Fear The Outback (Book 1): Fear The Outback

by Cheshire, Stephen W.

  “We wait,” Andrew ordered.

  “What? Why?”

  “I want to see what we are up against. Look at them. A fireman, a soldier, some scruff, and a cop. They’re not from the outback, and the closest city is probably Sydney or Melbourne.”

  “Do you think there is a city nearby without the infection?” Justin asked.

  Andrew looked at Justin. “Maybe.”

  Justin looked forward again.

  “Come on,” Andrew ordered. “Let’s get a bit closer.”

  The group scuffed closer towards the fuel plant. They waited patiently. Justin looked up to some gunfire.

  “Hey, up there!” Andrew said. “Got some action!”

  Andrew looked through the binoculars, seeing some small explosions coming from the rear of the depot. “Shit,” he mumbled.

  “What is it?” someone said.

  “We need to find out where that truck is going.”

  “Why?” Justin asked.

  Andrew looked at Justin, not taking his eyes off of him. “To survive.”

  Andrew looked through the binoculars as the fire truck, fuel tanker, and food supply truck swung out of the compound.

  “Shit,” Andrew said. “Look. That cabin, there.”

  Justin squinted, seeing the brown cabin.

  “That will say where the truck is going,” Andrew said. “I just about got the registration plate…”

  Justin let his breath out. He jumped up of the ground, sprinting across the dusty desert.

  “Hey!” Andrew called. “Justin!”

  Justin sprinted towards the fuel depot, looking at the plumes of smoke blasting up into the air. He sprinted across the street into the compound, feeling pulses from the explosions ripping through his body. He entered the cabin. It was empty; only a wooden clipboard was on the desk. Andrew looked through the binoculars at the compound, seeing that the explosions were getting worse. He looked back at the helicopter.

  “Come on!” Justin ordered. “If that blows, it’ll knock the helicopter on its side, and we’re fucked!”

  Andrew jumped aboard the helicopter. “Start it up,” he ordered. The blades started to spin, blasting dust and muck up. “Get the truck rolling now!”

  The helicopter lifted off the truck and headed away from the compound, up into the sky to avoid any blast pulses.

  “Come on, Justin!” Andrew begged.

  Andrew scanned the vast desert, looking in the direction of the travelling vehicles.

  Justin sprinted through the desert, hearing the explosions from the compound getting worse by the second.

  Andrew watched as Justin ran towards the helicopter. “Take us down,” Andrew ordered.

  The helicopter descended towards Justin. Any second now, the place was going to blow. Justin kept his eyes locked onto the helicopter as he sprinted along the ground, holding onto the clipboard.

  “Come on!” Andrew yelled.

  Justin dove into the helicopter.

  “Go!” Andrew ordered the pilot. “And stay low so they don’t see us.”

  The helicopter sped away. Justin coughed up the dust from his lungs as he looked out the side of the helicopter onto the fuel plant. The place went up in a huge plume of smoke that blasted into the air. Justin saw the shockwaves from the explosion chasing after the helicopter.

  “Sir, I need to go up,” the pilot said. “If that shockwave goes through us, it will knock us out the sky.” The helicopter pulled up into the sky, nose first.

  Justin looked out the back of the helicopter, seeing the wave pass underneath them, missing the helicopter by just a couple of feet. “Jesus!” he gasped under his breath.

  Justin handed Andrew the clipboard, which Andrew looked at immediately. He found the truck’s registration plate and matching it up to the town it was from. “Tamagoroa,” he said. “This could be interesting.”

  The helicopter sped back towards the truck as Justin caught his breath.

  “Good job,” Andrew said to Justin.

  The helicopter flew back in the direction of the truck.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lucy laid down on the medical bed. It was evening now, and the hospital was quiet. She slowly opened her eyes. She looked to see a figure, just standing there, looking at her with his hands in his pockets. She opened her eyes a bit more and saw that it was Scott.

  “Hey,” Scott asked. “Are you okay?”

  Lucy gave a brief nod. “What do you want?” she asked softly.

  “Just checking on you.”

