Deadly Trust

by J J Cooper

  Holding his hand high, he compared the colour of the sky to his healed scar, then clenched his hand into a fist. After a year of recuperation, the strength had returned. His shattered body was now a distant memory, but the mental scars languished: torture by Israeli spies and the scars of lost love.

  Although his body was now in the best shape of his life, his mind still played tricks on him. Memories of a war-torn Iraq, a war that could have been avoided with the information he had gathered during an interrogation of an Iraqi general. Information that was ignored by the ‘Coalition of the Willing’; intelligence that could have saved thousands of lives. The little Iraqi girl didn’t visit him in his dreams anymore, but other memories lingered.

  The surf break was normally a magnet to experienced surfers. Sunset was Jay’s favourite time and he usually stayed until the sun had disappeared altogether, which meant he was generally the last surfer in to shore. He looked behind, and with the last rays of light, saw the set he wanted to ride in.

  Lying on his board, he prepared himself for the adrenalin rush. He started paddling towards shore, slow strokes cutting through the water, gradually increasing as the water started lifting under him. The board picked up speed with each powerful stroke. The wave started to flick his legs in the air and he climbed like he was ready to start the hundred-metre dash. He crouched, rotated his hips and started cutting across the face of the wave. Just about outrunning the barrel, he adjusted his weight, leaned forward and positioned himself below the falling lip. The wave started tossing out over his head. The timing needed to be precise or he’d be wiped from the surfboard. With his weight now at the rear of the board, he lifted the nose and allowed the momentum to take him, full speed, towards the lip. He pivoted the board 180 degrees just below the lip and crested it, gliding along the top. Then snapped it back and barrelled back down. He rode it out, all the way to the shallows, then waded back up to the sand.

  Waves continued to pound the shoreline as he headed back down the beach, away from the lighthouse perched high above. His Chevy sat isolated at a bend leading to an exclusive estate.

  He towelled off and changed, ready for another quiet night in his apartment. The nightlife of the beachside community was famous for the tourists, but something most locals avoided. Jay preferred to sit on his balcony overlooking the ocean with a can or two of scotch and dry and a good book.

  The Chevy fired up and Jay headed back to his apartment. As he crested a small rise, a set of headlights came up from behind. He checked his mirrors. By the positioning of the lights, he could tell they belonged to a four-wheel-drive vehicle. The vehicle kept a safe distance. As Jay brought the Chevy to a halt at a stop sign, the other vehicle didn’t close in, and maintained the distance from Jay’s car. He paused for a moment to watch the other vehicle. Could be just a learner driver on their first night drive, being cautious?

  Jay shrugged off a feeling of unease and waited for a bus approaching from the left of the crossroad to pass before pulling out. He looked back in his mirror and took a split second to realise the lights from behind were now approaching fast.

  The Chevy’s wheels screamed for grip as Jay accelerated. He grasped the steering wheel and braced for the impact from the vehicle behind as lights bore down on him. To his left, and highlighted by the bright lights of the intersection, a bus fast approached as he crossed the intersection. The Chevy’s tyres gripped, the bus almost upon him. The collision into the rear of the Chevy propelled him forward at the last moment.

  Jay turned hard on the wheel to avoid cannoning down the nearby embankment. The piercing sounds of metal scraping stung his ears as he brought the Chevy under control. He was now facing the devastation unfolding in slow motion before him. An 18-seater minibus, towing a bouncing trailer, had clipped the front of the four-wheel drive and turned on its side. It continued to skid, sparks flying, down the road.

  Jay held his breath as he watched the mayhem unfold. The trailer bounced and burst open at the seams. An assortment of bags and backpacks scattered onto the road behind the slowing bus.

  Through the haze, Jay’s attention shifted to the four-wheel drive. A shadow emerged and hobbled away from the accident scene. Jay looked back to the bus and bounded out of the Chevy, which was now a wreck resting in a stormwater ditch by the side of the road.

  Blood-curdling screams pierced his ears as he leapt over the scattered bags. The trailer lay on the right-hand side of the road while the bus was opposite, on its side, driver’s side facing out.

