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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE - Under Hypnosis

The following day… Tuesday 18th April…

9:00 am

Tracy and Chloe travelled down from London to Littlesea overnight. They arrived at Tracy’s home on Castle Point sometime around two o’clock in the morning.
After grabbing a few hours sleep the two girls set off again in the car. Their destination this time being the village of Canterford and the home of Davina Townsend. They had an important engagement to attend. A meeting to had been arranged for nine o’clock that morning.
Tracy brought her car to a halt outside the home of Davina Townsend. There was already a car in the drive so she pulled up on the road outside. Tracy recognised the other car. It belonged to Georgina Watkinson, a senior member of the Pact.
The two girls got out and Tracy spoke to Chloe across the roof of the car.
“Well this is it Chloe,… this is Davina’s home,” she said, “and you’re about to meet two great friends of mine… I’m sure they’ll be able to help... Like me, they’ve both been treated by Dr. Gabriel Lang, and I’m sure they’ll think of a way of getting you under hypnosis without giving too much away.”
Chloe looked serious as she closed the car door.
“Oh, I do hope so Tracy,” she said. “I do so much want to end this mental block of mine and remember what it was I saw on the back seat of that Mercedes.”

9:01 am

At approximately the same time as Tracy and Chloe were getting out of their car, back in the little sleepy seaside town of Littlesea, Dr. Gabriel Lang finally set out from the hospital. The time was a little after nine o’clock. He had wanted to get away much earlier but had spent the first hour of the day with his secretary rearranging appointments.
The doctor’s journey was to take him through the small village of Carrowton, past Carrowbank Farm, up and over the chalk hills and down into the steep sided Carrow Valley over on the other side. Here he parked up his Land Rover in the same place as yesterday and set off through the trees.
Fifteen minutes later the doctor found himself standing on the very same spot as the day before. He was stood at the top of an embankment and looking down on the far entrance to the old railway tunnel. The position was quite elevated and he could see across the tops of the trees to the meandering River Carrow away in the distance. Like the day before the sun was shining and the weather un-seasonally warm. He stood for a while taking in the breathtaking scenery, then slid and scrambled his way down the bank to the old disused railway line below.
The levelled off strip of ground sliced a platform into the hillside just above the tops of the trees. From here the doctor scoured the immediate area for any signs of a campfire. On this occasion there was nothing to be seen. However this did not detract him from his mission. From yesterday’s sighting he knew roughly where the campsite could be found. But firstly he wanted to check out the tunnel.
The doctor turned and set off along the track. He stopped at the tunnel entrance and looked about him. The workmen who had sealed off this tunnel some twenty-five years earlier had done similar jobs at both ends. Large sheets of corrugated steel had been bolted to a large wooden frame that filled the entire entrance. A small access door had been added to the construction, but it was now missing and anyone could walk straight inside. At ground level a couple of corrugated sheets had fallen off and were lying on the floor just in front of the entrance. The doctor looked upwards. Above his head several more corrugated sheets had fallen off and they too lay scattered about the entrance.
He stepped inside the tunnel via the door and immediately trod in a puddle. However, this was no hardship, he had come well prepared and was wearing overalls and wellington boots. He looked about him. The first few metres into the tunnel were lit by daylight, with the gaps in the partitioning letting in rays of sunlight. As he looked around droplets fell upon his head and he stepped to one side. Water was dripping down from the roof and forming puddles in the entrance. He had not brought his torch with him so he could not venture too far into the tunnel, but he had no real reason to do so, he was more interested to discover whether anyone had used the entrance quite recently.
Dr. Lang looked down to the ground and at the muddy pools that formed a line across the entrance to the tunnel. There were three ways in, either through the door, or through the two gaps formed by missing corrugated steel sheets. Big puddles of dark black water lurked just inside the door and by one of the gaps. But the third gap, the one which was the most central, was relatively dry on the inside. He moved across and bent down in order to take a closer look at the ground, and sure enough he could see footprints. There were plenty of them and they went in both directions. There were also scrape marks suggesting objects had been dragged along the ground.
The doctor smiled. This was the evidence he was looking for. Someone had been in and out of the tunnel. The lines could well have been made by scaffold pipes and planks being dragged along; and by the freshness of the marks and footprints, all quite recently too.
