‘C’mon Dig, grab your boots and jacket, put ‘em on in the ute,’ Karl said, snatching his jacket from the hook and hurrying out the door.
‘See ya’s all later.’ Dig kissed Win and he and Karl jumped in the ute, spraying gravel as they sped off.
‘I can’t stay here and do nothin’. They’ll need everyone they can get up there.’ Harvey looked around at them.
‘Well, if you hurry you can catch Arthur as he goes past,’ Ellie said. ‘Jump in with him.’
‘Good, I’ll just race up and throw on some old things.’
‘Apparently Arthur’s worried about young Robert. He’s still not home, so Sam said,’ Ellie recalled.
‘We saw him earlier this afternoon,’ Tammi replied. ‘He should’ve been home hours ago.’
‘That young man is headed for trouble, mark my words,’ Emmie said.
Hazel and Ted appeared in their dressing gowns.
‘A bad un I reckon, Dave,’ Ted said, coming to stand beside him.
‘Yes, I think Frank left it a bit late to do that burn this year. It’s potentially a catastrophic combination up in those hills!’ Poor old Dave stood, watching helplessly.
‘Look… the fire’s breaking out closer to Aunty Dawn’s!’ Kathy yelled.
Sure enough, the flames had sprung further up the hill. As they watched, the whole hill seemed to ignite. Bright orange flames licked high into the night sky. They could hear the faint shouts of men’s voices mingled with chugging of water pumps as they discharged gallons of water onto the inferno.
‘A bloke feels bloody helpless just standin’ here watchin.’ Dave stood on the top step of the back veranda watching as the fire snaked its way up the hill. ‘That’s got a hell of a go on! They’ve got a battle on their hands with this one!’
‘You silly old fool, you know you can’t go fighting fires. I’m not losing you to this damn lunatic on top of everything else.’ Emmie took Dave’s cold hand in hers. ‘It’s no good upsetting yourself, come on, sit down. I’ll get Hazel to make us a cuppa.’
Francis went to his mother who was standing on the edge of the veranda watching the blaze.
‘Mum, Uncle Arthur’s just pulled up I’m going up with him and Harvey.’
‘Oh, Francis, if anything happened to you… Just be careful son!’
Francis gave her a quick hug and raced out to leap in the truck with Arthur and Harvey. The old water tanker heaved and groaned, then chugged off in a cloud of exhaust smoke.
‘Shit, Arthur, what’d you pay for this thing?’ Harvey asked, holding on to the dashboard for support as the truck bounced and shuddered along the road.
‘You sure we’ll make it up the hill in this thing?’ Francis added.
Arthur roared with laughter. ‘Never fear, we’ll make it alright, just hold on!’
***
‘Are there many properties backing onto that hill?’ Mary enquired.
‘Yes, about five, including Sam’s orchard and Dawn’s farm,’ Win told her.
‘They’ll all be out battlin’ this,’ Dave added. ‘The firebug’s targetin’ everyone in the valley this time! It’s not just us anymore. The whole valley will be in an uproar over this.’
***
Up in the hills, they frantically battled the raging beast. The huge flames were being fanned by a breeze, although it wasn’t a strong gusty wind, it was enough to make the situation so much worse.
Fire brigades from the main town of Albury and the nearby country village of Jindera arrived. All the local blokes, and some of the women, raced to help fight the inferno, all desperate to save their properties. If it got away from them and deeper into the scrub, then things would indeed become catastrophic!
***
It had reached the boundary fence on Dawn’s back paddock.
Jeff Hickson was cursing as he desperately sprayed water onto the savage flames.
‘This fuckin’ bastard has to be stopped! We’ve gotta stop it reachin’ the hayshed. Dawn’s just had it built and there’s at least a thousand bales of hay in it! She can’t afford to lose it now.’
‘Curse this rotten bastard! He’ll hang for this… I’ll string ‘im up meself!’ Karl shouted back.
‘Look out, Karl!’ Frank Smith bellowed. ‘That gum tree’s about to fall.’ As he shouted, a huge branch broke loose and crashed to the ground inches from Karl. Flames jumped from it as it hit the ground and quickly caught on to grass and raced off to join the larger ones.
