Chapter 65: Chapter Sixty Five

After the men had eaten, in a rare show of benevolence, they scraped their plates back into the stew-pot. The girls added more water to stretch the remaining slop so everyone could have a little but as they assembled around the fire with their bowls, Ashwin strode up with two of his enforcers in tow. "There's been a change in the menu," Ashwin announced with a wide grin.

The girls turned to him, their faces clouded with questions.

"Tonight, you work for it." Ashwin started pulling girls away from the pot. "Everyone line up. Now! Volleyball players on the right, flight-attendants on the left.

The women mumbled their disapproval but with eyes on the billy-clubs, began to form up.

Ashwin walked between the two lines of girls handing out the folded slips of paper. Including Co-pilot Bev Banes, there were seven flight-attendants squared off against the remaining five volleyball players.

"Two of you girls will be pitted against each other in a wrestling match," Ashwin informed them with all the authority of a ringmaster. "The rules are easy. This will be a no-holds-barred contest. Do whatever it takes. The first girl to bring me her opponent's bikini bottoms wins. The winner eats and sleeps with the men. The loser goes to the Pigpen, without her supper." he slyly chuckled. "Everyone open their scrap of paper. Who has the X?"

Linda turned a ghastly shade of pale. She lifted her slip of paper so Irene could see. There was an X scrawled in blue ballpoint.

"Ah, Linda. Excellent." Ashwin moved along the line toward the frightened girl. "Please step forward. The rest of you flight-attendants get seated on the ground." Ashwin took Linda by the arm. "And who is your opponent?"

Dee, the girl from Milwaukee who had lost her virginity at a drunken bash, stepped forward and held up her piece of paper.

"The girl with the thirty-four C-pluses." Ashwin couldn't have been more delighted with the way things had tuned out. Two exceptional women: Linda, tall, with a body like a willow. Dee, full-bodied with robust tits. A perfect match.

Ashwin dismissed the rest of the volleyball players and taking the remaining two girls, an arm around each, he ushered them to the center of the compound next to the fire. "Bare your breasts," he said.

Linda balked. She twisted her chin around to search out Irene's eyes, looking to the older woman for guidance. Irene blinked back. She felt the girl's fear but there was nothing to be done. Ashwin held the gun.

"Well go on," Ashwin's voice was flat, "don't make me do it for you."

Linda reached behind. With a look of disgust hardening her eyes, she twisted the clasp, hesitated a moment, the colorful cups hanging loose, then slid her arms free of the straps. The night-breeze, wafting over warm, conical-shaped breasts and left her shivering.

Linda studied her opponent: Dee outweighed her, and had superior upper-body strength. But what scared Linda most was the girl's endurance.

Linda wasn't without athletic ability, her longish legs having brought her instant recognition on the varsity track team. And there was marathon bicycle racing and she rode a horse as if it was an extension of her loins. But Dee had spent the last eight years of her life, daily sweating it out on the volleyball courts while Linda was sitting behind a computer or passing out drinks on an airplane. That, more than anything, gave Dee an edge and Linda quickly realized that the longer the fight lasted, her chances of winning dwindled exponentially. She would have to be quick, decisive.

Ashwin turned to the other girl. Dee undid the snaps of her team-jacket and shuffled it from her shoulders. The jacket felt to the ground behind her heels.

"That's nice," Ashwin mumbled and putting a hand on each of their shoulders, he bent them at the waist and pulled their heads together. With forehead butted against forehead, they locked onto each other's eyes; resembling a couple of heady linebackers.

"When I say go," Ashwin announced, backing away, "you fight it out. The girl who brings me a pair of panties, wins!"

Linda delved into the dynamics of the problem: Mathematics, engineering, point-of-balance, levers. It all came into play as she analyzed her next move. Linda assumed that Dee would be just as anxious for a decisive victory and would bowl straight ahead, hoping to pummel Linda into the ground. Linda couldn't let that happen and prepared to feint to her left and let Dee stumble forward, off balance, leaving Linda to throw her weigh onto the girl's back and drive her into the dirt.

"Go!" Ashwin shouted.

But Dee had her own game-plan. Instead of charging forward she simply dropped to her knees and reached up. A horrified Linda felt hands sliding up the sides of her thighs and even as she made her move to the left, fingers were raking at the material of her bikini bottoms.

Cool air chilled a bare buttock. "No-o-o," Linda cried and smashed her arms down. Linda was blessed with a good dose of quick and driving her hands between Dee's, she knocked herself free and fought to regain her advantage. Behind, the men were wildly cheering at the sight of her bum.

Dee stalled. She was on her knees and Linda was still circling. Linda got an arm around Dee's neck and using her weight, flipped the girl over backwards. With Dee scrambling to find her footing, Linda pounced. She landed on the big girl's chest, hoping to drive the wind from her lungs and she reached for Dee's bottoms.

Linda's fingers fumbled uselessly across the fabric.

It was some sort of sports apparel, made from spandex and was as smooth and slippery as a wet trout and fit like a second skin. Linda realized to get purchase she would have to drive her fingers under the elastic waistband and even then she would have a tough time rolling the slick bottoms over the girl's bulging thighs.

