Desolation Game

by Greg McLean

  He dived into the tunnel, got down on all fours and started crawling like mad.

  ‘Come here, you fuck,’ Mick snarled.

  Steve felt a sharp pain in the back of his legs, where Mick must have caught him with the knife. He screamed as his calves burned with pain. But he crawled on.

  ‘The hunt is on!’ Mick bellowed. ‘It’s battle time!’

  Steve got about twenty feet when the shots rang out. The gun blasts were deafening and he pressed his body flat against the earth as a few bullets whizzed by.

  More gunfire. Steve cried out as he felt the hot sting of bullets enter the flesh on his back. Warm blood ran down his left shoulder and above his waist.

  He waited for more gunfire.

  ‘Hey, Stevey, I get ya?’

  Steve said nothing. He didn’t think he had been seriously injured – his shoulder hurt and the knife wound in his calves stung, but he was sure no vital organs had been hit. He was still breathing alright and reaching down, he felt no large puddle of blood. Tentatively, he started crawling again.

  ‘I hear ya moving in there, so I guess not, huh? Ah well, doesn’t matter. It’ll make it all the more fun. Two vets fightin’ each other – should be a fair contest!’

  Two vets? Mick was in ’Nam? Then Steve could see it. It was the final piece of the puzzle. The picture was complete in his mind’s eye, and it was one of carnage.

  A war zone out in the desert.

  He’d got it all horribly wrong. He had to get back to the others before Mick did. Whatever happened to him, he had to warn them.

  Body racked with pain, Steve pushed ahead through the tunnel.

  The cop remained quiet and stony-faced while Bruce told a condensed version of the events.

  It wasn’t until he mentioned the name Mick Taylor that the policeman showed any signs of life. His young, thin face tensed and his emerald eyes widened.

  ‘You sure about the name?’

  Bruce nodded. ‘That’s what he said.’

  ‘Son of a bitch,’ Officer Ellis said through clenched teeth. ‘He’s back.’

  ‘You know the bastard? You believe me?’

  The constable got out his seat. ‘Let’s just say I’ve heard of what Mick’s capable of. Where did you say this mine was?’

  ‘Don’t know exactly . . . out in the desert somewhere. You get to it by some dirt track off the Rudall River Highway. It’ll be a bitch to find again, especially in the dark.’

  ‘We’ll find it,’ Ellis said. ‘Come on.’

  Bruce followed the cop out of the Emu Flat roadhouse, adrenalised by the action, the prospect of bringing help to Duncan and the others, but also terrified of it being too late.

  ‘Are you sure they were gun shots?’ Amber asked.

  Duncan nodded. His pale face and blond curls shone in the darkness of the small shed.

  ‘Shit.’ Amber went to Jewel, who was sitting up in her sleeping bag, and sat beside her.

  Duncan got to his feet and looked out one of the windows. He was dressed only in shorts and Jewel watched his lean body as he moved through the darkness. Despite the rain, despite it being the middle of the night, the air was still humid.

  ‘Maybe they weren’t shots,’ Amber said. ‘With this rain and everything . . .’

  Jewel could feel Amber shivering.

  ‘Maybe it was a car backfiring,’ Jewel offered, although the cracks that had woken them all up had sounded close and very much like the guns they’d fired yesterday morning.

  ‘Yeah, that could be it,’ Amber said. ‘The noise was faint – maybe it was a car on the highway.’

  ‘Nah, I don’t think so. Too far away.’ Duncan drew in a sharp breath. ‘There’s someone out there.’

  Amber’s grasp on Jewel tightened. ‘Who is it?’ she whispered.

  ‘I can’t tell.’

  A voice, sounding scared, cut through the rain: ‘Chiyo! Chiyo, where are you?’

  ‘It’s Akira,’ Duncan said, and he made for the door.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Amber said, still hushed.

  ‘To see what’s up.’ He closed the door behind him.

  Amber and Jewel looked at each other. Jewel could see the worry in her friend’s eyes and smiled briefly. She pulled Amber to her feet. ‘Come on.’

  ‘Wait, let me put on some clothes,’ Amber said. She scooped up her jeans from her sleeping bag and slipped them on. She was still wearing one of Duncan’s T-shirts.

