The Billabong - 12. Chapter 12

12.1

Jason tossed and turned in his sleep because something evil was disturbing his slumber. The dorm was quiet, except for the snorts, mumbles, farts, and other noises usually found with males at night-time. It was the wee small hours of the morning, a time when the body finally overcomes sleeplessness and sinks into a merciful sleep.

Suddenly Jason woke up alarmed. Danger, his brain screamed danger, but before he could recognize the danger, something was placed over his mouth and nose, plunging him into the black pit of unconsciousness.

Quietly he was wrapped in an army blanket, then three pairs of hands carried him silently out of the dorm and into a waiting jeep. A short ride through silent streets, then he was deposited into an unused ammunition supply complex. An inclined board had been placed against a wall, and to this Jason was securely strapped. It was an eerie place; lines of empty shelves with dim overhead lighting. An unusual smell pervaded the air.

'How long Bert, how long before the Ether wears off?

'Soon, very soon, I just gave him a whiff, so he'll be comin' room in a jiffy. You'll have time fer a smoke, and then we'll get started.'

'Hold on, there's no ‘we’ll'. It's your tango Bert; we only offered to help with the abduction, not any interrogation, that's yours shit-face. We'll (his partner nodded) not help you with any rough stuff. When he comes to, he'll recognize us because we're not wearing any masks. Bert, this is as far as we go (his partner nodded in support). Unlike you, we've got families to consider, and visiting us in jail is not a pleasant family outing. Sorry.'

'Look Lance, it's not going to be a problem.'

'Wadda ya mean - no problem. What's wrong with you. He'll recognize us and then report us. Don't be stupid Bert, you're already under suspicion of totaling those Yankee poofters, so this . . . so this (sudden pause) . . . Oh my god . . . oh shit! (fear) Yer gonna top ‘im; yer gonna off him, aren't you. Is that what yer gonna do?'

'(The other collaborator George breaking in) No, no, no! Me and Lance only helped you as a favour. You didn't say anything about wet stuff. No Bert, absolutely not! I'm outta here . . . NOW!'

'You'll stay just where you are George. Or would you like to see photos all over social media of you screwing underage kids?'

'(Gasp)! Oh please Bert, ya told me you'd deleted that stuff. Ya told me that if I helped out you'd burn that stuff.'

'And I will George, just as soon as we're finished here. And you Lance, if yer wife finds out that you've been screwing her best friend, she'll divorce you, and leave you financially fucked. You don't want that do you?'

'You bastard! You bloody little bastard. You mark my words, I'm gonna get you for this. You're dead.'

'The only dead around here is this little fagott, Corporal bloody all mighty Jason shit-fudger Meadows. Look, nothings gonna happen to you blokes. As soon as we're finished, we'll dump the body where the crocs can get to him. There'll be nothing left to identify.'

In the dim atmosphere, he didn't see the look of horror that passed between his two cronies.

* * *

12.2

He was underwater and knew he couldn't open his mouth. Up above him, he could see a dim light and in desperation, he swam upwards. As he rose the light kept getting stronger until . . . he opened his eyes. Slowly his senses returned, and he looked around, not recognizing any familiar surroundings. He sensed he wasn't alone, but in the dim light he couldn't make out any presence. Then came the realization that he was tied to something firm; only his arms were free to move around. An awful surge of fear enveloped him, and he could feel bile building up in his guts. He became sick with fear but vowed to not show any outward sign of fear. He began to think rationally; who could . . .'

SLAP! . . . ‘OUCH!'

'So yer awake my pretty eh? Good, good; I was getting a little impatient ‘cause I wants to get started on findin' the truth . . . '

'KREEK! You slimy rotten cunt, it's you Bert Kreek, I'd know that voice anywhere. (Laughing) Are you mad? You must be a glutton for punishment.'

'Oh no my lovely, it's you who's gonna be punished; punished for drugging the Colonel's son and making him perform unnatural filthy acts.'

'What the fuck (struggling to get free) are you blabbing about? Why bring Kenny into this? I don't know anything about drugging Kenny or any other bloke. Here, release me so's we can talk like two mature adults; there's no need for this charade.'

'Yer gonna stay until I get a confession outta you. What you've done has upset my Colonel so much that I think he's goin' round the bend - all because of you.'

'I don't . . . OOMMPPHH!

Kreek his Jason in the gut's, and for a moment he blacked out. The pain was terrible, he had trouble breathing. All he could do was look balefully at his tormentor while he struggled to get his breath back.

'There's a lot more of that to come, princess. Now I just want a simple confession, witnessed by my associates, that you drugged Kenny Stamins, and used him for your twisted needs. Confess Meadows, and all the pain will be over. Are you ready?'

'Never, you slime . . . . OOMMPPHH!

Another blow caught Jason in his guts and he felt real pain again. This time a little stream of vomit ran down his chin as he gasped wide-eyed for breath.

'C'mon pussy, I can keep this up all night. Fact is I like inflicting pain, but more than that, it's the fear in someone's eyes that turns me on; I'll always remember the look when they realize they are gonna die. OH, I love it.'