The doctor moved back out into the daylight, took one last look at the decaying and rotting frame, then turned and walked away. At a point where he had scrambled down to the line, he turned and slid his way down further into the woods below. At the bottom he stood up, wiped the mud from his protective overalls, then set off amongst the trees in the general direction of where he had seen the smoke from a campfire the day before.
Half a mile further on the doctor came across a clearing. Keeping low he made his way to the very edge and took refuge behind a large tree. From this position he surveyed the scene that greeted him. There was a brightly painted campervan parked alongside a woodland track. The campervan had writing on the side, but from where he stood the distance was too great to read the words. Alongside the campervan a canvas shelter had been erected, and beneath the awning stood a table and chair. There was also evidence of a campfire, but nothing was lit. All he could see was a large cooking pot hanging from an arrangement of sticks above a pile of grey ashes.
Rather than walk out into the open, the doctor set off in a circle, and at the same time keeping as close to the trees as possible. On reaching gaps in the foliage he crouched low and took refuge behind the bracken and whatever else was at hand. Eventually he found himself over on the far side of the clearing and very close to the campervan. The words on the side of the van nearest to him read; ‘‘I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.’
Keeping low, the doctor crept a little closer to the campervan and looked about him. No one was around. He stood up and edged his way slowly to the rear of the campervan. He put his head to the rear window, shielded his eyes from the light, and peered inside. The interior was in a bit of a mess with items scattered around, but there was a bed that looked like it had been slept in; and various cooking items including bowls and plates, and even a box of cornflakes and a half empty bottle of milk. There was one item however which caught his eye. It was a miner’s helmet complete with lamp and a battery pack.
Having established that there was no one inside, the doctor moved out into the open. He was now exposed. If challenged he would say that he was simply taking a walk in the woods and came across the camp site. He stood for a while and read the words on the other side of the van. They read: ‘Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life.’
The doctor moved on to investigate the awning. The framework was constructed from scaffolding pipes and covered by a tarpaulin. A makeshift table was also constructed from planks. He smiled. At least he knew now where some the scaffolding and planks from the tunnel had gone. But this small amount did no constitute everything that had been taken. He pondered for a while and asked himself; where were the chains, the chest and the missing eyebolts?
Deep in thought the doctor moved under the awning. There was a sketch pad lying on the table, along with charcoals, crayons and paints. The top page of the pad had a sketch of a face drawn upon it. It was difficult to tell whether the face was male or female, but what it did show was agony. The face was distorted with fear. The picture was chilling and sent a cold shiver down the doctor’s spine.
He flicked through the pages; there were more faces; all in pain; then even more elaborate drawings of souls presumably rotting in hell. The doctor stopped at a picture that was very different. This was a picture of a tree; but the tree was alive, and with extended branches for arms, the tree embraced two naked females. Underneath were written the words: ‘The Tree of Life’.
The Doctor contemplated the meaning of the sketches. In all his years as a psychologist he had never come across anything like this before. He concluded that this was one very disturbed mind and presumably finding refuge in his religious beliefs.
The doctor looked about him one last time. There was not a lot more to be seen. The campfire was out; the embers cold; and whoever the mysterious occupant was, he was nowhere to be seen. However, a few items resting alongside the campervan did arouse a small amount of interest. Most significant were a couple of petrol cans. The doctor recalled where he had seen others similar to these. They were at the other end of the tunnel and stood next to the generator.
Dr. Lang nodded his head and gave a little thoughtful smile. He was starting to get the picture and the reasons for the intrusions into the tunnel. Whoever was living in this clearing had discovered scaffolding to erect an awning. At the same time he had also come across a source of free petrol.
The doctor considered further. This could also explain the presence of the newspaper. Perhaps when he forced his way into the tunnel the mystery person had been in there to gather more petrol and took flight. That would explain the padding feet and the newspaper dropped on the ground. It was a good theory anyway and the doctor like it.
Deep in thought Dr. Lang turned and walked away from the clearing. It had been an interesting visit, but he concluded that nothing he had seen brought him any closer to finding the two abducted girls. This, like all his other investigations, had turned out to be a dead end. But at least he now had a plausible explanation for the missing items in the tunnel.
