The Word of God

by Christopher Cummings

  After a time he began to curse the murmur of the river as it seemed to drown all the other noises. He stared into the darkness at each tiny noise. Fear began to seep in like the cold. Within arms reach was the wall of tall grass which sometimes rusted as a wind gusted. On the other side was the blackness of the rainforest. He told himself that no-one could even know they were there, much less creep up through the dark forest without making a noise, but his fears would not be stilled.

  Two O’clock crept by at last and he turned and gently shook Megan. She muttered in her sleep, then stirred and opened her eyes.

  “What is it?” she murmured.

  “Two. Time for you to do your hour on guard,” Peter replied.

  “Oh bugger!” Megan swore. With some grumbling she sat up and looked around. “Brr! It’s cold.”

  “Wake Stephen at three,” Peter said. He moved to lie down. But before he could Megan gripped his arm.

  “Sit with me for a minute please, till I am fully awake,” Megan asked.

  So they sat, exchanging occasional comments on the weather and how dark it is. After a few minutes Megan leaned forward to put her arms around Peter’s neck. “I like you Peter. I think you are real cool,” she whispered.

  Before Peter could react she kissed him. It was quite different from Joy’s kiss. Megan’s was hot and she smelt of perfume and the warmth set his pulses racing.

  As they ended the kiss Peter pulled away, his heart hammering and his breath coming in gulps. “I’d better get some sleep,” he managed to mutter.

  “Oh a little bit longer please,” Megan said. She leaned against him and kissed him again. This time he could feel her body and his responded. As she kissed him he returned them but knew he wasn’t making a very good job of it. As well he was in a fever of concern lest Joy wake up and see them.

  With a mumbled excuse he managed to release himself and lie down. She smiled down at him and kept her hand on his arm. He returned her smile, then closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. Inside he was now a mass of confusion. Two girls! And both very nice. He began to compare them and to speculate on their relative merits and charms.

  Chapter 15

  PETER’S SUSPICIONS

  Graham woke them at 0600. Peter opened his eyes, first noting the clear blue sky dotted with paling stars. His attention was then drawn to Megan as she stood up. She looked around and cried with delight: “Oh! What a lovely morning!”

  At once both Graham and Stephen shushed her. Fear at once flooded in. Megan looked hurt, then anxious as she realized what she had done. “We are safe now aren’t we?” she asked plaintively.

  Peter sat up and shook his head: “We might be, but it isn’t worth the risk. We should keep our presence secret a bit longer.”

  Joy nodded. “Less talking in the middle of the night when you are on sentry duty would help,” she commented.

  Megan spun to face her, her face flushing red. “Oh yeah! So who are you to talk?”

  Joy curled her lip and went to answer but Peter spoke first. “The fault was mine, so stop it please. Let’s pack up and eat. I think we should be gone from here as quickly as we can.”

  “I agree,” Graham said. “Let’s aim at moving by seven.”

  Neither girl spoke but both looked at each other with a hostile glint in their eye. Peter noted this and felt both shocked and guilty. Had Joy seen Megan kiss him? Did they both really like him? It was all a worry. He shook his head and knelt to roll up his bedding.

  After a quick walk into the forest to relieve himself he returned to find the others seated on packs cooking. Graham stood from time to time to look out over the top of the long grass. Peter joined him and noted that they could see most of the overgrown quarry although the actual vehicle track was hidden from view. It was all very quiet and peaceful, the air still and the sky clear.

  Half an hour later Peter had eaten and began heating water to shave with. Joy indicated that her water bottle was empty.

  “I’m going down to the river to fill mine. Would you like me to fill yours too Peter?”

  “Yes thanks,” Peter replied. He passed her two empty canteens. As he did Megan said: “You might ask the rest of us too!”

  Joy turned to her. “Sorry. Would you like me to fill your water bottles too Megan?”

  “No, I’ll do it myself,” Megan replied.

  Stephen looked up, obviously unaware of the by-play. “You can fill mine while you are at it,” he said.

  “Yes, I will Stephen,” Megan replied. “What about you Graham?”

