The sun was up already and the light played on his closed eyelids as Mark slowly drifted into consciousness. He felt wonderfully warm and comfortable. He lay on his left side, his chest against Evie’s back and their legs intertwined. His arm was draped over her hip.
“Mark,” she whispered “are you awake?”
“Uhh.” he mumbled sleepily.
“Umm. I just wanted to say that I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather be locked up and held hostage with.”
“Thanks” he replied, “me neither.”
Read Beijing Private Eyes - Part 1 Arrival here, Part 2 Lights, camera... here, Part 3 - Room service here, Part 4 - Ancient History here, Part 5 - Party time here, Part 6 - On the Road here, Part 7 - Cold storage here,
(For my six peak oil short story competition entries set in Australia and China see here)
Part 8 – Fight or Flight
(Rated M)
The sun was up already and the light played
on his closed eyelids as Mark slowly drifted into consciousness. He felt wonderfully
warm and comfortable. He lay on his left side, his chest against Evie’s back
and their legs intertwined. His arm was draped over her hip.
“Mark,” she whispered “are you awake?”
“Uhh.” he mumbled sleepily.
“Umm. I just wanted to say that I couldn’t
think of anyone I’d rather be locked up and held hostage with.”
“Thanks” he replied, “me neither.”
They lay together quietly without
moving. Eventually Evie broke the silence. “What’s this?” She reached down
between their bodies and ran her hand over the hard lump in his underpants. He
hadn’t even realised he had an erection.
He coughed with embarrassment “That’s an
involuntary physiological reaction.” He pulled her hand away. “Ignore it and it
will go away.”
She put his hand on her stomach. “Maybe I
don’t want it to.” she whispered. She lifted her hips and slipped her knickers
down to her thighs. Then she slid her hand inside his underwear and enclosed
his shaft.
“Oooh,” he whispered, “that’s not helping.”
Outside a car door slammed and muffled voices
reached them.
A bolt of adrenaline shot through him. “Shit,
they’re back.” Mark whispered.
Evie tensed, clasping his hand to her. They
slowly disconnected. He kissed her neck briefly and swung off the bed. He
adjusted his underwear over his rapidly shrinking bulge, pulled down his
t-shirt and then sat down on the mat. He ran his hands through his hair.
“Get ready,” he said, “this could be it.”
She pulled up her knickers, rolled over on
the bed and sat up, wrapping the blanket around her again.
Two sets of footsteps arrived at the
door. “Stand back.” a voice shouted in Chinese. There was banging of metal as
the padlock was removed and the door opened. One of the men walked in while the
other stood in the doorway with the heavy padlock in his hand. He threw Evie’s
clothes in a pile on the bed. He pointed to the far end of the room. “Sit over
there.” he said in Chinese looking at Mark.
Mark looked up and slowly moved to the far
end of the room and squatted. Evie began to pull on her clothes. The man stood
in the middle of the room between the bed and the mat on the floor. Mark eyed
up the distance between him and the door and between Evie and the guy. Evie had her pants and jacket on and was pulling
on her socks.
“On trois.”
he said. She looked at him, her eyebrows raised. He put his hand down steadying
himself with three fingers. “Un, deux, trois.”
He mumbled under his breath.
She nodded slightly.
“Un.”
She put on the first shoe.
“Deux.”
She pulled on the second shoe.
“Trois.”
She lashed out kicking the man in the stomach and pushing him back toward the
wall. Mark sprang up and sprinted for the door. The second man raised the
padlock in his hand. Mark leapt at him feet first connecting with his chest as
he tried to swing his arm. Evie moved to the door behind Mark and he leapt to
his feet.
“Run!” he yelled and he raced down the
corridor The door at the end was half open.
Behind him he heard the first man yell
“Zhou!” the door at the end opened fully and the leader, Zhou, looked in. He
was the heavy Mark has seen outside Zhang’s office. Mark hesitated briefly and
then ran at him. He run up the stairs and tried to tackle him out of the way.
Zhou twisted to one side and landed a kick in his stomach. Mark staggered and
fell to his knees. Evie ran up the stairs behind him and tried to help him up.
Zhou grabbed her and threw her down, twisting her arm behind her.
“Ahhh.” she cried between clenched teeth.
The two other men appeared from inside and
jumped on Mark pinning his arms and legs to the ground.
“Take him back inside.” ordered
Zhou. Mark rose to his hands and knees a few feet from the car. Evie looked
over at him trying to stand. The two men pulled him up and began to drag him
into the store house building
“See you in L.A. Take care.” he whispered as
he passed her.
