The two officers opposite Aat began weeping in fear, their frames shaking uncontrollably as the young officer pushed himself away further, the Morgon raising his head as if to sniff or sense the air, smoke drifting through the shattered windows as glass fragments cracked beneath the young Thai officer’s body.
The Morgon took one step forward, his head thrust back to produce a loud, blood curdling shriek, seeming to fill the room and echo around them, the three Thai security officers covering their faces as they shook in fear.
Then the black armoured figure turned away, Aat’s hands slowly lowering as the alloy boots clumped back down the stairs, the young male exhaling heavily in relief as he heard the creaking once more, the soldier hesitating to collect the dead body at the foot of the staircase.
The young female opposite slowly lowered her hands, her voice breaking as she sobbed, gasping for air, ‘Are we safe…has he gone?’
Aat nodded solemnly, straining to breathe in despondency as he realised what had happened, ‘He has gone…but I think he will be back. They are all around us and we cannot escape. They have got plenty of food across the airport for tonight…there are bodies everywhere. He will return when that food stock gets low…or is not as fresh.’
He stiffened as dull thumps suddenly echoed outside, rising slightly to glance over the glass fragmented window sill, his body slumping back in demoralised defeat, flashes reflecting across the dim room, ‘They are firing artillery and mortars into the city…’
Elsewhere, further landings were ongoing on the southern coastlines surrounding the Gulf of Thailand, broken reports of enemy troop sightings on the north east coastline of Malaysia, the western beaches of Cambodia and Vietnam…realising the vast resources of food nearby, the Morgons were increasing their territory as another large ship settled on the seabed.
Deep below the South China Sea
Tony Shelley sat whimpering in the corner of the cell, his body shivering in withdrawal from the previous weeks’ chemical festivities, hands covering his eyes as he rolled over into a virtual foetal position, gasping in disgust as the stench of excrement and decomposing organs seemed to sweep into his nostrils. Covering his head with his hands, his twisted mind wandered along the edges of reality, the four hours he had spent in the fetid atmosphere and steel prison having eroded what little courage he had left.
As the new arrivals had settled down earlier amongst the dishevelled and dirt caked occupants in the rectangular cell, they had listened fearfully at the clunks of steel boots passing in the metal grilled corridor outside, the Morgon jailers knowing full well and relishing any hesitation in their steps would bring a fresh wail or resumption of terrified weeping, glowing eyes sweeping though the slits in the cell walls to enhance their pleasure.
Tony had then witnessed the last desperate acts of human life, the only particles of resilience and mutual comfort. Collectively the group of twenty plus youngsters were resigned to a morosely gruesome fate, the ship they were held prisoner in deep below the surface of the South China Sea, all realising there was now no hope of any survival or escape...just perhaps prolonging a miserable existence for as long as they could.
Whispers had spread through the virtually nude and shivering huddled crowd, rumours igniting sparse hope that the enemy soldiers would perhaps choose pets from amongst the captives and treat them fairly, that some were even used to serve food and complete chores...the whispers quickly dying away once brief collective reasoning considered just exactly what the meals would consist of…all hope had gone.
Tony had stared in drug starved shock as a number of couples had openly made love just beside the huddled and whimpering group, the physical attachment intense and perhaps the ultimate proof that the dirt smeared individuals were still alive and not simply existing through a gruesome dream. The sights of heavily entwined bodies and passionate breathing had obvious physical effects on some, either through rising lust or envious consideration that the participants were briefly gifted with some erotic pleasure, the ultimate horror of their predicament fleetingly extinguished.
Eventually he had closed his eyes tightly, willing the physical and emotional sights to be removed, his young body and sparse torn shorts unable to conceal his own rising physical reaction, the mixture of his anxious chemical withdrawal and self loathing for his feelings driving him deeper into mental exclusion and guilt, tears running down his flushed face as his body shook.
He had shuddered as a hand fell softly onto his thigh, his legs crossed and head bowed as he sniffed, swallowing chemically tinged saliva, his eyes fluttering open briefly. Before him, the French youth was slowly and meticulously entering the blonde girl he had spoken to earlier, the black haired teenager talking softly in his native language as the straddling female wept, her back muscles straining as she gasped, Tony’s eyes almost mesmerised by the sight of final love in human desperation.
The hand had risen carefully up his thigh, his body shaking as his head turned, eyes widening as he realised the face before him was male, a tanned local Thai teenager weeping as the fingers reached under his torn shorts. The English student’s eyes strained, then opened wide, realising the local youth was alone amongst westerners, the strains across a young face that continually swallowed exhibiting utmost fear and a similar drug induced state as himself.
Swallowing once more, he nodded into the frightened face, an arm sweeping around the teenager’s shoulder and pulling the slim body to him, his eyes closing as the head lowered gradually down his chest and then abdomen. He had leant back as the shorts were pulled, then torn aside, feeling
