TWO PLAYS. MAIDEN FOREST. THE ADVENTURES OF YUMI

Natalia. I will cut your throats for my Svetlana.

Artyom. So stay put. Chopper delivers on his promises.

Natalia. What a nasty piece of work you are, Artyom. You dragged your buddy, Moray, into this crap. Chopper will finish him off.

Artyom. Every man for himself.

Natalia. You are not a stupid fellow. Let Khlora go. And go yourself.

Artyom. Chopper won’t harm her. He only told to keep her back so that she wouldn’t kick up a row. We are not savages.

Pause.

Natalia. Do you think Chopper will let us live when he gets the icons? Will he give us our shares?

Artyom. Chopper is only a sidekick. But Frost covers up for me. He loved my mother ever since school. Then she got married to Kolosov and died.

Natalia. Kolosov seems to have crossed you all.

Artyom. I hate the bastard.

Slav enters. He is still dressed in police uniform, his face is all scratched up. He pulls Tatyana inside. Tatyana’s hands are tied, she has a hood over her head. Slav forces Tatyana to the floor.

Slav. Don’t move, bitch. Or you’ll get some more. [He ties Tatyana up and checks if the rope is tight.]

Natalia. Why did you bring this skank here?

Slav. This is Kolosov’s wench. She saw everything. Meant to turn us in.

Artyom gets out of the chair, still holding the rifle, and steps back to the fireplace.

Slav. Now this woman is our guarantee. [He approaches the table, pours himself a glass of vodka, drinks.]

Artyom. She shouldn’t see us. I don’t need witnesses.

Slav. Did you think you’d get off with a whole skin, chump? [He gets a hunting knife, approaches Tatyana, pulls the hood off her head. Tatyana’s mouth is taped, there is a bloody scratch on her forehead.]

Artyom. You are a louse, Slav. Do you want blood?

Slav. [To Tatyana.] If Kolosov gives us a hard time, I’ll cut this bitch up and feed the bits to him. And you will help me with that.

Artyom flips the rifle bolt. Slav leaps to his feet with a knife clasped in his hand, ready to hurl himself at Artyom.

Natalia. Easy, Slav! We will deal with it ourselves. Go to the guys.

Slav. [To Artyom.] It’s your life you will answer for her with, Jacket.

Slav leaves

Artyom. That’s it. The Rubicon is crossed. She recognized me.

Natalia. Let Khlora go and be off. Why would they share with you? They will just wipe you out. And then burn you in here. Together with Moray and Khlora.

Artyom. Stop bluffing!

Tatyana carefully unties her hands and frees herself. She looks around and sees a poker lying on the floor. Natalia and Artyom do not notice.

Natalia. Chopper is a cop. A werewolf. He leaves no witnesses behind.

Artyom. We are in cahoots.

Natalia. Uh-huh. You will be the first one to turn us in to cops if they catch us in the act.

Artyom points the rifle at Natalia.

Natalia. You are a good-for-nothing. You lack the guts to kill somebody.

Artyom puts the rifle down. Tatyana leaps to her feet and strikes Artyom over his head with the poker. Artyom drops the rifle and falls unconscious. Tatyana grabs the rifle and runs out of the house. Khlora and Natalia keep their seats and stare at each other.

Scene 7

Night. Fyodor Kolosov’s summer cottage.

Chopper and Moray wear balaclavas. Fyodor is tied to a chair.

Chopper. Here’s the deal. You will give us the icons and save your friends’ lives. Tell me the password!

Fyodor. Who gave you a lead on me?

Chopper. Tell me the alarm password!

Fyodor. Who gave you a lead on me?

Chopper. We will ransack your roost anyway. But before that, we’ll roast you in your own banya.

Fyodor. Who gave you a lead on me? Artyom?

Moray kicks Fyodor in the stomach.

Chopper. You are not suicidal, Kolosov, are you? Tell me the password.

Fyodor. So it was Artyom who told you about the icons. I’ll kill the rat.

Moray kicks Fyodor again.

Chopper. If you don’t care about yourself, think of your friends.

Fyodor. Go to hell, bastards!