Carrier

by Vanessa Garden

  ‘Have you seen any really tall people around, with long blond hair, white skin and pale blue eyes?’ I whispered.

  Jonny shook his head and continued to work, a cheeky grin on his lips.

  ‘Only in my dreams.’

  Chapter 18

  Three days after our initial meeting, Jonny showed up in the fields again and managed to slip a folded scrap of paper through the fence.

  It was from Patrick.

  ‘All of us,’ he had written, along with a crude map depicting the path from the barracks to his house. I knew he meant his brother with the ‘All of us’ message, though I wasn’t certain how we’d go about getting Markus out, or how things would be with us all travelling together, seeing as Markus was carrying the disease. But I was determined for it to somehow work — because of Alice and because of Patrick and his brothers, and most of all because Markus deserved to be free and not treated like something expendable. Nobody deserved that.

  After delivering Patrick’s message, Jonny spent ten minutes telling me various jokes until he managed to squeeze a smile out of me, rewarding me with one of his usual, ‘Yesss!’ responses, before bending down to resume weeding the next row of vegetables.

  He didn’t come again until the following Friday.

  ‘I’ve been thinking about this alien thing, Lena,’ he said, plucking at imaginary weeds because he’d weeded the same row bare last time. ‘I’m starting to think that you’re right. There’s no way another country would get away with this, I mean, the rest of the world wouldn’t allow it, right? They’d do everything they could to save us.’

  ‘Maybe the rest of the world doesn’t want to touch us because of the disease. We’re probably not worth the risk.’ I chewed on my thumbnail. ‘Or maybe it’s like this all over the world. Who knows?’

  Petra and Sammy had fallen asleep on a blanket beneath the huge eucalypt in the yard, their teddy bears beside them. They’d taken to the teddies’ bellies with a red marker, no doubt giving them a bad case of the Y-Carrier.

  After Jonny left to go eat his lunch, I laid myself down at the end of blanket and stared up at the swaying branches that rustled above and made soothing hush sounds. It reminded me of the salmon bark at home and the three mounds beneath it. One day I would become no more than a mound in the sand; everyone would — we all died in the end.

  But having two innocent children beside me — children who needed me — reminded me I wasn’t ready to leave this world just yet. I wanted to live, and I wanted these kids, all kids, to grow up and have a life. A better life than this.

  The hypnotic wave of the branches lulled me into a sleepy trance, and after a while my eyelids fluttered shut. Behind them I daydreamed of children’s laughter, of sunsets over the ocean, of bustling city streets and of food as colourful as the rainbow.

  I awoke to the kids gripping my arms so tight their little fingers pinched my skin.

  ‘We’re scared!’ Petra and Sammy wailed in unison.

  Shaking the sleepiness from my head, I sat up.

  ‘Did you have a bad dream?’ I asked.

  They snuggled into my arms and peered warily at the sky as if it was about to fall to the earth like in the Chicken Little story I had read to them a couple of days ago.

  And then I heard it, a low rumble that seemed to grow louder by the second. It sounded like a motor vehicle engine, except it was coming from the sky.

  Laurie burst out the back door, his face red and shiny as though he’d run the whole way here.

  ‘Inside. Now!’

  The Carrier siren screamed, piercing my eardrums and sending the children into a screaming fit.

  ‘Come on, kids,’ I said in my cheeriest voice, my eyes pinned to the sky. ‘Let’s go watch a movie.’ I scooped a shrieking Sammy into my arms and followed Laurie and Petra into the house. But as soon as I plonked Sammy down, he screamed and ran for the back door again.

  ‘Peter Rabbit!’ he groaned. ‘The aeroplane is going to shoot him!’

  ‘Go to the lounge room, Sammy,’ I said, bending down to meet his gaze. ‘I’ll get Peter.’

  Once Sammy disappeared down the hallway, I swung open the back door and was hit with a barrage of chaotic sounds. The aeroplane was coming closer, its vibrations boring into my skull.

  I snatched Peter from the grass and glanced up to see a grey plane fly directly overhead before it disappeared behind the roof of the house.

  The siren wailed repeatedly at one minute intervals, between which I heard men barking orders at each other and the sounds of hurried footsteps.

