him squashed on top of him. Lucas groaned in pain. Toad appeared beside them. At first the tone of his voice was jokey, then it became serious and Weasel reluctantly released his foot. Jake got another hold of Lucas and helped him up.
‘You okay?’ He examined Lucas’s face. It looked grey. The blood had left his face and he had messed himself. There was a foul sulphuric smell. ‘Lucas?’ Lucas stood but his legs were buckling. He looked in a lot of pain as he clutched his stomach and turned away to vomit. It was bright with blood.
Weasel picked up another stick and started poking Lucas in his back as he was bent double. When he finished there was blood smeared across his hand as he wiped his mouth. Jake grabbed the end of the stick and wrenched it out of Weasel’s hand. Weasel’s face contorted in anger as he took one long stride to reach Jake and he began to shout, his words a torrent of rage. He spat into Jake’s face as he took hold of his throat and squeezed it, and began whimpering softly like an excited puppy. The expression on his face turned to desire as, with his left hand, he reached down and cradled Jake’s testicles before he began to twist and squeeze and pant like a rabid dog.
Toad finished talking to Saw, then he pushed Weasel away from Jake and stepped between them as he looked down at Lucas. He stared at him and then he said something that made Weasel laugh as he pointed to Lucas. He shouted something to one of the men and the bagswere pulled off the mule’s back and it was led forward, its back shining with sweat.
Toad picked Lucas up as if he weighed nothing, although Lucas was a foot taller than him, and he dumped him onto the animal’s back. It stood patiently waiting, taking the opportunity to eat the young shoots that sprung from the forest floor.
Saw was coming up behind them. Jake felt his fingers tingle with adrenalin and his guts twist. Saw stopped at Anna. Anna stared back. Jake admired her for her courage. She was always defiant. Saw walked past Silke and Jake’s breath caught in his throat as he watched Saw pull at her clothing. He saw Thomas twisting the piece of wood in his hand. He hadn’t been able to drop it without attracting attention. Jake looked at him. Thomas glared back as if begging Jake to let him try. Jake shook his head and his eyes dropped to the piece of wood in Thomas’s hand. Thomas let it fall.
Silke flinched away from him and Saw’s eyes rested on Jake. For a minute Jake thought he knew everything. He knew about the failed escape attempt.
Saw spoke to Toad before turning to Jake.
‘Friend?’ Saw gave his men a sidelong glance as he sneered and pointed towards Lucas. ‘Friend?’ He repeated it and pointed again towards Lucas as if the word conjured up a ridiculous image.
Jake nodded. Saw turned to Weasel and grinned. Weasel giggled and mimicked Jake. ‘Friend. Friend.’ He wiggled his hips like a woman.
‘Friend sick—maybe fall from mule, huh?’ Jake didn’t answer. He knew that it was best to keep quiet. Sawwasn’t looking for conversation. Saw jabbed him to make Jake look at him again. ‘Soon, come Steep Pass—only room for one person.’ Saw looked back at his men; he was speaking to the audience, not to Jake. ‘Your friend fall, I think?’ He called to Handsome to pass him some rope. As the mule looked at him incuriously, Saw tied the rope around Jake’s waist and looped the other end around Lucas; pinning Lucas’s arms around the mule’s neck, he secured them together. Jake’s side was pressed against the mule and he would struggle both to keep up and to avoid catching his legs in the mule’s hooves. His body would get in the way on the narrow path. Beside him the steep ravine plummeted and, below, the tops of the teak trees seemed a long way off.
‘He fall—you fall. He friend? You keep him alive.’
Saw laughed and his men whooped and seemed to walk with a new energy as they dragged their captives onward.
Saw stopped by
‘You okay?’ He examined Lucas’s face. It looked grey. The blood had left his face and he had messed himself. There was a foul sulphuric smell. ‘Lucas?’ Lucas stood but his legs were buckling. He looked in a lot of pain as he clutched his stomach and turned away to vomit. It was bright with blood.
Weasel picked up another stick and started poking Lucas in his back as he was bent double. When he finished there was blood smeared across his hand as he wiped his mouth. Jake grabbed the end of the stick and wrenched it out of Weasel’s hand. Weasel’s face contorted in anger as he took one long stride to reach Jake and he began to shout, his words a torrent of rage. He spat into Jake’s face as he took hold of his throat and squeezed it, and began whimpering softly like an excited puppy. The expression on his face turned to desire as, with his left hand, he reached down and cradled Jake’s testicles before he began to twist and squeeze and pant like a rabid dog.
Toad finished talking to Saw, then he pushed Weasel away from Jake and stepped between them as he looked down at Lucas. He stared at him and then he said something that made Weasel laugh as he pointed to Lucas. He shouted something to one of the men and the bagswere pulled off the mule’s back and it was led forward, its back shining with sweat.
Toad picked Lucas up as if he weighed nothing, although Lucas was a foot taller than him, and he dumped him onto the animal’s back. It stood patiently waiting, taking the opportunity to eat the young shoots that sprung from the forest floor.
Saw was coming up behind them. Jake felt his fingers tingle with adrenalin and his guts twist. Saw stopped at Anna. Anna stared back. Jake admired her for her courage. She was always defiant. Saw walked past Silke and Jake’s breath caught in his throat as he watched Saw pull at her clothing. He saw Thomas twisting the piece of wood in his hand. He hadn’t been able to drop it without attracting attention. Jake looked at him. Thomas glared back as if begging Jake to let him try. Jake shook his head and his eyes dropped to the piece of wood in Thomas’s hand. Thomas let it fall.
Silke flinched away from him and Saw’s eyes rested on Jake. For a minute Jake thought he knew everything. He knew about the failed escape attempt.
Saw spoke to Toad before turning to Jake.
‘Friend?’ Saw gave his men a sidelong glance as he sneered and pointed towards Lucas. ‘Friend?’ He repeated it and pointed again towards Lucas as if the word conjured up a ridiculous image.
Jake nodded. Saw turned to Weasel and grinned. Weasel giggled and mimicked Jake. ‘Friend. Friend.’ He wiggled his hips like a woman.
‘Friend sick—maybe fall from mule, huh?’ Jake didn’t answer. He knew that it was best to keep quiet. Sawwasn’t looking for conversation. Saw jabbed him to make Jake look at him again. ‘Soon, come Steep Pass—only room for one person.’ Saw looked back at his men; he was speaking to the audience, not to Jake. ‘Your friend fall, I think?’ He called to Handsome to pass him some rope. As the mule looked at him incuriously, Saw tied the rope around Jake’s waist and looped the other end around Lucas; pinning Lucas’s arms around the mule’s neck, he secured them together. Jake’s side was pressed against the mule and he would struggle both to keep up and to avoid catching his legs in the mule’s hooves. His body would get in the way on the narrow path. Beside him the steep ravine plummeted and, below, the tops of the teak trees seemed a long way off.
‘He fall—you fall. He friend? You keep him alive.’
Saw laughed and his men whooped and seemed to walk with a new energy as they dragged their captives onward.
Saw stopped by
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