Red Centre (14 page)

20

R
ACING
T
HE
F
LAMES

The dust storm lashed the trees. Alex and Holly huddled together. Pirroni sat hunched by a tree trunk. Alex opened his eyes briefly and couldn't even see his hand. It was like being in a thick fog, but a fog full of nails. He could hear nothing but the wind in his ears. Which way was up? He had no idea. Holly clung to him like a koala; he had to be strong for her. Pirroni was immobilized too but there was no possibility of using this as a chance to get away. The storm blinded and deafened them.

The wind slowed. The quiet came like relief. Tiny noises seemed magnified. Alex could hear Holly breathing next to him. But it wasn't normal breathing; it was a rasping wheeze. The wind got up again and he still seemed to hear Holly fighting for breath, but that might have been the memory of it preying on his mind. Did she have asthma? If she did and she had a bad attack, she might die.

Another lull came, and this time it lasted. Pirroni got to his feet and Alex helped Holly up. He felt as if he had been spun around in a blindfold. Which direction had they been going in?

A flock of birds rose in a shrieking cloud. Pirroni stopped and looked at them. It seemed to ring some alarm bell in his mind. He turned to look back the way they had come.

Alex turned to look too. Grey smoke hugged the ground and filled in the gaps between the termite mounds. It looked like morning mist on a winter's day - except this was no mist. A smell of burning reached Alex's nostrils.

'Fire!' he yelled.

Pirroni ran. Alex gave chase. Holly kept up, adrenaline powering her alongside Alex. Terrorist and hostages alike ran for their lives. About a hundred metres ahead was an outcrop of rock thirty metres high, with a hollowed-out entrance, like a cave. A sign lay on the ground; it said: '
DANGER: MINE WORKINGS
'. The entrance was blocked by a wire gate, but a big hole had been cut in it and the edges were curled inwards. Danger or not, it was shelter. Alex and Holly dived after Pirroni into the gloomy depths.

Inside, Pirroni clamped a hand around Holly's arm. She wanted to collapse and catch her breath but he held her fast and forced her to stay on her feet. 'This way.' He took her further into the cave and drew his gun. She saw it and sobbed, stumbling alongside him. Alex's blood thundered in his head. Was he about to shoot her?

Pirroni turned to face him. 'You,' he said. 'Take her other arm.'

Alex obeyed, a thousand possibilities going through his mind. Was Pirroni about to kill them? Or was he threatening Holly simply to make him behave? The terrorist led them further into the cave. Where was he taking them? Was he looking for a quiet spot to shoot them and dump their bodies? Or was he trying to find a hiding place in case they were followed into the mine by someone else looking for shelter - or looking for them?

They passed decaying pit props. No wonder the place was locked up and condemned, thought Alex. Holly sobbed quietly. She feared for her life and Alex didn't dare say anything to her. She stumbled. Alex pulled her upright and heard a skittering of rocks as though they had dislodged some stones.

Then the whole floor slid away from underneath them.

Alex was thrown onto his back. Rocks dug into his spine and he was moving fast. The floor was giving way, roaring down into a big hole that had suddenly opened up. Holly screamed, sliding past him like someone caught in an avalanche. Alex grabbed her hand and her momentum pulled him down too. They hit the bottom together. Boulders bounced around them as they crashed down to the lower level, splintering into sharp, razor-like fragments.

Alex saw a large rock. If they could hide behind it, everything would go past them. Keeping hold of Holly, he got up, but his feet slithered on the unstable rubble. All he could do was dive for the rock and roll behind it, pulling Holly with him. It probably wasn't comfortable for her being dragged like that but it was better than leaving her. If he let go of her, he'd never find her again because he couldn't see anything. He had no idea what had happened to Pirroni.

The noise was earsplitting, crash upon crash like claps of thunder. Boulders rained down like hail. They shattered and the shrapnel cut his exposed arm like needles. The ground shook. Dust choked every breath he took and he tasted it in his mouth like cement.

