Deceive or Die

Cassie relocated to Rogue Point, determined to start anew. She secured a job in a café in Newcastle and believed she could manage. How wrong she was. Without a car, she relied on the bus for transport. Her first hurdle was an early morning shift that required her to be at work by 6 a.m., With her friends unreliable in helping her get to work as promised, and no bus available that early. she began hitching rides to work. It was never a problem—someone was always happy to help her get to work—until the day someone was too happy to help.

A truck pulled over, its engine rumbling loudly in the pre-dawn stillness. "Where are you going?" the male passenger yelled to Cassie with a smile on his face, a smile she often saw that didn't look dangerous.

"Newcastle," she called back, hoping her voice sounded steady.

"We're going that way," he said as he climbed out of the seat, his boots thudding on the asphalt. He gestured for her to climb into the middle of the two men. Cassie hesitated for a moment but then decided she had no choice. She climbed in, the truck's cabin smelling of diesel and stale sweat.

The men seemed friendly enough, chatting about all sorts of topics as if the tri, were old friends. Cassie played along, laughing at their jokes and nodding in agreement. But as each kilometer passed, she knew there were no more roads that led to Newcastle. Her heart sank. They were heading towards Sydney, or somewhere unknown on that route. It definitely wouldn't be where her work was. She now sensed they were not going to Newcastle at all.

She continued to act as though she had no idea, they were heading in the direction that would not end at her requested destination. while her brain went into supercharged problem-solving mode. She needed to determine who was the dominant of the two; she sensed her life depended on it. Noting that the driver seemed more of a puppet, she turned her attention to the passenger.

"So, are you single?" she asked, trying to sound flirtatious. "I just moved here and broke up with my boyfriend, Tom. I'm looking to meet new people."

The passenger's eyes lit up, and he leaned closer. "Yeah, I'm single," he said, his voice dripping with interest.

Cassie forced a smile, even though fear was gnawing at her insides. "Maybe you could pick me up after work, and we could hang out?" She hoped her voice sounded eager rather than desperate.

The puppet master, sensing an opportunity, instructed the driver to turn around by swirling his arm, with only his pointer finger extended in a circle. Cassie consciously had to breathe through her fear without showing any sign of discomfort. She continued showing her delight about their possible return to pick her up that day.

Her breathing returned to a natural, unconscious rhythm when the road she was now on led to Newcastle. But she wouldn't break character. She played her desire right through until she walked into work, kissing the man goodbye as if she genuinely looked forward to seeing him again.

Only when she was safe, knowing the truck had left, did she let her emotions out. She told them she finished at 3 p.m., but her shift actually ended at 2 p.m. Her boss, sensing her distress, let her go at noon to ensure she would be long gone if they returned.

Whatever their intentions were, Cassie never hitched again. She had used up all her luck in getting to work safely by that method. Her shift changed permanently to 8 a.m. so she could catch the bus safely each day. But she would always look over her shoulder. What if they came back again?