  Jay headed for the rear window.

  The intersection lights cut through the settling dust and shone on a pair of tiny legs kicking at the window. A small gap appeared at the bottom of the frame. Jay knew these type of windows were supposed to pop out in an emergency. He heaved, but the buckled frame of the bus made it difficult for the window to budge. He jammed his fingers further inside the window and was rewarded with a quick boot to his knuckles.

  ‘Shit! I’m here to help. Kick a little higher.’

  Another kick to the knuckles. He grimaced as the pain shot up his arm. He pulled his fingers out of the frame, waited for another kick and then put them back in and pulled with all his strength. Before the next kick, he pulled his fingers free again. The gap was now inches wider, but was taking too long. He waited for another kick and tried again; the window moved another couple of inches.

  Finally, the window popped free and Jay fell backward into the ditch. He came back up as a young girl with a bloodied nose crawled out. She bent in front of him, hands to her nose. Jay grabbed her shoulders.

  ‘You okay?’

  ‘My nose ... my nose. What happened?’

  Jay lifted her face with a gentle touch. ‘You’ll be fine. Listen. I’ve got to get the others out. I need you to get off the road. Just go and sit back there and wait for the others.’ He pointed to a boulder off the road about ten metres away. ‘I need you to help the others as they come off the bus. Can you do that?’

  She didn’t say anything, just turned and headed for the boulder.

  Jay went back to the rear of the bus as another set of legs appeared. He reached in, grabbed the hand of another young girl and hauled her out.

  This one was in shock. ‘Are you okay?’

  She just stared ahead, found her legs and started to head towards the other girl, who was about halfway to the boulder. Whatever works, Jay thought. He needed them to stay together and hoped they could look after each other until someone else arrived.

  Within seconds, a couple came running around from the side of the bus. ‘Holy shit! What happened?’ the male said. His female companion stopped beside him.

  ‘Were you two in the bus?’ Jay asked, then realised that they couldn’t have been.

  The female answered, ‘No. We were just heading to a friend’s house when we saw...’

  She stopped mid-sentence as another small pair of legs appeared. Jay reached in and hauled out another young girl. He pointed to the woman. ‘I need you to take care of them as I pull them out. They’re in shock and I need them all off the road and over at the boulder.’ He pointed over to the spot where the other two girls were waiting. ‘We need to coordinate a safe area to look after them before ambulances arrive. Can you do that?’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ She grabbed the third dazed girl and started walking with her towards the boulder.

  Jay looked back at the man. ‘You got a mobile?’

  ‘We called triple 0 as we pulled up.’

  ‘Okay. Where’s your vehicle?’

  ‘Just off to the side of the road.’

  ‘Hazards on?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Great. I need you to go to the front of the bus and start in there.’

  The man turned and headed back towards the front of the bus. Jay reached in and grabbed another hand. Another scream pierced his ears as he did so. He quickly let go and stuck his head inside. A girl lay on her back clutching her hand to her chest, sobbing. Jay had grabbed her broken hand. He w
ent down on his knees, stuck his shoulders in and scooped the girl up. He ducked back out and started walking to the boulder. The female helper met him halfway and took the girl.

  Jay raced back and looked inside. The emergency lights created an eerie glow down the aisle. He crawled in until he came to the second set of seats. The screaming had stopped. Now there was a constant moan.

  Although he had experienced many traumatic moments during his time in Iraq and Afghanistan, nothing could have prepared Jay for what he saw as he peered over the seat.

  FIVE

  A snapped shinbone jagged against the seat in front. It was an open wound with little blood. The rest of the leg hung low towards the small body huddled against the broken window. Jay made a quick assessment. He was still on his knees, kneeling on broken glass behind her head. He reached forward, pushed her hair from her neck and felt for a pulse – it was weak, but at least there was one.

  Petrol vapours started to fill the bus. Jay looked up and saw a pair of legs disappear through an emergency escape in the roof, halfway down the bus. The escape exit was now positioned directly across the ditch. Jay looked around and caught the outlines of small bodies crawling over seats in search of a way out.