  Somewhere from behind the sheds a single shot fired.

  In the distance another two planes loomed. I recalled what Sammy had said about the aeroplanes shooting Peter and ran back inside.

  When I walked into the lounge room, Luke rushed at me.

  ‘Lena,’ he said, digging his fingers into my shoulders, his blue eyes wide. ‘Thank God.’

  A sigh of relief spluttered through his teeth. ‘You need to stay here with the kids while I’m gone.’

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘To greet our guests,’ he said gravely. ‘We have to take precautions and presume they aren’t here to play nice.’

  ‘But what if it’s the UN coming to save us?’

  ‘After seventeen years?’ He scoffed. ‘Unlikely. Look, if these planes have come in to finish us off, then we have to be prepared. We have to kill or be killed.’

  He must have seen the look of horror on my face, because he smiled and added, ‘But if they turn out to be friendly, then nobody gets hurt.’

  ‘Wouldn’t it be safer for you all to stay here and protect the barracks?’

  ‘Not happening. We’ve got to show them we mean business, that we’re not going down easy.’

  I gripped his arm. The muscles beneath his skin were flexed and as hard as rock.

  ‘Where’s Patrick?’

  Luke cleared his throat. ‘He’s coming with us.’

  ‘But he can’t see,’ I said, panic rising in my voice.

  ‘Exactly, that’s why he’s in the frontline with his brother and all the Carriers.’

  I dropped my hand and shook my head. ‘He’s a human shield? No! You can’t do that. He’s a good shot. I know. I’ve seen him. I just need to get my dad’s spare glasses to him.’

  ‘Too late, mate, I’ve got to go.’

  ‘No!’ I gripped his shirtsleeve. ‘He can’t just die like that. What about me? I’m an excellent shot. My mother trained me. Take me instead of Patrick. Please? Leave him here at the barracks. He and Streak can stay with the kids. He’s good with kids. He’s got six bro…’

  I stopped, heart pounding. But it didn’t really matter now that I told Luke, did it? The entire Terra’s Army might not return after today. They might be dead within the hour. And if the visitors turned out to be helpers instead of enemies, then Patrick’s brothers were safe in the end.

  ‘So no family, hey?’ Luke said, fixing me with cool blue eyes.

  ‘So can I come instead of Patrick?’ I asked, ignoring his comment.

  He snorted a bitter laugh.

  ‘Lena, you’re the first female we’ve come across in five years. You’re as precious to me, and to this great country, as my own children. I’m not putting you in danger.’

  He gripped my shoulders, hard. He meant it affectionately, I could tell by the softness in his eyes. ‘You’re staying, mate.’

  Another plane zoomed over the house. Luke stared up at the ceiling as though he could see it, before bending down to gather his children into his arms and murmur words of endearment in their ears. The children tried to stifle their cries, as though Luke had somehow prepared them for this moment and they were trying to be brave little soldiers of Terra’s Army, but they clung to him like baby possums.

  Tears stung my eyes and thickened my throat.

  ‘Wait there,’ I said in a raspy voice. ‘If you’re not going to let me come, then at least let me get the glasses for Patrick.
He’s a good shot. You can’t use him in the frontline.’ I wiped at my eyes and ran to my bedroom, snatching the glasses from the backpack and running back into the lounge room.

  But it was too late. Luke was gone.

  Streak was reading a story to the kids, trying his best to calm them. I could hear their shuddery sniffles and the scrape of the pages as Streak turned them.

  ‘I’ll be back,’ I whispered to Streak, before racing out the front door and dashing down the garden path, glasses in hand. I chased after Luke, who was already climbing into the back of a large green truck with a faded tan canopy — the first in a long line and each crammed full with men and boys.

  They were all dressed in army fatigues, and held either a rifle or a shotgun. Their faces were lit up with excitement, not terror. After seventeen years of not knowing, today was the day questions would be answered.

  If Patrick and Markus weren’t being used as human shields I would probably have felt the same excitement as these men. But as it was, I only knew fear.

