by Greg McLean
The whole time he pictures the big policeman sitting in a neat semi-circle in the mine site’s tunnels, along with the fat pedo’s bloated body and the two brothers.
It tickles him to the core to think of them all sitting there, beaten and dead, stripped of their power. In fact, he’d taken a handy trophy from each of the Others: the Bardoch camp of course, Roberts’ .243 rifle, Drago’s bowie knife and the brothers’ tow truck stripped of its winch, all waiting for use one day. He wishes he’d kept Cutter and Jock around to join them, but he’s sure they’re there in spirit. Rose, he’s swept from his memory. Doesn’t even think of her when he pictures them all slouched in the darkness waiting for his return.
But he’s not ready just yet.
He hasn’t been back to the site since, in case anyone suspects him still. He’s tied to the crimes and knows there’s a chance – despite all the evidence burying Roberts – that someone could start piecing it together. The longer he stays, the more risk he’s taking.
So although the mine calls to him like a Siren, he needs distance.
He stays long enough to show his face, share the pain of others as if it’s his own, drink to the memory of Kravic and Mooney. Even Rose. Is careful not to smile or laugh inappropriately even though it threatens to overwhelm him at times.
Then one day an army recruiter rolls into town. Mick walks past the booth with a clutch of dingo pelts over his shoulder, and stops to listen to the bloke’s tired pitch. He considered it once, a long time back, but they wouldn’t have taken him ’cause of his legs. He’d pass a bloody physical now. The bloke’s droning on about saving Vietnam from the communists, but Mick’s not listening. The whole time he’s looking at the graffiti some hippie wit’s scrawled next door on the bricks of the Black Shanty: ‘Go overseas with the Army. Meet interesting people. And kill them.’
Mick looks at that a long while. And this time he can’t hide his smile.
Turns out he doesn’t need to anymore.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Greg: I would like to thank my partner in crime, Bianca Martino, and the Martino family for their support and care, and the entire Mclean clan for their unwavering enthusiasm and love. And, of course, Aaron Sterns for entering the sometimes dark and crazy world of Wolf Creek. Special thanks also to Antoni Jach for all his wisdom and help along the way.
Aaron: I wish to thank actor John Jarratt for his take on his memorable film character’s early days. Not only did John offer me insights into Mick’s unique psychopathology, but he also relayed a number of anecdotes about his own childhood growing up in outback Queensland which made their way into the novel.
Thanks also to John Lethbridge, of Normandy Station, outside Roma in Queensland, and Russell Hammond for putting us in touch. Many thanks to Bob and Margaret Luff for the use of their house in Loch Sport; Tim and Kerryn Luff for their Lost Room; and Tania and Dom Salerno for their place in Aireys Inlet.
I’d also like to thank my agent Beth Fleisher, Simon Rowell for his stories on the oilfields, Michael Nolan at Penguin for cleaning up my prose, Greg Mclean for allowing me to bring a twisted vision of Mick’s upbringing to life, and of course to my partner Robyn for her unfailing support and faith in me over so many years.
ALSO FROM PENGUIN BOOKS
Mick’s learning, and his schoolroom is a war
When Mick Taylor searches for a place to keep a low profile, he finds somewhere where his talents are appreciated: a war. And in Vietnam, an out-of-control sergeant takes the amateur murderer and turns him into a pro.
Back home, Mick makes use of the sick lessons the army taught him when hapless tour operators bring a Kombi-load of sightseers into the Western Australian desert: middle of nowhere, population one. Two suspicious flat tyres deliver him an engaged Japanese couple, a father and son, a US army vet and his girlfriend, and a couple of cute girls. They find themselves in hell, as Mick makes sure their once-in-a-lifetime tour stays that way. When one of the drivers escapes and goes for help, Mick sees no reason to stop the killing spree.
In the second prequel novel, the cult film’s writer/director Greg Mclean and horror writer Brett McBean get to the heart of Australian horror’s most terrifying psycho killer. Is Mick Taylor possessed by some dark and ancient power in the landscape itself? Does the Red Centre demand blood?
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First published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2014
Copyright © Emu Creek Pictures Pty Ltd 2014
The moral right of the author has been asserted
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. Every effort has been made to trace and acknowledge copyright material, and the author and publisher would be pleased to hear from anyone in this regard.
Cover and Text Design by Adam Laszczuk © Penguin Group (Australia)
Front cover image courtesy of Emu Creek Pictures
penguin.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74253-767-2
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