And if I had my way, that’s exactly what we’d have in a few days’ time.
***
The rain came around mid-morning.
Plump, black clouds rolled in from the west to pelt us with fat droplets that left us shivering and cold. We didn’t stop, though it did force us to slow down a bit for everyone’s safety. I ended up hiding my face against Ropata’s broad back to keep the water from stinging my eyes. The asphalt hissed beneath us and kicked up a spray that made it hazardous for the bikes following us.
Suddenly, there was a clunk and the rain became lighter. I opened my eyes and looked up to discover that we were driving beneath trees, picking our way through the undergrowth at a more sedate pace. The canopy above us filtered the heavy rain into a light mist. It took me a moment to realise that we’d gone off-road, to avoid the same break in the asphalt that had hindered us on the trip eastwards.
The bike bounced nimbly over tree roots and through clumps of ferns, leaving a trail behind us that felt like it was a mile wide. None of the riders seemed to care, and it made some sense. We’d passed Pukeatua about an hour before and seen no sign of the neo-Nazi threat, so they had no reason to assume there were other dangers lurking about.
I was warier, of course – but I always am, suspicion is in my nature. While we rode, I watched the deep shadows of the underbrush for any sign of trouble, but I saw nothing. Ropata and I were in the lead with the others strung out behind us. Eventually, we left the bush and thundered back onto the tarmac again, where we paused to wait for the other riders to catch up.
I sat up straight and looked back, counting heads as the other bikes emerged from the brush until I was satisfied everyone was safe and sound. I waved to Michael and Priyanka reassuringly, and then we were off again, following the curve of the road towards Te Awamutu.
***
The rain passed after a while, though we had to keep our pace relatively sedate on the wet roads. It was a little after midday by the time we reached the outskirts of Te Awamutu. I leaned past Ropata and pointed the way towards where our truck waited for us; a few minutes later, the quad bike crunched to a halt on the gravel at the top of the hill, beside the high steel fence that had served as our little fortress on that first night. By the time the other bikes joined us, I had already hopped off and squeezed through the half-open gate to check on my Hilux.
Everything was as I had left it, even the keys sitting on the driver’s seat. No-one had passed by in our absence; our footprints were the only ones visible in the long grass. While I popped the hood and leaned over the engine to start work, I heard the others parking their bikes and fanning out to relieve themselves and organise lunch.
Before we’d left, Rebecca and Jim had thanked us profusely for our help, and given us enough supplies to see us back home safely. To my surprise, neither of them had suggested that they wanted us to stay, or would like to come with us.
At first, I had found that a little strange, but after taking some time to think about, I’d come to realise that Arapuni Power Station was their home. They felt safe and secure there, even if they were alone together. They always had one another, not as lovers but as friends. When it came down to it, companionship and friendship was so much more important than sex anyway. They were comfortable together, and once we left they would continue being comfortable with one another, even if they had enjoyed our visit while it lasted.
Priyanka scampered over to join me while the guys were busy getting lunch ready. She hopped up on the front bumper to get a better vantage point and stood staring intently into the depths of the engine for some time, mimicking me. Eventually, she glanced over at me for guidance. “What we looking at?”
“What are we looking at,” I corrected gently. “We’re looking at an engine. This engine will make the car drive for us, but right now it’s broken. We’re going to fix it.” I looked at her and gave her a smile. “Do you want to help?”
“I will help.” Priyanka nodded solemnly, always ready to assist even if she had no idea what she was doing. I couldn’t help but be amused by her serious, intense expression, but it was an opportunity to teach her a useful life skill so I snatched it up.
In simple terms, I explained to her what the engine did and named each of the major components for her. She was a quick study, and repeated the names that I gave her with confidence. After each one, I gave her a brief explanation of what it did. When we reached the starter motor, I went into more detail and told her how I knew that it was broken.
“Is broken because engine no go broom-broom?” she repeated once I was done, simplifying what I’d told her into her stunted English.
