Page 21 of Dark Medicine

“You like them young, don’t you?”

“They’re my wives,” said the old man hoarsely. “Nothing wrong with a man choosing a wife or two.”

“Where are Roman and George?” asked Kane again.

A man stepped from one of the trailers with a rifle in his hand. Electricity crackled in the air, and Kane felt the energy of Flip behind him. The rifle flew off into the fields, cracking in two. The man looked down at his hands and then back up at the two strangers in horror.

“What sort of witchcraft was that?” he yelled.

Flip stared at the other trailer and knew that there were two more men inside, both with weapons. Without so much as a twitch, the trailers rocked back, falling on their sides.

The women stared at the strangers, the oldest stepping forward in fear.

“Roman and George left to meet with someone a few hours ago. They won’t be back until late. You can find them at the Duck Pond. It’s a pub about ten miles from here.”

She was probably only forty or so but looked sixty. Her face was weathered and showed signs of stress and sickness. Her body was stooped like that of an older woman, her hands wrinkled, red from water and cold.

“Thank you,” said Kane, releasing the old man. He shoved him to the ground and held tight to the knife. “If any of you want to leave, we’ll take you out of here.”

Kane, there’s an outgoing call happening from the tent to your right. Someone is calling Roman.

Flip turned to look at the tent, and suddenly the canvas ripped from its poles. Beneath it were two makeshift beds. At the end was a large trunk with clothes folded inside. A woman huddled next to the bed, the phone now sitting in her lap. Flip walked toward the woman, her large brown eyes terrified of the giant walking towards her. He held out his hand, palm up, waving his fingers for her to give him the phone.

She handed the man her cell phone and scooted backwards, watching him crush it in his fingers.

“Now, that wasn’t nice at all,” said Kane. “We were offering free passage out of here, and we’ll get you somewhere safe. All you have to do is ask. No one will bother you again.”

A small blonde girl, no older than seventeen stepped forward. She was skinny, clearly suffering from lack of food, but she also looked sick.

“I want to go home,” she said in broken English with tears filling her eyes. “I’m from Poland. They took me many weeks ago.”

Kane nodded and waved for her to come forward.

“Traitor!” yelled the old man.

“You shut the fuck up! You sick perverted asshole. Anyone else?” No one stepped forward, and Kane turned to the young girl. “Go up that hill. Two other men are waiting. They’ll keep you safe.” She nodded and ran up the hill as fast as her weak body could carry her.

“I suggest you move your little operation along,” said Kane. “If you’re still here when we come back tomorrow, I’ll burn this place to the ground and kill every one of you.” Kane would never kill innocent women and children, but he would have no qualms with killing the old man and burning the place to the ground. Nevertheless, they didn’t need to know that.

Turning on his heels, Kane made his way back up the hill with Flip right behind him. When they reached the top, he turned to Spook and smiled.

“Nice work,” he said.

“I’ve blocked all the phones in the camp,” he said. “No one will be able to call in or out.” They turned to see the young girl sitting on a large rock near their feet.

“How is she?” asked Kane.

“She’s sick,” said Adam. He was kneeling next to the girl, pretending to check her pulse, but in actuality, checking her body. “She’s very sick, Kane.”

“Shit! What’s up?”

“It’s the syphilis, is it not?” she said quietly, unable to look at them through her lowered lashes.

“How did you know?” asked Adam, tilting her chin upward.

“The old man, he brags about making us all sick. He knows he has it and still rapes the women and children and then tells them they must stay with him to be well.”

“There are medicines that will help,” said Adam. A fleeting thought of Fiona filled his head, and quickly he dispelled the thought. What if she took the disease from the girl and couldn’t recover? It was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. She shook her head, a single tear sliding down her face.

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