It was then through his befuddled state that Jason realized he was in trouble, real trouble. Kreek had killed before and there was no doubt he was gonna kill again.

For over half an hour Jason was assaulted relentlessly. His face became a bloody mess, his eyes were half-closed, and several front teeth were missing. He was now in agony with the savage punishment being metered out. All through the ordeal, Kreek kept demanding he sign a confession, but he refused. He had no strength left, and whereas before he strained against his bindings, now he just sagged; all the energy had been battered out of him. On and on Kreek kept the assault going and as time progressed so did the degree of savagery being applied.

To Kreek's cronies, the cruelty had passed what would be considered acceptable for an interrogation. They became increasingly sickened with the grilling; it was obvious Kreek's original objective had long been forgotten, and what was happening now was pure personal vengeance. They were appalled.

'You fuck'n . . . WHACK! You aren't . . . WHACK! . . . Fit to live and walk . . . WHACK! . . . Among decent folks. You deserve . . .THUMP . . . to die, cunt!'

It was completely out of hand, and now Kreek had a strange insane look to his eyes. He'd passed beyond reason.

He was abused both mentally and physically, but still, Jason held on . . . held on until he looked into Kreek's eyes and saw the insanity there.

He's gonna kill me. I'm gonna die. Oh, Kenny, I love you. Please remember me. Please . . . don't . . . forget me. My . . . mother . . . mum, I love you. Please . . . forgive me . . . forgive . . .

The last memory Jason had was Kreek's fingers around his throat and the evil insane look of his eyes.

* * *

12.3

Early morning roll-call required either a physical presence or a bloody good excuse. When Jason's bed was discovered empty, at first there was no reason for alarm. But when he failed to appear for PT, his fellow bunk-mates became concerned. Before lights out, Jason had been chatting with some of the squad and had challenged one loud-mouth to an arm-wrestle contest the following morning. It was unlike Jason to not show, so curiosity became concern. His mates scoured the barracks and checked out any likely place for Jason to be. They drew a blank. Straightway the Provost Marshal became involved, and a further check of likely places made. Nothing. Now the matter was escalated to a ‘Missing Person' level and the appropriate procedures put in place. It was a desperately concerned group comprising Kenny, Scott, and Mark which gathered in the Canteen around lunch time. Just as he was about to take a sip of coffee, Mark's phone rang.

'Hello, Captain Peters here.'

'Captain this is WO Grant Williams, Captain. We met under difficult circumstances just recently.'

'Yes, I remember WO, what can I do for you?'

'I just want to pass on some intelligence that's come my way in the Corporal Jason Meadows matter. (Mark sat upright and motioned the others to silence). One of his bunkmates has come forward saying that he was woken up very early this morning, by three persons walking past with what looked to be a body. He didn't come forward initially, because he thought it was a prank. Now he's alarmed at what he saw and has made a statement to that effect. I'd say that Corporal Meadows has been abducted for reasons unknown.'

'Abducted? Did you say (the other two were asking silent questions) abducted W.O?'

'That seems the only logical conclusion, and probably drugged, as the squaddies statement attested that there didn't appear to be any movement in the body. Do you know of anyone who might have it in for the Corporal?'

'Yes, of course, Corporal Kreek, and Jason wasn't popular with Colonel Stamins (a nod from Kenny).'

'Yes, we tried to find Corporal Kreek as we know there's past history, but we can't find Kreek either. Would you know where he might be?'

'No idea; this is getting more sinister as the hours go by. If I knew I'd tell you W.O. (Sigh) Is there anything you'd like us to do?'

'No, just let us know immediately if you get any further information. We're taking this very seriously; we fear for Corporal Meadow's life.'

Mark disconnected and stared at the two boys, who were looking anxious.

'All he said was that someone in the bunkhouse was woken up early this morning by someone carrying a limp body out of the dorm. He believes it was Jason. The other news is that Kreek's disappeared too. They can't find him. Sorry Kenny, it doesn't look good. They fear the worst.'

At this Kenny broke down and started sobbing. Up to this point he hadn't mentioned the warning he gave to Jason the previous night. Now, interspersed with sobs and sniffles he told the whole story. Mark became alarmed, particularly about the Colonel.

'Look, there isn't much for us to do now. It's in the MP's hands, and their better equipped to handle this sort of thing. It's hard, but we must be brave.'

'Mark, why would Kreek disappear as well. What do you make of it?'

'Scottie, your guess is as good as mine. I haven't a clue, baby.'

* * *

12.4

Not long after he talked to Mark, Grant Williams received another call.

' . . . and we couldn't let it go on anymore. Kreek had gone beyond reason, and we reckoned he was set to kill Meadows. We only agreed to help him abduct the corporal W.O because he's got stuff that compromises us . . .'

'Get on with it, man; I don't want to hear about yer personal problems! Where's Meadows, and is he still alive?' Quickly now.'

'He was when we left. We gave Kreek a sniff of Ether and left him trussed up. He's a maniac W.O, an animal that should be put down . . .'

'Alright! Tell me where the lad is, and if your story holds true we'll discuss your role in the matter once we find Meadows.'

