by Chris Ryan
‘I had a look for that,’ said Alex. ‘He’s probably still got it.’ He stood up again and kicked the rock. ‘Damn!’
Hex manoeuvred around the two of them and squatted on the ground. ‘He must have left a trail. Let’s get Tommy.’
‘OK, but you stay up there with the others. Tell them to get in the truck and leave the engine running. We don’t want him sneaking up and taking more hostages.’
Tommy examined the signs left by Pirroni. ‘The man who limps. He was bleeding.’
Li asked, ‘Did he come back this way and up the rope?’
Tommy shook his head. ‘No.’ He pointed into the darkness. ‘He went this way.’ The bushman got up and began to follow the trail.
Alex put a hand on his shoulder. ‘No, Tommy,’ he said. ‘He’s got a gun. It’s too dangerous. You’ve done enough for us already.’
Paulo was waiting in the truck with Hex, Amber and Holly.
Li and Tommy came out of the mine entrance. Alex appeared last. He strode up to Paulo. ‘It’s not safe here. Pirroni could be anywhere and he might come back. Take them back to Tommy’s people and bring Sergeant Powell out here.’
Paulo looked at him suspiciously. ‘Why are you telling me this now? You could tell me when we’re on our way.’
‘I’m not coming,’ said Alex. ‘I’m going to stay here so we don’t lose Pirroni again.’
Hex was horrified. ‘You can’t, Alex . . .’ He climbed out of the truck. Amber followed.
Alex shook his head vehemently. ‘I shouldn’t have let him go. We have a blood trail; I can track him with that and lead Sergeant Powell to him.’
‘I’m staying too,’ Li insisted
Hex was beside her. ‘And me.’
By now Paulo was out of the truck too. ‘We’re all coming.’
Holly got out slowly and watched them from a distance. She had the feeling she shouldn’t interrupt.
Alex gathered his friends together and spoke in a low voice. It would be better if Holly didn’t hear.
‘Paulo, you need to look after Holly. If she gets another attack you’re the only one who knows what to do.’
Then he turned to Li. ‘Li, you go. You’ve been out in the bush as long as I have. You need the rest.’
‘You don’t look so good yourself,’ she countered.
Amber spoke before Alex could get to her. ‘I’m coming. You need me to navigate. The compasses are useless here and you’ll just go round in circles.’
Alex looked at Hex. ‘Hex, you don’t have to stay.’
‘No,’ said Hex. ‘I’m not leaving you again.’ He unclipped his palmtop in its carrying case from his waistband and gave it to Li. ‘Use this to contact Sergeant Powell when you get to the outstation. They haven’t got modems there and this is the only way to e-mail anyone.’
Li took it from him reverently. ‘You’re trusting me with your precious palmtop?’
‘Well aren’t you the lucky one,’ said Amber. ‘I thought it was surgically attached to him.’
Hex wanted to snatch it straight back. Instead he began to gabble instructions. ‘It’s out of batteries but it’s set for the power supply at the outstation so all you have to do is plug it in. Don’t change anything. You’ll find all the settings as they should be . . . the power lead is in there . . . Don’t change—’
Li held up a hand. ‘I’ll wipe out your website favourites and replace them with fluffy pink girly ones. Come on, Paulo.’
‘Don’t touch anything—’ Li heard the anguished wail behind her.
Tommy was in the driving seat, waiting.
Holly hadn’t heard what Alex had said but she understood that he wasn’t coming. She came forward and put a hand on his arm. ‘You’re staying here? Why? We’re free at last.’
Alex looked at her. Should he explain? No, he couldn’t. ‘Go with Paulo. He’ll get you to safety. He’s a good friend.’
She nodded slowly, then turned on her heel.
Alex, Hex and Amber watched them drive away. The sun was setting. All the dust and smoke in the atmosphere made it spectacular. The clouds turned vivid red like liquid lava sprayed across the deepening blue sky. The skeletons of the burned trees showed in silhouette against the last rays of the day.
Holly looked back at the mine. She thought she knew Alex. But why was he deliberately staying where he was, in danger? And who were these friends of his, who seemed as extraordinarily brave as he was? How did they come out of nowhere like that? She looked at the set faces of Paulo and Li and realized that her questions would have to wait.
