‘Now, make sure you behave yourselves when we get to the camp.’
None of us answered.
‘Because I would hate for things to get ugly.’ She winked at Ruby, smiling brightly. ‘And I don’t believe in sparing the rod.’
The train came to a halt.
‘Here we go.’ There was something horribly final in the captain’s voice.
She threw the carriage door open. After catching my stick in a broken floorboard, I took the lead and limped outside while Tobe scooped up our packs. He and Ruby moved warily, almost as one, their expressions unreadable.
We stepped onto another platform at another train station.
This time there was no ticket office or waiting room, nothing but a long cyclone fence that ran parallel to the tracks, beyond which lay a wide apron of concrete and gravel. To our right, the fence disappeared into the distance. Far to our left, back the way the train had come, it stopped at a ruined building and bent at a ninety-degree angle and then ran on, until it too was lost from sight.
Encircled by the fences was a sprawling junkyard city.
The air stank of resignation and despair. Words couldn’t really describe it, and so I did the best I could.
‘Shit.’ I gawped, overwhelmed.
Tobe said nothing, still tense and wary. But he seemed unimpressed by the monstrous camp, as if he had seen it all before.
‘Wow.’ Ruby once again drew the word out. Her face lost its guarded edge as she drank in the seething mess of humanity at its worst and most desperate.
I looked away as a mob of Creeps strode towards us. A short, balding, book-ish type wearing a full parade jacket led them. Sweat beaded on his brow. He squinted behind thick-lensed glasses.
‘Captain, you’re late,’ he said with a nasal whine.
‘Commander O’Neil, I’m so very sorry,’ she said with undisguised sarcasm.
Despite the fact that she was taller than him, the commander tried hard to stare her down. The loathing in his eyes was as clear as the scowl on his face. The captain towered over him, unsmiling and underwhelmed.
‘Fucking toff,’ she muttered, loud enough for the commander to hear.
He chose to ignore her insult. ‘Right then, captain,’ he said, emphasising the ‘captain’, futilely trying to puff out his chest. ‘What do we have here?’
The captain passed him our transfer papers. He didn’t look over them. He didn’t even look at us.
‘Is that all?’
‘One of our boys has been injured. Doc Ish treated him as best he could, but we’ll need to leave him with you—we got word on the way here that they need us back in town.’
The commander crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Need I remind you that I have the authority in this camp? That means I make the decisions, especially in regard to who gets medical attention first.’
‘Good luck convincing anyone that these bastards should be seen to before one of our own.’
A few of the Creeps accompanying the commander smiled sourly.
‘So be it. Captain, if some of your troops could lend a hand unloading the salvage …’
The captain nodded at the nuggetty Creep who had been guarding us, and he walked away without a word.
‘… while I have my men escort the prisoners to be processed. Then I believe we can call it a day.’
‘About time,’ she muttered.
He bristled but didn’t do anything to right the slight.
‘Have fun,’ she yelled over her shoulder as she walked away.
The commander frowned before giving up on her. He looked us over, smiling an oily smile.
‘As you are no doubt aware, I am Commander O’Neil, senior officer of this camp. If you’ll follow me …’
He spun on his heel, started a brisk walk toward the cyclone fence, a pair of Creeps accompanying him. The remaining Creeps shuffled around behind us, gesturing at us to get a wriggle on. Almost running on autopilot, I shambled after the commander.
Tobe and Ruby followed. None of us spoke.
Up close, I saw that the fence was dotted with gates. The commander stopped at one and unlocked it. He and his escort strode through; we continued after them, the remaining Creeps forcing us forward. I stepped through the gate, stopping in front of a second cyclone fence that ran parallel to the first. The commander and his escort hurried through a gate in this second fence, locking it behind them. The remaining Creeps stayed on the far side of the first fence.
They locked their gate, too. Tobe, Ruby and I turned as one, unexpectedly trapped.
‘Bullshit,’ I said.
‘No bullshit,’ the commander answered.