Li was running hard. Behind her the orange glow of the fire ate up the trees, catching on the twigs, bark and dry leaves that littered the floor of the wood. It engulfed the termite mounds. All the animals had fled; she was the only living thing struggling to escape the flames.

She saw the entrance to the mine and dived in without hesitation. Inside, she collapsed against a rough-hewn wall, gasping for air.

At first she thought the roaring sound she could hear was the blood in her ears. But it was coming from deep within the mine. Dust was roiling towards her like smoke. But she knew it wasn't smoke. An experienced mountaineer, she knew only too well the sound of a rockfall.

Li didn't wait to see boulders raining down. She spotted a steel cabinet and dived in, wedging the door wide open. She didn't want to be trapped if something fell in front of the door.

Tommy drove onto the road and braked. 'This is where I found you.'

'But the wreckage of the plane isn't here,' said Amber. She was mystified. For miles in either direction the road was clear.

'Maybe it blew away,' said Hex. But privately he thought Tommy was wrong too. How could he ask the Aboriginal if he was sure about the location without offending him?

Tommy seemed to read his mind. 'This tree was here,' he said, pointing. The three friends followed his gesture with their eyes. It did look like the tree they had sheltered under during the first storm, but they had passed many other trees that looked just like it too.

Tommy got out of the truck and walked round to the passenger door. 'One of you drive,' he said. 'I'll check the ground.'

Paulo shifted to the driver's seat and started the engine. 'Here's where we're going, Paulo,' said Amber. She pointed to a mark on her map.

Paulo took the truck very slowly in a big circle, covering the area identified by Amber. Then the plan was to head straight across to the centre of the circle, to the point where the seaplane was most likely to be. Tommy hung out of the open door, inspecting the orange ground for signs.

He's never going to find anything, thought Hex. There's nothing to see. The ground was so hard they could barely see the tracks of their own truck, which weighed a couple of tonnes. How would a human weighing far less leave any sort of mark? But maybe he would be able to tell if a plane had landed - or taken off again.

Tommy held up his hand. 'Stop.' Paulo braked gently, aware of his precariously balanced passenger.

They were at the edge of a wood. Tommy jumped out and squatted down on the ground. 'Animals have been this way. Two kangaroos fleeing from the fire. We must be careful.' He paused and traced his fingers lightly above the dust as though uncovering something. He added, Also people moving.'

Amber, Hex and Paulo jumped out of the truck. Hex and Amber squatted down on either side of Tommy. Hex peered over Tommy's shoulder. No matter how closely he looked, he could see nothing there.

'One woman, two men,' said Tommy. 'The man walks with a limp.' He stood up. 'Come. We follow them further.'

Amber glanced at Hex. She could see the same question on Hex's face as was on her own. They hadn't told Tommy about the people they were looking for. Yet Tommy knew Pirroni had a limp. Just how had he worked that out?

Paulo drove along the edge of a wood. Tommy hung out of the side looking for more tracks. But he stayed quiet for ages, finding no more sightings.

He straightened up and put a hand in the small of his back, easing the muscles. 'The storm must have wiped the other prints away,' he said. 'I can't see them any more.' Then his face changed.

'What's the matter, Tommy?' said Amber.

Tommy sniffed the air and pulled the door closed with a slam. He pointed towards the open clearing. His voice was urgent. 'Quickly, take the truck over there and stop.'

Paulo steered around the termite mounds to where Tommy had indicated.

Tommy hopped out. 'We'll have to leave the truck here on the grass. The fire is coming.'

Amber climbed down after him. 'Wouldn't we be safer in the truck?'

Tommy shook his head. 'The truck will get too hot.'

'Like an oven, I suppose,' said Paulo. 'But why are we leaving it here?'

'If the grass catches fire it won't set fire to the truck. But if we are in the forest the truck will burn. Follow me.' He stalked off towards the wood.

Amber, Hex and Paulo followed. 'Does that make sense?' said Amber quietly to Hex.

'I suppose the forest provides more fuel - with all that leaf litter and twigs and stuff.'

