Don't Catch Me!

Chapter 23 - The Wager

Chapter 23 - The Wager

The men beneath us were wearing a strange combination of furs, leathers and synthetic clothing.  It was a confusing explosion of textures and colours.

One of them walked over to a tree and started to work on something while the other looked up and grinned at us.  It was a grin that didn’t look welcoming.  It was a grin that promised trouble.

Then the net gave way and still wrapped in the rope we fell to earth.  Unfortunately that meant that as my body contracted upon hitting the hard surface my knee sprung up driving my hand upwards and Joel yelped in pain.  Still fully bound together within the net, I could only whisper my apology. 

Then the men worked quickly and spoke amongst themselves.  They adjusted our limbs so that they could bind our wrists and a rope to each ankle, before they started to release us from the netting.

Only once we were securely tied did they seem to relax.  They chatter more openly and shared a joke or two, but only to each other.  They spoke like they didn’t expect us to understand what they were saying.  It was almost like we didn’t exist.  I had the unpleasant realisation that had a deer been caught in the net the men would have acted the same way.  They only difference might have been that they would have killed and butchered the catch on the spot, whereas they obviously had other unknown plans for us.

They released me from the net first.  They held a knife to my throat as they unwound Joel.

“Arghhh,” I did my best unintelligible growl while shaking my head and looking Joel in the eye.  He nodded.  He understood what I was thinking.  If they didn’t know that we understood then they would more likely let something slip or treat us as mindless animals which would result in them letting their guard down sooner or later. 

 If it had been simple then Joel could have overpowered them even with his hands tied.  But it wasn’t.  The large man threw me over his shoulder and then rested the knife on my inner thigh.  Joel knew as well as I did that he was threatening my femoral artery.  Sever this and I would bleed out in a matter of minutes.  I didn’t hear him say any words to Joel as I dangled over his shoulder helplessly but every so often the knife would press harder against my thigh and I would hear Joel’s growl of frustration.

“They looky like pair.  She ain’ta had no babies, I’m guessing from her shape, so she probably got a dose.  I can’t believe me luck catching a healthy pair like this just before we hit She-car-go.  Cause they a pair they be easier to control.  Looky at him he scared for his mate.”

“Could we keep the woman?  She got lovely hair. I ain’t seen that colour before.  Orangey right?” the younger man spoke slowly like he wasn’t quite right.

“Yeah but that why we can’t Beren.  We’ll get some good paper for her.  We will get you ‘nother.”

I hung over his shoulder listening to them all the while they headed towards the sounds we had heard earlier.  I ran through all my martial arts defences but the knife was sharp and everytime I tensed to try something it bit into me.  I would have to wait for a better moment. 

Upside-down I observed the camp as we approached.  It was in a clearing next to the river we had heard earlier.  A road snaked next to it.  I was amazed to see the road.  Once it would have been a six lane motorway.  But now the asphalt was split with huge cracks and within these grew trees, grass and other plant life.  The bridge was crumbling cement and was half collapsed down the embankment and rested in the quick moving but shallow river.

The camp was a hotchpotch of tents of different colours and fabrics, and rickety carriages.  The horses were tied and were eating the grass near the river, even so they were scrawny badly kept animals.    Soon a small group of people surrounded us and  from then on I could see nothing other than legs.  They touched me, felt my clothing and my hair and they cooed in wonder.