  I ran to each truck and called Patrick’s name until a chorus of men erupted in the last one. The canopy wobbled and Patrick leaned out. His face had been shaved clean and his curly brown hair had been cut so that it was shorter than mine.

  ‘Lena,’ he said, smiling down at me. The gash on his head had healed, leaving a large, dried scab. I wanted to reach out and touch his face, to tell him how much I cared, and to tell him about his dad because he deserved to know, especially on the day that he might die. But my words hit a wall in the middle of my throat.

  He reached out and ran his thumb over my cheek before drawing his hand away and swearing beneath his breath.

  ‘I shouldn’t touch you. I’m in a truck full of Carriers.’

  I inched my hand over the metal tray and found his, giving it a squeeze. ‘I don’t care.’

  ‘Make sure you take care of them.’ I knew he meant his brothers. But I didn’t like the fact that he’d accepted his fate so easily.

  ‘You’re not going to die, Patrick. You won’t,’ I said in a strained voice.

  He squeezed my hand back.

  ‘But it might not be all bad, Lena. Luke himself said they might turn out to be peaceful visitors — with the antidote.’

  ‘I hope so. But if they aren’t, then you need the glasses so you can at least fight.’

  I slid the glasses up the bridge of his nose, hooking the arms behind his ears and then let my fingers trail down the sides of his face. He inhaled sharply, then winced as though in pain.

  ‘Thanks. But I won’t leave Markus’ side, no matter what.’ Behind the lenses, his greenish-blue eyes shone with unshed tears.

  The neighbouring trucks started their engines.

  This could not be happening. I couldn’t be losing Patrick after only just finding him.

  ‘Run away with Markus. When the truck stops, just run,’ I said, leaning in close so that the others couldn’t hear. ‘There are still things I need to tell you, Patrick — important things.’

  The truck started up and jerked forward, separating our joined hands.

  ‘I’m glad I met you, Lena,’ Patrick called out as the truck moved away, his eyes never leaving my face. ‘Thanks for being my beautiful friend.’

  ‘You’re the best friend I’ve ever had!’ I shouted through my tears while I ran after the truck. ‘Don’t leave me, Patrick!’

  When I got to the gates somebody seized me from behind and wrapped their hard, muscled arms around my torso, lifting me off my feet. I screamed and punched at Mattie, shouting, ‘Let me go!’

  But he wouldn’t release his hold and all I could do was watch as the long line of Terra’s Army’s trucks drove from the barracks and into the shimmering horizon.

  I’m sorry, Patrick. I’m so sorry I never told you about your dad.

  Mattie released me and I fell to the ground, pounding at the earth with my fists as tears streamed down my face.

  A deafening boom sounded overhead, followed by several others, and I looked up to see the four planes that had flown over the barracks only minutes ago simultaneously explode into flames.

  What the hell? Why on earth would the enemy be shooting at each other?

  Streak ran outside, his feet skidding in the gravel as he stared up at the sky.

  ‘We’ve got to get the kids out of here,’ he shouted. ‘We’ll all be blown to dust if we stay.’

  Mattie let me go and the two of us ran over to Streak.

  ‘Where do you plan on going?’ Mattie asked the cook.

  ‘What about the cave? The one Patrick and I stayed in the night before you guys got us?’ I suggested, my heart hammering my chest.

  Mattie shook his head. ‘We don’t wanna go south. That’s in the same direction as the planes and the boys. We need to get as far away from them as possible.’

  I drew Patrick’s map from my pocket and showed it to Streak and Mattie.

  ‘This is a house, in the north,’ I said, indication the square Patrick had drawn, ‘…and there are six little boys there without parents.’

  Streak and Mattie shared a look.

  ‘I’m heading there anyway,’ I called over my shoulder before marching up the garden path towards the house. ‘Come on, we need to get some supplies, then grab the kids and just go.’

  ‘I’ll get food and water,’ said Streak. ‘Will I load a truck?’

  Mattie scratched the back of his neck. ‘We could take one but we’d be easy pickings so I say we walk. I’ll get two rifles and extra ammunition.’

  Streak and I nodded before rushing up the veranda steps and bursting through the front door of the house.

