Tales From Captivity

By Nikolai Vladivostok

Fifteen short stories to disturb your soul.

From the deserts of California to the mountains of Taiwan, from the Australian bush to the highlands of East Africa, a cast of heroes and villains is thrown into extraordinary situations.

Can you predict each twist?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nikolai Vladivostok
• Release date: Nov 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201481711

Book preview

Tales From Captivity

Nikolai Vladivostok

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Copyright © 2021 Nikolai Vladivostok

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review.

The curse of the Kennedys upon those reading a bootleg copy.  Can be broken by posting a review or coughing up. 

Contents

Who Eats Who

Secret Heart

Love never runs on time

The Three Surgeons

The Intruder

Hyenas

Happy Underground

Homeward Bound

Mousebot

The Outdoors Type

The Barista’s Tale

Sweet Sixteen

The Gospel of Judas

The Death Room

Pod People

Who Eats Who

Danae insisted on driving as they crossed the desert near Joshua Tree.  She’d insisted on a lot of things since becoming Assistant Principal and Meilani decided not to argue.  She remembered the time Danae had berated her during a staff meeting.

They’d been close friends for years.  Probably Danae’s military contractor boyfriend had been giving her misplaced ideas on how to lead a team.  Being an administrator of a suburban high school is different to commanding a brigade of mercenaries in the Sahel.

Whatever; it was water under the bridge.  That and other things.  Now they were just two BFFs on a road trip together.  It was technically work because they were going to an education conference at a desert retreat but on route they could gossip and chill. 

Meilani told Danae the horror story of how her friend Mike, the Spanish teacher, had grabbed her floppy midriff in the hall and exclaimed, ‘Hey, what’s this?’

No way! exclaimed Danae.  He really said that to you?

He literally said it to my face.

"Oh my God, that goes so totally out of the bounds of . . . anything.  I mean aside from the fact you’re not fat at all, what gives him the right to come out and say something that fucking inappropriate, let alone touch you?"

I know, right?

You want me to chew him out?

Nah, Calvin already did.  He was the Principal.  I guess ‘cos we’re friends, Mike thought he could just do anything.  Like, we joke around and tease each other.  I might have even flicked him in the belly at some point.  But like, dude, what are you thinking?

Yeah, totally.  Danae sighed inwardly.  While she would have gleefully given Mike a second chewing out, Meilani could be such a drama queen.  It sounded more like a tiff with her gay friend than harassment.  Meilani was oversensitive because she was a bit . . . well, not unattractive, but not attractive.  Too Amazonian, plus she had that resting bitch face.  Meilani scared a lot of men off, even the few taller and stronger than her.  And she was a tad overweight.

So, you are completely sure that this is the right road? Danae asked.  Meilani checked the saved map on her phone again.

It’s either this one or we’re going parallel to it.  Location’s not working.  Either way, we’ll come to an intersection in about five miles then we’ll know where we are.  She was fairly certain they were heading in the right direction.  She’d been in the Army and had some training in navigation.  This road felt right.

Yeah, I’m just wondering . . . okay, five miles.  Danae kept driving through the sandy scrub.

Meilani thought, what the hell did that mean?  With a wince, she recalled the row they’d had after Meilani discovered they’d been sharing a lover for months.  Dale, the burly PE teacher.  Meilani had noticed back then that Danae was quite capable making subtle, passive-aggressive statements.  She came from money, that was her problem.  And she’d been born blonde and pretty.  Literally used to be a cheerleader.  Every road had been paved for her, every obstacle cleared from her path.

Meilani, on the other hand, had only managed to attend college via a sports scholarship plus loans that she’d served four years in the military to pay off.  As part of an auxiliary role in Iraq, she’d measured the distance between suicide bombers’ body parts to determine the force of the explosives used.  Fridays were the busiest because on that day martyrs were guaranteed a sweet spot in heaven.  They’d be going off all over town like fucking fireworks.  The term TGIF did not mean the same thing over there.  She’d survived, become a high school teacher and bought her disabled mom a house.

Danae was okay, she reminded herself.  They had a history like any old friends.  Meilani knew she was no picnic herself; PTSD could make her contentious and she was working through that with her therapist.  She knew herself well enough to know why Danae sometimes got to her: Meilani was like a big dog accustomed to being in charge that meets an even bigger dog and has to deal with it.  Danae, though petite, was a woman not intimidated by her.  That was probably why they were friends.  Meilani stared out the window at the barren landscape and tried not to think of Iraq.  I’m home now, she reassured herself.  Safe.  All that shit is on the other side of the world.

