Steve hung up and Eddie called her grandparents. ‘There’s a fire out near our place,’ she said when Daisy answered the phone.
‘How far away is it?’
‘Hard to say, but it’s moving quickly.’
‘Frank, there’s a fire,’ Daisy called out. ‘I’ll get your grandad and we’ll come and help you,’ she told Eddie.
‘No.’ It came out more sharply than Eddie intended. ‘Don’t. I’ll load the dogs into my car and bring them into town. I don’t want Grandad driving out here. You know as well as I do how the conditions can change in an instant. I’ll call you when I’m leaving.’
She grabbed the keys to her car and dashed outside. The smell of smoke wafted across the yard but she put it out of her mind. She shouted for the dogs and they came running. Grabbing them by their collars, she hauled them into the car before starting it, switching the air conditioner to the coldest setting and closing the windows. She still had to prepare the house, but if she left the dogs to the last minute, knowing her luck one of them would have nicked off after the scent of a rabbit or a roo.
She dashed around the main house closing all the doors and windows. She didn’t have time to put water in the gutters or turn on the sprinklers. They were as bushfire-ready as possible, but that meant nothing if the fire was coming straight at them, which it appeared to be doing, judging by what she could see across the valley. Even a fire a kilometre away could be on her door in minutes. And with the wind the way it was, embers could easily travel from the fire front and start spot fires around the house.
She flew across the courtyard to her cottage and fetched water bottles and blankets. She threw the blankets in the bath and turned the tap on to soak them. Her eyes flitted around her bedroom and spotted the photo of her mum that sat in the silver frame beside her bed. She had other photos but this was her favourite. She scooped it up along with her laptop and charger and took it back to the car. She made one final trip, pulling the sodden blankets from the bath and grabbing her SES uniform and a change of clothes. She shoved the dogs aside and stuffed the wet blankets and her clothes around them. They whimpered and it took her a few moments to calm them.
Eddie looked down the valley. In less than an hour, two more fire fronts had appeared. A heavy layer of smoke hung over her head and she tasted ash. She willed her heart rate to steady, but her mind raced back to the devastating fires the year before last. She could already see the flames, could already feel the heat. There was a choking sensation in the back of her throat as the fire sucked the oxygen from the atmosphere. It was only three in the afternoon but already it was difficult to tell where the sun was. The layer of smoke was thicker now than before and there was no sign of the blue skies of earlier. Swinging herself up into the cab she checked her petrol gauge. Relieved she had over half a tank of petrol, she was about to pull out when her phone rang again. She slotted it into the cradle on the dash and Steve’s voice came over the speaker via Bluetooth.
‘Have you left already, Ed?’
‘On my way,’ she replied.
‘Good. It’s coming straight up the hill towards your place. Lisa’s freaking out worrying about you.’
Eddie’s nerves danced. ‘Figured it must be close. It’s as dark as hell up here.’
‘You got the dogs?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Drive carefully and call me when you get into town.’
It usually only took fifteen minutes to get from Glenview back into town, but in conditions like this the drive would take much longer. She’d be careful, but she wasn’t going to dawdle. She turned out of the long driveway on to the dusty unsealed road that led back into town, her heart hammering as black smoke billowed around her. She couldn’t tell which direction it was coming from or blowing to. For all she knew, the fire was around the next bend.
A few minutes later she passed a fire crew heading up to the escarpment. Once they were behind her she switched her headlights to high beam. Although it did nothing to cut through the haze it was safer to leave them on. Eddie concentrated on taking long, slow breaths. She was safe. Everything would be okay. Ahead of her, she saw tail-lights. She slowed as she came up to the back of a truck towing a horse float. Three horses were crammed inside and the whites of their eyes flashed as they tossed their heads around in fear. When the driver realised someone was behind, they flicked the indicator left then right then left again. It was safe for Eddie to pass. She pulled alongside the other car and glanced to her left. The frightened faces of two children peered out from the back seat. Eddie waved at the driver and kept going. Both hands clutching the wheel in a death grip, she prayed silently the whole way back into town.
