by Fred Alvrez
“Mate,” Wiremu said. “You killed a man to save my life. That would never have happened in your old life, I bet. I’d be dead now if it wasn’t for you.”
“Cheers, Wiremu. I’d forgotten about that. I don’t feel good about shooting someone, but it was for the right reason.”
“And who the hell was that Flynn guy anyway?” Wiremu asked.
Nathan filled them in.
They had plenty of time.
After three hours, Casey’s bladder had gone past complaining. Now it was demanding. She thought about letting it all go into the sand. Who cared really, when her friend’s life was at stake?
Ha! A friend who’s a talking dog called Kevin. I must be dreaming.
She looked down at Kevin. Nothing at all seemed to have changed. She didn’t see any more blood coming out, but that might have been because there was none left in him.
She ruffled his fur with her free hand while desperately keeping her palm over the photo with her other.
She saw Kevin’s stomach rise and fall, and then a foul stench hit her.
He had breathed his last.
Kevin was dead.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“I think I just farted on you,” Kevin said.
Casey smiled. “I thought that was your last breath.”
“No, pretty sure it was a fart.”
She leaned into his body and hugged him hard.
“Great to have you back. I thought I had lost you.”
His tail started wagging. “Can’t get rid of a border collie, Casey. You’re stuck with me for a long time yet.”
“Good.”
Kevin started to move.
“Don’t move! You need to stay still.”
Kevin lifted his head, looking around him. “Where are we? What’s this beach?”
“We’re in Bali. I used a photo to get you here to see if it would heal you. How do you feel?”
“Fine. Alive and ready to go back, I think.”
Casey sighed. “There’s the problem. I’m not sure if it’s going to work when I take my hand off the photo, Kevin. There’s a risk we’ll be stuck here forever.”
“Well, I guess there could be worse places to be stuck forever.”
She nodded. “True. But we can’t eat here, or at least I can’t. We’ll probably starve to death.”
“Casey? You brought me here knowing you might never go back and might starve to death?”
She paused before answering. “Yes.”
“Thanks. That’s a big thing for a human to do. But how come I’m alive? Is this part of that healing thing that happened to you?”
She rubbed his fur a bit. “It looks like it. It’s worked on you as well.”
“Excellent. What about Flynn?”
“Nate shot him. He’s dead, I think.”
She felt Kevin take a big breath in and out. “Good. Let’s go home.”
“You’re ready? I’m going to remove my palm from the photo I’m holding. That should mean we go back.”
“Yes. Do it, Casey.”
Casey removed her palm from the photo.
Nothing happened.
“Shit,” Casey said.
“I’m guessing it should have worked by now?”
She looked at the brochure. “Yes. It’s instant.”
“How long did you say you were stuck in Memphis the last time?”
“Two hours. But even then, I don’t know how I got back. I’m sitting in exactly the same spot as when we got here. Nothing’s changed. Why can’t we go back?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m stopping it? Maybe I should get up off you?”
“No! If I went back, you’d be stuck here. Let’s keep trying. That’s sort of what I did last time.”
Time after time, Casey put her palm over the photo and took it off. She tried waiting for thirty seconds first, then tried a quick off and on.
They were stuck in Bali.
“How long has it been?” Amy asked.
Nathan checked his watch. “Over three hours. It might take a long time, though. It was only a cut on her hand that healed last time. Healing someone that’s nearly dead might take days. Who knows?”
“Nate,” Amy said, “you said healing someone. You pretty much treat Kevin like a person, huh?”
“He and I have been through a lot in the last few days. He’s a person to me. Nothing less.”
Wiremu took another drink of water. “What I want to know is why the Far North? What’s the drawcard for Casey there?”
“Her dad lives—I mean lived—there. She said from the beginning she felt the need to go there. That’s good enough for me. She also said he sort of went off the grid years ago, and she hasn’t seen him in a long time. I’m not convinced he was even in the same house anymore. Anyway, we’ve got no other plans, so why not?”
