Cockatoo

by Christopher Cummings

  Worried by the memory of her earlier fall on such a bridge Tina went slowly and kept to the middle of the roadway. Because she was in a large clearing the starlight was good enough to make out both road and bridge safely but she was still very wary. The creek looked to be flowing five or six metres wide and it went gushing and gurgling under the bridge, swollen by the recent rain.

  It was only a little noise when heard above the sound of rushing water but it was metallic and it sent Tina’s heart rate shooting up. She stopped in the middle of the bridge and strained her eyes while scanning the jungle and parking area on the far side. Down to the right on the other bank was a small shed and beyond that a turnoff to a car park and walking track. She stared hard, wondering if she had really heard anything.

  Then, just as she wondered what it was she was looking at two car headlights blazed out directly onto her from a vehicle parked in the car park over to her right front. Even as her dazzled eyes registered the lights terror surged through her veins.

  ‘The men!’ she thought. ‘It is a trap!’

  CHAPTER 46

  DESPERATION

  For a few seconds Tina stood in the middle of the bridge, rooted to the spot by paralysing fear. The dazzling beams of light blinded her and seemed to pin her to there. But then came another metallic noise and a flicker of light told her that someone had run across in front of the car.

  ‘They are coming to get me!’ her terrified mind screamed, or she did. She wasn’t sure. But the stab of pure terror broke the spell. ‘I must run. I must get away,’ she thought. But she knew she could not run far. ‘I am too exhausted,’ she reasoned. For a second or two she thought of trying to run back to hide in the jungle but she rejected that too. Then the crunch of running boots on gravel decided her. Her memory of the creek was of it being about knee deep and with a clear sandy bottom. In desperation she turned and sprang off the bridge into the darkness.

  She knew the drop wasn’t too far, perhaps four metres, but instead of sand she landed on rocks. A sharp pain stabbed up her right ankle and she went under water and crashed onto more rocks, tumbling over and over in a welter of foaming current which swept her away. Bruised and knocked half senseless she struggled to get her head above water but the turbulence was very much stronger than her and much stronger than she had expected.

  For several seconds Tina feared she was going to be drowned or would have her skull cracked by the rocks but then her feet and hands felt sand and the swirling eased and she was able to get her head up. Spluttering and gasping she realized that the creek was half in spate from the rain and that it was sweeping her along at a rapid rate. Flickering lights showed her that the bridge was already fifty paces behind her and it flashed through her mind that swimming was not only her fastest method of travel but possibly her only. Sharp pains in her right leg made her suspect that she had broken her ankle or lower leg bone.

  Suddenly she suffered a savage blow on the back and back of her head and she came to a stop, pinned against something by the force of the current. The blow was so severe that she was almost knocked unconscious and only desperation kept her struggling. Bruised and battered and gasping for breath it took her quite a few seconds before her stunned mind worked out that she had been swept into the branches of a dead tree that had fallen into the creek.

  ‘I’m going to drown!’ her terrified mind cried as the force of the water began to push her under. Desperate to live she grabbed at the wet timber and struggled to free herself. But both legs seemed to be stuck in a fork by the force of the current and it felt as though her left leg might snap at any moment. Frantic and gasping she squirmed and struggled. Somehow she managed to get a better grip, enough to keep her head just above water.

  By a desperate heave she managed to drag her legs free and let them trail in the current. As she did her eyes made sense of the pattern of light and darkness upstream. She noted the straight dark line of the bridge and in the glow of the car headlights two men running about on the bridge. Then a point of light appeared and just as Tina puzzled over what it was she realized it was a powerful hand torch. The beam swept down to light up the swirling waters of the creek. And then it shone right into her eyes and stayed still.

  “There she is!” shouted a man.

  ‘Danny!’ Tina thought, terror digging its icy claws into her heart.

  “Get after her! Go down the creek,” shouted another man.