The doctor made up his mind. He would stop messing around and confront Georgina and Davina head on. He had been putting off this meeting for quite some time now in order to save them the emotional stress involved, but now he considered that he had no other option. He had very little else to go on, and it was something that just had to be done. Deep down inside of him he could sense that something was going on between Georgina and Davina, and whatever it was, it probably included Tracy and Wendy too. If he was going to prove Roger’s innocence then the answer had to lie with them and not some oddball religious fanatic that lived in the woods.

At the very moment the doctor stepped for cover over on the far side of the clearing, a figure dressed in a long white gown entered the campsite and dropped a pile of logs alongside the campfire. For a while he stood staring across the clearing. He then moved to the table beneath the canvas awning. He looked down on a sketch pad. It was open at a page that depicted the tree of life. Immediately he realised the sketch pad had been tampered with.
The mystery figure clenched his fists in anger. These where his own personal drawings and not meant be seen by anyone other than himself. He tried to stay calm, but he knew that to be an impossibility. There was only one way he could vent this anger, and only one way of doing it.
Someone was going to be made to suffer for this intrusion.

10:30 am

After leaving the woods Dr. Lang ambled along slowly in his Land Rover, and very much to the annoyance of a car behind.
On reaching Carrowton he turned left and made for the village of Canterford. Why, he did not know. To go straight on through the village was the quickest way back to Littlesea. But at the back his mind he was aware that Canterford was where Davina Townsend lived. He desperately needed to confront both Georgina and Davina directly over their statements to the police. Both statements included anomalies and he needed to get to the bottom of it all. However, he was uncertain just how to go about it. What he needed was an excuse to visit them, and at present he had nothing plausible that would not arouse suspicion. He had checked up earlier in the day. The girls’ next group therapy session was not due for another month, and that was far too long to wait.
The time was about half past ten when the doctor slowed right down and crawled past Davina’s home. He knew that both Davina and her husband drove separate cars. If only Davina’s car was in the drive then he would stop and pay her a visit. He would use the excuse that he was just passing and decided to stop by for a little chat. However, what he found on arrival made him slam on his brakes and pull up immediately. There were three cars outside the home, and he recognised them all. The two cars in the drive belonged to Davina Townsend and Georgina Watkinson respectively, and the one parked in the road belonged to Tracy Goodyear.
Sat inside his old battered Land Rover and looking up the drive towards the house the doctor smiled at his good fortune. If he was not mistaken, then the fourth member of this little band of patients, namely Wendy Bartlett would also be present. To catch all four together was an opportunity not to be missed. He parked his vehicle behind Tracy’s and walked the drive to the house.
He rang the doorbell and waited.
The doctor was still considering what to say when the door opened and Davina appeared. The way her mouth dropped open, it was obvious she was surprised to see him.
“Hello Davina,” greeted the doctor and trying to sound cheerful.
“D…doctor!” she stammered. “What brings you here?… Oh! please come in won’t you.”
Dr. Lang smiled and stepped into the hallway.
“I was just passing and saw all the cars outside,” he explained. “I assume the rest of my patients are in here?”
Davina nodded her head.
“They’re in the lounge, do go through doctor,” she told him and indicating the door next to him.
Dr. Lang pushed the door open and entered. Inside three girls were sat on easy chairs around a low table. There was a teapot, milk and sugar laid out and they were all drinking cups of tea.
Davina followed the doctor into the room. The three seated girls looked equally surprised.
“Doctor Lang!” said a startled Georgina.
Tracy simply spluttered in her teacup.
From behind in the doorway Davina spoke. “Dr. Lang was just passing by and decided to pop in and see us,” she announced and before any more could be said.
Dr. Lang simply smiled. He could sense that he had gate crashed something important. But what? He simply had no idea.
“Good morning girls… I’m not gate crashing am I?” he said and trying to sound as if he did not care.
Davina, who was standing behind the doctor, pointed to an empty chair.
“Please, take a seat doctor;… I’ll get you another cup,” she told him.
The doctor smiled and looked about him as he moved across the room and sat down in a comfortable armchair next to the fire. He knew that he had to speak, and speak quickly to break the ice, but there was one person in the room he had not met before. He had expected to find Wendy Bartlett, but she was missing. Instead it was Georgina Watkinson, Tracy Goodyear and this other young girl. With a stranger present it was not ethical to talk on the subject of his group therapy. Instead he simply settled down in the chair, smiled and greeted them.
“Good morning girls,” he said and trying to sound more cheerful than ever.
All three girls returned the smile, but the cheer was not there.
