Snatching Carla

Chapter 1

For three weeks, Carla Wright suspected someone was watching her.

The feeling occurred infrequently, and she'd not spotted anything untoward.

She had no idea who the person was, or if more than one person was involved. She became convinced the watcher was human and not an aged and arthritic horse released into the Badlands to end its life naturally.

The questions were, why was she being watched and by whom?

Initially, the hardened 28-year-old hoped the watcher was planning to free her. But gradually with no action, that hope faded.

Eventually she concluded that probably the watcher was a recluse and had no intention of doing anything for her apart from watching her impassively.

Male or female?

Carla decided the watcher could be a male hermit watching her out of loneliness and was too timid of too feeble to rescue her from to see her being mistreated by the three men she lived with.

It was four years since her mother succumbed to cancer.

Feeling more comfortable about this new sub-development in her severely restricted life confined at the edge of the Badlands, she decided to connect with the watcher. That might activate him or her into coming in closer to converse and hear her pleas to notify the authorities of her near-imprisonment by her family.

"Huh?" she laughed, or rather sniggered, a little surprised that she could still express mirth after spending four years in servitude to the family retards with whom she lived with.

Carla went to her bedroom, the only tidy room in the house, scratched around in the bottom drawer of the dresser that had the only mirror in the house, and also retrieved three long unused tubes of lipstick and placed them in the top left-hand drawer after using one to colour her lips.

Rick, an ugly and fat bastard, youngest of her older stepbrothers, squinted.

"You're wearing lipstick," exclaimed the retard.

Oldest brother Nash, slid off his chair where he'd been reading the 4-day old newspaper and walked over to Carla and Rick.

"Yeah, and you've brushed your hair, too. Expecting a gentleman caller?"

Those two brothers clutched each other to stop falling over in their unstrained laughter.

Nash's smile vanished and his face darkened.

Carla had to endure his foul breath and watch his disgustingly neglected yellow teeth moving as he, holding up her head with his meaty right fist jammed under her chin snarled, "You're not preparing to run out on us, are you?"

"No Boss," Carla said to the senior dominant male, who instated on the family addressing him as 'Boss'.

They heard a motor start up and a vehicle drive off and Rick said, "That will be Gavin's whore returning to town to get her husband his breakfast."

Laughing, Nash jerked his fist under Carla's jaw and before releasing her jeered, "Remember you sly bitch, attempt to leave this place again and we'll come after you and you'll die."

"Yes Boss," she said submissively, eyes lowered.

Gavin came in looking a little exhausted and he said in surprise, "Bitch, you're all made-up. Is Boss taking you to town?"

Nash smiled and drawled, "You know she doesn't leave this place as she's needed for constant cooking and other home duties."

Carla said recklessly, "I saw how attractive your whore looked Gavin, and found some old lipstick to tidy myself up."

The guys laughed when Gavin snorted and said, "Off you go bitch and make late breakfast for me and for Dad who'll be in shortly from checking the in-calf cattle. And don't call Lydia a whore. For all you know. she might be a clergyman's wife or daughter."

That drew huge laughter from the brotherhood.

Carla walked to the kitchen, face impassive, wishing she had the courage to kill the scumbags. Her mother had been their father Raymond's second wife.

* * *

Self-employed geologist Rhett Orange, tethered his long-term hired horse below his vantage point overlooking the Wright Family Farm Trust farmhouse bordering the Badlands.

Motorised vehicles were prohibited from the 361,709-acre volcanic Highland Tableland known locally as the Badlands, and was a reserve under the nation's Natural Environment Protection Act.

That prohibition applied to him even though he was sixteen months into a confidential 11-month Government contract to identify areas of possible significant deposit of natural resources within the area, such as iron ore, and also to find evidence of precious metals including gold, silver and even platinum.

Ordinarily, a huge team would be engaged in such geological exploration. The mapping option of involving just one specialist was the chosen to keep the operation 'hush hush' to avoid alarming the powerful lobbies of environmentalist unable to comprehend that it was the duty of governments internationally to know precisely in detail what their country's resources were.