  After stuffing my pack with a change of clothes for the kids, I approached them in the lounge room where they sat playing with a stack of multi-coloured blocks with the alphabet printed on the sides. I told them we were going on an adventure.

  ‘Like Peter Rabbit?’ asked Sammy, his eyes wide.

  ‘Yes!’ I smiled. ‘Like Peter, we are going to sneak out and explore the world.’

  Petra eyed me with suspicion, but Sammy squeezed his soft bear to his chest in enthusiasm.

  No more planes exploded as we left the barracks, for which I was grateful, as I wasn’t certain how I’d calm the kids if they saw something like that. Behind us, narrow streams of black smoke rose up from the horizon, most likely from the shot planes.

  ‘What’s that over there?’ Petra asked, hands on her narrow hips. ‘And how is Dad going to find us if we’re off on an adventure?’

  It was a good question, one I didn’t have an answer for, so I distracted her with song. We began with My Highland Goat.

  While they sang along with Streak, I slowed down and matched my pace with Mattie, who guarded us from behind, rifle at the ready.

  ‘Who do you think shot the planes down?’

  Dried leaves and sticks cracked beneath our feet while we walked.

  ‘It doesn’t make sense,’ said Mattie, before taking a drag from a rolled leaf. He coughed, then ground the last inch of the smoke into the earth with the heel of his boot. ‘Unless there are two nations here — one trying to help us and the other trying to finish us off. That’s the only explanation I can think of.’

  ‘But where are the other nation’s planes? When the four went down there weren’t any other planes in the sky.’

  Mattie licked his bottom lip and increased his pace so that he was slightly ahead of me. ‘Christ. Stop asking questions I can’t answer, woman.’

  We kept north until we reached the old rusted out frame of a car, just like Patrick had drawn, and then turned slightly west. Mattie and Streak popped the kids onto their backs so they could rest their little legs.

  ‘Maybe they’ll fall asleep and stop with the freaking questions,’ said Streak. ‘I don’t think I have any more general knowledge left to draw from. I don’t know why the sky is blue and I have no idea why sand is called sand.’ He sighed. Mattie and I shared a grin.

  We walked quietly af
ter that. The entire time my mind was split between Patrick and Mum.

  What was she doing right now? She’d be worried sick and was probably already out looking for me.

  Patrick, on the other hand, was either dead or getting ready to die. After so many years apart from Markus, he was going to die with him.

  Patrick must have known all along that he was going to be used as a human shield. It was probably why he had sent Jonny with the note.

  When the sun set on our aching bodies, and the children started to whimper for their dad, Mattie stopped in his tracks and pointed to a rusted rainwater tank. Beyond the tank, the edge of a tin roof could be seen behind a bunch of trees.

  ‘This is it!’ I nearly shouted, before putting a hand to my lips.

  Streak let out a small whoop, silencing the kids’ cries for a moment. They each stared over Mattie and Streak’s shoulders at the rainwater tank with red, bleary eyes.

  Mattie shushed me and Streak. ‘We have to make sure we’re not walking blind into some kind of danger.’

  I nodded. ‘They’ve probably got guns, and they’d be pretty scared by now without Patrick.’

  ‘Are we going to visit somebody?’ Petra asked me, her eyes now brighter at the prospect of meeting other people. ‘Do they have kids like us?’

  I nodded and smiled. ‘Yes. Six of them! You’re going to make some new friends.’

  Sammy’s bottom lip started to wobble. ‘I don’t want new friends. I’ve got Peter Rabbit and Petra!’ he said, starting to wail.

  ‘Shush, damn it,’ said Mattie, scowling at the kids and me. ‘Now wait here.’

  I set Petra down, who immediately ran to cling to Sammy.

  ‘No way, I’m going.’ I was about to say that I knew these kids, but the truth was I didn’t. I would be as strange to them as Mattie and Streak.

  ‘Patrick would want me to go in first. I know it. They’re only boys. They’ll be scared if they see you. I’ll whistle if there are any dramas.’

  Mattie growled with frustration, but Streak nodded at me before turning to Mattie.

  ‘We’ll stay here and guard Lukey’s kids. That’s most important, mate.’ He swallowed thickly, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down his throat. ‘He’d want us to.’