by Leo Nix
They waited but nothing happened. Simon decided to move and motioned for Lucy to cover him, just as she'd been taught by the boys while in Adelaide. By the time he'd made his move, there was no one there, just Laurie's dead body lying on the ground now covered in flies.
Simon knew the man had run away, he could see the track that wound it's way through the rocks and scrub. He called for Luke to cover Lucy while she ran up to him, Luke then followed on Simon's next call.
“He's run away up along that track. Lucy, you cover from here while I go around the rocks and Luke you…” Just then they could hear a diesel engine start up and the sound of tyres spinning on gravel. “Well, I guess he's escaping. We'll continue the drill. Lucy, you stay here and cover the centre. Luke you go right and I'll go left and meet where we heard the car drive off. And let's not shoot each other.” He flashed a smile at his mate and they quietly headed off.
Up on the hill, Heidi was sitting with Arthur. He was exhausted still not fully recovered from his leg wound, and his arm was throbbing. Nulla said that maybe he'd chipped his elbow as well, since it was still giving him trouble.
Charlene had continued on to the camp site with Annie and still had a kilometre walk head of her. She had a head for direction, fortunately, and watched for landmarks she'd noted on the way in. Sticking to the faint track she finally led Annie to Nulla and their group an hour later.
Heidi decided she would stay with Arthur. Since there was no more firing, she hadn't heard a second shot from Greg's heavy rifle after the AK47 and Steyr, she presumed they had killed the stranger.
“Hey, Simon! What's happening?” she shouted at the top of her voice. The sound echoed among the arid, rocky hills.
Lucy called back faintly, “All clear, come down.”
Heidi grabbed Arthur's hand and led him back down. He was tired but curious, he'd inherited Nulla's Steyr and had it slung over his good shoulder. Heidi unslung hers just in case she needed it. Together they walked down the hill and met with Lucy, who hadn't moved. Nor had she turned to watch them, her attention remained focused on her role as guard for the boys.
“Lucy, what happened, is the rifleman still here?” Arthur asked, now crouched beside her, staring at Laurie's body.
“No, he's gone, but Simon and Luke are checking it out. We heard a car drive off from behind those rocks. The boys should be there by now. Find a position to cover them just in case it's a trap,” said the warrior woman as she shifted her position to a more comfortable one, it eased the ache in her calves.
The three house rats formed up around the rock beside the dead body and tried not to think about it. Flies buzzed about them to settle on the still-wet blood on the ground.
“I wonder what happened here?” said Arthur, looking down at the man who saved their lives. “That bloke must have been trying to stop the other one from shooting us. He deserves to be buried, I reckon. We should go back and get some shovels. I'll wait for Simon and Luke to come back then we'll work out what to do.”
“Lucy!” called Simon, who had taken command of the squad. “Lucy, all clear, come over and have a look.”
“OK, I've got Heidi and Arthur with me. I'll bring them too,” she called back.
They all gathered around the fresh skid marks on the dirt track. There was a single empty bottle of whiskey lying on the ground.
Luke said, “They must have been drinking and got into a fight. The one who fired at us must have wanted to kill us and the other one tried to stop him. I don't understand what they would have been doing out here though, it's a damn wilderness for crying out loud. We're in the middle of a desert and all.” He scratched at a mosquito bite on his face.
“We should bury that man over there. He saved our lives and deserves some sort of recognition,” piped up Arthur.
“You're right, Arty,” replied Simon. “I'll stay here with Lucy, you three go back and tell Nulla what happened. Come back with some of those fold-up shovels and some food and water.”
Lucy and Simon settled down in a secure, strategic position, in case the escapee returned. They decided to climb one of the hills close by. It was bare of scrub and had a clear view for miles. When they made it to the top they noticed a dust cloud some distance away and Simon quickly pulled out his binoculars.
“Look, Lucy, it's probably that bloke who tried to kill us.” Simon handed over his binoculars.
“We should watch where he goes and tell Nulla, he's always on about intelligence.” She kept the glasses to her eyes making comment as he disappeared and reappeared through the rugged gullies.