  On hearing that Tina renewed her efforts to get free of the snag. As she did she heard Danny arguing with the other man, the ‘Boss’ she gathered.

  The Boss shouted angrily, “Get after her or else! I will go along this track here beside the creek.’

  Tina knew at once which track. It was a pleasant little walking track maintained by the National Park service. Having walked along it several times she knew it ran close beside the creek much of the way and that a grown man with a torch would find it easy going even in the dark. Her fear and desperation grew and she struggled furiously to get free, even as she glimpsed Danny run down the bank on the left of the bridge.

  ‘Here he comes! He is in the water!’ her terrified mind cried.

  Slithering and scrambling frantically Tina dragged herself through the branches and slid free into clear water. As she did her feet touched the bottom and she manage to get to her feet. The water was only waist deep but the current was strong and she found it hard to keep her balance as she floundered desperately along. The whole time she was illuminated by a powerful torch. This induced a sense of intense nakedness and the terror was so great she kept sobbing.

  Then the terror was notched up when Tina heard a sharp cracking noise close to her left ear. Almost stunned by fear she glance back to confirm what her racing mind told her. She was just in time to see a tiny stab of red. There was another snapping sound beside her.

  ‘He is shooting at me!’ she thought.

  And Danny, who was floundering and splashing along the creek towards her, was already closer!

  Tina heard the Boss shout, “Catch the bitch! Move man, move!”

  Terrified Tina turned and stumbled, just as the boss fired again. She did not know where the bullet went but her mind made several instant decisions. ‘Underwater,’ she told herself. ‘And don’t try to run. Swim.’

  So she ducked under and began to breast stroke, her eyes closed and fear of crashing into more snags or rocks warring with the fear of being shot or caught. She couldn’t stay under long, more from fear than lack of breath but when she came up she at once realized that the torch beam was no longer on her. She gasped in air and allowed the swift current to push her along. Behind her she could hear Danny splashing and cursing. Glancing back she got glimpses of the torch again. It was now in the jungle and rapidly catching up. ‘The Boss is running along the walking track,’ she decided.

  Desperate to escape she swam as fast as she could, managing to keep ahead of the flickering, bobbing light. Luckily for her the creek curved away to the left and she gasped with relief when she saw the torch shine down on Danny. The men shouted to each other and then Danny resumed floundering after her, his swearing audible.

  The creek went left and then curved back to the right and Tina realized that creek and track were again converging. A vague memory of looking down on some rapids added to her anxiety. ‘Rapids mean rocks,’ she thought. Worry about injuring herself by being tumbled over the rocks caused her to start to try to pick her course. It was hard to do in the darkness as the creek flowed in a tunnel of rainforest but there was just enough light to make out the pattern.

  Tina dragged herself to the left bank and tried to stand. There were sharp pains in her right ankle but she was able to do so. Shaking violently from overexertion and gasping from breath she staggered up onto a grassy bank and began to hobble quickly along it. Twice she tripped and that made her slow down. But within seconds she realized her cautious plan would not work. Danny came into view only twenty five paces behind and she saw the flicker of the torch almost directly in
front of her.

  For perhaps a second she hesitated. Then, with a sob of dread, she dived back into the creek. ‘Nothing for it but to take the risk,’ she decided. She began swimming with an overarm stroke until she glimpsed white foam in the blackness. There were rapids. And they were rough and dangerous. Tina hesitated for another second or two over whether to try to go down them feet first or head first and then decided on head first. ‘If I go feet first and strike my spine on a rock I could be crippled,’ she thought.

  So she faced the rapids and tensed herself. The white showed more clearly and the noise increased and suddenly she was over the first rocks, scraping her tummy and banging her knees. She slid into a swirling pool but her hands were already working, feeling and clawing to keep her moving. Up to her right she glimpsed the torch but its beam swept over her and she ignored it. All she could do was cringe and hope.