‘Bring more water up here. Get Arthur and his tanker. The fire’s gone through the fence and is headin’ straight for the hayshed!’ Eric shouted.
In the other direction, Sam, Digger and a number of other local men were trying hard to control flames that threatened Ivy Gelding’s hayshed. She wasn’t liked very much; she was a cranky old bitch, always running someone down behind their back and enjoyed idle gossip, but no one wanted to see her property destroyed.
They laboured on desperately. Smoke burnt their eyes and stung their nostrils. The radiating heat scorched skin that some of the locals hadn’t covered adequately in their rush to get up the hill and stop the fire spreading. Many hadn’t thought about protective clothing.
Francis and Des headed down the path to old Harry’s hut. If the fire turned, it would head straight for Harry’s and it would burn the old hut in seconds. They were soaking everything around it with their knapsacks.
‘Hell, Des, who the blazes would do a thing like this? Whoever it is has to be bloody insane!’
‘Yep, he’s made a great job of this one. I dunno how we’ll stop it without someone losing their property.’
Des straightened from his crouched position and rubbed his blackened hands across his face, leaving streaks of ash behind.
‘If Dawn’s new hayshed goes with all that hay, she’ll be up for a fortune.’ As he spoke, a sound from nearby made both young men pause and listen.
‘Did you hear that?’ Francis whispered.
‘Someone else’s here besides us.’ Des squinted into the darkness.
‘Maybe it’s a cow or horse that broke through a fence somewhere,’ Francis said.
Just then they spotted the silhouette of a man coming from the direction of Harry’s hut and who should appear on the path in front of them but none other than the priest!
‘Father Damien! What the friggin’ blazes… Haven’t you heard anythin’ Dad and the others have been tellin’ you? What’re you doin’ up here near old Harry’s?’ Des could hardly believe his eyes. The priest had appeared out of nowhere yet again!
‘I ran up from the seminary. I want to help!’ he said, breathless from running up the hill.
‘Well, if that’s the case, get your arse up there with the other blokes. They need every pair of hands they can get. We’re okay here so piss off.’ Des couldn’t contain his anger. This fool just popped up at every fire.
Watching him leave, Francis said, ‘He’s got a screw loose. What’s with the hat? It’s dark?’
‘Yeah, there’s something not right about him that’s for sure!’ Playing in the back of Des’ mind was something old Harry had said but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
‘C’mon, better see how Harry’s doin’ then get back up to the others.’
Old Harry was watching from his doorway. He was jittery here on his own. For nights now he had heard noises outside. Each night around two o’clock, he’d been woken by his old dog, Tom, growling at something outside.
Then earlier tonight he had heard those same noises again. He didn’t go outside to look but now he wondered if it had been the firebug. He didn’t like the thought that he had been inside his hut and some mongrel was out there most likely setting up this fire. It made him feel very uneasy indeed.
Relief flooded his face when he spotted Des and Francis. ‘Glad to see you’se blokes,’ he croaked as the young men approached. ‘How’s things up dere…? Looks real bad, it does!’
‘Damn right, Harry,’ Des agreed. ‘How about you go d
own to the house? Francis will take ya in the ute.’
‘Can’t leave me hut, son. Me life’s here with old Tom. Besides, it’s going up tha hill!’
‘Maybe so, Harry, but if it turns, you’re right in its path!’
‘Not only that, Harry, but what about ash? And look at those sparks shootin’ up from the trees; one of them could land on your roof. Also, we don’t know who’s lurkin’ around. The firebug could well be right outside here,’ Francis pointed out. ‘If he attacked you, you’re too old to defend yourself.’
‘I thank ya both for tha concern but I’m not leavin’ me hut ‘less I really have ta!’ Even though he was frightened, Harry refused to budge. ‘Besides, I might have somethin’ that’ll help ya’s too.’
Harry told them about the noises of the previous nights. They knew he could distinguish between animals lurking around his hut and other strange noises. They said they would pass the information on to the other blokes. Neither one liked to leave the old man but they couldn’t make him change his mind. They soaked his roof for him and said they would come back later and do it again.
