by Anna Willett
He let out a petulant howl and raised his boot, kicking William backwards. William let out a hollow breath as his body crumpled. Two more weak spurts escaped from the wound in his neck and pattered the sand like a sprinkling of summer rain. William dropped onto his back, he shuddered once and then lay still.
Harper’s screams turned into weak gasps. William lay in a puddle of dark liquid already soaking into the grainy sand. The man with the knife pressed his hand to his side and groaned. Harper felt a momentary flicker of satisfaction. William had wounded him. Now he was the one hurting. The feeling was quickly replaced by panic. He was only a few metres away, even if she were uninjured and in the best condition of her life, the chances of outrunning him over uneven rocky ground were almost zero. She felt cornered in the huge expanse of wilderness.
He wiped the blade on his thigh leaving a smear of sticky goo on his black pants; his movements slow and precise. For a moment, he regarded William’s body. He tapped the knife against his leg as if deep in thought. Harper shuffled a few paces west. The path William had been walking couldn’t be more than thirty metres away. Maybe there’d be more traffic, someone might come by at any moment. A glimmer of hope materialised with a wave of guilt and shame. She’d seen what he’d done to William. As if to reinforce her shame, the rusty smell of blood wafted towards her.
Run. It came like a switch being turned on in her brain. She’d stayed ahead of him this far, maybe she could keep going. As if he’d read her mind, the man looked up and their eyes locked. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-five yet he looked worn. His features were thick and the skin on his cheeks mottled by acne scars.
“You’ve made things harder for me and yourself,” he spoke casually as if they’d been in the middle of a conversation before William arrived and not a death race. “No more hide and seek.” He stepped over William’s body.
Harper turned, her boots scrunching the sand. The jacket William had draped around her shoulders dropped in a heavy heap. She knew he was expecting her to run towards the path so she leaned forward and pumped her arms as if heading towards the coast, then immediately side-stepped and darted left in a southerly direction.
Clutching her injured arm to her stomach slowed her down and threw her off balance, but the water had done wonders. She kept her eyes on the rocks and salt bush roots that criss-crossed the terrain and managed to pick up a bit of steam. Behind her, she heard him swearing and stomping after her. He sounded close, but she didn’t dare look back. To look behind her would cost time and focus, something she couldn’t risk.
The landscape bumped and bounced ahead as her lungs burned. She’d almost reached the end of her strength, she knew her body couldn’t continue to burn so hard. I won’t make it easy for him, the thought pushed her on. Not the belief that she could out run him again, but the determination to punish him in the only way left to her, making him run. It was all she had left to hold on to.
The costal flora thickened. Salt bushes that in some areas were waist high, grew taller and widely spaced until they arched overhead casting long cage-like shadows. Harper focused on a patch of light ten or fifteen metres away. I’ll make it to the light, she told herself. I won’t die in the shadows. Her thighs burned and her heart pulsed in her throat. A few more steps and she’d be out of the trees. I’ll see the sky again. Her stride faltered as something grabbed her hair.
Her scalp jerked with enough force to lift her eyebrows and send a burning sensation across her face. Her legs still moving, ran out from under her and she felt herself tipping backwards.
“Got you.” His voice waved with breathlessness, but he sounded triumphant. “You’re like a fucking rabbit.” The words came out separated by wet gasps for air.
He hauled her to her feet by the hair. Harper twisted sideways. The searing in her scalp sent shivers down her spine. He wrapped his arm around her waist, crushing her broken arm under his grasp. White light, as if she’d been staring into the sun, filled Harper’s vision. The pain in her arm was like barbed wire being dragged under her skin. She felt the fight drain out of her body and she slumped against him.
“Judith.” She didn’t know if she’d thought it or heard it. Blackness, soft and warm pushed the light away.
“Don’t worry, I’ll look after your girlfriend.” His words spiralled downwards and followed her into unconsciousness.
