'Hey,' he said, forcing himself to focus. He was back in the shed, but the sorrow and fear were taking longer to drain away.
The rest of the gang were crowded around the Esky where Taipan and Acacia kneeled over a map by the light of a hissing gas lamp. Budgie gave Kevin a nod from the midst of the gathering, their subdued chatter making him think of a swarm of midges.
The Night Riders, caught somewhere between the thrill and guilt of survival.
Kevin felt like the kid who'd turned up to a party in fancy dress when it wasn't. Unnerving crimson and green eyes studied him, as if the gang could see inside his head, as though they knew Taipan had come to him in the night, had fed from Kala and then gone to Kevin and given him his blood memories. But he couldn't see Kala - where was she? What had happened to her?
'Taipan?' Concern pushed him forward.
The biker was talking to Budgie, who bent to point something out on the map.
Closer. Louder: 'Chris?'
Taipan leapt to his feet, forged through the gangers toward him. Before Kevin knew what was happening, Taipan's fists were bunched at his collar, pushing him hard up against a pole. It was like being squashed against a crush by a wild bull. Taipan's eyes blazed with ice-green fury.
'You don't say that name. No-one says that name.'
'I saw; I heard-'
'You saw - you heard - nothin'.'
Kevin nodded, embarrassingly aware of everyone watching.
'You don't mention him, you don't mention her. Not to me. Not to anyone. You got it?'
'Sure, sure.'
Taipan let him drop and stepped back. 'All right, you mob, listen up - party's over. We can't afford to stay here for a day. We need to lay down some mileage, keep some daylight between us and that VS mob. So start packin'.'
Kala appeared out of the scrum and came to Kevin where he sagged against the post. 'You okay?'
He pulled away, feeling guilty but not sure why. Taipan had fed from her and then fed him; it all felt wrong somehow. Dirty.
'Remember what I told you back at the house,' she said. 'We keep it to ourselves.'
He nodded. A few of the gang had smirked when Taipan had torn him a new one, but most just looked anxious. There were, he realised, a lot of guns.
Kala reached again and this time he let her touch him. She brushed at the dirt. 'I guess we all look pretty scruffy, eh? Sleepin' rough.'
'You don't look so bad,' he said.
'You're well enough to flirt, you're well enough to help pack the gear.' Her lips lifted at the corners in a smile that made his chest tighten. He hadn't been lying about her looking good. Had to shut down the flash memory of feeding from her. From her and Meg; God, Meg.
'Hey,' he asked. 'What was that thing?' He jerked his head at Reg, standing, helping Penny to her feet.
For a moment, he didn't think Kala was going to answer, but then she admitted, 'We need it. Like a drug. But from just one. It gets too confusing, otherwise, two or more in your head at once, pulling you in different ways.'
'So if you drank my blood, what would happen?'
'If I drank enough, absorbed enough, we'd forge a link.'
'But you're already linked to Taipan.'
'His blood is stronger, so his link would be stronger.' She bit her lip, then added, 'He's my fix.'
'What about Nigel, then? Who was his fix? Why didn't they know he was gonna dob you all in?'
'Nigel didn't have a fix. He got fed a brew - different vampires mixing their blood. None of them strong enough to make a link, but enough to give him all the benefits - healing, strength, sharper senses.'
'But-'
Taipan forced his way between them. 'Does this look like a QCWA meetin' to you? You still waitin' for ya tea and pikelets? I said get packin'. Now say goodbye to Budgie there and let's get to it.'
'Where's Budgie going?' Kevin asked, but Taipan was hauling Kala away to help Penny.
'Takin' a few of the lads inland,' the bald biker said from where he crouched nearby over his saddlebag. 'Gonna raise some hell, run some distraction.'
'Good luck, I guess,' Kevin mumbled.
Budgie gave him a wink. 'You keep your arse out of the daylight, and we'll catch up with you at The Farm in a coupla days.'
'The Farm?' Kevin asked, but everyone was in motion, Taipan herding them.
Before he knew it, he was scrambling into the back of the Rover with the three red-eyes. Penny was already asleep; Kala looked exhausted, nodding off where she lay on bedrolls next to Penny. Hippie sat at the back, rolling a smoke. Taipan took the driver's seat and dug out his tobacco pouch. 'Hop over here,' he told Kevin. 'You're ridin' shotgun.'