  Tina went over a bigger drop and was almost tumbled over in the back eddy and swirl but was able to keep going. Dimly, above the roar of the rapids, she heard shouting and a frantic glance back showed her that the torch beam was directed on Danny. He was waving his arms and yelling. Then he hurried after her.

  Tina went down another set of small rapids and then over a small waterfall about two metres high. This jarred her and she struck several rocks with knees and elbows. Excruciating pains shot through her and the fear of injury increased. But by desperate paddling she managed to slide out of a swirling pool and over another low fall and into the next section of creek.

  Suddenly she realized she could see fairly clearly. ‘The moon is coming up!’ she thought. Her satisfaction lasted only for the second it took for her to work out that it made it harder for her to hide. But at least she could see better. There were more rocks ahead and what looked like another big snag. Rather than risk being dragged into its branches she windmilled with her arms to struggle to the bank.

  Gasping for breath she hauled herself out and began staggering along the uneven grassy bank, ignoring the shooting pains in the right ankle. From behind her came a shout and she saw Danny hurrying down her bank of the creek, clambering from rock to rock. He had obviously decided that the rapids were not the best option. Worse still he seemed to be catching up fast.

  Then he went down with a loud cry as he tripped. Tina heard him swear and then call on her to stop but she kept on going. The rapids seemed to have ended but she kept on along the creek bank until she also tripped, again wrenching her ankle. But it was the sight of the torch bobbing along through the jungle up to her right rear that really galvanized her into frantic action.

  She slid into the water again and began to swim. The bottom was again sand and the creek seemed to have opened out so that the trees did not meet overhead. The creek curved right and then left into a straight reach of at least a hundred metres. Tina struggled gamely to keep swimming but her muscles quickly tired and her arms and legs began to feel as though they were made of lead. Her breath came in hot gasps and several times she splashed or swallowed water that made her choke and cough. Her eyes watered and she had to blink them clear.

  Sobbing with despair and fatigue she swept past the point where the creek straightened out and became wider. To her dismay it became so shallow she began to scrape along the bottom and had trouble swimming. To make any progress she had to drag herself forward with her arms. A glance behind showed her the torch at the bend only twenty five paces back and then into view came the splashing, swearing shape of Danny, now another fifty paces behind.

  Desperate to escape Tina decided to try running. She staggered to her feet and started floundering towards the grassy bank on her left. As she did there was a loud snapping noise which she now recognized as a bullet. ‘The Boss is shooting at me again,’ her terrified mind screamed. But a corner of her mind was still rational and that worked out that he was firing a hand gun. ‘If it was a rifle or shotgun I would be dead,’ she reasoned.

  Being shot at sent spasms of terror through Tina and she broke into a frantic, floundering run. She heard another shot and saw a spray of water ten metres ahead. To try to make it harder for the man to aim she tried swerving. As she did she felt a heavy blow in her right buttock. The blow was so hard and hurt so much she thought she had been kicked by a large boot. But a glance behind showed Danny still fifty metres back and only just past the bend in the creek.

  Then it dawned on her. ‘I have been hit!’ At the same moment she realized that running along the bank was not a good option. The grass was much longer and much of what she had taken for long grass was actually mostly reeds growing in water. Rather than be shot again she fell flat- and only just in time. Another bullet cracked close over head as she went down. Once again she tried swimming underwater but quickly gave it up as hopeless as she encountered reeds and water weed and was quickly snared.

  Frantically she wrenched herself free and then slid on down the stream. As she did she tried to stay as low as she could. To achieve this she floated on her side and used her arms underwater. A throbbing pain was now spreading outwards from her bum and she began to despair. In the first pale beams of moonlight she saw Danny climb onto the bank He began forcing his way along it through the long grass. That allowed Tina to draw another ten metres ahead. But then Danny realized he was not winning and splashed his way back into the creek.

