Doctor Who_ Combat Rock - Mick Lewis [34]
Wemus looked cowed. Kepennis had dropped his machete and although his face was tense, he also appeared determined not to lose face in front of the tour group.
‘We are hostage of OPG now.’ he said simply. ‘Nothing we can do.’
‘OPG?’ asked the Doctor with obvious alarm. ‘What might they be, and what do they intend doing to us?’ His voice was full of stubborn indignation, but when the Papul with the black balaclava lifted his machete to prod at the Doctor’s gangly bow tie, he wisely stopped his blusterings and backed away a step, his mouth dropping open with almost comical dismay.
‘The Krallik order his men to take us to swamps in south.
They will negotiate with Indoni President for our release.’
Kepennis looked a little sheepish as he replied, as if it was all his fault they had fallen into this predicament. The real culprit, Wemus, seemed more interested in comforting Wina, who along with Santi, was looking rather wretched at this new eventuality. Jamie made an effort to aid in consoling the attractive Javee girl, but a guerrilla stepped in his way, bow and arrow raised meaningfully.
‘But who is the Krallik?’ demanded the Doctor, looking gingerly at the blade that still rested on his chest. ‘This...
ahem... gentleman here?’ He made a grotesque attempt at a smile for the benefit of the guerrilla, who was obviously the leader of the pack.
Kepennis shook his head. ‘No. Krallik only send instruction for tourist to be captured. He wait for us deep in swamp jungle far from here.’
Jamie had had enough. ‘Look, can ye no talk to them?’ he said exasperatedly, rounding on Kepennis and Wemus.
‘You’re Papul too: they’ll listen to you. We have tae find Victoria!’
‘Thank you, Jamie.’ the Doctor shushed him, fearful of excerbating the situation. ‘I’m sure you could put in a good word for us, Kepennis, and tell them the Indoni President wouldn’t possibly be interested in negotiating over us. We’re of absolutely no value at all!’
‘We are Papul too, you are right,’ Kepennis answered bleakly. ‘But these are OPG rebels who hate Indoni so very much.’ He paused. ‘And that mean us too, because we sell ourselves to Indoni for money, they think. To them, we betray our own people.’
As if to reinforce Kepennis’s words, one of the warriors cuffed Wemus around the head with a rifle butt as he attempted to put his arm around the dejected-looking Wina.
The guide yelped and backed off rapidly.
‘The OPG...’, the Doctor said ruminatively. ‘I take it they are Independence fighters opposed to Indoni rule in Papul?’
‘Operaki Papul Gallaki,’ Kepennis said warily. The leader was listening to the exchange in English with some interest and the Doctor could see that the warrior understood quite a lot of what was being said. Kepennis would do well to choose his words with care. ‘Freedom for Papul,’ he explained. ‘We are to aid them in their cause.’
The leader had clearly decided the hostages had received sufficient explanations. He barked an order to his men and the guerrillas began moving forward, corralling the tourists away from the burnt village and into the jungle.
The village smoked silently. A bird laughed and then the rain came. Hard and fast, pounding the leaves, pounding the hostages and their guards, turning the dirt to mud, the mud into streams.
The jungle welcomed them into its depths, closing around them like wet, slippery fingers.
Chapter Six
Heads.
Everywhere it seemed. A reed bed of heads, rising above the water, above the pink mist, mugging horrifically at the canoe of guerrillas drifting across the lake towards the island.
Indoni heads mostly, but a couple of Papul faces joined the parade, traitors to the cause, or perhaps because they were simply too afraid to do what had to be done.
Wayun prickled with fear. He knew that was the desired reaction: the reason the heads were there, impaled upon the wooden stakes of the pier. Yet it was grotesque, horrible.
Were the tales true, then? Had the Krallik indeed gone mad?
He tried not to look at the array of heads,