Tobe looked bored, his arms folded over his chest. Ruby eyed the wire corridor that hemmed us in.
‘Bastards,’ she said in a voice so quiet that it almost disappeared on the wind.
‘I love a captive audience,’ the commander said. ‘Now, before the three of you set foot in the camp, there are a few things we must attend to. First, you’ll need to offload your belongings. Please don’t try and slip anything past us—you’ll also be frisked once you’re through.’
He followed the fence for a few metres, stopping at a hole that had been cut into it. It was about a foot square, running up off the ground, its edges burred. A shallow metal tray sat on the ground on the commander’s side of the hole. He pulled out a strange high-tech pistol and pointed it at us.
‘We’ll start with your packs. We can’t have you smuggling in anything untoward, can we?’
Tobe didn’t move. The commander pushed the tray through the hole in the fence. He cocked his gun, his hands shaking slightly. Tobe hauled the packs over, looking the commander in the eye. Blank indifference filled the commander’s face.
‘Now, please.’
He waved his gun in a way that suggested he wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. Tobe dumped my pack in the tray. The commander bent down, hauled the tray back, quickly rummaged through the pack, then shoved it aside. He once again pushed the tray through the hole. Tobe nonchalantly lowered his pack into it.
The commander broke Tobe’s stare and dragged the tray back, wrenching the pack open.
‘Well, you are a beauty,’ he said, his eyes lighting up.
Eighteen
The commander slowly drew my sister’s wedding dress from Tobe’s pack. Gently, so as not to snag or tear it, he pulled it free and held it high, appraising it with a practised eye. He spun it around, smiling a greedy smile.
Tobe took a step forward.
One of the Creeps behind us cocked a gun. Ruby and I watched, transfixed, as Tobe took another step forward.
‘Be careful, boy.’
Tobe finally stopped. The commander folded the dress over his arm, passed it to one of the Creeps flanking him.
‘It’s been a long time since anything this beautiful has graced us—thank you for the gift. It’ll fetch a pretty penny, next time I’m up north.’
Tobe threw himself at the fence, reached through a gap in the wire and caught the commander by one of the absurd epaulettes on his shoulder. He did this without making a sound. It happened almost too fast to see.
‘Shoot!’ the commander screamed.
I heard the Creeps behind us shuffle around. The two that had accompanied the commander drew their guns, but there was no clear line of sight.
‘Shoot!’
The epaulette tore; the commander fell back. Tobe kept reaching, thrashing, clutching. He still hadn’t made a sound.
‘It seems that you need a lesson,’ the commander said.
He got back to his feet, keeping well out of Tobe’s reach. He pulled his gun from its holster. Ruby and I took an involuntary step forward. The Creeps escorting the commander raised their guns, forcing us back, forcing us once again to just watch helplessly.
‘It seems that you have a problem with authority,’ the commander said, taking aim.
Tobe didn’t answer. Smiling cheerfully, the commander pulled the trigger.
‘Tobe!’ Ruby screamed.
Instead of the crash of a gunshot and a red bloom of blood, I heard a sharp whistle as a metal dart trailing a long drooping wire embedded itself in Tobe’s chest.
‘Bang!’ the commander said with a laugh.
The dart sparked. Tobe started to spasm. He bit his lip; blood dribbled down his chin. Limbs jerking uncontrollably, he fell on his back, banged his head and seemed to knock himself out. He kept convulsing.
‘Stop!’ Ruby yelled, running to him.
The dart was still alive with electric fire. Acting on instinct, I dropped my stick and scooped Ruby up, pulling her back.
‘It’s not safe …’
She fought against me. As wounded as I was, there was still no way I would let her get the better of me.
‘Stop!’ she yelled again, her voice thick and blubbery.
Tobe kept convulsing. His eyes rolled back in his head; he started to drool. I wanted to throw myself in the way, to take Tobe’s place—seeing my best mate in such a state was killing me. But the commander was a rock and the world was a hard place and I was stuck between them.
‘Leave him alone!’
