Don't Look Back (Warders of Earth)

by S. E. GILCHRIST

  I had jumped into Mum’s car only to have Em scoot into the passenger seat. Annoyed and more than a little anxious at the amount of time wasted arguing with everyone, I had given in and driven off to the hire shop.

  Em had spent the entire ride there, peppering me with questions interjected with wails and moaning about the need to pack for our impending departure to God-only-knew-where. No matter how many objections I put forward, she’d insisted on coming with me although I would have preferred to go alone.

  I clenched my jaw, my head throbbing. “Dad will be there. You didn’t have to come with me.”

  “I couldn’t let you do this by yourself.” Em increased speed until her quad was beside me as we tore down the road. “Look, the gates should be just around that bend. Where did you say we’d meet up with him?”

  “A bit further along the side track. I asked Dad to bring some wire cutters and high-powered binoculars.” I worked down the gears and the quad rolled to a halt. Em pulled up beside me and wrestled off her helmet.

  The heavy silence of the bush enfolded me. The heat of the sun was muted by the dense shadows cast by the tall trees. I took off my helmet and hung it by its straps over the handlebars.

  “Are we still going to do this?” Em’s voice sounded small.

  “I am. You don’t have to come any further, Em.” After swinging off my quad, I pushed it to the side of the road where a sprawling low-growing grevillea bush screened it from view.

  “I said I’d come with you. Anyway, I want to know what’s going on too,” She said as she followed me. She gave a nervous giggle. “Alex is going to be furious when he finds out what we’ve done.”

  “Who cares?” Now who’s bull shitting? I wished I knew whether I could trust him. But honestly? That dumb explanation of his father wanting to settle down in a quiet country town was crap whether they were really here to protect us or not. Both of them knew more than what they were letting on about what was happening or about to happen. They were holding back and it didn’t help that every time I looked at his father, my skin crawled.

  I smiled at Em suddenly glad she was with me. At least I could always count on my friends. “Let’s go then.”

  I led the way through the scrub following what looked like a rabbit trail as it wound round and between bushes and trees and long razor sharp grasses.

  Grabbing her arm, I stopped. “Listen, Em. Can you hear that?”

  “Trucks,” said Em, her round eyes practically starting from her head.

  “I bet it’s those army trucks we saw last night.”

  “Do you think? Could they be using Dad’s land as a base camp?”

  “Maybe, but I want to make sure.” Plus, I needed to get a closer look at the insignia on their uniforms. I needed to make sure they were our troops and not the people who were hunting my family and me.

  Em flapped a hand in front of her face to shoo away a fly.

  “Let’s cut through the bush here. I’m fairly sure this will bring us out to that clearing we found the other day.” I pushed a thorny branch aside.

  I fought my way through another thick bottlebrush and several bush rosemary shrubs. A needle-like leaf off a Callistemon Brachyandrus pierced my finger and I sucked the spot of blood off my hand. Tendrils of the red brushes with the tiny yellow tips clung to my tee-shirt. It was hot and still and I caught my breath when I heard the steady thrum of engines.

  A gap appeared in the scrub. We’d reached the clearing. There was no sign of Dad.

  Looking about me, I caught my breath. “Shit! Someone’s installed security cameras on the fence.” Like multiple evil red eyes scanning for prey, the cameras swivelled slowly from side to side from where they’d been attached to each post.

  “Get down!” I grabbed Em’s hand and we quickly scrunched lower as the camera shifted in their direction.

  Em giggled nervously. “Do you think it saw us?”

  I chewed my bottom lip, still holding tightly to Em warning her to keep still while we waited, breathless, for the camera to turn away. “No, I think we’re okay. Let’s go.”

  “I can’t see your Dad, Tara. I guess he must have got tired of waiting.”

  “Maybe.” But it wasn’t like Dad to let me down. I tried my mobile phone. Nothing. No bars, no messages.

  I looked at my friend. Her blonde hair had darkened with sweat and even her curls seemed to wilt in the heat. I shouldn’t have brought her with me. We should turn back.