Evie nodded blankly and watched as they dragged
him along the corridor. She tried to wriggle out the man’s grip and grimaced
with pain as her held her arm up her back.
The men took him past a plastic bag lying on
the floor which contained his clothes, and threw him back into the room. One of
them tossed two more bottles of water in behind him and slammed the door. He
heard them secure the padlock.
“Zai
jian.”
one of them said, laughing. Their footsteps receded up the corridor and the
door at the end door slammed shut.
Evie glanced at the car and the buildings
beyond, looking for an escape route. One of the men grabbed her and pushed her into
the back seat of the SUV. Zhou hopped in the front and the other man went to
the driver’s door. She recognised the scent of the chemical instantly. The sickly
sweet smell. She felt an urge to retch. The car doors shut and then the cloth
came up onto her face. She tensed and struggled against the man’s arms then
slowly slumped to her left. Her shoulder leaned against the door and her
forehead turned and rested on the window. After twenty seconds the man pulled
the cloth away and pushed the button to lock the door. Evie remained slumped in
the seat, motionless.
The car started moving.
Not this time you bastards. Evie sat in the car, her mind whirring. Right, focus. There’s got to be some way to find this place again.
Not this time you bastards. Evie sat in the car, her mind whirring. Right, focus. There’s got to be some way to find this place again.
The car stopped and idled. She opened her
left eye slowly, looking to see if any of the men could see her. The car has
stopped at a small gate opening onto a narrow lane. Behind the car the driver
was putting a chain and padlock back on the gate. She tried to look up without
moving her head. An old weather beaten sign was mounted high on the brick wall.
Please let there be some English. She
scanned the sign. It was covered by several dozen flaking Chinse characters.
There were also some English letters but they spelled Chinese words. She could
see Beijing had no idea what the
other words meant. Jiaohua Chang she repeated
the words in her mind. Jee, ay-oh? hoo ah
chang? God I hope Mei can understand this. Jee ay oh hoo ah chang. Jee ay oh hoo ah chang. She closed her
eye and the car moved off.
About half an hour later they pulled
into a warehouse. Another car arrived beside the SUV. The leader got out and
talked with someone outside the car. Then she was picked up and carried to the
car and thrown in the back seat. Her bag was thrown in beside her. She shook
her head and held it, pretending to be dazed. A woman sat beside her in the
back seat and helped her sit up. The car started and drove out and onto the
road.
She rubbed her eyes, sneaking a glimpse
at the driver. It was Zhang.
“Are you fine?” he asked.
“I’m ok thanks.” she replied hesitantly. She
took a breath. “Thank you so much for rescuing me.” She broke into tears.
Miss Zhao leaned over and handed her a tissue.
“Thanks” she said quietly noting the look of smugness
on Zhao’s face.
After a minute she calmed down. “What will happen
to my assistant?” she asked Zhang.
“I don’t know. The men did not say. First we
make you safe then we can talk to the police about him.”
“Ok. The police. That’s good.” She continued to
sniff into a tissue. “Can you please take me back to my accommodation. I want
to get my bags and go back to L.A. straight away.”
“No. Your apartment is not safe, they may go there
to find you again. You will stay at my house. They will not be able to get you
there.”
She picked up her hand bag from the
floor of the car. “I’ve got to phone my Mum. She will be going crazy wondering
where I am.” She pulled out the phone. The battery had been removed. She put it
back in and replaced the back panel. She turned it on and tapped the screen
waiting for the signal to appear. She had a dozen missed calls, half from her
Mum and half from Mei. She pressed the call button. “Hi Mum.” she said and then
launched into rapid French. Miss Zhao both looked at her surprised.
“My mum is French.” She whispered out of the
side of her mouth, covering the phone.
Next she sent a text to the producer
and her agent. No need to alarm them yet
she thought. They can’t do anything from over there anyway.
Zhang seemed happy to let her play
with her phone so she looked up her twitter page. She could see Miss Zhao
looking over at her phone.
“Twitter.”
She said smiling at her. Miss Zhao shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in
the seat.
Evie’s twitter feed had been deluged
with queries. “Where are you Evie? Are
you ok? Why no messages? What are you doing?”
Thanks
for asking guys, but blimey, don’t you people have anything better to do? She typed a message.
Evie Thomasson
@Evie_T
Beijing sightseeing. Got
lost for a while like #Private_Eyes.
Going to see producer’s
house now.
After she posted the tweet she copied the
text and swiftly sent it to Mei, conscious that Miss Zhao was watching her. Mei, please, please, understand this
jibberish.
“Ok,” she said loudly “that should keep the
fans happy for a little while. I usually do four or five a day.” She kept her
phone in her hand.