  Graham had taken out his map and was studying it. “Yes thanks; and keep your eyes peeled.”

  The two girls collected the water bottles and set off down the slope. As they went out of sight Stephen asked: “What’s wrong with that pair?”

  Gwen straightened up. “They are just being catty because they both like Peter.”

  Peter blushed. “Oh they do not!” he said. To change the topic he said: “Which way do you recommend we go Graham?”

  They crowded around to see the map. Graham pointed and said: “We are here. We have to go south, which means crossing the river. I suggest we walk out to that bridge we saw yesterday and cross over that, then follow the edge of the canefields around to the bridge at The Fisheries. Then we can follow the road along the valley to Kearneys Flats.”

  Peter studied the map and agreed that was the best option. He then moved back to his stove, removed his shaving water and tested it. Shaving then occupied the next few minutes. He was just completing this chore when Joy and Megan returned. Neither looked happy but nothing was said. It made him feel very uncomfortable.

  I don’t want to be the cause of ill-will in the group, he thought anxiously. What can I do to stop it?

  He was still puzzling over this when the sound of the radio crackling to life gave them all a rude shock. Peter snatched it up and was about to answer when it called again.

  “Not for us,” he said. It was Six Five Six calling Six Five Three. Six Five Three answered but sounded faint and distorted. By then Joy had her notebook out and he called the trigrams to her as they came across. As soon as the message was complete Peter began to decode.

  While he worked Gwen said: “That must mean that the police haven’t captured them yet.”

  “Looks like it… Hey! That is for us!” Peter cried. The radio was now calling Six Five Four. Feeling very apprehensive Peter picked it up, licked his lips, swallowed and answered.

  “Six Five Four.”

  “About bloody time!” came back the retort. “I was trying to get you for half an hour.”

  “Sorry. I was… shckl… kl… kl..” Peter deliberately garbled the transmission by fiddling with the pressle switch.

  “How are things there?” came the reply.

  “Quiet.. crackle.. crackle.. No problems.”

  “Good. Stay alert and wait for further instructions. Six Six Six out.”

  Peter wiped his brow theatrically and grinned; then went on with his decoding. Gwen came to stand looking over his shoulder. “I’d love to know what it is that is worth killing people for that these people are all searching for,” she said.

  “So would I,” Peter agreed. In fact it had been at the front of his mind often over the last two days but he had to admit he had no idea what it might be.

  Stephen looked up from lacing his left boot. “It must be valuable to be worth killing people for,” he said.

  Graham nodded but then gave a chuckle. “Aw, I dunno. These Devil Worshipper types might just do that because they enjoy it,” he added.

  “Graham!” Joy called in a shocked voice.

  “Sorry,” Graham said.

  “Where are we going today Graham?” Megan asked.

  Graham laid out his map. “See the Mulgrave River? It starts here at Mt Bartle Frere and flows north along this valley with the Atherton Tablelands on the west and the Bellenden Ker Range on the east. When it gets to here it meets the Little Mulgrave coming down from the north and it
turns right and goes east past Gordonvale.”

  “Where we walked yesterday,” Stephen supplemented.

  Graham’s finger traced the line of the river. “It goes east till it bumps into the coastal mountains, where we were on the first day at the bottom of Bell Peak. Then it goes south along the valley we call the Coastal Corridor till it meets the Russell River coming the other way. They both join and flow into the Coral Sea through a gap in the mountains at Deeral, here.”

  “It makes a sort of inverted ‘U’ doesn’t it,” Megan observed.

  Graham nodded. “That’s right,” he agreed. “We are going south along the valley towards Bartle Frere.”

  Stephen leaned forward and pointed: “And I reckon we will cross this saddle between Bartle Frere and Bellenden Ker and end up at Babinda.”

  “Will it be hard going?” Megan asked.

  Graham shook his head. “No. We hiked from Kearneys Flat to the base of Bartle Frere a couple of years ago with my little sister Kylie and her friends and they made it easily,” he said.

  Stephen tapped the map again. “I don’t know about this saddle between the Mulgrave Valley and Babinda though. It might be a bit rough.”

