Milieu Dawn

by Malcolm Franks

Catherine could almost taste his indecision. Fear gripped at her heart.

  “What are we going to do?” she shouted.

  “Shut up,” he yelled back.

  Matt threw the gear into reverse and pressed hard at the pedal. Again the wheel spun round and left them stationary. Turning the steering wheel right, he went back into first and tried again. The jeep shuddered but kept its position. Reverse gear once more, this time with the tyres pointing left, and he applied another burst of brute mechanical power.

  The front wheels spun and then gripped, throwing the jeep backwards with a maniacal lurch. Back into first, the wheels turned again, and the machine catapulted onto the dusty trail. No sooner had they hit the track then Matt slammed on the brakes to bring the jeep to a sudden halt.

  “Matt. What are you doing?” she cried.

  “Shut up, I said.”

  He could see headlights descending the rise, wending their way through the bends. Matt snatched the pistol and pointed it towards a tree. In seconds the pursuing vehicle appeared. He waited for them to close before firing. The bullet pierced the jerry can and threw an orange flame across the road, causing the driver of the onrushing vehicle to slam on his brakes and steer right. The powerful 4x4 swerved off the road, smashing straight into the thick tree. Matt didn’t bother to stop to survey the carnage, just rammed the gear into first and put his foot down.

  They had been travelling for around an hour, Matt driving with only sidelights and the full moon to light the way. On a couple of occasions he had almost failed to keep on the dirt track. Somehow they were still intact.

  Catherine had been silent throughout, which was probably as well given the level of concentration he had to give to the road ahead. Matt could feel his eyes tiring and dropped their speed a little. He felt her hand touch his shoulder.

  “Do you need to rest?” she asked.

  “We can’t afford to stop.”

  “Should we crash then we would be caught.”

  He gritted his teeth.

  “No, I’m alright for a while longer. How’s your ankle?”

  “It hurts a little,” she replied.

  Matt felt a lot wearier than he cared to admit. It always happened after an adrenalin rush had run its course and burnt itself out. Without warning he slowed, switched off the side lights and pulled up at the side of the road.

  “Let me see,” he said.

  Catherine clambered into the front passenger seat, wincing with the effort. Once settled she rested her foot into his lap. Matt gripped the torch between his teeth and turned her slim ankle gently, first one way then the other. Pulling the bandage from the sack he began to wrap it tightly around the bruised area.

  “It’s a sprain. Not a problem while we’re on the road,” he said looking up. It was too dark to see her green eyes. Neither could he fully appreciate her long face and prominent nose.

  “That’s not likely to be for much longer. Most of China will be looking for us by now.”

  She was right. They would have to get off the road soon.

  “What will you do with me then?” she asked.

  Matt tipped his head towards the river, some yards to their right, running down a similar path to the road. Moonlight caught her face and he saw the cautious look.

  “I should warn you, I am a particularly good swimmer.”

  “You’ll need to be,” he said. “It’s very fast flowing.”

  “And what route will you take?”

  He looked up, puzzled. Then it dawned and he began to laugh. Now it was her turn to look puzzled.

  “Did you think I would leave you here?”

  “Some people may have done,” she replied. “Execution awaits you if we are caught.”

  “Then we’ll just have to make sure we aren’t. There, that’ll do for now,” he said, tying the bandage.

  She hesitated to withdraw her foot from his lap, which he thought was curious. Matt started up the engine, clicked into gear and pressed hard down on the accelerator.

  Another hour passed before Matt slowed their pace, causing Catherine to turn her head towards him.

  “Are we stopping?”

  He said nothing at first. A few hundred yards later he brought the jeep to a complete halt.

  “Jump out for a couple of minutes,” he said.

  Catherine complied obediently and he threw the rucksack to her.

  “Hold on to this for a sec.”

  Matt jumped out. She watched in fascination as he strode to where the road ahead forked and took the left of the turns, the one furthest away from the river bank. He walked a few more yards and started to clear away the some of the undergrowth from the side of the road, to reveal a cavernous space amidst the thicket.

  Within minutes he had returned and driven the jeep into the hiding place. Hurriedly, he replaced the greenery and used a branch to dust the tyre treads back to where they had stopped.

  “This way,” he said as he headed into the night. Catherine started to limp after him. He looked round to see her hobbling and ran back. Lifting her in his arms, she gratefully snaked her hands around his neck and smiled. He began to trot down the side of the trail forking to the right.

  “Not far to go,” he said.

  Catherine took a short while to speak.

  “You had already planned to do this?” she asked.

  “Plan B,” he said. “Always helps to have an alternative.”

  “And if this doesn’t work, do you have a plan C too?”

  He grinned but said nothing. Tightening her grip around his neck, she looked forward to see where they were headed and then returned her gaze to his eyes.

  “I cannot remember the last time I was this close to a man,” she said.

  With those words he stopped and relaxed his grip, allowing Catherine’s legs to slide off his body so her feet could touch the ground.

