A Taste for Blood
Chapter 3
A taste for blood?
After only ten minutes walk, they entered the manicured grounds of the town's Catholic church. Stone pillars reached into the leaves of surrounding trees. The iron fencing stretched until more Samanea saman trees, known in some parts as the Giant Monkeypod, or Raintree blocked their view.
"Nice here, maybe we should become Christian?" said Hla.
The children snorted. They continued up the driveway. Nick kicked stones until a teak and concrete building could be seen. A man dressed in trailing robes, moving boxes of Bibles to the boot of a truck.
Hla fell at the feet of a white-clad priest.
"Father, I, or rather we need your help," Hla panted.
"Yes, my child, what can I do for you? Please stand up."
He swept the flowing robes away from her hands, fearing the filth of common folk.
"This morning I found these two poor children at the back of the market. They were shaking and crying. Wailing, it was pitiful to witness. I tried to calm them and realised they were starving. So I took them home and told them to wash and clean up before they had God's food."
The priest looked at the quivering children. They were studying their feet in shame.
"Doing God's work? That is wonderful. But why do you need me?"
Hla looked around at the vacant driveway before continuing.
"I was about to wash their clothes when I noticed the blood," Hla looked shameful. Philippa and Nick studied the driveway as if it would fly away.
"Blood? Are they injured?" asked the Priest.
"Yes father, ahh, their private parts." She whispered, looking around once more.
The priest leaned into the nearby window, grabbed his car keys from the desk and shouted at the secretary inside.
"I have got to go to the hospital urgently. We must get these children treated. Call the police, please. I want someone to meet me there."
"Yes, father." A woman was heard above the sound of a typewriter. She called in answer.
The father slammed the boot of the truck containing the Bibles, signalling for them to follow.
The quaking trio strode quickly behind the priest to the church's parking area. Next to a small Toyota was a brand new, 'red plated' Honda CRV.
"Perfect," whispered Hla. "Even better."
The priest unlocked and opened the doors.
"You two jump in the back. Madam, would you prefer to sit in the front or would you like to comfort the children in the back?"
"I'll sit with you, I wouldn't want to squash their injuries," said Hla trying not to grin.
"But there's plenty of room… oh, I see, fine sit wherever you wish. It will take about fifteen minutes to get to the hospital."
He grabbed his phone and started talking to somebody in Italian, doubtless complaining of evil people. They swept from the Churches grounds, turned left to a single-track roadway. Paddy fields, wet and green, on both sides of the road. Then they saw large, closely knitted trees.
They were then driving through a rubber plantation, shielded from view and well shaded. There didn't appear to be anyone collecting from the tappers pots strung around the trunks. Hla looked behind a quick glance at Philippa, then slowly nodded to Nick.
The wire was out of his pocket and circled the priest's neck in a split second. Hla grabbed the steering wheel as the driver lost control and the car ground to a halt. The man had tensed his legs, rigidly his feet raised above the pedals, and he pushed back deep into his seat. The wire halted, stuck. It would go no further as it stopped against the spine. Nick smiled as he released the handles.
"Christ Nick, look at the mess you've made," said Philippa as she high-fived him.
Hla was out of the car in a flash.
"Come on you two, help me shift him."
They pulled the body from the vehicle, dragging and bumping him as far as they could into the woods. The trail of blood was soon lost as it soaked into the wet ground. Hla had stripped his red-stained robes to use cleaning the gooey mess from the driver's seat and the ceiling above. She picked up his mobile from the floor.
"This will come in handy," she said to the puzzled children.
Nick suddenly turned and returned to the body.
"What's he doing?" asked Hla.
"Wait and see," answered Philippa.
Nick snapped a low-hanging branch and used the sharp end to carve a simple cross into the man's chest.
"You mentioned religion," grinned Philippa.
Philippa then sauntered up to the dead man and knelt beside him. On both knees, she bent forward. Nick wondered what she was doing. Hla stood motionless, shocked, as she thought Philippa was about to pray.
"Whatever are you doing?"
She watched as the girl leant forward, her face pressed against his chest. She then licked the blood from his throat. Her tongue probed into the flesh. A smile spread, as did a red stain between her cheeks. She then jumped to a stand, shocked at her action. She peered at the body below, wiping blood from her face. Shook her head and slowly returned to the others.
"What was that all about," whispered Nick. Philippa shook her head in embarrassment. Unsure why she did that, what was she thinking about.
"Come on you two, stop playing about. Let's go, we need to pop into the hospital."
Hla had another thing to consider. She was deep in thought, and it wasn't just driving a new car.
Often in their short lives they had been confused, now they were once more puzzled. They were both considering what happened. Neither knew.
Hla broke the trance. She leaned to Philippa and gave her the priest's phone.
"Put that in the first bin you come across."
"Why?" the confused girl asked.
"Because it will give us more time."
Nick was nodding in the back.
"Ah, I get it," said Philippa, coming alive. "They will try to contact him."
"Yes, and when the tracker tells them he is at the hospital, they won't expect an answer until he has completed his good work."
They all laughed as Philippa skipped through the hospital doors. Fortunately, no police unit had answered the call from the lady at the church. Hla did not expect swift service from the northern force.
"I guess you are keen to see where I live?" Hla said as Philippa climbed in.
They travelled for fifty minutes in the luxury of their 'new car', before reaching the outskirts of Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai, which means 'new city', was founded in 1296, it had grown rapidly and now boasts 126,000 inhabitants in the centre of the city, and nearing one million folks on the outskirts.
Hla showed them into her modest two-bedroomed condo. Nick noted the shaded parking area and smiled.
"I don't know how much you know of the history of the Lanna people or the stories and beliefs of the region? But, we will not be concerning ourselves with Naga or the Ping River. For now, at least. We are going after more Christians and the rest, of so-called teachers." She smirked, pleased with herself. But there may be a worry about Philippa. "We'll see," breathed Hla.