Ruby’s tears shone on her cheeks. The commander ignored her, didn’t put a stop to Tobe’s pain.
‘Please,’ she said.
‘Good girl.’
The commander flicked a switch on his gun. The dart stopped sparking. Tobe slowly fell still.
‘In these parts, politeness will get you everywhere.’
He kicked Tobe’s unmoving body.
‘Don’t think that we’re animals. I could have killed your friend, but here we only do so when it is absolutely necessary. We behave the way civilised people should. Contrary to the life you degenerates live, ours is one based on civility and respect for authority.’
I crouched, picked up my stick, and didn’t say a word. Ruby sat by Tobe, stroking his head. Rage burnt in her eyes. Tobe suddenly groaned. He might have been regaining consciousness, or he might have been voicing his disgust at the commander’s pompous bluster.
He opened a bloodshot eye, looked around glassily, let his head drop.
‘It seems that your friend has heard enough of my voice,’ the commander said with a smirk. ‘Very well. Men!’
The commander’s escort levelled their guns at us. Ruby and I didn’t speak, move, or take our eyes off them. The gate behind us creaked open. Three more Creeps walked into our line of sight. One of them dragged Ruby away, while the other two hauled Tobe to his feet.
They completely ignored me.
Tobe groaned deeply as his injured arm was wrenched sideways. The commander flicked another switch on his gun and the wire slowly reeled back in. Two of the Creeps dragged Tobe through the gate; the third let Ruby go and followed them into the camp.
They were soon lost in the shantytown maze.
The commander stared at us coldly.
‘Neither of you are going to give me any trouble, are you?’
I raised my free hand in surrender. Truth be told, Tobe being dragged away had left me numb and unmoored—the fact that I had to tread a nightmare path alone was beginning to sink in. Ruby caught my eye, tipped a tiny wink my way, a pathetic attempt at comfort.
I smiled gratefully; I wasn’t completely alone. ‘Cheers.’
She mouthed the words ‘no worries’.
‘Right, time to get a move on.’ The commander nudged the steel trough with the toe of his boot, pushing it back our way. ‘You know what to do.’
Ruby reluctantly spun in front of the commander, showing him that the pockets of her coveralls had been slashed and torn. She turned her back on him. I started emptying my pockets, realising that in the rush of leaving Ishra and the confusion of everything that had followed I hadn’t gotten around to checking them. It’s strange, not knowing what you might be carrying …
I found Tobe’s tarnished compass, his antique lighter, his jangle of rusty keys, a possum skin of bush tobacco, the old rusty nail that my hat had once hung upon. They all went into the trough, each a reminder of yet another loss.
I kicked the trough back. The commander crouched down and sifted through it, dismissing it as junk.
‘Men, if you will?’
The gate behind us creaked open. Heavy boots crunched on gravel.
‘You two, up against the fence.’
We did as we were told, staring at the commander’s smug smile through the wire. One of the Creeps behind me kicked my legs apart and frisked me roughly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that they were treating Ruby a little more gently. But only a little, as is their way.
They found nothing on either of us.
‘Very good, you’re learning. Now, gather your things and come along.’
The commander dumped our packs in the trough and nudged it back through the gate. I filled my pockets with the bits and bobs Tobe had left me. I emptied his pack into mine. Ruby struggled to shoulder it, but she got there in the end. The commander unlocked the gate and swung it open.
‘Welcome to the Echuca-Moama Refugee Camp … Sergeant, if you would?’
One of the Creeps flanking the commander abruptly strode off. All but two of the Creeps that had met us off the train followed after him.
‘Lead on,’ the commander said.
I resisted the urge to correct him as we reluctantly stepped through the gate. Ruby walked in my shadow. We kept on, my stick occasionally catching on the gravel surface of the apron separating the fence from the camp.
We entered an ungodly fresh hell.