“Good morning doctor,” answered Tracy and Georgina in unison.
The unknown girl just smiled and said nothing.
The doctor saw a need to keep the conversation going, and also quickly discover whom this third girl might be.
“I was just passing. I saw all the cars parked outside and decided to drop in… I’m not interrupting anything am I?… Oh!, and I’m sorry, but we’ve not met,… I’m Dr. Lang,” he added and holding out a hand to the girl he did not know.
The girl took his hand and they shook with just fingertips meeting.
“I’m Chloe Chambers,” she told him. “I’m a friend of Tracy’s.”
The doctor was somewhat taken aback by the revelation, but he tried not to show it. He had read all the police statements given him by Inspector Hawkins, and included amongst them were a couple of statements made by a certain Chloe Chambers. They mentioned the presence of a Mercedes car parked next to the place where Gayle Jackson was abducted. Chloe Chambers was one of the key witnesses against Roger Downton. He wondered what she was doing here amongst another set of once kidnapped girls. At the back of his mind he tried to figure out the connection, but could not come to any definite conclusions.
 “Where’s Wendy?… Shouldn’t she be here too?” asked the doctor after a short pause.
He was thinking there was always the chance she was in the toilet and would appear any second. Tracy answered since Davina had gone away to get a cup for the doctor.
“She’s not here today,” she told him, “she’s got a new boyfriend and she’s away with him somewhere.”
The doctor nodded his head and this time tried not to smile. But it was what he expected. He was aware of the lesbian relationship that existed between Wendy and Tracy; but also knew that Wendy was young and impressionable. He always suspected that one day she would find more enjoyment living with someone of the opposite sex.
Davina returned to the room and poured out a cup of tea for the doctor. She then sat down in an armchair and looked about the room. It was obvious that no one had spoken to the doctor on the subject of hypnosis. She decided to come straight to the point . After all there would not be a better opportunity than this.
“Doctor,” she started, “you probably won’t believe this… but we were just talking about you… we were wondering if you could do something for us?”
The doctor looked bemused. He had come here to confront them. He was expecting them to be secretive and not want any favours from him. There was also something about the subdued atmosphere to the room. They were all staring at him and saying nothing. This was most unusual and nothing like what he had expected.
The doctor shrugged his shoulders. He had quickly made up his mind to go along with them, whatever it was they wanted.
“If I can help in any way, then I will,” he told Davina.
Davina took a deep breath. This was all too sudden and she did not know where to start. She decided to come straight to the point.
“Doctor,… Chloe here has got a bit of a problem… we were just discussing it when you arrived… we were thinking you may be able to help,… in fact we were about to call you,” she said.
The doctor stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Lucky I turned up then,” he answered, then added; “so tell me all about it… how can I be of assistance?”
Davina looked to Chloe before answering.
“Chloe wants to be hypnotised,” she said and coming straight to the point.
Dr. Lang rocked back in his chair. To be truthful the request did come as a bit of a shock.
“Hypnotised!… Why should she want me to do that?” he asked.
Chloe interrupted.
She thought it better if she was to explain in person.
“Doctor Lang,” she started, “I have a mental block on a certain subject, and I want to get past it… I’m told hypnosis could be the answer… it all revolves around the case of a missing girl… you might have read something in the newspapers about her… the girl is someone called Gayle Jackson… she is a great friend of mine and I want to help the police find her… but my mind has gone blank… there is something I need to remember… and we were thinking that hypnosis might be the answer… we were just discussing how best to go about it when you arrived… earlier your name had been mentioned as a possible helper.”
The doctor listened intently then nodded his head. He was already aware of Chloe’s problem but never let on.
“Tell me more about it Chloe, and I’ll see if I can help,” he told her.
Chloe took a deep breath and collected her thoughts.
“I want to know what it was I saw on the back seat of a car,” she told the doctor, “the police say it’s most important and the whole case depends heavily on it.”
Dr. Lang leant forward and placed his hands together in thought. He recalled Chloe’s statement. She had spotted a Mercedes car parked close to the north London park where Gayle Jackson disappeared. Something on the back seat had convinced her that the car belonged to Roger Downton. But whatever that object was, she could not recall.
The doctor decided that he must help. It seemed that both parties wanted to find the answer, even though it was for entirely different reasons. He personally wanted to save Roger Downton from going to prison, even though these girls were of a mind to see him prosecuted.