When she arrived she was shaking like a leaf. Not surprisingly, there was plenty of activity near the CFA fire shed – dozens of people and farm vehicles, most of them with water tankers and pumps on the back. Eddie double-parked, left the engine running and raced inside.
‘Hey Eddie, you got out all right?’ Ben Robertson called as he came towards her.
‘Yeah, but it wasn’t a pleasant Sunday drive,’ she replied. ‘Cassie Lacey and the kids are on their way into town with the horses. I passed them coming in.’
‘See anyone else on the road?’ Ben asked.
‘One of the tankers was heading towards the fire, and the cops are out at the turn-off to my place stopping any idiots from going up for a stickybeak.’
‘We sent Tanker 2 up that way about half an hour ago.’
Eddie nodded. ‘That’d be the one I passed, I reckon.’
‘Where are you off to now, Ed?’ Steve asked, hanging up the phone.
‘I have to take the dogs over to Nan and Grandad’s new place.’
‘I’ll give you half an hour then we need you back here.’
‘Rightio.’
‘Hope you remembered your uniform.’
‘Yeah, it’s in the car.’
‘And Ed? When I say half an hour, I mean ten minutes. This fire is moving fast and I’m going to need all the help I can get.’
Eddie sprinted back to the car and took off up the street to the retirement village. Nan stood waiting at the front door, worry creasing her brow, as Eddie clipped leads to the dogs’ collars and got them out of the car.
Daisy hugged her hard before taking the leads. ‘Here. Give them to me. I’m sure you’re needed down at the fire shed.’
Eddie glanced at her watch. ‘Yeah, Steve wants me back ASAP.’
Daisy kissed her cheek. ‘Be careful, sweetheart.’
‘Always.’
As she tried to turn onto the road from the retirement village, she was stopped by a police car. She wound down her window and coughed as thick smoke filled the cabin.
‘Where are you headed?’ the young policeman asked in a serious, businesslike voice that didn’t hide his fear.
‘Hey, Dan.’
‘Eddie, hey. Sorry, didn’t recognise you. Mustn’t have been looking properly.’
‘I need to get back into town.’
‘No worries.’ He waved her through.
Back at the fire shed, Eddie grabbed her backpack with all her gear from the back of the car where she’d stuffed it. The smell of smoke wasn’t as bad in town, but that didn’t mean the fire was under control up on the mountain.
‘What can I do?’ she asked Mick as soon as she spotted him. There was no sign of Steve.
The lines around his eyes seemed to have deepened since she’d seen him last. He looked worried. ‘Get changed, then I need you to start ringing around and see who’s still out on their properties.’
‘On it.’
Five minutes later she was at a desk, wearing her orange overalls over a hot pink T-shirt. It was her lucky shirt and she had a feeling they’d need all the luck they could get today.
Chapter 29
As the temperatures soared in Melbourne and the fire danger across the state hit extreme, Harry spent his one day off a week the way he usually did. After a much-needed sleep-in, he tidi
ed his apartment then headed to his local cafe for a late lunch. It was hot, dry and windy, and there were fewer people about than usual, even for a weekday. He took his regular seat facing the street and stared out the large bay window.
‘Feels like something bad’s going to happen,’ Leigh, the waiter, said as he handed Harry his short black.
‘What do you mean?’ he asked.
Leigh frowned. ‘Haven’t you been listening to the news?’
Harry tapped the pile of unread newspapers in front of him. ‘I’ve got a week’s worth of reading to catch up on here. Haven’t had time to watch the news on TV. Why?’
‘There’s a fire down the Otways. Reports of at least six people dead. They’re saying it could be as bad as Black Saturday.’
Despite the heat, Leigh’s words sent an icy chill straight down Harry’s spine. ‘Surely nothing could be as bad as that,’ he said. ‘Is it just in the Otways?’