Tommy reached the wood and squatted down on his haunches. When the three friends caught up with him they found him tracing a mark on a tree with his finger.

'Cut with scissors, recently,' he said. 'And here' - he placed his hand on the ground, palm down - 'here we have the footprint of a woman.'

The rockfall was over as suddenly as it had started. When the silence came Alex stayed stock-still, listening. Any moment it might start again. He held his breath. The mine stayed quiet.

He looked at Holly. Her mane of hair was clogged with red dust. He squeezed her hand and mouthed at her, 'You OK?'

Holly nodded.

Alex put his finger to his lips: Stay quiet. A little light was coming from gaps in the rock far above. The air was thick with dust. He moved and particles danced like red smoke. Around him was a chaos of smashed rocks and splintered pit props. A large piece of the floor above had collapsed, as though a car had been dropped through a house into the basement. When he looked more closely he saw why: it was concrete supported by wooden pit props - probably made to cover a natural hole in the floor. The parts that stayed standing were solid rock. Still, it looked as though nothing more was going to collapse.

He got to his feet. Holly followed. She was covered in grazes but seemed to get up OK. Nothing broken, then. Alex looked around. Where was Pirroni? There was no sign of him. Maybe he was behind some of the heaps of rubble. Maybe he was knocked out or injured. Alex's heart beat faster. Could they be free? And if they were, how would they get out?

Alex looked up at the entrance. It was a wide ledge, about five metres deep and five metres above him. It looked safe, but how would they climb up there?

Perhaps that wasn't the only way out. He looked at the debris around him. There were a few substantial boulders but beyond it was dark. If there was a way out there, it would take time to find it.

Holly leaned close to Alex and whispered, 'Where's - er - you know . . . ?'

'Hmm,' answered Alex quietly. He was keeping his emotions under iron control. It would be so easy to relax, say or do something unwise and get shot. All this time he had been co-operative and harmless, a perfectly behaved, compliant hostage. Now he boiled with excitement; they might be free. No, get a grip, he told himself. They couldn't just run away; climbing out would take time and they would be very visible. Pirroni could be watching from behind a rock and shoot them. Better make sure they were safe before they did anything else.

So where was Pirroni? He had definitely fallen with them. Alex had kept hold of Holly, which is why they had ended up together. Pirroni must have been swept in a different direction. Alex picked his way cautiously towards the biggest mound of debris.

How ridiculous, he thought. I am tiptoeing around looking for the man who has been holding me and Holly against our will. We should just turn and run for it. He picked his way around one boulder. Nothing. He stepped around the next.

Pirroni was slumped against the other side, unconscious.

Alex stared. It was like finding a vicious predator asleep in front of him. This might be a ruse. Did he dare go closer? Where was Pirroni's weapon? Look for that first.

Alex couldn't see the gun at all. He stepped closer. Yes, Pirroni was breathing. His water bottle lay smashed on the ground. The terrorist had a cut above his eye and his right arm was scraped where he had shielded himself from the pounding rocks. But there was no bleeding from the nose, mouth or ears, which would be signs of a serious injury. He had probably hit his head and been knocked out. Or was he bluffing?

Then Alex saw something. Suddenly he was sure Pirroni wouldn't be getting up and walking away. The terrorist's left hand was trapped underneath the boulder. Alex stared at it: the whole hand was under a rock the size of a demolition ball. Alex cautiously pushed it but it didn't move even a millimetre. It might as well have been cemented there.

Alex's mind raced. Should he try to get his knife? He couldn't see it, but Pirroni had been wearing it on his left side so it was probably jammed against his body. Did he dare touch the terrorist to get it?

No, this wasn't just about him. There was Holly to think of too.

He straightened up. As he made his way back to Holly, he allowed himself a smile.

21

T
RAPPED

Hex, running through the wood with Amber, Paulo and Tommy, heard the crackle of the flames behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and wished he hadn't. Orange flames licked through the bush, racing along the line of trees like liquid. Whatever it touched caught in a billow of light. A wave of smoke rolled over him. He put on a spurt.