Three hours later Luke arrived with the shovels and called out when he couldn't find them. Simon replied from the nearby hill. Leaving Lucy to stay on watch, the two boys buried the brave Laurie. They didn't even know his name.
“Nulla said we need to stay out here and keep watch for twenty four hours while he works out what to do. He said they may have been on their way to Arkaroola village. I've got supplies here, the tent and some food. Fatima gave me some eggs and flat bread, we won't starve but it's sure going to be boring,” Luke said.
“Did she give you some curry powder to go with those eggs?” asked Simon.
“No, no curry powder, thank goodness, it makes me fart, and you don't want that near a naked flame do you?” They both chuckled, Lucy just rolled her eyes. “Nulla said we stay out here until he relieves us. He's studying the map and trying to figure a way to get to Birdsville without heading in to the Flinders Ranges. He's been on the CB with Birdsville and they said the Flinders people were dangerous and not to trust anyone. Funny that, we've just met one of their friendly locals.
“Anyway, he's going to bush-bash, go through the desert and get to Birdsville that way. He and Phil are working on the Toyota's now, doing some repairs and getting them ready for the trip. We might have to leave the trailer behind, but Phil said as long as we don't hit too much sand we should get through.” Luke suddenly became animated. “Hey, guess what? They found a fuel dump! One of the houses had a dozen drums of diesel and some with petrol in a shed.”
“So we get to ride our bikes in the desert? Woo hoo!” called Simon with a grin on his face.
The two teenagers carried the gear to the hill top and set up their tent on the hidden side, then lit a fire for their dinner. It was starting to get dark by the time they were ready to eat, the three took turns at guard duty. It was a pleasant night, the tent had a fly screen to keep the mosquitoes out, and they deliberately kept the fire making smoke so the mosquitoes didn't annoy them while on watch.
Lucy was poking at the fire and had the billy on making tea when Luke and Simon woke up. It was just on dawn and the thought of food and the smell of the eucalyptus smoke made their stomach's grumble. For a teenage male that was almost as good as a threat from Nulla to get out of bed.
“What's for grub?” asked Simon scratching his back and looking for a suitable site to pinch a loaf. “I've got to dump last night's dinner. I'll be back in a minute.” He wandered off into the bushes.
Luke was just crawling out of the tent and called out, “Simon, find some ants, they might like some of that for dessert.” He could hear Simon laughing.
“You boys are disgusting. Dessert? Really? Where did you get such an idea from, Luke? And don't go peeing or pooping on ants, that's just plain wrong!” complained Lucy, stirring the eggs in the pan while toasting the flat bread on a stick.
“Well Lucy, did you know that ants will eat anything? And out here in the desert wilderness, there's not much of anything. So, therefore, they must be starving. Simon's just giving them some nice dessert for after they've eaten seeds, or something boring like that.” He couldn't stop himself from giggling as he spoke, it sounded ridiculous even to his ears.
“Boys!” she said but it lacked conviction. They'd been together for some time now and she was almost as immodest as everyone else. “I often wonder how Glenda ever put up with you boys.” She turned away so Luke couldn't see her smile. Lucy had grown fond
of these two rascals, they reminded her of Tony and helped ease the constant pain in her chest.
By mid morning Nulla found them. They were drinking tea together when they heard a rifle shot. All four of them stopped, mugs half way to their mouths, listening. About ten seconds later there came a second shot and it wasn't all that far away.
“Righto, I think we now know where that bloke went to.” Nulla stood up, pulled out his binoculars and looked in the direction he'd heard the noise. “Righto, how far is it, and what direction?” He turned to his warriors and they saw this was another lesson.
“Ah,” said Simon first, “over there towards the mountain ridge, probably that hill.” He had his binoculars out.
“Nulla, I can see smoke on that hill Simon pointed at. Must be a camp fire. I bet that's where they are,” said Luke.
“Mmm, so what is he shooting at? What's the story of these clues?” came Nulla's next question.
The three looked and wondered. Lucy spoke next.
