RETRIBUTION RIDGE

by Anna Willett

  Behind her came the sound of footfalls on lose ground. Harper let out a wail and clutched her injured arm to her body. He’d found her. She picked up her pace, and did her best to run. She’d wasted so much time when she should have been running, trying to find help.

  Turning her head from left to right, she searched for a hiding place. Maybe he hasn’t seen me and I can wait him out again, her desperate mind tried to latch on to the frail hope before a flat voice in her mind piped up – if you can hear him, he can hear you.

  Her only hope was silence. She stopped moving forward and side-stepped. Crouching in a cluster of spindly bushes, no more than a metre or so high, she waited and listened. I’ll hear him, but he won’t hear me. Her hair had come lose and hung around her face in stringy clumps. She counted silently. When she reached forty, the sound of boots, distant but distinct, became audible. All sound ceased. Harper closed her eyes and screwed up her face as if waiting for a blow to land. She counted.

  Fifteen seconds then the sound of someone large and heavy changing direction, pivoting and then moving. She’d read somewhere, maybe in a thriller, that sound carries farther in the wilderness because of the absence of other sound. If that were true, maybe he was farther away than he seemed. Or maybe he’s like the devil and can move without sound. She knew the thought was nothing more than childish fear trying to overtake her, but just the same it sent an icy finger running down her spine.

  The idea of standing and looking around took her breath away. She imagined him waiting only metres away, a vacuous smile lighting up his brutal face. Harper kept her eyes tightly shut and continued to count. If she reached three hundred and sixty, ten minutes without hearing him, she’d stand. Besides, there was something comforting and lulling in counting. The mind-numbing familiarity of numbers soothed the pain and gave her something to cling to.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Judith moved first. Raising the knife to shoulder height, she stepped forward and let out a howl. The figure collapsed at her feet sending a spray of grit and seedpods flying.

  “No!” Everything happened so quickly, Milly couldn’t be sure of what she’d seen. Or, if Judith had used the knife. “Don’t, Jude. It’s Lucas.” Milly dropped the rock and grabbed her sister’s arm.

  For a moment, the two women stood over him, both unsure what to do next. Lucas groaned and rolled onto his back. His face streaked with blood and his shirt torn, he blinked but seemed unaware of his surroundings.

  “He’s hurt,” Milly crouched down near his head. “Did you stab him?” She asked, looking up at her sister.

  “No. I didn’t touch him.” Judith made no move to help Milly with the injured man. “He just collapsed in front of me.”

  “Put the knife away and get him some water.” Milly wondered why her sister just stood there. She could feel the adrenalin still coursing through her body. She guessed Judith was feeling the same way. “Quick, he needs help.”

  Judith nodded and dropped the pack. Milly turned her attention back to the injured man. “Lucas?” Milly waited a few seconds. His eyes were open, but seemed unfocused. “Lucas, look at me,” she tried using a sharper tone.

  It seemed to work. He blinked a few times then his dark eyes shifted and locked on hers. Milly noticed a gash on his forehead surrounded by swelling. The right sleeve of his shirt was torn and hanging down around his elbow, revealing a shiny muscular bicep. His clothes were filthy as if he’d been crawling through the dirt. He reminded Milly of footage she’d seen on the news; survivors running from a building that’d just been bombed. He had the same haunted look on his face as those terrified people.

  “Lucas?” she tried again. “What happened to you?”

  His mouth moved and he managed to croak out a few sounds.

  “Where’s Harper?” Judith asked. She crouched on the other side of him holding the water bottle.

  “Give him a drink.” Milly felt irritated by her sister’s lack of action, but tried to keep it out of her voice. If her back wasn’t injured, Milly would have reached over and snatched the bottle from her and given Lucas a drink by now.

  Judith held the bottle to Lucas’s mouth. He managed to raise himself onto his elbows and open his mouth. Milly watched his throat work as he sucked down the water. Something played around the edges of her mind, just out of reach. She tried to bring the thought to the foreground of her thinking, but it slipped away from her.

