Catherine Jinks TheRoad (59 page)

‘Someone’s coming!’ he said.

‘Where from?’ Noel’s head was swivelling from side to side. ‘I can’t tell...’

‘From the north,’ Del announced. ‘I told ya.’

‘There!’ Linda pointed. In the distance, where the road met the horizon, a pinprick of light was visible. Headlights, perhaps – or the glint of low-lying sunbeams bouncing off chrome. Squinting, Verlie found that she could make out the colour red and even a rough shape as the vehicle drew near. Del hurried over to her station wagon.

‘I’ll wave a rag,’ she said. ‘Flag ’im down.’

‘Get off the road, Ross!’ Verlie was alarmed to see her husband straddling the centre line, as if daring the approaching vehicle to flatten him. He shot her an impatient glance and peered down the road again – a long, calculating stare – before he finally retreated.

‘Looks like it might be a ute,’ he observed.

‘Oh God, do you think we can get through?’ Linda asked, of no one in particular. The vehicle was now clearly identifiable, a ute, its roo bar large and threatening, its roof and bonnet bristling with aerials, its windscreen tinted, its headlights still on high beam, though they were leached of strength, pallid and feeble, in the pinkish morning light. Noel began to wave his arms. Del flapped a ragged green towel up and down, as if she were trying to scare away chickens.

Verlie found herself raising a hand, like a policeman. ‘Stop!’ she cried.

But the ute didn’t stop. In a flash it was upon them, rushing past with a rumble and a blast of hot air. It was going so fast that Verlie couldn’t see who was driving. She did notice, however, that there wasn’t anyone in the front or rear passenger seats.

‘Wait!
Wait!
’ Linda screamed.

‘Ya stupid shit!’ Del threw her towel on the ground with a
smack
. Alec seemed stunned. Verlie felt tears pricking her eyes – she obviously hadn’t had enough sleep – and blinked furiously.

‘Some people.’ Noel was shaking his head in disgust. ‘Couldn’t he see? Or didn’t he care?’

‘Thick as two short planks, more like,’ Ross growled. ‘Dammit!’

‘He won’t get anywhere,’ Alec mumbled.

‘Eh?’

‘He won’t get anywhere.’ Alec was slouching with his hands wedged into the pockets of his jeans. ‘He’ll end up stranded. Serve ’im bloody right.’

‘Yeah, well.’ Del’s tone was suddenly philosophical. ‘Ya meet a lotta bastards. Some get their comeuppance and some don’t.’ She took a deep breath, surveying all the crestfallen faces around her. ‘So – what are we doin? Buildin a fire or lightin the stove? We’d better get a move on, or it’ll be time for lunch before we eat breakfast.’

To the south, down the road, the whine of the ute’s departing engine slowly faded and died.

Col Wallace woke before his alarm went off. He had set it for seven, just in case, but he was up before six thirty, as usual. In the