Tommy led the way. He weaved between the trees with the poise of a world-class rugby player on his way to a try. Hex fixed his eyes on him, let his legs carry him and ran for all he was worth.

Smoke caught in his throat; it was like inhaling a blanket. Hex started to cough, then the coughs possessed him like a demon. He doubled over, hacking the irritation out of his lungs. He kept putting one foot in front of the other, but once he started coughing he only wanted to cough more. Amber and Paulo flailed along beside him, hacking and spluttering, slowing like broken machines.

In front of them, Tommy had ripped off his shirt and was squatting down. He dug down into the earth with his knife and brought out a large frog. Cupping his hands around the creature's body, he squeezed gently. A stream of water came out of its mouth and hit the shirt.

Amber started to speak but her words caught in her throat and she spluttered instead.

Tommy turned the fabric until it was thoroughly soaked, then put the frog gently back on the ground. It hopped away, unharmed, back to its burrow. Tommy tore the shirt into four strips and handed them out. 'Put this over your face and breathe normally,' he said.

Hex felt a surge of heat like a blast from an oven. He clasped the soaked fabric around his nose and mouth. Immediately the air going into his lungs cleared. He saw Amber and Paulo's expressions change as their breathing became easier; their eyes peering over the masks looked less desperate.

Hex jumped to his feet and they were all running again. He could barely see - he just kept following the tireless black figure that threaded through the bush with such certainty. A burning tree fell with a great crack in front of Tommy but he was already hurdling out of the way. He seemed to be able to predict where the flames would catch next.

Suddenly there were no longer trees around them. Tommy stopped. He squatted down. 'We rest here.'

Hex's eyes met Paulo's and Amber's, darting nervously above the masks. They were thinking the same as him. Surely they had to keep running.

'Do this,' said Tommy. He rolled into a ball, his arms holding his head tightly, like a tortoise withdrawing into its shell.

Amber, Hex and Paulo rolled up, closed their eyes and waited.

Amber felt her breathing get easier. She blinked. Her eyes stung, but they stung less. She looked around. They were on a flat patch of ground. It gleamed brilliant white in the sunlight for miles around them; it was like being in the middle of an old, cracked satellite dish.

Tommy had brought them to a clearing. The flames had come close but where they had sheltered there was nothing to burn and so they were safe. In the distance the fire crackled, but it was moving on.

Hex scratched at the ground with his fingers. It left white under his nails. He licked it cautiously. 'Salt,' he said, looking round at the others.

'Must be an ancient lake bed,' said Paulo.

Tommy stood up. 'My spirit ancestors are in this white lake.' He started walking. 'Come.'

Alex stood looking up at the ledge where the entrance to the cave was. Getting up there looked no easier close to. There was a solid, smooth rockface like a cliff wall.

Holly was beside him. 'I don't know about you,' she said, 'but I couldn't climb up that.' They were speaking normally now and her voice echoed in the large chamber.

Alex moved closer. There were chisel marks in the rock, as though it had been hewn by tools, but they didn't offer much in the way of foot- and handholds. 'Maybe it's better further over,' he said. He ran his fingers over the rock in case the dimming light was making it look more difficult than it was. But his eyes weren't deceiving him. He let out a sigh, gazing up at the roof of the cavern in exasperation.
Think:
what could they do?

A slight figure was silhouetted against the light. 'You guys OK down there?'

Alex's heart skipped a beat. 'Li?' he shouted.

'The one and only. What's up?'

'We're stuck. We can't get out.'

Li called out, 'Where's Pirroni?'

'Immobilized. Have you got any rope up there, or something we can climb?'

'Stay there. I think I saw some.'

When she reappeared, she was swinging something nonchalantly from one hand, like a catwalk model drawing attention to an expensive accessory. She posed at the rim of the ledge.

'Li, you're a star!' exclaimed Alex.

Li looked down. 'Yep, it looks long enough. I'll find something to fix it to.' She disappeared again.