  “I told you it wasn’t far,” he said.

  Gripping her firmly by the hand, he led the elegant Austrian woman carefully down the bank to the river edge. They were close to the water’s edge when he stopped. Brushing aside the reeds the image of a small craft appeared, narrow shaped like a canoe, only a little wider. A short length of rope, fastened to a heavy stone, moored the vessel to the land.

  Matt kept a firm hold while she boarded before following her into the structure and seated himself just behind her. He stretched forward, lifted the paddle by her side and began to stroke the water to move them out into the centre of the river. Little effort was needed, the strong current easily pulling them downstream at an ever quickening pace.

  “I’ve had more comfortable cruises,” she said lightly.

  “You’ll get used to it ... after a day or two,” he replied.

  “You mean it could be longer?”

  “Not much, hopefully,” he said with a shrug.

  She guessed he had the same smug expression on his face he often wore after a smart quip. Catherine’s first instinct was to protest. Her second was to make herself as comfortable as possible, and try and enjoy the ride as best she could.

  Matt could see the sun rising on the far horizon. He looked for cover. Picking a suitable spot, he pointed the craft at a host of overhanging leaves amidst the river bank’s lush foliage. With great dexterity he manoeuvred the boat to shore and dropped the stone anchor into the water below.

  He told Catherine to wait while he scouted the area. Several minutes passed before she heard him return and lay an extra covering of reeds over their position. Seconds later and he had rejoined her.

  “Why have we stopped?” she asked.

  “Daylight,” he said. “And we need to rest.”

  “Rest, how?”

  Matt lifted off his top and slid his body down one side of the craft, resting his head on the removed garment.

  “Like this,” he said.

  There were no words of bitter complaint, only a resigned acceptance of the situation as she mimicked his action and lay down beside him. The sun had risen and the air
temperature was beginning to soar, causing discomfort. She struggled for minutes on end to try and settle into some sort of acceptable shape and position. Several attempts later, she finally came to rest. Matt lifted the flap of the sack, retrieved the water bottle and handed it to her.

  “Take light sips only,” he said. “It has to last.”

  A quick mouthful later and she returned it to his custody.

  “Are you not having any?” she asked, and he shook his head.

  “Later. I can do without for now.”

  They lay quiet for a few moments. Catherine broke the silence.

  “I thought you would have brought help. Is Rosa not with you?”

  He didn’t answer at first.

  “How’s your ankle?” he said.

  “Sore, however I’m sure I’ll live.”

  The air around them descended back into silence.

  “You know you are quite mad to have attempted this rescue all on your own,” she said.

  “We need to rest, Catherine.”

  “Why would you attempt a daring venture like this without help?” she asked, after a while.

  “Look, I didn’t come half way round the world to save you from Chen and his mob only to be criticised. Okay?”

  “Alright,” she said. “I am not ungrateful. If anything I am touched you have gone to such extraordinary lengths to help me. I know of no-one else who would have dared to do this.”

  He felt the need to explain.

  “We all have a duty to care for others, particularly those we value most. Otherwise I don’t see the point to life. Anyway, I didn’t do this on my own. Someone helped me.”

  “Rosa Cain?”

  “No. Not bloody Rosa Cain. She has other things to attend to. A woman called Gratia Fuchs stepped up to the plate.”

  “I have heard this name.”

  “She is the Chief Operating Officer of Schafen Industries.”

  A brief pause ensued.

  “How do you know this woman?”

  “We met by chance, which is lucky for you. Without her, I doubt I would have made it beyond first base.”

  Catherine was quiet for a moment.

  “She must like you, to help you in this way.”

  He chuckled at the suggestion.

  “No way,” he laughed. “People like Gratia Fuchs are way out of my league. Her type is way too much high maintenance for us ordinary guys. I doubt … quiet,” he whispered.

  The sound of a vehicle engine could be heard, somewhere in the distance. As it neared, human voices sounded, talking animatedly in Chinese and getting closer by the second.

  By the chinking sound of weapons, armed individuals were patrolling the dirt trail on foot backed up by a heavy vehicle.

  Matt turned towards Catherine and held a finger to his lips. He slipped over the side of the craft and she heard him wading away. She wanted to call after him, afraid to be left alone. It was his instruction to be silent that halted the urge to speak. As much as she wanted to trust him she couldn’t help but have doubts, and closed her eyes to try and ignore the rising panic.

  Seconds turned to minutes. The voices were getting closer. Catherine forced her eyes to open, fearful they would reveal the snarling face of an angry Chinese soldier. Instead her gaze was met by a pair of yellow and black eyes encased in a small oblong shaped head, coloured into a mottled black and light grey skin. The snake moved effortlessly nearer, along the side of the craft, and then a forked tongue slipped from the narrow opening at the front of the creature. Frozen in terror, Catherine could contain her fear no longer. She opened her mouth and readied the piercing scream.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Heat