The sprawling city of junk shimmered with heat haze; clouds of smoke billowed; tongues of flame leapt into the sky; flies, carrion birds, dust and despair filled the air. A towering steeple rose from the middle of the jumbled ruins; others dotted the camp’s perimeter: watchtowers and guard towers, rifle barrels bristling from gun nests like so many coarse hairs. A formless noise swelled around us. It seemed to have no beginning or end, like the sound of the far off ocean. Muffled voices, the rhythms of industry, stomping feet, buzzing flies, barking dogs, squawking birds, the clink-clink of commerce, the angry yelling of the aggrieved—they all blended into one.
‘Shit,’ Ruby said.
There seemed no more appropriate word.
‘Try to think of it as home,’ the commander suggested.
Our eyes were open wide; our mouths were closed shut. We were absolutely overwhelmed.
The commander led us on. We followed meekly, turning down one of the many alleys that cut between the tattered tents, battered tin sheds and shacks made of reclaimed rubbish. It was hard to ignore the bullet holes that peppered some of them. For the most part, it was impossible to tell if people lived in them or if they had been abandoned or if they were simply waiting for someone desperate enough to call them home.
‘Shit,’ Ruby said again, as the alley opened onto a rough town square.
‘You degenerates and your language …’
There were people everywhere; we ignored the commander in favour of gawping. A lot of them sat around listlessly, doing their best to escape the sun. A lot more struggled to ward off worse enemies. Buying, selling, trading, taking, fighting, playing, dancing, feasting and fucking—the lethargy in the air was only matched by the frantic activity of those trying to keep boredom and frustration at bay.
‘You’ll have time to explore later.’
The commander hurried across the square, leading us through a maze of barter stalls, open-air workshops, makeshift ironmongers and bootleg home brew stands. No one met his eye; everyone was noticeably doing their best to avoid his attention. We trailed after him, as docile as thirsty beasts being herded to a waterhole.
‘Shit,’ Ruby kept saying as each new surprise met her unbelieving eyes.
Numerous dusty roads, broken streets and grimy alleys branched off the square. The commander led us into one that seemed no different from any other, a twisting, winding thing strewn with rubble and occasionally blocked by a rusted-out car. We kept
walking. The alley soon straightened out, stopping at a towering brick wall.
‘Shit.’
‘Yes, yes, yes—we get the point.’
Fresh alleys led left and right, following the wall in both directions. The commander steered us right; a single-file human snake, we slithered through an alley that opened onto a wide road stretching in both directions, seemingly splitting the camp in two. On the far side, the camp continued; on our side, an immaculate red-brick courthouse loomed above us, surrounded by the desiccated remnants of a sprawling manicured garden. The courthouse was an ornate piece of the long-dead past, a ridiculous tower capping off its grandiosity. A dozen steps rose from the street to its doors; two Creeps stood guard, the first I had seen aside from our escort. Both were armed with actual guns, rather than the taser the commander had carried. Another Creep stood at the top of the steps, looking over a crowd of fifty or so fellow holdouts.
They looked back at him with desperate eyes, while he took his time waving certain people to one side.
‘Work detail,’ the commander explained inadequately.
‘What’s in it for them?’ I asked, barely aware of the words falling from my mouth.
He smirked. ‘Not much, a bit of extra food and water in the ration pack. The true reward lies in having something useful to do … Anyway, that’s for later. Right now, you need to remember how to get here. This is where you’ll find everything you need—food, water, first aid. The bell sounds at eight every day. You turn up, join the queue, exchange your old ration pack and canteen for new ones, and that’s that.’
I looked up at the building, disbelief growing in my staring eyes. Plastic bullhorns adorned the tower; another pair of Creeps watched the crowd from the roof. Like their fellow bastards, they were armed with actual guns as well.
‘Please, don’t be late and don’t forget: there are no favours here. If you miss it, you’ll have to make do.’
I whistled low.
‘If you want to see a doctor, the guards will assess you first—don’t worry, they know what they’re doing. And if you have a problem with a fellow refugee, I suggest you sort it out yourself. Or at least try and resolve it in front of a guard.’
The Rain Never Came Page 17