Going back up the hill, they became separated as they searched for hot spots. They had prevented the fire from burning Ivy Gelding’s hayshed but there was still trouble in keeping it back from Dawn’s.
The phone rang at Kia-Ora.
‘I’ll get it. You stay here with Mum and Dad,’ Ellie told Win. Dave was extremely upset about the fire and they were worried the stress could trigger another asthma attack.
‘Hello? Ellie speaking.’ At first, all Ellie heard was the sound of breathing. She felt her heart miss a beat. ‘Who’s there?’ No response. ‘Who is this?’ she asked again. There was still no response, but then she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as she heard a sinister cackle and the sound of heavy breathing at the other end of the line.
The blood drained from her face. Her knees went weak and she had to grab the back of a chair for support. ‘Who is this…?’ Her voice shook as she asked the question.
A deep gravelly voice then spoke quietly in her ear…
‘Saw ya on the veranda earlier… Very interestin’.’ Heavy panting followed and with a click, the line went dead. Ellie slowly replaced the receiver.
‘Ellie, what’s wrong? You’re as white as a sheet!’ Mary came in just as Ellie put the receiver down.
Ellie brushed past her, going straight out to Win. Touching her on the arm, she beckoned her away from Emmie and Dave to the privacy of the side veranda.
‘Ellie, what is it?’ Win whispered, taking hold of her arm. Ellie looked like she was about to faint.
‘That phone call, it… Bloody hell, Win… it was horrible… heavy breathing and panting.’
Win’s mouth fell open. ‘What… Oh Ellie, how horrible.’ She reached out a hand to comfort Ellie. ‘Was that all… Did the person speak to you?’
‘Oh Win, he said he saw me on the veranda earlier… Win… he must have been watching me!’ She shuddered at the realization. ‘Win… I think the caller was the firebug!’ She turned her frightened face to her sister.
‘What!! …Ellie… No!’ Win stood stock still and stared at Ellie for a second. When she spoke, her voice shook. ‘Ellie, are you sure…? I mean, it could well have been a prank call!’
‘Well, whichever way you look at it, we can’t ignore it. It wasn’t a kid’s voice, it was a man’s! No Win, it was the firebug. Think about it: he knew I had been out on the veranda earlier… All these fires and now this; what better time to frighten us than now? The bastard knows that we’re here alone with Mum and Dad and no other men around!’
Win felt sick. She knew Ellie was right, whoever was lighting the fires had to be the same person that had just phoned. Who else could it have been? ‘Then we have to do something fast. We need to think.’
The phone rang again. Ellie and Win quickly looked at each other. Kathy picked it up before they could get to it. She turned to her mother and aunt, looking from one to the other, her mouth opening and closing, trying to say something, clearly shocked!
‘Kathy? What was just said on the phone?’ Win grabbed her shoulders and gently shook her.
‘A… a man… He… He said… ‘things are lookin real hot’. He… he sort of… breathed really heavy and weird… then hung up.’
The women looked at each other, fear etched on their faces. Who was this caller?
‘What’s going on, Mum, Aunt Ellie?’ Kathy asked, her voice shaking.
‘Win, we need to do something… fast!’
Mary was standing behind them. ‘Yes, what is going on? You two look very rattled and I saw Kathy’s face when she answered the phone,’ she said, concerned.
‘We think the calls came from the firebug!’ Win admitted.
Kathy and Mary both looked stunned.
‘He didn’t say much at all, just that awful heavy breathing, but I’m convinced it was the firebug and not a prank call,’ Ellie told them.
‘Yes,’ Win continued. ‘It’s too serious to pass off as some kid playing games. We’ve got to think about what we can do.’
Mary sat in one of the cane chairs. She could feel herself trembling. ‘Look, there’s only one thing to do. We have to get word to the men. If this lunatic is brazen enough to phone here, then goodness knows what he’s capable of!’
‘Yes, I agree. We can’t tell Mum and Dad though. Dad’s upset enough this would push him over the edge. We are being watched, it’s obvious!’ Ellie paced back and forth.
‘Shouldn’t we call the police?’ asked Kathy. ‘I think we should. How can we get word to Dad? He could be anywhere up there.’