  Lucy looked at Scott as he locked his eyes onto her. “I’m okay,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “Let’s talk,” Scott suggested.

  Lucy sat up as Scott walked over to the bed.

  “Hey,” he said, grabbing her leg. “I just want to talk.”

  Lucy pulled back gently. “Listen,” she said. “Thank you for coming to check on me, but I’m very tired from today; Doctor Riley said I need to rest.”

  “Doctor Riley isn’t here,” Scott snapped. He looked over his shoulder towards the main entrance of the medical facility.

  “Listen,” Lucy said again. “I’m really tired. My medication is starting to kick in. Please, can I have some rest?”

  “Come for a walk,” Scott insisted.

  Lucy was hesitant.

  “Come on,” Scott insisted. “It will do you good to get a bit of fresh air.”

  “No. Look, please…” Lucy insisted.

  Scott put his hands on her leg. He gently rubbed them back and forth. “Come for a walk,” he tried again to persuade her. “It’s really cool outside.”

  ***

  Justin looked out the front of the van as they pulled into the town. He looked ahead at the hospital. “Hey,” he said to the driver. “Can you drop me close to the hospital?”

  The driver looked at Justin. He pulled up next to one of the roads near the hospital and let Justin out.

  Justin glanced into the sky. The stars were starting to glisten down. Not a single cloud could be seen. The hospital came into view. Justin pulled out his wallet and opened it up. He looked at the picture of him and Chelsea in it. He slowly strolled along the road. He could hear Chelsea’s laugh in his daydreams, still feeling the softness of the hand in his.

  ***

  Lucy hunched her legs up, trying to stop Scott from rubbing them. “Scott, please!” she pleaded. “Please…” Tired and drained of energy, Lucy struggled to push Scott of the top of her. “Scott, please!” she pleaded again. She tried to scream. “Hel—”

  Scott put his hands over her mouth. She bit down hard and didn’t let go. Her teeth sunk into the palm of his hand. He was forced to let go

  “Help!” she screamed.

  Justin looked up towards the hospital, hearing Lucy’s scream for help. He took a deep breath and rushed into the building. He looked at Scott and saw him forcing himself on her.

  “Hey!” he screamed.

  Scott didn’t hear Justin call his name. Justin ran towards Scott. “Hey! Get off her!” he called.

  Scott pushed Justin away as he continued to force himself onto Lucy. Justin jumped back up from the ground. He grabbed hold of Scott and slammed him onto the ground. Lucy began to cry. Justin clenched his fist and began to slam it into Scott’s face repeatedly.

  “Fucking piece!” Justin continued to scream down at Scott. Justin couldn’t stop punching him. Lucy hunched onto the bed, crying as she looked at Justin as he continued slamming his fist into Scott’s face.

  Riley then entered the hospital from the brief walk he had taken around town to check on other people. “Hey!” he screamed.

  Riley looked over at Lucy seeing her hunched up on the bed. “Justin, stop!” he yelled.

  Justin continued slamming his fist into Scott. The horrific scream from Harvey’s death was on repeat in his head.

  “Justin!” Riley screamed.

  Lucy took a deep breath as she looked at Justin as he continued slamming his fist down into Scot’s face.
Blood was now running down Scott’s nose. Lucy laid on the bed, shaking, looking at Justin as he continued pounding on Scott’s face. She fell out of the bed onto the ground. Her legs were like jelly. She staggered up off the ground and managed to make it over to Justin.

  “Hey, please!” she pleaded, using all her strength to push Justin off of Scott. She looked down at Scott’s face. It was covered in blood. His lip was starting swell up from the attack. He gave a gentle cough as a fountain of blood came out of his mouth.

  Justin stormed off out of the hospital.

  Justin looked down the road as he left the hospital. No one was coming. Justin turned to the left, looking to see a dark spot down by the side of the hospital. He sat down and clenched his fists. The smell of blood on his knuckles. He lifted his wrist, looking at the blood on it. He felt sick.

  Hudson arrived at the hospital later on. He looked at Scott and saw that he was bleeding.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “Kid in there…” he panted. “Kid beat me…”

  “Let me see that.” Hudson looked at Scott, seeing that he has been badly bruised by Justin.