The entire area had been generally prospected by aerial surveying. Rhett was ground prospecting areas designated from that surveying with 'clearly promising potential'.

Periodically, the 32-year-old took his collected rock samples by two or three packhorses to a remote spot on the boundary of the Badlands (the Highlands Tablelands Nature Reserve), to be collected overnight by an armed Army crew in a military truck from the Rough Terrain Assault Division. The reason for the secure carriage of rock samples for forensic analysist was in accordance of its status, a 'hush-hush' operation status.

* * *

Rhett removed the protective waterproof sheet covering a light field telescope that was focused on the farmhouse two miles away. The end of the scope was hooded to avoid sunlight being reflected to anyone in the distance.

He'd had the occupants of the property under surveillance periodically over three weeks, since viewing the property with binoculars when witnessing a burly guy carry a female from the house by the belt of her jeans and the back of her stockman's heavy checked shirt and throw her face-down on to the grass under a clothes line. He then returned with a basket of washing and emptied it over the by then young sitting woman wiping natural ground litter from her face.

The assailant was mouthing probable abuse watched by two other guys laughing away from the doorway of the house.

Rhett was furious at the unnecessary violence, but there was little he could to without exposing his presence as the only human resident of the remote Badlands that were patrolled occasionally by park rangers in a helicopter and occasionally frequented by deer shooters, possums (cat-sized marsupials trapped for their fur) and trout fishermen.

Late afternoon back at his campsite in a gully to help conceal his presence, Rhett finished labelling the rock samples that he'd deliver that evening to the pick-up point for collection by the Army unit.

He kept his hired packhorses hobbled when not being used, to avoid them being lured off by wild horses that had roamed the tableland for generations. His packhorses were probably descendants of the wild horses.

Rhett kept a hired veteran Jeep, a vehicle brand common in the area, hidden in trees on the boundary of the tableland that he used to go into Selwyn Village for supplies.

While in the village, he'd researched by computer in the village library and learned the identities of the five occupants at Wright Farm: Raymond (72), widower, and his sons Nash (51), Gavin (44), Rick (33) and their stepsister Carla (28).

ID photos of the guys showed two things in common, they had missed out in good looks and all appeared unwashed with beer bellies. On the other hand, Carla was lithe, not overly pretty and had a great chest.

Rhett wondered why Carla kept on living with that unruly lot on a large farm of marginal land adjacent to the Badlands. Probably she had no money to support herself if she did leave.

On the ride back to feed his horse, dog and the three packhorses tethered at his base campsite, Rhett had a sudden thought.

What if Carla was being kept at the farmhouse against her will, being used as an unpaid housekeeper and possibly a communal fuck-bag? He knew he had to do something.

Rhett bristled, but felt useless.

Next morning two hours after eating his breakfast, two cold bacon sandwiches made the previous evening when preparing his camp-style dinner, Rhett eyed the farmhouse again through the telescope. There was no sign of the men but Carla was sighted at the top of a hillock (knoll) hanging out washing.

"Gosh, great boobs," he marvelled stupidly, watching her reaching up when pegging a shirt and then noticed her lipstick and tidy hair. Previously she had been without any facial make-up and looked untidy.

When finished, Carla began acting strangely. Turning slowly, she waved a towel at the landscape that was peppered with distinctive cinder cones from ancient volcanic eruptions.

As the rotating waving began working toward his location, Rhett suddenly guessed what she was doing.

"Christ, she senses she's under surveillance."

He grabbed his backpack and extracted a small mirror from his emergency kit.

Angling it to align to sunlight rays to reflect it to Carla's position, he wriggled the mirror slightly, hoping she'd see the mirrored flashing.

That drew no response.

Initially disappointed, Rhett was heartened to see her begin another 360 deg turning of waving.

This time success with his mirror flashing.

She stopped her rotation abruptly, looked back at the farmhouse as if checking to find she was not under observation, and then turning back, waved vigorously in Rhett's direction.

Rhett mirrored two quick flashes and then ceased communication in case anyone else detected the flashing.