Georgina, Tracy and Chloe were sitting on a settee. It was long enough for one person to lie down comfortably on.
“Can I use your settee?” he asked. “We may as well get it done now.”
The three girls looked to one another, then both Tracy and Georgina rose from the settee and stepped aside.
“Carry on doctor,” said Georgina as she moved away.
Chloe remained seated and looking a little worried.
“Just relax and lie down Chloe,” the doctor told her.
The doctor then turned to the rest of the girls.
“Please keep well back, remain perfectly still and try not to make a sound,” he told them.
Chloe made herself comfortable with her head on a cushion. The other girls shuffled to a corner of the room by the door. The doctor moved to sit on the edge of the settee next to Chloe’s feet. He then took hold of her fingertips and tried to make her feel comfortable.
“Chloe, I want you to shut your eyes, relax, and listen to my voice,” he told her.
Chloe closed her eyes as instructed, shuffled herself down and relaxed. There was something about the doctor’s voice that made it impossible to resist. She was already under his influence though she was not aware of this.
In the ensuing minutes the doctor turned that compelling trance of obedience into a state of deep sleep, and all the time insisting that Chloe continuously listened to his voice.
Dr. Lang was now ready.
“Now Chloe,” he started, “I want you to go back in time… I want you to go back to the time when you first came across this car… tell me… what were you doing at the time?”
After a short pause Chloe answered. Her voice sounding distant and ghostly.
“I’m walking with Gayle,” she told the doctor, “we’re approaching the park… there’s a row of parked cars along the road… one’s a Mercedes… we’ve stopped walking and are now looking at the car.”
“That’s good Chloe,” said the doctor, “now look around and tell me what you see?”
“I can see a sticker in the back window… it’s about the Littlesea Dungeon,… it reads: ‘Enjoy the Horror -Visit Littlesea Dungeon’,” said Chloe in the same eerie, ghostlike voice.
“So you think it’s Roger car because of the sticker in the back window?… did you mention this to Gayle?” asked the doctor.
Chloe took her time in answering.
“Yes… I turn to Gayle… I say; ‘I think this is Roger’s car… the colour’s the same… and so is the sticker…. but it’s unusual… very strange… Roger has no reason to be parked here,” she explained whilst still in a deep trance.
“Is Gayle answering you?” asked the doctor, “she’s there stood next to you… turn to her…. tell me what is she saying.”
Chloe considered what was being asked. Even in deep sleep she nodded her head on the cushion.
“Gayle’s speaking now… she’s saying; ‘Sorry Chloe, I’ve no idea… can you remember the number plate?’.”
“And can you remember the number plate?” asked the doctor. “Take another look… tell me what you see.”
There was a long pause, whilst Chloe’s head movements on the cushion suggested a complete turn around.
“I can see the number plate… it starts ‘E’ something… but it does not mean a thing to me… I don’t remember Roger’s registration number... wait a minute… Gayle is speaking to me once more… she’s telling me; ‘I doubt very much if it’s Roger’s car… he’d be in Littlesea now anyway, visiting his fiancée Mimi in hospital. He sees her every morning and every evening without fail’… I’m agreeing… I nod my head… Gayle is speaking again… she’s telling me; ‘the car most likely belongs to someone who lives along here and happened to visit the exhibition when it first opened... It seems the most likely explanation.’… I nod my head again… I say to her; ‘I guess you’re right Gayle… I guess you’re right.’… now we start to walk away… and I take one last quick look inside the car.”
“But you’re not convinced are you Chloe?… why is that?,” asked the doctor.
Chloe shook her head on the cushion.
“No I’m not convinced,” she replied; her voice still spooky and unnatural.
“Why’s that Chloe?” asked Dr. Lang. “Is it because as you walk away you notice something?… something on the back seat of the car perhaps?”
Chloe’s voice became hesitant.
“Yes… that’s it… there’s something on the back seat of the car… I think it just has to be Roger’s car… it can’t possibly belong to anyone else,” she stammered.
“So what is it you see Chloe,” prompted the doctor, “stop by the car… don’t walk away… just stop and take a good look inside and tell me what you see on the back seat.”
Chloe at this point became restless and shook her head from side to side.
The doctor tried to calm her down.
“Chloe… just relax… stand there… look inside that car… and tell me what you see on the back seat,” the doctor insisted.