  “Not too much at once,” Milly reached out her hand and gently pulled the bottle from his lips.

  Lucas let out a deep sigh and lay back. The circle of trees cast a gloomy shadow over his face. He closed his eyes and within seconds his chest rose and fell like someone in a deep sleep. Milly tried calling his name a few times but he remained unresponsive. Finally, she gave up and sank onto her hip besides him.

  “You’re not supposed to let people with head injuries sleep,” she said, looking over at Judith who sat on his other side. “Do you think he’s asleep or unconscious?”

  “We need to find Harper.” She pointed at Lucas. “Something’s happened to them. They never made it out of here, so that means Harper is still nearby. I think we should start searching for her.”

  Milly nodded. It made sense, but what about Lucas. Harper was her friend, but she couldn’t just abandon the man.

  “Yeah. You’re right, but let’s give him a few minutes.”

  The two women moved a couple of metres away and sat together watching the unconscious man. Milly could see his chest rise and fall and hear his breathing, deep and steady. She looked up, the sun sat high in the milky blue sky. She guessed it must be around midday.

  “Jude,” she turned to her sister. She noticed Judith’s legs were smeared with dirt, knees grubby from kneeling on the ground. She supposed she looked even worse. Milly raked her dirty fingers through her short dark hair. “You said you had things to tell me; I think now’s the time.”

  Judith nodded. She took the lighter out of the top pocket of her shirt and flicked it on. She watched the flame for a few seconds. It was a cheap plastic job, orange with a black top. Milly hadn’t thought of it before, but she began to wonder why her sister carried a lighter when she didn’t smoke. Maybe it was a camping thing she didn’t know about. She thought of asking her but dismissed the idea. Judith obviously had something she needed to get off her chest, muddying the waters with pointless questions wouldn’t help.

  “Harper and I,” Judith blew the flame out and curled her fist over the lighter. “We’re close.”

  “I know. She told me you two still keep in touch, but what does…”

  “No.” Judith shook her head. Her bouncy brown hair looked lank and clung to the sides of her face. “I mean we’re really close.”

  Milly opened her mouth to speak and then the meaning of her sister’s words sunk in. Her mind reeled. What Judith was saying didn’t make sense, Harper loved men. In high school she always had boyfriends. And Judith, how could Milly not know?

  “Are you saying that you and Harper…” She let her words hang in the air, not sure how to finish the question.

  Judith nodded and put the lighter back in her pocket. “We moved in together about six months ago. But…” She shrugged. “We’ve been together for about two years.”

  “Did Mum know?”

  “Yes. She knew. It’s not something I’ve ever tried to hide. I’ve been open about myself for years.” She turned and looked at her sister. Judith’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you before, but Harper said you were too fragile and she didn’t want to upset you.”

  The shock of Judith’s revelation started to fade, replaced by a grim flicker of anger. Everyone had known but her. Even her mother. Her mind raced over all the phone conversations, never once had her mum mentioned anything about Judith and Harper. It was as if Milly were a stranger to her own family. Milly sucked in her bottom lip. Harper was supposed to be her friend, yet she’d kept her in the dark all this time.
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br />   “What else have you lied about?” The throbbing in Milly’s head made her wince and narrow her eyes. She wanted to get up and run away. Put as much distance between herself and her sister as possible. Instead, she waited for Judith to answer.

  “This trip.” Judith swallowed. “Harper and I planned it together.”

  “Yeah, that seems pretty obvious now.” Milly couldn’t keep the anger out of her voice. “The only thing I don’t get is why. Or is that obvious too?”

  “What?” Judith frowned.

  “The money,” Milly said in a flat voice. “You wanted me to agree to whatever scheme you and Harper cooked up. Probably talk me into signing my share of Mum’s house and all the income from her books over to you.” Milly waved her arm towards Lucas. “Is that what all this is about? Frighten me into doing whatever you want?” Her voice wavered as a new and more horrifying thought occurred. “Or were you going to get rid of me?”