Kevin scrambled into the cabin to find a submachine gun, its bare steel stock extended, on the seat.
'You can shoot, eh,' Taipan said. 'You bein' a country
boy 'n' all.'
'Sure,' Kevin said, though the automatic was a bit more advanced than the guns he was used to.
'Just don't shoot ya dick off. Or mine.' Taipan gave him a cheeky look, as though he knew just what temptation he'd presented Kevin with.
'Kala looked pretty wiped,' Kevin said as he made a point of keeping the barrel pointed out the window.
'Don't mind 'bout that myxo. That girl needs her rest, that's all. Don't go botherin' her. She might hafta drive, once the sun comes up.'
'What about the bikes?'
'Hippie and Penny can handle 'em.'
Hippie threw a victory salute of acknowledgement of his bike-riding prowess.
Taipan clashed the gears and the Rover lurched forward, the bikes swarming around it. Budgie's group split off at the bitumen with a beeping of horns. Budgie threw a long mono of farewell.
They drove, and the night was vivid, the stars bright, the Rover a miasma of diesel and dust and gun oil, the sound of engine and tyres subsiding into a drowsy background hum. Kevin fought to stay awake. He didn't want to go back into that dreamscape where everything was, he presumed, real. Where snippets of his life would rise and goad with forgotten details, where bits and pieces of Taipan's life and Kala's, too, would bob up through the stream, throwing him off-kilter, each so very personal, threatening to make him forget who he was. And for all that, none of them would reveal the one truth he most wanted to know.
'What happened to my father?' Kevin asked.
'You didn't see it?' Taipan asked, tapping his forehead.
'No,' Kevin said. 'I saw your sister, and you, at a cane farm. Is that where we're going?'
'That place is gone, long time ago,' Taipan said. 'And like I told you already - you don't talk to me 'bout Willa. You don't talk to no-one 'bout her.'
'Okay then. What about my dad?'
'I won't talk to no-one about him, either.'
The compulsion to push the man out of the Rover was so strong it made Kevin quiver. But all he did was say, 'Fuck you. Fuck the lot of you.' He sat and watched the sign posts to familiar places flash by in the night. It reminded him he was going farther and farther away from home. He wondered about his mother and Meg. Did Taipan dream of them? He hoped not. Finally he succumbed to his exhaustion, slept, and it all happened again, but this time - this time - he saw everything.
He uses the wall for support as he scrambles to his feet, his ankles still bound by wire. The mechanic has the shotgun pointed at him. The son's blood is in his mouth; his lifestream's pulsing through his mind.
'This first-aid gig is startin' to become a habit.'
'What's wrong?' the father asks. 'Did it work?'
'Lost too much. You don't wanna donate a pint, eh, Thomas?'
'Did it work?'
'It takes time. But yeah, it's worked, all right.' The hunger is in the kid, wormin' through him. He can feel it in his blood.'
'This cop was healing while I watched.' Thomas nods at the Hunter on the floor near his son.
'Scratches for the likes of him. This is heavier kadaicha. All the way to the soul.'
'When I know my boy's alive, then I'll help
you out of here.'
'Might not have that much time, fella.'
'Then you're in trouble, aren't you.'
'One of us is, that's for sure.'
'Fine, I believe you.' Thomas hands him the pliers, then puts a set of keys on the corner of the desk and steps away. 'For the truck. In the garage.'
'Keep ya truck.' He gestures at the office door, blocked by a filin' cabinet. 'You get me outside, my gang'll take care of the rest.'
'And you'll let us all go?'
He squats, back to the wall, awkwardly cuts the wire away from his ankles. 'We couldn't give a shit about you. Don't know about them other blokes though.'
'I'll take my chances.'
'There's more to that Hunter than meets the eye, eh.'
'I figured.'
'I don't reckon you have. They don't send just anyone to pick up my kind. Maybe you should just use that.'
The father considers his shotgun. 'I'm not a murderer.'
'He is. So am I.'
Thomas walks to the cabinet, puts the shotgun down. 'Then let's go, before he wonders where I've got to.'
'Actually, I was already wondering that,' the Hunter says from the doorway. Fuck. The barrel of his pistol covers them. 'Letting him go isn't the best idea.'