Chloe’s restless head settled as the doctor spoke.
“It’s… it’s… it’s… yes I can see it now… it’s… it’s a piece of paper… it’s one of those Estate Agent’s details on a property… it’s for a cottage up on Castle Point… Roger took me there once in his car… he showed me these details… and these are the very same… he told me that he was thinking of buying the property,” she revealed, her voice now excited and trembling.
Dr. Lang paused for a moment. This was not what he expected. This revelation pointed strongly to Roger and suggested that it may have been his car after all. He needed to be certain.
“How do you know these property details belonged to Roger?… you said they were the very same… what makes you so certain?” he asked.
Chloe took time to consider the question, then nodded her head. She stretched her neck and leaned forward a little as if she was looking down at something. In her trance she could see the object clearly, and she knew without a shadow of doubt exactly why these property details belonged to Roger and nobody else.
“I can see them now… I’m staring down at them… they are property details for a cottage on Castle Point… and they definitely belong to Roger… I know for certain because there’s a blob of purple nail varnish at the top of the sheet… I remember seeing the blob before… Roger told me the girl at the Estate Agent’s was painting her nails when he enquired about the cottage… he told me she accidentally put the blob of nail varnish there when she handed him the details,” explained an excited Chloe.
The doctor rocked back and looked to the other girl’s in the room. He himself was not very happy, but everyone else appeared to be overjoyed. This was the evidence they were looking for. He put his fingers to his lips and asked for silence for a little while longer. He then patted Chloe on the knee for comfort.
“That’s fine Chloe… now just relax and keep remembering what you see… you will not forget anything… listen to my voice Chloe… you will not forget the scene that you are looking at,… you must retain the vision at all costs,” he told her.
For a while there was silence. All the other girls in the room held there breath and waited.
“I’m now going to bring Chloe out of her trance and hopefully she’ll still remember what she sees,” the doctor told the rest of the girls.
He then turned to Chloe and added. “Chloe… when I count to three and snap my fingers you will become wide awake… you will remember everything you have seen on the back seat of that car… nothing will be missed… even the presence of the nail varnish in one corner will be clear in your mind… do you understand?”
Chloe nodded her head.
“I understand,” she answered slow and deliberately.
The doctor counted: “One… two… three,” then snapped his fingers.
Chloe’s eyes opened slowly and the doctor helped her to sit up. She looked at all the smiling faces stood at the back of the room and returned the smile.
“I remember what was on the back seat now,… I really do,” she told the other girls. “It was property details for a cottage out at Castle Point… that’s why I always knew it to be Roger’s car.”
The doctor help Chloe to turn around and sit up properly on the settee. He was about to get up and move away when something unexpected happened. Chloe threw back her head and hissed. She was wide awake now and collecting her thoughts. She slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. Suddenly something most important had come to mind.
“Oh no!.. I’d forgotten something!” she said loudly.
All eyes turned to Chloe and waited.
What was it she had forgotten?
“What is it Chloe?… what have you forgotten?” asked the doctor and taking hold of her hands once more for comfort.
There was hesitancy in Chloe’s voice. She was unsure of what to say.
“Those property details… they weren’t Roger’s after all… I remember who’s they were now… I… I… I saw Roger give them to someone… he gave them to the man we met outside the cottage… the man was also interested in buying the place… he was a friend of Roger’s… we were introduced…. Clive… Clive Carter… that was his name… I should have remembered… Oh dear!… what a mess I’ve made of it all!”
Dr. Lang looked about the room.
Everyone looked stunned and speechless.
“Then we were all wrong about Roger,” stated Tracy and putting a hand to her mouth, “we must have got the wrong man!”
The doctor looked to Tracy and then the rest of the girls.
“Look girls… it’s best we all sit down and have a little talk… I think you’d better start by telling me what this is all about.”
 
12:30 pm

Gayle Jackson heard the sound of approaching feet. Immediately she became concerned. It might simply have been her body clock telling her it was not feeding time yet. But more likely it was something to do with the distance echoing footsteps. They were heavy and made in haste.
In an act of self preservation she crouched down low against the cold stone wall and hid beneath her blanket. Whatever it was she sensed, there was something different about the man’s approach. Instinctively she knew that she or her fellow prisoner were in grave danger.