Win put a comforting arm around her daughter. ‘The police would come here love, they’d want to speak to us and we couldn’t keep it from Mum and Dad. They’d see the police and ask all sorts of questions. No, I think for tonight we should try to get word to your Dad and uncles.’
‘We could ring Dawn. I think she will hear the phone even if she’s outside watching the fire. She might be able to get word to someone.’ Ellie spun around as she spoke. ‘I’ll call her now!’
She hurried in and made the call. As she replaced the receiver, she heard shouts and they were getting louder. She ran to the veranda. What’s going on, Dad?’
The shouts were getting closer.
‘Seems to be there, down by the creek,’ Dave answered. ‘Shh, listen!’ The voices were clear now.
‘There he goes… Get him! Get him! Get the fuckin’ mongrel!’
‘Shit… he can bloody run!’
‘Catch him… Don’t let him get away!’
‘Well! I’ll be damned! They’re chasin’ the bastard along the creek!’ Dave sat forward in his chair. His breath came in short gasps as he clutched his chest.
‘Dad… Dad… are you alright?’ Win knelt before him, her hands on his knees. ‘Fetch some brandy, quick!’ she called.
‘I’ll get it! Where is it?’ Mary was already on her way inside.
‘On the sideboard. Hazel’s in there, ask her… Hurry, Mary!’
In seconds, Mary was back with a nip of brandy for Dave, followed closely by Hazel, carrying the flask.
Win helped him hold the glass. His hands were shaking badly but the brandy did seem to calm him a bit.
‘Dave, please, come in and lie down a while,’ begged Emmie. ‘You can’t do any good out here, you’ll just make yourself sick.’
Surprisingly, Dave gave in to Emmie’s request and went inside to lie down.
‘Dad’s a dreadful colour…’ Win said to Ellie. ‘I’m really worried about him! I think we should call the doctor!’
The voices down at the creek rose and fell as the men shouted to each other.
‘I hope they catch him!’ Ellie clenched her fists.
He thrashed his way along the dry creek bed, heedless of the ripping and scratching branches that clawed at him. He knew his way well and his agility made it easy to elude capture. The triumphant leer on his face said it
all!
‘Aaah! Shit!’ Sam cursed. He had stumbled over a stump sticking out of the ground.
‘Bloody near broke me leg!’
‘C’mon, mate.’ Digger gave Sam a hoist up. ‘Bastard’s got a good lead, fuckin hell! Look at him clear that bloody fence!
The culprit easily leapt over a wire fence and disappeared into the night.
The men stood gaping in amazement at what they had witnessed. It had been too dark to get any description other than that he was tall and extremely agile.
‘Well I’ll be damned! We nearly friggin’ had him!’ Sam swore. ‘Who the fuck is this bastard? I’ve never seen anyone jump a fence like that!’
***
The fire was less ferocious now. The water pumps still echoed into the night and the voices of the men could be heard shouting instructions to each other, but the intensity of the flames had subsided, much to their relief.
Frank Smith and the men breathed a sigh of utter relief. They’d managed to save Dawn’s hayshed and no one else had lost property. They gathered up their equipment and packed it into the old fire truck to go back and join up with the others.
As they rattled to a stop at the bottom of the track where the rest of the men were gathered, a group of tired and out of breath blokes, led by Digger and Sam, stumbled their way back through the burnt bush and trees towards the group now awaiting them.
‘Where’ve they all been?’ Karl and Jeff asked together.
‘Sam got a glimpse of a bloke hangin’ ‘round Ivy Gelding’s. He went to approach him and the fella took off. They all gave chase and I think they ended up down the creek. They’ll fill us in anyway,’ Arthur told them.
Digger was first to reach the waiting blokes. ‘Bastard got away. We got a bit of a description but not much; we couldn’t get close enough to see his face. Didn’t recognize him at all from what we did get ta see.’
‘Tall bugger, about six foot. Dunno if he had dark hair or if it was a hat on his head. Fit bastard – leapt those fences as easy as anythin’ and ran like a hare, he did.’
Sam, who was close behind Digger, bent forward and placed his hands on his knees, taking in gulps of air. ‘Whew, I’m not used to runnin’ like that. Bloody winded me, it did!’
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