'My son's dying. My wife's up at that house. We're surrounded by gunmen. You tell me what you'd do.'
'I'll tell you what you should do - ice that bastard and then help me keep them out.'
'I can't do that,' Thomas says.
And then it all goes to hell. Petrol bombs explodin', the buildin' shakin' and burnin'; the air turnin' to smoke. He grabs for the Hunter's weapon. The gun goes off, once, twice; the second shot gives him his chance as the Hunter jerks back in time to save his own face. He thumps the Hunter and then kicks him to the shithouse. Runs for the door. The place is blazin', crashin' down, and outside the sun is a furnace and he hopes his people can catch him in time coz he doesn't wanna have to go to ground here, not with all the attention that's gonna descend on this joint like Ashton's fuckin' circus. He spares a glance for the kid on the floor and thinks, it's a waste, but it's for the best, given the risk, and spares a moment's thought for the poor bastard lyin' on the floor with a hole in his chest who simply had no idea, they never do, and thinks good riddance for that Hunter Dave, doin' all right on my blood, the cunt.
Another blast shakes the joint and he sees the Hunter, wreathed in smoke, comin' for him again, and he's outta time. He hurls the filin' cabinet to the side and tears open the office door and runs outside and hopes his people have a brolly handy coz it's plenny hot out here, but not as hot as the barbie he leaves behind.
And later, in the back seat of Kala's Monaro with her blood pumpin' through his veins, he realises the kid's survival instinct has come through. He'll have to send someone back to nab their new mechanic after all.
TWENTY
The sky was still dark, the moon low, when they pulled into a lonely service station. A sickly yellow corona beyond the darkly swaying fields marked the nearest town. They refuelled and shortly after turned off the highway. The Night Riders extinguished their headlights, relying on moonlight as they followed a narrow road, passing paddocks and occasional gateways, darkened homesteads sitting at the ends of long, dirt drives. Eventually, they reached a sign post that warned of 'no through road' and cut the engines.
Taipan pointed at a house, barely visible through a stand of eucalyptus trees. It was brick, one-storey, with a double-door garage to one side. 'Whaddya think?'
'Is this The Farm?' Kevin asked.
An anonymous snort was all the answer he got.
'Looks good,' Penny said. 'Only the one neighbour, fair distance away.'
'Can't hear no dogs, either,' Reg added.
'Why are we doing this?' Acacia asked.
'Coz we need to rest up outta the sun,' Taipan said. 'Coz we need tucker, the good stuff.'
'Not like this, Tai. Not this close to a town. Not with VS at our heels.'
'We're doin' it. You don't like it, the highway's over there.'
They stared at each other. Fear iced Kevin's skin. Acacia turned away.
'Any of you other fellas got a problem?' Taipan asked, sweeping the gang with his gaze.
Kala stared at the ground.
'We're with you, Tai,' said Reg, flexing his fingers to make the knuckles crack.
'Rightio, let's walk 'em up, eh. Kala - you, Hippie and 'Cacia mind the Rover.' Taipan motioned to Kevin. 'You keep an eye on the bikes. Not a sound from none of youse till we give you the nod.'
Kevin stood between Reg's BMW and Penny's Kawasaki, watching powerlessly as Reg, Penny and Taipan crept up the gravel drive. He tried to catch Acacia's eye, or Kala's, but they both ignored him. 'Whose place is this?' he whispered.
'Dunno,' Acacia answered. 'Shut up now, eh.'
The three bikers approached the manicured lawn, the grass brown, a line of rose bushes resisting the drought. A couple of polythene tanks squatted by the garage. A swimming-pool sized lagoon glimmered down the paddock, cracked grey banks making it look like an ulcer. Taipan and Penny kept watch while Reg picked the lock. A dog yapped as the door swung open. The three bikers darted inside. The barking stopped mid-yelp. Kevin winced.
After a nerve-wracking wait, Penny re-appeared and waved them up. They tucked the bikes in next to two vehicles - a sedan and a four-wheel-drive - and parked the Rover where they felt it would be least conspicuous. 'I'll do a shuffle later,' Hippie said. 'Get it under cover before sun-up.'
They stepped around the dead dog as they followed Penny through the laundry into the living room.
Kevin balked at the sight of the heeler lying in a pool of blood. 'What the hell are we doing here?'