'He's at (giving the location) . . .'

Within minutes a jeep and an ambulance were on their way to the ammo storage site, and to their relief, Jason was found. They were shocked at his condition. He was barely alive and had to be given emergency care because his injuries were extensive. As soon as the medics had him stabilized, he was rushed to the base hospital.

After attending to Jason, they turned to Kreek who was conscious throughout the ordeal and also, very tormented. He kept mouthing the word 'bastards' over and over again.

Leaving Jason to the medics, Grant walked over to the pathetic form that was Bert Kreek.

'Well now Bertie, it seems you've outdone yerself this time. Your little colleagues haven't given us their names yet, but they have provided us with a complete description of last night’s activities. I'll even go as far as granting immunity if they're willing to give signed statements. Yer fucked Kreek!'

'(Venomously) Yer wrong shit-head, cause I'se got some really big brass on me side and it was him that ordered that poofter's interrogation. Did you know that the slimy fagott drugged the Colonel's son to perform disgusting, unmanly acts? (Laughing) I was jest following orders piss-features, jest following orders,'

'I doubt that, but if that’s gonna be your defense, great. You'll have to tell us who issued the order before you'll be believed. Now let's get you untied, handcuffed and charged with attempted murder. You know Kreek, I'm enjoying this . . . yessir, I'm gonna enjoy seeing you in my jail at long last.'

* * *

12.5

'We're friends of Corporal Jason Meadows and we'd like to see him, please.'

Mark, Scott, and Kenny had rushed to the Base Hospital as soon as Grant Williams had phoned them the news. Grant stressed that Jason was barely alive when they found him, and so they shouldn't celebrate just yet. In a few words, he related what had happened to Jason, and how they'd found him. Kenny went from extreme depression to quiet joy and demanded he see Jason as soon as possible. Now the nurse responded,

'You can't unless your family or next of kin. He's in Intensive Care and on the Critical List. He's been put into an induced coma as he has extensive head injuries. When the doctors are confident his brain swelling has diminished they then may, and I stress may, bring him out of his coma. That's all I can tell you now.'

'I'm Captain Mark Peter's ma'am. Do you know if his family has been informed? They should be told before the story gets out in the media; it would come as a shock.'

'I don't know Captain, that’s for the front office . . .'

'Excuse me Sister, but my names Kenny Stamins, the son of Colonel Stamins. Jason is my lover, and we're planning a life together. I must see him, I must just let him know that I'm here for him, please.'

'Nice try young man, but the answers the same. If you can convince the doctor that your visit may be beneficial, then he may allow a visit. In the meantime, you just have to go home and wait. Also, give my regards (her name tag said Nurse Cousins) to your mother Ruth. She often visits the hospital and we all admire her.'

(Sadly) OK, but a favor please, (the nurse looked expectant) will you please just say to him that I love him. Would you do me that favour please?'

(Sincerely) That I will young man, that I will. He's very lucky to have someone like you to love him.'

* * *

12.6

'Well here we are again Corporal, but this time we've got you cold and you've been charged with the attempted murder of Corporal Jason Meadows.

'You ain't got no proof about that, have you, and, as I've said before, I was just following orders.'

'Whose orders Corporal, whose orders?'

'(Sitting back with a smug look on his face) The Colonel, our Colonel Garth Stamins, that's who.'

'What if I was to tell you that Colonel Stamins denies giving you any such order. Do you have something in writing?'

'Nah, cause not, he don't work that way. He gives me an order and I just do it. I love that old man.'

'I see. Well, it comes down then to your word against his, and I think the Colonel's gonna outrank you.'

'Nah, you wait and see; when it comes to me trial, he'll tell the truth because he's that sorta man. Integrity yeah, that's the word I'm lookin' for.'

'Well, that's interesting, good luck with that. Also, your two accomplices have given statements, clearly pointing to you as the instigator. They say (reading from one statement) they were blackmailed into assisting you because you held proof of their past wrong-doings. We've given them immunity against past misdemeanors so that they can give evidence against you. We still have you as our prime suspect in the Darwin park murders, but as you know, we just want you to confess without going to trial.'

'Yeah well, I won't! I've stood firm against all the shit you've tried on me, and ain't buckled. Go fuck yerself!'

'Noted. I don't want to go over old ground, but we advised that because the evidence could be construed as circumstantial, we would not proceed to a formal trial. (smiling) We both know you're guilty of the killings, in the same way you're guilty of attempting to kill Corporal Meadows. You must also realize that you must suffer punishment for your crimes.'

'What punishment? As soon as the Colonel gets on the witness box and exonerates me, I'll be found not guilty and there won't be any punishment.'

' You seem to rely heavily on the Colonel. Was it him that ordered you to kill those Americans?

'Nah, no. He jest told me he wished all poofters dead, and because I love the man I took that as an order. He didn't mention Americans, that was my doing, cause I hate them, Americans I mean. I just sorta killed . . . how does it go? . . . Two birds with one stone. (he, he)

'Thank you Corporal, you've been very helpful.'

'How have I helped? I don't understand.'