Danae felt her hands gripping the steering wheel too tightly.  Alright for Mei-Mei, she thought.  Tough army girl.  It’s kinda terrifying out here in the middle of the desert, not even knowing if we’re going the right way.  Dear God, please make us be going the right way.  I do not want to be lost out here tonight. 

Danae was glad to have Meilani out here with her.  While they occasionally bickered, no one except her ex-Marine boyfriend made her feel safer.  She was the girl to have with you in a tight spot.

There’s, like, no traffic out here, Danae said.

We’re pretty far from anywhere.  I guess it was the cheapest venue Calvin could find.

He wanted something remote so we could focus, Danae said.  She didn’t really believe his explanation but she was admin now so she had to back him up. 

I’m so glad you can drive, Meilani said.  I’d be falling asleep by now.  Everything’s the same; this straight road is hypnotizing.  Tell me when you need a break, okay?

Suddenly Danae lifted her foot from the accelerator and stared ahead.  Holy shit!

Meilani looked up from her phone, alarmed.  She saw a discoloration on the road ahead.  A zebra crossing?  No, of course not.  There was something very strange about it.

I am definitely going to approach this with caution, Danae announced.  Probably nothing but we don’t want to run over broken glass or something.  Not now.  Not today.  A few yards from the markings on the road, she stopped completely and pulled over.

Meilani opened the door first, striding ahead.  Danae switched the hazard lights on, got out and looked up and down the road from horizon to horizon.  There was not another vehicle in sight.  She chuckled at the flashing orange lights on her car.  City girl, huh.  She left them on and followed her friend.

A large, intricate design had been drawn across the road in fresh white chalk that gleamed weirdly in the intense sunlight.  Neither could determine what the image meant.  One part looked a little like a hieroglyph, but not quite.  Another looked like a Chinese character, but not really.

They took out their phones to record a video, noticing there was no reception.

Along one side of the design was written, ‘WHO EATS WHO’.  At the end of this sentence was an arrow.  Their eyes followed the arrow and saw that it pointed to a narrow trail through the bushes that would have been invisible from the road had they driven by.

"I am not going down there," said Meilani.

Huh?  Why not?  Danae suddenly felt the need to be the bold one.

Are you fucking kidding me?  A weird sign on the road, a trail going off into nowhere . . .  Yay!  Let’s go!  Looks like the most efficient way of getting raped and murdered this afternoon.

"Oh, come on.  A maniac paints a sign on the road to lure his victims?  That’s totally not going to get him caught.  It’ll be a diner or something."

A diner, Dae-Dae?  Here?  Seriously?

Well, it’ll be, like, a retreat or something.  Like the one we’re going to.  There’ll be a vegetarian restaurant called ‘Who Eats Who,’ I’ll put money on it.

Maybe.  Creepy marketing, though.  Meilani suddenly grinned gamely and said, Want to have a look? 

Danae smiled back.  Well, look at you!  Turned on a dime.  Yeah, fuck it, let’s go.  YOLO!  We’ll just walk like fifteen minutes or so and if there’s nothing there we’ll go back.  If a guy jumps out with a knife then you kill him, okay?

Done.  Meilani picked up a rock and they began walking down the trail.

*                    *                    *

They passed a small excavation near the road.  Thereafter there was nothing but cactus, saltbush and rocky hills.  After a few turns, the car was out of sight and it was Danae’s turn to feel anxious.  What were the chances this could really be a maniac’s bait?  But the car was right over there, the sign . . . it would be too obvious.  The next person along would find them.  Don’t be stupid, she told herself.  It’s just a stupid ad.  And don’t give Meilani the satisfaction of knowing I’m scared.

You know, I’m actually a little bit scared, said Danae.

Yeah, me too.

Want to go back?

Okay, agreed Meilani.  This sucks.  Let’s just get to that next rise, see if there’s anything, then go back.

That sounds fine.

A hundred yards later they crested the hill and found that the trail continued on to a clearing.  In the middle stood a small building sporting the cheery sign, WHO EATS WHO.  They laughed.

You were totally right! giggled Meilani.  A diner.  Oh shit.  Well, they reeled us in, might as well have a look.  They walked over to the concrete building, opened the heavy door and stepped inside.  A light turned on automatically as they entered and the door swung shut behind them.

The interior was a single, cool room with a barbecue in the center, a bag of coal and some large containers of water.  There were no tables, chairs or staff.  Most oddly, there were no windows.

Huh, said Danae.  Looks like it was going to be a barbecue house and it never got finished.  Maybe Korean or something.

