The Busker: A gripping psychological thriller

by M. J. Patrick

  ‘Yeah, you’re being pretty bold there.’ Sally was taken aback by the force behind Charlie's words. But he was right. She should forget about the past. She was so caught up in it.

  ‘You wanted to know what I think, and now I’ve said it,’ he said.

  ‘I know, but maybe asking you was a mistake.’ Even though he was right, she was angry he’d waded in, and had made a snap judgement of her best friend.

  Charlie curled his hand in a fist and slammed it hard into the steering wheel. It was violent. It made Sally jump. Charlie glanced at her through the mirror, and his mouth opened. ‘Shit. Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I just got pissed off you feel this way. That she’s holding you back and you’re still trying to defend her.’

  ‘It’s alright, Charlie.’

  ‘I get angry sometimes.’

  Sally gripped her seatbelt tighter. ’I said it’s alright.’

  ‘I try to control it, but it kind of bubbles up. You didn’t need to see that.’

  ‘It’s fine. It’s alright.’

  Sally’s was rubbing her hands together. She stared out of the window, avoiding Charlie's glare in the mirror. He was watching her.

  He was scaring her. His outburst. His anger.

  Music from his band started to play again. He’d reinserted the cassette tape.

  An hour passed in silence as Charlie steered the car up the road, further into the mountains, and Sally sat in the back. Thick trees past by the window. The tape eventually ran out of tracks, and so it stopped. They sat in silence for the rest of the journey. Charlie didn’t replace the music, but Sally didn’t mind. She began to relax. Charlie's temper only lasted a moment, that’s all. He was quick to blame Ashley. But he didn’t know anything about the situation. She shouldn’t have told him anything, it had made things worse, and now he was feeling sorry for her. What did she expect from this hiking trip? What if Charlie expected something in return for this? What if he wanted more than friendship?

  Up in the mountains, there were no more cars about, just winding empty roads. They were high up. Charlie pulled on to a dirt track, and the car jolted about as it rolled over the dirt. Sally held on to her seatbelt. Ashley leaving the night before, the hatred they’d attacked each other with, and the message she’d sent to Charlie, drunk, begging him to save her like a prince from a fairytale.

  Was this what was happening now? Her escape?

  And she kept thinking about Nicole and the phone call, the fact Sally’s Mum was searching for her after all these years. She didn’t want to think about it. Her Mum had run away years ago. It was like Sally had run away from home and now she'd run away from Ashley. Sally and her Mum weren’t so unlike.

  She sighed and leaned back into her seat. At least the hangover had evaporated. Outside the car window, she couldn’t even see the sky through the trees.

  ‘This is the bush?’ Sally asked.

  Charlie braked the car to a slow stop on the side of the dirt track. With a jangle of his keys, he switched off the engine and turned his head to face Sally sitting in the back. ‘Here we are,’ he said. ‘The bush. Ready for some hiking?’

  32

  Birds perched hidden up in the trees burst into song, a rattling shrill like laughter. Sally jumped in shock at the noise. It brought to mind the creatures she’d read about living in this part of the world. Animals that could kill.

  Charlie flicked his finger towards the tree branches. ‘That’s the sound of the bush,’ he said.

  ‘The bush sounds a bit scary,’ Sally replied.

  ‘They’re harmless.’

  Sally checked her arms for insects and for any red bites. They were really in the bush now. Charlie was marching, following a trail sloping into the tangled wilderness. He’d called the trail a path when they’d left the car, but to Sally it was more like a cleared patch of soil, worn down by hikers, snaking through the bush.

  She marched behind Charlie and the large rucksack he’d strapped tightly to his back. It bobbled up and down in front of her head. She focused on the rucksack and not on all the dangers surrounding her. She had to constantly readjust her own backpack, her shoulders buckled under the weight. She had to be careful of tripping on any exposed roots pushing up through the ground. She didn’t want to trip. With her heavy bag, she might not be able to get up again. The only thing making sure she wasn't getting lost was Charlie's confidence. He seemed to know where he was heading. It was like he’d done this before.