  Judith shook her head and the tears spilled onto her cheeks. “No,” her voice was high with indignation. “We never meant to hurt you.”

  “So this is about the money?” Milly paused. “And you did hurt me.” She pointed at Lucas. “And him.”

  Judith put her hand on Milly’s leg. Milly curled her lip and jerked herself sideways. “I thought …” She stopped herself. She didn’t want to break down. If she let herself cry, she didn’t think she’d be able to stop. “I just want to get out of here.”

  “I know,” Judith spoke softly. “But just let me explain.”

  Milly looked around. The trees seemed to be crowding in, blocking out the light and casting shadows that reminded her of talons. Her stomach clenched, she needed her pills.

  “We did plan this trip together and,” she hesitated. “And some of what happened, but it was never about money and no one was supposed to get hurt.”

  Milly stared at her sister, horrified by her confession. Judith and Harper had planned this. Harper, her oldest friend, her ally. The betrayal was almost inconceivable.

  “We just wanted to get you out here so you and I could spend some time alone. They were supposed to let you climb down the cliff and drop you a couple of metres from the ground.” Judith let out a long shaky breath. “Just scare you, nothing serious.” She rubbed her hand across her forehead. “Something went wrong. I don’t know what happened. I swear.”

  “You said ‘they.’” Milly felt tears stinging her eyes and tried to blink them away.

  “What?” Judith seemed thrown off balance.

  “You said, they were supposed to let me climb down.” Milly looked over at the unconscious man. “He’s in on it too?”

  Judith opened her mouth to answer and then closed it again. She dropped her chin and stared into her lap. Milly let the silence stretch out between them. In the trees nearby, birds twittered happily.

  “Yes. Well, sort of.”

  “Is he part of this or not?” Milly needed to know and at the same time dreaded the answer. The thought of the three of them planning, conspiring against her – laughing – it made her feel small, stupid, and very alone. It’s safe, I promise. You’ll be surprised how easy it is, the words Judith and Lucas had used to coax her into stepping over the edge of the cliff pinged around in her mind.

  “We barely know him. Harper met him at the gym and he … I don’t know how he got so involved. Judith ran her fingers through her hair. He gave us some abseiling lessons in the bush around Kalamunda. I told him about wanting to spend a few days with you.” She shook her head. Lucas suggested we come out here. He liked the idea of bringing the two of us together using tough love.” Judith shrugged. “He went along with it.”

  “Did you pay him?” Milly barely recognised her own voice; it sounded older, tired. Like the voice of an elderly woman that’s been beaten down by life’s disappointments.

  Judith nodded. Milly looked away from her sister at the man lying at the edge of the trees. She could see his chest moving, he was still breathing. He meant nothing to her, she only met him yesterday and even then hadn’t really liked him. She wondered why his betrayal should hurt so much.

  “It sounds pathetic now but I had my reasons and they’re not all selfish.”

  Milly laughed, an unpleasant sound lacking any joy or humour. “Let me guess, you did this for me. To help me?” She thumped her hand against her chest. “You paid someone to drop me over a cliff and nearly kill me, for what? My own good?” Milly stretched her mouth into a humourless grin. The cut on her lip pulled open and she felt blood ooze down her chin.

  “I needed to know the truth. I thought if we were out here, just the two of us, and you were afraid, you’d tell me.” Judith looked into her sister’s eyes. “I can’t go on until I know what really happened … It has haunted me. The blame, the guilt.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “That night … at the Reach, it’s tainted every day since. Tell me what happened.”

  Milly reeled back as if she’d been slapped. She’d dreaded this moment. The nerves, the anxiety about seeing Judith again. She’d known deep down it would always come back to this. Judith would never stop hounding her.