He was intrigued, stood and waved and then cut short his stay hoping to find if she were in virtual captivity with nowhere else to go, or perhaps she was mentally unsound. He left knowing it was best to give her another 24-hour to digest the fact that she'd been discovered and to prepare for the possibility of going forward for closer contact to allow voice communication.

During the next nine hours of riding on horseback and working at locations, Rhett wondered if he should ride up to the farmhouse and simply say howdy to the washerwoman. But that could reveal his presence in the area to the males at the household whereas his contract required him to conceal his presence.

"Leave it; it's not your business what her plight might be," he muttered.

But his mind kept returning with the thought that the young Carla, identified from official rural land occupancy records, could require release from bondage.

In his sleeping bag in his tent that night, Rhett masturbated thinking of Carla's body. She was about his age and she might really welcome someone arriving to check on her welfare and particularly someone who'd treat her with gentle affection.

He delivered an unusually large ejaculation and as his aroused breathing was settling, knew that for better or worse, he'd soon be talking to her.

If she didn't require rescuing because no question of captivity existed, that would be fine. But if she were being held against her will and required assistance to relocate, then he'd willingly attempt to free her without outside help to avoid revealing the reason for his presence in the area.

If necessary, he could take the woman into the isolation of the so-called reserve where the men she was living with would be unlikely to track them down as his base camp was almost twelve miles deeper into the Badlands from his present temporary camp site.

Rhett was pleased he had that situation sorted to his satisfaction and that his erection was returning. He began tugging it again, imaging he'd been invited to explore that woman's body and his body would be on offer.

His constant state of loneliness arising from being in the wilds began evaporating.

"Omigod, my cock is thick and like steel," he marvelled, lifting his butt high by arching his back and pushing his toes forward with firm effort.

He also firmed his thinking about what to do next.

The first priority was to divulge his present in the locality only to Carla. The best way would be to move in a lot closer and repeat his mirror flashing. He chuckled and thought yes, if he flashed his dick that might send her streaking to him - or perhaps alternatively, sending her into retreat horrified and calling her menfolk to hunt down the flasher.

Ah, the attention-grabbing must be restricted to sunlight flashing, he thought gleefully.

The next three mornings, Rhett crept in closer to the farmhouse without any result and on the third had success. Carla was at the clothes line again.

After sighting close-in sunlight flashing, Carla first glanced back at the farmhouse, possibly to check whether she was under observation, before turning back and waving the white pillow-case she'd been holding, stretched above her head and held in both hands.

Rhett, about a quarter of a mile away, stood and using one arm extravagantly, waved her over.

She dropped the pillow-case and paused momentarily in possible indecision, looked back at the farmhouse and bent low to one side patting her hand towards the ground.

"She wants me to conceal myself," he murmured, dropping to the ground and using the telescope resting on the slight rise, watched her walk calmly to the house, call a dog and placing it on a leash began walking the dog toward Rhett's position.

He thought smart babe, nothing wrong with her sensibilities. She would have given herself away if she had ran screaming to Rhett, alerting the males in the house probably finishing breakfast that something was amiss.

All of this confirmed that Carla was a captive or a virtual captive in her remote environment.

As she neared him, Rhett called, "What's the dog's name?"

The dog appeared to be a house dog rather than a farm dog and Rhett had already noticed it had picked up his scent.

"Harriet."

"Here Harriet," he called and the terrier began wagging her tail and pulling hard on the leash.

Carla, with unruly hair and looked in need of a good wash, and even half-decent clothes, slid down the rise in a cloud of dust and said, "You're altogether a smart-ass. You have figured out that I'm in some sort of trouble."

"Yep, I reached that conclusion when I saw you being struck for some misdemeanour by one of the guys."

"Yes, I live with my father and my three older brothers and I'm treated like a slave and paid nothing so that I can't run away and support myself financially. I suppose you have figured that out too?"

"Yes, as one of the possibilities."

"And you have guessed they get drunk and force me to have sex with them, sometime more than one at the time?"

"Something like that crossed my mind. Look, will Harriet respond obediently if you set her loose and tell her to go home?"