  At that moment Peter finished decoding the message and what he read made his stomach contract with fear. “Listen to this,” he said. “It says: ‘Locate Army Cadets. Take prisoner. Hold till Operation TWOG completed. Will be sacrificed later’.”

  “Oh my God!” Joy gasped. She went very pale.

  Megan bit her lip and looked anxiously around. “We must get the police quickly,” she cried.

  Graham nodded. “I think we had better get away from this area fast,” he said.

  “We should have gone last night,” Stephen said.

  Peter nodded and stood up. “Yes, but we didn’t. Inspector Goldstein thought we were safe. Now we know we aren’t. Let’s get moving.” He bent and placed his water bottles in their holders and began doing up his pack. As he worked he glanced at his watch. It was just after 0700.

  Gwen swung on her webbing. “I wonder what Operation TWOG is?” she said.

  “God knows. Let’s get moving,” Peter replied.

  Graham stood up and walked over to the edge of the tall grass. “I think I can hear a vehicle.”

  Peter moved to join him, calling to the others to get their packs on as he did. One glance confirmed the worst. A dark blue van was driving slowly in along the overgrown track from near the bridge.

  “Might not be them,” Graham suggested.

  Peter shook his head. He just knew in his heart it was. “Maybe, but we dare not take that risk. We must get out of here at once. Come on.”

  He strode over to his own gear, swung his webbing on and said: “There is a Devil Worshipper vehicle driving in now. It will be here in about two minutes. Grab your gear and follow me.”

  With that he swung his pack onto his shoulder, scooped up the radio and his staff and set off down the slope through the trees. Megan wasn’t finished packing but Gwen and Joy both grabbed handfuls of her gear and Stephen took her pack. They all followed in a straggling line, Megan almost hysterical with panic.

  Within a minute they were down beside the river. Peter could feel his heart thudding and recognized pure bowel loosening fear.

  “Which way?” Stephen asked.

  “Across the river,” Peter called.

  “They will see us,” Graham warned.

  Peter shook his head. “Not if we are quick. There isn’t enough cover here to hide us from a proper search; and we will be trapped against the river and the bridge area. Don’t argue. Come on. Joy, give me your pack.”

  He snatched it from her, took her hand and stepped down the bank into the water. Stephen swung Megan’s pack onto his front and followed, holding her arm. Graham and Gwen came last.

  The water was quite warm, at least relative to the air temperature. Peter did not waste time. He splashed out into the water as quickly as he dared, looking constantly over his left shoulder in the direction of the entrance track.

  “Come on! Go fast! Don’t worry about getting wet or splashing,” he called. “They won’t hear us while they are in the vehicle with the engine going.”

  To his exasperation Megan seemed to stumble continually and was moving very slowly. Then Joy let out a cry and tripped. Peter kept a firm grip on her arm as she lost her footing and went down. “Don’t try to get up,” he cried. “Just hang on and I will tow you.”

  But Joy struggled and tried to get up. Peter ignored her efforts and strode quickly into deeper water, dragging her behind him. She was almost completely submerged and several times her head went under. She spluttered and gurgled and cried out but Peter kept on dragging her across. Her face showed she was shocked and upset.

  The tactic worked however and within another minute he had her on her feet again in the shallow water near the far bank.

  “Up the bank and hide among the trees, quick!” he ordered. As she floundered the last few steps he tossed her pack up into the trees after her and turned to help with Megan. Graham and Stephen had hold of her. She had also fallen and they were dragging her along in the same way, one on either side. Gwen came splashing along behind with her pack.

  Megan looked terrified. “I’m all wet!” she cried as she was pushed and dragged up the bank.

  “You are safe, now hide behind a tree!” Peter snapped. He clambered out himself, then turned to help the others. Graham scrambled up the bank unaided. Gwen gave Stephen a push and Peter grabbed his arm and hauled him up. Then he took Gwen’s hand and helped her out. With water pouring off their soaked uniforms they climbed quickly up among the trees and crouched or lay behind what cover they could find.