  “Now what?” asked Em.

  On the other hand, we’d come this far, what could it hurt to take a closer look? I couldn’t give up now. Not when I was so close to finding some answers. I took another look at all that high tech security cameras and unease swept a sudden chill down my spine.

  “I think you should wait here for me. I won’t be long.”

  “No way. We’re in this together, remember? So come on. You’re wasting time.”

  After taking one look at the mulish tilt to her chin, I decided it was pointless arguing any further. Besides, Em was right. We were wasting time. We had some packing to do, if we were leaving town later today.

  The reminder made my head ache.

  I counted while the cameras performed another sweep. As soon as I thought I had the timing right, I scrambled over some large boulders, dropped to the ground, and crawling on all fours, scrabbled over to the edge of the tree line.

  With a thump and a gasp Em arrived breathless beside me. Speechless and panting loudly, I stared at the scene spread before us.

  Beyond the fence, three black vans with blackened out windows were parked near the buildings and men scurried about loading boxes into the opened rear doors of the vans. Beyond the buildings the trucks we’d seen the other night were lined up. Uniformed men stood in regimented rows in front of each truck.

  I squinted. Unfortunately they were too far away for me to make out the insignia on the uniforms. The angle at which the trucks were parked made it difficult to see what if anything was written on the sides. I’d have to get closer.

  “Get a load of those antenna! Enough to call up Mars,” I whispered as I mentally counted the antenna sprouting from the vans.

  We exchanged worried glances.

  “Shit, Tara, those guys are armed,” Em squeaked.

  A line of men jogged in parade ground precision from behind the closest building to the fenceline where we lay belly down in the dirt. The men were dressed in fatigues with helmets covering their heads; all held rifles close to their chests and their faces were marked with black camouflage.

  Please, please be our military.

  A flash of light caught my attention. My breathing seized for a moment. Metal glinted in the strong sunlight, reflecting off a pair of wire-cutters thrown carelessly to one side.

  “OMG! Dad’s been here.” Ice seemed to settle in lumps in the bottom of my belly. Cold sweat formed on my back making me itch. “He’s cut through the wire fence over there, where it dips down into a small ditch. But I can’t see him anywhere can you?”

  “He must have left,” Em’s voice quavered. “I think it’s time for us to go too.” She inched cautiously backwards.

  I took one last look around the clearing.

  “Em! It’s his bike! It’s Dad’s bike.” Hunched over, I raced across the clearing. There, behind a thick shrub, stood Dad’s dirtbike.

  “The keys are in the ignition. He must still be here.” I whirled around and ran towards the fence.

  “Tara wait! What are you doing?”

  “I’ve got to find him. You wait here. He can’t be too far away.” I reached the fence where Dad had cut through the wire and pulled it upwards sufficiently to allow a body to pass through. My legs feeling like jelly, I dropped onto my belly and crawled forward. Gingerly I hauled at the wire and wriggled through to the other side.

  Em scrambled to the fenceline, her fingers danced frantically over the numbers on her mobile. “I can’t pick up a signal.” Her voice was shrill with panic. She thrust the phone
into her jean pocket and crouched on her knees in the grass.

  I stared at her, the wire of the fence separating us. “Go home, Em.”

  “No way. I’m not leaving you here alone.”

  “Hurry up then, before someone sees us.” I lifted the wire further apart, so Em could wiggle through without getting her clothes caught on the jagged edges. We lay on our stomachs and peered carefully over the edge of the ditch.

  “I think we need to get closer to those buildings. I bet Dad must be hiding somewhere close by, maybe trying to get a look inside,” I whispered, gesturing with my index finger.

  Em nodded.

  “What if we get closer, take a look around and if we can’t see Dad, we’ll head back to the clearing. We may be able to pick up a signal further down the road.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Alright.” I examined the terrain in front of us. “There’s enough cover for us to get fairly close to that building there. The good news is those guys are over on the other side of this compound. So hopefully, we won’t be spotted. Ready?”

  Em gave me the thumbs up.