“Exactly. So, we’re going to take the broken one out, and put a new one in.” I opened my pack and removed one of the components, to show her what it looked like.
“Ooh. New one not broken?” She reached out to touch the component, and then sniffed at the grease that came off on her finger.
“I hope this one is not broken – but we’ll find out when we put it in. Come over here, I’ll show you.” I beckoned for her to follow me, and together we bent over the engine and worked to replace the component. Although her inquisitive little fingers sometimes got in the way, it felt important to teach her everything that I could, so I stayed calm and patient, explaining each step as we were doing it.
Eventually, we got the new starter motor in and stood back to admire our handiwork. At some stage, Michael had wandered over to observe what was going on, but I hadn’t realised he was there until I felt a gentle hand touch the small of my back. I jumped in surprise and glanced at him. He smiled in return.
“How is it?” he asked softly, in that deep, sultry rumble he reserved just for me.
“We’re about to find out,” I answered, absently reaching up to tuck a strand of hair back behind my ear. I froze half way through the gesture when I realised that I was unconsciously flirting with him yet again. Suddenly embarrassed, I glanced away. “Um… would you mind turning the key for me, please?”
“Of course,” he answered, barely able to hide the amusement in his voice at my momentary shyness. But, more importantly, he understood me well enough not to mention it. He just gave my back a gentle rub, then moved around to the driver’s door and slid in behind the wheel. The engine spluttered for a moment when he turned the keys, but then it roared to life with a deep, throaty growl.
Priyanka squealed in surprise at the loud noise and clapped her hands over her ears. For a second, she looked so utterly terrified that I thought she was going to make a run for it, but she held her ground. She stared at me wide-eyed until I smiled and reached over to ruffle her short hair, the way I often did. She seemed to like it when I did that, and equated it with being praised.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” I told her, then waited until she took her hands off her ears before I explained further. “That noise just means it’s not broken anymore. We fixed it.”
“We fixed it? No more broken?” Priya stared suspiciously at the rumbling truck for a long moment while she processed that information. Suddenly, her expression brightened. “Fixed, no more broken. Yay! We fixed it. I helped?” She looked at me with those big, soulful eyes of hers. I couldn’t even hope to resist them.
“Absolutely. You’re a good helper.” I ruffled her hair again and gave her a little hug. “Get your bag, we’re going to go for a drive in the car now. Going to go home.”
“Go home to where Sandy comes from?” she asked quizzically.
“Yep,” I told her gently. “We’re going to go back to my home. We have some new friends for you to meet. There’s even a nice little girl there that you can play with. She’s a bit younger than you, but I think you’ll like her.”
Priya’s expression lit up like a Christmas tree. She nodded rapidly and scampered off to fetch her things. While she was gone, I picked up my backpack and headed over to join Michael. He was just climbing into the truck, but he paused to take my bag and placed it in the passenger’s side footwell.
>
“I’ll drive first, so you can eat,” he offered, pointing me towards where Hemi and the others were cleaning up the remains of their lunch. I noticed at a glance that they’d set something aside for Priya and me, which made me smile.
“That’s sweet of you. Thanks, honey.” I looked back at him and reached out to touch his hand. “Are they going to go their own way home?”
“Nah, they’re going to escort us back to our place and stay the night with us, then go home in the morning,” Michael answered, closing his hand around my fingers gently. “It’ll be after dark by the time we get there. It’s too dangerous for them to be driving along that track of theirs in the pitch black.”
“Good point. At least the Hilux has proper headlights,” I agreed, absently stroking his big fingers. For some reason, the contrast between us never failed to fascinate me in my more introspective moments. I loved every aspect of his body and his mind, no matter how different it was – but it was the differences between us that really intrigued me.