Alex saw Holly's puzzled expression and started to explain that Li was his friend, that she had been hiding in the plane, but Li returned moments later.

'Are you ready? Rope coming down.' She tossed one end down to Alex and Holly.

Alex caught the end of the rope. He steadied it and held it out to Holly. 'Can you climb a rope?'

Holly grasped the end. She had never climbed a rope in her life but Li and Alex seemed to think it was easy. 'I'll have a go.'

'I'll give you a leg up,' said Alex. He clasped her around her waist. 'On a count of three: one two--' He launched her up.

She caught the rope and wrapped her legs around it. It was harder than she'd thought. When she moved, she swung about and it felt very unsafe.

Alex put his foot on the bottom of the rope to steady her. 'Is that better?'

Holly nodded and started to clamber up. The rope was rough, like a steel cable. Gripping it seemed to take off a layer of skin. Her thighs started to cramp from propelling herself upwards. But she made progress up the rope. She forced herself. If she couldn't, how would they get out?

'That's it,' called Alex. 'You're doing fine.' She stopped halfway up and Alex gave her some more encouragement. 'It's OK, Holly, take your time. You're doing well.'

But there was something wrong. Holly stayed where she was, clinging to the rope. Alex peered up at her. Her sides were going in and out like bellows, as though she was having trouble breathing. He caught the telltale sound of a wheeze, like when they were in the dust storm, but worse. 'Li,' he called, 'pull her up! She's got asthma!'

Li seized the rope and pulled, but Holly was heavy. Li's feet skidded on the loose stones on the floor and she started to slide towards the edge. She had to let go.

Alex called from below. 'She's stuck, Li! Quick, get her up!'

I need to ground myself, thought Li. She squatted down so that her centre of gravity was as low as possible and grasped the rope. Letting out a great roar, she pulled for all she was worth. Holly emerged over the lip of the shaft in a cloud of dust. Li caught her under her shoulders and dragged her clear, then untangled the rope, checked it was still firmly fixed to the steel cabinet and threw the free end down to Alex.

Li knelt down next to Holly. The girl was on all fours. She was trying to breathe, but every time she did, she wheezed painfully. Li peered at her face. 'Holly, listen. Do you have an inhaler?'

Holly shook her head. Li glanced at the girl's lips and hands. They were pink, not turning blue; that was a good sign.

Alex clambered out of the shaft. He dropped the rope and rushed to Holly's side.

'Quick, let's get her outside,' said Li. 'There's too much dust in here.'

They hauled the stricken girl to her feet and walked her to the entrance. Outside, the forest was smoking, the trees visible as charcoal silhouettes. Embers still glowed but most of the flames were gone. Some smoke drifted over towards them. Holly wheezed all the harder.

'No, we're better inside,' said Alex. They turned back.

Li peered at Holly's lips. They were starting to look purplish. That meant her body was lacking oxygen. What should she do? 'Holly, speak to us,' she said urgently.

Holly managed to gasp a few words. 'I'm not usually asthmatic' The effort was too much and she couldn't say any more.

'Must be the dust storm,' said Li. 'I've heard they can cause asthma.'

Alex looked up. 'What was that? It sounds like a truck.' He looked in the direction of the entrance.

The three froze where they were.

Hex clambered in through the hole in the wire gate. Amber and Paulo squeezed in after him.

'Well, you took your time,' said Alex.

'Are you all OK?' asked Hex. 'Where's Pirroni?'

'He's a bit stuck right now,' said Alex. 'Paulo, can you help here?'

'Her name's Holly, she's having an asthma attack and she hasn't got an inhaler,' said Li.

In seconds Paulo was by their side. 'Here, let me . . .' He slipped his arm under the shoulder that Alex was supporting. Li stepped away on the other side.

Paulo was far from certain what he was going to do. He'd read about a way to stop an asthma attack on an alternative medicine website and had no idea if it worked. But Holly's lips were turning blue. If she didn't get more oxygen she could die.