The
car slowed outside a security gate. A large billboard beside the entrance said
‘Welcome to Fortune Paradise - Lifestyle
and prosperity.’ Her phone rang. She answered brightly. “Hi Mei, how are
you?”
“I’m fine. Are you ok? I called you and Mark
five times and checked the apartment. Can you talk?”
“It’s been a, ummm, busy couple of days. I’m
with the producer now. Going to his house.”
“Where is Mark?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is he ok?”
“No.”
“Do you know where he is taking you?”
“It looks like nice part of the city. It’s
called ‘Fortune Paradise’. What a lovely estate. I think I’d like to live here.
We’re just going through a big security gate now.”
Zhang waved to the security guard at the gate
who lifted the barrier and waved them through.
“Can you get out?”
“Probably not. I don’t know yet.”
“Ok.” said Mei. “I will try to find a way to
get into the compound and pick you up. I will text later.”
“Ok. Hopefully I’ll see you before I leave
Beijing. I’d love to go shopping again. Thanks for the call. Bye.”
She closed the phone, placed it in her jacket
pocket and zipped it up. The car slowly cruised down a cobbled road lined with
French chateau-style villas. “Wow, this
looks impressive.” she said as they pulled up in front of a house.
“Thank you. I have been lucky.” Said Zhang.
She took in the balconies, gables, and elaborately tiled roofs and the high wrought iron
fence around the garden. Zhang gave her tour of the house. Zhang’s wealth was
evident in the furnishings and decoration of the rooms. “It’s beautiful.” said
Evie.
“Movie business
is good these days. Very popular. He opened a door to a large darkened room,
“This is the media room,” then he turned and waved, “and this is my office.” It
held a large wooden desk, shelves with books and photos and a large Chinese
style landscape painting.
Evie moved to the
painting and then to the large window behind the desk. “This is too beautiful
to work in Mr Zhang.” she said, then turned and took in the desk and shelves.
Her eyes lingered on a photo. She shivered.
“Are you cold?”
“I think I got a
chill in that room.” She wrapped her arms around herself.
“You must be
hungry too. Have some lunch and then you can have shower and change clothes.
Miss Zhao has bought you some things. Please make yourself comfortable. I must
work today but tonight we will have a fine dinner, ok?”
“What about the police. Have you phoned them?
They must find my assistant.”
He nodded, “I will call them now.” He made a
call and spoke rapid Chinese for a time and then listened. “He ended the call
and turned to Evie. “They can’t do anything unless we have more details. We
should wait for another phone call. The police will phone if they have any
reports.”
He departed and
after some food Miss Zhao finally led her to a guest room. She looked around
the room. It contained a large bed and dresser on two sides and a door that
opened into an ensuite on the third. The fourth wall had large French doors
which opened onto a balcony. Miss Zhao followed her out onto the balcony. “This
is a lovely house.” she said smiling at Miss Zhao. Zhao smiled back. She went to the
balcony and quietly stood at the railing staring into the garden. She was on
the upper floor. She measured the distance to the ground below. Not too high to
jump if she landed on the grass. Then around to the front and over the fence.
It was high but looked climbable. Zhang’s office looked out the front. She
would have to be careful.
“I think I’ll
have a shower now. Thank you for all your help.”
She locked the door quietly after Miss Zhao
departed then retreated into the bathroom. She locked the bathroom door too and
pulled out her phone.
“Evie?”
“Yes. Mei, I’m at Zhang’s house. He seems to
want me to stay. He says it’s not safe for me to go back to the apartment. Mark
is locked up in a store room somewhere. We were kidnapped. They let me out but
he’s still there.” Her voice caught in her throat.
“Can you get out?”
“His assistant is still here and Zhang will
be back for dinner. Maybe later tonight. I think I can get out to the street.”
“Ok that is good. I am trying to find the
address and get someone to let us in. I text later.”
Zhang retuned in the early evening with no
news of Mark. Soon after food appeared from a kitchen in the rear of the house.
At dinner Zhang made conversation but Evie could not bring herself to enjoy it.
She asked him about Mark again, “Do you think he will be all right?”
He
smiled. “I am sure he will be fine. Do not worry. You are safe now.”
She began to cry. “It’s all my fault. He was
just my assistant. He didn’t do anything.” She sobbed into a tissue. “I am very
sorry Mr Zhang. I’m very tired. I didn’t sleep very much in that horrible room.
I really need an early night and a long sleep in. Hopefully I will be better
company tomorrow; especially if we get some news of my assistant.”