But she had little time to contemplate the problem. Under her bare bottom, Linda felt Dee flex her abdominal muscles. The big girl bucked like a rodeo bronc and Linda was tossed to one side. Both girls bounded to their feet and Linda risked a hand to haul her bikini back into place.

They circled, sweaty and dirty, each in a defensive crouch searching for an opening. "Get on with it," Ashwin shouted from the sidelines. "The loser gets to eat-out the winner's pussy!" He tried to sweeten the pot and it was all the encouragement Dee needed.

Dee was stronger and in better shape. She was confident of a win and stepping forward she drove a heel into the side of Linda's knee. Linda screamed. The cartilage wrenched and a bolt of searing pain raced from her knee to her groin. Linda dropped her hands and turned to the side, leaving herself open and vulnerable. A moment later, Dee's hands closed about her throat.

Linda struggled hard and Dee, leaning back, readjusted her grip on Linda's neck. She had a forearm across Linda's throat and clasping her wrist with the opposite hand, she was able to apply constant and unforgiving pressure. Linda's face turned red and started to throb. She couldn't catch a breath.

Dee wasn't focused on Linda's bikini bottoms any longer. She was content to wait until Linda passed out. Then she could easily peel the girl's bottoms off and present them to Ashwin, leaving Linda naked in the pine-needles for the men.

Leverage and point-of-balance.

The darkness was creeping into Linda's vision and her ears were buzzing like angry hornets. She only had moments left before falling into a well of unconsciousness. Leverage: There was a tree right in front of her. She could reach it with her foot. Point-of-balance: Dee was leaning back heavily, almost pulling Linda from the ground.

Linda got her good leg up and firmly wedged her foot against the tree trunk. She shifted her weight, leaning back against Dee as far as she could. She felt Dee falter, start to shift her feet to counter the transfer of weight. Linda pushed off from the tree like it was a springboard, using all the remaining strength she could muster. Dee buckled. Going over backwards, she stumbled to the ground and Linda fell with all her weight onto the girl's stomach.

She deflated like a balloon.

Dee gasped for breath and tried to hold the vomit inside. Linda rolled off and was back on her feet, standing over the fallen volleyball player. And when Dee raised her head, Linda spun, driving an elbow into the side of Dee's jaw. Dee rolled onto her hands and knees, her senses reeling from the blow.

Linda caught Dee's butt with the ball of her foot and shoved hard. The girl sprawled forward, her face coming up hard against the tree trunk. Dee crumpled and Linda quickly nipped in to tuck her fingers into the back of the waistband. With a triumphant tug, she had the bikini bottoms down around Dee's knees. Then, taking firm hold, she straightened. Dee's legs came up and Linda pulled the spandex off over her feet.

Linda looked at her fingertips and was as surprised as Dee to see the bottoms dangling there. Dee, laying naked on the ground, began to cry. Linda looked at the heaving shoulders, heard the heartfelt sobs and felt like shit. There was no winner here. She had nothing against this girl. It was fuckin' Ashwin.

Linda went to the girl. Threw her arms around her shoulders. "I'm sorry. So very sorry." Tears welled up and started rolling down Linda's face.

Dee looked up, her face a mask of terror. She reached out and clung to Linda's neck. "God. They're going to eat me. Please. I beg you. You have to help me."

Ashwin's men came forward and hoisted the struggling girl to her feet. Dee was dragged to the shelter and pushed inside. The flap dropped. Late into the night, the women, huddling under their blankets, were stricken by the shrieks and sobbing sounds while the men took turns. Over and over; on and on it went.

Alex turned to Irene. "I've changed my mind," she whispered. "Given the opportunity, I could kill Ashwin Franks. I never mentioned: I was a member of the archery team, back in college. I was good. Won medals. But I'll need a bow with one good arrow. And a clear shot."

"You could hit him?" Irene gasped.

"With a good arrow? Sure. From thirty yards I could run an arrow into his eye and out the back of his skull."

"Jesus!" Irene exhaled. "I'll need a knife."

The next morning, a sad procession made its way across the compound. Four of Ashwin's men led a shell-shocked volleyball player past the other women. They were headed toward the Pigpen. Dee, naked, bruised and bleeding, walked stooped and favored her left leg. She was wild-eyed and scary and looked away when one of her team mates called out to her.

The men laughed.

They pulled open the low gate and forced Dee's head down. Someone gave her a rude shove and she stumbled to the ground beside Tracy. She turned her back away, her body racked with sobbing.

Alex looked to Irene. "We don't have much time," she said. "The stew-pot emptied out quickly last night. Ashwin needs fresh meat."

Irene massaged her forehead. "After the morning's swim. We'll lag behind. What kind of wood do you need to make a bow?"

Alex looked haunted. "My re-curves were made of kevlar. I think the old-time longbows were carved from yew or ash, maybe. A hardwood anyway. I'll know by the feel, I guess, how springy the wood is. And we'll need an arrow, maybe with a piece of glass for a tip. Lord, it sounds like such a long shot."

"We have to try something," Irene said. "I can't sit around like this any longer. I need a piece of jagged aluminum to make a knife blade. But it can't be too long; so I can conceal it."

"If you hadn't noticed, you're wearing a bra and pants set. Where are you proposing to hide a damned knife?"

"Up my ass if I have to." Irene didn't laugh. Instead, she looked quite grim.