Alex strode back into the mine. He headed straight for the rope, climbed down and went to the trail of Pirroni’s blood. A rat was nibbling at the hand. It scurried away as he approached.
Amber and Hex followed him. Alex, what are you doing?’
Amber registered out of the corner of her eye the thing that lay under the rock. ‘Oh my God,’ she groaned. ‘Is that . . .’ She felt her stomach turn over.
Alex knelt on his hands and knees. Where was the trail of blood that Tommy had picked out? Were those spots of blood? The ground was red so it was hard to tell. He stood up. Tommy had said they went further into the mine. Suddenly he felt unsteady. He put out his hand and leaned on the boulder.
‘Alex, we can’t follow him now.’ Hex’s voice was firm. ‘It’s nearly dark outside - there’s no light at all in here. Anyway, we don’t know where that goes.’
‘And you can barely stand up,’ added Amber. ‘You need to rest.’
Alex squinted at the ground. Tommy had seen the blood. Surely he could too. There was no time to lose. ‘You go and rest,’ said Alex savagely. ‘I have to find him.’
Amber looked helplessly at Hex. She took a small piece of root out of her pocket and proffered it to him. ‘Suck this and swallow the fluid.’
Alex took his hand off the rock, intending to take the root, but swayed again. ‘What is it?’ he said suspiciously.
Amber leaned over and pinched him on the arm. Alex looked shocked. She pinched him again and watched the skin. Just as she thought - instead of springing back quickly, it remained in a peak and subsided slowly. ‘You’re dehydrated,’ she said.
‘That’s why you’re unco-ordinated.’ She held out the root again.
Alex looked at his arm where Amber had pinched him. Slowly, he took the root from her. ‘What is it?’
Hex was leaning against the wall looking at him. ‘Water tree root. Tommy showed us how to find them. That’s how we’ve been getting water.’
With a dubious expression on his face, Alex put the root to his lips and sucked. He was expecting it to taste nasty but it was refreshing and succulent.
‘Another,’ said Amber. ‘That’s an order, not a question.’
Alex took more of the roots and sucked them. He started to look steadier. ‘Actually, guys,’ he said, ‘I feel a bit better.’
‘Be thankful she’s not making you kiss a frog,’ said Hex.
They made their camp for the night in the entrance chamber of the mine, well away from the chasm in the floor. Hex built a small fire in a rusting oil drum so that they would have warmth and light. Amber left them to go looking for food.
Hex went outside once the fire was stable. Alex was digging a hole at the edge of the wood where the ashy ground was soft. He had found a plastic container and some polythene sheeting in the mine. He placed the container in the bottom of the hole and covered it with a sheet of plastic in the shape of a cone.
Alex looked up at Hex. ‘I’m making a solar still. It’ll give us plenty of water by morning. Of course, it will need to be boiled first but—’
‘Forgive me for being thick,’ said Hex, ‘but – er – the sun has gone down and it’s not coming back until morning.’
‘The earth’s still warm from the fire,’ replied Alex. ‘Overnight the soil will release quite a lot of condensation.’ He stood up. ‘Help me make another here.’
They finished the second still and went back into t
he mine. Amber strode in. ‘Hey, guys, I caught us dinner.’ She had taken off her scarf and was using it to cradle something.
At the thought of food, Alex’s eyes grew enormous. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was. ‘Great! I’m starving.’
Amber put the bundle down carefully. ‘Have we got anything to cook on? A skewer or something?’ She unzipped her medical pouch and took her evening dose of insulin.
‘I’m afraid my knife is temporarily unavailable,’ said Alex darkly. But he couldn’t help feeling brighter. If skewers were needed, what had Amber caught? Were they having kangaroo steaks roasted over the fire?
‘Hex,’ said Amber, ‘have you got something in that tool kit we can use?’
‘Under no circumstances are you using my tools to spit-roast outback wildlife,’ said Hex emphatically. Then he pulled himself up. He suddenly knew what Amber had wrapped in her scarf.
‘I don’t know how long you cook these for,’ she said, and folded back the corners. Inside were six live witchetty grubs. ‘Tommy showed me how to find them.’