“Maybe this man has a camp out there and he's shooting kangaroos for food?” she said.
“Good Lucy, you're thinking. But if you were all listening those were two different weapons and from different directions. What could that mean?” The aboriginal cavalry sergeant continued.
“That means there's at least two of them, probably a camp, maybe survivors, hidden in the wilderness? They're out shooting for food I think?” said Simon.
Luke said, “Or they're fighting, shooting at each other? Maybe these two blokes from yesterday are from two different groups, one terrorists and the other the survivors. Maybe they met by accident and fought it out and maybe they're still fighting.”
“Righto, all good points. I like how you're all thinking strategically. Next question is: what do we do about it?” asked Nulla.
Lucy looked at him. “We should investigate. If we're going to stay here we need to know who is nearby, friend or foe. If we're about to head into the desert we need to know if our route passes near them and if it puts us all in danger.”
The four looked at each other and nodded. “That's good, Lucy,” said Luke seriously and Lucy's face cracked into a smile, the first the boys had seen.
“This is what we're going to do,” said Nulla finally. “I'll take Simon with me on a patrol to that hill. Luke, you stay here and wait for us, you'll also back us up if there is a fire-fight. I think it's not much more than a half kilometre away, not far at all. Watch our every step as we approach the hill… and put dirt on that fire!”
Turning to Lucy he said, “Go back to the cars and tell everyone to pack up and be ready to roll. Phil and I have already planned our route but it passes that damn hill. It's the only track out of this wild country. Get everyone armed, even Fatima and Phil… and Annie too, she's keen to do something. I'm putting you in charge of the warriors, Lucy. Tell Heidi and Arthur they will be riding shotgun together in Phil's vehicle. The two boys here will ride their bikes as they did before. You'll ride shotgun with me, Glenda and Annie.”
Nulla stopped for a moment to think. “And Lucy, if anything should happen to us, if we're not back in twenty four hours, leave without us. You'll then take command of our group, you'll be in charge. Got that?”
Lucy looked at him, this was something she certainly didn't expect. Up till now she was just one of the dwellers, a parasite, a drain on everybody, she thought. No one really liked her, and now this beautiful man made her feel like somebody special. Nulla had just handed her the position of leader and she wasn't sure if she could really do it, 'but by hell I'll try,' she thought.
“Thanks Nulla, I'll do my best. If there's no news by this time tomorrow, I'm coming out here to find out what happened. If I'm satisfied you lot are gone, then I'll take us across country to Birdsville myself.” She reached up and kissed him on the lips, a kiss that was a bit more than a friendship kiss.
“Whoa there Lucy, I'm taken,” he laughed with embarrassment as he pulled away. Nulla then deliberately caught her up in his arms and hugged her close before sending her on her errand. “Lucy, you're my main backup girl for our people, be careful. OK boys, let's do it.”
Simon and Nulla crept as stealthily as they could up the hill. They couldn't see much, visibility was difficult once they struck the scrub. Simon tried to keep as quiet as he could but it was impossible with so many small slippery rocks and gravel hidden among the prickly desert shrubs.
They were almost at the top when they heard a firm voice. “Stay there, don't move! Put your weapons on the ground, hands in the air and walk to the top of the hill. If you do anything we don't like, we'll shoot you dead,” came the simple command.
The two Adelaide dwellers looked at each other incredulously, 'how did we just walk into an ambush so easily?' their faces said. Nulla nodded to Simon to follow their captors instructions. One small advantage that made them feel a sense of security, was that they both had their .38 pistols, the small 'Saturday night specials' holstered inside their shirts.
As instructed Nulla and Simon stepped out of the bushes and walked up to the top of the hill where they saw two men. One had his arm in a sling and pointing a M1911 pistol at them held steadily in his left hand. He looked serious and his eyes didn't waver from theirs. The other was sitting on a log with an AK47. His position looked down into the gully below.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” the grim faced one sitting on the log said. They then noticed he had his leg bandaged and it stuck out in front of him. His face squished up when he moved, obviously he was in pain.