  Then Tina saw the torch off to her right rear. It was further away, just a pinprick of light in the dark wall of jungle. That gave her hope. But that was instantly dashed when she heard the Boss yell out: “Hey Danny, you keep on after her. We will go to the camp ground to make sure she doesn’t get to contact anyone.”

  Danny stopped and called back, “What do I do if I catch her?”

  “Make sure she doesn’t call out. Drown the bitch,” the Boss yelled back.

  Tina was almost paralysed by fear when she heard this. Her stomach heaved and she trembled and gasped. But she was still free and fifty paces ahead and now she decided to change tactics. She slowed and drifted as she went around the next bend. This was to the left and the creek became even wider. Better still it was lined with a thick belt of reeds and these gave her the idea.

  As soon as she was out of sight of Danny and no longer able to see the torch she stopped and began sliding into the reeds, taking care to angle back so that any track she left would only be visible to a person looking behind themselves. The reeds were full of slime and sharp ends but she ignored both and even pushed fear of snakes to the back of her mind to allow herself to keep going.

  She didn’t go far, had barely pulled her body in off the clear water so that her boots were still not in the reeds when Danny appeared. He was wading and was cursing and swearing as he splashed along. The water was waist deep and the bottom a muddy sludge and it slowed him right down. Several times he floundered and slipped over, getting a dunking each time. As he passed close to where Tina lay with hammering heart he began looking in all directions. He came to a stop in chest deep water only ten metres away and stared hard.

  “Now where has the little bitch got to?” he muttered.

  Tina was so winded that she had the urge to gulp in deep breaths but she did not dare. It took all of her self control to stop wheezing and gasping. Instead she sucked in slow, quiet breaths. To make herself harder to see she sank down so that only her nose and eyes were out of the water and hoped that he wouldn’t notice the disturbed reeds. All the while she trembled and shook from overexertion and terror.

  Then Danny turned his head to stare straight at her and she tensed.

  CHAPTER 47

  SAILOR SKILLS

  Tina crouched in the cold water, her heart hammering and apprehension gripping her. For what seemed like ages Danny stared at the reeds. As he did Tina tried to decide what to do next. Her options seemed very limited as she felt she was near the end of her strength. ‘I won’t be able to outrun or outswim him,’ she thought.

  Indeed her whole body now seemed to be a pulsing, throbbing mass of aches and pains. To make matters worse
she was suddenly assailed by a fierce cramp in her left calf muscle. The pain was so sudden and so intense that she had to bite down on her left hand to stop herself crying out aloud. Tremors of shivering swept through her and tears sprang to her eyes. All she could do was grit her teeth and try not to make a noise.

  Part of the problem was that she could not reach the cramping muscle without standing on one leg and she did not dare risk losing her balance. The other option was to duck under water and crouch submerged. But that would cause ripples and also deny her the chance to watch what Danny was doing. So instead she stood and endured the sharp stabs of agony.

  At last the waves of pain began to ease but it warned her that swimming in deep water might be very dangerous. ‘I could get a cramp and go under and drown,’ she thought.

  Then she noted a flicker of light off to her left front on the far bank of the creek. A surge of hope went through her. ‘That might be the camp ground,’ she reasoned. ‘Now, if only I can reach some people unseen.’

  To her intense relief Danny turned and continued on down the creek. This now curved to the right and became even wider. As Danny made his way downstream Tina saw him go down several times so that only his head was visible. Then he began to swim and she relaxed. Standing on one leg she tenderly massaged the sore calf muscle. Then she gingerly felt her right buttock. It had now become one great throbbing mass of pain.

  To her dismay she found a tear in her trousers and then the torn edge of a hole in her skin. There didn’t seem to be much blood but as she was in the water she assumed it was just seeping out and washing away. Satisfied that the bullet wound was not immediately crippling or life threatening she relaxed a bit. ‘Just as well I have a big bum!’ she thought. But an almost paralysing sense of apprehension remained to chill her. She had absolutely no doubt that the men would kill her if they could.