“All good by me, mate. We’re all on holiday from now on. No more work for us.”
Amy looked at Nathan. “It still freaks me out talking to a dog. It feels so weird.”
“You and me both,” Nathan said. “I nearly shit my pants the first time it happened. Now I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Casey, try and think back to Memphis. What did you do to get back? There must have been something small you did.”
She paused to consider this. “I don’t think so. It felt like so long ago.”
“Stop, close your eyes, and think hard. Go back to Memphis in your mind.”
Casey closed her eyes, and blotted out the noise of the waves. She thought back to a time forever ago, but was only days.
Maybe only yesterday?
She had witnessed the assassination of MLK. What was it that had got her back?
Her mind brought back smells and sights. The sight of James Earl Ray poking his rifle out the window. The sound of the gunshot. The sight of Martin Luther King Junior falling, dead.
She moved her mind forward to when she was stuck. Her mind didn’t want to go there after the bad experience, but desperate times called.
“I remember, Kevin. I angled my hand so it was exactly in the same place. That was all, but it was what did it.”
His tail started wagging again. “Try again. You can do it.”
Casey looked at the brochure. She pictured herself sitting on the road, Kevin on her lap. She was looking into Nate’s eyes, then looked down at the Bali brochure. Without thinking, she moved the brochure in her hand and twisted it a little anticlockwise.
She slid her palm over the photo and removed it again.
“How long has it been now?” Amy asked.
Nathan looked at his watch. “Ten minutes since you last asked.”
“I’m just worried. What if they never come back? How long do we wait here?”
“As long as it takes.”
Nathan stretched his legs out. He had to admit he was pretty sore after more than three hours sitting on the road.
And what if Casey and Kevin never returned? He’d be stuck there as a third wheel with Wiremu and Amy.
The first girl to say she loved him, and now she was gone.
Nate shook his head internally. Did she actually say she loved him back, or…? Nathan thought back to that pressure-filled moment. Did Casey really quote a line from Star Wars and say, ‘I know’?
He’d have to correct her when she got back—it was Han Solo who said that, not Princess Leia.
In front of the trio’s eyes, Casey and Kevin reappeared.
“Casey!” Nathan yelled. He leaped to his feet to hug her as she sat on the road with Kevin still on her lap.
Nathan’s heartbeat shot up as Kevin got up off Casey, seemingly no worse for wear.
“Kev! You’re alive!”
“Yeah, baby!” Kevin said. “Alive and kicking. That Flynn can’t kill me off.”
Casey stood and stretched her legs.
Kevin went over to Nathan, and the two hugged it out.
“I don’t believe it, mate,” Wiremu said. “Not only did you disappear
in front of our eyes and then reappear, Kevin is healed. He was almost dead. Awesome.”
“Pretty cool, huh, Wiremu?” Casey said. “But we nearly didn’t make it back. I won’t be doing that again.”
Amy embraced Casey, as did Wiremu.
“Wiremu, you’ve lost the disco suit,” Kevin said.
“Yup, this outfit is much more me. That last one left nothing to anyone’s imagination. You’ve got Amy to thank for that.”
Kevin looked around. “Nate, what happened to Flynn?”
“He’s gathering flies now, buddy. He won’t bother us again.”
“Thanks, Nate. Not many people would shoot someone for a dog.”
“You aren’t a dog to me, Kev. Never will be.”
Amy clapped her hands together. “Well, we’re all back here in one place and alive. Wiremu’s found us a car and left it on the other side of the trucks. Shall we get moving?”
“Give me two minutes,” Casey said. “I need to find a bush.”
Casey looked out the window of the Ford sedan that Wiremu had scored for them. Green, rolling hills lined both sides of the road, but not a farmer or a tractor to be seen.