  Jewel, in shorts and a T-shirt, pulled on her sneakers. Standing by the door of their shed, the pair watched Duncan rush through the pelting rain. He reached Akira and turned him around. They spoke, and then Duncan turned, looked over at something, then turned back to Akira and pointed towards the shed. Then he jogged off.

  ‘Where’s he going?’ Amber said.

  Akira ran over to them and they let him in. The small man was drenched, his blue cotton pyjamas sopping wet.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Jewel asked.

  Akira wiped his face and then said, ‘I wake up when I hear the shots and I see Chiyo is gone.’ He dripped on the floor, quickly creating a puddle around his feet.

  ‘Gone?’ Amber said.

  Akira nodded. His young face was creased with worry. ‘She not in her sleeping bag. Where could she go? In this weather?’

  ‘Maybe she went to the toilet,’ Jewel said. ‘Have you checked there?’

  Akira brightened. ‘No! Of course! I go —’

  At that moment, Cindy burst into the shed, giving them all a start. She was soaked too, and panicked. ‘Steve’s missing!’ she cried, wiping tears or rain, or both, from her eyes.

  ‘What? Steve too?’ Amber gasped.

  ‘What do you mean too?’ Cindy said.

  ‘Chiyo missing,’ Akira said. ‘I go look for her in toilet.’

  He reached for the door but stopped when Duncan stepped inside. He was clutching some items in his hands.

  Akira gasped. ‘That Chiyo’s umbrella. And her —’ He clasped a hand across his mouth.

  Jewel saw the shoes Duncan was holding and her skin prickled with goose bumps.

  ‘I checked the dunny,’ Duncan said. ‘It was empty, but I found these nearby.’

  ‘What has happened?’ Akira said, his voice pitched higher with panic.

  ‘I dunno, but we should look for her. And find out about the gunshots,’ Duncan said.

  Cindy took a step back. ‘Gunshots?’

  ‘You didn’t hear them?’ Amber said.

  ‘No, I . . . I got woken up by the sound of talking near my trailer. When I woke, I saw that Steve was gone. But Christ, you heard gunshots?’

  ‘Yeah, that’s what woke us up,’ Duncan said. ‘Listen, I’m sure it’s nothing. Probably Mick shooting at some rats. But I’ll get our guns, just in case.’

  ‘In case of what?’ Cindy said, voice loud and shrill. ‘There are two people missing and you heard gunshots? What does it mean?’

  ‘Look, you all just stay here. I’ll be right back. And then Akira and I will go out and look for Chiyo. And Steve.’

  ‘The keys!’ Jewel blurted. ‘You don’t have the keys, remember?’

  Duncan grimaced. ‘Shit!’

  ‘I don’t care about guns,’ Cindy said. ‘I’m going out to look for Steve. He was upset when we went to bed. Maybe he couldn’t sleep and he wandered off.’

  ‘In this weather?’ Amber said.

  ‘Rain doesn’t bother him.’

  ‘Why would he wander off?’ Duncan said. ‘What was he upset about?’

  ‘He was just upset, that’s all. He’s not feeling right about things . . . about the army . . . I tried getting him to talk about it, but he wouldn’t. Anyway, the why doesn’t matter. He’s not in the trailer, and I have to go and look for him.’ She swung the door open.

  ‘Wait,’ Duncan said. ‘Please don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but . . . well, did Steve carry a gun?’

  Cindy stopped, turned around. The door swung shut with a slap. She blinke
d. ‘What?’

  ‘He was in the army. I thought he might carry a gun.’

  ‘Gun?’ Akira looked at Duncan with wide eyes. ‘You think Steve . . . ?’

  ‘No!’ Cindy cried. ‘Christ, no! He didn’t have a gun. And even if he had, he wouldn’t have done anything like that!’

  ‘I didn’t mean he . . . I’m sorry,’ Duncan said. ‘I had to ask.’

  ‘Well, screw you,’ Cindy said. She flung the door wide and stomped out into the rain.

  Duncan turned to Akira and put a hand on his shoulder. ‘Akira, maybe you should go and get Sam and Matt and tell them what’s going on, while I try and work out how to get our guns. Then we can all look for them.’