The woman looked at Rhett curiously and said why would he ask that.

He asked her to move closer.

She did that and said, "Hi, my name is Carla Wright."

"Hi, Carla. My surname is Orange. I had the misfortune of my parents naming me Rhett.

Carla looked at him sympathetically, she lowered her head.

Rhett lifted her head and kissed her on the lips sweetly.

"It's not your fault that your kin treated you so shamefully. You have the right to decide who should share your sexual favours if such occasions should arise. I wish to take you back to my base camp where you will be treated like a lady."

Carla looked a little bewildered, as if she couldn't believe this was happening.

"Please understand this. I'm doing secret mineral prospecting work for the Government so I should not let you go back to that iniquitous life in that farmhouse. However, at my peril, I'm prepared to allow you return to your family and that abominable situation if your wish, providing you promise to keep your mouth such about my presence in this area."

"Omigod, what a choice I have!"

Rhett said should she accept his offer to come him under his protection and leave all of her possessions including clothes behind. Best of all, she should not worry about the men searching for her.

"They won't find us. After a day or so searching they will decide you have absconded and with no supplies including food and adequate shelter, you'll probably face a quick death in the Badlands."

She shrugged and said, "May I have another sweet kiss? I've been living a miserable life for three years and that's a long time for even a hardened woman to go without experiencing at least some tenderness, Rhett. I assume what if I ride off with you, I'll be better off including experience some tenderness in replacing that my dreary life in captivity."

They kissed.

He said that she'd said his name so sweetly.

"That's because you have been behaving so caring and supportively toward me. You have almost overwhelmed me. Please take me as far away from my obnoxious family as you can right now. I'm letting Harriet go and after we watch her race home, you may wish to have sex with me, as your reward for saving me."

Rhett said they must concentrate on their top priority which was to creep away without being spotted by anyone to where he'd tethered his horse.

"Agreed, we need to disappear with trace, Rhett. Your horse is an excellent mode of transport because once we get onto one of the tracks used by group of wild horses, we ought to become undetectable. We must use the freshest trail we can find for our horse's tracks to merge into the myriad of fresh hoof marks. Anyone attempting to follow our trail will be stuffed, or buggered as men would say."

"You're spot on with your thinking, Carla," Rhett laughed and she coloured when sighting the intensity of his gaze, appearing pleased.

They moved off, both on the horse Carla had been introduced to as Ned.

Her mood changed and she sobbed, "Harriet was mum's beautiful gift to me five years ago. She's racing off to the homestead because she hasn't been fed yet."

Rhett said soothingly, "Don't fret; if this ends satisfactory you may get possession of her to love again."

"I'm already falling in love of you, my knight is shining armour."

Rhett said carefully, "That feeling will pass quickly once the reality of your forthcoming situation sinks in. But your lot will improve when you and you meet other people and slide into enjoying a more normal life."

"Poof," countered Carla. "Please stop now and place me on the ground and kiss me and do other things with my body so I can enjoy having sex the way it was meant to be."

He said anxiously, "No, we must concentrate on finding an appropriate wild horse trail and ride on anonymously to widen the gap between us and any searchers to succeed with our escape."

"Aw."

"Carla, please," he appealed.

"Yes, master. You may be interested to know that in my hard life in recent years, I've learned to be hugely adaptable, so being alone at your campsite when you'll be alone for most of the day will be immensely acceptable. "

That response pleased Rhett, knowing if he were in his position, he'd feel the same relief.

Carla didn't make it any easier for him, although not disputing the logic of his escape plan. Seated behind the saddle, she pushed into him heavily and said huskily, "Can you feel my boobs pressing into your back?"

Oh yes, Rhett thought. He definitely could.

"Yeah, great," he enthused. Taking care on the cantering horse, he undid the three top buttons of his shirt to allow some of the rising heat of his body to escape.

They came across a wild horse trail but the hoof marks were in the opposite direction he wished to travel. The second and much wider trail pointed in the right direction and he pressed the horse into a canter to blend into latest disturbed marks of the soil possibly made less than 24 hours earlier by cantering horses.