.

  ‘Don’t you see?’ he continued. ‘This is the best chance we are going to get.’

  ‘Our best chance of survival is to wait for help,’ I told him. ‘Esteban will have alerted the authorities, but they cannot attack with so many hostages on board. If we can somehow let them know we have found a secure place to hide, they can come and get us. The control room has a radio.’

  ‘Esteban is not coming.’

  He climbed the ladder and then took a peek out of the hatchway. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the gunshot that would take off his head, but it did not come. When I looked again, he was actually making his way onto the deck. I placed my foot onto the bottom rung and then tentatively followed him up the ladder.

  The outside of the vessel was much more brightly lit than it had been when I pushed Clay into the water. Searchlights scanned the black waters for the missing
man and there was much frantic shouting going on between the crew. It did not take me long to spot Barrett. Having such a bulky physique made him hard to miss. His body was like a burlap sack stuffed with bowling balls. With over-developed muscles, it made him look clumsy and stupid, but I knew that they contained real power. If Ben tried to take on this brute in a fight he would not stand a chance.

  My lover was creeping closer to the guards and I was unsure as to what he planned to do. The minute he attacked one of them, the rest would be alerted to his presence. I looked again to Barrett and saw that his attention was still on the water. I then turned back to Ben and could see that he now had a machine gun in his hands. It must have been left by one of the guards during the panic and he had picked it up. This time he really was putting himself in danger.

  A violent rattle brought the search and rescue operation to a close. As Ben lowered his weapon back level with the pirates, smoke drifted upwards from the barrel like the tip of a freshly smoked cigarette.

  ‘Drop your weapons,’ he ordered.

  The guards quickly complied, but Barrett kept something in his hand. Amid the glare of the searchlights, I struggled to make out what the object was. I also noticed that he wrapped his free hand around the rope lining the edge of the barrier running around the outside of the boat.

  ‘I said drop it,’ repeated Ben.

  This time he sounded less sure of himself. He could see, as I now could, that it was a walkie-talkie Barrett was holding. I knew Ben would be reluctant to fire under any circumstance and to shoot an unarmed foe was simply out of the question. If the roles were reversed, Barrett would not hesitate in opening fire on Ben. Why did he have to be so damn chivalrous?

  ‘Just shoot the bastard!’ I shouted.

  My outburst gave my position away, but it did not matter. There was nothing I could have done anyway. Barrett sneered at me before saying one word into the walkie-talkie. It was incomprehensible in the wind, but I had a feeling he was speaking Thai anyway. Either way, it had an instant effect. The boats engines roared into life and sent vibrations shuddering across the water drenched deck. I was knocked off my feet instantly and landed painfully on my arse. Back at college I had considered getting a tattoo on my butt and now it had been done for me. I had of course hoped for something more sensual than a big blue bruise. The guards were as taken aback as I was and they clamoured for something to hold onto. One or maybe even two of them were swept overboard to face the same fate as Clay. Barrett remained anchored to the deck.

  The ship continued to accelerate and in doing so it began tilting to one side. Ben had fared no better than anyone else and struggled to hold onto his gun, whilst barely keeping his footing. I wanted to get closer to him, but the slippery conditions prevented me. Instead, I could only watch on helplessly as I clung to a beam for support. Barrett, meanwhile, was using the guardrail to make his way toward Ben. He was still holding the walkie-talkie and when he was just metres away he called for the engines to stop. The cessation of motion created just as violent a jolt as when we had started moving and this time Ben did lose his balance.

  Barrett was onto him straight away. The gun had slipped out of reach and Ben was unable to offer any resistance as the brute lifted him up with one arm, before tossing him against the side of a cabin. I scrambled onto my feet and ran towards Barrett. He had his muscles and I had my finger nails. I intended to use them to claw his face off. He was still focusing on his current victim and did not see me coming.

  I scratched him hard across the face. I could feel his flesh peel away under my fingernails as I tore into his skin. He recoiled away from me, but I did not know how to capitalise on my unlikely advantage. I searched all around for a weapon to use and my eyes eventually settled on the gun dropped by Ben. The rocking motion of the boat combined with the slippery deck had brought it to within my reach.

  Barrett had turned his back on me and I thought that I could safely make it past him to pick up the gun. I was wrong. As my fingertips came within inches of the weapon, I felt a sudden tightness around my throat. I tried to stretch my arms the extra inches needed to reach the gun, but doing so squeezed the air more rapidly from my lungs. His fingers began to crush harder as he lifted me off the ground. He brought my face close to his and though I could see that I had inflicted some damage, it was not enough. He grinned as he licked at the blood dripping down his face.

  ‘You are going to pay for that,’ he said.