  ‘It’s beautiful here,’ Sally said.

  ‘Better than the city?’ Charlie asked.

  ‘We’ll see. Depends on how many spiders there are here.’

  ‘Yeah, keep an eye out for those.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m joking,’ Charlie replied.

  The car was out of sight further up the hill. Charlie had parked it on the edge of the road, right against a tree. They’d unloaded their gear and set off immediately into the bush. In Charlie's hand was a spare tent, he'd packed an extra one for her.

  ‘You didn’t bring your guitar?’ Sally asked him.

  ‘With you to look after, there was too much to worry about,’ he said, smiling.

  ‘Right.’

  The foliage was thick. Sally couldn’t see further into the bush past Charlie's shoulder. Looking up, she could see the afternoon sky through the branches. The chatter of the birds was a persistent drumming in the background.

  ‘Hold up here,’ Charlie said. A thick tree trunk had fallen over the path ahead. He patted the side of it, testing how stable it was. ‘We’re going to have to climb over.’

  ‘Really?’ Sally asked, hesitant.

  ‘Hang on, look at your shoes.’

  Sally glanced at her trainers. ‘What about them?’ she asked.

  ‘You can’t go hiking in those.’

  ‘I don’t have any other shoes.’

  ‘Seriously? Wow. Give me a second.’ Charlie dropped his bag to the ground, unzipped it, and searched around inside it. He pulled out a pair of boots. ‘These are mine, they’re probably too big for you, but at least they’re better to hike in than what you’re wearing.’

  Sally took them off him with her thanks, and she tried them on. Charlie was right, they were too big, but she could also see why they were better to hike in than her trainers. More sturdy. Stronger.

  ‘Give me your hand,’ Charlie said once Sally slipped the boots on.

  He held on to Sally’s arm and helped her over the tree trunk. The trunk was wet to touch. Moss covered the collapsed tree, causing her to slip. She undid her bag and dropped it on the other side of the trunk to help herself. Her feet hit the ground, and she steadied herself. Sally brushed the dirt off her hands, and she helped guide Charlie over. He had a strong grip.

  ‘Leaves are stuck to my bag,’ she said, dusting them off.

  ‘If we’re going hiking, we’re going to get dirty,’ Charlie replied.

  Sally pulled out her phone, checking if Ashley had messaged her.

  ‘There’s no signal,’ she called out to Charlie. If she couldn’t get signal out here, how would she contact someone in an emergency? What if Charlie disappeared? What if she broke a bone?

  ‘I wouldn’t expect there to be any signal for miles. We’ll have to do something else.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Talking. In person. Face to face.’

  Sally rolled her eyes. ‘So funny.’

  ‘Keep up. We’re not far now.’

  Charlie led her further down the path around a bend, and they emerged into an open clearing. It was like a valley. Surrounding the clearing was a wall of rock faces. Above them rose the mountains, spreading into the distance. Formed from a waterfall to the right of Sally a creek ran down the middle of the clearing. The water was thickest where Charlie and Sally where. A flood of trees covered the looming mountains. The ground was rockier here. Less dirt and soil.

  ‘Look at that waterfall,’ she said, and Charlie nodd
ed in reply.

  ‘Now do you think it’s better than the city?’ he asked.

  ‘Yeah,’ Sally said. ‘It’s better.’

  And it was. Despite her fear of some wild thing biting her, this was what Sally had wanted all along. Nature. To be in the wild. This was the experience she’d thought of when she had laid in bed back home, and dreamed of where to go when she’d suggested this country to Ashley.

  It was quiet. The only sounds were the rushing of water in the creek and the chatter of birds overhead. Charlie dumped his rucksack on the rocks. The clatter of the straps hitting the ground echoed around the clearing. He knelt by the creek and washed his hands in the water. ‘How are you feeling? A bit tired?’ he asked Sally.

  ‘A bit, yes.’

  ‘We’ve had a long car journey. I was thinking we should set up camp here tonight before we go any further. What do you reckon?’

  ‘Here?’

  ‘What do you think?’