'Hi, Holly.' He gave her his most dazzling Latin smile. 'I'm Paulo. I'm going to make you feel better, and all you have to do is concentrate on what I say. If you do, you'll be fine. OK?'

Her chest heaved and her eyes looked desperate. He could see that the only thing she could think about was how she couldn't breathe.

He dug his nails into her arm. Her eyes flicked to his. She looked like a frightened deer, but at least he had her attention. 'Holly, I can help you. Will you let me help you?'

Holly made a hoarse, desperate noise. Paulo forced himself to stay calm, to take control, but she looked so distressed. Could he really cure this? 'Holly,' he repeated patiently, 'will you do as I tell you?'

She nodded.

OK. On to the next stage. 'What we're going to do is walk slowly and count. It will help you relax and breathe normally.'
Dios,
thought Paulo, this'll never work. That website must be mad. Did it say anyone had ever done this?

But Holly had no other chance. Stop doubting, Paulo thought. She has to believe I can cure her or she won't do it. And I have to believe it two hundred per cent. 'Holly,' he said firmly, 'this will work. Walk with me; keep in time with my steps. Say "One" every time you put your left foot down. Here we go.'

Paulo began to take slow steps. Holly walked beside him, making a high-pitched, whining sound. Her body was rigid with tension. Believe it will work, Paulo told himself. She will start to relax and she will be all right.

Paulo took the girl in a big circle around the cave. 'One,' he repeated every time she put her left foot down. Holly tried to count too. Instead the words came in short gasps. It sounded horrible. Stay calm, Paulo told himself. She's frightened; she has to relax. Just keep encouraging her. 'That's great,' he said. 'One; one.'

Her shoulders loosened fractionally. She was trusting him more. Her voice joined his more loudly, more surely. 'Hey,' said Paulo, 'that time you did it louder than me! Good girl.'

Li glanced at Alex. 'That looks like what you'd do with an old horse.'

'Yes, but it seems to be working,' said Alex. Holly looked calmer. She was smiling again and even managed a laugh.

Li looked around. 'We should get her away from here. The dust and smoke can't be helping.'

'We have the truck outside,' said Hex. 'I e-mailed the co-ordinates of the Aboriginal outstation to Sergeant Powell. It's a couple of hours' drive away so he'll probably be there by the time we get back.'

Tommy had come into the mine entrance to see what was going on.

Amber introduced him. 'This is Tommy - we wouldn't have found you without his help. He would probably like to get home before dark.'

Tommy was watching Paulo. 'He has a rare healing touch,' he said.

Alex got up. 'If we're going, I'd better check on our guest. I don't want to leave him for the rats before Sergeant Powell can pick him up. Besides, he's got something of mine.' He jogged to the rope and began to climb down.

Li jumped to her feet. 'I'm coming with you.'

Hex remembered his watch. He hurried after them. 'Oi, Alex,' he called, 'you've got something of mine too.' He shinned down the rope. When he hit the bottom he saw Alex and Li staring at a boulder in the gloom.

'Is he dead?' asked Hex, approaching quietly.

Alex shook his head. He was looking down. 'No. He's gone.' His voice was clipped with barely controlled anger.

Hex looked at Li in dismay. 'I thought we had him.'

Alex squatted down on the floor. 'We did.' His voice was anguished. 'He was trapped by this rock. He can't have got out. How could he move it from down on the floor?'

He squatted down to look more closely at the dusty ground. There had to be an explanation. It just wasn't possible . . .

Li stepped towards him. 'Alex, he's gone. No-one expected you to catch him--' Something caught her eye and she leaped back with a strangled scream. 'What's that?'

'Oh my God,' said Hex. 'Alex, it's down by your boot.'

Alex looked at his right boot. He recoiled.

Li felt sick. 'It's his hand.'

Where the rock had trapped Pirroni's hand, they could see a bloody stump. A pool of red oozed from it.

Alex steadied himself against the boulder. It was a moment before he could speak. When he did, his voice was hoarse. 'He freed himself,' he said slowly, 'by sawing off his own hand.'