Acacia gave a look that said dumb questions didn't deserve answers.
The lights were on in the kitchen and adjacent living/dining areas, the curtains pulled tightly closed. A middle-aged couple sat gagged and bound in their nightclothes on the sofa. Their daughter, fourteen or fifteen maybe, hugged her younger brother where they huddled in their pyjamas on the floor. Taipan and Reg leant against the kitchen counter, arms crossed with the air of stockmen taking in a cattle sale.
'It's a smorgasbord,' Reg said by way of greeting. He grinned like a great Dane.
Kevin felt the dread descend with all the surety of nightfall.
Kala, Hippie and Penny helped themselves to food and drink in the kitchen. A kettle boiling, crockery clanking, sounded over-loud and disconcertingly normal as the tension in the living room rose. Sweat broke out, clammy under Kevin's arms. His body froze, muscles locked as he waited for the storm to break.
Reg and Taipan began to strip, piling their clothes on an armchair.
'Got a case'a the shy, 'Cacia?' Taipan asked. 'Want us to turn our backs?'
'Now we're here, you should feed,' she told Kevin as she began to undress.
'You heard 'Cacia,' Taipan said. 'You want a bib or somethin'? Get ya gear off if you don't wanna make a mess.'
Reg shouted for Penny. In the background, meat sizzled in a pan, releasing its charred aroma. She came in, a glass of beer in one hand. 'You bellowed?'
He tore the boy from his sister's grip. The girl clawed at Reg and he knocked her down, then thrust the terrified boy at Penny. 'Keep an eye on dessert here for a bit, won'tcha?'
'Do I look like a nanny to you?'
'Just do it.'
She drained her glass and held it out to him.
'Don't get pushy,' he told her. She thrust the boy back at him, so Reg pulled a knife and cut his arm and bled into the glass till it was half-full.
'Nice head.' Pink foam coated her lips as she drank the blood in eager mouthfuls.
'Now piss off while I have dinner,' he told her. 'We can play swapsies later.' He slapped her arse.
'Steak's almost done anyway.' Penny threw the empty glass. It smashed into a family portrait on the wall, fracturing the glass and leaving the photograph hanging askew. She grabbed the so
bbing boy and led him into the kitchen. 'You are a plump little dumpling, aren't you?'
The daughter screamed her brother's name and the brother screamed back till something muffled him.
Kevin stood, paralysed.
The father tried to stand but Acacia pushed him to the floor. She sliced his shirt away in pieces, cutting his chest, then began to lap, savouring each mouthful.
Taipan tore the mother's nightgown open and buried himself in her throat. Her panicked features burnt into Kevin's vision as his frozen mind tried to work out what to do. Pinned under Taipan, the woman stared down at her daughter, her mouth moving soundlessly in some futile prayer, some final words.
Reg leaned over the squirming girl, pinned her arms above her head and used his fangs to rip open her throat.
Kevin shouted at them to stop. He grabbed Reg's shoulder and tugged him away. The girl stared up at him. Blood spilled down her chest, darkening her nightie with lurid scarlet.
Reg's crimson-smeared lips curled in a sneer. 'Feed or fuck off.'
Blood scent clouded the air. The father swore and swore, his bound legs bucking. Acacia bit down on his inner elbow. The man's helpless rage quickly turned to terror. His eyes bulged as his vitality bled away.
Kevin shook his head. 'I can't do this.'
'Your loss,' Reg said.
'You have to stay strong,' Acacia said, slurring slightly. 'Try the girl. A short life won't crowd you too much. Just make sure you stop before the end. You won't want her hanging around, not till you can handle the lifestream.'
'I don't even want to know what you're talking about,' Kevin said, stumbling backward, his vision so very bright and clear, his body trembling.
Taipan smirked at him, his white teeth outlined in crimson. 'Fresh from the vein, fella.'
'I can't!'
Kevin ran. He reached the laundry. A shape loomed behind him. A tap on his ankle sent him careening into the side of the washing machine, then to the floor. When he got to his feet, he found Reg blocking the door to the garage. Kevin tried to push past, his mind a black wall of desperation. But Reg held him fast, and then a pain in his back robbed him of all strength. He choked; coughed up a gout of blood. Reg lowered him to his knees, then pushed him over.
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