  For a moment I feared he may actually kill me, but the remaining guards had regrouped and began to gather around us. Reluctantly, the brute passed me over to two of his subordinates, whilst he walked over to collect Ben. My lover had suffered badly from being thrown the way he had and was unable to offer further resistance. He was dragged over to the side of the boat where I was being held.

  ‘I had intended to keep your boyfriend here as additional leverage should things go wrong,’ said Barrett. ‘Thanks to your pitiful attempt at insurrection, I have had a change of heart.’

  I did not look at him or Ben. I cast my gaze downward, determined not to show fear or regret. The ape continued undeterred. Some men just do not know when to shut up.

  ‘In a way,’ he continued, ‘you have decided his fate for him. I will offer him the same chance of survival as you gave to Clay.’

  Up until then I had thought of piracy as a generic term to cover any type of seaborne crime. He may not have sported an eye-patch or a cutlass, but I realised that Barrett subscribed to the more classical definition of the term. He was actually going to make Ben walk the plank.

  ‘Any last words?’ asked Barrett.

  Ben said nothing. It pained me to admit it, but I think that he had finally given up hope.

  ‘How about you?’ the brute said, as he turned to me.

  I shrugged free of the guards hold and ran to Ben. I knew Barrett would not allow us to share the moment for long, so I had to make what little time I had count. I tore the locket from my neck and placed it into Ben’s pocket as we embraced. As before, I had faith that he would return it to me. I also knew that it would save his life.

  ‘I love you,’ I said.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ replied Ben.

  Barrett pulled me back and with Ben’s words still echoing in my ears, I watched as he was pushed into the black waters below. My earlier confidence in his salvation vanished as all I could think of was how poor a swimmer he was. Seeing a life ring close by, I grabbed a hold of it and flung it out into the water for him to catch hold of.

  ‘You’re going to regret that, bitch,’ said a voice from behind.

  With no less ferocity than he had shown Ben earlier, Barrett hoisted me up from the deck with one arm and flung me into the air. I waited for the pain of the impact as I came crashing back down onto solid ground, but the pain did not come. In its place, there was only darkness.

  Chapter 4

  Where am I?

  Darkness remained, but the temperature was rising fast.

  What am I doing here?

  I knew there was something I was supposed to do. Just moments ago, I was searching for something. Wait, no, I was not searching, I was chasing. Or was I being chased? Nothing made sense and I could now feel a burning sensation on my back. I rolled over and the world exploded into brightness. At least I knew what had been causing the heat. The sun shone down relentlessly. How long had I been lying directly under it? I looked around hoping to find a familiar sight or face that would jog my memory.

  The beach was not instantly recognisable. The bar and the shape of the bay were how I remembered them, but everything else had gone. All of the foliage that encroached onto the sand and even the forest were nowhere to be seen. It was now a mere sandbank cast adrift in the ocean. Two girls were sat at the bar, which was the only construction remaining. I walked over and joined them.

  ‘How was your swim?’ one of them asked.

  ‘I was not swimming,’ I replied. ‘I think I fell asleep on the sand.’

  ‘Do not t
ell lies!’ interrupted the second girl. ‘I saw you just now. You were in the ocean.’

  I brushed my hand through my hair. It was bone dry; all of me was. I had not been near the water for some time.

  ‘I am not lying,’ I told her. ‘Look at me; I am totally dry. How could I possibly have been swimming and still be this dry.’

  ‘She is such a liar,’ said the second girl, who had now turned to her friend in an effort to block me from the conversation.

  ‘Why do you not believe me?’ I asked.

  ‘Stay away from us!’ the girls screamed in unison. ‘You’re a liar and if you don’t stop, you are going to get us all killed.’

  I staggered backwards under the weight of their outburst. It felt as if I was staying in the same spot, but pushing them and their cruel taunts away from me. As they shrunk into the distance, I could hear the sound of a phone ring. Since I was wearing nothing more than a bikini and carried no bag, it took me a while to locate the source of the ringing. There was a shell by my feet that seemed to vibrate in time with the sound. I picked it up and placed it to my ear.

  ‘Hi, Katie; it’s Syd. Why haven’t you called me? I’ve been dying to hear all about your big day.’

  ‘Big day?’ I queried.

  ‘Cut that out,’ she replied. ‘I know that you haven’t forgotten. I bought a new dress especially. I cannot wait to show you; it is totally bitchin’.’

  The line went dead. Actually, I should say that the shell went dead. I tossed it back onto the sand, where it sprouted legs like a hermit crab and then waddled off towards the ocean. As it disappeared into the surf, the weather took on a noticeable change for the worse. An ever strengthening breeze indicated that a storm was on its way. The bar was nowhere to be seen and in its place was a large wooden door. As I approached, I found it no less intimidating than the other hundred or so times that I had walked towards it. Normally, Andrew would let me in, but I could not see him anywhere, so I gave it a knock myself.

  Nothing.