Zhang
rose frowning “Well then, ahh, sleep well.” He motioned to Miss Zhao to
accompany her.
When they arrived at her door Evie managed a
small smile of thanks and then locked the bedroom door. She pulled off the
skirt and blouse Zhao had bought and pulled on her pants, shirt and jacket and
then sent a text to Mei:
Ready when u r
Mei
replied quickly.
We have a way in.
Meet you outside at 11pm.
She texted back.
Ok
After the car had travelled well out of sight
of the gate Mei’s friend reached back from the passenger seat and pulled off
the blanket. “I think it ok now.”
Evie sat up. The man lit up a cigarette.
Evie leaned forward, “Can I have one of
those.”
He passed one over and lit it for her.
“I didn’t know you smoked.” said Mei.
“Only when I’m really drunk or really
stressed.” she said inhaling deeply. Her hands still trembled and she hugged
one arm to her body as the car sped onto the fifth ring road and away from
Zhang’s house. Her fingers played with the rip in her jacket from the fence,
the crunch of the gravel path under Zhang’s office window still echoed loudly
in her ears.
When
she finished the cigarette Mei asked: “Do you know where Mark is?”
She tried to concentrate on what she had
seen. “It was an old factory. Mark thinks it’s south of the airport. Big brick
buildings. I saw a sign. Maybe it’s the name of the factory.”
“What was it?” Mei asked.
Evie closed her eyes and focussed. “Beijing
Jee ay oh hoo ah chang” She opened her eyes and looked at Mei’s face in the
rear vision mirror. She looked puzzled. Evie’s face dropped. Oh God. Did I get it wrong?
They stopped for some traffic lights and Mei
pulled a notebook out of her hand bag. “Can you write it? Even something close
will help.”
Evie took the notebook and pen. “Jee” JI “ay”
A “oh” O “hoo”
HU “ah” A
“chang” CHANG. JIAO
HUA CHANG. She passed it over the
Mei.
She glanced at it as she drove. “Yes!
Perfect. Beijing Jiaohua Chang. That’s
a big old factory. Closed now. Ok we will find him. My friend Liu here and some
other people will help us in the morning. We can start early, hopefully before
Zhang knows you are gone.”
Evie
wound the straps of her bag around her wrists and held it close. “Mark made me
promise to get on the first plane to L.A. He said it would be safer for me. He
thinks Zhang might have organised it.” She hugged herself tighter. “And I think
he may be right.”
Mei nodded and stared at the road.
It was light when they finally found the
gate. Liu lifted a heavy set of bolt cutters from the boot of the car and cut
the chain. When they got inside he prepared to do the same to the lock on the
door.
“Shei
ah?” yelled a voice in Chinese. Who is it?
“Mark! It’s us.” Evie shouted back.
The lock snapped and Evie pushed open the
door. Mark stood in the centre of the room, the wire handle from the bucket in
his hand. His arm was covered in dust from the mortar of a partially exposed
brick next to the window. “Prison Break without the tattoos.” said Mark
sheepishly.
“More like the Shawshank Redemption.” said
Evie. “You realise it took him twenty years?”
“I had two steamed buns and the thought of
salmon tartare to keep me going.”
Evie rushed forward and wrapped her arms
around him. He dropped the wire and held her tight to his chest.
“You’re supposed to be at the airport.” he
said softly.
She pressed her head into his shoulder. “I
had to pick up something important on the way.”
THE END
********
A new story will be posted next Wednesday: "Tell him he's dreaming" - An engineer has an environmental epiphany but things don't go quite according to plan.
For my six peak oil / post-industrial short story competition entries set in Australia and China see below:
For my six peak oil / post-industrial short story competition entries set in Australia and China see below:
Each story stands alone but some are linked. Suggested order of reading:
Stories set in China:
Winds of Change – In 2022 a migrant worker struggles to realise his dreams and fulfil his family obligations.
Outside In – It's 2050, the country and economy have changed. A recycler studies for an exam to improve his prospects, and an indentured servant plans her escape.
Seeds of Time – (Sequel to Outside In). In 2055 rural China prospers again after a period of dramatic changes, then things are complicated by a strange visitor and a hidden object.
Stories set in Australia: A North Queensland Trilogy
Robots on Mars – 2025. A space-mad city boy adjusts to life in the country and tries to solve a mystery. (Note: no actual robots or Martians involved)
Promised Land – (Sequel to Robots on Mars). It’s 2050 and development threatens the rural district. Is it what they really need and if not, how can they stop it?
Tell me what you think. Constructive comments welcome.
If you like the stories tell your friends.
If you like the stories tell your friends.
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