  “I’ve told you a million times. You got Drew killed with your stupid attention seeking.” Her voice rose to nearly a scream.

  Judith drew back. “I know you were back in Angel Fern.”

  Milly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could Judith know about the hospital? The buzzing in her ears intensified. After all these years, she’d allowed herself to believe there might be a chance at re-establishing a bond with her sister, but it had all been lies and manipulation.

  “I saw the bills when I went through Mum’s things. I know you’ve been hospitalised three times in the last ten years.” Judith shook her head. “This has to stop, Mil. That’s why Harper and I brought you out here.” She reached out to her sister. “For you and for me.”

  Milly struggled to her feet. “So all that screaming last night, if that was to scare me, you and Harper can pat each other on the back because it worked. I…”

  “No. I don’t know what that was. Everything else I said, about being in danger,” Judith stood and looked around. “I meant it. I might have brought you out here, but something else is happening. We need to find Harper and get out of here.”

  They were in agreement on one thing, Milly wanted to leave as quickly as possible. She had no interest in anything else her sister had to say, including the whole we’re in danger routine. She turned away and moved to where Lucas lay.

  Milly crouched over him. In repose, his face looked calm, almost perfect. So different from the gruff monosyllabic bore he’d turned out to be. Whatever he’d done. Taken money from her sister to do … what? Trick her? Help terrorise her? As much as it hurt, she couldn’t turn her back on an injured man.

  “Lucas?” she snapped the word and patted his cheek.

  His eyes flickered open then held hers. He raised his hand to the side of his forehead and groaned. Judith must have heard him stir. Her boots pounded across the small clearing.

  “What happened?” Judith knelt beside him and leaned in. “Where’s Harper?”

  Lucas pulled himself into a sitting position with his knees drawn up. “I don’t know.” He dragged the back of his hand across his forehead smearing blood on his arm. “Things happened so fast. One minute we were heading back towards the trail.” He paused and looked from Judith to Milly. “Then everything went crazy.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Harper pushed herself into a crouching position and raised her head until she could see over the top of the bushes. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since she’d last had water, or food. She knew she could go without eating for days and still survive, but without water, she couldn’t last much longer. Her muscles were cramping and bouts of dizziness became more frequent. Sustaining the awkward stance for more than a few seconds took every ounce of willpower she had left.

  It had been at least ten minutes since she’d last heard his footfalls. She scanned the bushe
s and trees for any sign of movement. If he was nearby, she couldn’t hear him. Every tree or cluster of vegetation looked like a possible hiding place. She couldn’t dismiss the possibility that he might be waiting her out. If she broke from the relative safety of the bushes, he might pounce. Harper grasped the hem of her shirt and squeezed it in her fist. Move or hide, the question repeated over and over in her mind.

  The distant cry of seagulls caught her attention. She turned her head in what had to be a westerly direction. I must be close. Her heart beat kicked up a couple of notches. The trail leading back to the carpark had to be within a twenty-minute walk. If she could make it that far, there was a strong chance she might meet other hikers.

  Harper stretched her legs and stood. She waited a beat and then turned west. The sun, now high in the sky, was on her right. Grey autumn clouds filtered much of its warmth, but the weak rays on her back were enough to raise a slick of sweat under the hair on the back of her neck. Her boots felt heavy on the end of her legs, lifting them took effort. With each step the bush thinned until she recognised the barren coastal plains from the day before. A warm feeling blossomed in her chest – hope.

  She pictured the parking lot, the toilet block, square and bland with luke-warm water on tap. She licked her cracked lips and forced her legs to keep moving. Soon it would be over. She’d find help; there’s safety in numbers. Maybe a group of hikers. Harper’s mind seized onto the idea. They’d have phones. How long would it take the police to arrive? Judith and Milly couldn’t be far away. If they brought in rescue helicopters they’d be able to spot them almost immediately. Her mind tried to throw up what ifs, but Harper resisted the grim images that wanted to form in her head.