by Peter Hoole
William could see the steely look in Caleb’s eyes. It is a look he had seen before. It was the look of a man who meant what he was saying. A look that made William believe that Zach would be shot.
And this was not something he could be seen to allow.
“Fine.” William said through clenched teeth.
As he spoke, William also saw an opportunity.
“But I want something in return.” He said.
“What’s that?” Caleb asked.
“You have to give me him.” William said, referring to Zach.
“We’ll see…” replied Caleb, not wanting to commit.
Zach was their only bargaining chip. It was likely that William and his team would kill them if they gave up Zach.
But Caleb knew at that moment that, despite his surroundings, and the fact they were severely out-gunned, he had the upper hand. William did not shoot straight away, nor did he give any indication that Zach was expendable. Caleb knew he had the advantage, and he took it.
He slowly walked Zach towards one of the vehicles. On the outside, the SUV’s looked similar to the ‘Bat that had got them there in the first place. But, even with all the features and extra toys the ‘Bat’s had, Caleb was less inclined to use one. With all the tracking and technology, Caleb knew the Colonials would be able to track them should they use one.
As he approached the black SUV, it dawned on him that he didn’t know much about the vehicle, save from the fact it had been used by people that were trying to kill him.
Still, they had little choice other than to use it, as they needed to get out of there, and fast.
He approached the back passenger door, opened it, and shoved Zach inside. It was Zach that would continue to provide protection for them, even if the Colonial leader had no real desire to be their shield.
Caleb pushed Zach hard enough the he ended up in the middle seat.
Caleb followed immediately behind, and sat next to him. Within a few moments, the opposing door had opened, and Adam joined them in the backseat, wedging Zach between them.
With the door still open, Darcy looked at Caleb.
“You need to drive.” said Caleb.
With the words, Darcy had a slight smile on her face.
Darcy closed the backseat door, to allow Caleb to keep his gun pointed at Zach.
Once the door closed, Darcy moved to the driver’s door.
Caleb held his breath. For the one or two seconds that Darcy had to make her way to the door, she was exposed. If one of Williams’s men had decided to take matters into their own hands, Darcy would certainly be killed.
But, for some strange reason, Caleb had faith in William. Faith that he had trained his men well – well enough to show restraint.
And fortunately, Caleb’s belief was held true. Darcy made her way into the driver’s seat with ease, and no one took their shot.
Having Zach in such a vulnerable position no doubt assisted with William and his men’s restraint.
Darcy settled in the front seat, and started the car. In their haste, the others had left the keys in the ignition. Not an uncommon thing, and understandable. They were no doubt as sure of themselves as William, and had felt no need to protect their vehicles.
Once again, the arrogance of the Colonials was able to service the needs of Caleb and Darcy.
“Where to?” asked Darcy.
“Just drive for now, Darc.”
Darcy put the vehicle in reverse, and manoeuvred so they were facing away from the cabin. As she straightened up, Caleb let out a sigh of relief.
Not that he thought they were safe… not be a long shot.
He was relieved that they had, once again, bought some more time. More time to evaluate their situation.
For if they were still alive, they could still fight.
And, as far as he could tell, they were the only people that could stop the Colonials.
Chapter Forty-Five
It seemed like hours since they had taken him.
Deanna did try to communicate with the blond man, but he had just sat there, staring without focus towards her.
At first, she thought he was looking at her, but after a few minutes, it had become apparent that he was merely looking into space.
After relaxing as much as she could, Deanna had started to move towards the him, hoping to allay any fears he may have of her.
Just as she was about to reach out and shake his hand, the door she had arrived in flew open. Two men, dressed is the same uniforms as earlier, burst through and grabbed the blond man.
Though he offered little physical resistance, Deanna could see there was some fear in his eyes.
But given her situation, she was hardly able to protest, let alone stop them from taking him.
With swift movements, the guards had removed the blond from the room, and left Deanna alone.
And that was how she stayed, time seeming to stand still.
There was no movement.
There was no communication.
About an hour afterwards (or as close as Deanna could figure was an hour), Deanna had a visitor. A visit by a man she had not yet seen. Flanked by the same two guards, the man ordered them to grab Deanna.
The force was abrupt with Deanna feeling completely out of control of the situation. She thought of struggling but realised it would be pointless.
After a few moments the third man lifted her short sleeve, his intent clear with a prick to her skin.
Deanna had had several injections, and there was a distinct difference between chemicals going in and blood been taken out.
She could immediately tell this was the latter, and they were clearly taking her blood sample.
Once the needle had been removed, the men left as quickly as they arrived.
As they left, Deanna tried to talk to them. Only a few words later, she realised her attempt at communication was again futile.
The three men had left the room with her blood, and again, she was alone.
***
They needed to make a decision soon. The SUV they were in, while comfortable, had none of the bells and whistles Caleb had become used to in the ‘Bats.
