Vanishing Point

‘Ya gotta make me meals.’ The walked past the rear of the kitchen area as he spoke and pointed out the two gas cylinders.

‘If there’s no gas ya can’t cook, an’ ya’ll go hungry. So keep an eye on ‘em. That’s also ya job.’

He led her into the main building with the partitioned bedroom which, although small, had an unmade double bed and two cupboards.

Katherine looked at the bed and shuddered.

As if reading her thoughts, he said, ‘This is me bed. God told me ya’ll come to it as me wife when ya’s ready. I ain’t gunna force ya. Ya’ll come in good time. Yeah, ya’ll come, I knows.’

From there he took her to the building on the western side of the veranda, down the steps and into the door at the far end. There were only two rooms. That nearer the door had a rough wooden table and some old-fashioned lounge chairs. A dust covered bench held a large stainless steel sink but no taps. It was probably was part of the old laboratory. The room at the back contained another double bed covered by a sheet. A sleeping bag lay crumpled across the foot end. There were no pillows.

‘This gunna be ya room, for now. Ya can share the bed with bubs. Later mebbe she’ll get ‘er own.’

Still holding Katherine firmly by the arm they went back outside. He showed her the long drop dunny, situated behind the second building. It was a short walk along a path close to, and parallel with, the perimeter fence. They did not enter the third building.

‘No need ta go in there. Jist me workshop. Got me tools an’ stuff there. Pressed beeswax, centrifuges ta separate honey an’ stuff for me work.’

Katherine did not respond but the thought crossed her mind that she would find a way to go in at some stage. If she could find some tools she might be able to use them to escape.

Nearby was small corrugated iron shed, with shelves stacked with more stored tinned food than Katherine had ever seen in one place, and row of full honey jars. Behind the shed was a large, raised water tank.

Close inside the perimeter fence was a smaller, similarly constructed shed and Benjamin took her inside. He explained, ‘This is the generator, an’ there’s the fuel. There’s the pump. I’ll learn ya but it’ll be ya job to keep our power goin’ an’ pump water when I tell ya.’

Katherine wondered where he pumped water from but remained silent. Time enough. Away from the shed and connected to the pump were some white pipes.

‘The unnerground water comes from the dry creek. It’s unique in the area. It’s the only drinkable water for miles ‘round. It’s why they built this place ‘ere.’

‘Well, that explains where you pump water from.’

Benjamin went on explaining, ‘We collect condensation from the metal roofs of the buildings an’ pump inta the tank. Helps keep up the water supply an’ we do sometimes get a bit a rain.’

‘What’s that?’ Katherine asked, pointing to the conglomeration of clear plastic over a shallow tray of water.

‘Evaporation tank. The unnerground water’s only jist drinkable. I run it into them tanks an’ the sun evaporates it.’ He pointed to the plastic roof. ‘It condenses onta them that’s cooled by more water from the creek an’ collects into them containers. Gets ‘bout eight litres a day and that’s for drinking. Don’ waste it.’

The system reminded Katherine of the one that Alec had set up when their Kombi broke down. Just thinking of Alec made tears spring up in her eyes. She suppressed the thought and became practical. ‘What about showers? Or a bath?’

Benjamin pointed behind the tank to an open-air shower set above a concrete slab with a rubber mat, probably part of an old conveyor belt. It was opposite the dunny at the other end of the fence line. ‘There,’ he said, ‘but this is dry country, even with the tank, so ya can ‘ave one shower a week, an’ real quick ones at that. If the tank gets too low, no water goes ta the shower, an’ the lower the water the weaker the shower.’

‘There aren’t any walls. It’s all open. No privacy there,’ said Katherine.

‘Well,’ he drawled, ‘I ain’t needed it till now. But no-one out ‘ere ta spy on ya, ‘cept me.’ He smiled, a crooked half-amused, half-smirk sort of grin.

Benjamin forced her back into the main room and made her sit. From a drawer he took a large pair of shearing scissors.

Katherine cried out, the terror clear on her face.

‘Stop ya blubberin’ he muttered as he cut her beautiful long hair almost to the roots, ‘ It’ll grow agin.’

When he finished he said, ‘An’ ya ain’t gunna wear trousers so give ‘em to me.’

He forced Katherine to stand. She tried to resist and argue but she was weak against his strength. He took the scissors to her clothing. Weak and humiliated, she wept.

As he cut them into shreds, Benjamin started to speak in the preacher voice he had used in the Land Rover. ‘A woman shall not wear anything that ‘tains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so is abomination unto the Lord, my God. An’ them’s men’s trousers.’

Finally, she stood bare footed, dressed only in her torn blouse and panties. It felt worse than if she had been stripped naked.

About three weeks after their arrival at the Factory another vehicle pulled up in front of the gates. Katherine heard it and, knowing Benjamin was outside the perimeter fence looking at his hives and checking the pipes and pumps at the creek, she raced out of the kitchen area and across the veranda as fast as she could. She leapt right over the steps in her haste to get to the gates before Benjamin heard it and returned. Her ankle twisted slightly as she jumped but she ignored the pain and raced to the gates.