  Sally smiled. ‘If that works for you. I’ve never done this kind of thing before. You’re the boss,’ she said.

  ‘I’m in charge? I like the sound of that,’ Charlie replied.

  ‘Don’t get too comfortable with the power.’

  Following Charlie, Sally placed her backpack on the rocky ground near him, and started to unpack her things, looking for what she needed that night. Despite the lack of signal, she plugged her phone into her external charger. Its battery was nearly depleted. She took her shoes off and stretched her feet in the sun. She wriggled her free toes.

  Charlie was unpacking his bag as well. He’d placed the wrapped tents on the ground beside him, unloading clothing from his bag, and folding them into piles. Sally watched him as he did so. He’d been patient with her that afternoon. He’d let her be sick on the side of the road, he’d bought her lunch, and he’d given her space after that phone call. But the way he got angry in the car disturbed her. The words her drunk dance partner had said the night before. Her odd feeling about him.

  That was the feeling Sally was getting now. An odd feeling.

  She continued unpacking her bag until a shadow blocked out the light, and she looked up to see Charlie standing over her.

  ‘I’m going for a swim,’ he announced.

  ‘A swim?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Where?’ she asked.

  ‘In the river, of course.’ In one quick movement, he swung off his shirt and darted into the water barefoot. He disappeared under the surface, re-emerging with a flick of his hair and a chuckle. ‘It’s gorgeous in here,’ he called out.

  He ran his wet hands over his face. Sally couldn’t help but observe his body as he splashed the water. His upper body was toned, but not like a bodybuilder. The water dripped off his muscles. She liked the way he looked.

  ‘Be careful,’ she said.

  ‘Come on in,’ Charlie said. ‘It isn’t too cold.’

  ‘It isn’t?’ Sally stood, and cautiously approached the creek’s edge. She half-expected a crocodile or some other vicious creature to come lurching out. She tested the water with her foot, dipping her toe in. Charlie's head bobbled in the water, a smile fixated on his face, smiling at her. He was so tanned. To Sally, he looked perfect.

  ‘I swear it’s all fine,’ he called out to her.

  ‘Aren’t there, like, crocodiles?’ she asked, nervous.

  Charlie laughed. ‘In here? No.’

  ‘You’re sure?’

  ‘I promise.’

  ‘I trust you,’ she said. ‘You better be right.’

  Charlie looked at her with a condescending expression. ‘I am right.’

  ‘Don’t patronise me,’ Sally said.

  ‘I promise you. It’s safe. I’m in here. I haven’t been eaten yet.’

  ‘Okay.’ She turned around from Charlie and removed her top. She unclipped her bra, and threw it towards her bag, conscious of accidentally exposing herself to Charlie in the creek. She put her top back on and took off her denim shorts. Like she’d been at the beach, she was shy about revealing her body, but at least her top covered her up. It was from a discount store back home, so she didn’t mind getting it dirty in the creek. With a grunt, she lowered herself into the water. The creek was shallower than she expected, her feet sunk into the sand at the bottom of the creek. The mud seeped through the cracks in her toes like slime. She didn’t want to even think of the creatures in the water around her. It was an unnerving sensation. The water wasn’t as cold as the ocean, but it still gave her a shock. She started to shiver, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably. With her hands, she kept her hair above the water, aware her wet top might reveal her tits. Maybe she didn’t mind after all, maybe she wanted Charlie to see her naked.

  ‘That wasn’t too bad, was it?’ Charlie asked with a grin. Yeah, there was a strong chance he could see through her top. Sally bit her lip. She wanted him to see.

  ‘Shut up,’ she said.

  ‘What’s that necklace you’re wearing?’ Charlie asked, pointing at the silver arrow around her neck.

  The necklace. Sally had completely forgotten she was wearing it. She reached for it, feeling the metal arrow as if reminding herself it was still there. Her hand covered the necklace from Charlie. ‘It’s nothing. I got it the other day,’ she replied.

  ‘It’s very shiny. What is it?’