“Who are you? And what are you doing up here, shooting people?” answered Nulla looking at the two dead bodies.
Bongo smiled. “We've got the upper hand here, buddy, or haven't you noticed? Answer us or die, it's as simple as that. Please, don't play games, we aren't in the mood.” He nodded towards the two dead bodies to press his point.
Nulla sighed, he had an instinct about people and he took a punt. “We heard firing and investigated.” He looked at the two bodies again, turning to Simon he asked, “Are any of these the bloke who fired at you, Simon?” He looked at the man on the log to see if he would let Simon move towards the bodies. Bongo nodded and Roo held his weapon on Nulla while Bongo covered the youth.
“That one,” said Simon pointing to Greg. “the one with half his head shot off. That's the bloke that fired on us. I don't recognise the other one though,” he said as he walked back to Nulla with his hands still in the air.
“Now answer our questions. Who are you and what are you doing here?” Bongo was uncomfortable and exhausted from the climb to the top of the hill. It had taken him all morning to climb up on one leg and no sooner had he sat down to inspect the bodies than these interlopers turned up.
Trusting his instincts Nulla continued. “We've come up from Adelaide with a group of civilians. We're on our way to Birdsville to join up with Sundown's Commando and…” He stopped talking because both Bongo and Roo had their mouths open in astonishment.
“Say that again?” said Bongo wanting to hear a bit more before he said anything else.
“You blokes are from Sundown aren't you? Bloody beauty!” Nulla dropped his hands and sat down. As he spoke he pulled out his tobacco pouch and began making himself a cigarette to put the two riflemen at ease, and because he needed a smoke. It also gave him the opportunity to go for his pistol if his instincts were wrong. Simon sat down too but he just sat there not knowing what to do.
Bongo looked at Roo who nodded but kept his weapon pointed in their general direction. Bongo rested his AK on his knee.
“You those blokes we've been chatting with for the past few months? OK, what's the name of the old man in your group?” he asked.
Simon's eyes brightened. “That's easy, his name is Phil. He's an old historian or something, but does magic in his workshop.”
Nulla hadn't taken his eyes off Roo, nor had Roo taken his eyes off Nulla. The black border-collie ended the stand-off for them. At the very moment Simon answered
the dog stepped up to Nulla and licked his hand. Black Dog then sat on Nulla's foot reaching his head up to the aboriginal cavalry sergeant for a scratch.
“Well, if Black Dog says you're welcome, then who am I to say otherwise. I'm Bongo, this is Roo, he doesn't talk much.” Bongo tried to stand but his leg was now so stiff he had to sit back down. “If you don't mind, you can see we've had a run in with these two bastards here and are a little shot up.”
Nulla forgot about his pistol, drew deeply on his cigarette and stood up, slowly. He and Simon walked forward to shake hands with the two wounded men.
“What happened here Bongo? I can see the marks on the ground that tell me there was a fight. There's a lot of blood too, too much blood for a rifle shot to the head.” He stopped talking and waited for an explanation that would answer the story of the tracks.
To the trained bushman any footprints or marks on the ground told a story that rarely lied and he now wanted to know what was going on. Each new piece of information he saw written on the ground just led to more confusion. Two very wounded men, on top of a hill, with two very dead men, and yet the story of the tracks was that the two dead men had killed each other.
“Roo and I escaped the Wilpena Pound mob who turned out to be part of the terrorists in this area, they run the whole Flinders Ranges. We met up with Roo's cousin, Riley, you'll meet him tonight. Riley and his family are hidden in the mountains because these bastards were trying to kill them, and us. These two have been chasing us for the past two days and we finally met up. But when we saw them this morning it appears they'd rather kill each other than kill us.”
Bongo pointed to the bodies individually. “That's Greg, one of the Wilson bully boys, and apparently you know him already. He attacked this bloke, Joey, his cousin. Joey then shot Greg while we watched from the scrub down there. We decided to finish the fight for them, and shot Joey. Not bad for a days work. Two arse-holes no longer stealing oxygen from good folks like us.” He stopped then asked, “So what's your connection with them?”