Hex struggled to hide his disgust. They were white with a pointed black head that moved around slowly, like a giant maggot blindly looking for something. But then he glanced across at Alex, whose expression was quite the most entertaining thing he had seen for days - a mixture of revulsion and deep disappointment. He looked like a little kid who’d been told Christmas had been cancelled. ‘Oh yum, witchetty grubs,’ said Hex with feigned enthusiasm. ‘Amber, you really know the way to a man’s heart.’
‘You cannot be serious,’ exclaimed Alex. He looked from Hex to Amber and back again.
Hex unfolded his tool kit and selected a couple of screwdrivers. They were old and he’d intended to replace them anyway.
Amber caught his eye and smirked. She took a screwdriver and bashed the grubs with the blunt end to kill them, then threaded them on like kebabs. Laying them across the flames, she told them, ‘Tommy said ten of these will keep a man going for an entire day.’
There was a loud bang. The truck came to a screeching stop. Li had dozed off against Paulo’s shoulder but was suddenly wide awake. Paulo shifted away from her and darted out of the cab.
‘What happened?’ asked Li.
Holly was next to her, also looking around in a panic. ‘I don’t know. I think we hit something. I was asleep.’
‘What’s that noise?’ said Li. There was a loud hissing. It was coming from the front of the truck. She cupped her hands and peered through the windscreen. In the light of the headlamps, she saw Tommy heft up the body of a kangaroo. It was large and lifting it took all his strength. He staggered round to the back of the truck and tipped it onto the flat bed. The truck bounced on its axles.
Li climbed out. Paulo was at the front of the truck. When he saw Li he shook his head. ‘It’s the radiator,’ he said. ‘I’d better look under the bonnet. Stand back.’ He walked round to the driver’s side and pulled the bonnet release. As the metal lifted, a geyser of steam poured out with an angry hiss. Paulo dodged out of the way. ‘Mal suerte,’ he muttered.
‘That doesn’t sound good,’ said Li. She could just about see Paulo’s grave expression in the headlights.
‘It is not,’ said Paulo. ‘Coolant is leaking, fast.’
Tommy came round to the front. By now Holly had climbed out too.
‘The truck is undriveable,’ said Paulo.
‘So I suppose we’re stuck here for the night?’ Holly sounded resigned.
‘We can’t wait here,’ said Li. ‘We have to get a message to Sergeant Powell. We’ll have to walk. Tommy, can you navigate by the stars?’
It was Paulo who replied. ‘How do you think he got us here in the first place?’
‘Sorry,’ mumbled Li. ‘Tired and not thinking.’
Paulo hadn’t realized how exhausted Li was. Normally she’d have bitten his head off for a remark like that, not meekly accepted it.
Tommy turned off the headlights. In the darkness Li just wanted to sleep there and then. She stood for a moment with her eyes closed.
Paulo put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Are you all right?’
Li nodded.
‘Have you got Hex’s palmtop?’
Li panicked. She had forgotten about that. But when she patted her belt it was still firmly attached. She breathed a sigh of relief. ‘If I lost that I might as well join the French Foreign Legion.’
Paulo looked at Holly. She looked exhausted too. ‘Holly, we can stay here if you want while Li and Tommy get help. We’ll be all right in the truck.’
‘Out here in the dark? No thanks, mate,’ retorted Holly. ‘No offence, but I’ve had enough of the outback. I’m coming with you.’
They started walking. Paulo kept a close eye on Holly. She kept stumbling. In spite of her feisty words she was very, very tired. He hoped fervently that the journey wouldn’t be very long.
Hex used Amber’s scarf to clean his screwdrivers. Amber treated Alex’s cuts with the antiseptic Li had brought from the plane.
Alex flinched. ‘I reckon Pirroni will be holed up somewhere, probably near here.’
‘He might have died,’ said Amber. ‘We might just find a body.’ She dabbed at another cut. The antiseptic cleaned off the dust ingrained in Alex’s face so that pale skin showed through in patches. It looked rather peculiar. ‘Boy,’ she smirked, ‘you really need to cleanse, tone and moisturize.’
Alex could only think of the task ahead. ‘Then we go out and find his body. But whatever happens, we find him.’ He winced as Amber tackled a deep gash.
Hex threw some more dried sticks on the fire. ‘How do you reckon we’ll catch him, though, Alex? He’s still got his gun.’