  Placing a finger over my lips, I slunk into a crouch and ran to the closest shrub where Em soon joined me. Then off I dashed to the next clump of bushes. Feeling as if I was stuck in a B-grade movie, I fought the urge to snigger knowing it came from panic. I scrambled from bush to bush until open ground stood between me and the building.

  So far, so good.

  I gestured for her to join me. Still in a crouch, I scurried across the open ground where I plastered myself against the metal wall of the building. Gulping air I willed my galloping pulse to steady, as a breathless Em reached my side.

  Slowly, I took a peek around the corner. No windows or vents on this side. I squeezed her hand then released it motioning for her to stay where she was while I inched along the building and snuck my head out for a look around the other side.

  Bingo!

  About one third of the way along the side of the building a small window was propped open by a thin strip of metal. I whispered, “There’s a window open. It’s fairly high up, but I think if I stand on tip-toes, I may be able to see inside.”

  “Any sign of your Dad?” Em whispered back and I shook my head. “Be careful Tara. I’ll wait here and keep a look-out.”

  I crept along the side of the building. My eyes straining as I constantly searched the grounds, expecting to hear shouts at any moment, but there was no-one in sight. The engines had died down to a steady reverberation and in the distance I could hear a man yelling orders.

  It seemed to take forever to reach the small window. Another quick look around to ensure the coast was clear and I stood on tiptoe, my fingers gripping the hot metal of the sill.

  The low murmur of voices came from inside.

  “I told you. I came alone. No one else knows about you or your cause.”

  Listening, I frowned. That’s Dad’s voice! I bit down hard on my bottom lip to keep from calling him.

  I distinctly heard the dull thudding sound of fists connecting with another body. Then the crack of bones.

  Dad! What the hell are they doing to him? Desperate to see what was happening, I raised myself higher.

  The interior was dimly lit and it took me a moment for my vision to adjust. I blinked several times as if that would alter the scene I knew would be burned into my mind for all time.

  Dad was bound to a metal chair that looked as if it was bolted to the ground. His hands were tied behind his back with thick rope and metal shackles encased his ankles to the chair legs. His jeans were ripped and blood seeped through near his right knee. Blood trickled down his forehead from an open wound and also from his nose, over his mouth and chin. Already one side of his face was swelling but he held his head defiantly as he stared back at the two uniformed men standing in front of him. One of the men slapped a thick cosh into the palm of his hand. Bile rose in my throat. I recognised his face as belonging to the stranger from the newspaper office. Gone were the slick suits, replaced by combat fatigues and flak jackets.

  The patches on their arms revealed a capital ‘M’ with ‘N’ superimposed over the top.

  The Mundos Novus.

  Then it was true.

  I squeezed my eyes shut wishing this were all a terrible dream. Think. I took another quick look around inside the building and spotted another man sitting in a chair over on the far side of the room.

  Mr Andrews.

  Em’s adoptive father.

  Holy shit balls.

  He was hunched over a desk, his gaze fixed on the screen of a tablet and apparently ignoring the interrogation.

  It was also apparent, he was no prisoner.

  One of the men spun towards the window.

  Quickly, I ducked down out of sight. I waited, huddled against the hot wall of the building, my heart in my mouth, hardly daring to breathe, my hands clenched into fists.

  Then someone laughed. There was no sound of footsteps rushing to the window. I was still safe.

  My knees gave way. I squatted in the dirt on my haunches. My mind replayed the scene as I wiped sweaty hands over my cargo pants. What was Em’s dad doing there? How deep in dog shit was he?

  He could be under some kind of duress; forced to work for them.

  My head pounded.

  There’d been no one else inside that building. It sure hadn’t looked as if a gun was being held to Mr Andrews’ head. He sure as hell, wasn’t making any objections to that arsehole beating the crap out of my dad.

  I wanted to throw up. I didn’t know what to think. All I knew was I had to free Dad before they hurt him anymore. If I could create some kind of diversion, maybe I could get inside unseen. I remembered the crates being loaded.

  Could they be readying to move out? And if so, where were they going?