  ‘Everyone listen up!’ he shouted. ‘Stay calm. We’ll get you all out. For those who can move, make your way to the emergency exit in the roof. Be careful where you are standing. When you get out, go to the back of the bus and a woman will meet you there. If you cannot move, just stay still and we’ll get you out.’

  Jay could see the outlines of more girls crawling along the side of the bus, following the roof towards the exit.

  A panicked voice said, ‘Quick, Kelly isn’t moving.’

  Jay couldn’t leave the girl he was with. ‘It’s okay. Make your way out and I’ll get Kelly.’

  ‘I got it,’ the male helper said. ‘Let’s move, girls. Out of here now!’

  Jay turned his attention back to the damaged girl and leaned in for a closer look. Her angelic face lay busted in the broken glass. Thin strands of hair, glued together by blood, crawled down her neck.

  Jay struggled to take off his shirt. He couldn’t get it over his head in the confined space and instead ripped at it. It tore at the seams until he had two pieces of cloth. He rolled up one piece and, supporting her head, placed it under her ear – or where her ear should have been. It had been sliced off. Jay felt the bile creep into the back of his throat. He swallowed down and gently put her head on his shirt. He rolled the other piece up tight and crossed it over itself, threading each end through a now doughnut shape. He leaned across, held her knee from underneath and pushed forward on the cheap vinyl cushioning of the seat in front. The bone came off the vinyl just enough for him to slip the bandage around it. Thick blood had started to ooze from the open wound. He sat back and felt for a pulse again. Still there, but getting weaker.

  Glass continued to crunch under those who were exiting through the roof. Jay called out to the male helper. ‘Hey, mate. I need your help.’

  No response.

  ‘I need your help here.’ He could see a figure crawling towards him and then turn towards the roof exit.

  ‘Where the fuck are you going? I got a girl here seriously injured.’

  The figure stopped. ‘I’ll get this one out and come back.’

  Jay hadn’t seen the man helping another girl. He checked for a pulse again on the girl with the missing ear and then used the short time for a closer look at the injuries. Even with the dull light, he could tell they were severe. He shuddered. The smell of burning rubber that had filled the cabin was clearing. Replaced by the stench of petrol.

  The helper came back in through the roof. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Unconscious and fading fast. We need to get her out before this bus blows. She’s got an open wound on her right leg. Her left ear has been ripped off and she has multiple lacerations along the left side of her face.’

  ‘Shit!’

  ‘I need you to hold her leg just the way it is. When we move her, you can’t change the position of the leg at all. We’ll be going out the back of the bus. Okay?’

  ‘Got it.’ The helper paused. ‘Is that petrol?’

  ‘Probably. We need to move.’

  ‘Fuck! Do you think it’ll blow?’

  ‘Not before we get her out. Come on. Concentrate.’

  Jay moved back an inch and a slither of glass sliced at his knee. He grimaced, but knew it was nothing compared to the little girl’s wounds. He slipped his hand under the shirt supporting her head, and broken glass sliced into his knuckles. He could taste the blood filling his mouth from biting his lip. Despite the pain, he managed to support her head without too much movement. With his right hand, he reached around and supported her under her rib cage, ready to lift her from the seat. His helper was now in position. Jay raised himself so his legs were straight and his back fully bent. Not exactly the right way to lift, but it would have to do.

  ‘On three. One ... two ... lift.’

  They managed to lift her a couple of inches off the broken glass. Jay took a slight step to his left. Although the girl was reasonably small, the dead weight put pressure on his back. Both of his hands scraped along shards of glass. He refused to let go and kept moving through the pain. The helper held the legs steady. They got the girl into a position above the seat and pivoted her so her head was just above Jay’s shoes. They held her in the gap between the roof and the seat.

  Glass continued to crunch under their feet as they walked over the shattered windows. They shuffled for the back of the bus, now within arms’ reach. Sirens of the emergency services became louder as the vehicles raced towards them.