  “I want him arrested,” Scott demanded.

  “Why did he do it?” Hudson asked.

  “I want him arrested!” Scott yelled again.

  Hudson entered the room, looking at Lucy. Dr Riley was comforting her as she continued to cry. Hudson looked at her as she hunched herself up into the bed.

  “What happened?” Hudson asked Lucy

  Lucy continued to cry into the tissue.

  “Did he touch you?” Riley asked.

  It took Lucy a few seconds to summon the energy to nod her head. Hudson turned, looking to see one of the town’s police officers enter the town.

  “Where’s Justin?” Hudson asked.

  “He went out,” Riley replied.

  Scott continued to bleed from the mouth and nose. Hudson walked over to Lucy.

  “Did Scott,” he asked calmly, “try to force himself on you?”

  Lucy looked down at the bed.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”

  Lucy nodded.

  Hudson looked at Scott. “Cuff him,” he ordered.

  “What?” Scott asked. “Dad?”

  “Do it,” Hudson ordered.

  “Dad!” Scott bellowed.

  Hudson looked at Scott. “Hey!” Hudson snapped. “You don’t do that! even though a lot of the Australian population is dead, the laws stills exist in my town!”

  “I want Justin arrested!” Scott yelled.

  “Hey!” Hudson snapped. “He risked his life today for all of us—including you; we lost Harvey—another good kid—today. Now, I’ve got to go and tell his mum he isn’t coming home tonight. Where were you when Andrew was asking for volunteers to go on supply missions?”

  Hudson turned to look at Lucy. “Lucy,” He said. “Are you okay?”

  Lucy nodded, crying again.

  Justin entered the hospital.

  “Justin, are you okay?” Hudson asked.

  Justin lifted his arms and wrists, looking at the blood marks on his knuckles. “I’m okay.”

  “Get him seen to,” Hudson ordered

  Then, Andrew Parker walked in. “Can I speak with you?” he asked Hudson.

  Hudson put his hands onto the back of his head. “Yeah, sure.”

  Hudson left the hospital with Andrew. It was a very short walk to the town hall.

  “So, what have you to report?” Hudson asked.

  Andrew took a deep breath. “We found a few supplies in that mall, as we had hoped”

  “Go on,” Hudson urged.

  “We then made our way to the fuel depot, but it was destroyed.”

  Hudson stopped as they approached the town hall. “Who by?”

  “We didn’t see them, but we did look at a local map of the area…”

  Hudson walked over and pulled a fold-out map of the area out. He slapped it down onto the table.

  Andrew pulled a pen out of his pocket. “Here is the fuel depot,” he began. Hudson looked down at the depot on the map. “Justin managed to find the truck’s schedule. Before the place went up, apparently, that truck was heading to a town called Tamagoroa.” Andrew circled Tamagoroa on the map.

  Hudson looked at the NPP sign on the map. “What’s NPP?” he asked.

  “It’s the New Perth Project,” Andrew replied.

  “Ah, yes, I remember that now. Something to do with modern-day living in the outback.”

  Andrew drew a line between the two towns. “From here,” he continued “it’s about 250 miles. Our helicopter can’t make it there and back.”

  “Okay,” Hudson said. “Shall we make contact and see if they can help us?”

  “Can’t we just take the town?” Andrew asked.

  “How you mean?”

  ‘I mean, it’s there. We could head across tonight.”

  Hudson looked at Andrew. “Are you implying that we invade that town, take it our own, and put many more lives in danger?”

  “We are running low on resources. The town generators are about to run dry, and water is down to a trickle in the ground.”

  Hudson looked at Andrew.

  “Your suggestion is outrageous! We should go and negotiate a trade deal with them. I just had my son arrested out there for attempted rape. Like I told him, the law still exists in my town.”

  Andrew looked to see the cult handgun in Hudson’s back pocket. He reached over and ripped it from him. Hudson looked back as Andrew aimed the gun at Hudson’s head.

  “I’m sorry,” Andrew said.

  “What are you—” Hudson gasped.

  Andrew squeezed the trigger in on the gun. The bullet shot through the side of Hudson’s head.