  Akira nodded and rushed out.

  ‘Should we all be out looking around in the dark?’ Amber said. ‘At least one of us should stay here, in case they come back.’

  ‘That’s not a bad idea,’ Duncan said. ‘You two should stay.’

  ‘No, I want to help look,’ Jewel said, taking a glimpse out the window. ‘I’d rather know what was happening. But what about Mick? Should someone go get him?’

  Duncan had forgotten their host in the confusion. ‘Well . . . maybe we should just have a look around ourselves first. There still could be an innocent explana—’

  Cindy pushed the door open and rushed in. ‘I think we may have a problem.’

  All eyes turned to her. She was panting, her expression hard to read.

  ‘The guns are missing.’

  14

  By the time Steve got back to the pit, his legs felt numb and his shoulder was roaring with pain. He had bitten through the agony and moved forward, just as he’d been taught to do: ignore the pain, think of something good or sing your favourite song. Try to put the fear out of your mind while you get done whatever it was you had to do. Worry about the pain later.

  Well, he’d managed to put the pain out of his mind while he scrambled through the darkness, listening for sounds that Mick was close behind. Now he’d reached the pit, he allowed his tired mind to relax and the pain had come screaming back.

  He just had to make it out and back to the trailers. Had to warn the others and then they had to get out of here. Somehow, someway, they had to get out of here.

  He dropped down from the tunnel into the sludge-filled pit and waded through the muck until he hit the wall.

  The cuts on the backs of his legs burned; the shoulder wound was worse. He felt sticky all over from his blood and sweat.

  He reached up, clawed blindly for the ladder, and when he touched the cold metal, he gripped the bottom rung to pull himself up. His shoulder raged with fire and he sucked in fetid breath as his muscles failed.

  He tried again. It was useless.

  The pain was too intense, the muscles too weak. He fell backwards into the pit of rotting flesh and old bones. Tried not to think about the putrid mess entering his open wounds and infecting his blood.

  Come on, he thought, get moving, soldier. He couldn’t just lie there waiting for the enemy to come and get him. And Mick would get him. He’d be there soon, and then . . .

  Would he skin him, like he did Chiyo? Wear him like a crude coat? He was a psycho! And a vet. Mick was a vet. Christ, why hadn’t he picked it earlier?

  Mick had hidden his secret well. Steve could usually tell a fellow soldier, but not this time. He’d been fooled. But he wouldn’t pay the price for it. No, he would get moving, save the others and defeat the enemy.

  But how? He couldn’t even climb up the damn ladder.

  Sprawled there on the gruesome bed of flesh and bone, Steve felt the gentle wash of fresh air over him. The other tunnel. Of course! He was sure it led outside, and outside was better than being stuck in here.

  With a sickening slurp, Steve dragged himself up.

  Another sound caught his attention: the sound of earth being scratched, coupled with harsh breathing.

  ‘I can hear you, Stevey,’ the voice called. ‘Gave you a head start, but you didn’t get far enough, did ya? Legs causing you trouble? I was aiming for ya Achilles, but I missed.’

  The laughter that echoed through the tunnel sounded close.

  Soon Steve saw the glow from the flashlight appear down the tunnel. He clamoured for the other tunnel opening, with its soft breath of air, and when he found it, dived headfirst and started crawling again.

  He went as fast as he could manage, fighting through the pain that ripped at his body, and he was soon out of breath. His legs were crying out for a break, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop.

  On and on he crawled.

  Steve almost cried when he tasted the sweet tang of the rain-soaked air. Freedom was close at hand. He just had to keep a straight mind and soon he would be out of this place of death and madness.

  Then the ground gave way. With a yelp, he fell down into darkness.

  He tumbled sideways, turning in the air, until he landed on his back, hard.

  Winded, at first he didn’t feel anything. It was only when he tried to move – and found he couldn’t – that the pain began. It was overwhelming, like he had been stuck with a thousand needles.

  He raised an arm feebly and felt sharp prongs above him.

  Above?

  Steve tasted blood in his mouth and swooned with nausea. It felt like rods of red-hot steel had been rammed inside his body.

  Somewhere above, whistling. That damn song again. ‘Paint It Black.’