This was it. Flynn was dead, so no threat left there. They were on their way to her dad’s place in Ahipara for a new life. Would they stay in the little beach settlement of Ahipara forever? She had no idea. But the warmer weather appealed to her.
She glanced down to her lap, where Amy’s swollen and bandaged foot was currently resting. Amy was sleeping now, and so was Wiremu in the front passenger’s seat. Even Kevin was asleep on Amy’s legs. Everyone was pretty well spent after the last twenty-four hours of drama.
Casey looked to the driver’s seat. Nate was focused on the road ahead, watching out for crashes to avoid. They’d already passed through lots of towns and were still a long way from Kaitaia. From there it was another hour’s trip to her dad’s place, although they’d have to switch to a four-wheel drive to get there.
She thought about what had happened since she and Kevin returned from Bali. She had hugged Nate hard, but they hadn’t had time to talk yet. She was nervous about that, but also happy.
Miles went past her window as she drifted off to sleep.
When Casey woke, Wiremu was driving and Nate was asleep in the front seat.
She looked out the window as they passed through a large town.
“Where are we, Wiremu?”
“Whangarei, mate. Just getting onto the bypass.”
“How about stopping at the restrooms? I’m busting.”
“Sure thing.”
Wiremu changed lanes to go through the township instead of the bypass. He pulled up outside some public restrooms.
“Here you are. Hopefully there’s no queue.”
“Ha ha, good one, Wiremu. Have we got lots more of those awesome dad jokes to look forward to?”
Wiremu beamed. “You bet. It’s my thing.”
Casey saw Kevin stretching next to her. “Where are we? Are we there yet?”
“Nope,” Casey answered. “Just to Whangarei and a toilet stop.”
Amy and Nathan both started to stretch.
Casey got out from the back of the car, and Kevin jumped after her.
When she returned from the restroom, everyone was standing outside the car, taking in the fresh air.
Casey nudged Nathan’s arm. “Nate?”
“Yes?”
“Look across the road.”
Nathan looked over the road from the toilets.
“What am I looking for?”
“Duh. There’s a Land Rover dealer there. Why don’t we upgrade to a brand new Range Rover? We need a four wheel-drive for the road to my dad’s place anyway. Wiremu, you keen?”
“Hell yes!”
The whole group sauntered over the road, and Wiremu pulled out one of the car dealer’s small flagpoles on the way.
As they approached the main showroom, Wiremu launched the pole javelin-style through the main showroom door, shattering it.
Nathan clapped his hands. “Skills, Wiremu!”
“Thanks, Nate. Sports were always my strong suit.”
With no power and no alarms ringing out, they went into the showroom.
“Kev, remember our last visit to a car showroom?”
“I do, and I seem to remember you almost peed your pants.”
Nathan nodded. “Yup, guilty. That alarm system was really loud.”
“What about this one?” Amy said.
They walked over to her to find a metallic red Range Rover, an HSE version—the top of the range model.
“It’s a diesel,” Wiremu said. “Not that that makes a difference since we don’t have to pay for gas anyway.”
Nathan looked over to the offices. “I’ll go get the keys.”
He returned with a bunch of keys and started pressing the lock button on each set until the car’s lights blinked.
“This is them.”
He unlocked the car again, opened the driver’s door, and jumped in. Turning on the ignition, he saw there wasn’t much diesel in the tank.
“It’s got enough to get us to a gas station. Shall we?”
Everyone piled on board, and Nathan drove over the smashed glass and out onto the road.
“I’ve got loads of room back here, Nate,” Kevin said. “The leather smells great, too. It’s no Tesla, but I love it so far.”
Nathan nodded. “You should feel the power of this thing. It can really move. Mind you, let’s move it to the nearest gas station.”
They pulled into a Mobil service station and Nathan started putting diesel in the tank. Luckily they only had to go to two to find one where the power was still on. He had to use his credit card at the pump to get the fuel out.
Wiremu got out to wait with him.