Gotta work on their marketing, said Meilani.  And maybe find a better location.  There was hardly anyone on that road, how much passing traffic were they going to get?  Unless it’s one of those trendy, exclusive restaurants where you have to be in the know to find out where it is.

Kinda creepy, said Danae.  Okay, that’s enough, let’s get the fuck out of here.  They walked back to the entrance.  Danae pulled the door. 

It would not move. 

She pushed.  Still it would not move.

Meilani said, Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me.  She brushed Danae aside and used her greater strength against the door, jostling the handle in all directions.  Feeling panic set in, she lifted the large rock still in her hands and smashed it against the lock, hard.  After three attempts, the rock broke.

Meilani took a few steps back and launched herself against the door, putting her whole weight against her shoulder.  Nothing.

This.  Is.  Fucked.  Up.  Danae, come help.  We’re going to bust the door together.  Both our right shoulders, this spot.  We have to hit at exactly at the same time on three, okay?

Are you sure?  I don’t want to break someone’s door.  Maybe there’s another way.

Look around, Danae.  Do you see another way?  It’s an abandoned building and we can smash it up all we want.  If anyone complains, I’ll pay for the damage right after I sue their asses to Sunday for emotional pain and this bruise on my shoulder that’s about to get a whole lot worse.  Let’s do this.  She used her military tone and Danae obeyed.

They charged at the door and smashed into it again and again but still it would not move.  Exhausted and hurt, Meilani called a halt.  She collapsed against a wall, nursing her arm.

Danae, panting, investigated the door more closely.

I’ve already tried everything, Meilani said.  It won’t open.  Danae ignored her and kept looking.  She tapped it here and there.  Then she moved to the wall and tapped that.

Huh, she said.  She felt her authority returning, remembered that she had a Masters in Education.  That door is metal.

So?

"Like, totally, one hundred percent solid metal.  That’s normal.  And the walls are thick concrete."  She strode over to the barbecue on her short, slim legs, touched it lightly with the back of her hand to ensure it was cold, then climbed on top.  It wobbled slightly until she found her balance.  Strong legs, she thought.  Yoga’s finally coming in handy.  She stood straight and reached up to the ceiling, tapped it with her knuckles, then banged it with her palm.  Then she leaped down, tripped and fell.

Fuck, she said.  Gotta work on my landings.

Find anything?

Yup.  Ceiling’s concrete, too.  She sat beside Meilani against the wall and squeezed her friend’s knee.  Bad news, kiddo.  She scrunched her face, warning that the news was bad indeed.

Let me guess.  We can’t get out?

Worse than that, I’m afraid.  You were right.

About what?

"It was a trap.  Solid metal door that automatically locks behind us, concrete walls and ceiling."  They meditated upon this grim realization for a moment.  All natural light was shut out and no sounds entered, as though the desert and the rest of the world had ceased to exist.  Their concrete cell might as well be floating in outer space.

But someone will see the car and the weird sign, said Meilani.  If we’re missing for long it won’t be too hard to find us.  Bit of a harebrained scheme, isn’t it?

Yeah . . . about that.  The sign’s chalk.  Bet someone’s washing it off right about now.

What about the car?

I’m thinking our lunatic friend is going to dump it in the car-shaped hole we saw just off the road.

Fuck!  Meilani could feel her PTSD rising.  She felt like she was back in the Green Zone, rockets landing around her as she tried to sleep.  She remembered the one that took out the cafeteria she ate in every day.  She’d acted brave so she wouldn’t look weak in front of the boys.  But this was worse.  She felt her brain start to fog and her breathing become shallow.  If she weren’t already sitting, her legs would have given way.

Hey, said Danae.  Don’t you have that hiking thingy?  The beacon?

Sure do.  Got it safely stowed in my cupboard at home.  Meilani checked her phone again: zero reception, no WiFi.  So, he’s going to come here now, is he?  And do what?  Even if he’s got a gun, there are two of us.  We’ll catch him by surprise.  She looked around, saw the remainder of the rock.  That would do.  Better get ready.

Danae frowned.  I don’t think anyone’s coming here any time soon.  Let’s have a good look around, check absolutely everywhere and see what we’ve got here.  Might find a weakness, something useful, whatever.  And I’m worried that light might go out any minute.  Danae seemed pretty sure, as though she’d figured something out.  Meilani agreed because she, too, had an inkling.

They split up.  Meilani edged around the wall, searching for anomalies, anything.  Suddenly she thought to check the pockets of her cargo pants and found a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar and three-quarters of a pack of Starbursts that she’d forgotten about.  She felt her heart rate