In the six weeks since we’d left our bunker home in Hamilton, his fair skin had turned dark with a smooth tan. On the other hand, I was still pale but had turned into a mass of freckles during the heat of summer, as I usually did. His hair was still jet black, while mine had bleached even blonder in the sun. We couldn’t have looked any more different unless one of us turned green – but that was okay, because I loved him for who he was, not what he was. He could have turned into a giant flying spaghetti monster, and I’d probably still love him.
Priyanka scampered back to us with her backpack, the dog bounding along at her heels. Michael and I parted then, to guide our respective charges to their seats in the rear cab of the old truck. I opened the door and helped Priya climb in, then showed her how to fasten her seatbelt.
“What’s this for?” she asked curiously, tugging at the strap as I adjusted it over her shoulder.
“This is a seatbelt. It keeps you safe in case the road gets rough. Make sure you leave it on, but if there’s an emergency and you have to take it off, just push this button here.” I pointed to the appropriate place, and then gave her a smile and put her bag in her lap. “The doggie doesn’t fit in a seatbelt, so you need to make sure he doesn’t jump around for me, okay?”
“Okies,” Priyanka agreed obediently. She unzipped her backpack and pulled out her old teddy, so that she could cuddle it. On a sudden, overwhelmingly maternal impulse, I leaned over and kissed her forehead, then closed the door and climbed into the front passenger’s seat. By the time I was settled, Michael had managed to coax the dog into the back, and opened the window a crack so that he could smell the interesting things we were passing.
Hemi came over to give Priya and me our lunches. The food was nothing exciting, but it was hot and edible so I took it without complaint.
“We’ll be right behind you, eh?” Hemi leaned against the sill of my window and looked at us.
“Sweet as,” I nodded agreeably. “You know you’re always welcome at our place. Not sure where we’re going to put you, but we’ll figure something out.”
“Man, so long as we’re not sleeping in the rain, it’s all good.” Hemi grinned vibrantly, then shoved himself back and went off to gather up his men.
In no time flat, we were back on the road again. We led in the Hilux, since the lads on the bikes had more mobility than we did. We had to pick a path that the truck could handle, so it made sense for them to follow us instead of the other way around.
To my amusement, Priya squealed in mixed delight and terror every time we went over a bump or rolled down a slope. I glanced back at her every so often to check on her, and found her clutching her teddy and staring out the window at the passing scenery with enormous eyes.
The dog, for his part, mostly just slept. Priya’s enthusiasm seemed to have exhausted him, which I could understand. She was young and full of energy, while he was elderly and tired. I was pleased to notice that she didn’t do anything to wake the dog, and he didn’t seem bothered by her noises.
As the hours and kilometres rolled by, I found myself yawning as well. Michael didn’t need me to guide him; he remembered the route we’d taken when we had come through before. Despite the jolts that the broken tarmac sent through our vehicle, I lay my head against Michael’s firm shoulder and closed my eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was dark when someone shook me awake.
I opened my eyes, feeling disorientated and groggy, but before I was even fully alert I knew that something was wrong. Michael’s shoulder was tense, and I could see him staring intently into the distance.
“What is it?” I whispered, following his gaze. Before he could respond, I saw exactly what had him tense: the horizon was glowing a hellish kind of red. “Oh, God. Please tell me that’s just the sunset.”
“The sun went down ages ago,” he whispered back, his voice taut as a bowstring. “That’s not the sunset. That’s something else. I don’t know what that is.”
“It’s a fire. A very big fire,” I answered with dread certainty, then I stuck my head out the window and yelled Hemi’s name.
“We see it!” he shouted back over the noise of the engines. “Pick up the pace; we’re right behind you.”
I didn’t need to convey the message, Michael had heard him as well. He gave me just long enough to brace myself before he put his foot down, and the Hilux leapt forward. Priya squealed in fright at the sudden increase in speed; a quick glance back showed that she was clinging to my seat, holding on for dear life. Then the smell of smoke hit me, and distracted me completely.