Chapter Nineteen
“Two guys. I thought they were hikers.” Lucas took another sip of water. “We met them on our way back. Harper and I were moving fast; you know, to get help for you.” He looked at Milly. He seemed to want to say more, but then went back to the story. “They were headed south. Harper tried her phone, but no signal.” He squinted his eyes. “No. I’m getting it mixed up.”
Judith slid onto her butt and drew her knees up mirroring Lucas’s position. “It’s okay. Just tell us what you remember.” Her words were encouraging, but Milly could hear the frustration in her sister’s voice.
“The two guys. They stopped and asked us if we needed help.” He gave a grunt. “I suppose we looked panicked. Harper started telling them about you two and what had happened.” He paused. “I didn’t like the way they were looking at her. I could see they weren’t interested in what she was saying. They kept nodding, but I had a bad feeling … You can meet some strange people when you’re hiking.”
“What did they do to Harper?” Judith’s voice sounded tight as if she were bracing herself for the worst.
“That’s just it, I don’t know. I told the guys we had to keep moving and sort of grabbed Harper’s arm.” He held Milly’s gaze. “You were unconscious when we left, I didn’t know how badly you were hurt so I didn’t want to waste any time. Besides there was something off about the two men. Their clothes were new, like this was their first time … Almost like they were trying too hard to look like hikers.” He seemed to be thinking. “I pulled Harper away and sort of talked over my shoulder, you know trying to get away before anything happened.”
Milly didn’t like where the story was headed. She could see Lucas had taken some blows. He was a big guy; if they’d overpowered him, what chance did Harper stand? She glanced over at her sister, her face had drained of colour lending a greyish tinge to her skin. Milly guessed Judith had to be thinking the same thing.
“So you pulled Harper away. Then what?” Judith prompted.
“They started following us. Harper got angry. She pulled away from me and turned back. She told the two of them to get fucked.” He took another sip from the bottle. “Nothing happened for a second. The two guys looked, well, sort of pleased.” Lucas made a sound in his throat, a cross between a chuckle and a groan. “I pushed Harper behind me. That’s when they jumped me. The older one sort of tackled me. I threw a few punches. I think I landed one, but the younger one slammed me in the side of the head.” He put his hand to the wound and winced. “I blacked out. When I woke up, Harper was gone and so was all our stuff. By then it was dark. I wandered around for hours. Then I heard the screaming. I walked most of the night trying to find her.” He shook his head and stared down at his hands.
Milly glanced at her sister and didn’t like what she saw. Her fine brows were drawn together, her mouth tight. Milly braced herself for a barrage of questions. Instead, Judith nodded. Maybe I’ve misread her again. Milly thought of asking her sister if she was okay, but Lucas resumed his story and the moment passed. “I got turned around. I only stopped and sat down to get my bearings … I must have passed out again.” He looked back up and his eyes shifted between the two women. “Then I found you two.”
Milly put her hand over Lucas’s. He wrapped his fingers around hers. His dark eyes looked almost black against the whites. She’d been so angry with him, with Judith and Harper, but the anguish in his voice struck at something deep inside her. The part of her that knew what it was to make a mistake. To fail someone and need forgiveness. If she held on to the anger, she’d be a hypocrite. Any doubts she had about her sister being genuinely
scared were gone.
“We need to get back to the trail.” Milly nodded to Judith. “Lucas needs a doctor.” She touched the back of her head. “So do I.” She looked up, the sky was visible in snatches. Judging by the crispness of the light, she guessed it had to be around midday. She glanced at Lucas’s wrist and saw a white strip of skin, but no watch.
“We can’t just go.” Judith stood over them. “Harper’s still out here somewhere, we need to find her.” She bent and took the water bottle from Lucas’s hand. “And we don’t have much water left.”
“Judith!” Milly didn’t know what to say. Her sister’s aggression seemed misplaced and out of character. I guess I barely know her. Milly thought of Judith’s plan to isolate and frighten her into admitting things she wanted to hear. Could she really be shocked that Judith would be rude to a guy she’d hired to help her do something that bordered on illegal?