On any other occasion, Caleb would have been content riding in the luxury of the solid SUV.
But, this time was different. While the car itself was sound, they were coming up to a point where a decision needed to be made.
Caleb had been alerted a few minutes earlier by Darcy that they were running out of gas. According to the dashboard display, Darcy saw they had about a hundred kilometres before they needed to refuel.
From that moment, Caleb knew a decision needed to be made imminently.
And then, it struck him.
“Adam,” Caleb said to his team mate, “What’s the nearest populated town? Or even better, City.”
They had driven for about thirty minutes since leaving the cabin, and there had been no apparent sign that they had been followed. That’s not to say they weren’t, though. Caleb felt they had only scratched the surface of the Colonials capabilities, and being able to follow a car with stealth was no doubt a trick they would have been able to come up with.
They had tried as much as they could to stay to the main road from the cabin. Caleb felt they were safer out in the open. And it was this thought that had urged him to ask Adam for help.
With Sydney too far away, Caleb knew they had to get somewhere where there were lots of people.
“Mudgee, mate.”
Caleb had never heard of the town, but he had recognised it from the maps he had seen of the area.
“How many people are there?” Caleb asked.
Adam considered the question, “Dunno exactly, but it’s one of the bigger towns out here. Why?”
Caleb explained that they needed to get to a populated area. He knew the Colonials were not yet ready to reveal themselves to the larger population, and they would want to stay in incognito as they could. The more people around, the less likely they were to strike.
At least for now.
Should the Colonials reach their endgame, they would have no hesitation in revealing themselves and openly pursue him and Darcy.
“How many people, roughly.”
“About ten thousand.”
Shit, Caleb thought. He was hoping for more.
But he knew it would have to do.
Darcy, who had been listening from the front seat, followed the implied instruction and drove on.
After a few more minutes’ drive, the signs indicated they were approaching Mudgee.
The latest sign showed they were only about fifteen kilometres away. Judging by their speed, they would reach their destination in under ten minutes.
“Do you know the place?”
“Yeah… been there a few times.”
“Anyone we can trust there?”
Adam was silent for a moment.
Eventually, he spoke up, “Yeah… I might know a guy.”
Chapter Forty-Six
It was a small town - much smaller than Caleb had intended. But, given the circumstance, Mudgee would have to suffice for their needs.
A small close-knit community, the town of Mudgee had long been associated with the coal mine on the outskirts. The town had a nice little economy, with many wineries and other tourist attractions, the town had grown to more than ten thousand residents.
Fortunately, it was still daylight, which would make it easier for Caleb and Darcy to hide in plain sight.
Caleb knew they were running out of options. Indeed, he was unsure if they had any options still available.
Driving into the town, it was apparent they were in the industrial area. The streets were lined with various car dealerships and other mechanical based facilities. Tractors and farming equipment were prevalent and mirrored the towns other main industry.
After a few kilometres, they came to the centre of the town, and area that could loosely be described as the central business district. Places like coffee shops, retail outlets and even a travel agent. The presence of such businesses assured Caleb that while they were hours from a major city, they were close enough to civilisation that they could have some hope for survival.
The calm serenity of the town almost allowed him to relax.
Almost.
As they drove around the town centre, Caleb scoped out their surroundings. He knew that they had probably been tracked. This was not so much based on his experience, but more on the unusually calm demeanour of his prisoner – Zach.
For almost the entire journey, Zach had remained still, looking down towards the centre console in between Darcy’s position and the empty passenger seat.
So, with the probability that they would be met soon by Colonial operatives, Caleb knew he had to find a heavily populated place – one that would provide cover and had many witnesses. Enough that the urge to attack would not be considered should the Colonials need to maintain their cover.
Again, Caleb acquiesced to Adam’s intel.
“You said you knew a guy?” Caleb asked his new ally.
Adam nodded, “Yeah. Problem is the guy’s a bit of a nomad. He calls this place home, but he’s usually out and about all over the place.”
“Well,” Caleb began, “Where would he be if he was in town?”
“My best guess is he would be at his place. It’s on the other side of town.”
On the other side of a town as small as Mudgee meant he would not be more than a ten-minute drive.
“Should we head there, babe?” asked Darcy from the front.
Caleb considered the question.
While going to Adams contacts house would provide the benefit of a secure environment, the security may only be an illusion. The last thing they wanted was to be away from people.
“Can you call him?” asked Caleb, “And get him to meet us somewhere?”
Adam shrugged, “Mate… it’s not like I’ve got a bloody phone on me.”
“Do you know his number?”
“Yeah… I think so.”
“Think so.”
“Jeez mate, I don’t fucking diary around. I’ll try get him…”
Caleb turned his attention to Darcy.