  “Just in time,” Graham gasped, pointing back to the far bank.

  “I’m all wet!” Megan wailed.

  “Shut up and get under cover!” Stephen snarled. He crouched behind a large tree and took out the pistol.

  Megan looked hurt but the sight of the gun shocked her into silence. Peter glanced around and saw that Joy was lying flat behind a rotting log a few paces away. She looked upset but he did not have time to worry about her feelings at that moment. He was too frightened and his attention was now taken up by the activity on the far bank.

  The blue vehicle had pulled up a hundred metres downstream, at the place where the fire had been. He got glimpses of movement and just for an instant Peter clearly saw a man dressed in black cross a patch of sunlight. Devil Worshippers alright, he thought grimly.

  “Let’s get further away while we can,” he said. Graham nodded. They grabbed their gear, Peter again taking Joy’s pack and holding it on his front. This time he helped her up and gently pushed her to go ahead of him. She was soaked and shivering.

  Graham led, followed by Gwen, then Megan and Joy. Peter followed her. Stephen came last, still with Megan’s pack.

  The plan put Peter into a lather of anxiety. If we can get glimpses of them then they might see us, he reasoned. But he knew they would be easy to find if they stayed.

  Suddenly Stephen hissed. “Here they come! Get under cover, quick!”

  The friends scrambled behind the nearest cover. Peter pulled Joy down behind a large tree. She made no objection but was shaking so badly he put his hand on her shoulder.

  “We will be alright,” he whispered. She gave him a sickly grin and nodded.

  “Two of them,” Graham said, just audible above the sound of the river.

  Peter glimpsed two black clad figures with guns flitting along between the trees on the other bank. The sight made him go cold with a numbing terror.

  After a few minutes the two Devil Worshippers re-appeared going back towards their vehicle. Peter released a long soft sigh and realized he had been holding his breath.

  He was just about to speak when the radio in his pocket crackled making him jump in fright. It was 653 calling 656.

  “Quick, copy for me,” he said to Joy.

  Joy struggled into a sitting position and g
roped in her sodden pockets. “My notebook is all wet,” she said as she dug it out.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rough,” Peter apologized.

  Joy sniffed. “That’s alright. My fault for stumbling.”

  At that moment 656 replied and 653 began to send his message. Peter passed on the trigrams and Joy wrote them down as well as he could. As soon as the message ended he pulled out his own notebook, which from hard experience he always kept in a plastic bag, and quickly made a dry copy. Then he opened the codebook and started to decode.

  Megan objected. “Oh not now! Let’s get out of here. That can wait,” she said.

  Peter shook his head. “No. It might tell us their plans,” he replied. “We don’t want to go the wrong way and walk straight into them.” Graham and Gwen both supported him. Stephen said nothing but set to work repacking Megan’s pack.

  Megan began to sob. She stood trembling, clinging to a tree. “I’m scared! I don’t want to die!” she wailed.

  Stephen stepped over close to her. “Shut up! We are all scared,” he snapped. “If you want to stay alive don’t make a noise that might attract their attention. If you do I will shut you up.”

  The savage threat shocked Peter but he kept on decoding. Megan gasped as the warning sank in, then she almost shrieked at Stephen: “How dare you! Who are you to threaten me! Why you…”

  There was a sharp slap. Peter glanced up to see that Gwen had struck Meganhard.

  “Be quiet! We are all frightened. Now get a grip on yourself,” Gwen said.

  Stephen glared at Megan: “Yes. Don’t you place us at risk. Cry out again and I will bloody well gag you.”

  “You.. you wouldn’t dare!” Megan gasped. In her shock her face had drained of blood so that the mark of Gwen’s blow stood out clearly on her white skin.

  “I bloody well will!” Stephen grated.

  Gwen supported him: “And I will help him. Now shut up!”

  Megan slumped down on the wet leafmould and began to sob. Peter ignored her and kept on decoding. Within a minute he had the message. “The message from Six Five Three says ‘Cadets gone.’ The reply from Six Five Six says: ‘Good. Get ready for next phase.’.”