“Wiremu,” Nathan said, “what do you think happens when our credit cards no longer work? Say the end of the month rolls around and the pumps stop giving us gas? What then?”
“Not sure, mate. I guess in advance we fill up lots of containers of diesel and leave them at Casey’s dad’s place. Or maybe try and find some of those mobile tankers that you see construction guys towing around. There’s a lot to work out. We haven’t even talked about food supplies yet.”
In the back of the Range Rover, Casey and Amy sat waiting with Kevin.
“So, Casey,” Amy said, “I seem to recall some declaration of love from Nate to you earlier. How’s that working out for you?”
Kevin leaped up on the seat, his tail wagging frantically, looking straight at Casey. “What! When was this? Why wasn’t I told?”
“Calm down, Kevin,” Casey said. “You had just been shot and I had the choice to go with you or stay. I asked Nate to call it, and he said go. But he also said that he loves me. That’s all.”
“I wouldn’t call that all, Casey,” Kevin answered. “That’s pretty big stuff. Cool, though. I approve of your change in relationship status. What did you say back to him?”
“Uh, yeah. I said ‘I know.’”
Kevin sat down again, his jaw open. “What, like in Star Wars?”
“Yes, I guess so. It was all so sudden. You were dying, and Flynn had just been shot in front of us. You had to be there.”
“Well, I was there,” Amy said. “I’m not sure your answer was what he wanted to hear. But you guys can sort it out.”
The two men returned, with Wiremu taking the driver’s seat. “All done, people,” he said. “Kaitaia, here we come.”
As they finally drove into the small town of Kaitaia, Casey felt a twang of guilt. She had basically written off her father in her life a few years earlier. He hadn’t exactly gone crazy, but he was adamant he wanted to be able to live off the grid with no help from anyone.
At that point, she had thought he meant from anyone, including his family.
Including her.
“Which way, Casey? Straight to Ahipara?” Wiremu asked.
“Yes, then just keep driving. Basically we driv
e until we can’t anymore. Then we’re there.”
Amy leaned forward. “Shouldn’t we get some sort of supplies first? I know we’ll need to do a major supply run at some point, but shouldn’t we grab some food for the next few days now?”
“She’s right, Casey,” Nathan said. “We don’t know what your dad’s setup is, but hopefully he’s at least got a fridge. We should grab some fruit and stuff before it goes off.”
“And dog food,” Kevin added.
“Hey, I’m totally for that,” Casey answered. “Let’s go looking for a supermarket.”
The group pulled into the local supermarket. Wiremu rolled a bunch of trolleys into the front door, allowing them access.
“We should have brought Daisy, Kev.”
“Yeah. Maybe we can pick up another one. Daisy 2.”
Wiremu and Nathan grabbed a trolley each and wandered down the aisles, each of them throwing food and other items in. Soon the trollies were almost overflowing.
Kevin started to whine. “Leave enough room for dog food.”
After grabbing some empty boxes, they loaded up the back of the Range Rover and headed west to Ahipara, at the bottom of 90 Mile Beach.
“You know what the first thing I’m going to do when we get there is?” Wiremu said.
“Yes. Have a shower,” Amy answered.
“I think we all agree on that one, Amy,” Casey added.
Wiremu yawned. “Actually, I meant I’d be sleeping. It’s been a hell of a few days. Nearly got shot, escaped, nearly got shot again. That’s two times too many in my book. But, yes, if you all insist, a shower could be on the cards.”
“Nate,” Kevin said, “you might want to use the shower after Wiremu.”
“Kev! You’re supposed to be on my side!”
“I’ve got the strongest sense of smell of all of us, and you both need showers.”
Nathan nodded. “Fair call, buddy. Shower and sleep. I might sleep for a few days yet.”
“You all assume there are working showers at my dad’s place,” Casey said.
Wiremu turned around in the passenger’s seat. “What do you mean by that? Just how primitive is your dad’s place?”