“Darcy, see if you can find a phone booth, or something.” Caleb said.
Unfortunately, the task proved harder than he had hoped. Like most other places, Mudgee had slowly been phasing out their population of public telephones. With the rise of cell phones, most places in Australia and the world had found little need for them, aside from a target for teenage vandals.
“Shit,” Caleb exclaimed as he made the realisation, “We’re gonna have to ask someone.”
They had once again made their way into the central shopping area.
Driving down the main strip, Darcy struggled to find a parking place.
But, just as she was about the give up, a car pulled out in front of her. As the car pulled away, Darcy swung the SUV towards the middle of the road, and backed into the parking space. Not only because this would aid a getaway, but it seemed to be the way of parking in the town. It was quite unique, but it was a welcome quirk if the town.
Once the car had backed to a stop, Caleb surveyed the surrounding area. The travel agent was directly behind them.
It looked like as good a place as any to get some help.
“Alright Adam,” Caleb said, “You’re up.”
With that, Adam unbuckled his seatbelt, and leant forward, handing his weapon to Darcy. With the tinted windows, Darcy and Caleb could keep their weapons pointed at Zach and not attract any undue attention.
Adam left the car, and made his way into the travel agent.
Darcy, while keeping the gun pointed at Zach, spoke up.
“Caleb,” she began, “Are we sure this is the right move?”
Calen shook his head.
It was a question that he had no reassuring answer to. He knew that they were in a difficult position.
They were in the middle of nowhere, with no one they knew that could help them. He also knew that his and Darcy’s survival was being determined purely by the whim of William, and those whose orders he was following. At any moment, they could strike.
But, and he took some solace from this, they so far had not. He assumed it was because of his previous determination that they did not want to announce themselves.
Caleb searched for an answer, something that would comfort Darcy. He wished he could tell her that everything would be ok. That they would survive.
But he could not. He couldn’t lie to her.
So, he told her the truth.
“Babe, we’re in a situation I have no idea what’s going to happen next. It’s not a case of whether this is the right move. This is our only move.”
Darcy nodded in response.
She was glad he had told her the truth. She knew that they were in a dire situation, and she was glad that Caleb had not patronised her.
But before she could reiterate this gratitude to Caleb, the door opened.
“How’d you go?” Caleb asked Adam.
“No answer.”
“Shit,” Caleb exclaimed.
“What do we do now, Caleb?” asked Darcy.
Caleb knew they only had one more option.
“The travel agent…” Caleb began asking Adam, “What’re they like?”
“Dunno. Seemed nice enough.”
Caleb looked at Darcy, “I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
Caleb paused, “I’m going to get us the hell out of here.”
Caleb left the car, leaving Zach in the capable hands of Adam.
Stepping up onto the curb, he looked up and down the street, hoping he didn’t see anything.
As he observed the town locals, he realised that, such was the reach of the Colonials, that it would be difficult to ascertain whether any of the people were their operatives. He knew they had their fingers in many pies, but he still hoped that did not extend to a small town in country Ne
w South Wales.
Fortunately, as far as he could tell, there was no one particular that seemed to be watching them.
So he continued on his way.
The travel shop was likely his best bet. At the very least, he figured he would be able to get some information.
The shops entrance was not off the main road, but nestled in a walkway. The windowed walls were great for what he needed. Should he spot anything he was uncomfortable with, he would be able to see it with ease, and act accordingly if he had to.
The door to the agency was opened, and Caleb walked in.
The walls of the travel agency were white, with flyers and brochures for all different locations adorning the shop.
For a brief moment, Caleb imagined he was in a different place, both physically and mentally. He looked at the brochures, and dreamed of a vacation, spending time away from the world with Darcy and just forgetting about the troubles he was now all too aware of.
But, this was not a possibility. Indeed, it may never be possible to experience a world without worry. Especially if Caleb could not get them away from danger.
So, he shook himself into readiness again, and surveyed the shop.
There was only one staff member in the store – a man that was seated behind the desk to Caleb’s right.
The man was in his thirties or forties, with his grey hair slightly betraying the youthful features of his face. Caleb was somewhat relieved when the man looked at him. There was no sense of recognition in his face.
Though it was not a guarantee, Caleb believed he could trust the man.
“How ya goin’?” the man asked, his country Australian accent declaring his history in the town. The man was obviously a local.
“Good.” Caleb lied. He was far from it. But there was no need to let the travel agent know this.
“Geez…” the man said as he looked Caleb up and down, “You’ve been busy.”
Caleb had not realised his dishevelled and tired appearance. Having been so focused on what was going on, Caleb didn’t have time to think of how he may look.
But, the man was smiling, so Caleb relaxed.
“Yeah,” Caleb relied, “been out this morning.”
“I can see that.” the man said, almost smiling, “Hoping to go out this arvo me-self.”