Vivid memories flashed like a film on high speed through his mind. In 2009 the entire country had come to a standstill to watch scenes of devastation broadcast across all television channels when close to four hundred separate fires had burned out of control across Victoria on Black Saturday. Images of homeless local residents walking around the charred ruins of their houses with nothing other than the clothes on their backs, of farmers who had lost everything: farm equipment, buildings, crops, livestock. Of the blackened twisted remains of tin roofs and burned-out cars. Harry recalled people describing walls of flames, fire coming in all directions. It was the fire that rewrote the Australian history books, with eyewitnesses saying they’d never seen anything like it. One hundred and seventy-three people had died. Odd how he always remembered the exact number. He felt sick thinking it was going to happen again so soon.
‘Otways, Adelaide. Flinders Ranges, I think,’ Leigh said, looking at his phone. ‘There’s also another smaller fire up north somewhere. Mount Buller, Mount Buffalo, somewhere around there. I can’t remember what I heard on the radio.’
Harry was already dialling home. His mum answered on the first ring. ‘Harry, where are you?’ He heard the panic in her voice.
‘I’m still in Melbourne, but I heard there are fires up your way.’
‘We’re leaving now.’ Heavy breathing came down the line as if she was running.
‘Leaving where?’
‘The farm. The fire is over the rise. I can see the flames from here.’
Terror thundered in his chest, and his heart raced as adrenalin ignited his fight or flight response. ‘What the hell are you still doing there? You know the plan. Leave and live. I thought you and Dad decided years ago not to stay and defend.’ He tried to control his fear but it was squeezing at his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
‘We never planned to stay,’ Jenny huffed. ‘But it’s come up quicker than anyone expected and we weren’t ready.’
‘Where’s Dad?’
‘Already in the car.’
‘And Claire?’
‘In Wangaratta with the kids. She and Simon took them to the movies to give them a break from this shocking heatwave.’
Harry was partly relieved, but also wished his sister had been home. She and Simon could have helped.
‘What about Claire’s horses?’ he asked. Another thought hit and his stomach fell like lead. ‘And Digby?’
‘Matt Ferguson came over and loaded the horses into the float an hour ago. I don’t know where he’s taken them.’
God bless Matt, their nearest neighbour.
‘And Digby?’ he repeated. ‘Where is he?’
‘I can’t find him, Harry.’
Hot tears sprang into his eyes. ‘He’ll be under the house where it’s cool.’
‘Of course.’ Jenny exhaled heavily. ‘Of course he’ll be there. I don’t know why I didn’t think to look.’
‘What about the house? Have you turned on the sprinklers? Cleared the gutters?’
Unless Simon had done it, they probably hadn’t been cleaned since the previous summer. They’d been lucky last time. The fire that had ravaged Yallambah hadn’t touched their property, although the Ferguson’s shed burned to the ground along with a hundred sheep trapped in the building.
‘I have to go,’ Jenny said.
Harry had never heard her sound so scared. ‘Please be safe, Mum. And drive carefully. Call me as soon as you get into town. The second you’re safe.’
‘I will.’
‘I love you, Mum. More than the world.’
‘I love you too, Harry. Bye.’
The last thing he heard before the call ended was the frightened bark of a dog. Relief swept through him. It had to be Digby.
He called Eddie next but her phone went straight to voicemail. It was then he panicked. If Eddie wasn’t answering, chances were she was out somewhere near the fires. Starting to shake, he realised he couldn’t sit and eat breakfast while fire threatened his parents’ house and he didn’t know if Eddie was okay. No way was he sitting in Melbourne when he might be needed closer to home.
Grabbing his keys and wallet, he stood. ‘I’ve gotta go,’ he called out to Leigh before racing out the door for home.
He’d never packed so quickly. Tossing clothes into the largest of his bags, he barely registered what he was packing. As he dumped the bag in the boot of his new car, he called Andrew, the director.
‘I have to go home,’ he said.
‘Your dad?’
‘No. The fires.’
‘Fires?’
‘Yeah, Mum and Dad’s house is in the path of the fire.’
‘Jeez, Harry, what are you still doing in Melbourne?’
‘Already on my way.’