  “No!” Andrew screamed.

  People in and around the town heard the gunshot. Andrew looked at the blood running out of the gunshot wound. He dabbed the blood onto his hand, flicking it over his face. He heard some people running from the stairs outside of the office. Andrew slowly turned around. The people looked at the gun in Hudson’s hands.

  “He just shot himself!” Andrew stuttered

  ***

  Justin sat down on the bed in the hospital. Lucy was dead silent next to him.

  “I think it’s just sprained,” Riley said.

  Justin nodded. “What happened out there?” Justin asked.

  Riley looked out of the window. “It’s okay. All seems quiet now.” Riley took one last look at Justin’s wrist. “Give it a couple of days, and it should be fine.”

  Justin looked at Lucy. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Lucy could only nod.

  Riley looked to his right, seeing one of the townspeople enter the hospital.

  “Guys,” the man said. “I think something has happened at the town hall.”

  Justin looked at Riley as Riley got up out of the chair. Justin did the same thing. Lucy struggled to move.

  “I won’t be a minute, Lucy,” Riley said.

  Lucy sat back on the bed, watching Justin and Riley leave the hospital. A majority of the townspeople had gathered outside of the town hall by the time Justin and Riley got there. They saw Andrew Parker slowly walk out of the town hall. He walked up to the crowd of onlooking people.

  “What was that shot?” someone asked.

  Andrew stayed dead silent.

  “Where’s Hudson?” someone else asked.

  One of the town’s deputies walked up to Andrew. He placed his hand on his shoulders. Riley and Justin watched as the deputy took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” the deputy called, “but Hudson Green is dead.”

  “Who do we turn to now?” a female voice called.

  Andrew wiped the blood off his face. A small smear was left on his face. He walked up to the old estate car. He climbed onto the bonnet. People stood quiet, waiting for him to speak.

  “Today” Andrew began, “We lost a good person, Harvey Townsend.”

  People huf
fed.

  “Now,” Andrew continued, “we can survive this crisis if we all stick together. While out on the scouting mission earlier to the fuel refinery, we came across some survivors. We located them in a town not far from here. They did good, my people. Tonight, I am going with my people to this new town to see if they can help us—help us stick together in order to survive this. Now, go home, rest, and I will have some news for you in the morning.”

  Justin watched as the crowd dispersed.

  Andrew looked over at Justin. “Justin!” he called. Justin walked over to Andrew. “We’re going to set off to this town soon. Are you okay to come?”

  Justin looked at Riley. “I’ll look after Lucy,” Riley assured him.

  Justin looked at Andrew. “Might as well,” Justin agreed. Justin walked over to the awaiting van. He took a deep breath.

  “Come on,” Andrew said. “Let’s do this.”

  Andrew looked over at Riley, who was still standing nearby with his hands by his side and his eyes locked onto Andrew.

  ***

  Justin looked out across the blue sea of the Gold Coast. He looked to his left and saw Chelsea. She was looking out across the ocean as people walked along the shoreline.

  “I knew this was a good idea,” she said.

  “You were right, babe,” Justin replied.

  Justin sat back in the seat. He had drunk half his coffee, as had Chelsea. “Do you want another?” he asked.

  “Yeah, why not?” she replied with a smile.

  Justin looked over at the waiter next to him. “Can I have two more lattes, please?” asked Justin.

  “I’ll pay,” Chelsea offered.

  “No, you won’t,” he replied.

  “Yes, I will,” Chelsea joked.

  “Look, shut up,” he joked. “Do as you’re told.”

  Chelsea smiled at Justin, looking once again across the clear, blue ocean.

  “I’m paying,” Justin joked.

  “No, you’re not,” Chelsea replied

  Justin smiled at Chelsea. He held her hand underneath the table. She gave him another smile, struggling to take her eyes off him. The waiter returned a couple of minutes later with the drinks. Chelsea reached for her purse.

  “You wait ’til tonight,” Justin said, holding her hand tighter. She looked up into the sky to a heavy rumble. Three helicopters shot across the sky overhead—Chinooks from the Australian military.