Alex had thought about this. ‘We don’t have to. I reckon that by tomorrow, if he’s still alive, he’ll be dehydrated. He’ll be making bad decisions. So we don’t have to capture him or even approach him, just keep him moving. We maintain the pressure on him until he can’t go any further.’
‘Like hunting a fox to exhaustion,’ said Hex.
‘Exactly,’ said Alex emphatically, adding, without a trace of humour, ‘And then I’ll get my knife back.’
Paulo had absolute faith in Tommy’s navigation, but the walk seemed to go on and on. Without the truck’s headlights the outback night was very dark – there was a little ambient light from the stars, and the moon was showing its first quarter. They could just about make out each other’s outlines, but little else. As they walked they held onto each other, picking their way carefully like climbers on a tricky rock face.
Holly was leaning on him heavily. She was ready to drop. Li stumbled. In the pitch blackness it was hard to negotiate the rough ground.
Suddenly Tommy said, ‘Stop. Listen.’ The party froze. ‘Dingo,’ he said, and moved off, pulling Paulo by his arm. Paulo hadn’t been aware of anything. How did Tommy hear so much?
Paulo was preoccupied with Holly’s breathing. He kept listening for the telltale signs of another asthma attack. They could be brought on by stress, and the girl had suffered more in the past few days than any normal teenager could be expected to cope with. If it happened again, his walking cure might not be enough - recurrences were often more severe.
Tommy stopped. ‘Listen.’ They stood still.
This time Paulo heard it; he thought he was hallucinating that he was back on his ranch. ‘A horse,’ he said softly. He gently disengaged his hand from Holly’s and stepped forwards.
There was a gentle snort, the traditional equine greeting. Paulo put his hand out. Warm breath caressed his fingers. He let the horse sniff him and then gently put his other hand out and touched a solid neck. The horse tensed and pulled away. They heard the beat of its hooves as it trotted off a short way and then stopped.
Paulo, unperturbed, approached again. This time the horse let him stroke it for longer. He could feel the tension in its muscles. Paulo talked to it and slowly it began to relax.
Li felt a large presence near her. Gentle blasts of wa
rm air investigated her fingers. A huge head was silhouetted against the moon. ‘Paulo,’ she whispered, ‘there’s another one. What do I do to be friends with it?’
‘Just let it touch you, and gently stroke it. They communicate by touch.’
‘Are they wild?’ whispered Holly.
‘No, ‘ said Paulo. He ran his fingers over the horse’s warm body, feeling its shoulders, back and quarters. ‘They are muscled to carry riders.’
‘Well deduced, Dr Dolittle. Nothing to do with that bridle on its head,’ said Li. She managed to load a lot of scorn into a whisper.
‘It’s a headcollar, not a bridle,’ said Paulo. He kept stroking the horse, reassuring it that he could be trusted. ‘Li, will that horse let you get on?’
Li scowled at him. ‘Er, how do I do that exactly?’
‘Just grasp the mane and swing yourself up. Like this.’ In a moment Paulo’s silhouette was looking down at the rest of the party. He patted the horse.
Li launched herself up. She found herself sitting on the horse’s back. ‘Now what?’
‘Talk to it, stroke it. It’s not a machine.’ Paulo dismounted. ‘Holly, I will help you up.’
‘I can’t ride,’ said Holly.
‘You don’t have to,’ said Paulo. ‘Just hold onto the mane and relax. I will stay at its head. It will be a lot less tiring for you than walking.’ He hoisted her onto the horse.
‘Paulo,’ said Li, ‘something tells me you’ve got a plan.’
‘These horses are well looked after. We must be close to a ranch or farm. Horses always know their way home, so if we just let them take us, we will come to a place where we can get help. Look - he’s off now.’ The horse beside him started striding along. He allowed it to choose the direction and followed its lead.
Li’s horse walked quietly behind Paulo’s. Li gave herself up to the regular swing of the movement. It was a relief to be transported again. ‘Paulo,’ she said, ‘just one thing. If these horses know their way home, how come they’re out here?’
It was Tommy, walking beside her, who answered. ‘They broke away during the fire. They have the smell of smoke in their hair.’
Amber was going to take first watch while Hex and Alex lay down to rest. She got to her feet and walked slowly around the cave. Something caught her eye in the flickering firelight and she stopped for a better look.