‘Stay safe.’
‘I intend to.’
‘Hope your folks are okay.’
‘So do I. So do I.’
Harry whispered a prayer and pressed his foot on the accelerator. If the cops pulled him over for speeding, he figured he had a good excuse.
Chapter 30
‘Listen up,’ Mick called out half an hour later. The volume of voices in the CFA shed dropped immediately. ‘We’ve had report of a car accident on Back Creek Road out near Osbornes Flat.’
‘Eddie, that’s you. You’re up,’ Steve shouted.
A call-out to a car accident in the middle of a bushfire did not bode well.
Eddie yanked off the telephone headset and handed the list of numbers to Kathy Peters. ‘I’ve called all these,’ she explained, running her finger down the list. ‘I’ve crossed off the people who’ve left already. No answer from these. Some of them might be away. Ask around. Someone will know.’
Kathy took the paper from Eddie, her face grim. ‘Did you get hold of the Baxters?’
Eddie froze and her stomach landed in her boots. In her panic, she’d forgotten about Harry’s family: the lists were divided up alphabetically and the Baxters weren’t on hers.
‘Let’s hope they’re at the hospital again, not out at the farm,’ Kathy said, seeing her expression.
‘Simon and Claire are in Wangaratta with the kids,’ Mick called out. ‘Claire rang in ten minutes ago. She’s spoken to her mum. Jenny is driving Jim back into town now.’
Eddie exhaled in relief. They were all safe. ‘I’d better go,’ she said.
‘Good luck.’
She jogged back to her car, her heart exploding with adrenalin. In the eastern distance the sky glowed a dark orange and thick smoke billowed into the darkening sky. The street was empty, every shop hastily closed. There would be no further trading until everyone was safe. Overhead, a helicopter circled low and Eddie heard sirens wailing. After years working as an SES volunteer, she was used to the responsibility, the adrenalin rush, the late night call-outs, but a sick sense of dread always accompanied every call and she wondered if she’d ever get used to the feeling. When a bushfire was involved and her own house was under threat, it magnified all the emotions.
She desperately wanted to call Harry and let him know his family
was okay, but there simply wasn’t time. Besides, she didn’t want to scare him. It was possible he didn’t know about the fires yet.
When Eddie arrived at the SES headquarters, she found the rest of the team already gathered. Like her, everyone was wearing matching orange personal safety gear and fearful expressions, waiting for further instructions from Steve. They were alarmed but ready to do their jobs.
‘What’s the situation?’ she whispered to Ben, as he dropped onto the bench seat beside her and began pulling on his boots.
‘Fallen tree. Driver is still trapped. Female, age unknown. Police need us there with lights and stuff.’
‘Anyone else involved?’ she asked.
‘No, thank God. No other cars were involved, just the one. Sounds like the wind blew a tree down and in the smoke she didn’t see it. Drove straight into it and the rest of the tree collapsed onto her car.’
‘Is she alone?’
‘Haven’t heard.’
‘Is it anywhere near the fire?’
‘I don’t know. Steve’s going to brief us on the way. Come on, let’s rock and roll.’
‘Let’s go, people,’ Steve shouted at the same time.
Steve and Ben, along with two younger volunteers, Todd and Paul, plus Eddie and Richard, their driver, all clambered onto the truck. Eddie was used to being the only female on the crew most days and it didn’t bother her. The mood inside the vehicle was tense as everyone continued to get ready. Ben passed over a pair of latex gloves, and Eddie slipped them on her damp hands then pulled on the heavier work gloves over the top. Once she had her protective eyewear in place there was nothing to do except sit, wait and listen as Steve assigned roles and reminded everyone what their job was.
The Yallambah SES unit was a small team and Eddie was one of only a handful of members who had the qualification of RCR, or Road Crash Rescue. Everyone was trained in first aid, but tonight, because Eddie was a nurse and one of the most senior members of the team, she would be in charge of the casualty. If the paramedics hadn’t arrived by the time they got there, it would be Eddie’s job to keep the driver alive if necessary.
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