‹ Prequel: Going Bush
Going Bush 2: Suburbia
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Taylor really only began to panic when his wrists were secured to the pole over his head. Now it was real.
“Please, Carlos,” his head started shaking, “you need to tell her that I can’t say anything! He’s blackmailing me!”
“A slave addressing me by name?” Carlos smirked before landing a well-aimed blow to Taylor’s side.
Taylor cried out, his legs buckling a little.
“Please…” he tried again, “she doesn’t understand!”
“I understand perfectly,” the woman’s voice came from behind him.
Taylor tried to turn his head, but he couldn’t see her until she purposely stepped into his line of vision.
“I understand that you fear Nathaniel’s word more than you respect mine. And that needs to change,” she looked him in the eye as Carlos grabbed him by the hair.
Taylor couldn’t think of a defence for that. It was true after all.
“I swear,” his voice broke again, “I will do anything you ask. I will tell you anything you want to know. Anything else. Just not this. I can’t.”
She brushed Carlos’ hand aside, running her fingers down Taylor’s face.
“You need to learn that there is nothing you cannot do for me,” she said calmly, “only what you cannot do for others.”
He closed his eyes as he started taking deep breaths.
“I’m sorry,” he barely whispered.
“I know,” she confirmed.
His eyes shot open as he felt Carlos roughly gag him with a piece of ragged cloth. His eyes welled as he realised there was now nothing he could say or do to stop what was going to happen.
He flinched when the woman took his face in her hands and made him look her in the eye, trying desperately to blink the tears away.
“Take your punishment with courage and dignity,” he knew it was an order, but it didn’t really feel like one, “and I want you to concentrate on the reason you think you can’t tell me what I need to know. Afterwards I will ask you if it was worth it, and you’ll get another chance to redeem yourself. Understand?”
Taylor nodded, already knowing what the answer was going to be. She let him go and stepped back, giving Carlos a nod.
Taylor jumped as he felt Carlos use his machete to cut away his shirt, letting it fall to the ground around his feet. He counted the footsteps that walked away, knowing exactly where they were going. His eyes closed as he heard the whip release from the nearby fencepost.
“He’s so thin that it might cause damage to his spine,” his eyes opened again as he heard Carlos’ voice.
“We’ll deal with that if it happens,” the woman said simply as he heard the leather slithering across the hard dirt.
“How many?”
“Five.”
There was a pause and Taylor took a deep breath.
The sound of the whip through the air was unmistakable. Carlos tested it only once before aiming for his target. Gagged or not, Taylor yelled out.
“Please, Carlos,” his head started shaking, “you need to tell her that I can’t say anything! He’s blackmailing me!”
“A slave addressing me by name?” Carlos smirked before landing a well-aimed blow to Taylor’s side.
Taylor cried out, his legs buckling a little.
“Please…” he tried again, “she doesn’t understand!”
“I understand perfectly,” the woman’s voice came from behind him.
Taylor tried to turn his head, but he couldn’t see her until she purposely stepped into his line of vision.
“I understand that you fear Nathaniel’s word more than you respect mine. And that needs to change,” she looked him in the eye as Carlos grabbed him by the hair.
Taylor couldn’t think of a defence for that. It was true after all.
“I swear,” his voice broke again, “I will do anything you ask. I will tell you anything you want to know. Anything else. Just not this. I can’t.”
She brushed Carlos’ hand aside, running her fingers down Taylor’s face.
“You need to learn that there is nothing you cannot do for me,” she said calmly, “only what you cannot do for others.”
He closed his eyes as he started taking deep breaths.
“I’m sorry,” he barely whispered.
“I know,” she confirmed.
His eyes shot open as he felt Carlos roughly gag him with a piece of ragged cloth. His eyes welled as he realised there was now nothing he could say or do to stop what was going to happen.
He flinched when the woman took his face in her hands and made him look her in the eye, trying desperately to blink the tears away.
“Take your punishment with courage and dignity,” he knew it was an order, but it didn’t really feel like one, “and I want you to concentrate on the reason you think you can’t tell me what I need to know. Afterwards I will ask you if it was worth it, and you’ll get another chance to redeem yourself. Understand?”
Taylor nodded, already knowing what the answer was going to be. She let him go and stepped back, giving Carlos a nod.
Taylor jumped as he felt Carlos use his machete to cut away his shirt, letting it fall to the ground around his feet. He counted the footsteps that walked away, knowing exactly where they were going. His eyes closed as he heard the whip release from the nearby fencepost.
“He’s so thin that it might cause damage to his spine,” his eyes opened again as he heard Carlos’ voice.
“We’ll deal with that if it happens,” the woman said simply as he heard the leather slithering across the hard dirt.
“How many?”
“Five.”
There was a pause and Taylor took a deep breath.
The sound of the whip through the air was unmistakable. Carlos tested it only once before aiming for his target. Gagged or not, Taylor yelled out.