  And what, if anything, did this have to do with the pending meteorite strikes?

  I straightened and snuck along the side of the building then came to a complete halt.

  A soldier stepped out. A black balaclava covered his face. His legs were braced apart. One hand held an open blade to Em’s throat and the other clamped across her chest.

  “Don’t move.”

  Very slowly, I put my hands in the air.

  Mr Andrews and his cohorts appeared behind the soldier.

  We’d been made. Now what did we do?

  “I should have known you wouldn’t be too far behind your father. Dear me, Emma,” Mr Andrews chided coldly. “Where is your gratitude? I fed you, clothed you. Gave you a home and you betray me.” He cast a narrow glance around the quiet countryside. “Bring them inside.”

  “Dad? What’s going on? What are you doing here?” Em squeaked, her eyes bugging out of her head.

  “Ask your friend here. She holds all the answers. Get a move on.” He stared up at the sky then back at me. He knows what’s coming. “We need to be in position before the first impact.”

  The soldier holding Em released her. She staggered forward, landing in my arms. The guard gestured with his knife for us to move forward.

  We moved.

  We didn’t have any other choice.

  At the doorway, I took a last look around. The sky was a brilliant blue. The fiery meteor shower competed in brightness with the sun; so much closer than the last time I’d looked that terror gripped my insides in a savage twist.

  A hawk flew lazily overhead. Gum trees stood listless in the heat, no breeze rustled the leaves or rippled waves across the sea of grass stretching to the fence.

  Rough hands pushed us inside. Em fell to her knees, covering her face in her hands and sobbed.

  The door slammed shut.

  “Tara. Emma. Oh no. I hoped you wouldn’t follow me,” wheezed Dad.

  I rushed to him and flung myself down at his side. I burrowed my face against his chest, my arms clutching just like I used to do when I was a little girl. “Dad.”

  “You have to get out of here, kiddo. You realise what’s going
on, don’t you?”

  Drawing back, I blinked away tears. “I’m not sure. How badly are you hurt?”

  He coughed, wheezed and spat blood from his mouth. “Broken ribs I think, coupla broken fingers, teeth, one of my knees is shattered. My kidneys took a pounding and it’s getter harder to breathe. Think I’m bleeding internally.”

  My heart stopped beating for a moment while I digested those horrifying words. I started working on the ropes binding his hands. It wasn’t easy. My trembling fingers slipped in his blood.

  “Think, kiddo. They’re here for you and Dan.” Dad closed his eyes for a moment as he breathed through a wave of pain. When he opened them again, the defeat shining there almost sent me back to my knees. “We tried. Your mother and I, we tried so hard to keep you safe.”

  “You did, Dad. You kept us safe.”

  Em asked, her tremulous voice revealing she was at breaking point, “Please. What are you talking about, Mr Ferguson? I don’t understand. Why is my adoptive father doing this to us?”

  “Good questions. But there’s no time to explain. Tara. You have to leave.”

  “This is my fault, Dad.”

  “No, never think that for a moment.” He grunted. Pain rippled over his face. Gathering himself, he mumbled through the blood dripping from his mouth. “Your mother and I knew what we were taking on all those years ago.” He took a deep breath that rattled in his throat in a way that terrified me.

  This was my fault my dad was suffering.

  “What are we going to do?” I pulled the rope from Dad’s left hand and hurried to his other side. A few minutes and I had the ropes off him.

  Dad moved his legs in a feeble movement, making the chains on his feet rattle. “I need to be rid of all this crap.”

  Anger ripped white hot and hard through me. If I had a gun, I would have used it.

  I leapt to my feet and paced the barracks. The only window was too small to climb through and it was certain, a guard would be stationed outside the only door. I looked over to find Em cleaning the blood from Dad’s face. My heart contracted. How far could he run when he’d been beaten by that ape?

  Our eyes met. His steady gaze, the love I saw shining there for me, shredded me deep inside. I knew what he intended to ask me to do, but how could I leave him? Fear clawed at my throat, as rabid as a wild dog.