  An orange glow illuminated the interior of the bus.

  ‘It’s on fire! Get out of there!’ The warning screamed from outside. ‘Hurry up! Get out!’

  Jay felt the heat on his back. A shocked look came across the face of his helper. The helper shook his head and started to lower the little girl’s legs.

  ‘No!’ Jay said. ‘We’re almost there. Don’t you let go.’

  The helper looked at Jay. An expression of sorrow in his eyes. ‘I’m sorry, man.’

  ‘Don’t fucken quit on me! Not now.’

  ‘I ... I can’t.’

  Jay could see the bandage slipping off the open wound. ‘Wait. Just wait!’ He moved his right foot so it was under the girl’s ribs where his hand had been. He moved his right hand to the girl’s damaged knee. He took up the weight and the helper let go, dropping the other leg to the ground.

  Without another word the helper turned and scurried for the emergency exit in the roof. Jay turned and looked between the flames licking the back window for any sort of help. The woman stood back from the vehicle with her hands over her mouth. The sirens raced towards them, still too far away.

  The heat on his back increased. It felt like he was standing too close to a camp fire. He knew he had to get the dying girl out now or both of them didn’t stand a chance ... the bus was ready to explode.

  SIX

  Jay lowered his left knee. Still holding the blood-soaked shirt at the left side of her head, he put his left forearm on the ground and rolled her head towards him. He lifted his toes in his shoe under her ribs. Her torso rolled towards him. Pushing his head towards her damaged leg, he moved his shoulder to support it. He wrapped his hand under her other leg. The heat intensified on his back. It was now or never. He dropped the bloodied rag and moved his hand under her shoulders. Smoke started to fill the bus. He heaved himself up and stepped back. Flames licked at his ankles as he took the few remaining steps through the back window.

  Whistling and crackling sounds came from the bus. It was about to blow. Jay hurried towards the boulder where the injured had gathered. He stopped short of the crowd. The man who had helped in the bus came over, his female companion with him.

  The helper started to say something but stopped. The female stepped forward. She looked around and grabbed a bag that was part of t
he scattered luggage. She emptied all of the clothing, removed a towel and lay it on the bitumen. She rolled up a pair of slacks and beckoned Jay to put the little girl down.

  As Jay lowered the girl, the woman noticed the missing ear. ‘Oh my God, her ear is...’

  Jay looked up at the male helper. ‘You think you can hold her leg this time until the ambulance comes?’

  The man nodded and took hold of the damaged leg. The sirens were closing fast. Jay had to go back into the bus.

  Flames were now lapping the rear of the bus. Jay couldn’t go back in that way. He grabbed a shirt from the ground, scrunched it up and placed it on the girl’s damaged head. The woman placed her hand on top. Jay got up, grabbed the empty canvas bag and bolted for the roof emergency exit.

  Thick smoke crept out and rolled around him as he paused outside the emergency exit. He placed the bag in front of his face and ducked inside. The heat seared his lungs and he crawled towards the flames. The canvas bag kept some of the heat from his face, but his exposed torso felt the full force of it. His knees sliced along the broken glass as he continued his search. Maybe another half-metre to go before he’d have to turn back. Smoke filled his lungs and his head got heavy. He crawled forward another couple of inches. A small explosion from the rear knocked him off balance, and he sliced his hand again as he steadied himself. He had to give up his search. He had to get out. Then he saw it. With one last effort, he reached forward. A flame flicked at his wrist, scorching the hair. He pulled his hand back, dropped the bag and crawled back to the emergency exit.

  Jay rolled out of the bus and onto the dirt, gasping for fresh air. He moved onto his damaged knees. The pain from the cuts and bruises, and the amount of smoke in his lungs made him collapse onto his stomach. He couldn’t catch his breath and his head was heavy.

  Gloved hands lifted him by the shoulders while someone else grabbed his feet. He heard them say something, but couldn’t comprehend. He felt himself bounce along as he gasped for air. His rescuers propped him up against something metallic. The cold against his back was a welcome relief from the heat he had just experienced.