The stomping footsteps came to a halt alongside Gayle. She could sense her captor standing over her. He was breathing heavily as if in a rage. She gripped her blanket tightly and cowered beneath it. But it was a futile act. A powerful hand grabbed the blanket and ripped it from her grasp. Suddenly the warmth of the blanket disappeared and a blast of cold damp air swirled about her naked body. In an act of preservation she shuffled backwards against the wall, drew up her knees, dropped her head between her raised legs and curled herself up into a tight little ball.
This action of course was as futile as clinging on to her blanket.
Gayle cowered as the padlock at the side of her neck was released. She froze and listened as the chain swung and fell against the wall with a thud. The metal ring about her neck remained, but without the chain and padlock attached it felt lighter and more comfortable. But she knew the man had not come to improve her conditions. By the roughness of the man’s hands she could tell that the exact opposite was on his mind.
As Gayle cringed even lower, strong hands grabbed at the small chain linking the manacles about her wrists. Suddenly there was a yank upwards and she had no choice but to stand to her feet. She wanted to yell and scream, but with a rag in her mouth and her whole head swathed in tape so that she could neither see nor speak, nothing but a muffled protest could be heard.
Another strong tug on manacles made Gayle lunge forward. She stuck out a foot to keep her balance and in doing so she took a step forward. The man then began to lead her away. She followed reluctantly, her arms held out to the front and being continuously tugged at by the short chain that linked her wrists.
Gayle knew from the onset where she was being led. The day before she had heard the whirring of cogs and the clanking of chains. She dreaded every step but could do nothing to prevent her march towards the inevitable. She was brought to a halt and made to stand. She wanted to run, but without the sense of vision she was helpless. Then above her head she heard the sound of a ratchet wheel turning and the rattle of chains moving ever closer.
The rattling stopped. Nothing touched her, but she knew that the end of the chain had come to rest just above her head. She waited anxiously. She tried to protest, but only a muffled murmur managed to penetrate the many layers of tape about her mouth. Then a hand grabbed the chain between her wrists and raised up her arms. The next thing she knew the chain was over a hook and she stood there with arms above her head.
The man moved away and began to raise the chain. Gayle felt her arms being drawn upwards. At first, with elbows bent, she had little to protest about, but when the arms came to full stretch she began to squeal. Once more the sound was muffled, but she was certain her protestations could be heard above the constant whirring and clanking of the pulley mechanism.
The chain continued to rise. Firstly Gayle’s heels left the ground and then her toes. Immediately she began to twist to-and-fro. She did not how much further in the air she went, but it seemed a long way. The rattling of the mechanism seemingly going on forever.
Eventually the winding stopped and quietness descended. Gayle, twisting slowly back and forth on the end of the chain, felt helpless and could only listen on in dread.
Gayle was still spinning when her captor came up to her. She could not have been that high off the ground because strong hands gripped at the tape about her mouth. The tape began to unwind about her head and pretty soon it was free. In an act of defiance she spat out the filthy rag from her mouth and screamed. It was all she could do, but she wanted to let the man know that she was hurting. The cold steel of the manacles were biting deep into her wrists and she could feel the warm trickle of blood running down her arms.
The man moved away again. Gayle wanted to see what he was doing but several layers of tape still ran around her head and covered up her eyes.
She heard the man shuffling behind her. It was the sound of feet taking up position. Then she heard the swish of a whip lashing through the air and felt the pain as the leather thong tore across the small of her back.
The strike caused her lungs to suck inwards and fill up with air. For a good four to five seconds there was silence before that air became expelled from her body: With it came the scream. It echoed about the walls of the cavernous interior and continued going until it seemed that it would never end.
It was not until the second lash of the whip raked across Gayle’s buttocks did the first scream end. It was the invitation to fill up her lungs once more. Her chest bulged to the point where she could take in no more air, and then exhaled. The scream that accompanied this second strike was probably ten times louder than the first.
Gayle kicked and thrashed her legs in a frenzy. She had never felt so much pain in her life before. She began to spin uncontrollably on the end of the chain and as a result the third blow caught her across the stomach. She was screaming for mercy now. Pleading with the man to stop.
But of cause he did not stop; would not stop; and for another thing he was not counting. He just had to release all that pent-up anger that dwelt inside of him.
Only when he himself was totally exhausted would he stop.

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End of Chapter Thirty-three