Milly struggled to her feet ignoring the throbbing in her head. “You might not know right from wrong,” Milly faced her sister. “But I still do.” She snatched the bottle out of her sister’s hand and offered it to Lucas.
He shook his head. “No. I’m fine. I’ve had more than enough.”
Milly put the bottle back in the pack. The small clearing was blanketed in shadows and the smell of wood rot filled the air. Milly felt like the trees were leaning in, trying to touch her. She wanted to be moving, finding a way out of the forest and into the light.
“I’m not just walking away until I’ve found Harper.” Judith stood with her feet apart, hands on her hips. “Anything could be happening to her.”
“Judith,” Milly tried to soften her tone. “From what Lucas said, Harper might be near the trail. Heading that way is the best thing to do all round.”
Judith unfolded her arms and rubbed her chin. “What about the backpack? Harper’s pack?”
“What’s she talking about?” Lucas asked looking up at the two women.
Milly explained about finding the shredded pack earlier that morning.
“You were happy to leave the pack and head the other way this morning,” Milly pointed out. “You were the one who said it was too dangerous for us to stay and we should head for the trail.”
“That was before I found out that my girlfriend has been taken by two strange men.”
Milly blinked and tried to keep her mouth from falling open. Even amid all the mayhem, it still threw her to hear her sister calling Harper her girlfriend.
“Milly’s right.” Lucas started to stand and then staggered to the side. Both women grabbed an arm each and tried to help steady him. “I’m okay, really.” He swayed a little but stayed on his feet. “Judith, I think we should head back to the trail.”
“But what about the pack?” Judith’s eyes were narrowed and her chin tilted up. Milly had seen that look on her sister’s face a thousand times when they were kids; it usually meant trouble.
Lucas let out a long breath. “All I know is that the last place I saw her was near the trail, so that’s the best place to start looking.”
“No. I’m going back to the cliffs. If Harper’s there, I’ll find her.”
Milly wasn’t surprised, Judith had always been stubborn – spoiled even. But on the other hand, Harper was Judith’s partner; it made sense that she’d do anything to find her. She’s also my best friend. Milly wondered if that were still true after everything Judith had revealed. Until an hour ago, she’d have sworn she knew Harper inside out, but now it seems the person Milly knew was only a ghost from the past. She realised both Judith and Lucas were looking at her, waiting for her to speak.
“I agree with Lucas, I think we should go back…”
“How can you even contemplate leaving her?” Judith’s voice ratcheted up a notch. “She’s your best friend and she’s in trouble. How can you be so selfish?”
Milly opened her mouth to answer but Judith cut her off. “Don’t bother answering. It’s clear you’re doing this out of spite.” Judith took the water bottle out of the bag. “I’m taking the one with a quarter left. There’s a full one in the pack.”
“You can’t seriously be thinking of going off on your own?” Milly reached out to her sister, but Judith stepped away from her. “You heard what Lucas said, there are two men out there capable of God knows what and …” A shaft of pain sliced through Milly skull and all coherent thoughts ceased. Jagged ribbons of colour filled her vision.
“Are you okay?” she was aware of Lucas’s deep voice near her face and his arm around her waist, but his words were a confused jumble.
Milly found herself sitting on the ground, a carpet of dry leaves and gum nuts dug into her butt. Judith and Lucas stood over her having a heated discussion as if she weren’t there.
“You can see the state she’s in. We need to get her out of here as quickly as possible.” Lucas jabbed his finger in Milly’s direction.
Judith had her arms wrapped around her middle as if she were cold. “I know. I know. That’s why I think you should take her back and I’ll look for Harper alone.”
The pain in Milly’s head eased to a heavy thudding. She looked up at the two people standing over her; her vision seemed normal. She blinked her eyes a few times to make sure. She didn’t want her sister wandering around alone out in the wilds. The two men Lucas described were the stuff of nightmares; crazed men snatching up women in isolated areas. What was Judith thinking? How could she even contemplate going off alone?