  ‘It’s an arrow,’ Sally said nonchalantly. It was touching the water so she removed it from around her neck, and placed it safely on the side of the rocks away from the creek’s edge.

  ‘It looks pretty sharp.’

  ‘Yeah, it is, I guess.’

  ‘Why did you get it?’ he asked. She watched him watching her swim. She’d never got this kind of attention before, not in the confident way Charlie was staring at her. It made Sally feel sexy. She had power.

  ‘I dunno. It looked nice,’ she said.

  ‘Fair enough.’

  Charlie dived under the water. He re-emerged nearer to Sally so that they were nearly touching. It was like the night before, at the party, when Sally felt like he was going to kiss her.

  If he kissed her now, right at that moment in the water, she didn’t know if she wouldn’t object. His wet face thrilled her. His cheekbones. The way his tanned skin shone in the sun. The sheer foreign nature about him, he was nothing like the pasty geeky boys back home she’d slept with. Charlie reflected the nature of his country, the wildness and the hint of danger.

  But Charlie didn’t kiss her. It was like he could read her mind, and he uncharacteristically shied away. He dived under the water again to re-emerge further off. Sally was disappointed.

  ‘Come on, get your hair wet,’ Charlie said as he splashed water towards her. Sally screamed in protest. She held on to her hair in protection and backed away from Charlie.

  ‘Stop,’ she laughed.

  Charlie splashed her again. ‘You’ll have to make me.’

  ‘You’re insane,’ Sally replied loudly. Charlie flinched.

  ‘That’s enough of that,’ he said, swimming back towards the bank.

  ‘Did I say something wrong?’

  ‘We better get the tents sorted,’ he said, ignoring her.

  Charlie slid out from the water, his soaking body glistening in the sunshine. In the manner in which he strolled to his bag, it was like his outburst in the car. How he'd said he got angry quickly. He started to stretch, spreading out his arms and bending his back. Sally noticed a name etched on his skin just above his hip. It was written in spidery handwriting. Jessica.

  ‘What is that? The name on that tattoo? Jessica?’ Sally asked, nodding towards it.

  Charlie appeared confused at first then glanced at the tattoo, realising what Sally was gesturing at. ‘Oh, that.’

  ‘Who is she?’ Sally asked.

  Charlie appeared uncomfortable. ‘An ex.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘We weren’t suited to each other,’ he said. ‘That’s all.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear about it,’ Sal
ly replied.

  Charlie frowned and turned to his rucksack. ‘I’d rather not talk about it,’ he said, pulling out a towel from his bag. His voice was different. Quiet and dark. The car journey. The way he punched the steering wheel.

  ‘That’s okay,’ Sally said.

  Charlie wrapped the towel around his back, facing away from Sally. She swam to the bank and watched him as he dried himself off. He didn’t look at her.

  He was upset with her. But for what? Joking around and calling him insane? Sally felt a pang of regret. Why did she turn everyone she knew away from her?

  Sally left the water, collected the necklace, and went over to her own bag. She searched for her towel, mindful of Charlie standing only a few feet away. She had upset him, but how? What had happened with his ex? There must be a good reason he didn’t want to mention her. It wasn’t Sally’s right to pry into his past like this. What had happened between them? Had it been his temper, that sudden anger she’d witnessed in the car? His ex might’ve got that same odd feeling Sally now had. She did not know much about this man drying himself only a few feet away from her. She didn’t know his past. His motives.

  ‘We need to sort out the tents,’ Charlie said finally.

  ‘Okay.’

  He put his shirt on and walked away with his unfolded tent in hand.

  Yes, she had upset him.

  Sally began to feel uneasy. She was in the middle of nowhere, with this man she didn’t really know. And now he was unsettled by her remarks. Maybe accepting his invitation had been a mistake.

  What was she doing here?

  33

  She didn’t know Charlie was standing over her until she looked up, and noticed his feet were inches away from her head. From where he was, it would’ve taken no effort at all for Charlie to raise his foot and kick her straight in the face. Is that what he wanted to prove being that close? Did he want her to feel threatened?