  Soon light found its way to Steve.

  Mick gazed down at him, his face in shadow behind the beam of the flashlight. Only his eyes were visible, two shimmering green orbs. ‘I bet this makes you feel right at home, eh?’ He chuckled. ‘I didn’t bother putting any piss or shit on the spikes – I’m not some filthy animal – but still, it does the job. Don’t ya agree?’

  Steve looked from Mick’s devilish eyes down to his body.There were half-a-dozen wooden spikes sticking out of his legs and torso. The tips were slathered with blood and tissue. His body was a mess of gore.

  Steve coughed and blood splattered over his face.

  ‘Well, hate to be a party pooper and leave, but I have things to do, people to kill,’ Mick said.

  Steve, his lungs filling up with blood, looked back up at Mick. ‘Shoot . . . me,’ he gurgled.

  Mick grinned, his teeth radiant in the darkness. ‘Nah. Why waste the bullets?’

  He winked and then the shadow disappeared, along with the light.

  Steve lay in the darkness and waited to die.

  Akira returned to the small shed with Sam and Matt, still groggy with sleep and faces pinched with confusion, to find Cindy addressing the others.

  ‘I noticed the Kombi’s back door was up while I was looking around for Steve,’ Cindy said. ‘I thought it was strange, seeing as how it was supposed to be locked. I immediately thought of the guns but when I looked for the bag . . .’

  ‘Look, what’s going on?’ Sam said. ‘Steve and Chiyo are missing? And the guns are gone?’

  ‘We’re not sure,’ Jewel said.

  ‘But I don’t get it,’ Duncan said to Cindy. ‘How’d Steve get the keys?’

  ‘We don’t know it was Steve,’ Cindy said. ‘It might have been Chiyo.’

  Akira shook his head. ‘No, Chiyo would never do that. She would never steal anything.’

  ‘Neither would Steve,’ Cindy said.

  ‘Well it sounds like someone stole them,’ Duncan said, starting to look like a frightened puppy. ‘Why, I don’t know. But we have to decide what the hell we’re going to do.’

  ‘Why she take off her shoes?’ Akira muttered. ‘It doesn’t make sense.’

  Matt, though still drowsy, was waking to the thread of fear among them.

  ‘Maybe they got waterlogged and she thought it was better to run without them,’ Matt said.

  Everyone looked at the teenager.

  ‘Why would she be running?’ Cindy said.

  ‘To get away from your psycho boyfriend.’

  �
�You have no idea what you’re saying!’ Cindy snapped.

  Jewel considered it. Maybe Steve had somehow gotten the van’s keys, unlocked the back door and taken the guns. Chiyo had gotten up to go to the toilet, had run into Steve – or maybe interrupted him in the act of taking the bag – and, seeing he had gone mad, had run away. She had dropped her umbrella, and, finding that her shoes were slowing her down, had pulled them off and continued running.

  But that left a lot of questions. Why would Steve take the guns in the first place? If it was to cause harm, why hadn’t he appeared? Why shoot at Chiyo and then disappear? And where was Chiyo? If Steve had shot her, then where was she?

  The whole scenario didn’t really add up.

  ‘They could be anywhere out there. Maybe it’s time to go and wake up Mick,’ Jewel said. ‘He should be told what’s going on.’

  Cindy huffed. ‘How do you know he’s not the one running around shooting at people? Hell, how do you know he didn’t steal the guns? You’re all quick to blame Steve, but what about Mick?’

  ‘You . . . you all wait here,’ Duncan said.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Amber said.

  Duncan sighed. ‘I don’t normally divulge this to the passengers, but this isn’t normal circumstances. Bruce and I keep another bag of guns in the van. A small collection of handguns. For emergencies. I think this qualifies as one.’

  A shocked silence fell over the group.

  ‘Holy shit, then what are you waiting for?’ Sam said loudly.

  Duncan yanked the shed door open. ‘I’ll climb through the back and get ’em, then come back here. Then we’ll decide what to do.’

  They watched him dash into the pelting rain as the door swung shut.

  ‘This is nuts,’ Sam said. ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’

  ‘I just hope Chiyo is okay,’ Akira said, and then he put his head in his hands and sobbed.