“Please, Jude,” Milly spoke up. “Don’t go off alone, I can’t lose you before we’ve even had a chance.” Exhaustion and pain married together and hit Milly like a slap in the face. All the emotions she’d been trying to control were clamouring for release. Tears flooded her eyes and she could feel her body trembling.
Judith, eyes narrowed, opened her mouth and then closed it again. She dropped to one knee so she was on eye level with her sister. Milly could see the tiny crow’s feet at the edge of her startling blue eyes. She looked as exhausted as Milly felt.
“I have to, Mil. She’s everything.” She put her hand on Milly’s knee. Her fingers were cold. “Go with Lucas. You need to get to the hospital.”
Judith stood, Milly grabbed her hand. She wanted to tell her to be careful, but it seemed like a stupid warning.
“I pushed him.” The words were out. She’d never uttered them to a living soul. Over the last ten years there’d been times when she’d convinced herself the night at the Reach happened just the way she’d told everyone: Drew Crowell jumped in to save Harper. But the truth had always been there gnawing away at everything she touched. She closed her eyes and could see Drew’s face. So young, his flawless features drawn back in fear. No, don’t, his frantic voice in her ear took her breath away. Milly opened her eyes and looked into Judith’s.
Judith eyes widened. A look crossed her face, Milly couldn’t tell if it was anger or pity. “I know. I’ve always known … or guessed.”
Now it was Milly’s turn to be shocked. “How?”
“Harper. She was on her way up to the top of the Reach when I jumped. She heard Drew cry out.” Judith’s shoulders sagged. “It wasn’t difficult to guess what happened. I know you’ve been struggling … battling demons.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Milly’s eyes and nose streamed with tears and mucus. “I left you to take all the blame. I’m a coward.” Her words came out around hiccupping gasps. “I couldn’t jump in and save you that night so I pushed him to … Then I was too scared to tell the truth.”
Judith pulled Milly into an awkward embrace, Judith on one knee and Milly sitting. Milly could smell her sister’s hair; it reminded her of their mother’s, soft and clean. The secret she’d kept inside eating away at her for ten years was out. There could be no more hiding, no more lying and torturing herself. She’d pictured this moment a thousand times, but in her mind’s eye Judith slapped her or screamed accusations. It had never occurred to her she might forgive her.
Judith pulled back. “I was angry with
you for a long time, well until yesterday in fact, but …” She shook her head. “Not anymore.” She stood and touched the top of Milly’s head, brushing the hair with her finger tips. “I’ve got to go, Mil. We’ll talk when this is over.”
“No. It’s too dangerous.” Milly struggled to her feet and looked for Lucas. He’d moved into the shadows; she couldn’t see his face. “Don’t let her go.” Her voice, high and panicked broke with emotion.
Lucas shook his head, but didn’t speak or move to stop her.
“Harper’s alive and she needs me.” Judith’s voice was soft but firm. “I can feel it.”
The two women’s eyes met: Judith’s clear blue and filled with unshed tears, Milly’s hazel and red rimmed. A breeze blew through the clearing and ruffled Judith’s hair, somewhere in the trees finches chirped. Judith was the first to turn away. She stepped out of the clearing and within a minute vanished into the forest.
Chapter Twenty
Harper felt his presence before she opened her eyes. He was close, his musky smell and the sound of something thudding and sliding against the ground warned her of his proximity. The pain in her arm had subsided to a howl instead of a roar. She suspected the loss of feeling in her injured limb came from the swelling. The thought should have alarmed her, but she felt only gratitude that the agony which drove her to unconsciousness had abated. Slightly.
She was alive. Alive and, as the sound of the wind rustling through the trees and the bird’s song told her, still outside. He’d kept her alive just as she knew he would. From the moment this madness began on the way back to the trail, Harper knew what he had in mind for her. Once finished, he’d dispose of her like a used bag of bones. It sickened her, yet after what she’d seen him do to William, part of her just wanted it to happen so the nightmare could end.