“Oh my God, it’s big. It’s really big,” I exclaimed, leaning forward in my seat to try and get a look. We were still a couple of kilometres from Ohaupo, but I could already taste the falling ash on the wind. The truck lurched over a break in the road, almost throwing my head into the dashboard, but I didn’t care. My home was on fire. My sister could be in there. It was all that I could do to sit still as we careened faster and faster through the broken streets.
Suddenly, we were passing familiar buildings on the outskirts of town. I knew before we even rounded the corner onto our street that it was our motel burning. Michael slammed on the brakes and threw the truck into park, then we were both out the door. Side by side, we sprinted the last few metres to the front of the building that had been our home, which was now illuminated by a terrible wreathe of flames.
The fire had consumed the front corner of the building above the kitchen, and burnt all along the roof. Fat raindrops began to fall all around us, but it would be too little, too late. I looked at Michael and saw him frozen in shock. I felt the same way, but I had to shake it off.
My sister. My sister might be in there. Oh God, Skye! I stared at the building, struggling to work out the way to respond.
Suddenly, a memory flashed through my mind. If Skylar had followed my instructions, then there would be hoses and fire-fighting equipment in a nearby building. I turned and ran towards the building, ducking beneath a low-hanging something. In the hellish semi-darkness, I couldn’t even tell what it was. Behind me, I heard an explosion as a window blew out, and had to fight down the urge to be sick.
Hold on, Skye – I’m coming!
I vaulted over a half-collapsed fence and dodged around a shattered tree that lay at an odd angle against the side of the house, heading for the porch. I could only pray that Skylar had done as I’d instructed, for her own sake. With my path only lit by the crackling glow of flames, I didn’t see the hose sprawled across the ground until I stood on it and slipped. I fell hard, the breath knocked out of me, but I was so focused that I was struggling back to my feet before I even realised that I’d fallen. That was when I heard the muffled sobs of a child crying.
“Maddy? Maddy, is that you?” I whispered into the dark space beneath the porch. “Maddy-monkey, it’s Sandy. Are you okay, sweetheart?”
“Miss Sandy?” A little voice answered from the shadows. A moment later, a tiny body flung its
elf into my arms, sobbing out of control. “Granddaddy’s in the fire! Please, please, save Granddaddy. I tried to get the hose to put the fire out, but it’s too heavy.”
My heart leapt into my throat. “Where’s Granddaddy? Is he in his room? Where’s Skye?”
“The man took her. Granddaddy’s in the garden. The big boy hit him and he fell down, then they hit Miss Skylar and she fell down too.” Maddy sobbed in my arms as I struggled to make sense of what she was saying. “Then the man and the boy screamed and yelled, and they picked up Miss Skylar and ran away. But Granddaddy’s in there and he’s too big for me to lift so I tried to get the hose but—”
“It’s okay, sweetie,” I interrupted her, hugging her tight. I heard footsteps and familiar male voices, and then a torch beam illuminated us.
“There’s a hose here, and some fire extinguishers!” I heard Hemi’s voice as they rushed past us, snatching up the fire fighting equipment from under the porch.
“There’s a fire hydrant fitting over there, the hose should fit on that,” I called over the noise, pointing in the direction of the old blue symbols painted on the pavement to mark the fixture. Hemi shouted something I couldn’t hear and ran off in that direction, lugging the hose along between him and a couple of his comrades; I couldn’t tell which ones.
Ignoring the pain in my knees and elbows from where I had fallen a moment earlier, I gathered Madeline up in my arms and carried the sobbing child back to our truck. There, I found Priyanka hovering nearby, looking terrified.
“Priya,” I called her name breathlessly, pulling her gaze away from the fire. “I need your help, honey. This is Maddy. I need you to take care of her for me, okay? Stay with the truck if you can, but if you see anyone you don’t know I want you to take her, run away, and hide. Do you understand?”
The Survivors (Book 2): Autumn Page 27
